In Colorado, as usual, I sought out a National Forest ranger station to get advice. The ranger in Loveland sent me up to Jack's Gulch in the Roosevelt National Forest (named for FDR not TR). It was the 4th of July weekend, so he figured I needed to go to a place where I likely would find a site, and that meant a long drive up along the Cache La Poudre River. It was high and raging as were most of the rivers in the west. There were signs everywhere that said, "In case of flood, climb." I looked up at the canyon walls and said, sure, that'll work. But Jack's Gulch did prove to be another lovely place to pitch my tent. I selected a walk in site, carrying all my gear to be away from people. (Didn't work, people with two children and two dogs moved their tent into an adjoining site soon after.)
I was finally in the mountains with snow covered peaks off in the distance. There were hiking trails all over, though nearby equestrians insisted on taking their horses on them, ignoring the "No Horses" signs. Can't these people read?
Two nights later I was at the Blue River Campground in the White River National Forest. On July 2, it was still the Independence Day holiday and I had to take the only campsite left. I didn't know why that one was open until I took a look at an adjoining loop. It had been closed to the public because of a bad infestation of fire ants. Still, my tent was pitched and I stayed there. I did squash one ant who came over to my site for a visit.
Again, I was getting a joyful view of the mountains, so why worry about a few ants?
The ants kept their distance and the next morning, my tent was on its way to a new destination.
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