RIDGWAY STATE PARK, RIDGWAY, COLORADO

RIDGWAY STATE PARK, RIDGWAY, COLORADO
(Take US 550 south of Montrose, CO for 22 miles to the park entrance or north of Ridgway, CO on US 550 – 4 miles. 28555 Highway 550, Ridgway, CO 80432, park info: 970-626-5822)

Just outside of Ouray and Montrose, Colorado is Ridgway State Park. What a gem! The parks service touts it as the “Switzerland of America” . . and they aren’t kidding. The mountain scenery is breathtaking, the reservoir is pristine, there’s an awesome beach area, with picnic areas and playgrounds. There are many hiking trails and the wildlife is abundant.

When we first pulled into the Pa-Co-Chu-Puk site at the Ridgway campgrounds, we couldn’t believe how much space each site was provided. Pa-Co-Chu-Puk is on the northeast side of the reservoir and reservations can be made at Ridgway State Park. Our site was so secluded we couldn’t see any other RV’s from our spot. We were parked facing the forest and both the Cow Creek and Uncompahgre Rivers, which feeds into the Ridgway Reservoir, were less than a five minute walk from our trailer. The creek and river were running quite heavy – which is not always the case during Colorado summers – but you need to be aware of the currents if you plan to venture into the river to fish.

It was out first night, we had just lit the BBQ for our traditional first night “steaks on the grill” dinner, around 6:00p. I was inside the trailer preparing dinner when I hear, pssssst . . pssssst . . . come quick, bring the camera!! I stepped outside to see that a herd of white tail deer had just wandered up to our site – within feet of the trailer and the BBQ. It was amazing – as they were clearly not afraid – or even aware of us. They grazed around our site for nearly 30 minutes. Beautiful animals!





We did some star-gazing the first night. At 6,700 ft in elevation, the stars seemed close enough to touch. There was no moon the first night and the Milky Way was so visible it seemed we could reach up and touch the stars. The stars were so thick it was hard to pick out the common notable constellations. Ridgway is a place we plan to visit many times in the future.

BLUE MESA RESERVOIR - BLACK CANYON OF GUNNISON

GUNNISON, COLORADO – BLUE MESA RESERVOIR
What a beautiful location and great camping locations within the Blue Mesa Reservoir and Gunnison areas.

The Gunnison Black Canyon area is nationally known for its geology and topography – and for the historical lore surrounding that area. Local legends say that pioneers and trailsmen would enter the canyon to avoid passage over the rocks. Trapped in the canyon with no way out, many perished. It is said that you can hear their cries of sorrow and pain during calm weather periods within the canyon.

Our journey to Gunnison took about two hours longer than we anticipated, due to the steep grade over Monarch Pass through the southern Colorado Mountains. Some portions topped an 8% grade, and pulling the Cirrus Trailer, even with the Dodge 2500 Diesel, proved quite the climb. When we make that climb again, we will plan to not fill our water tanks ahead of the trip. The fresh water tanks add too much weight.

BLACK CANYON OF GUNNISON NATIONAL PARK
The canyon has been a mighty barrier to humans. Only its rims, never the gorge, show evidence of human occupation – not even by Ute Indians living in the area since written history began. The Black Canyon stretches far beyond the 14 miles within the national park. Including the canyon within Curecanti National Recreation Area and Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, the total length is 53 miles.

Climate
Weather can vary greatly between the canyon rim and canyon floor. Summer daytime temperatures range between 60 to 100F (15 to 38C), nights 30 to 50F (-1 to 10C) Winter daytime temperatures range between 20 to 40F (-6 to 4C), nights -10 to 20F (-23 to -6C). Precipitation is minimal, brief afternoon thunderstorms occur during the summer.

THE SHAKEDOWN CRUISE

We call the first trip of the season “The Shakedown Cruise”. Before your RVing season begins, you need to de-winterize your rig and make sure all the facilities are operating properly. You don’t want to pull out on the first trip of the year and find out you’re 500 miles from home and have a problem with your RV. We found the perfect spot for our Shakedown – Cherry Creek State Park. It’s a great getaway spot, but it is close to home (3 miles), close to the city (within Denver city limits) . . . and if we discover a problem, we’re close to the services needed to fix the problem. State Parks offer all the amenities you need for an overnight shakedown and almost every major city in the country has a State Park close by.
Shakedown Checklist:
• Check electrical system and fuses
• Fill your water tanks with just enough water to test toilet operation, test sinks and outlets for leaks
• Check your fluids and tires
• Check the braking system in your towing vehicle and on the trailer
• Attach/adjust mirrors
• Check your hitch and coupling system hookups
• Test your battery levels and charge if necessary
• Check your water heater system
• Fill propane tanks if needed
• Think Safety: make sure you have a First-aid kit, road flares, a good shovel, tool kit and hoses!



Be prepared for anything. Our first Shakedown was scheduled for late March. We planned it it early February - the weather in Colorado was amazing, hardly any snow and temperatures running in the 50's and 60's. But as luck would have it, two days before we are to leave for Cherry Creek - it snowed three feet!!! Nothing stops us . . we made it to the park with no problem. We backed into a beautiful spot, turned on the water and whammo - toilet sprung a leak . . . water everywhere! It's exactly this type of thing that makes your Shakedown worth the trip, and parking in a big city makes the repairs that much easier. We unhooked, went to our favorite RV store, got the parts and had it fixed by nightfall!