Blue Goose ~ Day 43

July 13, 2014 ~ Rock Springs, WY to Big Bend Campground in the Rockies in Colorado

I lingered awhile in Rock Springs, half wanting to go to at least one rodeo performance but couldn't find ticket information online, and it would mean hanging around until evening....

Back on I80 which is efficient, its only redeeming factor. The road ran fast and straight through more sage and sun until I turned south early afternoon into Colorado and immediately the scenery changed. As I got closer to the Rockies, there were prosperous ranches and green fields and far-off snowy peaks.

I crossed the Platte River three times, stopping occasionally to read the historic markers, most of which describe various pioneer trails.

After getting gas in Walden, a small nondescript town but busy with travelers, I drove another eight miles south to the heart-stoppingly gorgeous Arapaho NWR.

Arapaho NWR - CO

Swainson's Hawk - Arapaho NWR - CO

I picked up information and refuge maps, drove an auto route and sat by a pond for an hour where I mostly watched parent and baby coots, but also a Black-crowned Night-Heron which flew over, and a gull which made several dive-bombing runs toward the baby coots, very concerning for the parents who flapped and fluttered about. The babies all dove out of sight, and the gull left after half a dozen futile attempt at a baby coot dinner.

I had found a spot where oddly (because it was on the edge of a wetlands) there were no flies or mosquitoes. Otherwise, I wouldn't have lingered. I drove up on Owl Ridge and saw a Swainson's Hawk sitting on a post and looked down on the narrow winding Illinois River hoping to see a moose. I didn't but reveled in the overall beauty of this refuge.

Late afternoon, I headed east on US14 which goes into and over the Rockies. I started in sunshine but then went through 15 minutes of rain while driving over a 10,000 foot pass stopping constantly to take photographs in between rain drops. I know from previous experiences these pictures NEVER even begin to capture the wild whitewater rivers and immense rocks and boulders and millions of evergreens and the wildflowers and even in July, the patches of snow at higher elevations. There are always places to pull over so the temptation is constantly to do exactly that.

I kept driving by National Forest campgrounds and decided - why not? so turned around and went into the Big Bend campground. There were only eight to ten spots, three of which were for "walk-in tents" only, but there were at least four empty other places, each with a picnic table and fire pit. The deal is that one picks out a spot, enters some information (car license, zip code, etc.), puts money in an envelope and into a small receptacle with a narrow slot on top. I paid $7.50 which was half price because I have the Golden Age Passport which can be used for one night. (Richard - do you have that?) I discovered that these campgrounds are run by a private entity called American Lands and Leisure under contract with the Forest Service. Each has campground hosts who live in RVs with plants, cute signs, outdoor furniture and a definite air of being settled in for the summer. The bathroom was a pit toilet and spotless.

The amazing thing here and which I noticed almost immediately were hummingbirds buzzing as they flew rapidly all around. They seemed to inspect me and my van and several times were hovering two inches from the closed windows or buzzing very close to me. One came flying right at me with its bright red throat clearly visible. I mixed up some sugar water but only had a small plastic bowl to put it in. If I had had a hummingbird feeder, I would have been able to attract them within five minutes, As it was, I had cleaning solution in a red plastic bottle and put that on the picnic table next to the sugar water, and off and on they inspected that but never found the water. I checked my bird guides; this was a life bird for me: Broad-tailed Hummingbirds which were the only possibility with habitat and tail and red throat and geographic location. I was alongside a river, a meadow in front and huge cliffs behind me. It was definitely several steps up from a parking lot or crummy motel.

I hadn't planned this so only had Chobani yogurt and cheese and crackers for dinner which were easily sufficient. I only regretted not having coffee cream for the next morning. It got in the 40s as I woke up chilly, but then I had a Skeeter Beater on one window all night instead of rolling it up.

One more van came in at dusk and I could see its inside light in the dark. Andree gave me an LED head lamp which works perfectly and much better than my other three clip-on reading lights. So, I was a happy camper.

Coots on Arapaho NWR - CO

Arapaho NWR - CO

US 14 - CO