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We left Leadville on Sunday, August 16 headed for Central City where we stayed at Columbine, a national forest campground, about 5 miles out of town. Central City, like Leadville, has a colorful history which began in 1859, when John Gregory discovered "The Gregory Lode" in a gulch near Central City. Within two weeks, the gold rush was on and within two months the population grew to 10,000 people seeking their fortunes. It was soon the leading mining center in Colorado and came to be known as "The Richest Square Mile on Earth". Central City is now a gambling town. We were not very impressed with the little town and didn’t give them any money – except at the ice cream shop. This is one of those towns that we don’t feel a need to come back to.

Columbine campground was a mecca for Harley as it was pretty deserted and the first campground that had no signs posted that dogs must be kept on a leash. However, as in all campgrounds, we watched him carefully as we don’t want some critter to get him. He would be a good 10-pound snack for some of the coyotes and hawks around here! In fact, a fellow camper warned us that a hawk had been circling her two small dogs and even made a pass at Harley – horrors!

We left Central City on Wednesday heading toward Stillwater Campground on Lake Granby to meet our friends, Sam and Maggi Brown from Houston. They flew in on Thursday and stayed at the Inn at Grand Lake while we toured Rocky Mountain National Park. Sam and Jerry grew up together in Morrilton and have been friends since the 6th grade.

We spent a wonderful weekend with Sam and Maggi. We always love being with them and Harley loved it, too. Maggi brought dog “cookies” and a new toy for him. We named the new toy “Lucky” after Sam and Maggi’s sweet dog. Maggi also bought Harley a little stuffed chipmunk at one of the national park visitor centers and he loves it, too!

We were disappointed to see that over half the pine trees in Rocky Mountain National Park are dead, struck by the pine beetle which has destroyed many of Canada’s forests. Such a shame! We enjoyed a hike around Lake Irene and a picnic beside Glacie Creek near Sprague Lake. Additionally, we hiked up the 260+ steps to the top of the mountain at the Alpine Visitor Center. Since the elevation there was over 12,000 feet, we had to be careful – we are senior citizens, you know! It was a strenuous walk at that altitude but we made it without a hitch and enjoyed a beautiful vista from the top. While in the park, we saw a female mule deer and two bull moose.

Sam and Maggi flew back to Houston on Sunday after a big breakfast in Bubba. We were so sad to see them go!   Their visit was a reminder that friends are among God’s greatest gifts.

We stayed at Stillwater for two more nights before heading to Canon City on August 25.

Until next time, happy trails to you . . . til we meet again!