Day 24: Rifle Gap State Park, Colorado

We had talked about checking out of our site at Dead Horse Point, hooking up the car, and---on the way to Colorado---stopping at Arches National Park, about 30 miles away.  However, we awoke to clouds and drizzle.  Checking the park website, it noted that there was little parking for oversized vehicles, and the webcam from the entrance showed a long line of cars waiting to get in.

So…we headed back to I-70 to travel to Colorado.  We DID see some of the arches in the distance from the highway as we came down off the mesa from Dead Horse Point.

There was not much to see along the interstate except desert and sign and after sign at exits “No services”.  Once past Grand Junction, CO, things started looking greener and much more dramatic as we approached the mountains.  The highway follows the Colorado River, which flows right through the town which was our destination: Rifle, Colorado.

We fueled up and picked up some needed groceries, then drove north of town to Rifle Gap State Park.

First impressions were not positive.  The park is built around a reservoir which was only half-full (or half-empty?), leaving expanses of rock and mud along its edge.  Our site in the “Lakeview” section is high on a hill, in an open area with no trees.  And the ranger said that there are no hiking trails in the park.  I guess during the summer, people come here to swim (beach closed at this time of year) and to fish (and we later saw the red and green lights of a boat out on the reservoir as we sat around our campfire). 

On the other hand, the campground seems almost new: level site with a concrete pad and covered picnic table, full hookups (electric, water, sewer), hot showers (as long as you bring along your quarters---4 minutes for a dollar).  And there are mountain bluebirds everywhere!  I saw more birds, and more different types of birds, in the first hour here, than I have in the past two weeks.

The weather remained overcast all day, with occasional light showers, lasting only a few minutes each.  At one point in late afternoon, as I was just returning from my shower, there was a full rainbow to the northeast, very bright.  But after dinner, there was a long enough break for us to have a campfire, as did a number of campers around us.  (Note: It’s off-season and mid-week, so only about a dozen of the many sites here are occupied, which is quite nice.) 

It was a very quiet night, up here in the mountains.  I awoke early this morning to the sounds of coyotes barking, yipping, and howling, as did Ranger, of course!  Foxes at the previous campground, coyotes here; he is well-entertained, though he really looked puzzled about this morning’s chorus!