A Short Adventure

On Wednesday afternoon, we left town for a quick two night getaway. It ended up being quite an adventure!

For this trip, we decided to try 'dispersed camping' in National Parks. The first night, we stayed at a place recommended by my parents, but the second night we had only a general idea of where we wanted to stay. 

I will let the pictures do most of the talking...
First Night: Brown's Creek/Raspberry Gulch

We drove through some farm country to get to the National Park

The Campsite

A beautiful spot overlooking the creek

 In the morning, we stopped in Buena Vista for gas before heading into Leadville to visit the Ranger's Station. 

Then we got back on the road towards Aspen, which meant a drive over Independence Pass (12,095 feet). Greta did a great job, although she didn't like the high altitude at the summit. 

On the way up the pass

 The summit! Yay Greta!

Once we got to Aspen, we went to the Ranger's Station and asked about dispersed camping in the area. There were two locations close by, so we decided to check out an area off Castle Creek Road. The Ranger told us that the road was "a little bumpy" in the camping area, and asked what kind of vehicle we were driving. Even after we told her we were in an old VW, she was confident we'd be able to handle the "bumpy road." As it turns out, a little bumpy was a huge understatement! I didn't take any pictures, but the road is really better suited for a 4wd vehicle. Despite the stress of dealing with less-than-ideal conditions, it was a pretty drive (especially in the paved areas!)

There were only a few camping spots in the "non bumpy" areas -- which were all taken -- so we decided to travel elsewhere to find a spot. We decided to drive through Basalt, CO and into Meredith, CO where we found a Forest Service Road. The road was steep and winding (complete with cows in a few places!) The scenery was amazing, though!

As the sun started to go down, we started to get a little nervous about finding a place to sleep for the night, but thankfully we found our 'miracle campsite' just in time. The weather was chilly, so we didn't put up the pop top.

In the morning we were able to get a better look at the campsite

After packing up camp, we drove into Eagle, CO for some breakfast before driving to the Holy Cross Wilderness area. After another scenic drive, we arrived at the Fall Creek Trail. We hiked for about two hours, taking in the amazing views.

 After our hike, we started making the drive towards home. Overall, we had a great trip. We definitely learned how to handle Greta had high altitudes....but once again, she did not disappoint! 

While on our trip, we went over the following mountain passes:

Independence Pass: 12,093 feet
Vail Pass: 10,662 feet
Fremont Pass: 11,319 feet
Wilkerson Pass: 9,057 feet
Ute Pass: 9,165 feet

Greta did a lot of work in just a few days, but we were once again impressed with her performance. We may be the slowest vehicle on the pass, but she doesn't give up!