July 14, 2014 Grand Lake, Colorado

Over the weekend any campgrounds big enough for the bus near Rocky Mountain National Park were full. We decided to try Monday for a first come, first serve site.

We found a site in the Still Water campground on Lake Granby. We shoe horned into one of the few open spots. Here is our site, and the view from the back of it of beautiful Lake Granby and the Indian Peaks in the background.

We went into the park and visited the Kawuneeche Visitors center. Then we drove down the road to the Holzwarth historic site. In 1920 the Holzwarth family moved into the Kawuneeche valley and built the  Trout Guest Ranch.  This is the Colorado River going through the very green valley. The source of the Colorado is in the park.   Some of the guest cabins at the Trout Guest Ranch.

This kitchen photo is of the heated toilet seat-outhouse seat on the stove. John and our guide Gary in front of the taxidermy shop. Mr Holzwarth was injured in a wagon accident and could not work the ranch, so he learned taxidermy and had his shop at the ranch. Gary is a volunteer in the park. He also lives year round in his RV.

Here I am dressed to work in the kitchen. John is wrapped up in a buffalo coat.  We would fit right in on the ranch.

On our way back to camp we stopped at the historic Grand Lake Lodge. It was built in 1920 also. Watch your step sign is on the way in. The lobby of the lodge. We had drinks on the porch swings out front before we left.

The view from the porch swing of Grand Lake on the left and Shadow Mountain reservoir on the right. To the south of Shadow Mountain is Granby lake where we are camped.  In the fore ground is the pool for the lodge.  These feet pieces were made by Mr. Holzwarth in his taxidermy shop on the Trout Guest Ranch.

 

death camas, yellow Indian paintbrush with elephant flowers, close up of a death camas flower, senicio, polymonium, and this insignia was on the doors of a white pickup. We had to look twice to see that is not the US dept. of wildlife, but the US Dept. of FUN!