My Month in an RV – The Adventures: Part I

If you’ve read My Month in an RV – The Details, I shared how last summer I spent a month in an RV with my husband, our newborn baby and Chihuahua. We drove a loop in the middle of Colorado, starting in Gunnison and ending in Granby. In the following posts I am excited to share the route we took, where we stayed and some of our unforgettable adventures.

First Stop: Gunnison, CO

The first campsite we checked into was Oasis RV Resort & Cottages, which was one of our favorites from the trip. It was clean, it had incredible views, and that lovely community feel that I mentioned in my previous post. This location was a perfect jumping off point to access so many places like the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Crested Butte, Lake City, Black Canyon National Park, and so much more. We could have stayed here for the entire month and not have gotten bored. Instead, we only stayed for a week, but a week gave us time to have a ton of adventures.

Crested Butte, CO

Crested Butte in the summer must be one of the most magical places on Earth. It was only a 45-minute drive from the Oasis RV Park, so we took the trek twice during our weeklong stay. On the first visit, we hiked the Rustler Gulch Trail which provided breathtaking mountain views. I could not help but take hundreds of photographs and videos starting from the drive to the trailhead, up until our turning point on the hike. The beginning of July is the perfect time of year to catch the blooming wildflowers that give Crested Butte its name, “The Wildflower Capital of Colorado.” Through the window of our vehicle, we saw endless patches of yellow flowers scattered throughout the foothills of the mountains. I would not have believed that is what those patches were if we did not return a second time to hike the Woods Walk Trail. It was a trail that guided you through endless fields of flowers, views of Mount Crested Butte and Peanut Lake. I thought to myself, ‘if fairies, unicorns and elves existed, this is exactly where they would live.’ No matter how much I attempted to capture the beauty that surrounded us (Check out more photos here: LorenVinthewild), pictures could never do it justice.

Kayaking Down the Blue Mesa Reservoir

Kayaking solo down a river in an inflatable kayak is an idea that I would joke about. But it is not something I would have gone through with if it were not for the wonderful encouragement from my husband. The weather that day was deceiving. The sun was high, the skies were clear, but the wind was stronger on the water than we had anticipated. So, my husbands’ idea for me to gracefully float down the Blue Mesa quickly turned into about an hour of me fighting for my life. I thought, “this is exactly how Jesus disciples felt in their boat.” So, I prayed to God that He would get me safely to shore and I promised I would never do something stupid like this with my life again. I made that promise in my head over and over again as the waves splashed me around like a log. I paddled myself into circles and up against boulders of rock along the side of the reservoir. Repeatedly I thought, this is how my life ends. Right here, in this ugly bright orange inflatable boat. But it wasn’t. I made it to the beach. Greeted by my crying newborn baby (she was just as upset with the wind as I was) and smiling husband. I was so mad at that moment. Until I cooled off and realized that was one of the most thrilling experiences I have ever had. And so, I eventually thanked him for pushing me far outside of my comfort zone.

Pine Creek Trail – Gunnison, CO

On the 4th of July we went on an unforgettable hike in such an unexpecting area – Curecanti National Recreation Area. We were looking for an easy hike near the campsite to explore on our maps app when we found Pine Creek Trail. We didn’t look too much into it before heading over, so we were blown away when we arrived. The GPS took us to a parking lot that lead us down about a half a mile of stairs that snaked through trees. Those stairs led us to a calmly moving turquoise river inside of a towering canyon. We were so impressed with how clear, blue, and refreshing the water looked. It took everything in my husband to not jump right in. It looked like a scene from Avatar with how high the rock formations above us were and the color of the river. Our little girl was fast asleep in her carrier the whole time, but we promised if we ever return to Gunnison, we would be sure to bring her back to this remarkable trail.

A couple of hidden gems near Gunnison that are a must see include Lake City (especially the stunning Lake San Cristobal), The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (it took us 90 minutes to drive the rim) and Crawford State Park. We loved Crawford so much we decided to make it its own leg towards the end of our journey. Gunnison has so much to offer which is why I highly recommend making it a long visit if you can. If you stop by later in the month of July or early August, the better your chances of the Blue Mesa being warm enough for you to swim in.

Next Stop: Creede Colorado