Camping at Rosy Lane

After leaving our one night stop along the Blue Mesa Reservoir, we drove east to Gunnison, and then north toward Crested Butte. About ten miles north of Gunnison there is a road that stretches east from the tiny town of Almont following the Taylor River all the way to the gorgeous Taylor Park Reservoir. Scattered along this road are half a dozen small forest service campgrounds. One of these was our destination. We drove through all the various campgrounds before settling on a riverside spot at Rosy Lane.

Site 11 at Rosy Lane

We’re loving our home for the week among the tall spruce trees. One of the reasons we picked this spot was because while we are in the forest, our site is fairly open, which means we are getting the maximum amount of sun on our solar panels. Of course, it helps that since we arrived on Sunday the sun has shone brightly everyday. The other reason we choose it was for the full bars of Verizon 3G. It seems strange that we have such a strong signal here since we are roughly 20 miles from Gunnison, tucked back among the trees in a river canyon with tall cliffs on either side. Where the signal is coming from is a mystery. The final reason why we love this site is because the Taylor River runs alongside our very large front yard. It’s down a steep bank, so you can’t see it unless you go to the edge of our yard and peer down through the trees, but we can hear it.

Our large front yard. The river is through the tree line

After settling in on Sunday we took a drive up the road to the Taylor Park Reservoir. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The below photo has not been altered in any way- the water really was that blue. The snow capped mountains in the distance are part of the Sawatch Mtn. range. That pointy peak you see in roughly the middle of the photo is Grizzly Peak which tops out at 13,201 feet.

Taylor Park Reservoir with the Sawatch Mtns. in the background

One of the forest service campgrounds, Lakeside, is located on a hill overlooking the reservoir. We drove through the campground checking out the amazing views from almost all the sites. Unfortunately, the campground lacks enough cell service for us to stay there. If you’re looking for a campground with a stellar water and mountain view and don’t need to access the Internet, then this is the place for you.

Lakeside Campground as seen from the far side of the reservoir

There are several roads around the reservoir that lead down to the water’s edge. We spotted a few trucks parked on the beach and followed suit. Phineas had a blast splashing around in the shallow water, and even met a doggy friend named Lucy. She wanted to play, but Phineas was more interested in the water.

On the beach

Phineas ignoring Lucy

Playing with a ball is more fun than playing with another dog!

From the Taylor Park Reservoir we decided to take the drive up to Cottonwood Pass. The eighteen mile dirt road climbs up through the forest to the top of the pass where the Continental Divide is marked at 12,126 feet.

On the road to Cottonwood Pass

Near the top looking back on the road we just traveled

Tim at the Divide

Us at the divide

We found a bit of snow at the top. We weren’t exactly dressed for it.

Lots of snow and inappropriate footwear

On the east side of the Continental Divide the road turns to pavement and winds its way down to the town of Buena Vista.

Looking east from the top of Cottonwood Pass

The rest of our week here at Rosy Lane has been fairly uneventful. Most of our days are spent working, researching, sitting outside, taking Phineas to the river, and strolling around the campground. The river is far too swift moving for Phin to swim in, but we’ve found a few shallow spots on the edge where he can splash around and hunt for rocks.

The fast moving Taylor River

Everybody gets splashed