The Great Monarch Pass Campout!

We used to to go camping a lot when the kids were young and we lived in North Texas. We would pack up the kids and head out to East Texas (about the only place close to Dallas with trees) and set up tents, try to stay cool, fight off mosquitoes and pray it wouldn't rain on us....well, it always did. I can't remember a camping trip we didn't have to huddle up in the tents and battle the elements. But in hindsight, it was a great way to "bond" the family...or so the grown up kids tell it.

We decided recently to "recapture" all of that outdoor bonding spirit here in Colorado. Now we have two Golden Retrievers to keep up with instead of kiddos - give me a couple of kids any day when it comes to the "needy factor"...geez, the dogs were a load. Actually, 10,500' above sea level was the "load", if you will...it's a kick in the butt to try and put up a tent and corral dogs in near outer space.

It worked out better than I thought it would. The majesty of the Rocky Mountains made it well worth the trip. We met some really nice people at the camping area near Monarch Pass who showed us how to fire up the portable heater we brought (it got down to 42 that night!) and gave our pups some left over steak - we had burgers! Ahh, nothing better than a nice warm cup of coffee, some eggs, bacon and toast on a frosty morning in the mountains.....can't wait to go again soon.

Rocky