Buttoned-up in FL and out in Colorado - yay!

We got all buttoned-up in FL; clothes and food packed-up to take, fridge/freezer cleared out and cleaned, sheets changed and laundry handled, patio furniture and grill brought inside, hurricane shutters down all around plus a myriad of other small tasks completed and now it's time to blast off for the summer in Colorado.

This is an exciting treat for us, as last summer, due to covid uncertainties and the relative remoteness of our RV site, we decided to stay "sheltered at home".  This turned out to be to our advantage as the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire (200,000+ acres) caused a great deal of drama and destruction right here in the Poudre Canyon and Red Feather Lakes area, as well as down towards Estes Park.  Evacuations were mandatory, and people here were out for 5 weeks or more. Whew - so sad, but we're glad we missed it.

Our plan this season is to hurry out to Colorado, and to be more self-sufficient by bringing more paperbacks, puzzles and other amusements, and using more canned goods in conjunction with fresh foods etc. to extend the time interval between trips to town's crowded grocery stores.  Within 3 days (averaged out to about 600 miles/day) we were out here and starting to get unloaded, settled and set-up.

Still dressed in Florida regalia, the Boss gets his grill on, baby backs!

The little scrap of yard and garden that accompanies our site was loaded with dandelions, and I mean loaded! Those took a while to clear out, and fresh flowers for the garden weren't real high on the priority list when we had other items to get first, but finally we look neat and tidy.

First we needed to get rid of the park-provided, somewhat swaybacked picnic table in favor of a smaller and nicer table and chair setup, and we wanted a large storage cabinet for the site as well.

I love this time of year as the wild flowers change often and every month something else is in bloom. Right now it is the time for columbines - so pretty, all different color combinations.

Good catch - there aren't just columbines in this collage!

The river is in full spate and giving kayakers and rafters trouble in spots. When you stand next to it the cool breeze (from snow melt) it generates is refreshing.

Cache la Poudre River

Took a small but steep "introductory" hike (I'm out of shape!) up the canyon right on the other side of the road from our RV resort and it was easy to see the fire damage on the hills of both sides of the canyon.

The hills on the other side of the river to the far right
in this pic took a big hit.  The firefighters stayed at
Glen Echo while battling the blaze and kept the 
building and RV's nearest the river wet with river
water for protection against embers and sparks.

The Boss looks west up the canyon at the burn scar.
The daisies were incredible on this hike!

Shot of the sprinklers protecting the waterfront cabins in our park.