Waking up each morning as the sun slowly crept up in the sky, air crisp and cold, was glorious. Each night as I camped, I slept deeply and soundly. When that first light began to nudge out the darkness, I bounded out of my cot. Not once did I pull my sleeping bag over my head wishing to stay in the warmth and sleep longer. No, each morning I bolted up, smiling, and was out of my tent ready to explore.
As my coffee brewed, I looked around my campground. As usual, I was the first one awake. The lake was still except for the occasional ripple from the fish below. The fog was hovering once again as the deep blue sky became tinged with violet, fiery orange, and red. The minute my coffee was brewed, I grabbed my camera, jumped in the 4-Runner and headed out. It was barely 5:00 a.m.
After taking these photos, I drove to Hahn's Peak Lake which is just north of Steamboat Lake. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it all the way down to the lake because it was gated, but I did see a moose and her calf along the shore as I looked down from the road. They walked the shoreline for a bit before the mother moose swam across the lake, leaving her calf on the shore. I had seen numerous deer on my trip already. But deer are common back home, so seeing this moose and her calf was so exciting for me! This is NOT the kind of wildlife I would see in eastern Oklahoma.
Later in the morning, I decided to take a short hike on Tombstone Trail at Steamboat Lake. On the trail you will actually find a tombstone. It's an easy, 1.1 mile hike with beautiful views. It felt so good to get out and move. When I'm out exploring, I tend to explore from my vehicle a lot, especially when I travel alone. I'm cautious about hiking alone because if something happened, I might not be found for some time. I was in a part of Colorado that would frequently have bears in the area, but this was an easy hike, well-traveled, and well worth it.
This would be my last night at Steamboat Lake State Park and my last night in Colorado. The next day, I would make my way northwest to Rock Springs, Wyoming then on to Jackson, Wyoming. Although the campgrounds in Colorado were new to me as was the scenery, Colorado was very familiar to me. Over the years, I've spent a great deal of time traveling through the state. But this time, I had made some new memories of my own. Tomorrow I would start the most exciting leg of the journey - traveling to some of the most spectacular places in the United States. I could barely sleep I was so excited!
Day One: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-1-eleven-mile-state.html
Day Two: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-2-eleven-mile-state.html
Day Three: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-3-hornbek-homestead.html
Day Four: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-4-eleven-mile-canyon.html
Day Five: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-5-manitou-cliff.html
Day Six: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-6-steamboat-lake.html
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