Dear Isaac, Maia, and Virtual Wanderers,

The summer was hot and dry. Fires seemed to spring up everywhere across the State, including one at our own Black Canyon of the Gunnison just a couple of weeks before. I was on the fence about a July trip this year. I often go all the way to Pearl Lake State Park, but it is a long drive. I was afraid fire might close our road home – or worse. Plus, this is our Utah year, and I wanted to conserve mileage on my car.

It was in following the South Rim Fire at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison that I decided we should head for the Curecanti for a couple of days. Curecanti National Recreation Area is run by the same park officials as Black Canyon of the Gunnison. They wanted people to visit Curecanti since Black Canyon of the Gunnison was still closed.

On July 24th, we took the short, ~60-mile drive to our favorite campground at Curecanti. We came to this campground the year I returned to find my cat, Serendipity, deathly ill. She died a few days later, after years of chronic illness. It was right around the summer solstice, so every year for several years, we came here around the solstice to celebrate her life. I even named my replacement cat Solstice – but you know that! We came annually until the pandemic and the Highway 50 construction. In 2022, it was my last camping trip before I retired, and there were no other campers here because of the construction. It was somehow removed from my camping rotation.

This year, when we arrived, it had just rained and cooled things off. It felt so good after the never-ending heat and my broken cooler. I was immediately glad that I had made the choice to visit. The only bummer is that our wildlife hike is no longer open to dogs.

After breakfast, we headed into Gunnison for more food. I adore the El Paraiso Family Mexican Restaurant in Gunnison. Dog friendly porch and a marg. Works for me. We enjoyed a walk around the downtown area.

Now, it is time to hike. We headed to one of my favorite hikes in the Curecanti: Neversink. It’s flat and follows the river. Perfect for senior dogs. I was taken back by how green it is. After that, we returned to camp and I played with my new solar charger.

It was a mellow evening at the campground. The sunset always triggers such a big melatonin burst that I go to bed early and sleep like a baby.

I almost only stayed 2 nights, but I had decided to give myself more time away. I was in the middle of being a team leader for the recall of one of our commissioners. That was a lot of work collecting signatures. That’s why I am just now (two months later) getting this trip posted. I will publish it with our actual camping dates so it is in the correct order on the blog. Two nights was only $10 with my senior pass.

Day two was somewhat of a repeat. We went to Gunnison and had food at an all-day breakfast place. We also explored the Gunnison farmer’s market and other downtown stores. We shopped at the Pawsitively Native dog store and I got some yummy treats for our Utah trip next month. Then we drove to Hartman Rocks for a hike, but it was too steep and hot for Koko. So, we went to West Tomichi Riverway Park in Gunnison instead. There wasn’t much hiking here, either, but it was pretty and green.

To finish off our trip, we went to the Elk Creek Marina and walked around. It was hot enough that the girls rode in packs and strollers. It’s always interesting to see boats in the middle of sagebrush.

The next day, we headed home. We had just passed the Black Canyon National Park when another fire broke out on Highway 50 – the Kinnikin Fire. It was only a couple of minutes after we passed through the area. I felt lucky that we hadn’t stopped at Cimarron or we would have had to take a very long way home while the road was closed. It also made me glad I had not traveled further from home.

TTFN, Grandma Cathy H