When our plans went awry, we ended up camping near Buena Vista Colorado on the 4th of July weekend. Our original plans were to camp and explore the Great Sand Dunes National Park with friends, but some pesky mosquitos and a sketchy HIPCAMP site made us head the other direction.
This small misstep led us to find Buena Vista, and it’s plentiful BLM land. Not only were the campsites quiet and beautiful they were FREE. You heard me free. The Bureau of Land Management is a government-run agency that governs over one-eighth of the United States landmass. Which means your tax money pays for you to camp (in designated areas) free of charge!
7 things I loved about this weekend
1. Enjoying homemade peanut butter chocolate chip cookies after a hike courtesy of this RECIPE.
2. Visiting The Trailhead to buy a Colorado map with all of the local trails, camping spots, and off-roading sites. The employees were so helpful! Next time I visit I plan to eat at the restaurant (The Simple Eatery) next door.
3. Hiking the Davis Meadow Trailhead with friends. KEEN HIKING BOOTS | REI HAT | OSPREY BACKPACK
4. My first-time off-roading. The “roads” are endless out here. We really got to test the 4-runner on some of the more difficult rated trails.
5. Trying Odell’s Brewing Pretty Sippin sour 4/5 & New Belgium’s Brewing Mural Agua Fresca Cerveza. Now that I live in Fort Collins (aka craft beer heaven) I’m working my way through trying the popular locally brewed beers.
6. Car camping. Noah recently traded in his Mazda 3 Speed for a 4-Runner, and it definitely fits the Colorado vibe more. It makes all the difference when we go camping. There’s no need to set up a tent or worry about rain.
7. I haven’t roasted a marshmallow in a long time. Too long, in my opinion. This weekend we made up for the lost time by roasting many mellows on our campfire. It turns out that I like roasting marshmallows more than eating them. Does anyone else feel the same?
I had never even heard of Buena Vista, Colorado, before this trip. Now I want to plan a trip back – this time with some climbing involved. I want to take a moment and thank those pesky mosquitos for pointing our weekend in a different direction.