Sunday, September 23, 2018

Day 87 of 117 on our “Go West, Young Man” Two Lane Adventure – Friday 9/21/18


Today our friends took the day off, so we could do something fun! They decided to take us to a couple of their favorite places to camp and hike.

We enjoyed breakfast in Parachute, at Mama’s Restaurant. Linda had eggs and sausage, Don had eggs, biscuits and gravy, I had ½ an order of “hot mess” (egg, hash browns, biscuits and gravy) and Charlie had a cinnamon roll! Imagine that, Charlie had a cinnamon roll. 

Mama’s reminds me of Shelby’s in Livonia. They are only open for lunch and dinner. Mama’s is in a former bank building. The old vault is their freezer! Our waitress was Heather and she did an awesome job! The location of the original teller’s area, is now the location of the kitchen, behind some frosted glass. It is a very small place, but unique and memorable!





We drove through the White River National Forest. It is the most visited national forest in the nation encompassing almost 2.5 million acres. It boasts 11 ski resorts, 8 wilderness areas, 10 mountain peaks over 14,000 feet and 2,500 miles of trails. It provided us the opportunity to see some of the Aspen’s leaves changing colors!

The road to the wilderness winds you down thirty miles of pristine national forest land or public land, all the while you follow the White River. Once you pass mile marker thirty something the pavement ends and the dirt begins.

Meadow Lake itself is located in the southwest Flat Tops, and is a popular destination for fishing and boating. We enjoyed the views at Meadow Lake while we enjoyed the picnic lunch that Don and Linda packed! The Picnic Area provided an outstanding location for relaxed lunch in a scenic setting.

Great opportunity for a selfie!

Since it was first surveyed by Arthur Carhart for the fledgling US Forest Service in 1919, Trappers Lake has always been regarded as something “different,” or more accurately, “unique” to look at. These days, the 300-acre lake sitting at 9,600 feet remains renowned as the state’s top breeding ground for native Colorado River cutthroat trout. But, abundance of feisty fish aside, it was the postcard-perfect setting of the natural lake, surrounded by soaring volcanic cliffs, that originally captured Carhart’s attention.

After viewing the spectacular scene, Carhart completed the survey for a proposed private lakeside community, then convinced his superiors in Denver that Trappers Lake was an irreplaceable resource that should be preserved in its natural state for all the public to appreciate. The agency ultimately agreed Trappers Lake should remain road less, and that the many applications for home site permits should not be honored. It was an unprecedented step, making Trappers something of a birthplace for the wilderness idea.

The unprecedented notion led to establishment of the Flat Tops Primitive Area in 1932, while Carhart went on to work with conservationist Aldo Leopold and lay the foundation of the modern Wilderness concept eventually adopted by Congress. The 235,000-acre Flat Tops Wilderness Area was formally recognized in 1975 and is now the third-largest in Colorado.

In 2002, lightning sparked the Big Fish Fire, which burned 22,056 acres in and near the Flat Tops Wilderness Area, including the land around Trappers Lake.

The blaze also took out part of the historic lodge near the lake’s northern tip. Nearby, the Lost Lakes Fire, also started by lightning, consumed another 5,538 acres. The Forest Service let the Big Fish Fire burn to clear up an old, decadent forest, but it must have been a major “oops” moment for the agency when the fire jumped quickly in size, ignored the wilderness boundary and consumed the old, main lodge, built in 1918.

It had been more than 16 years since wildfire ravaged this area, but it looks like it could have been only a few years … time heals slowly.

Millions of snags are still standing, to be sure, but the forest floor is a nearly impenetrable tangle of charred, toppled trees. With more than 22,000 acres that succumbed to the momentous fires of 2002. We saw new spruce and clusters of young aspen, some with flecks of gold and red appear around the lake as tiny aspens suddenly claim prominence.

The lake, within the wilderness boundary, is at about 9,600 feet in elevation, but the true Flat Tops are above the Chinese Wall, an imposing cliff band that loops around three-quarters of the lake. Three drainages offer routes to the Flat Tops from the lake, via the Wall Lake, Trappers Lake and Stillwater trails. All are worth hiking and afford the opportunity for an all-day loop across the stunning plateau.

You know me … I had to do it … yes, I put my toes in the water! It was not as cold as Linda and I thought it would be!

Our friends pointed out the Rio Blanco Ranch, nestled in those dark green evergreens. The firefighters concentrated on saving this lodge during the fire in 2002. Originally, it was the homestead of Samuel Homes in the late 1800’s. It was the Himes Ranch and home to the first hunting lodge in the region. It welcomed many prominent guests, including Theodore Roosevelt.  Himes sold the ranch in the 1930’s to “The 101 Club,” a group of Los Angeles sportsmen. 


They renamed it the Rio Blanco Ranch. They held weekly dances and rodeos until the late 1940’s. Seventy years later Rio Blanco remains a premier private hunting and fishing ranch in northwestern Colorado. The ranches shareholders, form a board to decide on the introduction of new members into the club as well as make overall decisions of the ranch itself. The ranch holds true to its rustic elegance, unlike many other ranches. Rio Blanco has no need for large manicured spaces or finely tuned lawns. The pull here is the fishing and hunting. Trout inundate the White River as it bends and winds in serpentine fashion through the ranch property. This coupled with Rainbow Lake which teems with fish from every corner creates a fisherman's paradise.

We drove back to Parachute and passed through Meeker. Meeker is most famous for their greener pastures and the Meeker Massacre. The greener pastures are remarkable, because the White River Valley gets less than 15 inches of rain a year, but has become some of the best agricultural land in the state. Irrigation has transformed the dry sagebrush covered land into lush green meadows. Thanks to this irrigation there are 4th and 5th generation ranchers and farmers on their original homesteads, today.

The town is named for Nathan Meeker, the US Indian Agent who was killed along with 11 other citizens by White River Ute Indians in the 1879 Meeker Massacre. The site of the massacre, the former White River Indian Agency, is located along State Highway 64 in the White River valley west of town and is marked by a prominent sign. None of the buildings remain. After the massacre and the ensuing conflict known as the Ute War, in 1880 the US Congress passed legislation requiring the Ute population to relocate to reservations in Utah. The US Army established a garrison on the current site of the town, called the Camp at White River. The town was founded in 1883 following the removal of the troops. The White River Museum is located just north of the Rio Blanco County Courthouse and housed in several original wooden structures of the Army garrison.

The town emerged as a regional center for hunting by the turn of the 20th century. Theodore Roosevelt once visited the town on a mountain lion hunting trip and stayed in the historic Hotel Meeker opposite the courthouse. The town is also a favorite summer destination and permanent residence for many prominent Americans, including billionaire Henry Kravis, former President and COO of Goldman Sachs Jon Winkelried, and comedian Daniel Tosh.

We enjoyed watching the turkeys and had a steak dinner back at Don & Linda’s house. What a spectacular day with awesome friends!

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