Oct 5, 2017
When we are traveling through an area and not stopping for long, we look for free or cheap overnight places. We use a couple of apps on our phones and a couple of websites. Many places like Walmarts (not all, but many), Cabelas, Cracker Barrels (mostly back east) and truck stops will let you overnight in their parking lots. These work great usually, sometimes a little noisy from trucks and road traffice, but convenient.
However, there are also TONS of public lands that are open to campin;, sometimes a small campground, sometimes just a wide space in gravel road, mostly out west here where there are millions and millions of acres of Forest Land, Wildlife Refuges, Bureau of Land Management lands. Everyone we have stopped at has been a “hidden gem”. Two back in Nevada, two in Utah and two, so far in CO.
Two nights ago we slept beside the Colorado River- canyons beyond us, and hundreds of goats- yes goats! on the other side of us. This is a 7 spot campground (only 4 spots occupied) run by the BLM, mostly for river rafters- $7.50. We were headed to the edge of a mesa, but missed the turn and ended up at the bottom of the canyon.

Last night we slept in another tiny campground at the beginning fo Curecanti National Rec Area, which is a dam/watershed system- $4- 4 sites occupied. Along the Cimarron Creek which runs into the Gunnison River, which runs into the Colorado River.

Our photos do not do these places justice- we look at each other and are speechless over and over again at the raw beauty around us, and our good fortune at being here (without crowds).

We drove the most scenic of scenic byways today of all the ones we have driven in the past 9000 miles! From Delta, CO to Poncha Springs, CO, about 100 miles. The Gunnison River has been dammed in about 4 places and has created a huge Recreation Area for about 25 miles, then into rolling mountains and beautiful valleys with ranches, fall colors in the Aspens, and evergreens, then a climb from 7400 ft to 11,300 at Monarch Pass down again to 8000 ft. At least three different landscapes, beautiful lookouts all along the way and amazing road climbs!