It’s nice when you capture an image you end up using as your phone’s wallpaper. Lottis Creek campground (there are a few loops close to one another but at different access points) was absolutely lovely. We stayed at site 2 in the Park Cone loop for a week, with a 30a electrical connection.

That was the longest time we’d spent away from water and sewer, and the 6-gallon water jug waiting in the wings came in handy, as we could walk with it from the not-too-far campsite hydrant. Gently lifting and pouring water out of a 50-lb container without spilling any was a bit of a different matter.

We also discovered if you buy firewood (it’s typically illegal to gather it yourself), it’s best to get it before you show up at a National Forest, as the cost per bundle averages $10-11, vs. $6-7 at a local Ace Hardware, Safeway, or Colorado state park.

Another lesson learned is if you care much about connectivity to the outside, the Park Cone loop is very heavily wooded. There’s no cellular signal at all. And if  you show up with Starlink, expect to get some signal interruptions due to all the obstructions. Thankfully, while I was embarrassed, my colleagues went with the flow when I dropped for 20-30 seconds each a couple of times during meetings.

The campfires and resulting s’mores, OTOH, were divine.