Wyoming Roaming: A Brush with Brush, Colorado

Lit out of Cheyenne, WY yesterday in the quest for warmer temperatures about noon and took Hwy 85 south to Ault, CO and then turned east on SR 14 to just beyond Stoneham then south on Hwy 71 to Brush, CO. One of my goals in life is to always avoid interstate highways whenever possible. In my humble opinion they are probably ok for getting somewhere fast but they stink if you want to enjoy life let alone your trip. Driving's equivalent to working on an assembly line. Also they tend to take you close to large metropolitan areas which being a true country gal, I also hate. I want to drive at a leisurely pace (I drove 55, got 11 mpg with not much traffic either which I like), and enjoy the scenery, and actually drive through the little towns at 30 mph instead of past them at 75 mph. Nuff said and to each his own.

Colorado SR 14 is designated as a scenic byway. It is a good road and I saw many fabulous raptors up close and personal sitting on the utility poles, or chasing little munchies. It goes through the Pawnee National Grasslands and is worth taking a leisurely drive through, as wildlife is abundant. On the way there is a Forrest Campground just north off of highway 14 which would have been fun to check out in warmer weather. Will have to wait for next summer or earlier in the day.

Nice map of Brush at the entrance to the Brush Memorial Park Campground. Campground is marked in blue at the southern end of town you can barely see it at the crossroad of Clayton St. and Road R that make a cross at the very bottom of the map. Followed the directions in the campground directory and boy were they off. Sent me to a deadend road and I had to jacknife the trailer to get her turned around and back on the road out. Thank you Trailer Life Campground directory! Close but no cigar. So, I drove back to the main drag, followed the city signs to the fairgrounds and voila! I found this nice big sign opposite the entrance to Brush, Colorado's Memorial Park Campground. It's easy to find if you ignore Trailer Life Campground Directory directions. Just follow the signs to the Fairgrounds. If you're coming in from the interstate or south on Hwy 71 that is Colorado St. in Brush. Just take that south to Railroad St. then turn west (right) and go one block to Clayton St. and take that south across the tracks and go south 3 blocks and you will see the below sign on your left, and the campground entrance is on your right. You will be on the south end of town on Clayton St.. Dear friend, Kathleen phoned last night to see how everything was going. When she found out the misdirection problem she suggested I try using mapquest next time.

See, we made it! Memorial Park Campground has water, 30 amp hookups in many of the spaces, restrooms, showers, and a dump which is located just behind the restrooms. However from the look of the dump you would have to chip away the ice to find the drain, see pictures at the end.

One reason I like off season camping...no people. Only one other camper is in the campground besides me. There is a great area to walk the dogs, jog, or fish east across the street from here. Was going to stay one night but it's so pleasant here and the weather is great so have decided to stay two or three days at least. The cost of this nice campground is free the first night and only $10 per night with a limit of 6 nights.

The weather in Cheyenne when I left was cold, nights were single digits or lower, daytime temperatures were lucky to make 30's most days. Here it seems much warmer and was 50's yesterday and today. Lows last night were 30ish. Of course altitude is 4200 here and that helps. Cheyenne is over 6000 ft.

See, nobody is even near our space.

This is maybe the most unusual Christmas season in my life. Have to say I am really enjoying its difference. Has been so sad each year since first my mom went to be with Jesus and then my dad following her home not long after. Christmas will never be the same without them, but this year is the first time I have been preoccupied with stepping into an entirely new lifestyle and therefore have not felt the loss as keenly. Was wonderful to pull into the campground late in the afternoon, hookup, make a pot of homemade spaghetti sauce while listening to one of my favorite Christmas albums I had downloaded a couple days before, Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians "Now is the Caroling Season". Have had this album since I was a child in the 50's and have played it every year. Was lucky enough to hear the group perform when I lived in Sterling, CO years ago. They were wonderful. Last night we watched one of my favorite Christmas movies, "The Bishop's Wife", the old one with Loretta Young, David Niven, and Cary Grant.