[VAC] Rally in the Rockies

[Richard Dais <rdais@xxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings VACers:
I have a proposal for the VAC Rally in the Rockies -- first off, let me
say that I don't have a trailer yet, but I have lived in Colorado for 30
years, and have traveled pretty extensively across the state. In
addition, I  have planned and led a lot of car caravans, including a
two-week-long trip following the Oregon Trail from Independence, MO to
Portland, OR. First, I would strongly recommend against holding the
rally in September.  Our weather in September can be very fickle -- more
than once, I have conducted "fall color" trips where the fall color was
white. The ideal time would be in late July, when the weather and
wildflowers are at their best, and more importantly, school is out, so
the kids & grandkids can come along (teachers, too).  My proposal for
the location is Monument Lake Park, 46 miles west of Trinidad on Colo.
SH 12.  Here is the park's URL: http://www.sangres.com/monumentlake.htm
Besides easy access from I-25 and beautiful scenery, the park has full
hookups as well as dry camping, bathhouses for those with older
trailers, a motel and cabins for people who can't bring their trailers,
a store, and a restaurant (and bar!).  Activities include fishing in the
lake (stocked), pedal boats, hiking, mountain biking, four-wheeling, and
lots of opportunities for sightseeing nearby.
Here is a possible schedule of events:
Thursday: arrival day; get-acquainted potluck spaghetti supper in the
evening.
Friday: tour of  the Scenic Highway of Legends, a 120-mile Colorado & US
Forest Service Scenic Byway.  Here is their URL:
http://www.highwayoflegends.org/
Saturday: AM: sightseeing tour: possibly to Trinidad or Raton, NM; PM:
trailer "open house"
Sunday: potluck breakfast.
These are just some ideas -- there would also be plenty to do at the
Colorado City KOA.  As for Camp Hale, I have camped there & love the
area, but there is only a small USFS campground, with pit toilets only.
This campground is pretty heavily used, also.  BTW, one of the people on
this list lives very close to Monument Lake -- he may have some thoughts
on this proposal.
Best Regards,
Rich
Denver, CO