Summertime in the Rockies

We arrived in Golden and were greeted with lots of hugs and kisses and enthusiasm over presents, sure signs we were missed. It was great to see everyone and were soon involved in softball games (Kalyn) and dance recitals (Allie) and T-ball (Ethan and Jeremy) and organizing Gypsy Wind.

As we are now towing the jeep, Gypsy Wind had to move out of the 10 ft trailer we have used for the last 3 years and downsize into the motorhome…we certainly weren’t going to leave the jeep behind! We finally got everything organized between rain and hail storms and everything fit into the back of the jeep and the motorhome cubbies. Jim was pretty amazed I managed to do it. Whether the arrangement would be workable at a festival was yet to be seen.

We headed up the mountains for Kremmling Days and the gale force winds died down just in time to set up our booth. We had a good show, especially as Halden Wolford and the High Beams played Friday night. They are a Colorado band that plays a nice mix of rockabilly, Bob Wills swing and country. Good dancing music. Billy & Lisha & the kids came up too and we all camped out at Wolford Reservoir. Real nice campsites, with electric hookups for $20 a night. Can you believe Jim has never had a s’more? We ate lots of s’mores, roasted courtesy of Allie and Kalyn.

We had record runoffs this year with hot weather and lots of rain. All the rivers were running at almost flood stage and all the reservoirs were full….so there were lots of mosquitoes and the fishing sucked! Jim and Billy gave it a good shot, both at Wolford and on the Blue River, but got skunked. We had planned on fishing for the week in between Kremmling and Winter Park but opted to visit friends in Frisco and Granby instead.

After a great show of blues in Winter Park, both at the festival and the after party at Smokin’ Moes (check out the website for the Grand County Blues Society for details, Blues from the Top) we returned to Golden to unpack and get ready for a family camping trip for the 4^th of July.

We left for Tarryall Reservoir (outside of Jefferson, off Hwy 285) on Wednesday afternoon. It is a great place, in the middle of a historic ranching district. (Park County Historical tour)
It is a Colorado State wildlife area, so it is free to camp there. No water or trash but really nice sites, many with little beaches on the edge of the lake. But it fills up fast, so we were lucky to get 2 prime sites for the weekend. The girls were thrilled with their beach and were seldom out of the water for long. Saturday was the day for fishing! Jim and Billy both had great luck on flies and we had fish for dinner. We also had BBQ ribs and corn on the cob…..all cooked over a campfire. It’s been a long time since I have cooked on a wood fire. I don’t know how the pioneers did it without heavy duty aluminum foil! Cast iron pans help but foil is the best. Here’s the recipes:

Tarryall Trout

For each trout:

Remove the head and lay on a double layer of foil.

Stuff the cavity with bacon (I use precooked bacon bits) and sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Seal up the foil pouch and put on a grate over coals and cook for about 10-15 mins on each side. Serve in the pouch.

Becky’s BBQ Ribs

1 or more slabs of pork ribs, cut into 10 inch sections

Double layers of foil, big enough to completely wrap each sla

Sprinkle liquid smoke on each slab, on the foil. 

Seal each pouch and bake in a 200’ oven for5-6 hours

Remove from the pouches and finish ribs on a grate placed over coals, careful not to burn. 10 mins on each side, then slather with sauce. Be careful when removing from the grate, they have a tendency to fall off the bone.

Jimmy’s Crack Corn on the Cob

Soak corn on the cob in their husks in water for about 1 hour. Place on a grate over the coals until husks are cooked looking. (Brown to black). Remove husks and silks and put corn into a gallon zip-lock bag. Add some butter and salt and pepper, zip up and shake to melt the butter. Or you can substitute Cajun spice/salt, garlic salt or dried dill weed and salt.

And here is a link to the pictures: Summertime in the Rockies


Next we are headed to Wyoming and Montana