DRIVE THE MOUNTAIN TO CAMP IN A PARKING LOT!!!

We made the drive to Leadville today, a big climb up the mountain to the top of the world!  Leadville is a cute little town.  We stopped and had lunch and planned to go back in tomorrow to explore.

When we got to our campsites at Turquoise Lake we found that they were deep in the woods and impossible for Luanne and Diane to back into.  My site was a bit more manageable but still a real challenge.  Then we went looking for water and a dump site and found there are absolutely no services of any kind in the parks here. We passed a big parking lot on our way in and decided to park in it while we figured out what to do.  Turns out there is camping in the parking lot, yes, a Walmart with atmosphere!  

We hiked along the lake and old scavenger Teddy found himself a dried up fish head attached to a line and a hook which he managed to get attached to his back.  It was gross!

The sites are actually quite nice as you camp on the asphalt but have a picnic table and fire ring which border the lake.  Probably the nicest sites here.  There were three sites available for tonight and then we have to move along tomorrow. 

Our solution is breakfast in Leadville and then head to Central City.  It USED to be a cute little town but now has eight, yes eight casinos!  But it does have a KOA so we are headed there for tomorrow evening.

Luanne and Diane are homeless after that with nowhere to go.  They are hoping they can get a site for a second night at Central City, and I’m going to camp much closer to Denver to have dinner with Ryan and Laura before I begin my long trek home.