Twin Lakes, CO

rginn · Aug 19, 2014

Camped down at Twin Lakes last night with Maria along. A real trick gettin her to go as she apparently has a vivid memory of bein snowed on there in June about 4 years ago. Only a little rain this time and down in the 40's overnight. Saw a little tinge of yellow showin in the aspens. Went up on Independence Pass. Big fun to sit and watch the flatlanders huff and puff along at 12,000 ft. Course, that was me about 10 years ago.

tamrock · Aug 19, 2014

Go up Independence at all? Back in the day I was having a beer in the Pastime bar in Leadville and there was this old fella (a long time local) who I can't recall the name of. He told me a story of a rock crushing operation they were running in the later 1940's up off hwy 82 a few miles from the town of Twin Lakes. A large boulder was dumped in the crusher that's was to large for the hopper so it was pushed off. It was noted by one of the fella's working, there was a 4 inch wide grey steak all the way through that large boulder. That grey streak turned out to be Sylvanite ore Sylvanite Mineral Information and Facts. He said the search for the source of that boulder was never found. The rock alone I was told yielded over 50 ounces of gold. Was it a story with a few beers on it or a fact. :dontknow:

I've always wondered about that one and I have over the years taken Independence, just to stop and view the area in hopes I spot an other large white boulder I'll see with a grey streak in it.

curious kat · Aug 19, 2014

Very peaceful & pretty there...nice fire you got going. :thumbsup:

TAKODA · Aug 19, 2014

vpnavy · Aug 20, 2014

Nice photographs! Thanks for sharing...

pat-tekker-cat · Aug 20, 2014

That is some beautiful country! And, nice camp set-up, too.
Nothing like the camping we used to do in the S. Ga. bogs, rivers, and creeks. That's for sure!

rginn · Aug 20, 2014

We didn't go on over to the Independence town site this time, tamrock, but it is a pretty cool place to visit. Last time I was there I got tailed all around the site after I mentioned to the wife how I wished I had the detector with me. I didn't know that caretaker understood Spanish. p-t-c I always take a minimalistic approach to camping. When you see the tent and that it's one of those pay campgrounds, that means Maria is along. Although not bad this year, this is bear country, and it's a good idea to not have a lot of stuff scattered around. This campground has had a couple of episodes in the past of bears goin after tents. (If I wanted the missus to know that I'd tell her, too) Bears should start gettin a lot more active soon, as they'll be tryin to put on the calories for winter, so folks comin to the high country need to keep that in mind when camping.