Lakeshore Drive
There wasn't a single day of our four-day trip on Grand Mesa when we didn't see Lakeshore Drive. It's an easy, dirt road that connects to a lot of other trails, so we either used it to get to them or come back to camp at the end of the day. We were happy to see it was a mellow road and not a bumpy trail we'd be on all weekend. Though we saw it every day, there was only one day when we saw it from start to finish.
We met Julie in the morning, and sadly left Mike's Jeep next to his RV. We headed down into Collbran via the pavement to gas up and see if we could get a u-joint for his Jeep and possibly a fix for it. We found a NAPA Auto Parts and a u-joint, but getting it fixed was going to be a challenge. Mike thought he might have a press with him, so we got in our Jeeps and he planned to fix it that night (he didn't end up having a press, so it didn't get fixed).
Finding the trailhead for Lakeshore Drive was easy, and we headed up. We saw lots of big trucks and trailers heading down, so the weekend was already wrapping up. We stopped at the kiosk so Julie could air down, and then we headed in. The views of the surrounding area were really impressive from this side.
When we got to the trailhead for Bonham Reservoir, we ran that along with Neversweat Reservoir and Kitson Reservoir before heading back to Lakeshore Drive. Then we followed the trail back out. This was the part we'd seen before on the previous day.
Grand Mesa is covered in reservoirs and lakes, and we decided that the Big Creek Reservoir Number 1 was high on the list of favorites. The Big Creek Campground was nice, and the reservoir was easily accessible.
Once you get to Eggleston Lake, it's residential and slow going. There is a restaurant near there, and then you get to the Visitor Center. We stopped and bought a few things. It's a really good visitor center.
That put us back at camp at a decent hour, which was a nice change from the night before. We cooked our dinners and enjoyed a campfire, though the wood was wet and getting it going took us a while. It was a great night at camp that wrapped up a fantastic day on the Mesa.
