We were told this was “a must-see,” “the Switzerland of Colorado,” by our neighbor a few campgrounds back. Since Colorado, last time I looked, had plenty of impressive mountains, I was curious as to what would qualify this area as “Switzerland.”

And it was delightful, though neither of us was quite sure what made it Swiss-like. The park has three distinct camping areas, plus a day-use area down on the lakeshore, with a swimming beach and boat launch. We were at Elk Ridge, high up but with great views of the lake and the surrounding mountains.

I was delighted by the many Mountain Bluebirds and Black-Chinned Hummingbirds we saw there (I THINK I saw a Mountain Chickadee, too, but can’t be sure.). There would be more hiking pictures, and panoramic shots of the mountains, but it was so pleasant to sit in the shade, with a cooling breeze, that it was hard to get motivated (we did take one short hike to a scenic overlook).

I guess that’s the “Switzerland” part.

Later we drove to town and had dinner at the True Grit Cafe, a John Wayne-themed restaurant next to a city park teeming with frisbee players, picnickers, and people just hanging out in the shade. The John Wayne trivia was great, the meals not so much and, to our dismay, the ice cream parlor nearby closed just before we got there.

We only managed to get two nights at Ridgway, but it may have been just as well, as local wildfires were getting too close for comfort.

On our way to Hovenweep National Monument, we saw plumes from several other fires, but we have been lucky so far in avoiding them. See Russ’s blog at russloomis.com for more impressive fireplume pictures.