Elk Hunt 2014 - The Road Trip, Day Two...Fort Morgan to Groundhog Lake

We had a much better day on Day 2 of our trip.  Our final destination was the Laughing Coyote Lodge near Groundhog Lake in the far southwestern part of the state. We left Fort Morgan at 5:15am, and made it through Denver before the traffic congestion of rush hour.  Our various navigational sources offered several different ways to reach our journey's end. We decided to trust Google Maps instead of the GPS, mainly because it offered the shortest route.

Heading west out of Denver on Highway 285, we were quickly greeted by the incredible beauty of the Rocky Mountains.  This section of highway offers views of the fast moving waters of Turkey Creek and deep canyon cuts lined with shimmering yellow aspen...it was like a moving postcard.  After passing through quintessential mountain towns like Fairplay, Gunnison, Cimarron, and Montrose, we literally hit the dusty trail for our final push to the Laughing Coyote.

You know you are in for a fun ride when the signs along the mountain dirt road read "This Road not Maintained...Drive at Own Risk".  Given the rough conditions of the road, and the sometimes steep grades and sharp switchbacks (not to mention the steep drop-offs and lack of guard rails), this final 40 miles took us an hour and forty-five minutes to traverse.  We finally arrived at Laughing Coyote at about 2:30pm...with 469 miles logged for the day.

Our Home for the Week...the Laughing Coyote Lodge

We were warmly greeted by our host, Dave Holbrook, and his staff upon our arrival.  After unpacking, we headed to the shooting range to make sure our rifles were shooting straight.  We then met the other
hunters and guides in camp, and discussed the plan for the next day's hunt.  We headed to bed early with visions of bull elk in our sights.

The road trip is part of the fun of these trips....and this one didn't disappoint!