Nothing on the schedule, a day to kick back and explore. We drive north of Gunnison to Taylor Reservoir and Park so Ray can try fishing this river. We are surprised to see cattle grazing openly on the sides of the paved forest service highway and meandering on the road. This is apparently a grazing project with he US Forest Service – we maneuver our way amidst roaming cattle, hundreds of them along a stretch of about 20 miles. I make a mental note that driving this section after dark might not be a good idea!
I spend the day reading The Zookeeper’s Wife, a wonderful story about Polish zookeepers who saved over 300 people from the Nazis by hiding them in zoo cages. Ray fly fishes on the Taylor River below the Taylor Reservoir. and finds the fish to be somewhat elusive. The beautiful narrow river runs alongside multiple forest service campgrounds which we store in memory for a future trip.
Traveling in Colorado makes me more aware of the story of the Colorado River, which currently has 15 dams on the main river and hundreds more on its tributaries. The water wars in Colorado extend to neighboring states of California, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Nevada). The Colorado River is the most litigated body of water on the planet. With increased demand downstream and climate change, I wonder what the future of this river will be.
We end the day with a delicious meal at a gem of a place in downtown Gunnison, the Twisted Fork.
It is a small fusion restaurant and we enjoy a steaming bowl of ramen with fresh veggies and great fried chicken.