POUSSE-MOI PLUS LOIN.

What a magical morning. Dave and Will were up early manufacturing a morning meal. I rolled out of bed to a tin can of coffee. We did not have any coffee cups, but the improvision was ingenuous. When I joined the festivities, Dave dialed his speaker to chill lofi beats playlist. Together, we used the flaming fire to formulate a fine feast. The scrambled eggs and sausages were sizzled to perfection. After our breakfast, we broke down our campsite and stuffed it into Dave's 2018 Honda CRV. After a little Tetris, we managed to fit everything, including my Masi. For the first portion of the drive, I rested my eyes but never fell fully asleep. We stopped at a gas station for coffee and snacks. My snack selection was hot peanuts and a chocolate sea salt RX bar. 

Another hour of driving later, we decided to stop in Glenwood Springs. It was a charming little location with loads of restaurants to choose from. We decided on Juicy Lucy's, and it was seriously superb. Of course, our waitress was originally from Iowa, and we got along swimmingly. We started with a flight of oysters on the half-shell and a bottle of German Riesling. My meal was this magnificent mushroom soup and some mashed potatoes. After our chow, we walked around and did a little shopping. I was able to find some great gifts. Satisfied with our stop, we returned to the road. 

Our next stop was Whole Foods, and we filled our cart with delicious dinner supplies. Now we were ready to secure a campsite. Little Mattie Campground on the Reudi Reservoir was our choice of camp. After unpacking the necessities, it was time to take a dip in this reservoir. We trekked alongside the water from our tiny beach to the bigger beach. This route was full of jagged rocks and unstable footing, and I had chosen to go barefoot for this adventure. It was an exciting challenge not to cut my foot open. It did not take long to reach the more populated side of the reservoir. The water was freezing, but we still swam for a decent amount of time. 

We retraced our steps back to camp and took the car up the hill to an outstanding overlook. The fine foliage fully engulfed us, and it was fantastic. After soaking in the scenery, we returned to camp and prepared dinner. We had an assortment of chips, dips, vegetables, and warmed canned foods. After our feast, we sat around the flaming fire and chatted. I was the last one that retired to the tent. Rather than being loud and blowing up my sleeping pad (something I should have done much earlier), I joined them on the gravelly ground.