The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, only eight miles from downtown Denver, was once the location of a very different kind of plant from those found there now: namely, a chemical weapons manufacturing plant. When it was shut down in 1992 after half a century of operation, the property was repurposed with the mission of preserving life rather than destroying it. For our part, we much prefer the change.

Despite the name, the refuge isn’t really in the Rocky Mountains, but close enough. You can see this towering mountain range in the background, with the imposing skyline of the Mile High City interposed between the two. This landscape sandwich forms a sort of visual allegory, with untamed nature giving way to development and mechanization, and ultimately yielding to nature again.

Home of Prairie Dogs

Reputedly, this refuge of some 13,000 acres is home to a variety of beasts, including bison. But the main species we saw was the prairie dog, in great abundance. There were signs beside the road alerting passersby to the presence of the little critters. And whether whether or not the people paid attention to the signs, the critters themselves certainly did, and did their duty, appearing on the stage where they were billed. They constantly popped up out of their burrows by the dozens, and then back down, playing an endless game of whack-a-mole with our cameras.

From Denver, we continued west to the town of Longmont, where we pulled off and parked the RV for the night. In the afternoon, Kimberly went for a stroll, and came back to report excitedly that there was a cool swimming hole in the neighborhood. So the next day we both donned our beach attire and headed for the park to conduct some field research.

Dickens Farm Nature Area

Named after a founder of Longmont who originally homesteaded on the property, Dickens Farm Nature Area has hiking and biking trails, as well as spots for picnicking. But the crowning jewel is the swimming and tubing section of St. Vrain Creek, which runs through it. This pristine body of water at one point runs over a cascade that is just perfect for making a little splash in your inner tube, or without one if you prefer.

It’s evident that the boulders under the water at this location have been artificially smoothed over quite a bit to make the glide more pleasant and less hazardous, even for youngsters — and oldsters. This little park is a superb illustration of how human ingenuity can work in partnership with Mother Nature instead of against her. Oh, and there is no admission charged to use the park and its swimming hole. You just walk up and plunge in.

And that’s what we did, on a hot day in July. And thus cooled off, we continued our final RV voyage across the continent.

7/11-13/2023