Kayaking on Blue Mesa Reservoir and camping up County Road 10 near Ridgway, CO June 2, 2021

 Headed off on a 3 day 2 night trip to western CO, the first of what I hope will be many this summer.  I decided to do some kayaking as the snow is lingering in the high country, and for the second year in a row we can’t go to Canada due to lingering Covid travel restrictions between US and Canada.  I drove to Ridgway via Blue Mesa Reservoir.  Originally I wasn’t going to kayak on Blue Mesa on this trip but there is a major construction project on a 5 mile stretch of Highway 50 that closes down Highway 50 most of the day right after the end of Blue Mesa Reservoir.  So I kayaked the upper end of Blue Mesa on the afternoon of my first day, a total of 12 miles.  A good workout and I saw a fair amount of wildlife, including an elk along the shore (no photo), a coyote swimming in the reservoir and then scampering off (no photo), western grebes, a couple of osprey, a few great blue herons (no photo) and a common merganser.  After kayaking, loaded up and got in line for the road opening a half hour later at 5:30.  I drove to Ridgway and drove up County Road 10 towards Owl Creek Pass, which is still closed...the road was closed about a half mile above where I camped.