Golden - Whispering Spruce Campground

The town of Golden lies in the beautiful Columbia River Valley between the Purcell mountain range and the Rocky mountains, about 40 miles west of Banff. Golden has become a base for outdoor recreational activities because of its close proximity to 5 national parks and its ability to offer activities such as heli-skiing and heli-hiking that are not allowed within the parks.

We got to our campground in Golden in late afternoon and anxiously awaited the arrival of our friends from New Jersey. This was to be the third RV trip that we shared with them, and we were very much looking forward to their arrival.

When we saw a rental RV pull into the site next to ours, we ran out to greet them. After much hugging, Michelle looked at my swollen nose and asked, “Did you gain some weight?” I explained that it was a long story and that I would fill her in later.

After helping them settle in, which in RV life means hooking up electricity, water, and poop hoses, we spent some time filling them in on our trip to date, in all its gory details. When telling it, it sounded like we had been away from home for months rather than just 2 weeks. Perhaps the itinerary was too aggressive. It was hard to believe that a mere week ago we had been floating in the Great Salt Lake.

After dinner, the kids roped us into a campground volleyball game, which kept growing in size as fellow campers wandered by and joined in on the fun. Campgrounds are such a great way for kids (and adults) to meet a variety of people from many different places and from all walks of life. Despite all the differences, people in campgrounds generally get along so well because we all share a very important common interest—the love of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors.