Hi Freethinkers,

If you have already reserved a site at the Collegiate Peaks campground for the weekend of August 19 through 21 and have not let me know which site you are going to be staying at, please let me know so I can keep track of where everyone is staying. So far I know that sites D, F, I, 37, and M have been reserved by people who are going camping as part of this group.

If you plan on going camping at the Collegiate Peaks campground for the weekend of August 19 through 21 and have not yet made your reservations, I suggest that you do so soon. On May 6th there were 29 sites still available, today (June 12th) there is only 19 sites available. Details about the camping trip and how to sign up are given below.

Rich (594-4506)
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There will be a combined camping trip this summer for the Freethinkers of Colorado Springs, the Hiking Freethinkers, and the Pikes Peak Skeptics Society.

The campground chosen is Collegiate Peaks which is located 11 miles west of Buena Vista on County Road 306. The weekend for this camping trip is Friday afternoon, August 19, through Sunday afternoon, August 21. You need to make your own reservations for this campground at www.recreation.gov or call 877-444-6777. I strongly recommend that you make your reservations quickly as these sites fill fast.

On the home page enter Colorado on the State drop down menu. Enter Buena Vista in the window that says Near. Under Park or Facility Name enter Collegiate Peaks. Under Arrival Date enter August 19, 2011 and length of stay is 2. (You can arrive earlier and stay later if you desire. Georgianne and I are planning on doing that.) Hit the Search button.

A new window will appear. Select Collegiate Peaks under Facility.

Another window will appear. Click on the Facility Map tab and a list of all the campsites will come up. Click on the radial button for campsite "D" (which is on page 3 of the site list) to see where Georgianne and I will be staying. A map showing the location of all the campsites will appear. The available campsites are in blue and the ones that are already reserved are in brown. If you put your cursor over any campsite, a description of the site will be displayed. Left click on the site you want to reserve.

Another window will appear. This window will confirm the details of the reservation. After checking that you agree with all the details, select "Book these dates."

Another window will appear. If you are not already a member, you must select "Sign Up." Yet another window will appear. Fill in all details. Then select "Create Account." One more window will appear with order details. Complete the appropriate boxes and select "Continue to Shopping Cart." Then a window will appear that states the amount of the camping fee ($15.00 per night) and the reservation fee ($9.00). Click on "Checkout Shopping Cart." Enter your credit card details on the next window. Check the box that states "Complete this purchase." The next screen will state that the reservation has been completed and that a confirmation e-mail will be sent for each completed reservation. Be sure to print your email confirmation as proof of payment.

It does not help to try to book more than one campsite in order to save money on the reservation fee. The $9.00 fee is per site.

Please also RSVP at www.meetup.com/freethinkers-of-colorado-springs or www.meetup.com/hiking-freethinkers or www.meetup.com/pikespeakskeptics

Rich (594-4506)
Leader of Hiking Freethinkers