One of the items on our fulltiming "bucket list" is to spend one entire Summer in Colorado.
Little did we know this would be the year.
Our bucket list plan was (and still is) to purchase a Colorado State Parks Pass and traverse the state, visiting as many of its wonderful state parks as possible. But, this Summer, we've found ourselves in Colorado dodging wildfires, driving from one RV technician to another, and making not one but two trips to our favorite high-altitude town to cool off.
That's right. We're back in Gunnison! And, that's right. Our heat pump still isn't fixed!
The good news is it soon will be. There is light at the end of our heat pump "tunnel". When this year-long saga is over, we may tell the whole bloody tale. Or, we might not. The bottom line is a replacement heat pump is making its way from Wichita to Loveland.
Meanwhile, it's hot on the Front Range, so we decided to head back to Gunnison to chill (literally and figuratively) for awhile. We'll swing back through Loveland and have the new unit installed in a month. On or about September 1st, we'll make our way across the plains of Kansas in one cool moose. We can't wait.
The even better news is we have gifted ourselves another month of Summer in a place we absolutely love. It's not the Colorado Summer we planned. But, it'll definitely do!
Distractions
Our Summer plans are disintegrating before our eyes.
We made the drive from Gunnison to Monument, on one of our worst travel days ever, to learn the news from a highly recommended technician that our AC system has a refrigerant leak. The leak, so we've been told, is the result of a shoddy repair in Forest City. But, we're reserving judgement on that, for the moment anyway.
One of the things we've learned about AC units and technicians is there are a few who do refrigerant work and most who don't. And, as luck would have it, our Monument tech was amongst the most. With a refrigerant leak, we needed to find somebody who does that type of work. With the help of our AC unit manufacturer, we found a qualified tech in Loveland, just a few miles from where our Summer Colorado adventure began in Fort Collins. Last week, we called for an appointment.
The earliest we could get in was next Monday, the 23rd. Our travel itinerary had us in northwest Montana meeting friends about that time. But, it's Summer and it's blistering hot, especially in most of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. For the health and well being of ourselves and our cats, we have to get this thing fixed. So, we took it.
The repair is expected to take two days, and that's if everything goes smoothly. With our luck, of course, it'll take longer. So, with plans to meet another couple of friends a week later in Montana, we bagged that reservation, too.
Wahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After a couple of nights in a really overpriced and quite crummy campground north of Monument, we decided to head somewhere fun while we waited. We went south to Colorado Springs and landed at Garden of the Gods Campground. We had stopped for a few days here last August after we left Gunnison. We had AC troubles then, too. So, we were thrilled to nab one of the shady spots in the iffy park. Since our last visit, the place has been purchased by a resort company with a dandy reputation. And, reports were they'd already made some notable improvements in their newly acquired park.
We nabbed one of the "Executive Premium" spots for the first few days. We enjoyed a level site with shade, plenty of space, a poolside view, wifi and cable. It was quite nice. The one drawback was this park seems to be in one of AT&T Wireless' black holes. Our iphones and air card were rendered worthless.
As soon as we realized we had considerable time to kill before our service appointment, we made a request to extend our stay. Our fancy site was not available after Sunday night. But, we were welcome to move to a "regular" back-in site for the duration of our extended stay. We made the short move Monday morning. We were pleased to find that the site had plenty of shade, which would aid our crippled AC. The real bummer was the site had no cable. The shady tree blocked our rooftop satellite. And, the park wifi decided to take a nose dive. With no TV or wifi, we were disconnected from the world.
We put up our over-the-air TV antenna and did our best. We tried to get by. Really, we did. But, the truth is, we need to be connected! So, yesterday, we decided to take matters into our own hands.
Our first stop was Camping World. We had thought about making this purchase for awhile, but we decided now was the time for us to acquire a portable satellite dish and tripod. We brought the thing home and Paul started on the "some assembly required."
It's important to note that all that has been required of us to get satellite reception to date is to park the moose with a clear shot at the southern sky and push a button. Magically, our rooftop antenna searches the sky for the right satellite and locks on. We turn on the TV and it works. Simple as that.
This portable dish exposed us to an unknown world! Suddenly, terms like Elevation and Azimuth were important. And, we didn't have a clue.
But, first, we had to connect the dish to our receiver. That was the beginning of one long wild goose chase! There's a convenient "portable satellite antenna" jack in our electrical bay. The question was where were we supposed to connect our satellite receiver? Two calls to Winnebago and an extensive search of the guts of our motorhome eventually revealed that the other end of the portable satellite antenna cable was plugged into a mislabeled jack. (Arggh!)
In the middle of this adventure, we decided we needed to rectify our wifi-less situation. So, today, we made a trip to the Verizon store and purchased a 4G mifi device to replace our aged 3G router and AT&T air card. With smoking hot wifi returned to our rolling home, we conducted extensive online research on how to point a satellite antenna. Lots of people do it, every day, so we knew we'd get it, eventually. But, we had the added challenge of a stone wall and a few trees. It wasn't the best environment for a couple of portable satellite newbies to take a shot, but we stuck with it. With the help of a nifty app, several you tube videos and a helluva lot of patience, we eventually got it. Our signal finder screen filled up with numbers over the 80s, and we had TV!
Hallelujah!
With wifi and TV, all is right with our world. But, what we're most grateful for is how these two special projects have been most welcome distractions from our ailing AC.
All will be well in our rolling home soon. Meanwhile, we're soaking up all of the wifi and satellite we can!
And, we haven't a clue how the rest of our Summer will actually shape up.
We made the drive from Gunnison to Monument, on one of our worst travel days ever, to learn the news from a highly recommended technician that our AC system has a refrigerant leak. The leak, so we've been told, is the result of a shoddy repair in Forest City. But, we're reserving judgement on that, for the moment anyway.
One of the things we've learned about AC units and technicians is there are a few who do refrigerant work and most who don't. And, as luck would have it, our Monument tech was amongst the most. With a refrigerant leak, we needed to find somebody who does that type of work. With the help of our AC unit manufacturer, we found a qualified tech in Loveland, just a few miles from where our Summer Colorado adventure began in Fort Collins. Last week, we called for an appointment.
The earliest we could get in was next Monday, the 23rd. Our travel itinerary had us in northwest Montana meeting friends about that time. But, it's Summer and it's blistering hot, especially in most of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. For the health and well being of ourselves and our cats, we have to get this thing fixed. So, we took it.
The repair is expected to take two days, and that's if everything goes smoothly. With our luck, of course, it'll take longer. So, with plans to meet another couple of friends a week later in Montana, we bagged that reservation, too.
Wahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After a couple of nights in a really overpriced and quite crummy campground north of Monument, we decided to head somewhere fun while we waited. We went south to Colorado Springs and landed at Garden of the Gods Campground. We had stopped for a few days here last August after we left Gunnison. We had AC troubles then, too. So, we were thrilled to nab one of the shady spots in the iffy park. Since our last visit, the place has been purchased by a resort company with a dandy reputation. And, reports were they'd already made some notable improvements in their newly acquired park.
We nabbed one of the "Executive Premium" spots for the first few days. We enjoyed a level site with shade, plenty of space, a poolside view, wifi and cable. It was quite nice. The one drawback was this park seems to be in one of AT&T Wireless' black holes. Our iphones and air card were rendered worthless.
As soon as we realized we had considerable time to kill before our service appointment, we made a request to extend our stay. Our fancy site was not available after Sunday night. But, we were welcome to move to a "regular" back-in site for the duration of our extended stay. We made the short move Monday morning. We were pleased to find that the site had plenty of shade, which would aid our crippled AC. The real bummer was the site had no cable. The shady tree blocked our rooftop satellite. And, the park wifi decided to take a nose dive. With no TV or wifi, we were disconnected from the world.
We put up our over-the-air TV antenna and did our best. We tried to get by. Really, we did. But, the truth is, we need to be connected! So, yesterday, we decided to take matters into our own hands.
Our first stop was Camping World. We had thought about making this purchase for awhile, but we decided now was the time for us to acquire a portable satellite dish and tripod. We brought the thing home and Paul started on the "some assembly required."
It's important to note that all that has been required of us to get satellite reception to date is to park the moose with a clear shot at the southern sky and push a button. Magically, our rooftop antenna searches the sky for the right satellite and locks on. We turn on the TV and it works. Simple as that.
This portable dish exposed us to an unknown world! Suddenly, terms like Elevation and Azimuth were important. And, we didn't have a clue.
But, first, we had to connect the dish to our receiver. That was the beginning of one long wild goose chase! There's a convenient "portable satellite antenna" jack in our electrical bay. The question was where were we supposed to connect our satellite receiver? Two calls to Winnebago and an extensive search of the guts of our motorhome eventually revealed that the other end of the portable satellite antenna cable was plugged into a mislabeled jack. (Arggh!)
In the middle of this adventure, we decided we needed to rectify our wifi-less situation. So, today, we made a trip to the Verizon store and purchased a 4G mifi device to replace our aged 3G router and AT&T air card. With smoking hot wifi returned to our rolling home, we conducted extensive online research on how to point a satellite antenna. Lots of people do it, every day, so we knew we'd get it, eventually. But, we had the added challenge of a stone wall and a few trees. It wasn't the best environment for a couple of portable satellite newbies to take a shot, but we stuck with it. With the help of a nifty app, several you tube videos and a helluva lot of patience, we eventually got it. Our signal finder screen filled up with numbers over the 80s, and we had TV!
Hallelujah!
With wifi and TV, all is right with our world. But, what we're most grateful for is how these two special projects have been most welcome distractions from our ailing AC.
All will be well in our rolling home soon. Meanwhile, we're soaking up all of the wifi and satellite we can!
And, we haven't a clue how the rest of our Summer will actually shape up.
Year Three
When we started, we thought we'd be done by now. Our original plan was to travel the country for at least a year, perhaps two, maybe as long as three.
Yes, it's been that long!
That fateful day, July 7, 2009, the idea of living on the road for three whole years seemed pretty extreme. By then we were sure we would have seen it all. We were certain we'd have found a place we'd rather be and other things we'd rather be doing. This crazy idea of living fulltime in a small box on wheels couldn't possibly keep us entertained for more than three years.
We got that wrong!
In the three years since we left the last place we called home, we've traveled 29,323 miles and parked our moose in 147 spots in 35 states of just one country.
We haven't seen it all. Far from it.
And, where would we rather be? We don't know! We think it might be a smallish college-town somewhere west of the Mississippi someday. We'll know it when we find it. But, for now, the place we park our moose is the best place for us to be.
What would we rather be doing?
I'm still amazed that I haven't "worked" in three years and I'm still a fully functioning human being. For a couple of recovering workaholics, we have adapted quite well. For what would we trade exploring our country while we hike, bike, geocache and meet wonderful people?
We don't know.
And, what's the entertainment factor these days living in this box on wheels?
Year Three has been particularly challenging for our moose. It ended as it started, with a problematic heat pump. In between, we dealt with big problems with our refrigerator and ceiling, and pesky maladies with our satellite radio, TV antenna motor and sleep number bed. Add in regularly scheduled maintenance and it seemed like we spent much of our energy this year on Bullwinkle's care and feeding. Our fingers are crossed that next week we'll get the heat pump taken care of and our moose will be ready to roll for a trouble-free year.
While these troubles have tested our patience, our sense of adventure (and humor) remains intact. And, it's all still pretty darn entertaining.
These first three years have exceeded our expectations. We've had the great privilege of seeing amazing sights, meeting interesting people, reconnecting with family and old friends, making new ones, learning lots and dealing with the highs and lows of life on the road. And, we're not done.
Today, we start Year Four. We didn't think we'd be here. But, we're sure glad we are.
Yes, it's been that long!
That fateful day, July 7, 2009, the idea of living on the road for three whole years seemed pretty extreme. By then we were sure we would have seen it all. We were certain we'd have found a place we'd rather be and other things we'd rather be doing. This crazy idea of living fulltime in a small box on wheels couldn't possibly keep us entertained for more than three years.
We got that wrong!
In the three years since we left the last place we called home, we've traveled 29,323 miles and parked our moose in 147 spots in 35 states of just one country.
We haven't seen it all. Far from it.
And, where would we rather be? We don't know! We think it might be a smallish college-town somewhere west of the Mississippi someday. We'll know it when we find it. But, for now, the place we park our moose is the best place for us to be.
What would we rather be doing?
I'm still amazed that I haven't "worked" in three years and I'm still a fully functioning human being. For a couple of recovering workaholics, we have adapted quite well. For what would we trade exploring our country while we hike, bike, geocache and meet wonderful people?
We don't know.
And, what's the entertainment factor these days living in this box on wheels?
Year Three has been particularly challenging for our moose. It ended as it started, with a problematic heat pump. In between, we dealt with big problems with our refrigerator and ceiling, and pesky maladies with our satellite radio, TV antenna motor and sleep number bed. Add in regularly scheduled maintenance and it seemed like we spent much of our energy this year on Bullwinkle's care and feeding. Our fingers are crossed that next week we'll get the heat pump taken care of and our moose will be ready to roll for a trouble-free year.
While these troubles have tested our patience, our sense of adventure (and humor) remains intact. And, it's all still pretty darn entertaining.
These first three years have exceeded our expectations. We've had the great privilege of seeing amazing sights, meeting interesting people, reconnecting with family and old friends, making new ones, learning lots and dealing with the highs and lows of life on the road. And, we're not done.
Today, we start Year Four. We didn't think we'd be here. But, we're sure glad we are.
A Long Lost Draft
It's Anniversary Eve at our house. Tomorrow marks three years since we began our great RV escape. As we're wrapping up our stay here in Gunnison, we've been reflecting on the year just passed, and the two before that. Perhaps some of these thoughts will make their way to a celebratory blog post tomorrow. Or, maybe they won't. Who knows?
While reminiscing over blog posts from our third year, I found one unpublished post from exactly halfway through the year. Reading the words brought the day clearly into my memory. It was a day we'd rather forget, but can't quite seem to. It wasn't funny then. But, with the passage of time, at least one of us can laugh about it now.
With hopes that you will, too, here's the long, lost draft.
After three years, this ride is anything but routine!
While reminiscing over blog posts from our third year, I found one unpublished post from exactly halfway through the year. Reading the words brought the day clearly into my memory. It was a day we'd rather forget, but can't quite seem to. It wasn't funny then. But, with the passage of time, at least one of us can laugh about it now.
With hopes that you will, too, here's the long, lost draft.
January 8, 2012 - Mandeville, Louisiana
Keyless
Yesterday marked a milestone, of sorts. It was two-and-a-half years ago yesterday that we started on our fulltime RVing adventure. Can you believe that? And, just about the time we thought we might be getting the hang of all this, the RVing gods and goddesses threw us a curveball.
The biggest item on our agenda today was dumping our tanks. And, not being one to dwell on the most mundane of tasks associated with RVing, I thought there was no way that would become the topic of today's blog post.
I was wrong!
It's been eight days since we checked into this sewer hookup-free park, so we were definitely ready for a short trip to the dump. After lunch, we readied the moose for travel. All that was left was to start the thing up and pull up the jacks.
But first, we needed to pull in the slides.
Our nifty Winnebago is equipped with a keyed Master Slide Room Control Switch. With the key turned to "On" you can open and close the slides. When it's turned to "Off" you can't. Simple as that. Since the day we took delivery of our moose, the key has sat safely in the lock, ready to turn at will. Today, when we got ready to roll, the switch was set to "Off" and the key was missing.
We were going nowhere.
In a rapidly escalating panic, we looked for the missing key. It was nowhere to be found. One of the things we've done while we've been parked here is some pretty extensive housecleaning. And, one possibility we considered was that the very small key got knocked out of the lock and swept up by the vacuum. Sure, the possibility was remote. But, we locked in on that scenario and didn't let go. After looking in every nook and cranny for the still missing key, we resigned ourselves to the reality of calling Forest City first thing in the morning and hoping a working key would arrive here before we leave next Saturday.
But, first things first, we had to dump.
New friends Tricia and Keith came to the rescue. They offered up their very handy dandy rolling waste tank for our use. As Paul went about the task of dumping the moose, 35 gallons at a time, I searched in vain for the still missing key. Finally, I set about the task of getting the moose out of "travel mode" and putting everything back in its proper place. Just as Paul was finishing up his fourth trip of toting some 300 pounds of fluids, I focused my attention on the keyless lock. It's something I look at every day. I asked myself when was the last time I had seen the key in the lock.
The answer came to me in a flash.
I had seen the key in the lock just a few hours earlier! One of the first steps in our pre-travel routine is to lower our TV antenna. As I always do, I had removed our "Antenna Minder" card that is clipped to that key and placed it in a cabinet overhead. I went to the cabinet and pulled out the day-glo orange card on a chain. Attached to the clip was - you guessed it - the key to the master slide control switch. Keep in mind, I've made this same move about 100 times. Never before has the key come out of the lock. Never.
Argghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After my exhausted husband returned the portable tank to our new friends, the four of us gathered outside the moose for a well-deserved happy hour. Over our first drinks, we recounted the events of the day and enjoyed a few laughs. Keith summed it up perfectly when he said, "You know, I was going to ask if after awhile this stuff all becomes routine." We burst into a round of hysterical laughter.
After two-and-a-half years, we don't think so.
After three years, this ride is anything but routine!
Blogmania
My fingers are cramped. My eyes are crossed. My neck is stiff. My little Mac is practically smoking.
But, here's the good news. Bullwinkle's Travels is up to date!
Our poor little neglected travel blog is back amongst the living. Since we landed here in Gunnison a week or so ago I've written 17 posts. Seventeen! They span our travels over the last three months from South Carolina to Colorado. We've really been moving! Now that our travelogue is all caught up, I'm committed to stay on top of it all. It feels great to have our travels documented. Someday we'll really appreciate it. But, it turns out quarterly updates are too much work!
And, what's my reward for this blogmania? I'm treating myself to writing a post here. With no pictures to deal with or travel details to chronicle, this blog is a breeze.
Back when we were making our very preliminary travel plans for this summer, we were so tempted to return to Gunnison. We spent six weeks here last summer and fell in love. Actually, we've declared it our favorite town, to date. But, we told ourselves we didn't want to fall into the routine of returning to favorite and familiar places, just yet. We want to keep exploring uncharted territory. Fort Collins was sitting there on the Front Range waiting to be explored. And, we were so ready. Finally, we decided to spend a month exploring Fort Collins. Gunnison would just have to wait until next time.
So, when the High Park Fire smoked us out of the town we were so ready to explore, it didn't take us long to decide where to go instead. We sat in Denver for a day or two and considered the possibilities for a nanosecond. After the crazy travel adventures we've had for the last few months, we were more than ready to return to this town we love.
It's so good to be back. We really like it here. It's pretty. People are friendly. Most of the time, it's cool. But, the same weather system that is making the High Park Fire a toughie has settled in across most of Colorado. It's unseasonably warm. It's windy. We've had way too many sunny days in a row. (And, at 7,700 feet, the sun is searing!) Still, it's cooler here than most places in this sizzling state. So, we're not complaining.
And, just to make things interesting, our moose has thrown us an old familiar curve ball. For 16 days after leaving Forest City, our heat pump hummed like a champ. Monday, our #2 compressor stopped coming on. Again! Several phone calls later we have an appointment after July 4th with a service tech who is highly recommended by our AC manufacturer. So far, we've been impressed with them. Our fingers are crossed that our detour back over Monarch Pass will be short and sweet. Meanwhile, we can get by just fine with half an air conditioner here.
Last year, in the midst of air conditioner woes, we came to Gunnison to escape the heat. This year, we're so glad we just so happened to be here. We'll get back to the business of exploring soon enough. For now, we're gonna keep our blogs up-to-date and have some fun in our favorite town.
But, here's the good news. Bullwinkle's Travels is up to date!
Our poor little neglected travel blog is back amongst the living. Since we landed here in Gunnison a week or so ago I've written 17 posts. Seventeen! They span our travels over the last three months from South Carolina to Colorado. We've really been moving! Now that our travelogue is all caught up, I'm committed to stay on top of it all. It feels great to have our travels documented. Someday we'll really appreciate it. But, it turns out quarterly updates are too much work!
And, what's my reward for this blogmania? I'm treating myself to writing a post here. With no pictures to deal with or travel details to chronicle, this blog is a breeze.
Back when we were making our very preliminary travel plans for this summer, we were so tempted to return to Gunnison. We spent six weeks here last summer and fell in love. Actually, we've declared it our favorite town, to date. But, we told ourselves we didn't want to fall into the routine of returning to favorite and familiar places, just yet. We want to keep exploring uncharted territory. Fort Collins was sitting there on the Front Range waiting to be explored. And, we were so ready. Finally, we decided to spend a month exploring Fort Collins. Gunnison would just have to wait until next time.
So, when the High Park Fire smoked us out of the town we were so ready to explore, it didn't take us long to decide where to go instead. We sat in Denver for a day or two and considered the possibilities for a nanosecond. After the crazy travel adventures we've had for the last few months, we were more than ready to return to this town we love.
It's so good to be back. We really like it here. It's pretty. People are friendly. Most of the time, it's cool. But, the same weather system that is making the High Park Fire a toughie has settled in across most of Colorado. It's unseasonably warm. It's windy. We've had way too many sunny days in a row. (And, at 7,700 feet, the sun is searing!) Still, it's cooler here than most places in this sizzling state. So, we're not complaining.
And, just to make things interesting, our moose has thrown us an old familiar curve ball. For 16 days after leaving Forest City, our heat pump hummed like a champ. Monday, our #2 compressor stopped coming on. Again! Several phone calls later we have an appointment after July 4th with a service tech who is highly recommended by our AC manufacturer. So far, we've been impressed with them. Our fingers are crossed that our detour back over Monarch Pass will be short and sweet. Meanwhile, we can get by just fine with half an air conditioner here.
Last year, in the midst of air conditioner woes, we came to Gunnison to escape the heat. This year, we're so glad we just so happened to be here. We'll get back to the business of exploring soon enough. For now, we're gonna keep our blogs up-to-date and have some fun in our favorite town.
A Taste of Fort Collins
I must admit that when we decided that our travels would take us through the midwest this Spring, I was a bit apprehensive. The chances of running into nasty Spring weather somewhere along the way were high. We did have one night of severe storms in Kansas City. Then, there was that nasty day of gale force winds in western Nebraska. Not too bad. Along the way, I told myself I'd breathe easier as soon as we got to Colorado.
Yeah, right.
The first night we spent in Fort Collins (Was that only Wednesday?) was quite celebratory. We'd made it across The Great Plains. We'd avoided tornadoes and the like. Even though we arrived a day late, we got right with the Fort Collins vibe. Fellow fulltimers Deb and Rod had arranged a tour at a favorite local brewer, New Belgium. It was quite the informative and tasty tour. (So much so that a 12-pack of Somersault landed in our refrigerator the next day.)
That first evening, we caught up with anytimers Craig and Anne, whom we last saw in Kansas City last Fall. They're on their way to Michigan this Summer. We felt so lucky that our paths crossed at the same campground in Fort Collins. As we headed to bed after our meeting with these friends, we checked the weather. We were under a tornado watch.
Great!
Storms skirted to the west of us. A hundred miles or so to the south, my brother's family was subjected to a storm that dumped hail at their place for two-and-half hours and stacked the icy stuff up in inches. Thankfully, Fort Collins was spared.
The next day, Craig and Anne hit the road. We took advantage of our first down day in a long while and took care of some much-neglected domestic duties. By late afternoon, the moose was sparkling inside. And, we were under another tornado watch.
Joy! Joy!
With a watchful eye on the radar, we tracked a tornado and hail-producing storm that passed just to the east of us. I checked the map. No, we were not in the midwest. Instead, we were snuggled up against the front range of the Colorado Rockies.
Yesterday afternoon, we made plans to meet up with Deb and Rod at Taste of Fort Collins, an annual Summer event that showcases the food and drink of Fort Collins.
As we headed out of our campground, we noticed a plume of smoke in the foothills to the west. On the way downtown, I checked my phone for news. The fire was on the local sheriff's radar. It was just 20-acres with no structures in danger. It was 10 to 15 miles away. We decided not to worry.
Shortly after we met up with Deb and Rod, we were keeping an eye on the sky. The temperatures were climbing into the mid-90s. Not only was it bloody hot, but the innocent plume of smoke was now towering over the center of town. After an hour or so of meeting Deb and Rod's kin and sampling the best Fort Collins could dish out, we decided it was time to go home to cool off and keep an eye on the fire.
A quick check after our arrival revealed the blaze had grown to 200 acres. It was all 10 miles and a couple of hills away. We wouldn't worry, but we'd definitely keep an eye on it all.
By the time the local news did their 10 o'clock thing, the fire covered 8000 acres. Winds were expected to kick up through the night. The good news was the temperatures would be cooler. The bad news was it was going to be windy.
I was jolted awake at 3 o'clock. The wind buffeted the moose from every which direction. We rocked and rolled. All I could think about was the fire in the nearby foothills. Wide awake, I checked online news sources and twitter. #HighParkFire became a lifeline. In the darkness, I couldn't see a thing. But, on twitter I could "see" it all. An hour or so later, I read that the county sheriffs were evacuating a neighborhood that sounded like it might be nearby. I tracked the route on Google Maps. The evacuating neighborhood was a drive of only four miles. A mere 10 minutes away. As the crow, or burning ember flies, it was probably only three miles. And the winds outside were screaming.
I didn't sleep.
Instead, I waited for daybreak. At just past 5 o'clock, I looked outside. A thick column of brown smoke floated above our campground. Sirens wailed in the distance. Stuff that looked like snow fell from the sky. I quickly realized it was ash.
I so wanted to get the heck outta there!
Instead, I checked the news and monitored twitter. By the time Paul was up, things looked a lot better. The sun came up in a cloak of smoky red. But, the wind shifted and blew the smoke to the north. Fort Collins was blessed with clear blue skies on this sunny Sunday morning. The billowing smoke stayed to the west and north.
My sleep-deprived mind went into information-gathering mode. The latest info on the fire was that it had grown to 12000 acres. There was zero containment. Winds were erratic. The afternoon forecast called for gusty winds in Fort Collins coming from the direction of the fire. There, on the northwestern edge on town, it looked like we might be in for a nasty afternoon and another sleepless night.
It was time to get the heck out of there.
I checked with the office to see if we they would hold our site for a few days. I also asked what would happen if we chose not to return. As they had explained when we checked in, they would simply convert our stay to the daily rate and refund the rest of our monthly fee. I let them know we would be leaving and we'd stay in touch.
The next question was where to go. We wanted to be away from the foothills, not drive too far and go to a place we knew. If we loved it, all the better. Within a few minutes we agreed on today's destination: Cherry Creek State Park in Denver. We'd been there nearly three years ago and enjoyed our stay. At 90 miles or so away from Fort Collins, it was more than a safe distance from the smoke and fire. With several walk-up sites open for the next few days, it would be the perfect place for us to land and eventually plan our next move.
A couple of hours later we landed in this beautiful urban park. As we monitored the news of the fire all afternoon we were affirmed that we had made the right decision. Currently the fire has covered 20,000 acres. Containment is a goal for some time in the future. Neighborhoods are being evacuated. Fort Collins is engulfed in thick, choking smoke.
Our prayers are with those who have evacuated their homes in the foothills. Several of them sought refuge in our Fort Collins campground. We pray for their safety. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the firefighters who are wrestling this blaze. We're also praying for rain.
We are so grateful to be more than a safe distance from it all. When your home has wheels, there's no reason to wait for an evacuation notice. Instead, we left in the light of day, under blue skies, on our own terms. We are so grateful.
We have our spot here for the next three nights. We will monitor the news of this conflagration. Then, we'll decide what to do. We might return to Fort Collins, the town we were so eager to explore. But, we only got to have a taste. And, we might head somewhere else.
We hope you'll join us in saying a prayer. And, stay tuned.
Yeah, right.
The first night we spent in Fort Collins (Was that only Wednesday?) was quite celebratory. We'd made it across The Great Plains. We'd avoided tornadoes and the like. Even though we arrived a day late, we got right with the Fort Collins vibe. Fellow fulltimers Deb and Rod had arranged a tour at a favorite local brewer, New Belgium. It was quite the informative and tasty tour. (So much so that a 12-pack of Somersault landed in our refrigerator the next day.)
That first evening, we caught up with anytimers Craig and Anne, whom we last saw in Kansas City last Fall. They're on their way to Michigan this Summer. We felt so lucky that our paths crossed at the same campground in Fort Collins. As we headed to bed after our meeting with these friends, we checked the weather. We were under a tornado watch.
Great!
Storms skirted to the west of us. A hundred miles or so to the south, my brother's family was subjected to a storm that dumped hail at their place for two-and-half hours and stacked the icy stuff up in inches. Thankfully, Fort Collins was spared.
The next day, Craig and Anne hit the road. We took advantage of our first down day in a long while and took care of some much-neglected domestic duties. By late afternoon, the moose was sparkling inside. And, we were under another tornado watch.
Joy! Joy!
With a watchful eye on the radar, we tracked a tornado and hail-producing storm that passed just to the east of us. I checked the map. No, we were not in the midwest. Instead, we were snuggled up against the front range of the Colorado Rockies.
Yesterday afternoon, we made plans to meet up with Deb and Rod at Taste of Fort Collins, an annual Summer event that showcases the food and drink of Fort Collins.
As we headed out of our campground, we noticed a plume of smoke in the foothills to the west. On the way downtown, I checked my phone for news. The fire was on the local sheriff's radar. It was just 20-acres with no structures in danger. It was 10 to 15 miles away. We decided not to worry.
Shortly after we met up with Deb and Rod, we were keeping an eye on the sky. The temperatures were climbing into the mid-90s. Not only was it bloody hot, but the innocent plume of smoke was now towering over the center of town. After an hour or so of meeting Deb and Rod's kin and sampling the best Fort Collins could dish out, we decided it was time to go home to cool off and keep an eye on the fire.
A quick check after our arrival revealed the blaze had grown to 200 acres. It was all 10 miles and a couple of hills away. We wouldn't worry, but we'd definitely keep an eye on it all.
By the time the local news did their 10 o'clock thing, the fire covered 8000 acres. Winds were expected to kick up through the night. The good news was the temperatures would be cooler. The bad news was it was going to be windy.
I was jolted awake at 3 o'clock. The wind buffeted the moose from every which direction. We rocked and rolled. All I could think about was the fire in the nearby foothills. Wide awake, I checked online news sources and twitter. #HighParkFire became a lifeline. In the darkness, I couldn't see a thing. But, on twitter I could "see" it all. An hour or so later, I read that the county sheriffs were evacuating a neighborhood that sounded like it might be nearby. I tracked the route on Google Maps. The evacuating neighborhood was a drive of only four miles. A mere 10 minutes away. As the crow, or burning ember flies, it was probably only three miles. And the winds outside were screaming.
I didn't sleep.
Instead, I waited for daybreak. At just past 5 o'clock, I looked outside. A thick column of brown smoke floated above our campground. Sirens wailed in the distance. Stuff that looked like snow fell from the sky. I quickly realized it was ash.
I so wanted to get the heck outta there!
Instead, I checked the news and monitored twitter. By the time Paul was up, things looked a lot better. The sun came up in a cloak of smoky red. But, the wind shifted and blew the smoke to the north. Fort Collins was blessed with clear blue skies on this sunny Sunday morning. The billowing smoke stayed to the west and north.
My sleep-deprived mind went into information-gathering mode. The latest info on the fire was that it had grown to 12000 acres. There was zero containment. Winds were erratic. The afternoon forecast called for gusty winds in Fort Collins coming from the direction of the fire. There, on the northwestern edge on town, it looked like we might be in for a nasty afternoon and another sleepless night.
It was time to get the heck out of there.
I checked with the office to see if we they would hold our site for a few days. I also asked what would happen if we chose not to return. As they had explained when we checked in, they would simply convert our stay to the daily rate and refund the rest of our monthly fee. I let them know we would be leaving and we'd stay in touch.
The next question was where to go. We wanted to be away from the foothills, not drive too far and go to a place we knew. If we loved it, all the better. Within a few minutes we agreed on today's destination: Cherry Creek State Park in Denver. We'd been there nearly three years ago and enjoyed our stay. At 90 miles or so away from Fort Collins, it was more than a safe distance from the smoke and fire. With several walk-up sites open for the next few days, it would be the perfect place for us to land and eventually plan our next move.
A couple of hours later we landed in this beautiful urban park. As we monitored the news of the fire all afternoon we were affirmed that we had made the right decision. Currently the fire has covered 20,000 acres. Containment is a goal for some time in the future. Neighborhoods are being evacuated. Fort Collins is engulfed in thick, choking smoke.
Our prayers are with those who have evacuated their homes in the foothills. Several of them sought refuge in our Fort Collins campground. We pray for their safety. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the firefighters who are wrestling this blaze. We're also praying for rain.
We are so grateful to be more than a safe distance from it all. When your home has wheels, there's no reason to wait for an evacuation notice. Instead, we left in the light of day, under blue skies, on our own terms. We are so grateful.
We have our spot here for the next three nights. We will monitor the news of this conflagration. Then, we'll decide what to do. We might return to Fort Collins, the town we were so eager to explore. But, we only got to have a taste. And, we might head somewhere else.
We hope you'll join us in saying a prayer. And, stay tuned.
Second Attempt
When it comes to arriving at our first Summer destination, we have to try again. You see, we were on the road bright and early (for us, anyway) yesterday and left our comfortable overnight spot in Sidney, Nebraska, headed for Fort Collins, Colorado. The plan was for an easy 150-mile day and an arrival around noon.
That was the plan, anyway.
All was well as we headed west. We were counting down the mile markers as we got closer to the Nebraska-Wyoming line. You see, we're not big fans of Nebraska. Never have been. It took us nearly three years to pass through the Cornhusker state on our fulltime RVing journey. There's a reason for that. Now, our two nights this week in Lincoln made for a fine stop. The state capitol is interesting, and we enjoyed a tasty dinner with friends Steve and Cathy, who were passing through their old hometown. And, that's about the nicest thing we have to say about Nebraska. We couldn't cross the state line soon enough.
The day's forecast called for a Wind Advisory in the western edge of our least favorite state. And, we learned long ago not to travel in those. The advisory went into effect at noon, so we were on track to pass through the area long before that.
About 10 miles west of our starting point, the breeze started to kick up. Our moose handles quite well in the wind. And, it did just that for the next 20 miles or so. Then, the breezes became gusts. The gusts became hefty sustained winds. Soon the hefty winds were accompanied by moose-battering gusts. All of this was hitting us broadside.
Blowing dust blocked out the blazing sun. In a dim brown haze, visibility became sketchy. The moose rocked and rolled. The wind pounded on his streetside slide until it literally roared. Paul checked his mirror. Our big ass slide topper was flapping in the gale force wind.
Shit.
With that, Paul piloted a maneuver that involved pulling off the highway long enough for the topper to retract. Then, he'd ease back on to the interstate and move along at a slow speed until the topper unfurled again. He then made another move to the shoulder. Meanwhile, I was checking my iExit app for an exit - any exit! Here in godforsaken western Nebraska the exits are few and far between. But, one with no services to offer came upon us about three miles down the road. We pulled off on the side of the ramp and sussed things out.
The wind had to have been blowing at 50 mph! We ate a bunch of flying sand as we checked things out. A local stopped and asked if we needed help. We assured him we were fine and he went on his way. We quickly determined there was nothing we could do. We needed to find a safe and level spot to park. If it we could park the moose pointing east, he could block the incessant wind while we took a closer look. According to iExit, there was a rest area about a mile back to the east. We had been so focused on the wind and flying topper that we hadn't noticed. So, we headed across the highway and back east on the interstate. Within a minute we saw the rest area. Within two we saw that it was closed.
Pisser.
With 10 miles to the next exit in the direction from whence we came, we held our breath as Paul wrestled the wind and maneuvered through the flying dust. Once again, we heard the familiar roar. This time, our curbside slide topper was flying! Both of these toppers are equipped with anti-furl devices. But, this wind was simply too much. With worries that our two curbside awnings would be the next to go, I kept my eye on them both and said a prayer to the patron saint of calm seas.
With one topper flying, we pulled off at the exit and parked near two motorhomes that were waiting out the storm. We recognized both from our park in Sidney. They were having the same kind of day we were! The two men in the group had unhitched a toad and scouted for a campground. Within minutes, they returned and we hatched a plan with our new friends. There was a campground a couple of miles away. The good news was we didn't have to get back on the interstate to get there.
We were the tail end of a motorhome parade that passed through downtown Kimball, Nebraska. It must have been quite a sight. Of course, it was too darn windy for anyone to be out! We made our way to a former KOA on the east side of town. There was plenty of room at this place where the park owner says he usually only gets one RV in a day. Yesterday, he hit blowing paydirt! By mid-afternoon, there were six or eight rigs in the place.
The wind howled all afternoon. We weren't where we had planned to be. But, we were safe. We are so grateful for the help of our fellow motorhomers for helping us find our way in the windstorm.
By evening, we were able to put up our ladder and suss out the slide topper. It's a bit tattered, but otherwise fine. We were lucky, indeed.
This morning, the winds are calm here in western Nebraska. But, they won't be for long. This afternoon's forecast is calling for more wind, thunderstorms and hail.
No worries. We'll be on the road by 8 am. It looks like smooth sailing to Fort Collins this morning. Wish us luck on our second attempt.
That was the plan, anyway.
All was well as we headed west. We were counting down the mile markers as we got closer to the Nebraska-Wyoming line. You see, we're not big fans of Nebraska. Never have been. It took us nearly three years to pass through the Cornhusker state on our fulltime RVing journey. There's a reason for that. Now, our two nights this week in Lincoln made for a fine stop. The state capitol is interesting, and we enjoyed a tasty dinner with friends Steve and Cathy, who were passing through their old hometown. And, that's about the nicest thing we have to say about Nebraska. We couldn't cross the state line soon enough.
The day's forecast called for a Wind Advisory in the western edge of our least favorite state. And, we learned long ago not to travel in those. The advisory went into effect at noon, so we were on track to pass through the area long before that.
About 10 miles west of our starting point, the breeze started to kick up. Our moose handles quite well in the wind. And, it did just that for the next 20 miles or so. Then, the breezes became gusts. The gusts became hefty sustained winds. Soon the hefty winds were accompanied by moose-battering gusts. All of this was hitting us broadside.
Blowing dust blocked out the blazing sun. In a dim brown haze, visibility became sketchy. The moose rocked and rolled. The wind pounded on his streetside slide until it literally roared. Paul checked his mirror. Our big ass slide topper was flapping in the gale force wind.
Shit.
With that, Paul piloted a maneuver that involved pulling off the highway long enough for the topper to retract. Then, he'd ease back on to the interstate and move along at a slow speed until the topper unfurled again. He then made another move to the shoulder. Meanwhile, I was checking my iExit app for an exit - any exit! Here in godforsaken western Nebraska the exits are few and far between. But, one with no services to offer came upon us about three miles down the road. We pulled off on the side of the ramp and sussed things out.
The wind had to have been blowing at 50 mph! We ate a bunch of flying sand as we checked things out. A local stopped and asked if we needed help. We assured him we were fine and he went on his way. We quickly determined there was nothing we could do. We needed to find a safe and level spot to park. If it we could park the moose pointing east, he could block the incessant wind while we took a closer look. According to iExit, there was a rest area about a mile back to the east. We had been so focused on the wind and flying topper that we hadn't noticed. So, we headed across the highway and back east on the interstate. Within a minute we saw the rest area. Within two we saw that it was closed.
Pisser.
With 10 miles to the next exit in the direction from whence we came, we held our breath as Paul wrestled the wind and maneuvered through the flying dust. Once again, we heard the familiar roar. This time, our curbside slide topper was flying! Both of these toppers are equipped with anti-furl devices. But, this wind was simply too much. With worries that our two curbside awnings would be the next to go, I kept my eye on them both and said a prayer to the patron saint of calm seas.
With one topper flying, we pulled off at the exit and parked near two motorhomes that were waiting out the storm. We recognized both from our park in Sidney. They were having the same kind of day we were! The two men in the group had unhitched a toad and scouted for a campground. Within minutes, they returned and we hatched a plan with our new friends. There was a campground a couple of miles away. The good news was we didn't have to get back on the interstate to get there.
We were the tail end of a motorhome parade that passed through downtown Kimball, Nebraska. It must have been quite a sight. Of course, it was too darn windy for anyone to be out! We made our way to a former KOA on the east side of town. There was plenty of room at this place where the park owner says he usually only gets one RV in a day. Yesterday, he hit blowing paydirt! By mid-afternoon, there were six or eight rigs in the place.
The wind howled all afternoon. We weren't where we had planned to be. But, we were safe. We are so grateful for the help of our fellow motorhomers for helping us find our way in the windstorm.
By evening, we were able to put up our ladder and suss out the slide topper. It's a bit tattered, but otherwise fine. We were lucky, indeed.
This morning, the winds are calm here in western Nebraska. But, they won't be for long. This afternoon's forecast is calling for more wind, thunderstorms and hail.
No worries. We'll be on the road by 8 am. It looks like smooth sailing to Fort Collins this morning. Wish us luck on our second attempt.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
