Denver to Yellowstone via Moab

[colonelhall]

The big trip is still over two weeks away, but there is plenty of activity here at home. Yesterday, I made a list of equipment that I shall be taking. It is amazing, in this technological age, how much one needs. I have been on the RTA site quite a bit and have received a great deal of help and advice here.
One worry that I have is that our RV may not be able to link with my iPod. It appears that it plays mp3 CDs though. With this in mind, I burned 8 five-hour play lists! I also recycled some wallets from free magazine CDs so that the stack takes up very little space. With so much equipment, space is at a premium.
I am starting this report today, in order to get familiar with the workings of uploading reports. My next move is to see if I can add a photo.



Well that seems to work. What you see here is 40 hours of mp3s burned to 8 discs. Around a thousand tracks, i guess.

[colonelhall]

One last job. How do I upload photos on the move, using iPad? I have spent hours on this and finally got a system that works.
I downloaded the photobucket app. Signed up for a free account. Uploaded this photo. Grabed the URL. Pasted it into message.



Hopefully, my next post will be from Denver.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Fantastic shot of the hummer!

There is a $1.99 app from ForumRunner.net that should allow you to access the forum albums directly from an iPad. You can access the forum on your iPad for free but the app allows you to log-in.

Once the app is downloaded, you can then search for roadtripamerica and you can log-in.

I'm sorry that we've not posted this in our support information. Soon, soon, soon.

But your solution works too.

Happy fortune on the upcoming trip!

Mark

[colonelhall]

Thanks Mark. I shall investigate. Hopefully these preliminary posts will be of help to others.

Mike
(The Colonel)

[colonelhall]

Day One 20/05/12
Months in the planning. What could go wrong? It's an afternoon flight, so it will be a long day. The plan is to go to bed late, get up late, so that we are a bit closer to US time and can shorten the day somewhat. 6.00 am and I wake with a start. "I forgot to check in!"
Never mind, all is god and we get the seats we want. Now the printer is out of ink!
We need to check a last minute problem with our credit card company, only to find that they are off line for the weekend.
And so it goes....
We finally take off at 4.00 pm and it's been a long day already. Thankfully, it is a smith flight and the cabin crew is headed by one of the best stewards we have encountered. He really knew how to work the crowd and it was a joy to watch him at work. The spicy chicken was a triumph and the nine hours went by without too much pain. Looks like British Airways have the edge over Virgin, at the moment.
Rewarded by a magnificent sunset with a storm gathering on the mountain tops, we were too excited to be tired. We took the Supershuttle service straight to the Hampton Inn. At 22 dollars per head, well worth it.
In bed by 5.00 am British time. The journey begins.

[colonelhall]

Awake early, but watch the sunrise and see if I can really get this blog working. Taking advantage of the wifi facilities. I manage to upload a phot. A whole sack of camera gear and my first attempt is with an iPhone! Looking forward to breakfast and our introduction to our new home for the next three weeks.

Turns out that our hotel was a good choice. Took a walk to Platte Street, a wonderfully restored part of old Denver full of quirky independent stores. We could have continued straight to the heart of Downton 16th Street, but that will have to wait for the end of the trip, as our pick-up is 11:00 am.

The cab fare from our hotel was 23 dollars and took around 25 minutes.

A little nervous, as we had read one or two bad reports Cruise America on the web. I have to report that we could not have been more impressed. The young guy who showed us the ropes, was engaging and knowledgable. A real credit to the company and certainly future V.P. material!

We spent some time arranging our belongings and getting acquainted with the vehicle, but were on the road by 12:45. After topping up the gas, we found a Wallmart and spent far too long stocking up on gear and food. Our biggest mistake was in purchasing a mobile phone only to find that it did not make international calls! We also found out that we. Could have saved money by shopping nearby in the supermarket. Live and learn.

We have ended up parked by a creek at Cottonwood RV park, just outside Idaho Springs. Our first experience of an RV park, but if they are all as good as this, we will be coming back for more next year.

[Mark Sedenquist]

So very cool that you're out-there again at last!

[DonnaR57]

Wal-Mart vs a Supermarket: if you found a Super WalMart (the kind with the full grocery store, service deli, bakery, meat dept), then price-wise you probably did just as well (if not better) than the local Supermarket. Super Wal-Mart tries to be competitive with the local grocery stores. Since they also have clothing and other departments, though, you may find that they don't have as big a selection on food. Our Wal-Mart (NOT a Super Wal-Mart) used to have a nice RV department and then dropped a lot of the stuff in it. Too bad, as the potty chemicals were so much cheaper there than at the local RV stores!

Looking forward to reading more about your trip and seeing more photos....


Donna

[Southwest Dave]

Good to hear that you are settling into your new home OK and that you found the same friendly and efficient service that we did from Cruise America in Denver. We have had our favourite camping spots, but have never had one that left us dissapointed or let down, so hopefully you will be fine too.

Looking forward to more !!

Dave.

[colonelhall]

Read a report somewhere, from somebody who declared that the sleeping arrangement in their Cruise America vehicle was the worst night's sleep of their lives. For anybody inclined to be deterred by this, let me put your minds at rest. We were as snug as the proverbial bugs. Ample space, good support, perfect! The only problem was the difference between our body clocks as we attempted to deal with jet-lag in our own ways. Myself, I dozed for an hour before dinner, whilst Pam braved it out until 10:00 pm. By this time I was wide awake and spent a couple of hours gazing at the stars and trying to take night shots.My main problem was dealing with the ambient light from the camp and with a flat battery in my remote. I may have got a couple worth saving, if I can get Photoshop to do its work. Unfortunately, trying to get back into bed in an unfamiliar setting, without incurring the wrath of one's partner, proved to be no easy task.


DayThree -Part two

Off by 7:00 am and a glorious drive to Leadville. Although we had checked this out on the web, nothing prepared us for what a terrific place this was. Wonderful old buildings, interesting independent stores. All set against the majestic backdrop of the Rockies. We could have easily coped with a full day here. The staff at the City On The Hill coffee shop were extremely friendly and helpful. They told us that with Independence Pass now open, we should re-route and head towards Aspen and Glendale Springs.Our original plan was to have gone this way, but we had put it right out of our minds, convinced as we were that either the pass would have been closed or would prove to be too dangerous for such novices. We have both driven through the Alps, on quite a few occasions. We both agreed that the Rockies more than held their own. The drive up to the pass was absolutely magnificent and contributed to one of the great holiday experience of our lives.We got a mere taste for Aspen, as we drove through, but we're keen to settle down for the evening. A bit of shopping at Glendale Springs and we ended up at a beautiful spot called Elk Creek. Expensive, at 50 dollars, but a full hook-up and an exclusive spot right by the river, convinced us that this was the place. No sign of any staff and a system that required you to pick your own site and post the money in an envelope. I later noticed staff driving around to check who were in. I. Sit and write this, as I watch the creek hereby and the sun set behind the hills. Heaven!