Denver through Four corners loop.

Million dollar highway

A bright, crispy cold morning greets us and with the sound of the river running by, the lovely Fall colors and snow capped mountains in the back ground, it felt great to be alive !

Our first port of call this morning was the short walk into the mountain town of Ouray, just 10 miles Northeast of Telluride as the crow flies but a 50 mile drive on the scenic San Juan skyway winding it's way through the mountains . You can see why this town is referred to as the "Switzerland of America", nestled amongst the steep slopes of the mountains, it is in an amazing setting.

We wander through the town and look in the stores, everyone is so friendly. It really feels like a town run by locals, for locals, where visitors are welcome. I think this helps with the unique feel of the towns around here, all to often places loose there identity to the lure of the tourist trade, not in these parts !

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We head back to the RV park where we meet 'our neighbours', a wonderful family who now live in Texas. We had a great chat, swapping stories of our adventures and we exchanged contact details. I also told them of the RTA site so if the 'J' family are looking in, Hi and a big wave !

Time to leave and get on the "Million dollar highway". The 550 [San Juan skyway] between Ouray and Durango is often referred to as the Million dollar highway, but as I understand it the section of the highway between Ouray and Red mountain summit is the original section so named. How the name came about has never been agreed upon, it was said to have "Cost a million dollars a mile", or there is "A million dollars of gold ore in the road fill gravel", but my own personal opinion is that it's because it is made up of
Million dollar views !

We stop at the "Box canyon waterfall on the way out of town and then head up the mountain, looking back on the town.

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Along the Uncompahgre gorge, a narrow section with sheer drops.

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The Idarado mine trestle is part of one of the old gold mining operations. Apparently the mines run some 5 miles under the 13000 ft mountains to Pandora mill near Telluride, Wow !

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We travel over Red Mountain that summits at a little over 11000ft and the remains of the Yankee girl mine can be seen near the base. This is truly an amazing drive, one of the best I have done, and I am sure that the sun shining on yesterdays snow is an added bonus.

We make our way down the mountain and into the equally lovely town of Silverton.

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

We make our way down the mountain and into the equally lovely town of Silverton.

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I am surprised that you took the RV there, considering that most of the roads up there are unmade. Or have they sealed them all?

Was it snowing.... it snowed all the time when I was there (May 2007), and having taken the train from Durango, did not have any warm clothes with me. It was quite warm in Pagossa Springs and Durango. I had not given it a thought.

But what a lovely little place it is. And did you visit the shrine on the hill?
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Livey who is reliving her trip with this report

Hi Lifey,

The roads are "sealed up" and in really good shape, although still challenging in places.

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and having taken the train from Durango,

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Perhaps you mean the back roads of Silverton in the old town ? Coming in by train the road through the older part of town is still unmade, but the main Street and roads in and out of Silverton are good.

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Was it snowing....

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We had snow at high elevation coming over the mountain to Telluride and then sun all the way around the Skyway to Durango with the fresh snow glistening on the peaks, amazing !

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And did you visit the shrine on the hill?

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We didn't,a good excuse to go back !

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what a lovely little place it is.

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Amazing, more coming soon !

[Great photo BTW ! ]

Without the snow

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Dave.

Silverton to Pagosa Springs.

What another great town ! We park the RV in the main street and start to wander into town admiring the colorful buildings that are surrounded by snow covered peaks.

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A snow mobile, Silverton styleeee !!

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As we turn off the main street the road is unpaved [as mentioned by Lifey] and there are some fantastic old buildings with boardwalks. Without trying to hard it really does represent the "Wild west" to us folks from across the sea and I half expected a cowboy to come flying out through the window of the "Shady lady Saloon" with ensuing gunfight.
[Yep been watching to many Westerns !]

To add to the atmosphere the Silverton to Durango Steam train leaves town as the Mountains mimic the 'puff' of the engine and the 'cry' of the whistle and the only visual clue is the funnel and trail of steam left in the sky, I love this town !

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We have a nice lunch in the "Pickle and Barrel" before strolling back through town to the RV and start to head for our destination for tonight, Pagosa springs. Continuing on the San Juan skyway to Durango we witness more great mountain scenery along the way.

Looking back on Silverton.
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The road continues over Molas pass @ 10,970 ft and Coal bank pass @ 10,640ft and down past Electra and Haviland lake.

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It took longer than expected to arrive in Durango as we were caught behind a slow moving escorted wide load, we eventually passed it only to be caught behind another 5 minutes down the road, still more time to enjoy the scenery.

So it was only a brief stop in Durango to get gas and some provisions and we were off on US 160 and arrived in Pagosa just as the light was fading. There was a small RV park behind "The Spa" that we had hopes of staying at and enjoying a dip in a hot tub but unfortunately there were no vacancies. The friendly lady behind the counter phoned another campground a mile or so out of town to see if they had vacancies and they did, great news but no dip in the hot tub.

Louise was the "Food Guru" for this trip, carefully noting places of interest to eat along our chosen route. So far she had done a great job and tonight was no exception. We had a wonderful meal in "Kips grill and cantina". It was only small but very vibrant, a place the locals come, yet everyone is welcome. The Apple pie is delicious and after enquiring in my best possible "Deep South" American accent [WHICH ISN'T GOOD !] "Is this real Home made American apple pie ?" I discovered it was made just across the road.
Note It should be noted at this point that my companions had sunk in their chairs with embarrassment and the poor waitress was momentarily lost for words Lol !

We head back to the campground and turn in for the night, Tomorrow we head to Taos and hope to be in the Sand dunes NP for the night.

I wonder if that was on 160, by the river. That was a lovely campground, and those wonderful people even drove me to the doctor and chemist when I became violently ill after spending a day at the Hot Springs.

You did go to the Hot Springs!! Surely there is no way you could miss them.

Lifey who is reliving her 2007 trip with this report

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Originally Posted by Lifemagician

I wonder if that was on 160, by the river. That was a lovely campground.

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No, but I know the one you are thinking of from research. We stayed at Cool pines in a wooded area off 160, really nice.

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You did go to the Hot Springs!! Surely there is no way you could miss them.

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To them, but not in them. :-(

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when I became violently ill after spending a day at the Hot Springs.

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Maybe just as well ;-)

To Taos.

There is light drizzle in the air this morning as I take a first look at our campground in the light of day. Cool pines campground is set in a wooded area [as the name suggests] where Autumn Fall is well under way but still full of colour and easy on the eye, very nice.

After we have a shower and breakfast I go to the office to say Hi and settle the bill. A nice old Gent greets me and we have a nice chat as he gives me a tour of the cabin that has guest amenities such as a TV lounge complete with gym equipment, it's huge. He obviously takes great pride in the place, which I was already aware of by how nice the showers were. He was quite a character and I had imagined him being there all his life but as our conversation carried on he informed me that in a couple of days everything was going to be locked down and he was off home to Florida for the winter.

"Some bad weather to the North" he informed me "Where yer headed" he asked, and before I could reply he continued "Be careful headin' over the Wolf creek pass, it gets real bad at times". I replied "Actually, we are hea......" he continues "A lorry came over the pass just before Thanksgiving one day and went right off the road" I was just about to say "Oh nasty, but we are.." "Yep" he interrupted, "Had a load of Turkeys on board and he lost them all down the side of the mountain," he said as he looked at me with a wry smile and a glint in his eye. That sounds familiar I thought as I nodded my head attentively, Mmm, same story as I heard in Leadville, only a different pass. He continued "Yep for the next few days all the folk around here were going up the mountain and collecting their Turkeys, ready frozen it was so cold" he added with a chuckle, "best dam Thanksgiving ever"! Yep, exact same story but I kept my little secret to myself and replied "Wow, what a fantastic story" as he lost eye contact and had a little grin to himself. I even read his thoughts "Another gullible tourist, Ha Ha!" It was in good spirit and he was happy to have spun a yarn to a visitor, so we said our goodbyes and soon after we were off to town. We went to the shops and had a walk along the river, opposite was the
"The Springs Resort".

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We were soon on the road and heading into New Mexico on the 84 towards Charma and then on the 64 towards Taos.

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Soon after crossing the border there was a typical wooden ranch entrance leading up a dust track. What stood out about this one was the effigy of a person hanging by the neck with a sign reading "We do things the old fashion way around here" ! Nice welcome, but I think we will keep going, Lol!

On route to our next stop, the Rio Grande gorge bridge, we pass the "Earthship community", a bunch of Eco friendly homes built from old car tyres, glass frames and the like where the community live off the land and only have solar power.

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Soon after we are at the bridge rest area car park and take a short walk to it. The bridge and the views are pretty spectacular as you look along the Gorge and to add to the occasion every time a rig crosses the bridge it vibrates and feels as though it's swaying.

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We head back to the RV where we enjoy lunch in the midday sun before continuing to Taos Pueblo for the afternoon.

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More to come.

Back to Colorado.

It was quite busy as we arrived at the Village on this warm and sunny afternoon and we was directed to a car park along a muddy unmade road and took the short walk back to the pay kiosk. I am not one to grumble, but I thought it a cheek that after paying $10 a head to enter, you were then charged $5 for each camera you wanted to take in. For 4 of us and 2 cameras @ $50 compared to the $80 paid for an unlimited pass into all of the National parks for a year, at first seems a bit steep but I guess it's more a reflection on what good value the National parks represent.

We entered the village and our first site was the old church ruins and burial ground [pic in post above] and then we made our way around some back alleys to the "village square". Our route took us away from the main crowds and the quiet gave us a little time to soak up the feel of the village. The Adobe buildings, made from Earth and straw then packed by using water were quite remarkable. The edges of the buildings sharp and defined with locally gathered timber beams for the roof support poking through, some of the walls are several feet thick. They are constantly maintained by re plastering with the mix and are thought to have been occupied continuously for over a thousand years. The inhabitants know the history as it was passed down the years through word of mouth, but it is a secret society due to religious beliefs and the time line is based on Archaeologists finds.

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The church was a wonderful structure.

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Most of the inhabitants now live outside the village area in homes that have running water and power, and the village is mainly used for ceremony's and visitors these days, although it does have a community feel to it as they sell their wares. The only thing I found a shame was the coming and going around the village of the locals in their 4x4's and kids on quad bikes, it was hard to dismiss the modern day life that was now present which took away from the past a little, but they have to go about their daily business and it was an experience well worth taking the time for.

We left the village to get to our destination for the night, Sand dunes NP. I had planned to drive around the "Enchanted circle" to Questa via Eagles Nest and Red river on the 64 but time was against us and we took the direct route on 522. I had one more stop to make in St Luis, the oldest inhabited town in Colorado.

On the way the weather started to change as the most amazing storm started to brew up, I felt like a "Storm chaser" heading towards it.

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It wasn't long before the heavens opened and it bucketed it down. As we arrived at St Luis it had eased slightly for which I was most grateful. It wasn't the fact it was the oldest town in Colorado that made we want to stop here, it was the "Stations of the cross shrine" I had come to see. A hill top shrine that you had to walk up the steep hill to get to and on the way were "The Stations", statues and plaques that depict the last hours of Christ in the form of the most fabulous bronze sculptures, true works of art. I think it is 14 Stations in total, from being condemned to death, picking up the cross and carrying it to the Crucifixion and resurrection, the detail amazing in each sculpture. You cannot help but feel a little moved as you make your way up the hill, it's almost surreal. As we got near to the top the heavens opened once more and we ran for cover into the Shrine. I can tell you it was quite an experience sheltering in there while there was thunder and lightning cracking off outside, quite memorable.

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The storm soon passed and we made our way back down the hill in the drizzly rain and continued our journey through Fort Garland to the Sand dunes NP where we arrived just after dark. The girls cooked up a great bacon pasta that washed down with a couple Coors and it was off to bed.

That looks like one fun storm!! Glad you didn't get washed out to sea!!

I definitely feel my trip to Colorado edging up the 'to do' list a couple of slots as I read on more and more... :)

Yeah, that storm was quite something ! Although it went as quick as it came and long before arriving at the Sand dunes NP it had settled down again.

We felt lucky throughout the trip because at no point did the weather stop us doing things, and the worst of it came when we were on the road or overnight, and not when walking around. [Other than at the Shrine of course but that's another story. ;-) ]

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I definitely feel my trip to Colorado edging up the 'to do' list a couple of slots as I read on more and more

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Well I only have a couple more days of this trip to convince you to push it up even further.

I look forward to your best efforts!

Craig, I can't blame you. Dave's magnificent report and pictures has me reliving all those places. Amazing how his photos are mostly the same as mine, and yes, those storms... there was one virtually every afternoon, often accompanied by the most brilliant rainbows. Opportunities for great photos.

I am waiting for his climbing the great sand dunes (lol), probably one of my favourite places.

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I am waiting for his climbing the great sand dunes (lol),

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......... it wasn't easy with these little legs ! ;-) Ha Ha

Although you guys were never far from my mind, and I "took one" for the team !

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Wow!! Was that right at the top, on the tallest dune. Though of course, with the wind they shift constantly. How long did it take you?

Maybe I should post the photo of me atop the dunes, just to proof that I did make it. Took me three hours. That was in 2007. LOL

haha cool :)

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Wow!! Was that right at the top, on the tallest dune.

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Yes, the sand I am standing on was right at the top. Well last year it was, this year it was blown down the hill a little nearer to the bottom !

Lol ! ;-)

Wow..... what a T-log!!!

Exciting stuff, read it in one go....... great photos too, waiting for the rest. Mother lode for anyone heading that way; thanks a ton for sharing the small details.

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Thanks fargo, glad you are enjoying it !

Great sand dunes NP

We woke this morning and it wasn't long before we were out the door having a look at our new surroundings in the light of day. The campsite is in a great location over looking the Dunes and Sangre De cristo mountains in the background, in the foreground we watched as a few deer fed on the grassy land that lay between us and the Dunes. It was a wonderful sight as the cloud brushed along the dunes before wrapping themselves around the 14,000ft plus mountain peaks in the distance.

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After having breakfast we drove towards the visitor centre and the clouds looked a little more threatening as it started to rain on arrival. We took shelter inside the centre as the rain continued to fall, but this turned out to be a good thing. We spent longer inside than normal and it was most informative, reading all about the Dunes and how they constantly change shape in prevailing wind currents. They even have visual displays where you can push air into sand and see how it forms into different shapes amongst others, a top class centre with good views of the dunes as well.

The clouds shift again and as it dries we head out into the Dunes.

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Anyone visiting here shouldn't think that once you have seen them from a distance that they have seen all there is to see, SAND ! Once you get amongst the Dunes, away from the crowds and see the different forms that the winds create it really is a different world.

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We spent a couple of hours heading towards the higher dunes keeping an eye on the clouds around the mountain tops when a large black storm cloud revealed itself slowly making it's way towards us over the top of the dunes. We had quite a few miles to cover today and with time moving on we decided to "sound the retreat" rather than risk a soaking of epic proportions ! As we made our way back the cloud was menacing and gaining ground on us, it was every man and woman for themselves as the "kid's" made faster ground and left us too it ! They made it back and we got caught although only by a few light drops, but as we got into the RV it really let go !

We enjoyed a cup of tea and hit the road towards our destination for the night, Manitou springs. By the time we were on the move the storm had gone through and the sky's were clearing once more, what a fantastic place the Sand dunes are.

You do not mention Medano Creek, which needs to be crossed before climbing the dunes.

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Was it perchance dry at this time of the year? The cool water was so welcome on the feet after climbing all that way.

Fantastic photos... so much like the photos I took up there. Those dunes are so photogenic.

Lifey who is waiting for the rest

Yes, despite rainfall the creek was bone dry. I think this is quite normal as it starts to flow in April, the peak flow is normally around May caused by the snow melt and starts to dry up by mid summer onwards. The creek bed was apparent where the water had carved it's way through the sand and was quite rich in grassland.

Thanks for jogging my memory it certainly deserves a mention.

To Manitou springs.

Our next stop in Manitou springs left us open to a few route options and first we had to decide whether to head South back towards Fort Garland or North around the top end of the Sangre de cristo mountain range at Poncha springs. We chose the latter and made our way from the park passing San Luis state park to Hooper. Now the sand dunes were big, but leaving the park we took this photo showing the Sangre de Christo's 14000 ft peaks dwarfing the Dunes.

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Heading North on 17 to Hooper we passed the Colorado Gator farm where you can get to play with an Alligator, but we didn't have the time [nor the inclination to be truthful] and continued through Mineral hot springs onto the 285.

Our next stop was for some lunch and we pulled off the road at Poncha pass that connects the San Luis valley and the Valley of the Arkansas river. It is one of the lowest mountain passes in the State at just over 9000ft and although not quite the Continental divide it does mark the watershed for the Rio Grande and Arkansas rivers. To the West lies the Sawatch range and to the East the top of the Sangre de cristo range making for some lovely views.

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The rest area at the top of Poncha pass appears to be in "No man's land" as the county line signs of Chaffee and Saguache County's are at either end of it.

After lunch we head down the other side of the Pass to Poncha springs that brings us to the Junction with US50, the same junction we had approached from Leadville and headed West to Gunnison earlier in our trip. This time we head East towards Canon city and for a long time follow the path of the Arkansas river through the canyons.

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On the other side of the river was a railway line and there were miles upon miles of goods carriage's that looked like they hadn't moved in a while. I am not sure whether it was a "grave yard" for them or they were stored there but there must of been millions of dollars worth of metal alone sat there.

The scenic drive took us through to Canon city where I was reminded in no uncertain terms that "Skyline drive" was no place for an RV, Lol ! We passed the State penitentiary and as much as I would liked to have visited the Royal gorge bridge [especially after seeing Lifeys train ride pics in Denver] time would not allow it so we continued along US50 without stopping. We then headed North on 115 through Penrose where we passed the [claimed to be] Worlds largest rocking chair. I caught it out of the corner of my eye which refreshed my memory that it was there, but by then we had passed it by. The place it sits is long since closed down but the chair remains behind a rusty chain link fence.

The 115 travels alongside the Fort Carson Military base, with some Armoured tanks and Helicopters on show from the road and this statue is in memory of Brigadier General Christopher "Kit" Carson of whom the base is named after.

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There is also a Blue Star Memorial plaque and garden at this site honoring all the men and women who have served and are still serving in the armed forces. Since returning home I found out that at least 59 brave soldiers have lost their lives while serving in Iraq from here alone.

It isn't long before we are in Manitou Springs and heading to the Garden of the Gods campground. As we park up we are welcomed with a light snow flurry and soon after we head out for something to eat. Louise had heard of "Castaways" a fun looking Pirate themed place close by, so we headed down the road on foot. Castaways was a fun place and we had a great meal in there and a relaxing night. We then wandered back to the RV in the cold night air, put the heating on and had a nice hot drink before turning in for the night.

Have to agree that that section of highway 50 through that gorge, was incredible. Just that you planned to drive it, and I should not have been on it. LOL One day I plan to drive the full length of it, coast to coast.

And maybe it is a gender thing, but I cannot bring myself to stop at, or admire anything military. Passed by that at least four times, but looked the other way.

Really great pictures, love to look at them..

Silverton is a place I will not forget, nice little place..

Thanks illusion glad you are enjoying them.

Manitou springs

A cold crispy start to the day as we awake in the Garden of the god's RV park and the clean and warm shower block is most welcome. It's a very clean well laid out site with old wagons, plant pots and rows of trees that make it feel most welcoming.

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After breakfast we take the short drive to the entrance of the Garden of the god's and drive around the Balanced rock loop road before stopping at the Trading post to do the last of the gift shopping. This acts as a reminder that tomorrow is our last day, but we are not going to let that spoil things.

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After our shop we drive around the main loop road, stopping at the main walking Trail into the gardens. The many many different rock formations are fascinating and walking through the Conifers laced in white makes you feel as though you have walked into a Christmas card setting.

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This is a truly amazing place, and on this day with few visitors and so quiet and peaceful it was surreal at times. I could of spent the whole day here but we had to march on so we continued around the scenic loop on the narrow tree lined road [thank goodness it's one way] admiring the scenery and exited the park.

It was just a short drive to the other end of town where we turned off the 24 to the "Cave of the winds". At the entrance there was a sign and phone requesting you ask for an escort if your vehicle is over 30ft in length, Hmm ! Sounds interesting, but as we are 30ft and not over, we slowly made our way up the steep and very windy road needing full lock on the wheel to negotiate the hairpin bends and arrived at cave entrance.

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We had to wait for 40 mins or so for the next tour so it was a walk around yet another gift shop and enjoy the views of the surrounding mountains and canyon below. Apparently the entrance to the cave was discovered by 2 young local lads playing somewhere they shouldn't have been. Little did they know what such a find would mean for this place, and to this day new passages are being discovered.

Soon enough our tour was under way.
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We thoroughly enjoyed the experience, although I couldn't help thinking of the Cheddar and Wookey hole caves back home, and for once 'home' came out on top ;-)

To Golden for our last night

After our tour of the caves we took a little time to look at the mountain views before heading back down the steep descent to the main road. Even in first gear it took some heavy braking from time to time to stop the RV becoming a "runaway" as we wound it around the hairpins, good fun though !

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This pic doesn't really show how steep it is but gives you a good idea of the hairpins.

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As we got to the bottom we headed West towards Woodland park where we were going to detour through Pike National forest. (We weren't going to give up on the scenic routes now and turned down the 'easy option' of I-25.) On route we took a detour onto the Pikes peak highway and although I didn't think we would have time to drive to the top, I thought we might be able to pay the toll fee and drive some way up, if the RV was permitted on the road that is. I couldn't find any restrictions prior to leaving the UK so I hoped for the best.

On the way I was a little surprised to discover Colorado had a North pole, and even more surprised to find it was Santa's North pole !

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I was even more surprised when I got to the toll road kiosk to find the last entry's were at 3pm, especially as it had just gone 3.30pm.

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I parked up and walked to the kiosk where a nice lady came out and asked if she could help. There wasn't a hint of a view of Pikes peak, made so famous for being the inspiration behind the song "America the beautiful". I told her where we were headed and asked if there was somewhere to get a view of the mountain. I was pleased when she told me that the drive through the forest was a wonderful choice and that we could see the North face of Pikes peak from Woodland park, so of we went. Half way down the road it dawned on me that I hadn't actually asked about RV's going up the mountain. Oh well there is always next time.

We briefly stopped at Woodland park.

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....and we looked back once more as we headed up State highway 67 towards Deckers.

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The lady was right, it's a wonderful drive with river, lake and forest views and the mountains making a nice back drop to the scenery. It seemed very popular with the fisherman and Deer we witnessed as we drove through. Some large areas had suffered from forest fires but nature was hard at work repairing the damage, it's a wonderful thing, nature !

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Our first choice for staying the night was the town run 'Clear creek park' in a nice setting near a stream and close to the town of Golden, but after being told we should have no problem turning up and getting a site there [they don't accept advance bookings] we were disappointed to find them all booked up. The larger RV park out of town was also very busy but we managed to secure a spot for the night, it was the Dakota ridge RV park. I was surprised how busy they were for the time of year, but as we arrived in Golden after dark the temps plummeted and light snow began to fall. I wondered then if perhaps everyone had run from the mountains to get away from this early winter weather.

After pulling into our site we discovered a local bar within walking distance and headed out into the cold night air. We had a great meal there and the atmosphere was great, it was packed. It reminded me of the old traditional "Friday night out" back home, but American style !

After our evening meal and a couple of beers we made our way back to the RV for the last time. We discussed the morning plan over a hot drink before turning in for the night. Quite straight forward, fill with propane and gas, empty all water tanks, pack the bags and give the RV a clean inside before heading to the car wash to do the outside. Then a 45 min drive to the RV centre, what could be simpler ?

Famous last words.......!

How did I miss this report, top quality pics and great information.

A part of the US that I haven't been to either, plenty of ideas there for a future road trip for me.

Hi dangermouse, good to see you here !

It's a wonderful part of the world, and funny enough I thought of your trip in the 350Z and how much fun I could of had tackling some of the mountain roads around here with one.

Dave.

Homeward bound.

I am glad we had left the heating on after learning our lesson in Leadville as it was a bitterly cold morning. As I peered between the curtains all I could see was an icy mist upon the window. I turned the thermostat up to get some warmth inside, as we had kept it on a low setting overnight so it wasn't running constantly. I opened the door and realised it was Leadville all over again, with snow on the ground and bitingly cold air I stepped outside, it was very icy and slippery underfoot.

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The others were up soon after and we started packing the cases and giving the RV a once over inside. After a hot shower in the Dakota ridge facilities [very nice too] we had a hot drink, packed the last few bits away and I took some fire wood and fire lighter we had left over and gave them to our neighbour. We were almost ready to roll, we just had to empty all the water tanks.

Knowing the valves had survived minus 9 temps in Leadville I wasn't expecting what happened next, everything was frozen solid including the drainage valves and they wasn't budging. Running the hot water off into the tanks and warm water over the pipes outside [didn't want to crack anything] had little affect. Having nothing to create a heat source outside [even the hair drier wouldn't reach as we had no extension lead] and the temps still well below freezing we were facing a $250 charge for returning with our tanks unemptied, something I was not going to take laying down. We were about to give up [and that was over an hour in sub zero temps] when it all fell into place. I noticed the "Beware gets hot" warning on the Furnace vent and casting my eye over the lenght of the waste pipe I thought it has got to be worth a go. I turned the heating up full blast and placed the waste pipe over the vent and Simon then held the other end to the seized valves. I had to be careful and make sure the pipe didn't start sticking to the side of the RV as it got a little soft. It wasn't long before the pipes were producing steam and water started to trickle, although it was another hour or more before the valves finally opened and we could hook the pipe back up and dump. A cold and miserable job but I would do it again for $250.

The problem now was we still had a 45min drive [and that's without the snow and ice] and still had to fill the propane and gas tanks and wash the outside of the RV and only 30 mins to do it all in, and we still had a 20 [plus] hour journey home to look forward to !

We filled the tanks and made our way to the car wash while Lezli was on the phone to Cruise America to say we were delayed by the weather.

We arrived "Gladiator chariot style" with spikes on the wheel !

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We started with the power wash, cutting through the slabs of ice that had formed behind the cab and the back wheels. As we foam washed things didn't go quite to plan, and we ended up with a psychedelic ice cube !

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It became even more fun as we tried to wash the freezing foam off as the floor beneath us froze, it was like a comedy sketch. Talk about "Bambi on ice" ! Finally we rinsed the mirrors and front windows and wiped them immediately [10 secs and they were frozen again] and we were on our way, albeit with some rather large ice spikes hanging from the overhead cab Lol!

Cruise America were great, they didn't charge us for the late arrival and the driver they had arranged to take us to the airport was very understanding. Luckily our flight wasn't untill early evening so we still had plenty of time to get to the airport where we had a meal before boarding our flight to Chicago and then back to London. Our flight went smoothly although we were on the runway for ages and then we found out why as the plane was blasted with liquid from either side. We had been queuing to get de-iced before we could take off. Our day had started at 6.45am on Saturday US time and ended in Sussex at 2pm Sunday UK time and some 25 hours later.

On returning home I discovered that it was another record breaking low temp for that time of year in Denver, minus 9 overnight, minus 7 when we were trying to release the tanks and minus 5 as we left Denver later in the day.

Did we care? Not one little bit, nothing could take the shine of our little adventure !

Kudos all around -- great field report.

I've had my share of frozen waste valves too over the years. One memorable trip I was in Indiana and the local RV park owner (the park was closed for the season) loaned me a propane gas heater (flame-thrower) to loosed the stuck valves and tank -- on the Phoenix One all of those lines were exposed because of high off-road clearance) so... I'm laying on my back making great progress when I noticed a rather disturbing side effect of my efforts....

The ground temps were minus 10 F and the melting snow and ice was dripping off of the undercarriage of the truck at a remarkable rate and forming a nice pool of water around my parka -- no worries -- this jacket has kept me warm in truly dreadful winter conditions, so on I go, and then I go to shuffle over to the next section and.... Krikey! I am frozen in place. I am still on my back, completely stuck, with a roaring flame thrower and no one can hear me. I am unable to wiggle more than an inch or two in any direction and I made the mistake of laying down my left sleeve to gain some traction and now it's frozen to the ground too....So... making things really interesting -- my neck is starting to cramp from the odd position so I lay back to rest a moment and catch my breath... And yep, now my head is frozen in place. Since it was so darn cold, I had carefully zipped the hood tight and fastened the protective mouth piece and since my left arm is now encased in ice and right shoulder is un-moveable, I have to yell through the cloth over my mouth -- which muffles my words and makes me sound even more like an idiot...

After a few challenging moments, I get the burner turned off and manage to attract the attention of a passing motorist -- who must have wondered what the heck I was doing lying under a RV in the snow on a side road with no one around. After having a good laugh at my predicament she drives off in pursuit of the owner of the closed RV park. It starts snowing again and I've noticed that I am even more stuck than I was before -- now I can't move either of my legs...

Eventually my friend, (the RV campground owner) and this now nearly hysterically-laughing woman get back and crawl under the truck to laugh at me some more. I'm finding this not even remotely funny -- albeit I would admit that it's a tad embarrassing.

After making a series of what I thought were rather bad-taste-in-jokes about idiots in the snow and etc., my buddy fires up the flame thrower and proceeds to melt me out of the ice cocoon I've created around myself. Since his angle of vision is not entirely perfect, he can't seem to see that he's also splashing hot flames on the underside of the propane tank mounted to the chassis directly above my head. After calmly suggesting that he pay a little more attention -- he manages to chip me out of the ice block and then helps me wiggle out of the frozen parka and pants. By that time, I was getting a little chilly since the melting ice has managed to run down inside my pants and is soaking my clothes. Hyporthermia isn't all that far away, (for me), and these guys are still laughing so hard they have to take a break every now and then to catch their breath.... Megan wasn't with me that day and so she missed this particular adventure....

All-in-all another great winter RV-ing adventure!

Mark

Two great stories - thanks for letting us ride along with you on your trip, Dave, and thanks for the smiles, Mark :)

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Originally posted by Mark Sedenquist] Eventually my friend, (the RV campground owner) and this now nearly hysterically-laughing woman get back and crawl under the truck to laugh at me some more. I'm finding this not even remotely funny -- albeit I would admit that it's a tad embarrassing.

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I'm sorry Mark but I couldn't help but join in the laughter ! That is by far, one of the funniest things I have read in a long while and I am glad you decided to share your embarrassing moment.

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[Originally posted by UKCraig] thanks for letting us ride along with you on your trip, Dave,

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My pleasure, I await your verdict on Colorado's position in your "to do" list ;-)

I just thought I would add a summary, so here goes !

Planning

This was straight forward and really became part 2 of a 2 part trip. We wanted to see places we cut out of our other RV trip from San Fran, due to time restrictions, but rather than going over 'old ground', flying into Denver and adding more of Colorado as well as New Mexico to the trip made the most sense. [To us anyway]

Cruise America

We managed to secure a good deal about 14 months before our planned travel date, it was known as an "Early bird special". Not Knowing 100% for sure if our trip plan would become reality or not, due to a weaker Pound at the time and the uncertainty in the economic climate, it was reassuring to know they had a full deposit refund policy.

We was very pleased with the Denver office, we asked for an early pick up and everything was ready for us. We returned the RV late due to the adverse weather conditions and although they could have exercised their right to charge us a late return fee, they didn't. The RV was in good shape, clean and tidy although getting near to the Cruise America's "retirement age", even though it was only 3 or 4 years old and had covered less than 80,000 miles. Friendly staff that also helped us to arrange our airport transport.

I would definitely use them again.

Flights

Over the next few Months I kept an eye on flight prices in and out of Denver which helped me identify a good price when I saw one. United Airlines came up with a cracking deal just after Christmas 2009 so we took the plunge and booked them. Non refundable, so no going back now !

Due to the economic situation all companies were cutting back on their flight plans and our direct flight was now non existent, removed from the schedule. They offered us a full refund or flights for the same money with a change over in Chicago. We had got such a good deal and with the flight prices on the up, we took what was on offer. The change over in Chicago wasn't that smooth and they managed to lose one of our cases on route to Denver. Would I use them again ? Well these things happen and if they offered the best deal, Yes I would.

Tom Tom Sat Nav.

To be honest I never thought I would use one of these as I am a paper map fan, but I was bought one for my Birthday. Funny that, it was my navigator for this trip and his wife who got it for me ! Lol.

It's discussed quite a few times on here and my verdict is as follows.

It turned out to be a very good back up aid, but you had to let it know who was boss !
[Me and Tom had a few fall outs, but 'he' soon came around to my way of thinking] Using the paper maps and pre planned routes the Sat Nav could be used in two way's, by putting in "way points" to your journey so it wouldn't go the most direct route or if you were confident of the direction you were headed I went my way and 'Tom' was really quick to re calculate the new route.

Do not rely solely on the Sat Nav, know where you want to go and how you want to get there as well as knowing what you are passing by, use the paper map where possible to get the best enjoyment from your journey.

The strengths of the Sat Nav for me were at the end of the day, where it would take you direct to an address such as your campsite, or a restaurant without the need for town plan maps or finding someone to ask in the dark.

Exchange rates

As we had a lot of time between booking and actually travelling, it gave us time to save some money towards the trip. I then kept an eye on the exchange rates and every time the Dollar got near to $1.70 to the Pound I purchased some. With a low of $1.39 it can add to the "spending pot" quite significantly if you get it right, and I reckon I made us about an extra $300 doing it, plus I enjoyed "the game". Win, win !

The trip !

Brilliant ! We love travelling at the tail end of the season, and despite some unusually cold weather at times, it hasn't put us off one little bit. I only wish we could of added a few extra day's but work restrictions for some did not allow for this. We travelled an average of 170 miles a day over the 12 day's in the RV and was on the go everyday for 10 or 12 hours and still had to pass things by, so don't over do the miles ! The people we met were so friendly and like our first trip, makes it all the more special.

Numbers.

[Although rates fluctuate I have averaged everything out to £1= $1.6 ]

Cruise America RV. Cost includes, 2040 miles, bedding kits, Kitchen kits and all other associated costs for 12 nights. $1570 [saved $560]

Flights x 4 $2420 [saved $400 on previous best prices]

Hotel 1 night x 2 rooms $145 [saved $50 booking direct]

Gas expense Av $2.7 per Gal [2040 miles @9.5mpg] = $580

Daily expenses [food, visits, campground fees etc] $2,600

Trip total for 4 adults $7,315 or £4,570

One thing I might change regarding the numbers is that this could now well become part 2 of a 3 part trip !

If you have any questions on this trip/ area or RV travel queries, just ask !

I thought I would try out and take advantage of RTA's new map link tool to show the route that we took through google maps. You can zoom in and out and move left to right using the tools in the top left hand corner.



And also new on RTA that I have wanted to try out is the direct video link, so here is a vid from on the road from RMNP and Colorado NM.

[Poor video footage and "cheesey" music warning ! Lol ]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ebrnmkwf_s

Our first video road trip post!

And I liked the feel of the video and the self-portrait in the last frame of the video!

Great google map! Great job!

Mark

You really made me want to HIT THE ROAD! The music is a very nice accompaniment. Glad you made it through that low tunnel!

Having the map above as a reference was terrific, too. Thanks for posting!

Thanks for the comments M@M ! Glad you enjoyed the video, I just had to try it out after all your efforts !.

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Glad you made it through that low tunnel!

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Me too ! I had done my homework prior to travelling and knew it was tight but many had gone before us. The hairiest moment was through the second tunnel where another vehicle entered from the opposite direction and we had to squeeze over to where the tunnel height drops away at the edge, no scrapes though !

Many thanks for this Dave. We are planning a trip that covers some of this area and will definitely be guided by your observations. I shall be a complete RV novice and to be frank quite apprehensive. However my good wife, Mrs. Hall has a spirit of adventure and is determined to go for it. Seems like such a trip cries ou for an RV.

I have spent a very enjoyable afternoon reading through your report, interrupted only by the delivery of a new tripod which I ordered with photos of arches, elks and sunsets in mind. With eight months to go, we should have plenty of time to plan in more detail.

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I shall be a complete RV novice and to be frank quite apprehensive.

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I understand where you are 'at'. Reading up on RV's on-line can be quite daunting first time, but once you have a general idea of what to expect from researching and then being 'shown the ropes' on collection of the RV, it really is quite straight forward. Once you hit the road you will adapt quite quickly, just don't give yourself too much to do in the first couple of days of driving. Collection can take time, the paper work and getting shown around the RV [Possibly, have to watch a video] before getting going, so keep that in mind when planning your first stop. We then like to stop a little way up the road and check everything is 'travelling' OK and to get vital supplies, [tea bags for the wife and beers for me !] food, fluids, bathroom 'stuff', logs and fire lighters etc, so that we are 'independent' when we arrive at the campground.

Thanks again Dave. I really enjoyed reading about your trip and have started to follow the account of a journey along the Alaska Highway. I thought that I'd post a little account of last year's Spring trip, but am not sure how to go about it. The threads that I have followed so far have all started with requests for information. I don't know where your journal originated. Is it O.K. to just open a new thread in this particular forum?

Yes you can start a new thread here in the Roadtrip field reports section. It's always nice to hear about other peoples experiences and helps to pass on useful info to other members.

Dave.