Denver to Yellowstone and back Late May

[Lifemagician]

They usually aim to open Trail Ridge road by Memorial day weekend, which I believe would be Friday 25th May. Ultimately it will be Mother nature who decides when it will actually happen.

If Trail Ridge is Off limits then you could use CO7/CO72 [Peak to Peak Highway] and CO119 to I70.

The Trail Ridge Road is not guaranteed open at any time. I have found it closed by weather, in August, July, and September. In fact, it was not until my fifth attempt, in 2009, that I finally got to drive it. At those extreme altitudes, no one can guarantee when it will be open.

In 2001 the NP staff advised me to take CO7 to I-70. And I have to say, it was a magnificent trip. Nothing like the Trail Ridge Road, but full of its own attractions.

Lifey

[colonelhall]

Getting really excited here in England. Just 18 days to go. Having a few last minute panics. I have just been reading some poor reviews of Cruise America, although they seem to have got the thumbs up on this thread.

I notice in their documents, that they do not have an aux socket for my iPod. This is a great disappointment because I have made about 15 hours of playlists. It appears that the player can play mp3s burnt to a cd. I have just burnt a number of CD-Rs full of Mp3s. Has anybody had any experience of playing music in this format on a car player?

I have just got back from Ireland, where we had some beautiful weather. I took the opportunity of practising with my camera and tripod. I think that I have managed to grasp some aspects of night photography. Hopefully we shall get some clear skys and good snaps of the stars.

I am now going to explore this site to see if I can upload an on-the-road report from my iPad. Thanks for all the help so far.

Moderator Note: Please don't create multiple threads about the same trip

[DonnaR57]

How about buying a small set of speakers for your iPod ($15 - 75)? They'll take up about as much space in your suitcase as a bunch of CD's. BTW, when I burn from iPod/iTunes, they are usually in .m4a format and I have NO problems playing them on my car CD players.

Another possibility is to get an FM transmitter for your iPod. They run around $50-75. If you get the kind that plugs directly into a 12-volt socket, there's your power source. Your RV will probably have a radio in it. You'd just have to be careful about how much you use the battery power of the RV.

I wouldn't be too concerned about reviews. We've learned something over the years, and that is that people are MORE likely to report when they've had a bad experience with a business than they are a good experience. My one exception to ignoring reviews is if a motel is reported to have bed bugs. We won't even try the place.


Donna

[Midwest Michael]

I think the FM Transmitter would be your best bet. I use one on my Satellite Radio when I'm not in my main vehicle (which has the very useful cassette deck!) and it works pretty well.

You can find them for well under $50 - I've never paid more than $20-30, and even found them online for less. You can also get ones that are powered by AA batteries, although I can't imagine that you could ever draw enough power to drain a car battery by using the 12V adapter for a very low drain device like an FM transmitter.

[colonelhall]

Once again, thanks for the replies. I used to have a transmitter, but found it hard to find blank airwaves, although where I am going it shouldn't be a problem. I've got a set of those little speakers, which are quite good, so that is my fall-back. I have just burnt 8 CDs worth of mp3s. If the stereo works for me, we should be all set.

[DonnaR57]

I know what you mean on finding a blank airwave. In some areas, mostly the cities, that's a problem. I do find that MOST of the time, 106.9 works well.

The AA transmitters don't work very well. I've owned two of them. Yuck.

I'm glad that the FM transmitters have gone down in price. It's been awhile since I priced them.


Donna

[colonelhall]

Well the trip is finished and a big thank you to all concerned. My worries about the camper van option are well and truly buried. I am now a complete convert to camper vans, in fact we have decided that one day we shall own our own. This will be for European trips only, although who knows, once we are both retired maybe the old hippie trail is a possibility!

My "on the road" blog can be found here:

I am also in the process of uploading a selection of the photos that I took along the way.

[colonelhall]

It turned out that the newer models in the Cruise America range have an aux import, so I need not have worried about playing music on the road. The journey was so exciting that we only played music on the main highways. The rest of the time, we just marvelled at what was around us.

[Southwest Dave]

Pleased it worked out so well and that you are now a 'Happy camper !'

I am now a complete convert to camper vans, in fact we have decided that one day we shall own our own.

I have often thought of purchasing an American RV for our travels in Europe, mainly, because of the equipment and room that comes with them. However, the thought of spending six english pounds [plus] to travel no more than 10 miles is a great big spanner in the works. [That's a dollar a mile, as near as dam it !!]

When the time comes, I guess it will be a Euro camper for us as well. Until then, the Trailer tent is doing a fine job.

Dave.