Governator

We took our newly built camper van (my wife calls it #Roadchamp) on a trip to Colorado this past mid-may to mid-June. We drove about 6000 miles all together. It's a DIY 2019 Ford Transit 250 MR 148" camper conversion. We designed it ourselves by watching a lot of YouTube videos and used a local cabinet maker to build the inside.

We're back after 4 weeks in Colorado, except for 2 nights in NM. It took us an additional 9 days to drive there and back. Going we made stops in Wheeling, WV, Terre Haute, IN, Kansas City, MO, Kanopolis State Park,KS. Going home we went to KC again but detoured to Louisville and Lexington KY, and home through WV. We didn't have any issues with tornados though we did see a major lightning storm in Kanopolis. Why did we stop in KC going and coming? For a delectable rack of KC ribs, of course.

We got to Colorado mid-May and it was cold, low 30's at night. The dry air heater I had installed in #Roadchamp is a Webasto EVO 40. When I went to upstate NY in February, to receive my covid vaccine the heater kept us warm even in sub-zero temps. However the heater supposedly clogs with carbon, above 7000 feet altitude. Spending most of the time in the mountains of CO we found ourselves above 7000 feet almost all of the time, so decided not to use it. We used a 20 degree sleeping bag and a down blanket and we were fine. I had heavy sweats to hop into in the morning to prepare coffee and breakfast. The other issue was the small keurig style coffee maker (Mueller) we bought. At high altitude it leaked out half the water and you wound up with half a cup. Annoying but tolerable.

Colorado was unbelievable. It was the Colorado of the Coors commercials with beautiful white capped mountains, rushing streams, beautiful alpine lakes and wild flowers. We went from Denver to Golden Gate Canyon to Stillwater (on Lake Granby between Grand Lake and Granby) . Grand Lake is a quaint little town and is the West entrance to RMNP. However, the road into RMNP was closed after about 10 miles so there was not much to do aside from Moose and Elk viewing. We decided to cancel the last 2 nights at Stillwater and head over to the East side of RMNP, near Estes Park. We had a thrill driving over Berthoud Pass and seeing the Continental Divide. We stayed 3 nights in Hermit CG outside Estes Park and did some exploration of RMNP.

In Golden Gate Canyon we hiked to Panorama Point. It was a little disappointing but the next day we drove to and hiked at St. Mary's Glacier. That was a fun hike up a long slope of snow. Great views down into the valley. We passed through Center City and Blackhawk and learned about the area and it’s casinos. At Stillwater CG we had a beautiful sunrise view out of the windows of our van.

It was a good decision to head over to the east side of RMNP. The view driving down from Hermit CG into Estes Park was breathtaking, the snow capped mountains lit up by the morning sun, just gorgeous. Things we did at RMNP. Hiked around Bear Lake. Hiked to Ouzel Falls. Hiked to Gem Lake. While my wife hiked the Twin Sisters peak, I hiked the Lilly Lake Ridge trail. My wife ran and I biked around Estes Lake.

We had burritos in a couple of places in Estes but the best imho was Ed’s Cantina, which is on a promenade beside the river.

After Estes Park, we spent 2 or 3 days in each of Boulder, Breckenridge, Lake Dillon, Black Canyon, Crested Butte, Telluride, Taos area, Great Sand Dunes NP.

We did a lot of hiking, stayed in some great campgrounds, and did a lot of boondocking. We saw so much scenery, too much to describe. Enjoy the pictures.



https://photos.app.goo.gl/5iVW5cEzkMYAYqeR6

Melnq8

Glad you enjoyed our beautiful state. The altitude made your Keurig leak? Never heard that before (I live at 8,500 feet).

CaliNurse

Thank you, Governator (nod to Arnold?) for a great trip report of an area I've seen way too little of! (Frisco and Breckenridge only, thus far).

My kids recently refurbished an old Ford Econoline van, turned it into a mini vacation house on wheels, so I have an inkling of the work you put into your little home way from home. What a cool way to travel

They say one look is worth thousand words, but for your photos, I'll use just one word, because there aren't enough to describe their beauty: spectacular!!!

Governator

@Melnq8

Yes, Colorado was beyond expectations. You're fortunate to live there.

I was expecting to hear that leaky coffee maker was common at high altitude. I guess it's just the Mueller unit I bought.

CaliNurse

Yes, the camper van is a great way to travel. In 2019 we rented an Escape camper van which was an Econoline with 300k miles, and traveled California. That's what got us hooked on this kind of travel. Thanks for the feedback on the pics. I'm glad you enjoyed them.

If you're interested, we have a youtube channel that has some videos from that California trip in the Escape. There's also a video of our trip to Potsdam, NY that shows our current van. I'll be adding videos from the Colorado trip, hopefully soon.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM5...rbAbGDw/videos

CaliNurse

Thanks Governator for the link to your youtube vids! Great fun, & informative, although having just seen the upstate NY and Bennington Vt trip with "Roadchamp" I am shivering! Seriously, it was a reminder of the beauty of the NE in winter, and the history of the area (love the decrepit fixer-upper in Bennington!).
Also watched vid from two yrs ago, Big Sur in your previous home-on-wheels. Sweet story about yrs ago seeing man with van, side of road in Big Sur, and how that inspired you.

Apologies--I digress. Thank you again for your Colorado travelogue. Look forward to the youtube of that trip.

Governator

Thanks for watching our videos.

You might enjoy this one. Great views near the end.
Ann hikes Quandary Peak, Colorado.

I also, just posted this video. More to come.
Driving to Colorado:

Governator

Did another video from our CO trip. Stay with it it has some good parts. Please like and subscribe if you watch.

Kebler Pass and Lost Lake

Melnq8

Kebler Pass is indeed beautiful in the fall. The aspens grow from a single root system and it's thought to be one of the largest aspen groves in the United States.

Some photos from one of our Kebler Pass fall visits:

Governator

Thanks for sharing. Must be amazing to see in the fall. I wouldn’t have even heard of Kebler had I not bothered to talk to a stranger at Cimmaron town near Montrose. I hope to see some yellow aspens when we head out West in September.

Melnq8

Used to be a locals secret...shhh....

CaliNurse

More beauty!!! Thank you for posting these photos and more videos.

Governator

Thanks for watching and commenting!

isabel

Thanks for the photos, they are great. I wonder if you could identify a couple. The one just before the one with the Rim Rock Trail Sign? And what town is that just before that photo?

I notice you also went to Great Sand Dunes. Did you hike up the dunes, and if so how was it?

Governator

Thank you. The town is Glenwood Springs. From the date on the picture, I must have passed that butte between Glenwood Springs and Black Canyon.

Great Sand Dunes was our last Colorado destination on the trip and maybe the best. We enjoyed ourselves a lot there. Especially with the wide stream that runs in front of the dunes, it was like being at a beach. However I think that stream dries up in summer.
I hiked up to the top of the first ridge, it was somewhat difficult for me, but I'm not in the greatest shape. The sand is soft and a little hard to walk on and it can get windy.
My wife who is a marathon runner and a very strong hiker, hiked deeper into the dunes and loved it. When you get to the top they go on endlessly. She took some cool pics and video I want to make a YouTube of it, soon.

Governator

Re the picture before the one with the Rim Rock Trail sign ( Black Canyon of the Gunnison), you got me curious so I used google lens to find out that's Mount Garfield near Grand Junction.