Colorado National Monument

 We spent a long day of mountain driving to reach Colorado National Monument.  The folks both agreed that they do not like mountain driving. We didn't have any issues, but Dad said it was stressful.  He used to drive our 45 feet motor home with a Jeep attached through the mountains, so the van should be easy.  He said it left him exhausted though.

We stayed at Saddlehorn Campground in Colorado National Monument.  There are no hook-ups there, but you are allowed to use a generator from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.  We used ours in the afternoon because it was about 90 degrees. It cooled off at night though, so we were fine with our fan.

Here are some photos:

This is just up from our campsite.

Another view from our campground.

Unfortunately, Mom is having a really hard time getting photos uploaded from her camera. The above photos are from her camera.  The wifi is not good and she is almost out of data.  She is not happy.  We have a lot more photos.  We may try to do an update once we are back home.

Back to this place. We actually boondocked here.  There was no electric or water.  They did have flush toliets. We were allowed to use our generator from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the nights were cool enough that we were fine.

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Is Living The Dream

Stillwater Lake Campground

 After we finished our time at Rocky Mountain Nationa Park, we drove to a campground called Stillwater Lake Campground. It is in Grandby, CO.   We thought the views were beautiful and Ienjoyed having "grass" to walk on again.  

Our campsite. We had waterviews on both sides.

We stayed here for two nights.  I really enjoyed walking around this campground.  It was quite chilly in the morning. It was 40 degrees the morning that we left.

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Didn't See Any Bears While Camping

Rocky Mountains National Park

 The folks have been trying to get to Rocky Mountains National Park since 2003.  In 2003, they got to the gate and were told the park was closed due to snow.  This was in October of 2003.  Did you see the movie Vacation?  John Candy was in it and played the park ranger who told them the park was closed.  The park ranger who spoke to my folks looked just like John Candy and said the same thing " Sorry, folks, the park is closed."  Mom and Dad still laugh when they tell that story. They tried again in April of 2015 to go to the park and once again, it was closed due to snow.  Finally, we made it into the park.  The folks were a little disappointed. We saw elk, chimpmunks and a female moose.  She was way out in a field and Mom didn't get a a picture.  They really wanted to see a bull moose.

One recommendation that Mom has is using an app called GyPSy Guide.  You download the tour that you want on your phone and then it will play on your car speakers.  The guide follows you like a GPS and when you approach certain areas, it automatically plays. The guide tells you interesting tidbits but he also helps you know where to turn and which lane to be in.  Dad didn't think he would like it, but he really liked it and they are going to purchase tours for the Utah parks that we are going to see.

We purchased the America The Beautiful pass for $80. This gets us into all the parks for the next year.  It was $25 a day to get into Rocky Mountain National Park and we went three days, so we almost paid for it just here. We have several more parks to visit on this trip.

Okay, are you read to see some photos? There was a lot of smoke due to fires so the views were not as good as they could have been. The last day we were there, it was cloudy.

This is at Bear Lake.

This is Huffer's Hill. It is 1/2 mile up the hill. It is 2 miles above sea level. The folks made is halfway.

An elk

Me and Dad

.

Fall colors

A chipmunk

That is it from Rocky Mountain National Park.

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Isn't Fond Of The Mountains

We Made It To Colorado!

 We are finally in Colorado!

We stopped at a Love's gas station that had a McDonald's.  Mom and I were just walking around and the employees at the McDonald's wanted to meet me at the drive-thru.  They gave me a cup of whipped cream!  Wow!  I couldn't believe it.  

I am not sure I like the mountains.  It is slow driving and I can tell that Mom is nervous.  

We are staying in Estes Park. Mom thought we would be staying in the woods.  She was a little disappointed in our campsite, but it isn't so bad. I don't like the gravel, but it is not all gravel, some of it is sandy. There isn't any grass though. Last night, we went into town and walked along the river.  There are restaurants and shops on one side and the river on the other.  It is a really fun walk. Mom didn't take very many photos. She was tired and hungry.

Our site.

Along the river walk.

I am tired of posing for photos.

One more on the river walk.

Okay, I will pose one more time.

Tomorrow, we are headed into Rocky Mountain National Park.  

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Is Enjoying Van Life

Exploring Kansas - Part 3

 We are slowly making our way to Colorado. We could have easily have driven to Colorado in one day, but we are taking our time and just enjoying the journey.

We stopped at a place called Monument Rocks.  It is about 20 miles from town. The last six miles are on a pretty rough gravel road.  It is actually located in some farming fields.  It was quite hot when we were there and I was not happy about it. 

We think these are birds' nests. 

We then drove to Goodland, KS where we saw this Van Gogh painting.

This dog park is located right next to the Van Gogh painting.  It was more interesting to me than the painting.

We spent the night at a Walmart. Can you believe that?  The folks went shopping and again their free camping night was not free at all. They bought food and a memory foam mattress topper for our beds.  It feels better than before.

Next stop is Colordao!

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Is Marking His Way Across The Country