Oh Joy, here we are again......Snowy Colorado!
Brian and I differ drastically in our feelings about snow. Brian sees snow, gets excited, wants to drive the Jeep around and pull people out of the ditch for fun! I see snow and I turn into a pumpkin! I would be okay NEVER seeing another snowflake, other than on a Christmas card!
I have shoveled enough snow in my past life in Colorado, to be content never having to lift another pile of it! Also slid, slipped, fell, and hurt myself in in process of trying to navigate around on something that should best be avoided--black ice!
Today the "high" temperature was predicted to be 30, and same for tomorrow. Nighttime lows are in the lower teens. Thank God for our electrical plug (for the electric blanket), our RV catalytic heater, and Casey for providing a "one dog night"!
As we watch a re-run of Denver's Parade of Lights, the annual lighting ceremony for the Denver City and Country Building, we laughed to think about the times we actually braved the cold and went to the parade in person! We froze out there, and no quantity of peppermint schnapps and hot chocolate could change that.
Today was "Cookie Day" at my folks place--an annual event for us girls and Mom to get together and make all sorts of Christmas goodies to share for the holidays. Dad made elk chili and we enjoyed the fellowship of being together at a time we are usually in Sunny Arizona. I have to admit it's been nice to be around family, but once the snow and cold starts, I have a hard time being this far north.
My idea of heaven would be a desert campsite with some mature saguaro, miles of country to walk with Casey and Brian, and a frosty beverage in the shade of the motorhome! Also no visable neighbors would be a bonus! Us modern day hermits still fantisize about that perfect campsite, especially as the time passes and the possibility of us being on the road may be in sight!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
RV Camping battles the cold, and man's best friend?
As we are still being held hostage by Brian's dental work, our minds wander often to the desert Southwest and warmer temperatures. Colorado is NOT our choice for the winter months, and our propane costs have escalated as the temperatures drop.
We have made a purchase that seems to be a life saver, an electric blanket with dual controls! We turn it on a few minutes before climbing into bed, and it really does the job! We are sleeping comfortably warm, and our dog Casey loves it too! No more mounds of blankets, only to still slide into the freezing cold sheets! It's wonderful!
We are still "camping" in the midst of town, and getting good walks in for us and our dog is really a chore. We are in a lovely neighborhood and there are no sidewalks (which is part of the beauty of the area) but then you have to dodge the traffic to get some exercise. I have a usual route that I travel each morning with Casey, and it even has a trash can to deposit our "goods". Lots of barking dogs, but they are all fenced or in their homes. For some reason I figured an extra walk would be good, and set out about 4pm. We were having a nice, sunny day (prior to the current cold front) and we were almost home with just one more block in front of us, when a black dog came running towards us! It had a collar but no human attached to it. It attacked Casey, rolling him on his back and biting on his neck! It was growling and snarling, Casey was wimpering, and I was screaming! I tried kicking the other dog, but it snapped at my leg and kept biting and chewing on Casey. A good Samaritan, Randy-in a burgundy Toyota pickup-stopped to help and managed to get the dogs separated and kept the other dog from Casey. It kept circling us, and wanting to attack Casey again. Another neighbor came out and said the local dog catcher had been trying to catch the loose dog for over an hour. I said "well, I have the bait here now (Casey) why don't you call the dog catcher again?" Cell phones were created for just such times, and two dog catcher's showed up within about 5 minutes. This whole time the agressive Akita kept trying to get to Casey, and we 3 spent our time chatting and trying to keep Casey from acquiring any more dog "jewelery". Apparently the dog lives right where he was attacking us, but his owner is an elderly lady and the dog gets away from her often. The dog catcher's even knew where the dog belonged!
This made me crave the solitude of our lives alone in the desert even more, and wondering how soon we'll be away from the sprawl, noise, and irresponsible pet owners? If a dog is too much for someone to handle, perhaps they need to make a decision regarding the safety issues for themselves and others? When you live in a community you need to be aware that your actions, or lack of them, affect your neighbors-no matter who they may be. It's the same way when we're dispersed camping out by ourselves, we have a responsibility to leave our campsite better than we found it so the folks that come after us can enjoy it as well.
Remember that every action has a reaction, and we CAN chose to make it a positive one!
We have made a purchase that seems to be a life saver, an electric blanket with dual controls! We turn it on a few minutes before climbing into bed, and it really does the job! We are sleeping comfortably warm, and our dog Casey loves it too! No more mounds of blankets, only to still slide into the freezing cold sheets! It's wonderful!
We are still "camping" in the midst of town, and getting good walks in for us and our dog is really a chore. We are in a lovely neighborhood and there are no sidewalks (which is part of the beauty of the area) but then you have to dodge the traffic to get some exercise. I have a usual route that I travel each morning with Casey, and it even has a trash can to deposit our "goods". Lots of barking dogs, but they are all fenced or in their homes. For some reason I figured an extra walk would be good, and set out about 4pm. We were having a nice, sunny day (prior to the current cold front) and we were almost home with just one more block in front of us, when a black dog came running towards us! It had a collar but no human attached to it. It attacked Casey, rolling him on his back and biting on his neck! It was growling and snarling, Casey was wimpering, and I was screaming! I tried kicking the other dog, but it snapped at my leg and kept biting and chewing on Casey. A good Samaritan, Randy-in a burgundy Toyota pickup-stopped to help and managed to get the dogs separated and kept the other dog from Casey. It kept circling us, and wanting to attack Casey again. Another neighbor came out and said the local dog catcher had been trying to catch the loose dog for over an hour. I said "well, I have the bait here now (Casey) why don't you call the dog catcher again?" Cell phones were created for just such times, and two dog catcher's showed up within about 5 minutes. This whole time the agressive Akita kept trying to get to Casey, and we 3 spent our time chatting and trying to keep Casey from acquiring any more dog "jewelery". Apparently the dog lives right where he was attacking us, but his owner is an elderly lady and the dog gets away from her often. The dog catcher's even knew where the dog belonged!
This made me crave the solitude of our lives alone in the desert even more, and wondering how soon we'll be away from the sprawl, noise, and irresponsible pet owners? If a dog is too much for someone to handle, perhaps they need to make a decision regarding the safety issues for themselves and others? When you live in a community you need to be aware that your actions, or lack of them, affect your neighbors-no matter who they may be. It's the same way when we're dispersed camping out by ourselves, we have a responsibility to leave our campsite better than we found it so the folks that come after us can enjoy it as well.
Remember that every action has a reaction, and we CAN chose to make it a positive one!
Saturday, December 1, 2007
City Stuck
We're still stuck in the city waiting for Brian's dental work to wrap up. This has been a recurring issue for us over the years since he had cancer radiation therapy, but usually we've not had a problem that required extensive time durations between procedures.
Being in Denver this long, we get to visit family more than we probably should, and we've been dealing with temperatures in the low teens so keeping things thawed in Gozer has been a challenge too. I know people pack bales of straw around their RV for winter camping, and we would too if we thought we were going to be here much longer.
We are using our vent less propane heater a lot, but at least we get some passive solar heating in the RV as most Denver days are clear. We've only had to pull out of our parking space once for propane in the motor homes main tank since we left California. Dang...sure seems like we left California a lot longer ago than mid October.
RV Camping Home
Being in Denver this long, we get to visit family more than we probably should, and we've been dealing with temperatures in the low teens so keeping things thawed in Gozer has been a challenge too. I know people pack bales of straw around their RV for winter camping, and we would too if we thought we were going to be here much longer.
We are using our vent less propane heater a lot, but at least we get some passive solar heating in the RV as most Denver days are clear. We've only had to pull out of our parking space once for propane in the motor homes main tank since we left California. Dang...sure seems like we left California a lot longer ago than mid October.
RV Camping Home
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
RV Camping-Fools for the City
So here we are, still in Colorado and camped amongst 3,000,000 of our neighbors. Don't get me wrong, we have a wonderful place to park at a friend's place, but it's not our idea of a typical RV camping site.
While we've been here in Denver, we've been reminded all too frequently of the things we don't miss about city life. So much traffic and sprawl, that we are getting a little desperate for our usual solitude and about 2,999,998 less people!
Being this far north in November is making me nervous, and thinking about years we lived here previously doesn't ease my fears. Once the snow starts we'll be limited with our travel plans, and we really prefer to travel when we want too, not when we can.
Finding a dump station here is a bit of a problem too, with many being seasonal and closing once there is a danger of freezing temperatures for water stations. Not easy and accessable like Southern California or Arizona, where you don't have to worry about hunting down a "dumperoony".
We will continue to camp out in the big city, and anxiously await our exit from "civilization"!
While we've been here in Denver, we've been reminded all too frequently of the things we don't miss about city life. So much traffic and sprawl, that we are getting a little desperate for our usual solitude and about 2,999,998 less people!
Being this far north in November is making me nervous, and thinking about years we lived here previously doesn't ease my fears. Once the snow starts we'll be limited with our travel plans, and we really prefer to travel when we want too, not when we can.
Finding a dump station here is a bit of a problem too, with many being seasonal and closing once there is a danger of freezing temperatures for water stations. Not easy and accessable like Southern California or Arizona, where you don't have to worry about hunting down a "dumperoony".
We will continue to camp out in the big city, and anxiously await our exit from "civilization"!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
RV Camping Herd Mentality
It's been a heck of a week for us. Started a week ago when Brian developed a nasty dental nightmare. To make a long story short, we had to make a run to Denver for emergency oral surgery, and camped a couple nights in Chatfield State Park.
Now Chatfield is a nice park, and we like the way the campsites are spaced for the most part. This time of year, there are few campers, and in the camping loop which closes tomorrow, there are only 2 RVs in the entire campground. Us, and a guy that pulled in across the road from us.
I find it a bit amusing that here is an entire campground, and the guy decides he wants to camp next to us. We've had this happen on public lands where there was nobody for miles until somebody decided they wanted to camp close enough to get to know us. I think this has more to do with herd mentality than anything else.
RVers very often tend to "herd" themselves into campgrounds, long term visitor areas, or what-have-you, because that is their choice for safety, social interaction, or they don't know better. It's not only RVers either. Drive down a remote freeway at the speed limit and observe the cars passing. You will certainly see a "herd" of 3 or 4 vehicles traveling around the same excessive speed. Is it safety in numbers?
Am I complaining about people infringing on my camping location? Not at all. After all...public means public, and if you choose to camp right next to me that is your choice. It's also my prerogative to pack up and move if you do.
Campsite Of The Month - RV Camping shows you a free RV camping location near Badlands National Park. Location maps, directions, campsite description, and photos.
RV Camping Home
Now Chatfield is a nice park, and we like the way the campsites are spaced for the most part. This time of year, there are few campers, and in the camping loop which closes tomorrow, there are only 2 RVs in the entire campground. Us, and a guy that pulled in across the road from us.
I find it a bit amusing that here is an entire campground, and the guy decides he wants to camp next to us. We've had this happen on public lands where there was nobody for miles until somebody decided they wanted to camp close enough to get to know us. I think this has more to do with herd mentality than anything else.
RVers very often tend to "herd" themselves into campgrounds, long term visitor areas, or what-have-you, because that is their choice for safety, social interaction, or they don't know better. It's not only RVers either. Drive down a remote freeway at the speed limit and observe the cars passing. You will certainly see a "herd" of 3 or 4 vehicles traveling around the same excessive speed. Is it safety in numbers?
Am I complaining about people infringing on my camping location? Not at all. After all...public means public, and if you choose to camp right next to me that is your choice. It's also my prerogative to pack up and move if you do.
Campsite Of The Month - RV Camping shows you a free RV camping location near Badlands National Park. Location maps, directions, campsite description, and photos.
RV Camping Home
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Customer Service - Different Drums
First off I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the Horton Creek campground camphost site has had the shredded tent removed and the site is neat and tidy. The fee tube has also been emptied. I may have been premature in my comment about the host site as the wind we had last night would certainly change a campsites appearance. Wind gusts to around 90 mph will do that.
Yesterday was a beautiful day, and we explored a bit into the Sierra Nevada to Lake Sabrina. SR168 is quite steep as it leaves Bishop and winds into the mountains. There are numerous forest service campgrounds, but we didn't see any campsites that called our name. The campgrounds for the most part are near the road, and are in a narrow valley. Numerous pullouts along the road afford anglers good access to the stream, and fish & wildlife was stocking Lake Sabrina when we arrived. The scenery is pretty good as you can see...
Oops...back on topic. After enjoying the the lovely scenery, we headed into town to get a few supplies, and fill our small 20 lb propane tank that we use for our ventless heater. Getting supplies was no problem, but getting propane turned into a comedy episode from the "Customer Service Files".
First we went to one of the major propane suppliers in town and was told that nobody was available to fill our tank. When asked when someone would be in, the answer was "I can't tell you, whenever someone comes in". You can get propane at place A, B, or C.
We had driven past place B on our way here, and there was a line of RV's waiting for propane, so off to C. Go to C...same story that guy unavailable...guy sick. Go to A...SAME STORY that guy won't be back for a couple hours. Told to go to place D.
Went to place D - Ace Hardware on US 395 in Bishop, was treated kindly and got our propane without any further delay. We had almost the exact same scenario in Mammoth Lakes this summer with people at lunch or their day off. I guess small town business runs to the beat of a different drummer.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
RV Camping in Horton Creek Campground
We headed downhill about 30 miles and a couple thousand feet in altitude to settle into BLM's Horton Creek campground located about 10 miles west of Bishop, CA. The campground is situated at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains with outstanding views in all directions.This is a typical BLM campground with vault toilets, fire rings, barbeque grates, and picnic tables. There are trash dumpsters near the fee station, and the nightly rate is currently $5. Length of stay limit is 14 days per season. Bishop BLM offers an LTVA (Long Term Visitor Area) pass, but it does not include this campground. This campground is seasonally open.
The campsites are all pull-in/back-in with many spaces capable of any size RV including a towed vehicle. The campground road is in terrible shape, and BLM would be better off to scrape off the old asphault and leave the road gravel than leave it the way it is. You will want to try and miss the biggest potholes in the road to avoid pinching a tire if you have a large RV.
We've not seen the campground host, though there is a vehicle in the host position. It's a little disturbing to us that there is a shredded dome tent, as well as a rather unkempt camphost site as we feel camphosts should be setting a good example. The fee station was so full that it would be easy for someone with needle nose pliers to remove several pay envelopes.We love this campground. The scenery is spectacular, there are only a few campers in the entire campground, we've heard coyote's last two nights, and a herd of 10 deer strolled past our window just a few minutes ago. It's a short hop into Bishop for supplies and laundry, and other than the campground road itself, access is on good asphault roads. There is fishing, hiking trails, and back roads great for exploring with a high clearance vehicle nearby.
RV Camping Home
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