First long RV Trip - Where to stop/visit between GA and CO?

kyle86 wrote:
Thanks yall!! We are in woodland park which is near colorado springs in the mountains. We have been exploring all over. 3 days at territory days festival and we checked out cripple creek. We went to see garden of the gods today. Yesterday we hiked craigs trail at pancake mountain. There was a good bit of snow on the ground. It was beautiful. I'm not quite sure where we will be since I only paid for a week. Maybe stay here a couple more weeks. My wife wants to check out breckenridge and pike peak. I will let her know about bueno vista. I'm amazed at how much free stuff there is to do here.

If you liked Woodland Park you will love Buena Vista and the Collegiates, still a lot of snow there - you might even enjoy Independence Pass over to Aspen and Maroon Bells..........So much to see and do ... just so little time.

Enjoy,

Thanks yall!! We are in woodland park which is near colorado springs in the mountains. We have been exploring all over. 3 days at territory days festival and we checked out cripple creek. We went to see garden of the gods today. Yesterday we hiked craigs trail at pancake mountain. There was a good bit of snow on the ground. It was beautiful. I'm not quite sure where we will be since I only paid for a week. Maybe stay here a couple more weeks. My wife wants to check out breckenridge and pike peak. I will let her know about bueno vista. I'm amazed at how much free stuff there is to do here.

kyle86 wrote:
Well, We made the trip!!! I took padredw's route almost to the letter.

Shreveport LA has some terrible road, but it made up for it with the best cajun food i've ever had at herby k's. Stayed in a few walmart parking lots. I stayed at spencer's campground in paris texas. Visited the jack's RV museum in amerello Tx. Also enjoied trennedad co. 190 gallons of premium fuel and 1500+ miles. What an adventure so far.

Going between witchTa falls tx and amerello we hit a nasty hail storm which forced us to pull over. Then an hour later I hit a flooded out road which was scary not being able to see or steer. Then a tad further down another flooded road with an emergency crew working. I had to drive about 1/4 mile of flooded road. Very sketchy because you could not tell what was road and where ditch was, just murky brown water and pitch black outside. About a foot deep maybe a little more. Passed a 1/2 sunk semi with driver trying to get someone to get him out of passenger side. Also a car so flooded in the ditch only headlights and bumper visible. It was nerveracking, thankfully the lord has been with us. Made it through with just brush and branches stuck up under the truck. Then some really nasty fog. I learned that you don't travel at night!

Hit some long hills going into NM which caused truck to hunt gears constantly especially pulling into the wind. Ended up dropping to 2nd gear and just going 45mph LOL. Raton pass was very hilly too. I learned to just let the truck do what it wants. If it had to downshift I just held that gear. Mostly 3rd the whole way. My weight was 15k total which was a lot go ask of my 6.0 chebby. I'm very thankful that I made it through my first long trip okay. One trailer brake went bad after the inner seal failed and slung grease all in the drum so I made the whole trip on 3 brakes. Also one spring eye bolt started rotating in the shackle which I will need to fix. Minor stuff thankfully!

Overall awesome trip for me so far. I am really enjoying colorado, especially the nice cool weather and beautiful mountains!

OH the Adventure.........

Where are you staying? I just flew out for a week with the Granddaughters - the weather was Perfect - pants/AM - shorts/Noon then Pants/After 6:00 - most of the high passes are now open/Trail Ridge and Independence, but still a ton of snow in the mountains - creeks are all full and it is just BEAUTIFUL.

If in Buena Vista look for K's right in the middle of the Rt 24 stip in town - good lunch and a nice park to eat in. then in Leadville look for Quincy's for the best buy on a steak dinner - we love both and always stop when in the area. Green Chilly is the dish to search for,DDD.

So much to see and do will love to hear about your adventure in the Rockies.

BOL,

Wow, Kyle!:E

You hit more weather on the way to Colorado that I have ever hit in almost 20 years of making that trip! But you seem to have handled it far better than most of us would have.

Enjoy Colorado. Where will you be staying there?

We leave on June 18 for our month in Colorado.

Wow! What a trip you had to Colorado. It is very rare to encounter hail, flooding, fog and wind. Your attitude is great.

Your next trip will be a piece of cake. :)

Double post

Well, We made the trip!!! I took padredw's route almost to the letter.

Shreveport LA has some terrible road, but it made up for it with the best cajun food i've ever had at herby k's. Stayed in a few walmart parking lots. I stayed at spencer's campground in paris texas. Visited the jack's RV museum in amerello Tx. Also enjoied trennedad co. 190 gallons of premium fuel and 1500+ miles. What an adventure so far.

Going between witchTa falls tx and amerello we hit a nasty hail storm which forced us to pull over. Then an hour later I hit a flooded out road which was scary not being able to see or steer. Then a tad further down another flooded road with an emergency crew working. I had to drive about 1/4 mile of flooded road. Very sketchy because you could not tell what was road and where ditch was, just murky brown water and pitch black outside. About a foot deep maybe a little more. Passed a 1/2 sunk semi with driver trying to get someone to get him out of passenger side. Also a car so flooded in the ditch only headlights and bumper visible. It was nerveracking, thankfully the lord has been with us. Made it through with just brush and branches stuck up under the truck. Then some really nasty fog. I learned that you don't travel at night!

Hit some long hills going into NM which caused truck to hunt gears constantly especially pulling into the wind. Ended up dropping to 2nd gear and just going 45mph LOL. Raton pass was very hilly too. I learned to just let the truck do what it wants. If it had to downshift I just held that gear. Mostly 3rd the whole way. My weight was 15k total which was a lot go ask of my 6.0 chebby. I'm very thankful that I made it through my first long trip okay. One trailer brake went bad after the inner seal failed and slung grease all in the drum so I made the whole trip on 3 brakes. Also one spring eye bolt started rotating in the shackle which I will need to fix. Minor stuff thankfully!

Overall awesome trip for me so far. I am really enjoying colorado, especially the nice cool weather and beautiful mountains!

kyle86 wrote:
Our first destination is Colorado. We are planning to leave Georgia early April. . . . should we just bookit straight to CO? Thx!

I'd take a little time getting here. Early April in CO can be middle of winter in the mountains.

Some places to consider on the way out:

The Ouachita Mountains. Early to mid-April is a delightful time to visit there. Plenty of lakes to camp around, caves to explore, Hot Springs, scenic drives (e.g. Talimena). Visit Eureka Springs, the Crystal Bridges Art Museum in Bentonville, Pea Ridge NMP.

How about Big Bend in western TX? Big park with lots to see and do. Flowers might be out when you get there. On the way, stop in San Antonio to see the missions, eat BBQ, see the Bluebonnets. From Big Bend, head north and stop at Carlsbad Caverns, well worth a day of your time.

Spend some time exploring the Mississippi River. Once you reach the river from GA, head north or south and you'll find interesting towns and history all along the way. New Orleans isn't necessarily someplace to head with an RV, but a great place to visit if you camp outside and day trip into the city.

There are a variety of Civil War battlefields to visit along the way. Vickburg?

One way to find interesting stops is to visit the National Park Service website. Pick a state or pick a topic and see what lies along the way. Many NPS sites may not be as well known as Yosemite or Yellowstone, but we've found most to have something interesting to see or explore.

If you have a couple of weeks to get to CO, I'd explore some of the places in between.

Make sure to check out the National Forest as their campgrounds are some of the cheapest no-thrills you will find. NF Campground Directory They have a link to a PDF map which will help you.

You should check the National Forest web page for each individual forest you get near and search their page for "dispersed" camping. Dispersed camping is usually along a road or designated spots and often are free. Just please, make sure you leave your camping spot cleaner than how you found it so you don't ruin it for others.

Busskipper wrote:
Depending on where you are headed - think about getting off I-25 in Walsenburg and Rt 160 or 69 or Pueblo Rt 50 and get into the wilder parts of Colorado early - not sure of your destination but the drive up through the Arkansas River Valley is well worth the drive, IMHO you will really enjoy it.

I could not agree more! This is what we almost always do. We follow Colorado 69 from Walsenburg to Cotapaxi. We cut off and go right down the hill to US 50, probably not a good idea for beginners!

We have been going to the Buena Vista area for over 50 years, and hope to go back this year.