Roam With Friends

Author: RoamWithFriends

Camping With 100 (or so) Friends: Organizing Tips and Tricks
Have you ever invited a few friends to go camping with you? Camping is fun but camping with other friends is like…more fun. How about inviting 130 friends to go camping with you? Yep, I have done that.

In August 2019 we held our 8th Annual Family Campout at Smithville Lake. And while I did not take attendance, I think we had nearly 130 people there.

I started organizing and planning this annual camping trip years ago…well 8 years ago. I invited a bunch of friends who had kids to go camping. My thought was, as cool as I think I am as a parent my daughter would have a much better time camping if she had friends. So I over invited hoping for one yes. Instead, I had multiple yeses. The daughter had a great time but so did everyone else. So we have kept doing it.

And having fun while we do it.

Planning and hosting a giant camping trip really isn’t much different than hosting a party. You need a mix of structure with unstructured, a wide range of personalities, food, and a venue. I am honestly humbled and honored that so many choose to come camping with us.

Activities for this years campout were diverse. We have found that some activities need structure and others just need a place to grow. Organized events are important but allowing time for campers to synthesize is also very important. I have learned over the years that there are two types of campers: the watchers and the doers. Our success is making room for both types.

This year we had several structured activities:
- A return of boat races. Any former cub scouts who use to do raingutter regatta. Same concept. Pro tip here; skip the cheap boats from Dollar Tree.
- Sip and Paint. Amazon had mini canvases and I asked volunteers to bring acrylic paints. We set a painting station up at a picnic table and campers could come/go all day. For the life of me, I can’t believe I know so many creative talented people who can really paint well!
- A giant chalk bag fight. I happened to find some chalk bags at Dollar Tree. I thought the kids would love it. I couldn’t predict the adults were going to love it just as much (maybe more) than the kids. Either way, everyone was chalked.
- A washer tournament. Two years ago we introduced a washers tournament. It has been a lot of fun. And I remain thankful to the duo who organizes the tournament, deals with the rules, and the over competitive players. (Just kidding, we have no over competitive friends!) I love that my role is to advance the bracket and announce the next games. Easy stuff. I can handle the easy stuff.
- Our annual glow party: black lights, UV body paint and a play list. Is there a better way to spend a Saturday night? We do not think so!
In addition to the structured activities, at their leisure campers could: swim, boat, bike, hike, or fish. There was plenty of organized activity as well as spontaneous activities (I loved the breakout musicians!) and even some down time. The weather was perfect. Well, except for that rain storm on go home day. We could have done without that.

Oh well, ya can’t have everything.

While this started out as a personal invitation from me to camp, we are well beyond that. Our camping trip has grown by word of mouth. From one camper to the next, this camping trip gets recommended to someone new every year. Our current camper population is made up of “OG’s (those who have been around for all 8 years) to newbies (first year campers) and everything in between. We have tent campers, campers who rent RV’s, and day campers who just swing by for the day and go home at night. The most important attribute the campers have is they all are coming to enjoy the outdoors and the companionship of others.

Feeding hungry campers is always the area that I struggle to get right. We have streamlined the menu as much as possible: walking tacos for lunch, hot dogs and s’mores for dinner, and pancakes, biscuits and gravy for breakfast. But the quantity of each items is honestly a stab at a moving target! I have given up the dream of no leftovers. Instead, I open any leftovers to those who linger on the last day. I mean can you go wrong with two days of walking taco’s?

As our group grew, communication became even more important. Last year we had a giant paint ball fight and I found myself waiting with a group of anxious children on other kids who were at the park or out swimming. I searched my brain for some way to communicate to everyone at all times about events as they were happening. In the end I chose to use two communication tools: one is the website Sign Up Genius and an app called TEAM APP.

I use the sign up genius for all the community meals. I list out all needed ingredients and how much is needed and campers can sign up to bring the items. The most asked question around food sign up has always been how much do I bring? My easiest answer to that question is “most of us have an idea of what it would cost us to provide groceries for our family for three camping meals so we strive to contribute that number.”

The TEAM APP is an app my daughters cheer team was using. It suddenly dawned on me during cheer season that this type of communication app would work perfectly for us. In this modern world we can count on someone or several someones to have their phone with them. So I set up a team on TEAM APP and communicated to everyone who registered for the campout to download the app and join our team. This was so much faster than a group text. The administrator can send quick important messages out to everyone all at once.

This year I asked several friends to text me the answer to one simple question: “What is your favorite thing about the family campout?” The responses melted my heart. (thanks guys!) Let me share some of the nice things:
1. “We were nervous, lots of new people, meals, events…but man it was the best. Come as you are and be ready to make new friendships and just share in good, wholesome [fun].”
2. “We love all of the family activities, specifically the glow party! It’s a safe environment for the kids to explore. Feels like a great way to kick off school season!”
3. “My initial reaction [to being invited camping] was “heck no”! But as I thought about it and processed my feelings, I realized that camping was never going to be something that I introduced to my family because it was never introduced to me as a child. I wanted better for my kids. Tagging along while someone else (Pam) planned everything out for me was a super safe, and not too overwhelming way for me to be a better mom for my kids.”
4. “We love that the loop is made up of our group and for the most part, not outsiders. We don’t know everyone but someone in our group does and it makes me feel a little more at ease with my kid running around having fun.”
5. “We love the family activities…having a group makes meals and activities more fun due to competition, shared meals, and playmates for the kids so the parents can enjoy sitting on occasion.”
6. “I absolutely love the camaraderie of the family camp out! Lots to do and fun meeting new people! The community meals are great because you don’t have to cook an entire meal yourself.”
7. “I love that we are big enough to have the entire loop, my child enjoys playing with all the other kids, I really enjoy the group meals because it takes stress off of me to meal plan.”
8. “The thing I enjoy most about the campout is how excited Pam gets when she talks about it and starts planning.”
From the very first campout I have enjoyed organizing and planning this weekend for everyone. My heart swells thinking this weekend has become important to others.
January 14, 2020
Denver Colorado

There is something about the mile high city. Maybe it is from the years I spend living there. Or the friends that remain their. But I carry a piece of Denver in my heart everywhere I go.

In planning a Colorado vacation, I knew we needed to schedule a few days in Denver. I needed some friend time and there were just so many things I wanted to introduce my daughter to in the Denver metro area.

In 2018 we passed through Denver and stayed at Clear Creek RV Park in Golden. It was a nice park with full hookups right next to Clear Creek allowing us to hear the water all night long. But, we really found the traffic getting in an out of Clear Creek a real challenge. So, we decided to seek lodging elsewhere.

Through social media I knew that Cherry Creek State Park in Aurora came highly recommended. However, there were no openings when we went to book. I also knew of Golden Gate Canyon State Park, due west of Golden Colorado. But in the end, we chose to stay at Chatfield State Park, on the southern end of the metro area in Littleton. We chose this location for a few reasons: 1) we could secure a full hook up site, 2) it was close to our good friends home, and 3) it was virtually in my old stomping grounds.

We found Chatfield to be under a lot of construction but that was really not a problem for us, we used it as a base camp that allowed us to tour the metro area. Chatfield has three different loops: we were in D loop. One of the loops was a group camping loop and they honestly had the best group camping I have ever seen. Four sites were combined forming a square. Each square had a community pad in the middle with picnic tables and a water spigot. I decided if I ever own a campground I am making some of these group camping “pods”.

Our site was a paved pull through. We had a gravel patio with a campfire ring and a picnic table. When we arrived, everything was prestine. The campfire ring had been cleaned (there was no evidence of previous campfires). The gravel had been raked and showed no signs of any previous trash.

What to do in Denver/Metro Area

Really, there is anything and everything to do in the Denver metro area. We had more than enough time to fill our days. Whatever we did, we knew it would be with friends.

Our first activity was heading downtown to check out the new Denver Trolley. The Trolley begins at Confluence Park, right outside REI and takes riders past some of Denver’s highlights: Mile High Stadium, Children’s Museum, Denver Aquarium, and Elitch Gardens. The track is one way, so we had to stop and switch engines for the way back. The cost to ride the Denver Trolley was $5 per adult and children up to 4 to 13 were $2.

After the trolley we went to eat at Brider on Platte Street. We were joined by several of our friends: Leslie and Mark, Jackie, and Harry. Wayne and Mark ate in a hurry and decided to pop into two local breweries while we were in the area. So, while we finished eating and packing up, they checked out Denver Beer Co and Cerveceria Colorado. It was a warm and sunny day in Denver and it was nice just sitting back and enjoying a cold beer with friends., others must have thought that too as both places were very busy! Olivia enjoyed trying a variety of Mexican candy that Cerveceria had out and I tried fried crickets. Yes, I ate a cricket! And to be truthful, I actually ate more than one.

Later, on the second evening in Denver, Leslie and Mark were so gracious and hosted a backyard bbq for us in their new home. We were so luck to have our friends join us and even luckier that my dear cousin Sarah and her son came to visit with us. Leslie treated us to a great meal, Mark kept us all warm with a fire and we all enjoyed each others company. Their company was so food for my soul!

I have been to Red Rocks Amphitheater more times than I can count. I was even lucky enough to catch a Bon Jovi concert there back in my younger years. I am sure Leslie has been there just as many times as I have but we stopped by, on our way to Boulder, to introduce Red Rocks to Olivia. As expected, the crowd was a mix of tourist as well as folks out getting their fitness on. There was also set up for an evening concert so unfortunately for Olivia she could not stand on the stage. But, she got to run the stairs and she was pretty happy with that.

Our next stop was Boulder for the Celestial Seasonings Tea Tour. My girl has grown to love tea. I can’t explain it and I don’t really try. The bottom line is, she loves herself a good cup of tea so taking her to Celestial Seasonings in Boulder seemed like a no brainer. This tour was actually a first for Leslie and I. We struggled to find it but we ended up arriving at the perfect time, the next tour was about to begin. We were treated to samples of tea before the tour which set the stage to learn all about the company that started by hand sewing their muslin bags. We learned that all Celestial Seasoning teas are actually made from herbs so they are all caffeine free. We survived the peppermint room. And we bought more than our fair share of tea from the gift shop!

You would think that our tea lover would have gone home happy but Leslie had one more surprise for her. An actual visit to a teahouse in Boulder. And not just any teahouse. Leslie took us to Dushanbe Teahouse. Dushanbe Teahouse was built in Tajikistan and shipped to Boulder one piece at a time. The finished product is similar to the many teahouses in Central Asia and stands for peace and friendship. There was really no better place for a couple of longtime friends to enjoy brunch and spoil one little girl.

As we left Dushanbe we noticed a large crowd gathered in front of the teahouse. The extra crowded teahouse or parking lot, or even gated off roads maybe escaped our attention in all of our excitement. But the crowds of people caught our attention. Ending right in front of Dushanbe Teahouse was the Boulder Ironman. So, we were able to watch the winner cross the finish line to the excitement of his family and friends.

While we girls were off chasing tea leaves, the men were wetting line at Eldorado Springs near Eldorado Canyon State Park. The river was running hard and fast with the spring run off making fishing difficult. Mark, the more experienced Colorado trout fishermen, was able to coax a couple of more adventurous and hungry trout from their rocky hideouts where they were seeking shelter from the strong currents.

During the time that I lived in Denver, I worked in Golden, so the little town is one of my favorites. We found the men folk at Mountain Toad Brewery so I took advantage of the time to antique shop in downtown Golden. Several years ago, while visiting Leslie in Leadville Colorado I found beautiful purple glass. I learned that glass use to contain manganese and when exposed to sunlight the glass would turn from clear to purple. I purchased some antique purple glass but a child visiting my home broke my purple glass. So I scoured every antique shop in Golden with no success. (so, do I maybe see a return trip to Leadville in my future?)

The only thing we did not get accomplished that Olivia really wanted to do was visit Voodoo Doughnuts on east Colfax. So after leaving Denver to spend five days in the mountains I convinced my dear husband to stop by Voodoo on our way through Denver heading home. I researched, I found a parking lot a few blocks from Voodoo. We just needed to navigate our camper through the streets of downtown Denver.

All was going so well until the traffic got so heavy. Then the road we wanted to take was blocked off by police officers. So we were diverted to another road. Then the traffic stopped. And we sat in traffic for what seemed like forever. Then I started seeing rainbows. Everywhere. Rainbow balloons. Rainbow tutu’s. Rainbow t-shirts. My mind is racing. I quickly google “gay pride parade Denver”. The result was June 15. The exact date we were trying to visit Voodoo Doughnuts. So, here we were stuck in traffic because the pride parade was staging and starting across the road we were on. Then my mom called. And I explained to her how we were stuck pulling our 35 foot camper in the pride traffic two blocks from Voodoo. Wayne looked at me as he pulled it all together. Two blocks away. He then kicked Olivia and I out of the truck and told us to walk to Voodoo. He joked that of course we would know where to find him.

So, Olivia and I got out of the truck, walked to Voodoo, which was right on the path of the parade. We waited in line, snagged ourselves some Voodoo donuts and Wayne called. Denver Police halted the parade staging to let some of the traffic pass by. Wayne was forced to move forward. He found some random spot to park the camper but not knowing Denver, he had no idea where he was in relation to where we were.

Many blocks later, we found each other. And then we found a 35 foot camper which Wayne had illegally parked along York. We took our pink box full of yummy doughnuts and headed east towards home. Laughing the entire way about how we ended our Rocky Mountain vacation by taking our 35 foot camper to the Denver Pride festival.

January 12, 2020
Rocky Mountain National Park, Part Two The East Side

Hopefully you caught our first post about the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. This is the second post and it will focus on our visit to the east side of the park. Just to recap, we spent five days enjoying Rocky Mountain National Park in June 2019. We stayed on the west side at a resort called Winding River Resort.

Traveling between the east and west side you have to use Trail Ridge Road. The road is nearly 50 miles between the Grand Lake Entrance and the Estes Park entrance. Eleven miles of Trail Ridge Road is above the treeline so literally you are on top of the Rocky Mountains as you make the trip from one side to the next.

We were lucky during our visit that Trail Ridge Road was open. It shut down shortly after our visit due to snow storms. As we traveled the road to and from the east side, the roads still lined with walls of snow taller than our Ram 2500. The snow poles were sticking up serving as indicators for the snow plows to clear the roads. Old Fall River Road, another one way road from east to west RMNP was not open during our visit.

We stopped at the Alpine Visitor Center on our way over to the east side. We could not walk to the summit as it was closed due to snow. The views of the mountains from the alpine visitor center are just breathtaking.

After leaving the Alpine Visitor Center, we stopped and did the short Tundra Communities Trail. This trail is short, only a half mile one way trip. It was snow packed, slippery but we were able to watch marmots when we arrived at Roger Toll Memorial. We were also able to watch a group of people slide down the mountain off in a distance. Sledding down the tundra looked like so much fun until we realized what goes down must come go up. The up looked incredibly hard!

Near Beaver Meadows Entrance Station we pulled over and found two sets of picnic tables for our lunch. When visiting any national park, we have finally wizened up that bodies in motion need fuel. I can’t not tell you how many times we set off for an adventure to find ourselves under packed for food and water. We were prepared this time. We had ample lunch food and snack food. During lunch we were visited by magpie birds. We have been infatuated by magpies since we were first introduced to them in Yellowstone.

Next we headed off to the Bear Lake area but first we made a pit stop for some elk viewing. Many people I talk to come to RMNP just to see the elk and I can see why. They are beautiful, large creatures with impressive antlers. During our visit the antlers were still in velvet (which might be my personal favorite time to see them).

Before we reached Bear Lake, we found a service road that had river access. Wayne and Jackie decided to spend some time fishing. Olivia and I found an area of thick grass carpet next to the babbling river and we just spend the time resting and watching the beautiful white clouds pass us by. I am not sure how but I fell asleep in that spot even knowing we were lounging in areas that animals frequented. I am pretty sure we hiked to the spot from a game trail and not a planned hiking trail. I could also see grass/weeds smooched down indicating the space where a large animal themselves had rested. I am sure you all can tell from my photos that I were corrective eye-wear. A few years ago I invested in some prescription sunglasses. As I slept that afternoon in that sunny warm spot near the river, I lost my prescription glasses. I think they fell out of my pocket. Thankfully, I realized what had happened and the fishermen were agreeable to stop fishing and help me locate my missing glasses. Leave no trace, right?!

Wayne had been told by the rangers at Kawuneeche Visitor Center that the best fishing in the park at this time of the year would be at Dream Lake and Emerald Lake. Emerald Lake is the fourth lake in a chain of lakes each set about a half mile apart starting with Bear Lake. Both are deep enough that the trout can live through the winter. It just so happened this was also on my list of places to hike so it was easily a win-win.

When we arrived in the area we quickly assessed how crowded it was. We could not park at the Bear Lake Trailhead so we headed up to Glacier Basin park and ride and we rode the bus to Bear Lake. The first lake in the chain is Bear Lake. It is easy to access, hard packed dirt surface. The hike between Bear Lake and Nymph Lake was no joke. It is short, approximately a half mile but the elevation change was 225 feet. The surface became a little more challenging, rockier and less smooth. the trail was busy. We encountered a lot of people.

After Nymph Lake, we kept climbing to Dream Lake. The elevation change was 430 feet and we encountered so much snow! The trail was often covered with melting snow so as we would take a step the snow below our foot would give out and we would fall into snow up to our thighs. Poor Olivia was hiking in her Chaco’s and her poor feet were cold! In addition to just how cold and slippery the snow was, we also encountered an entire group of teens on a church trip. They were much faster and more daring that Olivia and I were so they just bolted past you on the trail. The distance between Nymph Lake and Dream Lake was only a half mile but that was the longest half mile!

We arrived at Dream Lake both cold and wet. Olivia and I sat and enjoyed the beautiful view of the lake and Hallett Peak standing above us (elevation of that peak is 12,713 feet). As Wayne and Jackie fished, Olivia and I just bird watched. No fish were caught at Dream Lake and from there we made a very important decision. We chatted with many hikers returning from Emerald Lake who told us that the snow covered trail continued. So, Olivia and I made the decision not to hike higher to Emerald Lake. We turned around knowing that the snow would be harder and more slick going down that it had been coming up. So, we found Olivia a sturdy walking stick to use and headed back. Wayne and Jackie caught back up with us right before we reached Bear Lake. We passed another family headed up between Nymph Lake and Bear Lake and Olivia passed her walking stick along to their daughter. She just looked at her and told her, “Here, you will want to have this very soon!”

The snow added a layer of intensity to the hike. We were all pretty exhausted by the time we made it back to the truck. We ate our snacks and headed back over to the west side of the park as the afternoon was turning into evening. We were well rewarded with our return to the west side of the mountain by several moose sightings before we reached our campground.

Nine days after we traveled over Trail Ridge Road, on the first official day of summer, park services had to close the road again due to winter conditions in higher elevations. It was closed for another five days before it reopened. We knew traveling the beginning of June was a gamble but we picked these dates to see the moose. We felt very lucky to have seen moose and traveled across the park using Trail Ridge Road.

I leave you, with the moose we saw upon our return to the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. Everything about him, makes me smile and takes my breath away.

January 11, 2020
Rocky Mountain National Park, Part One The West Side

We have visited numerous national parks and I am always left wondering, “can a person ever spend enough time in such a place of wonder?”

We spent five days in Rocky Mountain National Park in June 2019. The second longest amount of time we have spent at any national park (Yellowstone remains the longest time we have spent). And I still walk away knowing that we failed to cover so very much. The only saving grace for me is I know Rocky Mountain National Park is a park we can and will easily re-visit.

East vs. West

We stayed on the west side of the park at Winding River Resort so the majority of our activities seemed to be on that side. I have no scientific research but it feels to me that the majority of visitors to Rocky Mountain Park enter from the east side, through Estes Park. I know when we went over to the east side it seemed more crowded. I can say that the west side of the park is home to moose and that is the primary reason for our visit. Today’s post is about our experiences on the west side.

West Side

We started our time on the west side at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center where we were given advice on hiking trails and fishing. We selected an easy hike, the North Inlet Trail. Wildlife sightings is what we sought and what we sought advice from the rangers on. Well, wildlife sightings is what we found. We saw marmot, deer, snakes, and even moose. We hiked the North Inlet Trail about 1 1/2 miles when we noticed how late it was getting to be. Afternoon had left and we were approaching evening when we turned around to hike towards home. We never made it to Cascade Falls (it was another 2 miles further). Our most memorable moment on this trail was when we noticed three bull moose staring down on us from above the trail. We attempted to pass them by walking softly forward. However, the moose had other plans as they started running down the hill straight for the trail. So, we decided to quietly but quickly back up just trying to create as much space as possible. The moose crossed the trail and started feasting on the marsh side of the trail and then the three moose started getting aggressive with each other! We were treated to such an amazing show on our first night but we did decide we had seen too much excitement and quickly maximized the diversion to get out of that area!

Our second hike on the west side was the East Inlet Trail. My dear friend Harry came to visit us from Denver and after we enjoyed a great lunch at the local Snack Shack we took off hiking to Adams Falls and beyond. The trail to Adams Falls was a bit crowded. A lot of people turned around and returned after the falls but we kept going. We ran into a group of artist painting in a clearing. I have never been an artistic type but those women on that day inspired me to come home and purchase watercolors. I have yet to take them hiking with me but I still think that is in my future.

We headed to Coyote Valley Trailhead for dual purpose. Wayne and Jackie (who joined us for part of our trip) set out to flyfish while Olivia and I hiked from Coyote Valley Trailhead to Bowen/Baker Trailhead. Olivia and I started off on a defined trail and them we ended up on a different type of trail. Maybe it was a social trail or a game trail? I am not sure but we soon found ourselves wondering through trees, meadows, and crossing the Colorado River four or five different times. As we hiked, the fisherman were working their own way up and down the Colorado River. Olivia and I spied more moose and Wayne and Jackie did catch wild trout.

Bowen Gulch to Never Summer Wilderness was our final hike on the west side of the park. Never Summer Wilderness is actually not in the national park but it is in the Arapaho National Forest. We hiked the trail toward Parika Lake for a few miles before turning around and heading back. While the environment seemed likely for wild animal sightings we did not have any on this trail.

Overall, the river was full from spring thaw. The water was running swiftly. Jackie, Wayne, and eventually my cousin Dennis had a great time attempting to catch trout. They had enough luck to consider it a successful trip.

We started completing and collecting Junior Ranger Badges years ago when we first started visiting national parks. This visit was no different. Olivia completed her program and visited the Kawuneeche Visitor Center to get sworn in. These visits are always fun, the rangers take valuable time away from their other duties to make each child feel special. They each vary slightly based on the rangers individual personality. At Rocky Mountain National Park, the ranger took her own hat off and put it on Olivia’s head! It was a wonderful moment. But as different as each one is, they also share something very similar. They inspire the kids and adults alike to be better, to do better, and to protect more. I am thankful she has not grown out of this.

The west side of the park met every expectation that we had. We had more moose sightings than I could ever write about. We went hoping to see one moose and came home seeing dozens of moose. In fact, in our feature photo, the one of us in front of the Rocky Mountain National Park sign, a moose was walking out of the trees and walking directly to us. We had one eye on the camera and one on the moose just to see what his next steps were going to be.

Come back later and check out our east side activities.

January 9, 2020
Our Shake-Down Trip at Basswood Resort
We live in a state with amazing state parks. We are spoiled with large spacious sites in beautiful locations at a very low price. So, for us, spending money for a private campground is a splurge.

There are a few private campgrounds near us that are worthy of a visit when you want to treat yourself. One of those private campgrounds is Basswood Resort. Basswood is located off of Highway 92 between Smithville, MO and Platte City, MO, just north of Kansas City. RV sites at Basswood run between $56 and $66 a night, which is significantly more than the $23 a night at the county campground a few miles down the road.

If there is a downsize to Basswood other than the price, it would be the proximity to the Kansas City International Airport. Air planes fly over head all day. They are loud. But they are also fun to watch.

We purchased our new camper, Ruby Lou, in September 2019 so we booked a shake-down weekend at Basswood joining Wayne’s extended family. For our first weekend in Ruby Lou, we wanted to have full hookups, be close to home, and have access lots of resort amenities to keep The Short Chic entertained. Our dates were September 20 and 21, 2019, which was Hero’s Weekend at Bassword Resort. Our site was number 95.

We arrived later on that Friday evening than we would have liked and it was rainy. I had planned for a grilled steak dinner but cooking in the rain did not sound fun. Luckily for us, Basswood has a Snack Bar/Pizza Kitchen. As Wayne checked us in, he ordered pizza that was delivered to our campsite just as we finished setting up.

The rain continued into Saturday morning and afternoon. Wayne and I played with every gadget in or on the camper and there were so many new ones to learn! While we played with the camper, The Short Chic and her cousins played with the resort. Basswood printed an entire directory of activities for the day:
- coloring contest
- themed word search
- scavenger hunt
- fishing contest
- craft time
- tie dye
- ice cream social
- candy bar bingo
- pancake breakfast
- outdoor movie
In addition to the organized activities, they also have a heated swimming pool (so despite the air temperature the pool is warm and inviting)! Next to the pool is a jungle gym/ropes activity center and not far away the resort has a tomahawk throw. We were able to borrow tomahawks from the registration area.

One of the funnest activities they had was the foam ride of fun. A tractor hauling a large trailer picked up kids of all ages. The trailer was equipped with a foam making machine. The tractor pulled the trailer full of kids producing foam all the way. The trailer paraded the kids through the campground leaving a trail of foam behind! The kids had so much fun playing in the foam. For hours after the foam ride of fun, foam floated through the air bringing a smile to my face.

The rain continued for the entire weekend but The Short Chic had a great time and we enjoyed shaking down the new camper. Due to the weather, we actually spent a lot of time inside the camper (something we do not normally do). During this weekend, we decided we are no longer campers. With our heated/massaging seats, fireplace, big screen television, convection oven we have become glampers. And glamping at a fancy RV resort is okay with me.

Maybe not all the time but occasionally it does make a very nice treat!
December 24, 2019
Winding River Resort, Grand Lake Colorado
Colorado has so many amazing options for camping that selecting the right spot can be a challenge. To help us whittle it down we started listing the non-negotiable we wanted in a Colorado vacation:
- mountain views
- mountain lakes
- hiking
- fishing
- moose
Moose? Yes, moose. We knew the first four items on our list would be easy low hanging fruit to grab but moose; in Colorado? Everyone we talked to told us about elk in Colorado. Even some big horned sheep. But, not so much chatter about moose.

As we started our research. I found an article online that talked about the increase in moose population in Colorado specifically in an area near Grand County. The Kawuneeche Valley is suppose to be home to a significant moose population. So that lead me to brainstorming with my dear friend, Leslie, who lives in Colorado. I asked her if she felt I could see moose in Colorado and she clued me into Winding River Resort in Grand Lake Colorado. Leslie told me that she had a friend who visits Winding River regularly and she always has photos of moose encounters.

We learned that Winding River Resort is a few short feet away from Rocky Mountain National Park (you can literally walk into the park from the resort) and equally close to the Arapaho National Forrest. On the grounds of the resort is a ATV rental shop. Within a few short miles away are three mountain lakes: Grand Lake, Shadow Mountain Lake and Lake Granby. There are other smaller alpine lakes in the national park as well. The icing on the cake for us, was Winding River Resort offered us full hook-ups.

Booking:

Booking at Winding River Resort was easy as a phone call to the resort. I explained to the reservation taker that my goal of seeing a moose. She explained that the moose enter the resort in the back by the staff area so she was going to put me as close to them as she could. A quick look at the campground map also showed that we were right next to a lily pond. Perfect!

Our dates:

We planned to spend an entire week at Winding River Resort; June 10th to June 16, 2019. We were in spot 93. Our rate was $60/night but we did have to pay an extra $10 child fee.

Getting There:

To arrive at Winding River Resort from Denver, we had two options. Option 1: Travel north in I25 and take our 35 foot camper through Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. Option 2: Take I-70 west 40 Highway north through Berthoud Pass and Winter Park. Trail Ridge Road is a 48 miles stretch of road from the east side to the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. It reaches elevations near 11,500 with a grade between 5% and 7%. Trail Ridge Road is narrow, with minimal shoulder and pullouts. Weather conditions on Trail Ridge Road change quickly.

Berthoud Pass is also a mountain pass that reaches elevations near 11,300 and steep grades (6%). We also found wide lanes, with well established shoulders. The biggest difference between the two passes is the traffic. Trail Ridge Road is in the park and is a huge tourist draw. So, we opted to take Option 2 and travel Berthoud Pass while pulling our camper.

Finding Winding River Resort was actually very easy. Just north of Grand Lake, Colorado a quaint mountain town with a population under 500 residents. Almost directly across from the Kawuneeche Visitor Center of Rocky Mountain National Park right off highway 34 was county road 491. A mile down the road, across a little bridge, was Winding River Resort, right on the banks of the Colorado River.

Upon arrival, we found a cute sprawling resort. We were welcomed to the ranch by the horses that call the stables their home, just to the left of the entrance. We checked in a the general store/office just to the right of the entrance. We were surrounded by evergreen trees and mountains. Our first impression of the resort; we had found a piece of Colorado heaven. We easily found our site, which was a dirt site that backed up to the Wapiti Lilly Pond (which we were so excited to find actually had water and lilly pads during our visit). We were a little disappointed to find out that our neighbors had parked their RV a little caddywhompus which caused us to be a little askew. Thankfully the resort staff, problem solved and helped us get into our site.

Our first Moose sighting happened after we had been on the property less than 10 minutes. We checked in, drove to our site, quickly assessed that our site was odd (thanks to said neighbors mentioned above), drove back up front to request help, and as we drove back to our site to wait for assistance, we passed by the lilly pond a second time in a matter of minutes. There, in the Lilly Pond was a yearling female moose munching away. We quickly named her Lilly and we would learn that she visited the Lilly Pond every single day during our visit. Gosh, and I was worried about seeing a moose. Goal met in less than an hour!

After setting up our camp, we headed to the Kawuneeche Visitor Center. We have found that asking Park Rangers for hiking and fishing recommendations usually pays off. The Rangers recommended a hike called the North Inlet Trail which actually started in Grand Lake. The Rangers told us that moose sightings had been reported around dusk on this trail.

We managed to find two moose on our first hike, both were a field and a river away but we were able to respectfully visit them. As we were hiking back to our vehicle, I was leaving our first day very happy. Three moose sightings in one afternoon! This vacation, this location, was better than I ever could have imagined. As we walked back, a tad after dusk I suddenly became weary of predators watching us. Moose were not the only animals in the area and my husband, who was hiking behind me, kept stopping which kept putting me up front alone. Just as I turned to “school” him on proper mountain lion safety, I looked up and found a large bull moose staring down at me. Seriously, I about peed myself! But there was no time for such things because as soon as I caught my breath at stumbling onto a bull moose, I realized he was not alone. There was not one but three bulls directly above us!

The rest of our time at Winding River Resort, was just as idealistic as our first day. Every day we experienced moose. And elk. My favorite experience was waking up early to find our campground full of moose. My cousin had gotten up early to walk his dog and found a huge surprise, moose everywhere. Thankfully he came and immediately woke me up so I too could experience it. We learned during our vacation that moose strongly dislike dogs. It is in their DNA from years of fighting off the cousin of the dog; the wolf. That morning as the moose were running free around camp, I just kept thinking our being there all started with my cousin out walking his dog and coming up on a random moose out grabbing a morning bite to eat. Our week at Winding River Resort was nothing short of perfect. It was the best balance of activity and relaxation. We enjoyed quiet time and we also had moments where we were joined by friends. Besides my cousin, who moved to Riverton Wyoming joining us, we were also visited by our dearest friends Jackie and Harry. Harry loves Grand Lake and loved driving up from Denver to spend the day having lunch at the Snack Shack on the lake and hiking to Adams Falls.

We rented a Razor from On The Trail Rentals, which we were very satisfied with. We got lucky as On The Trail opened for summer rental on June 15, which happened to fall on our last full day at the Resort. We took the Razor and spent an afternoon exploring Arapaho National Forrest which is adjacent to the resort. During our rental time, we learned a lot from my cousin about dry camping on public land and we were able to see numerous camping sites full of boondockers.

We spent a great deal of time wondering around the town of Grand Lake. Whether you are visiting in the summer or winter, this town is a mecca of outdoor activities. We enjoyed ice cream at one of the ice cream shops. We found the locals to be friendly, engaging, and so willing to share their beautiful home with us. We enjoyed shopping in all of the downtown shops. We were even able to find a pizza restaurant/bar (The White Buffalo) to watch The St. Louis Blues win the Stanley Cup.

The Short Chic and her daddy even braved the frigid cold water of Grand Lake to SUP. We warned The Short Chic over and over again about how cold the water was but she was convinced she was not going to fall in. Wayne, on the other hand, was positive he was going to fall in. I am happy to say he never fell in and unfortunately, after 50 some minutes of perfect SUPing, The Short Chic did fall into that water. I have never seen someone fall in and jump out of the water faster than she did!

After consulting with Park Rangers and the owners of Kirks Flyshop, Wayne spent several days wetting fly line in streams and lakes in the area. Unfortunately, we were on vacation and visiting during the summer run-off so the rivers were running high and fast and the alpine lakes were still pretty frozen. Thankfully, he learned how to manage the water and was still successful at catching fish. This is a huge accomplishment for him as we come from an area that mostly has stocked rivers and catching a wild trout is something to send a post card home to Dad about!

Winding River Resort had several amenities that deserve to be highlighted even if we did not partake in them. First of all, this is a campground that allows campers and non-campers to spend time together. They have cabins for rent as well as pioneer covered wagon! They have equestrian sites; full hook up sites that come with a small corral for your horse. Many of the other campers we saw, bring their fun with them to Winding River Resort, that “fun” maybe ATVs or they may be horses, or fishing rods in our case.

Horses are a big deal at Winding River. You can bring yours or rent one of theirs. They have organized trail rides, pony rides, hay rides, and even sleigh rides in the winter. They have chuck wagon dinners and chuck wagon pancake breakfast, ice cream socials, square dancing, and even Cowboy Church. We spent time walking around the Animal Farm playing with all the baby farm animals. If organized activities are not your thing, there is pickleball, basketball, frisbee golf, volleyball, horseshoes are all available on the property for your enjoyment. Oh yeah, let’s not forget that the Colorado River is right behind the Animal Farm.

Every minute we were in Colorado at Winding River Resort and every minute we spent driving home from our Colorado we just kept saying to ourselves, “wow, that was amazing.” We selected this place in hopes of seeing a moose. I had no idea or expectation that we would see as many moose as we did.

I hope if you are looking for a Colorado adventure that is a little bit quieter and a little (a lot) less crowded than say…Estes Park…we hope you will consider booking a stay at Winding River Resort.
December 20, 2019
A Thanksgiving Memory
Thanksgiving has come and went. We cancelled our holiday camping trip due to projected poor weather. It was really disappointing but we opted for safety over entertainment.

Instead of camping and hiking over the holiday weekend, we found ourselves at home with our extended family members. We cooked together, shared meals, watched hours and hours of Disney +, we even did a little bit of shopping and when the weather broke, we even raked a ton of leaves from the yard.

One of our most favorite camping memories has everything and yet nothing to do with Thanksgiving. We are guaranteed it will come up at least once during the long weekend. Many years ago, when I was planning our first family camp-out, I had encouraged everyone to bring hobo meals for dinner.

You experienced campers will know that a hobo meal is usually a mixture of potatoes, meat (typically ground beef) and veggies and maybe even some cheese wrapped in aluminum foil and cooked over a campfire.

I was so excited because that year I decided to treat my family to something “special”. I made them a thanksgiving dinner hobo meal. I used turkey cutlets, instant dressing, green beans, gravy, and even cranberries. I thought for sure they were going to love it.

At the campout, which was attended by a lot of first time campers, I was impressed with the creativity of the hobo meals: polish sausages, peppers, and potatoes, the traditional hamburger, cheese, and potatoes, even a leftover fried rice, chicken, and veggies!

I was even impressed with how my hobo meals turned out. All the goodness of Thanksgiving dinner at a late fall camp-out. That is, until my son and husband spoke up. They hated it. They sat there watching everyone else eat their hobo meals, angry with me for making them a turkey dinner. Unfortunately, dissatisfied and hungry campers just turn around and snack more. A very valuable lesson learned from my first ever camping experience.

To this date, they scuff at hobo meals. And while they love eating a traditional Thanksgiving meal, I know they would rather have a good ole hot dog than anything creative at the campsite!

Here are some recipes for Hobo Packets. And yes, you can find the Thanksgiving Dinner!

The Classic: Hamburger and Vegg-All

½ lb ground hamburger meat
- ½ can of Veg-all or other mixed vegetables
- ½ can can of cream of mushroom soup
- spices and seasonings
Mix together the above ingredients with spices and condiments to your heart’s content. Place the mixture on the center of a sheet of foil, wrap in a tent pack, and place on hot coals for 25 minutes.

Chicken Potato Packets
– 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
– 4 medium red potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
– 2 cups frozen green peas
– 1 jar (12 oz.) chicken gravy
– 1 teaspoon salt
– ½ teaspoon dried thyme
– 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- Thanksgiving Dinner
- 1 turkey cutlet
- 1 cup of prepared stuffing
- ½ cup of turkey gravy
- ½ cup of green beans
- ¼ dried cranberries
- salt, pepper, thyme, marjoram
Place turkey cutlet on sheet of foil. Put the stuffing on top and the green beans around the cutlet. Pour gravy over everything and sprinkle with the dried cranberries and seasonings. Wrap in a tent pack and place on hot coals for 20 minutes.
December 3, 2019
Meet Ruby Lou: A New Camper and Our Initial Reactions

We have talked about upgrading our RV for some time. Upgrading conversations usually start when your current RV no longer fits your needs. For us, Betty was still meeting our needs. Well, The Husband no longer liked sleeping in the main bedroom and I always dream of a more comfortable couch. But that was it. And it just did not seem like we had enough of a list to go and upgrade over.

Until Labor Day weekend 2019. We were camping at a local KOA and found several dealerships close by. So, we went to peak.

And we fell in love.

On September 14, 2019, we traded Betty in and brought home Ruby Lou. Ruby is a 2020 Grand Design Reflection 311BHS.

We have taken Ruby Lou out once already and we were just amazed at the difference. I even heard The Husband saying to his father, we should have done this long ago.

So, what do we love initially?

The master bed. Betty had this curved front with cabinets over the head of the bed. The Husband hated it. He felt like he was in a cave and was always knocking his arms on the cabinets. Ruby Lou’s bed is open. It is also a true Queen so no ones feet hang over the end. We can also walk all the way around the bed.

The toilet. Betty had the Dometic 300 and Ruby Lou has the Dometic 320. That porcelain bowl makes a huge difference in the overall sturdiness. I am also excited because I don’t have to wonder how I am suppose to be (or not suppose to be) cleaning the toilet.

Doors. Betty was an ultra-light weight camper. And when we had a half ton truck, that appealed to us greatly. One of the many ways used to cut weight was no doors. Betty had curtains on every door but the bathroom. Ruby Lou has actual doors at every door. And other quality construction; like real wood drawers and cabinets. Our Short Chic appreciates the fact that she can go to her bedroom and shut her door and have some real privacy. A curtain just did not do that for her.

The Windows: Betty had maybe 7 total windows and most of those were small. Ruby Lou has so many windows and they are HUGE. The amount of natural light we have access to is unbelievable. On the flip side, Ruby Lou has black out shades that filter out the light when we need the light filtered. So, we find ourselves sleeping better (comfy, roomy bed plus light filtering shades) when we need sleep and we find ourselves sunny and bright when we want it. I think Moose The Camping Dog loves all the windows and he loves looking out at all the campground activity.

The Size: Betty was 35 feet long. Ruby Lou is 36 feet 10 inches long. Betty had 2 slides and Ruby Lou has 4 slides. Yes, we doubled our weight but we barely increased our length. Ruby Lou feels huge to us but also feels completely manageable driving down the road and backing her into a space.

I am sure as time rolls on and we add more nights camping in Ruby Lou our love list will grow. I am so looking forward to a long vacation in her next summer!

Thank you for checking out Ruby Lou!

September 24, 2019
Mesa Verde National Park
I love the idea of staying in a National Park. I love the idea of waking up before the park gets busy, grabbing that moment of solitude inside a national treasure, or staying up late to hear the animals and see the dark skies long after the crowds move on for the day. But if I am honest with you; I am spoiled. I love my electrical sites and I love my life more when I have easy access to water. There I said it. So, because of this, I find taking my camper to national parks somewhat challenging. I have a large camper and it does not always fit in the spaces available.

When we decided to visit Mesa Verde National Park I was most excited to see that they have a small number of full hookup RV sites at Morefield Campground. With early planning, we were able to secure three of the 15 full hookup sites for our visit.

We arrived at Mesa Verde after a short (less than 4 hour) drive along Colorado Highway 160 from Alamosa. Upon arriving at Mesa Verde our daughter had the experience of actually using her Every Child in the Park pass and taking us to a National Park.

We spent two nights and roughly three jammed packed days inside the park. We had a nice balance of some relaxing time, some hiking, and some exploring of ancient communities.

Morefield Campground:

Staying at Morefield Campground was everything I had always knew staying inside the park would be. It was peaceful, there were breathtaking views, and intimate animal encounters. I felt like we were some place special from the moment we arrived. The sites were spacious and had grass, shrubs, and trees, the exact opposite of what we experienced in Yellowstone at Fishing Bridge.

One funny thing about our site at Mesa Verde, the sewer connection was uphill from our camper. We were a little “worried” because we all know stuff rolls down hill and not uphill. We established a back up plan: use the holding tanks and the dump station at the bottom of the campground. But since we were only there for two nights, we managed.

Nightly there were Ranger Lead Programs in the campgrounds although we never attended any of these. By the time we reached our campers at the end of the evening, we were worn out and ready for bed.

Hiking:

One of my favorite vacation activities is hiking. Mesa Verde National Park has several different hiking options. Their hiking trails seem to be batched by area and there are three different areas: Morefield Campground has three trailheads, Chapin Mesa has four trailheads, and Wetherill Mesa has two trailheads. We elected to hike the Petroglyph Point Trail from the Chapin Mesa area.

The Petroglyph Point Trail is a 2.4 mile loop that takes you past a large petroglyph panel as well as evidence of ancient Pueblo homes. We found the trail challenging, which was a level of fun for everyone in our group. The age ranges of our group varied from 7 to 65 years old.

Tours:

Mesa Verde is most known for their Ancient Puebloan cliff dwellings so if you are visiting this national park, planning to visit the dwellings is a very important part of the experience. There are two ways to see the cliff dwellings: a ranger led tour and the self-guided tour. We did a combination of both. We were able to do self-guided tour to see Spruce House, the third largest cliff dwelling and best preserved, from the Chapin Mesa Visitor Center. Currently there are not any tours to Spruce House so seeing it from afar will have to suffice.

We purchased tickets to tour both the Balcony House and Cliff Palace. Tickets were $5 per person and we purchased our tickets the night before at the ranger station by Morefield Campground.

I, personally, had a lot of anxiety about taking the two tours and visiting Balcony House and Cliff Palace. The park brochure gave fair warning to visit the dwelling you would climb multiple ladders, of various sizes (8 to 10 feet long, 32 foot long, and up to 60 feet long) making a verticle ascent of 100 feetup exposed cliff face, crawling through a tiny tunnel, and using a series of stone steps.

I do not like ladders! Can I even fit into a tiny tunnel? And… what was it about exposed cliff faces? OH MY GOODNESS! I tried very hard not to show it, but these were the questions running through my head all day long.

We toured Balcony House first and as I stood at the base of that large 60 foot ladder my heart pounded. We had to ascend it two by two and I found myself with Meeghan’s husband, Mr. Calm Cool and Collected. The guide told us that we just needed to keep three points of contact with the ladder at all times, which I repeated over and over all the way up the ladder. Maybe I even said it outloud. This is probably why Mr. Calm kept looking at me like “I can’t believe I got paired up with this crazy lady!”

As freaked out as I was, with as much anxiety as I entered touring these dwellings with, it all melted away. I challenged myself and I felt the growth because of it. Isn’t that what a vacation is about? Stepping outside your normal routine and doing something new. For me, it is and I find that I return from my travels a little stronger than I was before.

I found out the ladders were super sturdy. They were no were near as wobbly at the ladders we use at home to hang Christmas lights. You know the ones you threaten your children with their lives if they leave the bottom rung while you are on it. (Oh wait, maybe that is just me?) As far as the tunnel, well it was tight, but we all made it, and maybe had fun doing so. The tour guides (park rangers) are pretty specific about not touching the walls of the dwellings as it will leave oils on the rock. So, we did a great job of balancing and I am happy to say, no one fell off the cliff face.

The tours are well attended. They are quick, you only spend about an hour on each tour, but we learned a lot about kiva’s, corn, and the Puebloan people. It is amazing to see dwellings that have been around for centuries still standing (yes, some of them may have had a little help being rehabbed but who does not need a face lift after a few hundred years).

As we would soon learn, this National Park is alive and exciting but most of that excitement is below the canyon. If you are willing to take a walk, descend down the canyon you are going to see some amazing things.

Mesa Verde was a joy to visit. We crammed a lot into the three days and two nights we were there. To recap our trip we:
1. Stayed at Morefield campground
2. Toured Balcony and Cliff Palace
3. Obtained Junior Ranger Badges
4. Hiked the Petroglyph Trail
5. Learned a lot about Puebloan history and the plants they harvested.
In case you have been following along, this stop was the third stop on the Betty and Roxy Desert Vacation of 2018.
July 20, 2019
Reason #13 Why I Love Camping

I went for an early morning walk today.

By campground standards 8:00 am could be considered late.

But there was hardly anyone stirring so it felt even earlier.

A chorus of birds sang to me the entire walk. The sopranos and mezzos leading a lovely song I felt honored to here preformed.

The air was sweet; fragrant from the wild flowers. Beyond the sweetness was a hint of musky earth. And somewhere off in the distance was the smell of new rain waiting for just the right time for its release.

It is humid. The air is so thick you can feel it; the kind of air that sticks to you. The humidity building with anticipation of the upcoming rain.

It is peaceful. It is quiet. I realize that while I am alone with my thoughts, I am not alone. For I have so many other things to share this space with me, if I can just quiet myself enough to experience them.

As I am here in this space, I realize this is one of the reasons I love camping. It maybe hiking, a morning stroll, or just sitting outside under a shade tree but taking the time to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoors is reason number 13 of why I love camping.

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July 7, 2019