Colorado trip

[94touring]

My annual rocky mountain week has sadly come to an end.  Could have spent another week there easily.  This year the snow was more abundant than usual.  Made for some difficult hiking and got in the way of a few spots I was trying to trek to.  A typical hike I'll do 12 miles in a day with a few thousand feet of vertical gain involved.  Problem with most of the snow towards the top was you'd fall knee or waist deep into it.  Did come across a really cool drift/field of hard stuff just along the tundra line that was walkable.  No clue how deep it would have been there had we fallen through.  Had one scary moment on some snow over a frozen river.  Didn't realize it till I was halfway over it in this ridiculously windy sleet storm I was battling through.  Got off that thing quick cause death was assured if it gave way. 

Few pics and a vid.

[ADRay]

very cool! I went to Denver for the first time last month. We took two days and went to Kremmling to visit a hometown buddy who runs a trail ride (horses) company out there. We hit a snow storm on our way back, and I-70 was closed at the tunnel, so we went up and over the Arapaho Pass. I'd never seen anything like it.

[94touring]

It's probably my favorite place to be.  If I had a way to afford living there in the summer I would.  Lots of animals out and about.  I'd sit and watch the deer and elk walk by in the mornings and evenings.

[Jims5543]

Great pics looks amazing there.

Is that your tent I see pitched in the first pic of the last post?

[94touring]

The tent situation:

Oh and I love cooking like a gourmet chef over some fire.

[gr8kornholio]

That's a pretty suite setup, looks so relaxing.

Can't believe the amount of snow still up there and still falling.  We were deep in the mountains a couple years ago in early june and the only snow really left was nearly above the tree line. 

[94touring]

It snowed the last two days we were there at 9k feet and above.  Our tent site was around 8200 feet.

[Jims5543]

Awesome camping setup.   I noticed the heater on the one propane tank.  Good move.

There were some guys I knew that camped while driving cross country in their 911's.  The would always put a tarp up over the tent tying it nearby trees.

That is an awesome setup, love the blow up bed.  Good for boinking?  I feel like it would make a static electricity bomb.

[94touring]

I also went over all stitching last year with a tent seam sealer, it's water tight.  Lots of tents in the campground with tarps and plastic over them like the peasants they are lol.  I was king on the secluded lot on top of the hill with all the amenities lol.  Next year I'm moving to another premo spot with a bigger lot setup for pop ups or rvs that has a better mountain view and water and electric hookups.  I want to hang some string lights and run a space heater all night vs my propane setup which I turn off before we fall asleep.  It's great for evenings when we're playing cards and relaxing and in the mornings when I wake up and fire up the Coleman stove.  I also converted that to use a propane tank rather than be the chump who goes through a dozen 1 gallon overpriced canisters.  I have some battery powered led lanterns that have gone 2 full weeks on the same set of batteries since last year which is impressive, but string lights would still be nice.  Will be getting an open canopy setup to put over the picnic table outside that will keep things dry since it rains unexpectedly there pretty much daily.  String lights on that as well and since Jen goes into hypothermia in anything below 65 degrees I'll probably still bring the propane heater so she can be ablaze outside under the canopy in the comfy chairs I bring.  That's a queen air mattress and layers of queen size sleeping bags, plus blankets.  1st night I woke up drenched in sweat.  I do have electric under sheets that have controllable sides that I'm sure Jen would use with electric.

[gr8kornholio]

Finally watched the video. Colorado, where you hike on snow in shorts with jackets. Love that place.

[94touring]

We'd start relatively early in the mornings to cover enough territory and you start bundled up and shed clothes pretty quickly.

[Willie_B]

It sounds like you step it up after every trip. Looks like you guys had a fun trip.

[94touring]

It sounds like you step it up after every trip. Looks like you guys had a fun trip.

I try to make roughing it as comfortable as possible!  When I was a kid sleeping on the ground was ok, but as an adult and especially with a lady, creature comforts are required.  Had a hard time convincing Jen last year we'd be in a tent for a week.  But she fell in love with it.

[Jims5543]

I think it is called glamping and I approve.

I have been toying with rigging up the FJ with a rooftop tent for the kid and a tent like yours for the wife and I.

Then I toyed with a pop up camper, then I wanted a Vixon, which Mrs5543 thought was super cool when I showed her one. Except that is no longer camping. Neither is a pop up, but, to be honest, it is not much of an upgrade from your setup, which is awesome.

[94touring]

I was looking at various pop ups at the camp site and the little tear drop pull campers, but our tent is actually bigger, and much cheaper of course.

[Jims5543]

I was looking at various pop ups at the camp site and the little tear drop pull campers, but our tent is actually bigger, and much cheaper of course.

Look for used pop up campers on CL in the fall. I bet you could steal one that needs some fixing up.

That was my plan, gran one that needs to be redone inside, etc.. Put down vinyl floors, new cabinet stove top fridge etc..   New memory foam mattresses for the beds and whtever else it needs.

Boom! 1K I am sure a tent is less. 
https://treasure.craigslist.org/rvs/d/port-saint-lucie-jayco-pop-up/6918153113.html

Or, ready to roll 3K

https://treasure.craigslist.org/rvs/d/port-saint-lucie-pop-up-camper/6918047782.html