Rocky Mountain National Park, to be exact.
After our short stay in the Colorado Springs area, we headed mostly north to our next stop, Moraine Campground in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Looking down Fall River Valley from Fall River Pass.
This was our fifth visit to this area – not counting the trip with my grandparents and 17 year old uncle back in 1957 when I was 5 years old.
The drive for the day was about 145 miles. Unfortunately, it was also through the Denver metro area and there wasn’t much of an easy way around that. We would prefer traveling through metropolitan areas on a weekend when the traffic is less, but I had been unable to get reservations at the park campground for the duration we wanted any earlier than September 12, a Monday.
We delayed starting out a little while in an attempt to miss the worst of the traffic.
I was in the left hand lane on US 24 not long after we left when I noticed the driver in the next lane holding up a card trying to get my attention. I don’t remember exactly what it said, but it was basically telling me that I should be driving in the right hand lane. Now I understand people getting upset when people abuse traffic requirement, including the one where slower vehicles are supposed to stay to the right. I was driving a 25 foot motorhome towing a car, so, yes, I was going slower than some others. However, I also had a GPS that was telling me that about a mile down the road I had to make a left turn to get on the freeway and, with the heavy morning traffic, I was in the left hand lane early to make sure I didn’t miss it. The guy made a right turn shortly after that so I wasn’t really delaying him at all. Just a control freak jerk, I guess.
I’m working on the photos and videos from the several days we were in the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) area. We were in some locations more than once and I want to group the material from those together, so the RMNP posts won’t necessarily be chronologically sequenced.
More to come.
Note: This “lost” Haw Creek Out ‘n About post was recovered from the Internet Archive WayBack Machine.
Our drive today was a relatively short one. We went from the Rushmore Shadows campground–about 9 miles south of Rapid City, South Dakota–to the KOA that sits just outside of the fence of Devil’s Tower National Monument in Wyoming.
Images from the I90 rest area at Sundance, Wyoming:
Silver Buffalo Berry (see reference) – silver refers to the color of the leaves of the plant
Devil’s Tower images
The camper in this image is ours, after we had set up and extended the slides. Excellent location.
This is the view from the campsite next to ours. We have a small tree across the drive that is slightly in the way of our view.
We see deer every time we go for a walk or go for a drive.
This is from the opposite side of the tower, from the parking lot at the head of one of the park’s trails.
Long before the official time for sundown, we were in the shadow of the tower.
The Devil’s Tower KOA is a very large campground with plenty of room for tenters and RVers. This is the “overflow area.”
A twilight image of the tower.
Note: This “lost” Haw Creek Out ‘n About post was recovered from the Internet Archive WayBack Machine.
A Sundancer Class C motorhome at Bannack State Park, Montana.
A view from the Bannack State Park visitor parking lot.
The State Park visitor center building, below, was once owned and occupied by carpenter George French.
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Bannack, Montana was founded in 1862 after a major gold discovery. It served as the capital of Montana Territory briefly during the civil war. The last residents left in the 1970s.
“Images from Bannack” are from July 30, 2010, our third visit to Bannack.
Many sources have been reporting this week about Winnebago’s possible acquisition of a towable RV maker, SunnyBrook Manufacturing, Inc. An article in Trailer Life says that Winnebago is still studying the potential deal after signing a letter of intent.
The acquisition would be Winnebago’s first in more than 20 years, Sheila Davis, a spokeswoman, said in a telephone interview. Davis said the company, which announced in November 2009 that it was studying “potential diversification strategies,” may consider additional acquisitions.
Winnebago leads the motorhome industry with a 19 percent market share, according to Robert W. Baird’s Kennison, who is based in Milwaukee. SunnyBrook sold 1,700 towable RVs last year, making it the 13th largest manufacturer in that market, Kennison wrote in a research note.
Read more in the Trailer Life Article, Winnebago May Acquire SunnyBrook Manufacturing
Violence on the border and the economic slowdown are not keeping RVers from their annual winter stays in the Rio Grande Valley, according to an article in The Herald of Brownsville, Texas. In Winter Texans rolling in daily, Isaac Garcia reports:
In Harlingen, Paradise Park manager Dan Pearson said he expects about 1,000 Winter Texans and 500 RVs to return this year, a number that is holding steady with the previous year.
“Winter Texans aren’t greatly affected by the economy like other groups,” Pearson said. “A lot of them have pensions, or money saved up.”
Pearson also supported the attitude that despite border violence, Winter Texans will still migrate here when the weather turns frosty in northern states.
“There really is no competing with the Valley,” Pearson said. “The climate in Florida is basically the same, and for a couple of thousand dollars cheaper, Winter Texans can come and enjoy all the Valley has to offer.”
Penny Simpson, head of the Valley Markets and Tourism Research Center at the University of Texas-Pan American, believes that the number of Winter Texans staying in the Valley will continue to grow, unless an unforeseen national tragedy occurs.
Read the full article: Winter Texans rolling in daily
Warrior Lifestyles, a company that filled a service void after a local trailer manufacturer went out of business will be building its own brand of toy-hauler trailers, according to an article, New trailers being built for warriors of a weekend variety, in The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, California.
Broyles said he bought some of the former company’s inventory and assets as well as Warrior Manufacturing’s 1-800 number after it went out of business.
Starting next week, Warrior Lifestyles will begin building its own brand of travel trailers. Just two a day and no more than 10 a week, Broyles said. The company wants to keep it simple, and not grow beyond their means.
The company is in the process of moving from Perris to Corona near the Interstate 15 and 91 freeway interchange.
See the Press-Enterprise article, New trailers being built for warriors of a weekend variety, for full details.
A new Trailer Life article, Doctors Promote Health Benefits of Outdoor Activity, describes an effort underway to educate health care providers on the value of outdoor physical activity.
Recent research shows marked benefits to outdoor activity, including:
* People with nearby access to a park or open space were 50% more likely to maintain a routine of walking.
* Outdoor exercise can improve mental health, particularly among young people.
* 40% of cancers and other diseases of a sedentary, indoor lifestyle can be eliminated by people becoming more active outdoors.
* 74% of adults are not meeting their daily needs for exercise.
RVIA research indicates that RVing helps promote physical activity. Nearly three-fourths of RVers (74%) say they are more physically active on RV vacations than other types of vacations, and 81% say their children are also more physically active when traveling by RV. Popular outdoor activities with RVers include hiking and walking; biking; and canoeing and kayaking.
Go to Trailer Life to read the full article, Doctors Promote Health Benefits of Outdoor Activity.
