Casita RV Sewer Hose Storage by RV Adventures

This video is about building a sewer hose storage compartment on the back bumper of our Casita travel trailer. Join me from start to finish to see how you could make your own.

Garden Of The Gods in Colorado Springs by RV Adventures

An overview of Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs, CO. Come take a look with us of the magnificent rock formations.

Cheyenne Mountain State Park - Campground Review by RV Adventures

Cheyenne Mountain State Park is a great place to stay. It is located on the south side of Colorado Springs, convenient to a variety of sites such as Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, the Air Force Academy, Santa Claus Land, Cave of the Winds, Seven Falls and numerous other attractions. Colorado Springs has so many other things to do that this state park is a great hub to see the sites. Enjoy our tour of the park.

Yellowstone National Park – Part 1

In this post, we are sharing our trip to Yellowstone National Park, and you’ll find many photos, details about the Yellowstone River, and a horrible smell!

Keep reading…and feel free to share any of our photos and view our videos on RV Adventures TV.

Arriving in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is the first national park and was established in 1872.  Yellowstone has over 2 million acres in area and has five entrance stations in three different states.  Yellowstone features dramatic canyons, alpine rivers, and lush forests.  The park has an active volcano that is responsible for earthquakes annually.  Yellowstone contains approximately half of the world’s geothermal features.  There are some 10,000 geothermal features and about 500 geysers in the park.  Yellowstone has at least 45 named waterfalls and cascades  The tallest is Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River at 308 feet.  Yellowstone has something for everyone such as hiking, scenic drives, historic sites, fishing, boating and animals to be found.  So let’s get out there and see it all.

We entered the east entrance to the park where you can purchase your pass to enter into Yellowstone.

Campsites are staggered opposite from the one behind you giving space on your side. There are a few trees between each site.

Yellowstone River

The next day we were up early and couldn’t wait to get out.  We followed the Yellowstone River and passed a few bison on the road along the way and then stopped at a pull-off to take a look.

The Yellowstone River flows northward into the south side of Yellowstone Lake then flows out of the north end of the lake. From there it drops over the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls.

One of the pull-offs on the road along the Yellowstone River has a boardwalk part of the way that leads down to the river.

Bison has no particular interest in humans as they wander the roads and go about their grazing. They are a little intimidating as they are fairly large.  Keep a good distance from the bison at all times as they are amazing wild animals.

What is that Smell???

We came upon the Dragons Mouth Spring, Mud Volcano, and Black Dragons Caldron.  The smell is not the best around these areas.  Hydrogen sulfide gas rising from Yellowstone’s magma chamber causes the rotten egg smell.  Microorganisms or thermophiles use the gas as a source of energy and then help turn the gas into sulfuric acid.  Sulfuric acid breaks down the rock and soil into mud.  Many of the colors you see are vast communities of thermophiles, but some of the yellows are pure sulfur.

Dragons Mouth Spring was named by an unknown park visitor in 1912 perhaps due to water that frequently surged from the cave-like the lashing of a dragon's tongue.

In 1870, explorers stood in awe as Mud Volcano spewed mud into the treetops, shaking the ground with each eruption. Two years later it was a pool of bubbling, muddy water. Mud Volcano had blown itself apart.

In 1870, explorers stood in awe as Mud Volcano spewed mud into the treetops, shaking the ground with each eruption. Two years later it was a pool of bubbling, muddy water. Mud Volcano had blown itself apart.

Hayden Valley

As you drive along this beautiful broad valley you are likely to see bison, elk, and an occasional grizzly bear.  We didn’t see any bear or elk, only bison and they are amazing.

Yellowstone is the only place in the lower 48 states to have a continuously free-ranging bison population since prehistoric times.  Male (bull) bison weigh up to 2,000 pounds, female (cow) bison weigh up to 1,000 pounds.  They can live 12 to 15 years and a few as long as 20 years.

Beautiful open meadows with abundant plant life provide food for the wildlife.

The Grand Canyon Of The Yellowstone

This 24-mile long canyon ranges from 1500 to 4000 feet across and has colorful yellow, pink, orange, and buff cliffs that drop as much as 800 to 1200 feet on either side.  The river itself tumbles over two massive waterfalls sending a roar that you can hear for miles along the rims.

Lower Falls

Lookout Point was our first stop.  The parking lot is just a short walk to the point.  We had to make a couple of circles to get a parking spot.  This area is very crowded because of how easy it is to get such a great view of the falls.

The Lower Falls is the tallest waterfall in Yellowstone.

The Brink Of The Lower Falls

The trail is quite short, at just three-fourths of a mile down and up, but it’ll make you huff and puff with 600 feet of elevation change.

As we made our way down the switchbacks, we had lovely views of the flowing blue waters of the Yellowstone River making its way through the lush green forest.

The trail ends at a large platform overlooking the exact spot where the roaring river suddenly plunges 308 feet into the canyon below.

The roaring water makes a heavy mist as it flows over the edge.

As our day of adventuring came to an end and we made our way back to the campground.  We made one stop at the Yellowstone General Store.  The store is a beautiful building with a great selection of gifts, snacks, ice cream, and food.  Try the ice cream, it’s the best.

Moose Tracks ice cream

Stay tuned for part 2 coming soon…

Pikes Peak - Drive To The Top by RV Adventures

Pikes Peak - Drive To The Top. Join us for a drive to the top of Pikes Peak. I made a rookie mistake on this drive with my new Rode "VideoMic": this was the first day I used it to enhance the sound and while changing camera settings I accidentally turned off audio recording in the camera. Lesson learned.

Mueller State Park

This is the first extended trip that began our RV Adventures… after picking up the trailer in Rice, Texas we headed back to Colorado and visited Mueller State Park as the start of a 2-week adventure in southern Colorado.

Check out our video: YouTube Video of Mueller State Park

Casita Travel Trailer - 17' Liberty Deluxe Tour by RV Adventures

Take a tour of our Casita 17' Liberty Deluxe Travel Trailer. You will see all of the inside and outside and see some modifications we have made to meet our needs.

Casita - 17' Liberty Deluxe - Pick up at the Casita factory in Rice, TX ...

 

 This video takes us back to when we picked up our travel trailer in Rice, Texas at the Casita Factory. This was shot before we had video recording equipment, but we thought it was worth showing.

Golden Gate Canyon State Park & Mount Evans, CO

We recently spent the weekend at the Reverend's Ridge campground in Golden Gate State Park.  The area has dense forest, rocky peaks, aspen-lined trails, and cool mountain air for those summer afternoons.  The campground has only electric hookups with water spigots available at each loop and a dump station nearby.

We stayed in Campsite #8

Beautiful pines surround each campsite

View of nearby mountain peaks

Trails are lined with aspens 

Breakfast on Main Street

The next morning we drove to Idaho Springs and had the best breakfast at the Main Street Restaurant.  The building, Plummer Block #2, was constructed by Henry Plummer in 1884.  The first business was a flour, coal, feed, and hay store.  Today, 1518 Main Street houses Main Street Restaurant with breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus.

Sidewalk & inside seating

Ready for the Mount Evans climb

Mount Evans Scenic Byway is the highest paved road in Colorado ascending to 14,130 feet above sea level, making it 20 feet higher than Pikes Peak.  In 1924 construction began on the road and by 1930 it was complete.  Today it is the highest road in North America.

As we drove to the top you start to see the magnificent views.  Summit Lake is on the right as you are traveling up the mountain.  There is a short walking trail that takes you down to the lake from the parking lot.  There is also restroom facilities beside the parking lot.  Summit Lake is an alpine lake known for its scenic beauty and unique ecosystem.  Summit Lake has been designated a National Natural Landmark.  The flowers were in bloom and were pretty.

Summit Lake at an elevation of 12,830'

Flowers around the lake

Are you scared of heights?

The steep and narrow curvy road hugs the mountainside at times with no guardrails.  If you are really afraid of heights make sure someone else is driving so you can close your eyes.  But, by this point, you are pretty much up the road now, so sit back and enjoy the views.

Views as you approach the top

At the top

We made it to the top and can I just say WOW.  What amazing views.  It can be cold on top of the mountain and windy at times.  Take your time as you walk around because there is less oxygen at this higher elevation.  Drink plenty of water before you take this road trip to help prevent altitude sickness.

View from the top

Mountain Goat checking us out

The Crest House

The building at the top is called Crest House and was constructed between 1939-1941.  It was the highest structure in the world rising to 14,260 feet above sea level.  Designed to symbolize the night sky, it was built in the shape of a star with large windows overlooking Denver.  Interior lights had round globes that resembled the moon.

On September 1, 1979, a propane explosion destroyed the Crest House.  The rubble and twisted steel beams, the arched wall, and star shape platform remain intact.  In 1992, the Arapaho National Forest began to stabilize the remains and convert the Crest House into an observation platform.

After seeing the top of Mount Evans we headed back down the mountain and enjoyed the views in another direction.  We spent the next morning around the campground relaxing before we headed home so we could get ready for our next adventure...

Mueller State Park near Colorado Springs by RV Adventures

Mueller State Park near Colorado Springs is a great campground. We highly recommend it. Because of its great location, we visited Pikes Peak and the Gold Belt Scenic Byway which consists of Shelf Road, Phantom Canyon Road and High Park Road, a loop back to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument which was amazing.

Our first Adventure in our new Casita

We left the Casita factory with our new travel trailer and camped at a nearby campground to be sure everything worked. We then headed to Houston to see our sons, daughters-in-law, and our wonderful granddaughter. After we had a great time seeing the family we headed west. Stayed in Fredericksburg for a couple of days then headed to Big Bend National Park.

Guadalupe River near Fredericksburg

 

Hondo's restaurant in Fredericksburg

Allen and I was excited to see Big Bend since neither one of us had been there.  Driving across Texas and in remote areas with a new travel trailer was quite new to us.  We finally arrived at the entrance station and received a map.  We then visited the Persimmon Gap Visitor Center and decided which direction to go for our campground in the Rio Grande Village area.

Park Entrance

From the entrance to the Rio Grande Village RV Park campground was about a 45-mile drive.  The RV park has full hookups, laundry, restroom bath facility, store, and gas pumps.  The area to camp in was like a small parking lot for your RV and vehicle.  Even though the area is small it was very nice.

Rio Grande Village RV Park

Chisos Mountains

Santa Elena Canyon

We had a great time in Big Bend and will be returning for another visit in the future. Headed toward home we made an overnight stay in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  We look forward to returning for a longer visit.

Downtown Santa Fe, NM

Great dinner in an old railroad station

Heading home to get ready for the next adventure

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