Alamosa, CO

Site:

Base Camp Family Campground

Site: 1

Wifi: Verizon - 41 down, 60 up / ATT - 35 down, 12 up

Cost: $40/night

Noise: Some road noise, but nothing that would wake you up

We went to Alamosa because we wanted to visit the Great Sand Dunes (please go see them if you haven’t, they’re incredible) and while the San Luis State Wildlife Area had a ton of free camping, there was zero cell reception for ATT or Verizon for us, which just wasnt doable for work. Base Camp Family Campground is one of the best campgrounds we have stayed at. It is fairly new, so everything is updated. Our wifi was stellar, the sites are long and spacious, the camp host was warm and welcoming, and Mitch, the owner, was incredibly accommodating when our plans shifted. We ended up staying an extra week because the campground was so nice for us. This is the only campground we have been to where the bathrooms are like the bathrooms in a home - individual and private. If you don't want to shower while hearing your neighbor poop, fear no more! The site we had was fairly level, we had no problem navigating to it (all of the sites are pull throughs), and it was easy to connect to hook ups. The views of the mountains are phenomenal, and it is really easy and direct to get into town. The only downsides are that there is only one washer and dryer for the whole camp (I went in to do laundry at 8am thinking I would be safe and someone already had the washer running! Who is up that early??) and if anything is running water while you are trying to take a shower, it will be lukewarm at best with a trickle of water. But if you have a shower in your RV, there really is no reason to not love Base Camp. 

Rating: Perfect stop for the location

City:

Alamosa, CO

Right outside the city are two billboards: one about getting help for your alcohol addiction, and one for getting help for your opioid addiction. That should tell you everything you need to know. Without sounding too negative, Alamosa is a city that looks like it has given up, and is content to just be.

Rating: Quick stop to get what you need.

Restaurant:

Wize Apples

Wize Apples just moved to a new location, and when you step inside you are greeted by an eclectic mix of women’s heels on the wall, superhero fan art, and old artwork. Their menu is broad, featuring burgers and sandwiches. It was empty when we went in around 2pm (which is fine, that’s a super weird time to eat anyway), and we ordered appetizers and burgers. Upon seeing the gigantic monstrosity of the burgers, we regretted ordering any apps. Even the basic bacon cheeseburger had on like half a pound of bacon, and they didnt skimp on the size of anything. The veggies looked fresh and the buns were slightly sweet. Neither of us could pick up the burgers, so we resorted to knife and fork work. The burgers came with unlimited fries, but considering we couldnt finish our burgers, we were certainly not going to get another helping of fries. 

Rating - Go if you’re hungry, but don't even think about it if you’re just peckish.

RV Spending - September 2019

Well based off of the last two months, the entirety of the internet has lied to me about the cost of RV living. August was rough, but September was genuinely brutal. Coming down the Rocky Mountains, our brakes went out and somehow the entirety of Denver refuses to repair RV brakes. After 14 phone calls, we finally found a guy that was willing to fix it. Unfortunately with the time calling shops, negotiations to get the RV towed, and the actual diagnosis and repair, it was almost 2.5 weeks of waiting before we were able to get back on the road. When we reached our next destination, we found out that the brakes on our new motorcycle had gone out. This meant not only were we really without a way to explore anything, we had to trek the bike back to a shop that could fix it same day.

Food

Because we didn’t have the ability to cook when we were waiting for the RV to be fixed, we went out a lot more for food than we had budgeted. We tried to keep the costs low and ate more fast food than I’d like to admit versus actual meals. The latter half of the month was filled with outdoor grilling and we finally tried our Instapot (not super successfully).

Groceries: $462

Eating Out: $499

Gas

We did very little traveling in September, though not for lack of trying. Not having the RV meant we werent going to any new towns, and then not having the bike meant we were not exploring. I dont expect our gas bill to be this low until the winter when we settle down in places for a month at a time.

Gas: $135

Entertainment

We really didnt do much this month. When we got stuck in Denver our options for going out to do things was limited. We went to see It 2 (3.5 stars from Ron) at an Alamo Drafthouse, and drove to one of our favorite towns, Manitou Springs, and played at the penny arcade there. Other than that, we’ve just been exploring parks with our park pass and playing video games together.

Entertainment: $60

RV Repairs

This one actually was less than anticipated. New brake line sent us just over a grand. However, it revealed a whole new set of problems that we will talk about when we get it fixed in October. :)

RV Repairs: $1,242

RV Parks:

This one should really be titled Extended Stay Hotel, because thats where so much of this came from. We couldnt stay in a normal hotel because most dont allow pets, and the Extended Stay we went to looked great on paper - until we arrived and then they told us about the additional pet charge. The RV Repair Tech kept telling us that the rv would be done the next day, and then the next day, and then the next day, so it added up really quickly. We also learned that there arent a lot of boondocking areas with good cell reception the further south you go, so we paid up for some longer stays though February 2020. See you all in Texas for the holidays! This month we stayed at an RV park 20 days, with an average of $35/site.

RV Parks (aka Hotel): $2,316

Propane

We weren’t in the RV much, so we didnt use much propane. We also learned that A) it gets cold here at night and B) our electric heat works. So we are using electric heat where we have hookups.

Propane: $22

Grand total for September: $4,736

Cañon City, CO

Site:

Royal Gorge KOA

Site: 22

Wifi: Verizon - 64 down, 38 up / ATT - 35 down, 12 up

Cost: $50/night

Noise: No complaints!

We got a last minute reservation that we ended up extending after we had spent a week locked in a hotel room. We didnt want to rush right back into boondocking, so we decided to spend the week with hookups to ease back into it. The Royal Gorge KOA is 3 miles from the Royal Gorge, as well as about 15 minutes from Cañon City. The sites themselves are spacious, and you don't feel crammed in by your neighbor. The people who work here are clearly proud to be at the KOA, and it shows in the immaculate bathrooms and clean grounds. Everything is dirt or gravel, so it was a little difficult on the bike on hills, but the KOA fit in with the area. There is also a really creepy, almost abandoned looking “family theme park” with a giant slide, mini golf, and go karting that is open on the weekend. If the KOA crew hadn’t mentioned multiple times that we should try it, I would have assumed Pennywise lived there. The office/store is renovated and looks amazing, but is a bit anemic in its selection. However, the cell reception here was insanely good. You can see a cell tower in the distance, but it feels like such a remote area that I figured we would get usable but slow speeds. This was like having wifi in a home. We would have stayed longer had we not already booked a reservation for our next stop. 

Rating: Will be back next year!

City

Cañon City, CO

Cañon City is one of those towns that clearly used to be small but was suddenly hit with things like Walmart and Starbucks. The town is almost clearly split between the shopping/industrial part, and the historic downtown. The downtown portion is comprised of empty stores and mom & pop shops. It has cute, old architecture but not much in the way of things to do. More to the east you have your chain stores. The town has a large correctional facility (and there are more nearby), but it’s not an eyesore or distraction. The city is at the valley at the end of a band of mountains, and riding out of town yields breathtaking views. 

Rating: Too small and also too big for us to stay long. 

Restaurant:

Waffle Wagon

We passed by the Waffle Wagon on the way to our KOA and immediately knew we would have to stop during the trip. While the restaurant itself didnt really have a decor theme (it all looked pretty disjointed), the food and service were stellar. We were immediately sat, even though the place was full, and were brought our beverages within two minutes. The menu is basic American breakfast food, with nothing that really stood out as unique, but sometimes its nice just to get the basics. Ron ate a chicken fried steak with hashbrowns and gravy, and really enjoyed it. I had the standard eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns and was happy that the hashbrowns didnt taste like they were just reheated when ordered (which was the issue with the last few breakfast places we ate). Serving portions were large and neither of us cleaned our plates. Price was under $10 each for entrees, and we also had a hot cocoa (me) and orange juice (Ron). The cashier was friendly and told us she was the mother of the person who started the restaurant in the 80s. I love when we can stop at a family breakfast. 

Rating - While nothing stood out as stellar, it was really nice to just get great home cooking.

Denver, CO / Westminster, CO

Site:

Standley Lake

Site: 10

Wifi: Verizon - 22 down, 11.8 up / ATT - 19 down, 8 up

Cost: $22/night

Noise: None. Eerily quiet 

A reservoir/lake in the middle of the city was a great base for exploring Denver and the surrounding areas. The sites were spacious, with picnic tables and fire rings. There was potable water at one spot in the roundabout, so you could fill up and then park. The bathrooms were a short walk and were regular toilets and very well maintained. Though there was not much to look at and nothing really to do there but leave, it was a steal compared to some of the parking lots that called themselves RV parks in the area. To note, it is a gated area. Ron got locked out when he did not return before sundown and spent the night driving around the city because he could not get back in. The gate attendants were friendly and there was never any issue of us coming and going otherwise. 

Rating: Good spot to stop, but not much around. 

City:

Denver, CO/Westminster, CO

While Ron and I love Colorado, Denver was not our jam. Traffic at all hours made it so it was 20 minutes to go 7 miles, and for being considered an outdoor friendly city we didnt see a lot of green aside from our site and it got quite smoggy. The one saving grace of the city was that we have friends that live there and it was wonderful to see them. Denver has a ton of food options and a thriving nightlife, but for the most part we found ourselves wanting to explore outside of Denver. A highlight was going to Boulder and driving up a mountain to just stellar views. 

Rating: Great for a visit with friends, but too busy for us. 

Restaurant:

Steuben’s

Ron had heard about Steuben’s from some TV chef talk show (as a surprising amount of our restaurant finds are now becoming). We went over lunch with a friend (hey Fab!) with Ron’s goal of trying their lobster rolls. The service was a bit slow even though the restaurant was not packed, but the server was friendly and checked in to see how we were doing. I ordered the trout and fried pickles, Ron had the lobster roll and deviled eggs, and Fab had chicken and waffles for the first time in his life. It was a little expensive for a regular lunch out, but all of us were satisfied with how things tasted and would definitely be back. 

Rating - Delish!

Steamboat Springs, CO

Site:

Site #1

Steamboat Springs KOA

Site: 24

Wifi: Verizon - 5.4 down, 3.8 up / ATT - 11.5 down, 4.6 up

Cost: $49/night

Noise: Minimal, but Ron was snoring so maybe more. 

The Steamboat Springs KOA is on the outskirts of the aforementioned city, right along a gorgeous river. As with every KOA we have stayed at, the hosts were friendly and helpful, and the site was just fine. At a 5 minute ride to downtown, everything you needed was really available to you (they even had a bus that went downtown!) while you still felt a little in the wilderness. The only downside (aside from the atrociously slow wifi) was that the bath houses were tiny. For a giant campground, they only had one facility. There were maybe 5 each of showers and bathroom stalls per gender. We never ran into an issue of overcrowding or not being able to use the facilities when we wanted, but that could easily be an issue if they were at full capacity. 

Rating: I’d go back!

Site #2

Meadows Campground

Site: 8

Wifi: Verizon - 6.47 down, 1.76 up / ATT - NONE 

Cost: $10/night

Noise: Wilderness Serenade

Originally we were set to boondock at Forest Road 302, but the road was so rutted we couldnt safely get our motorcycle to the end of the road to scout it out. Meadows Campground, at the top of one of the mountains outside of Steamboat, was nearly empty on a Weds. We were able to take prime picking of spots, and after running speed tests around the whole place, we picked Site 8, which also happened to be one of the few pull throughs. Almost none of the other spots had any real upload speeds, and while the speed we are getting is enough to do emails, there isn't much more bandwidth. There are a few pit toilets (well maintained) but no water or electric. There is a dumpster at the beginning of the campground so all of your garbage needs are taken care of. About 30 minutes to Steamboat, it was a beautiful place to camp up (though next year we would go sooner as it gets to below freezing at night). 

Rating: A bit stronger wifi and we would stay longer.

City

Steamboat Springs, CO

Steamboat Springs is an upscale tourist destination. Known for its skiing and hiking, everyone you pass by looks outdoorsy and fit. Shop owners are friendly, dogs are welcome almost everywhere, and new meets old with the downtown and shopping locations. It all feels a little disjointed, where you have beautiful old buildings for a few blocks and then a giant Walmart and McDonalds. It still had that small town feel with a few more amenities than normal. However, even though this town is made for adventurous people, you can tell from the NO BACKPACKS sign that not everyone is welcome

Rating: 2 weeks tops

Restaurants:

Beau Jo’s & Back Door Grill

Beau Jo’s - When walking around downtown we saw a sign for Colorado Pizza. We have heard of Chicago and New York and even California Pizza, but never Colorado. Turns out when we asked the locals they hadn’t heard of Colorado Pizza either! Beau Jo’s is a chain of pizza restaurants in Colorado famous for their pizza by the pound. What makes their pizza distinctive is their massive crust, which has honey drizzled on it, that is like a breadstick version of cheesy crust pizza. Luckily, the rest of the pizza was just as good! The sauce wasn’t too sweet, and there was the perfect amount of cheese. It felt like you were eating two different meals because of the little amount of pizza vs crust, but what you ate was delicious. I’d stay away from the sad salad bar, though!

Rating - Not famous, but still really tasty

Back Door Grill - When we asked the KOA hosts where we should eat, two of them actually started salivating when talking about Back Door Grill. Known for its “outrageous” burgers, Back Door Grill has won almost every burger award in Colorado. And its awards are well founded. I started with deep fried pickles (whole spears!) and Ron had the portabella fries. He almost ordered a second set of portabella fries instead of a burger because he thought they were so delicious. My burger was the Holy Spicoli, with a whole corndog and fried egg in the middle. Ron ate essentially a burger with avocado, but was very satisfied with it as well.

Rating - Even the basics are top notch!