Maiden Voyage

When we left Rocky Mountain FourWheel it was rather late in the day and at this point we needed to find just a place to park for the night before heading to Telluride. We decided that we would make a stop at Walmart in Evergreen, Colorado. We love Walmart, in fact, we joke that all of our date nights are walking through the different Walmarts checking out the different camping accessories they have. The Walmart in Evergreen is gorgeous, no joke. Its huge and it has everything you could possibly need and you can camp in their parking lot for free.

We had packed several things but we needed some things that we knew we didn’t want to get before having the camper. Our list was long. Of course it was fun to refer back to a list my brother had sent me when he was buying items for his camper. Does one really have a large enough freezer to store ice cream thus needing an ice cream scoop?

Yes – our first night in the camper was spent in a Walmart parking lot next to Mc Donald’s. Our second night location was better. We needed to get some work done while on the road and our next location needed to have WiFi. We went with a camping spot called Sweetwater River Ranch in Cotopaxi, Colorado.

View from the bridge – Sweetwater River Ranch

Tenkara Fly Fishing – Sweetwater River Ranch

Although the spot was charming – beside the river, cute bridge to cross over to other side, clean restrooms with showers, little market/gift store, BBQ at campsite and table with benches- the WiFi was slow. Like dial up slow and who knew that even though you have WiFi that doesn’t mean you have phone service. We always recommend you try out their WiFi before deciding to stay the night if you have other options.

Our third night with the camper was even better. We found a place beside the river at a little camping spot called Lone Rock. It’s perfect for some easy camping. There are water front spots, with fire pits and tables with benches. The out houses are clean and not smelly and you can buy firewood at the entrance. We did some Tenkara fly fishing but there were no fishes to be caught or at least they didn’t bite. We enjoyed a real campfire and some tunes. Night three was much better.

We made our way into Telluride for our fourth night and it was everything you could ask for. Off the grid and beautifully green with trees and gorgeous mountains all around. It was so scenic with a view of the lake from the road, lush aspens and pine trees.

We took a road that hugged the lake and then found the entrance to go off road with our truck to find our perfect spot for the night. There were no real signs for camping but quickly figured out from the other campers that you could camp overnight at any spot we wished. After a 20-minute drive we found our slice of heaven in the Telluride forest.

By night four we had our routine down on how to set up camp and how to take it all down. It sets up and breaks down rather quickly, in about 10 minutes or less with popping up the camper, leveling the camper and putting mats and step stool in place outside of camper. Once we were set up, we decided we would have our first BBQ off grid. We got some cheap metal mesh, charcoal and some steaks to cook. The ribeye steaks we got from Walmart were awesome. We feasted on juicy seared steaks, salad and ice cold beer under the stars surrounded by trees in complete silence, other than our favorite tunes playing.

We decided since it was a little chilly we would try out our heater for the first time. We definitely could have dealt with the cold, but hey – why not enjoy the heat and see how well it works. It worked wonderfully. Camping with the camper is definitely a step up from tent camping when you have a comfy bed and a heater. This put our minds at ease a little knowing that it would keep us warm on cold nights.

In the morning we enjoyed what was left over from our steaks and some scrabbled eggs. It was our first time using the stove and found that it was quite convenient and with the Fantastic Fan, all of the smells from the kitchen were quickly pulled out. With a good breakfast under our belts we were ready to move on to our next stop.