Happy Independence Day! It’s been in the high 90’s here in Gillette, WY at the Cam-Plex. Saturday was our first full day parked at the Boxelder RV Park with the FCRV group for the Campvention Rally which officially starts on Monday the 6th of July. (Click on the green links for more info)
We started off the day by washing the bugs off the front of the Urban Escape Vehicle while the front was still in the shade, we’re parked facing due West. We have multiple water faucets at our site along with 50-amp power. After I finished, I shared the wash bucket, hose, and ladder with my Dad who is parked beside us.
Then it was time to unload the Harley from the back of the Silverado. We downloaded the bicycles yesterday, and of course, Kaan’s bicycle was the first…
Trying to stay in the shade… Stilla, Linda, and Kaan.
I toured the Cam-Plex area a little with the Harley… boy, was it hot yesterday. I rode by the handicapped parking area on the opposite side of the Cam-Plex main building and visited with Bob McChord for a few minutes. He was outside washing the bugs off his rig too.
In the late afternoon, we made a trip into town with Dad & Elaine to stock up on a few items at WalMart.
Then we grilled up some steaks on our Cuisinart gas grill. We shared the grill with my Dad & Elaine. Once the steaks were cooked, we put them in a travel container. Stilla made some creamed-corn on the stove top. When everything was ready, we took our food and chairs over to the “Colorado Cruisers” FCRV group to join them in a little potluck get-together. They are parked next to us in the same row. The group we belong to along with my Dad & Elaine is called the “Rolling Springs” Chapter of the FCRV. Fun people… fun times…
4th of July Potluck with the “Colorado Cruisers”.4th of July Potluck with the “Colorado Cruisers”. Notice everyone trying to squeeze into the shade 🙂4th of July Potluck with the “Colorado Cruisers”.4th of July Potluck with the “Colorado Cruisers”.4th of July Potluck with the “Colorado Cruisers”.4th of July Potluck with the “Colorado Cruisers”.(L to R) Biff, Linda, Elaine, and Dad – 4th of July Potluck with the “Colorado Cruisers”.
After enjoying the impromptu get-together with the “Colorado Cruisers”, our “Rolling Springs” group retired to a shady spot behind our own rigs together to enjoy some dessert that Linda shared… yummm.
4th of July dessert-time with the “Rolling Springs” group. (L to R) Bob, dog ‘Abby’, Biff and Linda.4th of July dessert-time with the “Rolling Springs” group. (L to R) Stilla, Elaine, Dad (Bill), and Mary McChord.My stepmom, Elaine dishing up some of Linda’s Cherry Cobbler dessert.4th of July dessert-time with the “Rolling Springs” group.
Around 10 PM, we set up our chairs in front of our rigs for the highly-publicized fireworks show… expectations were high.
Of course, I had to set up our flagpole for the event. Luckily the solar light had enough time to charge during the day because it’s been stored away for the last couple months while we were parked on pavement at the COS Elks Lodge.
The fireworks were awesome…
We released one of the “Chinese Lanterns” that we purchased in Quartzsite AZ a couple years ago. We’ve been carrying them around for quite awhile. Someone else had released theirs earlier, which gave us the idea.
The fireworks show lived up to expectations! What a great Grand-Finale! Of course, all the firework shows we see, now get compared to our experience at the Pyrotechnics Show “Winter Blast” we attended in Lake Havasu back in February. (Link HERE), (HERE), and (HERE) for my posts on that event.
Today (Sunday) we volunteered from 12 – 2 pm to collect door prizes from everyone that’s arrived so far. It’s already windy and overcast this morning… quite a difference from yesterday. Stay tuned…
We moved out of our spot at the COS Elks Lodge on Wednesday evening after it finally quit raining. I had already loaded the Harley and bicycles earlier in the day. We dumped the tanks and parked at the back of the lot so we could get an early start on Thursday.
Urban Escape Vehicle ready to roll at the COS Elks Lodge.
We coordinated our morning takeoff time with my Dad/Stepmom in order to meet up on I-25 so we could convoy together to the FCRV Campvention Rally in Gillette, WY. When my stepmom (Elaine) called to say they had gotten on the highway and were nearing our exit, we took off immediately but got caught up in slow traffic before we could even get to the on-ramp. When we finally got on I-25 heading north, they were several miles ahead of us. We stayed in contact via text message and called off mile markers. They stayed around 55 mph, but with heavy traffic it took us about 40 miles before we could catch up with them.
We finally passed my Dad & Elaine near Castle Rock and took over the lead…
Dad and Elaine’s Coach with Jeep in tow on I-25 heading north to Gillette, WY.
As I mentioned in my earlier post, we have the pleasure of traveling with our grandson (Kaan) while school is out for the summer. He really enjoys the passenger seat.
We rolled through Denver without too much incident… traffic is always a challenge through there.
I only had to stand on the brakes once. Don’t you just hate it when you leave a nice gap between yourself and the cars in front… and someone always seems to want to fill that gap just as everyone ahead is braking… grrrr.
And later on, this knucklehead passed us doing about 85 mph while chunks of his flat tire littered the road in front of us. We dodged the pieces until he finally realized he had a flat and pulled over…
We finally found a rest area near Ft Collins and took a quick break. Our little dog ‘Coach’ enjoys breaks often 🙂 My dad shared one of his walkie-talkies so we could stay in touch without having to call or text on the phones.
Traffic finally thinned as we approached the Wyoming border.
My Dad & Elaine made reservations earlier in the week for the KOA in Douglas, WY. We wanted to stay on budget and didn’t make any reservations. Besides, we can easily dry-camp at a rest area for a quick overnight while traveling.
So we stopped at a rest area just south of Douglas to call the KOA to check prices and see if they had room for us there too. They did have one spot left… but they wanted about $40. Ouch! We originally planned on spending the night at a rest area near Guernsey State Park that we had frequented once before, but we already passed that one. This particular rest area in Douglas had signs posted “No Overnight Parking”. Luckily, the nice lady on the phone from the KOA told us about the city park nearby.
So after traveling ~300 miles for the day we parted ways for the evening. My Dad & Elaine went to the KOA while we found the city park…
And what a nice park it was! Plenty of room, easy access, and the best part – free 🙂
Right next to the North Platte river…
We didn’t even have to disconnect the truck.
Grandson Kaan in front of a barbed-wire deer at the Riverside Park in Douglas, WY.
We unloaded Kaan’s bike so he could get some exercise and give the computer games and our internet usage a break.
Kaan with blue popsicle tongue.
We even broke out the metal detector. Kaan had fun with it for a while until he got tired of digging up bottle caps and other metal junk.
Then we played a little “catch” with the football…
In the morning (Friday), we drove the ~2-3 miles to meet my Dad & Elaine at the KOA park for breakfast. We enjoyed Biscuits & Gravy at a picnic table in the shade.
(L to R) Elaine, Dad, Kaan and Stilla getting breakfast at the KOA in Douglas, WY.The Urban Escape Vehicle parked at the check-in line. Douglas KOA in WY.
Then we convoyed north on WY-59 for ~120 miles to arrive at the Cam-Plex Events Facility in Gillette, WY.
We were greeted by FCRV volunteers in the parking lot where we paid $50 for two nights because we arrived early. The FCRV Campvention Rally doesn’t officially start until the 6th of July. We paid in advance for the rally itself, which was $275 for six nights.
We disconnected the tow vehicles and followed the directions we were given to the Boxelder RV Park located on the east side of the complex.
I followed Dad’s coach to our designated site in the RV park…
And here we are, all set up and ready for the rally…
Elaine, Dad, and Stilla enjoying the shade between our rigs.
We pulled in next to friends and fellow FCRV members Biff & Linda Anderson. They arrived a day or so earlier.
Biff & Linda Anderson next to their Monaco Coach.
After getting set up and exploring the immediate area, we found… you guessed it… an Elks Lodge right next to the park. Elks Lodge 2825.
(L to R) Linda, Stilla, Elaine, Dad, and Biff at Elks Lodge 2825 in Gillette, WY.Elks Lodge 2825 in Gillette, WY.
After refreshments at the Elks Lodge, we drove through the Cam-Plex looking for fellow FCRV members (Bob & Mary McChord) who were parked in the handicapped area on the opposite side of the complex.
Bob & Mary McChord’s Coach.
Other than a recent dinner visit at the Elks Lodge in Colorado Springs, we last saw Bob and Mary McChord when they were staying in Parker, AZ at the Pirates Den Resort & Marina. I wrote about our visit with them on 12 Feb 2015 (HERE).
Mary and Bob McChord.FCRV members visiting with Bob & Mary McChord in their coach.Stilla and Kaan touring the RV park in Gillette, WY.
So here we are; (L to R) Biff & Linda, my Dad & Elaine, and the Urban Escape Vehicle in Gillette, WY 🙂
There’s supposed to be a nice 4th of July fireworks show here at the Cam-Plex along with some other activities… stay tuned…
We’ve stayed pretty busy this past week… I’ve gotten behind again with the blog postings, (my last entry was on Friday morning). To continue where I left off; On Friday morning, we said goodbye to our Alpine Coach friends, the Foster’s, who were heading up to Littleton to visit relatives. See you later, John and Lorraine! The Giddens (Jack & Linda) along with Linda’s sister (Edye) and her husband (Hugh) went out for a day of sight-seeing around Colorado Springs.
Nice to see a couple more Alpines in the Elks RV park… doing our part to increase the property values…
Meanwhile, Stilla spent time over at our daughters house while I took the motorcycle over to a nearby RV park where Ricky and Cathy Broussard are parked. Ricky mentioned that he’s had to add small amounts of antifreeze to his recovery bottle lately and is concerned he might have a coolant leak. We checked everything out but couldn’t find any evidence of leakage. The only questionable problem was with the radiator, it has a small section where the cooling fins appear to be disintegrating (pictured below). Anyone seen this before? The area is dry and doesn’t seem to be seeping antifreeze.
While checking out Ricky’s Alpine for coolant leaks… he showed me his ingenious idea for deflecting the air from the compressor pressure relief valve. I’ve got to build one of these… I think everyone hates the dust cloud that inevitably gets kicked up when the pressure relief valve blows. Way to go Ricky!
When I returned to the Elks Lodge, the camp host enlisted my help to get the tires filled on his Sportster. It’s been sitting for quite a while and the front was almost flat. After I filled the tires, I offered to wash the bike since I already had my wash bucket out. Then I ended up waxing and polishing… I just hated to see all the scuffs and scratches from the plastic tarp he’s been using to cover the bike. It gave me something to do and it turned out pretty good. If anyone’s interested, he’s trying to sell it… I’m sure he’ll make you a good deal… it would make someone a great first ‘starter’ Harley.
The Gidden’s made it back in time for the Friday dinner at the Elks Lodge. The Broussard’s also came over from their nearby RV park.
Dinner at Elks Lodge 309: Ricky and Cathy Broussard on the left… Jack and Linda Giddens on the right. Lindas sister Edye is also on the left across from Stilla.
It was a great dinner with great friends… my Dad and stepmom Elaine also came by with Biff and Linda.
Early Saturday morning, I was walking our little dog (Coach) and met Jack in the RV parking lot… we decided to go on an impromptu (somewhat) longer walk and see where Ricky and Cathy Broussard are parked at a nearby mobile home/RV park. After meeting up with Ricky in front of his Alpine (pic below), the three of us continued on down to the nearby Monument Creek trail and did a hefty ~2 mile loop.
After we returned from our little morning hike… The Gidden’s took off for the day to tour Cripple Creek and Victor with Linda’s sister Edye and her husband Hugh.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool here at the Elks Lodge.
My oldest daughter, Jennifer brought our grandson, Kaan for a day at the pool as well…
Daughter Jennifer with grandson Kaan, who demonstrated (again and again) how he can dive to the bottom of the deep end.
And then things began to liven-up around mid-afternoon… a band started setting up tents beside the pool. Before we knew it, we had good music, a keg of beer, and raffle prizes. What an unexpected but pleasant surprise. Apparently, unknown to us, the lodge was hosting this charity event to raise funds for a local school wrestling team. Here’s some pics…
Unfortunately (for us) the Gidden’s and Hugh/Edye were too worn out after their day in Cripple Creek and Victor to join us, but they could certainly hear the music from their respective spots in the RV lot.
One of the raffle prizes was this party bus (pictured below) for twenty people to take a trip up to Cripple Creek for an evening. The band had loads of raffle prizes throughout the evening and even a 50/50 drawing.
Anyone want to purchase some losing tickets? Only used once…
The lights from the band reflected off the stainless steel on this Country Coach parked next to us in the early evening… first flashing red…
then blue…
and then green…
and they played on late into the night as evidenced from this view out our Coach window…
Another great day at the Elks Lodge!
On Sunday morning we met up again with all our Alpine Coach friends; my Dad/Stepmom; and Biff/Linda for an awesome Sunday Brunch inside the Lodge. Longtime friends John and Angelika Rowe also joined us for breakfast. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any pics 🙁
After our breakfast, we said our ‘farewells’ and ‘see-ya-laters’ with our Alpine friends Jack and Linda, and Hugh and Edye. They are heading north. Safe travels you guys… it was great seeing you!
Then we joined John and Angelika Rowe who rode their Ultra-Classic from Fountain for a ride downtown to the annual Tejon Street Bike Fest.
Our ’96 Heritage Softail Classic and John’s Ultra Classic at the Tejon Bike Fest.
Angelika Rowe, Stilla, and grandson Kaan.John and Angelika at the Tejon Bikefest.
All kinds and sizes of bikes were at the Tejon Bike Fest.
After checking out all the activities and vendors at the Bike Fest, we decided to take a ride into Garden of the Gods. However, the ride was short-lived for two reasons, 1) nasty rain clouds came in quickly over Pikes Peak, and 2) I forgot to switch the fuel petcock off of the ‘reserve’ position the last time I filled up… I ran out of gas just as we got to this parking lot (below).
Stilla, John and Angelika Rowe in Garden of the Gods.
John and Angelika had to ride over to a gas station to get us some fuel. They ended up having to purchase a gas can because the station didn’t do ‘loaners’.
John and Angelika “to the rescue”… fuel can in hand…Got gas?
Fill er up John.
Now I’m the proud owner of a 1 gallon fuel can. Hmmm, where am I going to find room for that in the Coach? Once I was fueled back up… John and Angelika headed straight back home because it was starting to rain. We made if halfway back to downtown Colorado Springs before it started raining real hard. It got so bad that we had to duck into a gas station to take cover under the pump island. Luckily, the gas station/convenience store also had seating inside, so we dried off inside and enjoyed a cappuccino until the rain let up.
And then the sun came out… so we went back to the Tejon Street Bike Fest to check on a cover for the Harley that I had spied earlier.
People were out and about again after the rainstorm… the smart people had just stayed parked and waited out the rain inside one of the many bars or cafes along Tejon street.
I found the vendor that I had talked to earlier and he fitted the bike with one of their new waterproof covers. I’ve been needing one of these for those days where a full cloth cover just isn’t practical.
The cover is easy to put on and protects the seat and saddlebags from the hot sun. It can even be put on immediately after riding since the cover doesn’t touch the exhaust pipes. What you can get for $100 nowadays, eh?
Later on, after we got back to the Coach, my good friend and old Army buddy, Tim Bargy stopped by on his Harley with his wife Christine for a visit. Again, I forgot to take a picture 🙁 It’s always good to see Tim. We were stationed together in Schwabach, Germany back in the early ’80s. Christine is also German, so Stilla and her jabbered while Tim and I got caught up. It started raining again shortly after they left for their home in Monument, so I gave him a call later to make sure they made it home safely. Tim told me they had to spend a half-hour or so at a gas station to wait it out. Sounds familiar right?
On Monday, I honestly can’t remember what we did… so it must not have been anything important right? I probably just cleaned something or got a few things packed up in preparation for us to leave on Thursday.
But on Tuesday, Danny and Monika Malmquist stopped by for a lunchtime visit. Monika works just around the corner from here and Danny doesn’t get a lot of free time from his trucking job, so it was good to see them.
We decided to go out for some Greek food at a little restaurant on north Nevada Ave near the Elks Lodge. It was a good choice.
And later that evening, we got back together again for… wait for it… Taco Tuesday at the Elks Lodge…
Wednesday, I spent all day getting everything packed up. I got the Harley and the bicycles back onto the pickup. We’ve been here at the Elks Lodge for two months now… a great place but it’s time to move on…
Our plan is to meet up with my Dad and stepmom Elaine this morning (Thursday) to convoy up to Gillette, WY for the FCRV Campvention Rally. We’ll be taking our grandson along since he’s on summer break.
So check back soon to see what adventure awaits… and remember you can always ‘subscribe’ to this blog to get a notification when a new post is submitted.
