Tag Archives: Coach

Colorado

Another Alpine Coach Mini-Rally! (Elks Lodge 2227, Westminster CO)

We enjoyed a quiet evening at our free boondocking spot in the Cavalryman Steakhouse Restaurant parking lot in Laramie WY. Thanks to the Escapees Day’s End Directory for turning us on to this spot!  In the morning (Wednesday), we woke up to a herd of pronghorn antelope in the open field next to us.

The Cavalryman is located alongside US-287 just south of I-80 in Laramie.  We did a GPS check and saw that we could just continue south on US-287 to Fort Collins and then get on I-25 in order to reach Colorado Springs.  We’ve been to Fort Collins before, but had never been on this stretch of road… it was a good choice.  It’s a much more relaxed and scenic route to get between Laramie and Fort Collins as opposed to going east on I-80 to Cheyenne and then south on I-25.  And it’s 20 miles shorter.

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There was a little traffic and road construction with detours to negotiate once we reached Fort Collins, but I’d take this route again.

We set our sights on the Elks Lodge in Westminster CO and plugged in the address on our GPS.  We’ve heard about this lodge a few times from other Elks members and Alpiner’s.  The Gidden’s and the Foster’s recently stayed here.  We got on I-25 at Fort Collins and headed south into the dreaded Denver traffic.

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So, 125 miles later – we pulled into the parking lot and the first thing we see is another Alpine!

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We went into the lodge and asked about parking.  Wow! What a nice facility with huge, beautifully-decorated dining room(s).  The nice bartender called the camp host, who came down from her site in the RV park to greet us in her golf cart.  Julie gave us a ride back to our Coach and set us up in site H for the night.  Only $12 for 30 Amp power.

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We got set up in our site right next to the other Alpine.  The owner wasn’t in, so I left a card in his door handle.

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The Urban Escape Vehicle at Elks Lodge 2227 in Westminster, CO.

We went back into the lodge for a nice lunch.  Again, nice!  What a difference this lodge is over our not not-so-good experience in Cody WY that I wrote about HERE.

After lunch, we took a walk through the RV Park and guess what we see?!?  Another Alpine!  And we know these guys… Jim & Sally Beswick.

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We know Jim & Sally from the Quartzsite ‘Desert Rat Rally‘  we’ve attended over the past 2-3 years.  As a matter-of-fact, we even linked up with them again earlier this year at Fortuna de Oro RV Resort in Yuma and again at the Cocopah Casino.  (click on the links above in green-font to see those postings)

At first, they weren’t in their Coach – but we saw them come in a little later, and after hugs and greetings… we agreed to get-together for “Happy Hour” at 5 O’Clock…

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(L to R) David, Daniel, Jim & Sally at Westminster Elks Lodge 2227.

We forgot to go back to the lodge for dinner we were having so much fun catching up.

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We hung out at Jim & Sally’s Coach and enjoyed adult beverages along with good conversation late into the night.  We even met their neighbor Daniel, who owns the Class-C next door.  Again – we get to meet the nicest people in the RV community…  we might have talked Daniel into trading up to an Alpine Coach in the future.  Ya’ never know…

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A little later into the evening, the owner of the Alpine Coach that we were parked next to, showed up.  He saw the card I left in his door and Stilla brought him up to Jim & Sally’s site when she went back to our Coach briefly to check on the grandson who was playing video games.  Meet Ray, (sorry, I never caught his last name), but he was a really nice guy that spent the rest of the evening with us.

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And so, another Alpine Coach mini-rally comes to a close… I think as a general rule – that if there are more than two Alpine Coaches in one spot, we can call it a mini-rally.  What do you think?  If memory serves; I remember reading that Western RV only built around 1,700 of these fine Coaches between 1999 and 2009, so there aren’t a whole lot out here on the road.

See you next time Jim & Sally!  And hopefully, we get to see Ray again down the road sometime.  Nice to meet you Ray!

We’ll head on down to Colorado Springs today (Thursday) and get the grandson back to his mom, who’s looking forward to seeing him again.  I called ahead to the Elks Lodge in Colorado Springs to make sure they have a spot for us.  We’ll decide how long to stay once we get there.  My Dad recently had some surgery to remove some skin cancer on his nose, so I’m sure he could use some help around the house.

 

Wyoming

A looong travel day and a free boondocking spot (Cavalryman Restaurant Parking Lot, Laramie WY)

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We left the Wyoming Gardens RV Park in Thermopolis by 11:30 (Tuesday) and headed south on WY789/US20 towards Shoshoni.  Our initial goal for the day was the town of Riverton.  We knew that the local Elks Lodge there had RV parking, but once we were in town, it was still pretty early in the day so we decided to keep going.

We followed our GPS directions for the best route back to Colorado Springs.  We need to get our grandson back in time for the start of the school year.  The Rand McNally RVND 7720 led us through Sweetwater Station, Jeffrey City, Muddy Gap, and then Rawlins.  When we didn’t find any decent campgrounds or boondocking spots, we continued east on I-80 after Rawlins.  We consulted the Escapees Day’s End Directory which turned us on to the Cavalryman Restaurant in Laramie, where we are now.  Over 275 miles driven today… whew!

The drive through Wind River Canyon between Thermopolis and Shoshoni was beautiful and when we passed Boysen State Park and the Boysen Reservoir, we made a note to come back and check this place out when we have more time in the future.

We stopped briefly at the top of one of the steep grades to take in the wide open view.

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After 275+ miles for the day, we rolled into the parking lot of the Cavalryman Restaurant around  5 PM.  The Days End Directory said this is a free overnight stop as long as you talk to the management.  And of course, since we’re here, we might as well eat, right?

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The Cavalryman Steakhouse is located on the parade grounds of historic Fort Sanders, established in July of 1866. Originally named Fort Buford, for Major General John Buford, the post was designated Fort Sanders on September 5, 1866, in honor of Brigadier General William P. Sanders.  The building was built in 1925 to serve as the clubhouse for the local country club. Just to the east, remnants of the nine-hole golf course can still be found. (ref. this website)

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We parked along the edge of the big parking lot and went inside the restaurant to make sure we were OK to park here overnight.  The hostess introduced us to someone who we think was the manager, although he never introduced himself as such.  He looked out the window to see where we were parked, and said, “sure, no problem”.  We thanked him, gave him one of our cards, and promised to come back in for dinner.IMG_1561

We hit the automatic leveling system to drop the jacks and put out the slides.  After running up the satellite dish and taking little “Coach” for a walk, we went on into the restaurant for a pretty nice dinner, albeit a somewhat expensive one… but that’s alright since we don’t have to pay for an overnight stay 🙂

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Here’s a couple pics I snapped while we waited for our meal… it started filling up with more customers as we ate our fine meal.

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We’re still not sure if we’ll drive straight-on through to Colorado Springs.  The earliest we really need to be back is the 10th of August.  That gives our grandson a little time before school starts around the 13th, and I made a commitment to help out for the Pikes Peak Marathon on the 15th.  I’ve volunteered in years’ past to drive one of the vans to bring the runners back down after their ascent and have been getting multiple requests to help out once again.  I’m supposed to attend a drivers meeting (and a free meal) on the 11th.  So, check back to see what we decide and where we end up…

In other news: Little dog “Coach” had another small ‘episode’ today.  He was acting antsy and kept pacing back and forth at the doorstep while we were driving.  So we pulled over to let him out at a pullout.  He threw up a little (more spittle and foam than anything else) and then he flopped over on his side with his little legs flapping in the air… we think he has trouble getting air when he throws up.  He’s always had a weird cough, kind of like a cat spitting up a hairball.  He recovered quickly and seems alright again, but we’re going to have to take him to the vet pretty soon.