Hitting the Western Slope

May is here and the snow is, mostly, on the way out. Here in NoCo, we have been getting more rain and moisture than the rest of the state, so the trails are still a little too wet to mountain bike.

But it’s time for a road trip. The adventure van is coming along, one upgrade at a time. These things can be a real money pit. But the hitch and the bike rack are on, the flooring is in, and the basic panels are up. So it is time to test the beast going up and over the continental divide.

The first weekend in May was supposed to be the Fruita Fat Tire Festival. The plan was to go to the 25th anniversary last year, but that whole CoVid thing. This year it got canceled too. But already had reservations so we just kept them and went. Which, I feel other people also did, but not too many, it wasn’t that crowded at the hotel. We got a hotel rather than camping since at the time we didn’t know what vehicle we would be taking. I hadn’t gotten the van yet, and right now, camping spaces are hard to get. Normally you can find some BLM land to camp on up near road 18 trailheads. but since the improvements and expansion of campground sites, the BLM removed some of the dispersed camping from around there.

Driving up I-70 crossing the state, I was impressed how the van did, even with only a V-6 engine. Gas mileage was good too, glad I got the V-6.

We did a straight shot across Colorado. We could and should have stopped more along the way. Once you get to Glenwood canyon (right?) along the I-70 route there are a number of hikes and trailheads that I have wanted to do for years. It might be a better idea to camp closer and knock those out one morning. The fire tore through there last year so I need to check on the conditions.

The van isn’t quite set up yet. I still need to get the bed platform built out. So there isn’t a good way to contain a lot of gear. I ended up linking some tie-down straps and compressing all the stuff into a pile, while I had an exercise pad under it to keep it all from sliding. It worked. But I got to get that platform in before the next trip.

Brought the camping stove, thinking that we might stop places and make food. Ended up not doing it. Wish I would have. Most of the rest stops seemed unfriendly toward it or really weren’t a picturesque place to picnic. It is really easier when driving to have simple eats.

Part of the reason for the van is to have a chill mobile. Something that you can just pull over and enjoy the view. Need to work on that. Most of traveling is the journey. Go slower. Take more snack breaks.