Trailer Camping in Colorado

I have no idea what fridge runs on but we'll find out soon enough.  The title has finally cleared and we pick up the trailer first thing Saturday morning.  This is good.  We have a couple of days planned over labor day in New Glarus State Park (WI), near the New Glarus Brewery which sadly is closed until October.  dammit.  This will be the shakedown run to figure out how this camping in a trailer thing works and make a list for the Colorado run.

We did get a reservation at Ridgeway - thanks JimP & Keith for the suggestion.  I called Cheyenne Mountain State Park and the ranger had me reserve across two sites to get our three nights.  Sometimes the human interface is just better than the web.

In reply to jwagner (Forum Supporter) :

Congrats! Post more details once you've got it.

In reply to jwagner (Forum Supporter) :

Have a great time!  And I also hope you get those cool, crisp mornings that are so nice camping.

Look what followed us home yesterday -

2016 R Pod 178.  Previous owners tell me that it's only been used a few times and that it has been garage kept for most of it's life.  From the general condition of the trailer it looks like it.  It's nearly perfect.  Everything seems to work, although the brakes seem pretty weak even with the controller turned all the way up.  Need to look at that, they would be nice to have in Colorado.  I also figure it's probably a good idea to replace the battery with something larger.

Seems like a win, I'll be getting the truck and trailer ready this week for our first outing.

Good choice on the 178! Glad you found one that's so clean too. Yeah, weak brakes are a common complaint on these. Post up if you are able to improve them.

When you're in Ridgway, try the Irish Red at Colorado Boy!  If you're into trains , check out the Ridgway Railroad Museum.  What days will you be in Ridgway?

JP

Travel restrictions in our area are becoming clearer, travel on US 550 south of Ouray will be difficult on weekdays Sept 13 - 17 and 20 - 24, unrestricted 5:30 pm - 8:30 am and on the weekends, but closed during the weekdays except for noon - 1 pm, so if you are in the area those weeks you'll have to plan accordingly.  Let us know your schedule and we can help with suggestions.  I think route 50 goes back to the same restrictions on Sept. 1st at a point just west of Blue Mesa Reservoir between Montrose and Gunnison there is a scenic detour that adds an hour or two to that trip during the week that goes through Crawford and Delta.  Travel is still workable in both areas, you just need to know the alternatives.  Still scenic 4-wheeling in the Ridgway area (Yankee Boy and Imogene Pass, Last Dollar and Owl Creek), still access to Mesa Verde via Lizard Head on rt. 145, lots to see and do.  We can help.  Leaves peak around here around October 1st, a little earlier in other areas that are nearby.

If you want to know about road openings and closures, watch https://www.cotrip.org. IIRC Hwy 50 is being shut down during the day again now that I-70 is semi-functional.

Thanks for the info on the closures, never considered that and we'll have to look into it.  We have reservations at Ridgeway Sep17 through Sep 19. 

18 and 19 travel on 550 will be unrestricted, so you have full freedom of the Ridgway/Ouray County/Silverton area.  Any particular interests I can point you toward?  Scenic drives, 4WD trails, ghost towns, 1969 True Grit film locations (it was filmed in and around Ridgway)?  Free rides at the railroad museum 10 - 2 on Saturday, possibly on a famous Galloping Goose railbus if we have moved it down from Telluride by then.  Don't know the music scene possibilities for those dates yet.  Kieth's website recommendation is key for up to date travel info.  FYI, due to a recent outbreak Silverton recently went back to requiring masks indoors, but in that area you would want to be outdoors anyhow for the scenery and history.  Ouray County has been fortunate so afar and as of today has no mask requirements, but of course that can change.  For news of the area, google Ouray Plaindealer (I think their website is ouraynews.com) for some of the week's online stories.  We have no chain restaurants, which we think is a good thing, a variety of food, all local.

Galloping goose - those are the bus-like things on rails, right?

Our plans were to sightsee some of the great Colorado outdoors and do some light hiking.  Since the rail museum is right there, that sounds like a good bet.  Breweries and casual food are good, and I'm not sure what else.  Depends a lot on the local attractions.  We're still staying out of big crowds.

Since this is the first stop in a new trailer, so I'm sure that some of the first couple of days will be spent organizing and figuring out how stuff works.  Just bought a new battery and a Dokio (cheap chinesium) solar setup hoping to keep enough electrons moving through the first three days of dry camping.

Found an $89 Exide 100AH deep cycle marine/RV battery at a home improvement store and bought a cheapo solar system from Amazon. It's an 8lb  "semi-flexible" fold up panel that's supposed to be good for 160W.  Comes with a PWM controller.

Set it up in the driveway connected to the old battery to see how it works.  Partially shaded, late afternoon, it was good for a 4.3 amp charge.   Should help give us some more time on the battery when we don't have a connection.

jwagner (Forum Supporter) said:

Galloping goose - those are the bus-like things on rails, right?

Our plans were to sightsee some of the great Colorado outdoors and do some light hiking.  Since the rail museum is right there, that sounds like a good bet.  Breweries and casual food are good, and I'm not sure what else.  Depends a lot on the local attractions.  We're still staying out of big crowds.

Since this is the first stop in a new trailer, so I'm sure that some of the first couple of days will be spent organizing and figuring out how stuff works.  Just bought a new battery and a Dokio (cheap chinesium) solar setup hoping to keep enough electrons moving through the first three days of dry camping.

Yep, seven were built right here in Ridgway by the Rio Grande Southern railroad in the early 1930s, kept the railroad in business until 1951.  All seven have been restored to operating condition in various museums in Colorado and California.  We have a recreation of Motor 1 (the prototype) and will probably have Goose 4 from Telluride on site by mid-September, we store it under cover during the winters to protect it from snow loads.  We did a 5-year frame off restoration several years ago.  Our board of directors are mostly car guys (president has a 997 Carrera 4S, I have a 94 Vette and an 89 MR2, another has two show cars (early Bronco and a Roush-engined early T Bird, another has been to Bondurant, another has a restored Model A.

In reply to jwagner (Forum Supporter) :

You'll find that even partial shade has a significant effect on the output of the panel. So does angling it towards the sun like you've done. Kind of fun to play with actually. 

I'm interested to hear how the solar works out. I'm interested in getting something similar (and cheap) to extend battery life for my trailer. Those Jackery solar generator units are pretty cool, but $$$$$!

I'm also interested in the solar panel approach...  I've considered the idea but haven't taken the step yet...

If you experience some rear squatting of your Pathfinder under load the "Airlift 1000" rear suspension bags will help.  I found they greatly improved handling when the truck was towing a load.

Cheers

Gordon 

For planning purposes. we are planning to bring Goose 4 from Telluride to Ridgway on 9/09, so it should definitely be available for free rides on Saturday, Sept. 18 between 10 am and 2 pm (along with Motor 1, based on a 1925 Buick, and Inspection 1, a 1910 Model T track inspection car).

JP

Some more useful info for your trip.  Just found out that on Friday, Sept. 17  the Colorado Grand will be traveling route 92 between Delta and US 50 to Blue Mesa Reservoir, then US 50 from Blue Mesa to Gunnison, Monarch Pass and Salida, so if you are traveling that route that day, probably after lunch you will see some amazing cars.  They often make a lunch stop in Hotchkiss where people like us can see the cars up close.  Don't know for sure that they are having lunch there this year, but it's a good bet.  This is one of the super tours for pre-1961 significant sports and racing cars, there are usually about 80 cars, from blower Bentleys and Bugattis through Jaguar D and C types, Ferraris from 166s through 250 Berlinettas and 250 Californias, GTOs and LeMans winners, Aston DB4s and everything in between, easily $100 million of cars that you usually only see in museums.  Google Colorado Grand, they always keep the actual route secret, but us serious folk usually can usually find out the general route and lunch stops through contacts.  Along 92 they may be going fast, they are escorted by the Colorado State Patrol motorcycle cops who usually let them go quickly when they are out in the boonies with little traffic.

Also, if you are coming in to Ridgway from the north, gas and food are MUCH cheaper in Montrose than in Ouray County, like gas is around 35 cents a gallon cheaper.  We have no chain supermarkets, so it's good idea to stock up on food and gas before you get here.  That's what us locals do.

I have come across the Grand on that route - Blue Mesa to Monarch and over. There aren't a lot of options, really. Makes for some great eye candy, and it's fantastic to see the cars getting used instead of just parked on a golf course lawn. Good tip!

I'll bet they spend the night of the 16th in GJ. 

Yep, at the Doubletree.

Jim, thanks for all the info.

We got back from three nights in a dry campground today, doing a shakedown cruise before we take off on a real trip.  The trailer is not very stable.  It can get into "sway mode" at about 63MPH and gets worse above that.  It's still towable, but not a relaxed tow at all.  We do have the air springs and I tried picking them up to 20psi - no help.  I bought a friction sway bar (need to weld to hitch to install) and I'm hoping that will get things under control.

The Pathfinder hunts gears a lot, or maybe the lockup is disengaging/engaging.  I'm hoping this is just normal and going to cause problems.  My E350 tow pig owners manual told me to turn off the O/D if it hunted gears but I don't think there's an option for that on the Nissan.

This also gave us a first try with the solar panel.  Using voltage as a battery condition measure, after two days of disconnected camping and using the lights and maybe 20 minutes of the heater at night to get the dampness out, the battery was down at 12.40 volts or about 75% capacity.  Haven't used plumbing or the fridge yet.  If you assume that the battery shouldn't drop much below 50% in normal use, then we're about halfway there.  After two days of overcast/drizzle we had a bright sunny day and I hooked up the panel.

The site was mostly wooded.  The back end is picked up about 10" to get a little better angle on the sun, and I put it in a place where the sun coverage should have gotten  better for at least a while.  When we got back at dinner time the battery was back at 12.75v - fully charged.  That's a win.

More Colorado Grand info, probably my last update.  Friday's route seems to be Grand Junction to Delta, then to Hotchkiss and then route 92 to Crawford and Blue Mesa Reservoir, then US 50 to Gunnison, then to Salida, so lunch stop may be in Gunnison.  Apparently the route has stopped there in the past at Jorgenson park.  So there should be spectacular cars on 92 before lunch, a 1 to 1 1/2 hour stop in Gunnison, then the cars on US 50 going east over Monarch.

If you need any other info about our area, PM me.  Great drives that aren't real hard core include Owl Creek Pass, Yankee Boy Basin (spectacular), and Last Dollar Road, a great hike (but often crowded) is Blue Lakes trail off of County Road 7 (West Dallas Creek).  Info at the Ridgway visitror center, corner of 550 and 62.  US 550 between Ouray and Silverton is a must (the Million dollar Highway), 25 miles each way, allow 45 minutes each way, maybe more for Winnebagos.

I hiked Blue Lakes a few weeks back. Amazing. There are a couple of upper lakes, it's a lot less crowded up there.

jwagner (Forum Supporter) said:

...We got back from three nights in a dry campground today, doing a shakedown cruise before we take off on a real trip.  The trailer is not very stable.  It can get into "sway mode" at about 63MPH and gets worse above that.  It's still towable, but not a relaxed tow at all.  We do have the air springs and I tried picking them up to 20psi - no help.  I bought a friction sway bar (need to weld to hitch to install) and I'm hoping that will get things under control.

...

Make sure you have your tongue weight right. It should be 10% of the total trailer weight. If this is wrong a trailer can really be a handful regardless of anti sway equipment or tow vehicle or anything else.  Also make sure you aren't over the trailer weight capacity. Camping stuff can add up fast and they don't seem to like being over weight. There are truck scales all over and they usually let people use them for a nominal fee ($10 a pass for the one near my house).

Getting the tongue weight can be a PITA depending on what you have for scales and what it weighs. I have weight garagey stuff before with a bathroom scale and some 2x4's or tubing. You can split the weight in half or any other fraction to get it down to the bathroom scale range. It isn't perfect but you can get pretty close this way.

We hit Breckenridge today.  Hit Broken Compass Brewing which had a great band and a general chill attitude.  We like Breckinridge a lot - although us flatlanders run out of breath hiking at 10k ft altitude.

We put new tires on the Pathfinder and jacked up the pressure to 40 cold, and moved stuff so the tongue was 384lbs on a 2600lb+stuff trailer.  Reduced the side to side resonance a bunch, but was still too lively.  Put a HF friction sway bar on it and it's reasonably stable now.  No problems towing over I-70, hopefully this will work when we hit real mountain roads.

Next comes Moab area for a couple of days.