Tuesday, August 1
Early morning wake up call!
I grabbed coffee and looked outside for Elk, as they roam freely all over Estes Park. I didn’t spot any, but Mike and I did discover a great doughnut shop.
Squatchy Donuts is a small, made-to-order doughnut shop, as well as a small museum about Big Foot. It’s worth the visit to take in the lure of Big Foot and the fun memorabilia and merchandise they have to shop while waiting for your delicious treats.
Then it was off to Rocky Mountain National Park!
I am so happy that we purchased a guided tour of the national park. WildSide 4x4 Tours is a GREAT experience. We lucked out with Wayne as our driver and guide and received the most informative, fun and beautiful tour in the Rocky Mountain National Park. He had so much knowledge of anything and everything in the park! Wildlife, plants, history—you name it, he knew it. Thank you, Wayne! He even suggested great places to eat and other adventures to take in while visiting, but sadly, we had to leave by 1pm. Dang it, Angie!! Next time.
Remember that “friendly” Elk Meadow RV Park lady? It wasn’t even 1pm and she was already calling me and firmly reminding me I still had to pay my $25 fee! Yes lady, when we pull out I will come and pay you… I promise I don’t want to stiff you $25! Also, umm, you have my credit card info from check in. Just sayin’. By the way, my friend Emma experienced the same rude treatment, so it wasn’t just me being menopausal!
We left in a hurry, but realized we need to return to explore more of what Estes Park has to offer. The little town, maybe a kick ass off-road tour from Wayne? One thing is for sure… we’ll find a different RV park the next time. We did pass by a couple near town that looked nice. Trout Haven Resorts' Manor RV Park & Mary's Lake Campground to name a few… if you have any intel on them, let us know!
The views continued to impress as we drove out of Estes Park toward Wyoming. The rustling creeks and rivers thru the mountain canyons were so inviting that I convinced Mike to pull over and let me dip my toes into Rocky Mountain water. It was magical! I actually jumped in with my clothes on just take it all in! Another good reason to ride in your RV—dry clothes when you need them! lol!
We had a short day of driving into Wyoming to arrive at our destination for the next two nights—Curt Gowdy State Park. This big rig-friendly state park is nestled between Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming. I highly recommend it!
Check in was easy, but when you reserve your space online, make sure you pick a lot with both power and water if you need it. We thought we did, but when we arrived into our spot in the JH campground, we realized there was no water. No big deal as we were only there for two nights, but we did discover a few spots on the water front that had both power and water!
Mike and I decided to get out our Buzz E-Bikes and tour what the park had to offer. We also wanted to find out which RV lots were best if we ever returned.
This is now my opportunity to say… if you want the best E-Bike on the market at the best value and price, hit the link below! We ride the Centris fat-tire foldable e-bike. It is the best for RVing and adventuring. Enter SKINNERSRV during checkout for a special discount—you can thank me later!
This park is very simple, but very beautiful. Wonderful biking and hiking trails, a serene lake and a natural majestic vibe. We loved it.
If you look on the map of the park on their website, check out the Tumbleweeds Campground at Curt Gowdy State Park… Spots T17, T18 and T27 looked great and have water! We were in the JH campground, which is higher up and overlooks the lake. These lots also had nice concrete pads and great firepits for evening relaxation! Note: NO Dump at any.
The evening plans were “glamping” – Emma baked her famous lasagna. I chopped a salad and charcuterie board, wine was poured, and then… a fire. Maybe?
Emma and I volunteered to get the flames flowing while the boys fixed a braking issue on Goose and Emma’s rig. It took a little bit of engineering to get the wood to light up… Ok, fine, it took a lot of engineering and a last-ditch effort of me dipping toilet paper in Vaseline to get the fire going. This also introduced us via social media to a company which we discovered called Qwick Wick. We now have a bucket of that stuff!
Disclaimer: Skinner wants everyone reading this to know that the following night HE started the fire within three minutes, without the Vaseline-soaked toilet paper.
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