Cortez, CO - Campground Day

Today was a catch-up day in the campground. We’ve been going so fast that we need a breather. Of course, laundry and vacuuming figure prominently in our plans. Maybe I’ll pay a few bills, too.

Gary made a big mistake and asked me whether I’d rather do the vacuuming and dusting insided the RV or clean the front window outside. Silly man. I don’t mind dusting but I really don’t like vacuuming. But, I decided to finish the inside. Luckily, since the front window took forever. We must have run through Bug Gulch at full speed to get such a mess on the front.

When we were in Great Sand Dune NP, we had hiked over to the Visitor Center one day and were walking in as some others were leaving. One lady gushed, laughed and said: ‘Oh, you two are so cute. You’re dressed alike.’

Well, duh, wer’re hiking and have on what others wear hiking: hiking boots, hiking socks, combo pants from which we had both removed the legs and were wearing as shorts on an 85 degree day, a white shirt to reflect the sun and a hat.

While I will admit that Gary and I look somewhat alike (I always say that I am moustache challenged) I am NOT cute. And, by the way, she had on a long-sleeve black sweater, long black pants and black shoes. Black, on an 85 degree day, in the sun, at the Sand Dunes?

Meanwhile, back in the campground, we saw this RV leaving to go out on the road. I would think that this kind of hook-up would be extremely difficult to drive: 1 truck, 1 5th wheel and a Land Rover. How do you back up? How do you get into a gas station? How can you get to the drive-up window of Starbucks to order your latte?

We met a couple at Mesa Verde as we were leaving yesterday who had rented a 22’ or 24’ RV for a 2 1/2 week trip through the National Parks out here. They were from Pennsylvania, had flown to Phoenix, rented the RV, dishes and linens and were on their way. They told us they had paid $1300 for the 2 1/2 weeks. Now, if a motel costs $100 per night, for 2 1/2 weeks that would be $1700 for the motel and then you’d need to eat in restaurants, which is definitely going to cost more than cooking in your own RV. They loved it, especially staying in the National Parks and thought they were saving so much money on this trip.

Gary and I wish we had traveled like this long before we bought our first RV. Why couldn’t we have been smarter earlier? Of course, that implies that we’re smarter now. Hmmm.