Why I Love Colorado

So, we made it! And Colorado has been nothing but welcoming. Here’s why I love this place- Everyone is so damn excited that you are here. The van has proved to be a bit of an attraction and an easy way to make friends.

Even my own brother is excited I am here. He came to meet us at our campground the first night for a swim and some burgers on the fire. You can also kind of see Amy's shiner in the pic below :)

Our first night in town we went to a local brewery to snag some beer for the road. Some dude almost made off with our keys because he thought they were his. Then this same dude saw us loading our purchases into the van and came out and offered us free burritos! Turns out he owned the food truck in the parking lot of the brewery.

We spent most of our free day in Colorado running errands. We needed to stock up on groceries, clean the van out and make sure we were set to go the next day for Wyoming. We found FREE car vacuums! Can you imagine not having to rush while vacuuming your car?! Amazing.

We also became Costco members (a lifelong dream of mine come true!) and scoped out our local Trader Joe’s.

A nice gentleman named Steve checked us out and we discovered we will be living in the same neighborhood as his children. We took advantage of being so close by and drove through our new neighborhood (starting in September) and peeped our new house. It’s so cute!! The location is great and super central to lots of activities and necessities (like Trader Joe’s…).

The camp stove had a small problem where occasionally flames would come out of the piece that connected the propane tank. Thankfully, there is also an REI in our new hood 😊. New camp stove, check. We used some of our Van Shower money for this, so thanks guys!!!

After running around in 90 degree heat with the sun beating down on us at altitude we stopped back at the campsite to get the CR-V to drop at my brother’s place in North Denver.

My brother also graciously agreed to store a few of the heavy items in the car in his room. I was a bit worried about the CR-V’s suspension sitting with that weight for 30 days. After a quick bit at a local bar Amy and I said our goodbyes and drove 45 minutes back to our campsite at Chatfield State Park.

Well. Weren’t we surprised when we returned and someone was parked in our site?! Some real trashy looking trailer and white car were parked right in our spot. We grabbed our bear spray (a weapon!) and went and knocked on the door to inform them we had paid for and reserved this site. The campground was posted as full but you could essentially drive in after the gate is closed and squat in an open spot (if there are any- but there weren’t ….).

Some shady looking dude opened the door to the trailer and acted confused when I told him he was in our site. I asked if he had a reservation. His response: “well while we are asking questions do YOU have a reservation?”. Yes of course I do. That’s why I am asking you to move. I offered to show him the email.

He mumbled something about maybe being in 149 not 145 (the site #). I told him that was in a different loop. He again acted confused and then changed his attitude. He said he would move right away Dirty. Little. Liar. He obviously didn’t have a reservation.

Amy and I retreated to the safety of the van while he unloaded 2 children, a dog, and a woman out of this camper attached to the back of a pickup truck. Wowzies. Anyways, he moved. It was ridiculous and slightly scary in hindsight. But we were safe and all was good.

We woke up the next morning to a beautiful hot air balloon floating gracefully over the Rockies. A rainbow even appeared to be starting at the mountains!

We offered our leftover firewood to a couple camping in a site close by and they were beyond excited. They were so grateful and even offered us cash. We politely refused but ended up chatting with them for a bit. They live in Denver and are Airbnb hosts. We exchanged numbers and agreed to hang out when Amy and I return to Denver.

And we are one our way to Wyoming. First stop is Jackson! (More commonly known as Jackson Hole).

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Rachel (RNRN) Roaming with Rachel Travel