Stopping in Denver CO to Visit Family

June 2^nd, 2014

(Cherry Creek State Park, Denver, CO)

Our third day of traveling to Yellowstone National Park found us back again on I-70 heading west.  We got on the road and headed toward the Rocky Mountains and Denver, CO. 

We finally caught sight of the Rocky Mountains and continued onward. 






While we were driving we tried to make a reservation at Cherry Creek State Park in Denver.  They only accepted reservations two days in advance.  Since we were arriving the same day we would need to reserve a site at the park on a first-come first-serve basis.

After fighting traffic and construction in Denver we arrived at Cherry Creek State Park at a little after 2 pm.  We were able to get a very nice site and we started setting up for the night.  Cherry Creek is a very nice state park with a large lake, walking/hiking trails and various other outdoor amenities.  We would definitely stay here again and highly recommend it to anyone else wanting to stay in Denver.

After finishing our set up we texted our nephew and his wife to let them know we were at the campground.  We had already made tentative plans to get together before we started the trip out here.

We heard from our nephew’s wife and she let us know she would be home at 5 pm.  We chilled out for a little while then headed to their townhouse.  When she got home she gave us a tour of their place.  It’s very nice and only a year or two old.

We then decided to go to The Berkshire Restaurant.  It’s a cool place with a Pig theme.  The

weather was perfect and we decided to sit outside.  Our nephew showed up a short while later and we ordered a bacon sampler appetizer.

Here is the menu description: “Heritage Breed Bacon Flight: Premium bacon four ways: garlic, curried, balsamic and candied maple served with the perfect accompaniments.” 

 

It was really good.

We were having such a good time sampling different beers, eating, and catching up that I forgot to take any more pictures other than the restaurant sign.

We went back to their townhouse and visited for a while longer.  Both of them had to work the next day so we didn’t stay late.  It was great to see and visit with them and we hope to meet up with them when we leave Yellowstone in the fall.

Well, that’s it for today.

Thanks for following along.

Day 2 of our Drive to Yellowstone National Park

June 2, 2014

(Lake Paradise Resort, Lone Jack, MO)

We left early this morning to head further west on I-70.  It didn’t take long to get ready to leave since our truck was still connected to the 5^th wheel.  The drive through Kansas City
and then Kansas was uneventful.  We did run into some rain in western Kansas but it didn’t slow us down much.
We crossed into Colorado and stopped for the night at Shady Grove WiFi Campground in Siebert, CO.  Again, we stayed connected to the truck in order to be able to leave early in the morning.  It was a small park but it is a well maintained campground.  We did have an issue with the electrical power.

We have an autotransformer that I install between the 50 amp outlet at the campsite



pedestal and the cord from the RV.  It senses the incoming voltage on both legs of the 50



amp service.  If the voltage on either leg is low it will boost the voltage up to an acceptable level.  Appliances and electronics do not tolerate low voltage well at all.  Low voltage can lessen their life span; especially for motors like the AC, refrigerator, fans, etc. The autotransformer has lights that indicate whether or not the system is working correctly.  Other lights indicate when it’s boosting either input.

When I connected the electrical, I noticed that the lights indicated that the autotransformer was boosting one of the inputs.  Also our surge suppressor was making a loud clicking noise similar to when it switches over to the generator.  The electrical circuits inside the RV weren’t working correctly either.

After checking some things I eventually removed the autotransformer from the system and everything seemed to work correctly.  I’m not sure why the autotransformer seemed to be the culprit but I’ll keep an eye on things as we move from campground to campground.  I suspect the problem was with the park power.

We’re approximately 130 miles from Denver, CO so we should arrive fairly early in the day.

Thanks for following along!

First Day of Travel to Yellowstone National Park

(Diamond Lake RV Resort, Owensboro, KY)
June 1, 2014

We left this morning and started heading west to Yellowstone National Park.  It’s about a 26 hour drive or so to make the trip to Canyon Village from Owensboro, KY. However, we decided to drive through Denver, CO and stop overnight to visit our nephew and his wife.  He’s finishing his third year of residency in the ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) program and his wife is a registered nurse working at a children’s hospital there.

We had four days of travel before we needed to check in at Canyon Village General Store for our summer jobs as Sales Associates.

We traveled from Owensboro and picked up I-64 West just north of Evansville, IN and drove

through Indiana and Illinois. At St Louis, MO we got on I-70 and travelled through Missouri. 

We stopped for the night just before we reached Kansas City at Lake Paradise Resort in Lone Jack, MO.  We were only there for the night so we didn’t get to see much of the campground.  We didn’t unhook so we could leave first thing in the morning.

Several times throughout the day family members attending the graduation barbeque/party for our niece sent us texts with pictures or videos attached.  It sure looked like everyone was having a great time – and the food looked amazing!

Many thanks to all who were thinking of us and allowed us to at least be involved in the celebration.

Thanks for following along!