A timelapse of activity at the Alamosa KOA Journey RV park.
RV
Posts featuring the coach.
Video: Colorado Springs, Colorado to Alamosa, Colorado motorhome travel timelapse
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 158 miles from Colorado Springs, Colorado to Alamosa, Colorado.
Travel from Colorado Springs to Alamosa, Colorado
We drove our coach 158 miles, about 3 hour of driving, from Colorado Springs, Colorado to Alamosa, Colorado.
The map route, heading south then west:
Leaving the state park:
Paladin emerging from behind the couch — travel day again?!
Fort Carson army base, across the road from the state park:
Elk and bald eagle artwork:
Park pond in Pueblo, Colorado:
Downtown Pueblo, Colorado:
Arkansas River in Pueblo, Colorado:
I-25:
Airstream travel trailer:
Mountains:
Wind turbines:
Exit towards Alamosa:
We didn’t particularly need fuel for our coach, but a T/A truck stop was a convenient place for fuel for us:
They had an A&W restaurant in the back of the convenience store:
We took it back to our coach to eat:
We considered getting fuel after lunch, but it was rather busy at the time, so we opted not to bother:
I started to close the step cover, but Paladin jumped down there to peek out the window, so I left it open until he went elsewhere:
Walsenburg, Colorado:
Snow fences and mountains:
Roadworks:
Scenic mountains:
Arriving at Alamosa KOA:
RV floorplan and square footage
I recently shared this edited floorplan of our coach:
Here it is again with annotations for the dimensions of each area of the coach, according to my measurements:
Basic stats from the spec sheet:
- Exterior length: 40’ 11”
- Exterior height: 12’ 7”
- Exterior width: 101”
- Interior height: 84”
- Interior width: 96”
- Fresh water: 90 gal
- Black water: 50 gal
- Grey water: 70 gal
- Fuel tank: 150 gal
My measurements of the interior, where depth refers to front-to-back, and width is side-to-side, in terms of the coach orientation:
- Cockpit: 65” d (windscreen to driver-side slide)
- Driver-side front slide: 23” w x 166“ d (72” for kitchen counter + 94” for seating and cabinets)
- Passenger-side front slide: 32” w x 189“ d (72” for TV + 74” for dining + 43” for fridge & pantry)
- Half bath: 34” w x 39” d
- Driver-side bedroom slide: 18” w x 75” d
- Passenger-side bedroom slide: 28” w x 81” d
- Bedroom total: 94” d (on bed side)
- Bathroom: 62” d (34” for shower; 29” d x 27” w for washer & dryer)
- Closet: 58” w x 24” d
One reason for measuring it was to calculate the square footage. So let’s give that a go (if you spot any errors, please let me know!).
The interior length is approximately 39’. So multiplying by the interior width of 8’, ignoring the slides, we get 312 square feet. So that’s the size with the slides in.
The front driver-side slide is 166 x 23”, i.e. 13.83 x 1.91’, which is 26.4 square feet.
The front passenger-side slide is 189 x 32”, i.e. 15.75 x 2.66′, which is 41.9 square feet.
The bedroom driver-side slide is 75 x 18”, i.e. 6.25 x 1.5’, which is 9.4 square feet.
The bedroom passenger-side slide is 81 x 28”, i.e. 6.75 x 2.33’, which is 20.4 square feet.
So the four slides add 100 square feet of space when extended, bringing the total to 412 square feet.
That’s about the size of a two-car garage. Pretty tiny compared to an average house, but comparable to an apartment in New York. And, of course, our home travels all around the country.
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
We stayed at Cheyenne Mountain State Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A delightful state park.
Dates:
- Check in: 2022-09-26
- Check out: 2022-09-30
- 4 nights
Weather:
- Sunny, cloudy, a little drizzle
- High temps ranging between 74-78°F, lows around 46-53°F
- Some wind
Noise:
- No road or train noise
- Bugle music from Fort Carson army base down the hill:
- 0630: Reveille
- 1200: Charge
- 1655: Bugle call
- 1700: Retreat and To the Color
- 2200: Taps
Site:
- Raptor Glen campground #3, pull through, concrete pad, asphalt driveway
- Didn’t need to disconnect toad; parked behind coach
- Fairly level
- Large site: about 120 feet long by about 55 feet wide
- Full hookups:
- 50 amp power, conveniently located
- 60 PSI water, conveniently located
- Non-threaded sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipes needed)
- Picnic table, fire pit, faucet on gravel, tent pad with eyes for ropes, 5 steps up
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 50 Mbps down, 10-40 Mbps up, 30 ms ping
- AT&T: 2 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up, 42 ms ping
- Verizon: 3 Mbps down, 2-7 Mbps up, 20 ms ping
- Campground Wi-Fi: none
- Starlink: not used
Amenities:
- Dumpsters
- No pool
Here’s our review on Campground Reviews:
Amazing views and fantastic sites
We absolutely loved this place and wish we had stayed longer. Our view from Raptor Glen loop was simply incredible, and the site itself was top-notch. In fact, it was pretty much my ideal setup for a site, with a table and fire ring and a large area for putting up a tent. The only thing I could nitpick about would be that the living area is on the wrong side of the coach on this side of the loop, but with some luck and cunning placement, we could still see most of the expanse before us. There is some occasional noise from the army base at the bottom of the hill (mostly the bugle calls for Reveille and Taps), but not bad at all. We were visited by deer, rabbits, turkeys, and a cute little lizard. We will be back! We camped at Cheyenne Mountain State Park in a Motorhome.
The state park map:
The campground was at 6440 feet elevation, so we got out of breath more easily:
A very nice site, though; here’s a sunrise:
More pictures of our site:
We used our Clam gazebo for shade:
A picnic table, fire pit, and faucet (none of which we actually used, but nice to have):
A deer visitor:
And a rabbit:
There were some cute prints in the concrete:
A map of the park:
Info signs:
Showers and laundry:
Bathroom:
Little free library:
Playground:
Amphitheater:
Sunset views:
We’d definitely stay here again.
Video: Longmont, Colorado to Colorado Springs, Colorado motorhome travel timelapse
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 121 miles from Longmont, Colorado to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Travel from Longmont to Colorado Springs, Colorado
We drove our coach 121 miles, about 2 hour of driving, from Longmont, Colorado to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The map route, heading south:
Leaving the campground:
Since that campsite didn’t have any sewer (or water), we stopped by the dump station on the way out:
A somewhat sharp curve leaving the park:
Heading towards Denver:
Denver buildings:
A somewhat low bridge, but high enough for us (we’re 12’ 7” high); they recommended trucks take the center lanes, though:
A feetball stadium:
Passing a Tiffin Phaeton motorhome:
Interesting rock:
Rocky Mountains:
The Tiffin Phaeton passed us:
Heading towards the state park:
Cheyenne Mountain State Park:
Our site:
St Vrain State Park
We stayed at St Vrain State Park in Longmont, Colorado. (Campground Reviews listing.)
Delightful waterfront camping.
Dates:
- Check in: 2022-09-22
- Check out: 2022-09-26
- 4 nights
Weather:
- Sunny
- High temps ranging between 63-80°F, lows around 43-45°F
- Negligible wind
Noise:
- Significant road noise; no train noise
- A neighbor with a wind chime and other annoying noises, but not too bad
Site:
- Mallard campground #27, back in, cement
- Needed to disconnect toad; parked in front of coach
- Level
- Large site: about 90 feet long by about 60 feet wide
- Electric-only hookups:
- 50 amp power, conveniently located
- No water connection
- No sewer connection
- Picnic table with shelter, and fire pit on gravel
- Waterfront
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 75 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 33 ms ping
- AT&T: 7 Mbps down, 11 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
- Verizon: 6-20 Mbps down, 4 Mbps up, 25 ms ping
- Campground Wi-Fi: none
- Starlink: not used
Amenities:
- Dumpsters
- No pool
- Waterfront
Here’s our review on Campground Reviews:
Beautiful park, pity about the highway noise
This was a nice base camp to explore the region. On the plus side, our site was very nice, with a view of Mallard Pond. Everything was well-kept and clean. On the negative side, $36/night for electric only is a bit steep (plus the extra day-use fee for our rig and tow vehicle), and there is constant noise from I-25. We would stay here again, despite the noise, if we had a full hookup site. We camped at St. Vrain State Park in a Motorhome.
Tip for Other Campers: If you arrive late and have to use the “iron ranger” to pay for your day-use fees, don’t get the annual pass. Just get a day pass and stop by the ranger station the next day to upgrade to an annual if you’re staying a while (or visiting other CO state parks). If you have a motorhome and tow vehicle, you will need two passes.
The RV park map:
And an interactive map, showing all the ponds:
Our site had only electric, no water or sewer, so we arrived prepared, with a full water tank. We wouldn’t want to stay more than a week, but we coped just fine; the night before departure, our fresh water was only halfway, and grey and black were negligible (Jenn had a long shower on departure day, which reduced fresh to 30%, which is our preferred level for travel):
Our site:
The pond behind our site:
Canada geese:
Pelicans:
Other sites:
An accessible fishing pier:
Our coach across the pond:
I spotted a couple of hot air balloons — we’ll be seeing hundreds more of those soon:
This was a very nice state park; we’d be happy stay here again, and would enjoy staying longer, if we were in a full hookup section.
Video: Wheatland, Wyoming to Longmont, Colorado motorhome travel timelapse
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 155 miles from Wheatland, Wyoming to Longmont, Colorado.
Travel from Wheatland, Wyoming to Longmont, Colorado
We drove our coach 155 miles, about 2 hour of driving, from Wheatland, Wyoming to Longmont, Colorado, with a stop to repair a leaking tire.
The map route, heading south:
Heading south on I-25:
Green hills and cell towers (I appreciate the good cell reception down the freeway):
Domes:
Interesting rocks:
Man, horse, dog artwork on a hill:
Mowing ahead:
Rain:
Expect fog… yep indeed:
We stopped at Little America of Cheyenne:
To visit Rocky Mountain Truck Center, to diagnose and repair a slowly leaking tire on our coach:
While they looked at it, we headed up to the Little America resort for lunch, passing a Sinclair Oil dinosaur dressed as a cowboy:
Little America buffet restaurant:
We cut lunch a bit short, as they needed us to jack up our coach, using the leveling jacks. We raised only the driver side, to keep the passenger side wheels on the ground — raising all of the rear wheels off the ground is dangerous, as that’s the parking brake:
They found and marked the location of a nail in the tire, and worked on removing the tire:
I didn’t get a close-up picture of the nail in the tire, but here’s a zoomed crop:
The inner tire of the dual pair, and the rear jack:
Paladin sitting on the driver seat:
The repaired tire re-installed:
After getting that repaired ($70 total), we fueled up at the slowest truck stop ever. Usually truck stops have high-speed pumps, but this one was not. It was taking so long, we decided to fuel from both sides for the first time ever:
The main pump, as usual:
The secondary pump, on the passenger side; it is activated by the main pump:
Continuing south, some hilltop buffalo artwork:
Budweiser factory:
Paladin in the steps:
Roadworks:
A fascinating concrete-laying machine (concrete freeways are the worst):
Our destination, St Vrain State Park:
Entrance station:
Due to the tire excursion, we arrived later than usual, so the entrance station was closed. We used the “iron ranger” (as the rangers call it) to purchase a couple of Colorado state park annual passes (one for the coach, one for the truck):
Though when we talked with the ranger the next day to exchange the temporary ones, it turned out that we should have bought one, with a half-price add-on for the second vehicle. So we did that, and submitted a form for a refund for the second one. Oops. (We decided to get annual passes as we’re staying just enough days at Colorado state parks to offset the cost. Ironically, next year we don’t expect to visit Colorado at all. Still worthwhile, though.)
This is a rather nice park; stay tuned for more pics from our stay:
