August 25th, 2026
There is still just over a month left of summer. But it feels like the summer of 2026 is coming to an end. This morning I moved from Bear Lake near Yampa, Colorado to Stagecoach State Park near Steamboat Springs. This is my second stay at Stagecoach this summer and it is only for a single night. There is no RV dump near Bear Lake or Yampa, so I usually plan a stay at Stagecoach before and after, as Stagecoach does have one and also has fresh water.
I can usually last 14 days in my trailer when staying at a campground with toilets, as it saves on my tank and fresh water capacity (fresh water gets used to flush the toilet). Using the facilities at Steamboat allows me to empty waste tanks and get new water for the coming days of camping. This is all part of the planning that has to go on when you are living in your RV full time. It is not just a matter of picking the next place to go. You have to deal with waste tanks, fresh water, groceries, mail pickup, fueling, propane refill, and once every 90 days, prescription drugs. You must plan moves to place you in new places on Tuesday through Thursday, as weekends tend to bring large numbers of campers with reservations or who are looking for any available spot.
By staying at a state park, you often get an electrical hookup. I live off-grid, which for me means batteries and solar panels. Some people have generators, but I don’t care for the noise, hassle, fuel, and space requirements for one. But sometimes, in campgrounds that are partially shaded or in locations where you get lots of rain/cloudiness in afternoons, your batteries can get slowly drained. Usually, you can get them re-charged with solar panels, but that often means staying at the campsite all day, as you constantly have to re-orient them to face perpendicular to the sun. That kind of rules out hiking, fishing, and other daytime activities. For example, upon arrival at Stagecoach, my trailer batteries were down to 68%, large portable pack was at 45% and small portable pack was 38%. now they are all back to 100%. What are all these batteries used for? The trailer needs them for the refrigerator/freezer, lights at night, furnace fan, water pump, radio, and recharging things like phones, speakers, tabletop fan, toothbrush, iPad, and laptop. The large pack is used strictly for the StarLink router and satellite dish motor. It guarantees that the satellite internet system doesn’t drain the batteries needed for the refrigerator and lights. The small pack is kept in the front passenger floorboard of the truck. It is used to power the portable refrigerator/freezer in the back seat. Why? Because when you are far into the backcountry camped for days or weeks, you have to go into town for groceries. That sometimes means an hour or more drive. Some foods need to stay cold or frozen on the trip back. It’s all part of the planning.
At Bear Lake, daytime temperatures were in the low 70s. One afternoon, a squall came through that dropped the temperature by 20 degrees and pelted the trailer with hale slightly less than marble size. Down here at Stagecoach, it is 80 degrees and sunny. That makes a big difference in the internal comfort of the trailer. At 80, it often means 92 inside. Fortunately, with the electrical hookup, I can run the air conditioner (and the microwave). However, today it is only 75 and there is a good breeze. Still, I like it at higher elevation in the cool air that is at very low humidity, 4%.
After tonight, I will be heading for a small remote USFS campground near Kremmling for a few nights before visiting the Peak One campground near Frisco. It is named after the first of the numbered peaks in the Mosquito Range that rise to the south past Leadville, Breckenridge, and Fairplay. I believe there are 12 peaks, with 9, 10, and 11 being within the Breckenridge Ski Area. The campground will put me within range of camping at Nederland that will wind up my camping in the high country while waiting for my final two follow-up doctor appointments down near Boulder. As soon as there are freezing temperatures high up, I will be forced down to the Front Range camping on the flatlands. On October 1st or 2nd, I will turn south towards New Mexico, and the long miles over to Yuma, Arizona, where I plan to hole up for the winter in Imperial Valley.
When you are sitting in the desert for several months, you need to invent things to do. I haven’t figured it all out but do plan to work on a wooden puzzle my son bought me (could take days), and start planning a trip up the Inside Passage to Juneau, Glacier Bay, and Ketchikan on a cruise ship, something I have never done before.
“Don’t be afraid of spending money on adventure. Be afraid of growing old and realizing the only place you went was work.”
Starting All Over 