My friend Danny and I rode our motorcycles down this pass back in 77. An awesome ride on our bikes. Yes, the switchback is a decreasing radius and you have to be careful of your speed. This was before motorcycles were common place like they are today. A Colorado state trooper gave us tickets for speeding and Danny crossing the center line. The trooper made us follow him into Pagosa Springs and drop the tickets and cash into a mailbox while he watched. This was one of the many adventures we had circling the U.S. Sadly Danny isn't with us today but I'll always remember this memorable trip around the U.S.
That's our experience with CO and free camping... it doesn't matter if it's in the middle of the week but everything will be full. We went to Kebler Pass in late June 2018 and literally every single spot on every single FS road off Kebler Pass was full. Every single site! Crazy popular. Pretty much everything around CB was full. Campgrounds too. We've found CO to be extremely frustrating to try to get sites b/c they either book a year in advance or the stuff that doesn't require reservations is full anyhow.
We have recently subscribed and have been watching your channel in more or less chronological order. You two are have such a great attitude when things don't go well. I know it is not all peaches and cream, yet you handle yourselves with grace. Thank you! Christine and Glenn
Hi, Christine and Glenn. Thank you guys so much for watching and the sweet compliments! We do try to always look on the bright side even if things aren't going as planned... TJ would say it's not an adventure until something goes wrong! We're happy to have you guys along for the adventure 😊
A general rule of thumb while towing, whatever speed you go up a hill, you should go down. If you go up at 35 mph, stay around 35 going down. Once your brakes are gone, they're gone.
From a potential RVer: the shortage of camping spots in scenic areas is one of the most worrisome issues. It also worries me that more locales restrict or deny people overnight parking lot camping. It seems unfair: housing prices are sky-high so they make RV living harder. From FL
Knock on wood, we haven't had too many issues with finding good, scenic, affordable spots to camp. We don't like to plan too far in advance and therefore rely pretty heavily on first come first serve sites. We actually just stayed in Crater Lake over Labor Day weekend without reservations, and were able to grab one of their coveted electric hookup sites even! That particular National Park Campground only reserves 75% of their sites and leaves the other 25% for walkups. Researching how each particular park/campground works, calling ahead to check availability/likelihood of getting a spot, and getting there on a weekday and as early as possible has worked for us. We use the Campendium app/website to find campgrounds and have stayed in a good mix of State/Nat'l Park, BLM, Forest Service, and private campground. We find when we need to be near a large city (Denver, for example) and/or with full hookups we end up paying more and are less thrilled with the location/campground. If you need somewhere for just an overnight stop, most Walmart, Cabelas, Cracker Barrel will allow you to stay in their parking lot (call and check first) but we prefer Harvest Host if there's one nearby. Since we've hit the road we've been mostly on the west coast, so perhaps our experience will be different once we get back east. Also, depending on how quickly you're moving from one place to the next, a lot of campgrounds offer discounted weekly or monthly rates. We're happy to answer any questions you have and share what we've learned from the past 9ish months on the road, just let us know! Thanks for watching 😁
Good thing your OK. I live in Colorado and travel the Rocky Mountain States year round and everybody at one time or another has had their brakes heat up in the Mountains.
Thank you, Bob. We appreciate hearing that it happens to everyone at some point, we certainly felt like novices that day but it was an important lesson to learn and have reinforced. TJ is normally very good about downshifting to keep our speed under control so he doesn't have to overuse the brakes, but that day was just ugly going both directions on the pass. Thanks for watching and commenting! 👍
That's why I love my Class A V-10 motorhome, never any issue going up or down passes even did Slumgillion Pass 9%..BTW you went past one of the greatest campgrounds.. Big Meadows Campground a USFS site, safe travels.
I think that’s the only thing I dread about RVing - the high elevations. I suppose I’ll learn the downshifting, etc., but I’m from the flat Midwest so not a lot of practice.
They can be scary. We've found that researching your route ahead of time, making sure you have an adequate tow vehicle for your size trailer, a properly set up weight distribution hitch and just taking it slow are key to staying safe through the passes. We're flatlanders as well (FL) so we understand your apprehension, but you've got this 👍
Thanks, Alan, sorry we didn't get to meet up, we kinda had to rush through Colorado to meet some friends in Denver. We'll definitely be coming back. Safe travels.
You guys are so blessed, downshifting is all that helped me there, pulling a heavy trailer. Glad I was warned 🙌🏻
40 year trucker over that one more than a few times darl'n. I'll say this, your having a GREAT DAY! Be safe and ENJOY!
ENJOYING YOUR VÍDEOS!!
A BIG DIFFERENCE FROM FLORIDA. 😇😇
I like this couple, and they have a dog and a cat, so I subscribed.
My friend Danny and I rode our motorcycles down this pass back in 77. An awesome ride on our bikes. Yes, the switchback is a decreasing radius and you have to be careful of your speed. This was before motorcycles were common place like they are today. A Colorado state trooper gave us tickets for speeding and Danny crossing the center line. The trooper made us follow him into Pagosa Springs and drop the tickets and cash into a mailbox while he watched. This was one of the many adventures we had circling the U.S. Sadly Danny isn't with us today but I'll always remember this memorable trip around the U.S.
You two have marvelous moods. I know my husband would have thrown me in the AirStream by now.
dam flatlanders peace out
That's our experience with CO and free camping... it doesn't matter if it's in the middle of the week but everything will be full. We went to Kebler Pass in late June 2018 and literally every single spot on every single FS road off Kebler Pass was full. Every single site! Crazy popular. Pretty much everything around CB was full. Campgrounds too. We've found CO to be extremely frustrating to try to get sites b/c they either book a year in advance or the stuff that doesn't require reservations is full anyhow.
Love your guys videos!! I know it’s a lot of work but you really show what it’s like out on your adventures!!
We have recently subscribed and have been watching your channel in more or less chronological order. You two are have such a great attitude when things don't go well. I know it is not all peaches and cream, yet you handle yourselves with grace. Thank you! Christine and Glenn
Hi, Christine and Glenn. Thank you guys so much for watching and the sweet compliments! We do try to always look on the bright side even if things aren't going as planned... TJ would say it's not an adventure until something goes wrong! We're happy to have you guys along for the adventure 😊
This whole video I kept playing C.W. McCall’s “Wolf Creek Pass” in my head. I hope to make the drive some day.
A general rule of thumb while towing, whatever speed you go up a hill, you should go down. If you go up at 35 mph, stay around 35 going down. Once your brakes are gone, they're gone.
Thanks so much for the tip and thanks for watching.
From a potential RVer: the shortage of camping spots in scenic areas is one of the most worrisome issues. It also worries me that more locales restrict or deny people overnight parking lot camping. It seems unfair: housing prices are sky-high so they make RV living harder. From FL
Knock on wood, we haven't had too many issues with finding good, scenic, affordable spots to camp. We don't like to plan too far in advance and therefore rely pretty heavily on first come first serve sites. We actually just stayed in Crater Lake over Labor Day weekend without reservations, and were able to grab one of their coveted electric hookup sites even! That particular National Park Campground only reserves 75% of their sites and leaves the other 25% for walkups. Researching how each particular park/campground works, calling ahead to check availability/likelihood of getting a spot, and getting there on a weekday and as early as possible has worked for us. We use the Campendium app/website to find campgrounds and have stayed in a good mix of State/Nat'l Park, BLM, Forest Service, and private campground. We find when we need to be near a large city (Denver, for example) and/or with full hookups we end up paying more and are less thrilled with the location/campground. If you need somewhere for just an overnight stop, most Walmart, Cabelas, Cracker Barrel will allow you to stay in their parking lot (call and check first) but we prefer Harvest Host if there's one nearby. Since we've hit the road we've been mostly on the west coast, so perhaps our experience will be different once we get back east. Also, depending on how quickly you're moving from one place to the next, a lot of campgrounds offer discounted weekly or monthly rates. We're happy to answer any questions you have and share what we've learned from the past 9ish months on the road, just let us know! Thanks for watching 😁
Good thing your OK. I live in Colorado and travel the Rocky Mountain States year round and everybody at one time or another has had their brakes heat up in the Mountains.
Thank you, Bob. We appreciate hearing that it happens to everyone at some point, we certainly felt like novices that day but it was an important lesson to learn and have reinforced. TJ is normally very good about downshifting to keep our speed under control so he doesn't have to overuse the brakes, but that day was just ugly going both directions on the pass. Thanks for watching and commenting! 👍
When you overlook the Wolf Creek Pass Scenic Overlook you were looking what was created with the hand of God amazing.
That's why I love my Class A V-10 motorhome, never any issue going up or down passes even did Slumgillion Pass 9%..BTW you went past one of the greatest campgrounds.. Big Meadows Campground a USFS site, safe travels.
The best RV to the ,is did have the Cummins diesel engine don't lose any power going up
ps my house is at 9200 ft up in the high rocky mts
Glad you guys are safe!
I think that’s the only thing I dread about RVing - the high elevations. I suppose I’ll learn the downshifting, etc., but I’m from the flat Midwest so not a lot of practice.
They can be scary. We've found that researching your route ahead of time, making sure you have an adequate tow vehicle for your size trailer, a properly set up weight distribution hitch and just taking it slow are key to staying safe through the passes. We're flatlanders as well (FL) so we understand your apprehension, but you've got this 👍
Driver over heat brakes... “filming” not a good enough distraction lol
Wold Creek Pass is a good climb, but it is a beautiful area, Shame you didn't get to the great Sand Dunes National Park while in the area
There were no tunnels when I lived in Pagosa springs
Welcome to Colorado.
Thanks, Alan, sorry we didn't get to meet up, we kinda had to rush through Colorado to meet some friends in Denver. We'll definitely be coming back. Safe travels.