20 - Mountain Driving and Camping

End of July 2018. We did five nights of camping in the Colorado mountains. We drove from Parker to Frisco and spent two nights in a USFS campground on the shore of Lake Dillon. This was totally dry camping; no hookups. All systems performed perfectly and we had more than adequate battery capacity thanks to the solar setup. The first site was only a bit uneven but not too long. This is the advantage of having a shorter rig.

Then we drove to a CO state park on the Colorado River just east of Palisade. Here we had a nice pull-thru site with full hookups. Good thing as it was over 90 every day and the A/C ran from about 10 AM until dark.

(aside) There are some comments and concerns about the bed covering a vent and A/C outlets when it is stowed against the ceiling. The vent is no problem, because it wouldn't be open when running A/C. The two A/C outlets would be helpful in cooling the forward part of the coach. I found that opening the main register halfway directs some air to the ceiling vents, but most comes out directly in the middle. This seems to be the most effective for total cooling. I will sometimes drop the bed about 4 inches which allows some air to come out to the front. I also set a small electric fan on the floor by the bath door blowing forward. Overall, no real issue with the bed "up there" affecting cooling or ventilation, in my opinion.

After four days of use, I emptied the holding tanks and refilled the fresh water before departing.

Our return trip took us back to the Lake Dillon campground where we found one empty site. The pad sloped quite a bit but I was able to get "bubble centered" level with a bit of work using ramps and a jack. The jack under a frame crossmember got me the last inch I needed. Some criticize those who strive for perfect level saying it isn't necessary because new refrigerators have more tolerance for slant. That may be true, but I like the comfort factor, not having doors swing, as well as being nice to the fridge. If I can get it level, why not?

TRANSIT MOUNTAIN PERFORMANCE. We had full water tank, full fuel tanks, moderate household goods, and towed the Smart car. Our route is from 5,900 ft. to over 11,000 ft. elevation at the I-70 Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels, and Vail Pass. Going westbound seems easier than eastbound due to the longer approaches. The most strenuous tests for our rig were the 6% grade from Georgetown to Silver Plume westbound, and the eastbound climbs to Vail Pass summit and I-70 tunnels from Silverthorne. I was able to maintain 45 mph at 5,500 rpm in 2nd gear on the steepest parts; otherwise, 50 to 55 was practical. I have no complaints about performance since these extreme grades and altitudes are such a small part of our travels. As I stated earlier, a 1978 Minnie Winnie 20' Class C we once owned barely maintained 35 mph in low gear all the way up the I-70 climb to the tunnel, and that with a 400 cu.in. big block Dodge V8, nothing in tow, much less weight.
I also applaud the tow-haul transmission mode. I rarely had to tap the brakes on the steepest downgrades to keep speed in check. The transmission usually downshifted itself while I just steered and kept my foot off the pedals, and the speed held well.

SOLAR PERFORMANCE: Refer to details on my solar installation in a prior post. With three days of off-grid camping, the two 12v house batteries always had adequate charge for our needs. Below pic shows charge and battery data for three days off-grid, one partial and one total day on shore power. The "Today" reading is incomplete as we arrived home then. The panels are putting out over 40 volts and somehow a full 100 watts at peak. The system is performing as I had hoped, and I love the Bluetooth monitoring app.