Amphitheater Campground - Ouray, Colorado

We spent the long mormon holiday weekend exploring Ouray, Colorado.  We were lucky to get a campsite in the amazing Amphitheater Campground that sits high above Ouray.  Amphitheater is fantastic with a gorgeous view of the San Juan Mountains.  We had to switch campsites halfway through the weekend, but it was worth it to stay in this great campground.  We did lots of hiking, including the Blue Lakes Trail, Upper Cascades, West Lime Creek, and Ice Park Loop.  The drive to Silverton was spectacular.  Next time we may try to stay in Silverton for more hiking in the high country.

New Shurflo Water Faucet - Model # 94-009-01

We had a number of problems with the T@b on our first camping trip for the season.  We couldn't get the heat pump to work, which was a bummer since it was a really cold weekend.  And when we hooked the water up to the campsite water source, water came spewing out of the faucet in places that water shouldn't be spewing out.  The damage to the faucet was probably caused by not properly winterizing the pipes.  Luckily, Volkswagen still puts the Shurflo faucet in the Vanagon, and I was able to find a replacement faucet on the internet.  It was kind of pricey at $60, but I was glad to be able to put in the exact same faucet.  I was able to install the faucet on my own - with a bit of trial and error.  In the first round, I didn't have the electrical connections hooked up right in the butt connectors.  Make sure your wires are pushed into the metal tip of the connector before twisting.  The next test round revealed some dripping around the flexible pipe connection to the faucet.  Make sure to push the flexi pipe up as far a possible onto the end of the faucet and get the metal clasp on as tight as possible.  Third time's a charm.  The final test revealed no leaks and we now have a great new faucet.   

Millsite State Park

After exploring Huntington State Park we spent the next night at Millsite State Park which is only another 30 miles down the road.  Millsite was an unexpectedly cool place with beautiful towering cliffs surrounding the reservoir and campground.  We did a great single track hike around the northeast side of the reservoir.  Millsite is also close to the major access points for the San Rafael Swell area.  We zipped out to Rochester Rock Panel one evening to check out some really cool petroglyphs.  We would definitely come back to this campground just to explore more of the trail and as a jumping off point for the Swell.

Huntington State Park

For our first camping trip of the season we decided to explore Huntington State Park.  Huntington is located about 140 miles southeast of Salt Lake City off of Highway 10.  Huntington and Highway 10 are great jumping off points for the San Rafael Swell area.  Huntington also provides convenient access to the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry.  We finally made it out to the museum and dinosaur quarry which was really cool.  We managed to hike all the trails out at the quarry despite a brisk wind and a blanket of new snow at the campsite.  You can also do a "nature walk" around the reservoir at the campground which is really just a three mile walk along a gravel road.  Despite the weather, it was great to be out camping and exploring again.

Ready for Camping Season - 2016

I have been struggling to get the T@b back to her glory days after the vandalism and subsequent sloppy paint job on the trim.  The auto shop didn't tape off the entire trailer when they sprayed the trim so there was a line of overspray down the middle of the T@b.  I was mainly using a liquid chemical to take the spray off but the task was tedious.  I also tried the clay rub which worked on the windows but not the body.  I finally decided to go aggressive and used 2000 grit wet sandpaper.  The wet sandpaper really took the overspray off with minimal effort.  I then waxed the whole trailer to rub out the scratches and to get the shine back.  It looks pretty good.  In certain light you can still see the sandpaper scratches, but otherwise she looks pretty shiny and white.  I still need to work on the back logo, but we added a nice tag line with some rub-on vinyl lettering.   

Jordanelle - Hailstone Campground

Holy Capuchin Monkeys, Batman!  We had a fun time celebrating Halloween early with the professional campers at Jordanelle.  This was our first and only trip with the gang since the T@b was out of commission most of the summer.  The best part was watching the Utah Utes beat Oregon on the make-shift outdoor theater!

East Canyon - Big Rock Campground

For our first outing with the new T@b, we made a quick trip up and over Big Mountain to East Canyon.  We had a fun time getting back into camping mode and exploring some of our own backyard.  It has been a particularly mild fall and we are happy to take advantage of the delayed onset of winter.

The New T@b

After many months of repair and painting, the T@b is back and ready to roll.  We had to go with a new paint color (to fix the graffiti black).  While nothing can beat the cute red color scheme, we like the new metallic turquoise look. I will say it is awfully nice to have the T@b back.  We looked at buying something else, but nothing really compares to the ease and style of the T@b (other than maybe an airstream).

T@b Found!

Our T@b was found!  About 10 days after the T@b was stolen, we received a call from the Salt Lake City Police Department notifying us that they had found a trailer that looked like ours.  So, we rushed over to the address they gave us and there she was.  The thieves had painted all the trim in a flat spray paint black, as if that would hide the trailer from suspecting eyes.  They broke the front window and the door lock, but other than that, most of the T@b was in reasonable condition.

Our T@b was Stolen!

After 5 years and many great camping and travel memories, we are sad to report that our 2009 T@b was stolen from our driveway on June 11, 2015.  We are so sad to lose the T@b.  She was more like a friend having shared so many great adventures with us.  We are heartbroken and hope our T@b will be found.  If you ever see a white T@b with red trim feel free to call or text me with the sighting at (801) 631-9166.  Our T@b was the Q layout with a front window in the kitchen area (not so common on many I have seen).  The T@b is also missing the table and water tank (now sitting useless in our garage).

Escalante

We explored Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument this weekend and it was fantastic.  We stayed in the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park and drove into the Monument.  Next time I would stay in the Calf Creek Campground if available.  The drive through this part of the Monument is just breathtaking.  We hiked to the upper and lower falls of Calf Creek.  This photo is Mary standing at the top of the upper falls.  

Rockport State Park

We got out for another quick camping trip to Rockport State Park.  It takes less than an hour to get to Rockport from Salt Lake City on I-80.  We really liked the sites at Twin Coves Campground.  Nice sites overlooking the water and access to the beach just behind the sites.

New Battery - Interstate Deep Cycle

We finally had to get a new battery for the Tab.  We were still using the battery that came with the Tab when we bought it back in 2010.  That is pretty good longevity for the battery.  We made sure to always keep the battery on the battery tender and to make sure that the charge was never depleted.  I think helped with the long battery life.  We bought the same battery made by Interstate Battery - the Deep Cell.

New Cushion Covers

We had some new cushion covers made this year for the Tab.  We got the fabric at Ikea.  I had hoped to make the bottom covers out of red, but we couldn't find a sufficient match so we went with the faces on the top and bottom cushions.  Sometimes the faces seem a little creepy, but most of the times they are cheerful and add a fun element to the Tab.  Definitely a unique addition.

Yuba Lake State Park

We bought a new kayak!  So, we set out for Yuba Lake for the maiden voyage.  It was another fun quick getaway.  The park is pretty exposed with very few trees and plenty of wind, but it was still fun to explore the trails and to try out the kayak on the choppy water.  

Willard Bay State Park

We started the 2015 season off with a quick trip to Willard Bay State Park.  We were hoping to go to Antelope Island but that park was full.  It has been a very mild winter and everyone is starting the camping season early.  Willard Bay was a nice little campground with big trees and interactive trails through the cat tails.  The downsides were the noise from the campground's proximity to the freeway and the gnats and mosquitos that came out in force as dusk.  

Gros Ventre, Wyoming

We met Diane & Co. at the Gros Ventre campground near Grand Teton National Park.  It was a gorgeous weekend for a September getaway.  The nights were reasonable - in the low 40's.  And the days were quite pleasant - in the mid 70's.  We had fun exploring some areas outside of the park boundaries (since we had the dogs with us). 

Pink Coral Sand Dunes

 

We explored the Pink Coral Sand Dunes State Park for our May camping adventure.  The sand dunes were amazing and very photogenic.  The park is a big draw for ATVs and other off road vehicles.  We managed to get out to the dunes early in the morning and had them to ourselves for a nice hike.

 

 

 

Fremont Indian State Park

Another spring camping trip to Fremont Indian State Park.  The weather was a lot warmer this year than in years past.  We had a great time with the professional campers at the group site.  Certainly a nice way to spend the Easter holiday.

 

 



Castle Valley

We went down to Moab for the holiday weekend to check out the progress on the cabin.  We have walls and roof framing!!  It is pretty exciting to see the progress.  We were able to camp on our own property for the weekend with electrical hook up and all.  It was great to spend time on the property and to wake up to such amazing views.


The Vatican

View of Porcupine Rim from the Bedroom