September 16th, 2025
GAS: in CO ranged from $2.59 to $3.35
Crossing into Colorado the time does not change as we are going north not east. The sun was still shining and the skies were pretty clear. We began to see the Rocky Mountains:
We found a BLM free camping area about 60 km / 40 mi northeast of the state line near Bayfield and got ourselves a nice flat spot not too far off the highway on the dirt road. We still rather high in elevation here at 2,164 m / 7100’ and it was cool for sleeping and rather chilly in the morning but it warms up fast once the sun gets higher.
We had full bars of cell reception and settled in to have a pleasant late afternoon. We could hear some highway noise but it was no bothersome.
Next morning after exercising we took advantage of our full water tank and both showered before taking off. It was one of our longer driving days today – 375 km / 233 mi as we have to be in Pueblo, CO tomorrow for Fran to get some bloodwork done ahead of her annual physical in Rapid City on Wednesday. We stopped for gas a few times, had to go through a few mountain passes (which really made our mileage suck!) and stopped for lunch at one point. We made it to a rest area outside Colorado City for the night by 3:30.
The rest of the afternoon and into the evening until about 8:30 it was rather busy and noisy with trucks etc. coming and going. Around 9 there was a knock on the door and it was a trucker asking us if we could get the campervan in the lane beside us to move – he thought we were together. Doug did help by going and asking the guy to pull in behind us so the tractor trailer could have an entire row. After that we think the place was full as we heard little traffic moving around us after that.
We both wore ear plugs that night in case things changed but a thunderstorm rolled through and it rained hard – no ear plugs could keep that out!
Thursday morning we finished the drive to Pueblo getting gas enroute and Fran got her bloodwork done super quick; she arrived early and managed to take the 9:50 appointment instead of her 10 am one. We hit the road once again and went about 5 km / 3 mi to a self serve car wash that had a laundry beside it only to find out the former was closed by there was an employee there who told Fran where his other car wash was located and lo and behold when we arrived, there was a laundry right there as well.
Doug washed the truck and trailer while Fran went over to do two loads of laundry and he finished first and came over to help fold. We had some brekkie and hit the road once again going north. We decided since we were driving right past Colorado Springs, that we take a drive around Garden of the Gods but we’d forgotten that the best way to see it is by parking and walking; well parking a truck and trailer did not prove possible, so we just did the loop drive and left.
The Garden of the Gods is free and run by the city. It’s quite beautiful and we’ve been twice before. It is better to actually walk around it but we didn’t have enough time.
Then it was on to the Denver suburb of Parker where we planned to stay at the Walmart only to learn upon arrival that there is NO overnight parking. There was a Lowe’s about about 5 minutes away but no one had checked in there on iOverlander in 3 years so we didn’t want to get the same result. Like most big cities, there are few wild camping options so we opted to go to a campground. Cherry Creek State Park is within the greater Denver area and has a campground at the reservoir as well as a huge park area. Luckily we noticed from a few check in’s there that reservations are required and you cannot just drive up. After calling unsuccessfully to the main park number, Fran found the booking site and managed to snag a site big enough for the truck and trailer without unhitching.
We got a dry site by choice for $28 plus a park entry fee of $10 and there are bathrooms with pay showers ($1.50 for 5 minutes); we have a picnic table and a fire pit and there is a water spigot shared between about a half dozen sites in the middle. There is a dump with potable water that you can use as part of your fees on the way out of the park so we’ll do that tomorrow after showering in our trailer.
Doug’s former colleague, Tim, lives here in Denver and he had already arranged to meet him for dinner so we just had to advise him of the change of location and after parking, he walked over to the main centre and Tim met him there.
Fran had a quiet evening doing a few small chores and watching some of her own shows. It was pretty dark and quite overnight and it cooled off sufficiently to sleep well. Friday morning, Doug was a little “off” after last night so he didn’t run and after Fran did her exercise, we moved on northeasterly. We want to get back to only around xx km / 100 mi (ish) a day so today after stopping to fill a propane bottle and filling the gas tank at Costco, we headed out of Denver and spent the afternoon and night at the Walmart in Fort Morgan. The weather is quite pleasant around 27 C / 80 F during the day and down to around 11 C / 50 F at night. Doug attempted to run but still wasn’t feeling. Fran went and did a grocery shop and we chilled the rest of the day followed by a relatively quiet night; this Walmart closes at 11 so there is no all night traffic in the lot.
GAS: in NE around $2.89
Saturday was partly cloudy, Doug did his long run, we showered, had a our morning cuppa and headed north into Nebraska – state number eight on this trip with no time change. On the highway, we stopped for a bathroom break and Fran noticed that the solar controller looked burnt:
We could still smell smoke and figured we should get campgrounds for a couple of nights while we waited for a new one to come from Amazon. Fran still has a Prime trial till tomorrow so it will be waiting for us in Rapid City on Monday.
So while we were driving Doug booked us a campground in Scottsbluff, NE. Riverside Campground gave us full hookups with very good wifi for $35 a night – this was a great price. After setting up, Fran went to get her steps hoping to catch a glimpse of the Bluff Monument on the Riverside Walk.
We read in the afternoon sitting outside and then had a chill evening with a very short sprinkle despite all the thunder we heard.
Happy first day of fall!
It’s Sunday we left and continued north about 75 km / 46 mi to the Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. This is a free national park system site. Agate is the world’s leading source of full-skeleton specimens of Miocene mammals. The Miocene is the first geological epoch and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years ago.
The site is best known for a large number of well-preserved Miocene fossils, many of which were found at dig sites on Carnegie and University Hills. Fossils date back about 20 to 16.3 million years ago, are among some of the best specimens of Miocene mammals. These were found in fossil beds on Carnegie and University Hills.
Species found in Agate include ancestors of the modern day horse, two horned-rhinos, bear dogs, hippo like, pig like, gazelle like, sheep like and mammals and ancient land beavers called palaeocastor that dug large corkscrew shaped burrows called Daemonelix burrows. These burrows were tree-sized, screw-like underground formation. Its basic form is an elongated spiral of hardened earth material that inserts into the soil as deep as 3 metres (9.8 ft). These puzzling structures first came to notice through in 1891 and 1892. They were then described them as giant freshwater sponges. This identification was influenced by the surroundings where the “screws” were situated; the deposits in which they occur were laid down in immense freshwater lakes from 20 million years ago. For a time, people tended to believe that the spiral forms were a curious type of extinct vegetation, although many remained skeptical. In 1892 it was proposed that the devil’s corkscrews were the burrows of large rodents that looked like this (remains of one was found in one of the burrows):
At the museum inside we saw this bone bed and reconstructed creatures:
We visited the Visitor’s Centre for information and set out on the wrong trail – instead of a one mile loop to see the corkscrews, we ended up going around the fossil beds.
views along that hike:
On the way back to the centre someone told us where the Daemoelix trailhead was and we drove there – it was very close to the highway we’d come down to get here nearly 5 km / 3mi back. We drove over there and did the one mile loop hike seeing this (see photo at the top for the split daemoelix):
We have to be in Rapid City by Monday afternoon so we continued north about xx km 22 mi to the small town of Harrison where iOverlander advised that there was a city park with two RV sites with power and water that were free. We hoped that they were empty and they where so we got parked and spent a quiet afternoon on our own sitting under a tree reading. There are park bathrooms besides the hookups and garbage cans and decent cell reception.
Should you like to see more photo check this out.
It was a super quiet night and we both woke up refreshed and ready to go; after exercise, tea/coffee and showers, we headed the final 225 km / 140 km to our most northern destination this trip: Rapid City.
Enroute we crossed into our ninth US state: South Dakota.
GAS: in SD around $2.96 and up
We pulled into the city about 11:45 am stopping at our doctor’s office to pick up some x-rays Fran had left there for safekeeping last year and then stopped at a cell phone store to get new screen protectors for our phones (it’s been a year). There was this nice mural on the wall inside the shop:
before arriving at Americas’ Mailbox – our legal address in Box Elder (just outside Rapid City). We had booked a dry camp for two nights while we have a few medical appointments here and to pick up our mail. After dumping and filling our tanks, we got parked in a dry campsite. We had to pay $20 a night here and that includes dumping and fresh water, use of the bathrooms during business hours and Wi-Fi which barely reached out site anyway.
While Doug dumped, Fran went to get our mail and advised that two packages were arriving today from Amazon; she was told they would have to be “processed” and we could pick up tomorrow – the new solar controller was in the package and we really wanted it today. So Fran had a plan: watch for the driver and get to him before he delivers packages inside! That worked by fluke; she happened to be taking some garbage out and saw the delivery truck had just pulled up. She asked about getting the package before he took it inside and he looked for it but couldn’t find it. He asked that she wait till he pulled all deliveries for this address and as he was doing so he found it. Hurray!
So after we ate brekkie, we covered up the solar panels, uninstalled the old one; installed the new solar charger and it worked just great after he uncovered the panels. He also replaced the two small parts we’d ordered for the propane tank cover and all was good.
It’s very windy here in Box Elder and much cooler than we’ve experienced in a while. It threatened to rain but only sprinkled for about two minutes.
Tuesday morning Doug left early and went for one his marathon walks. Fran was up around 7:30, exercised and left before nine to head to an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to have her joints checked. Dr. MacEleny’s office took x rays and confirmed it was just arthritis and considered it moderate. He felt the best course of action was cortisone shots as in his opinion it was too early for a knee replacement. These shots will need to be done about every 3-4 months and if they manage the pain, it would be better to wait 4-5 years before considering surgery. He was able to give her shots in both knees right away and she can get shots throughout the US that will be all covered by Medicare insurance. She discussed her back pain and he said he only does knees so when she checked out she asked about see a back person if possible, in the next two days. Feeling pessimistic she could an appointment that fast, was pleased to get one tomorrow morning! She was given a copy of her x rays and off she went.
Her next appointment was with a dermatologist PA for a skin screening. She’d last had this done back in 2013 and knows it well past time. The exam went well with only one small area of concern above her upper lip so a special script was written for a cream that should clear it up within a few days and it was recommended she use this cream all over her face and chest and it should be done annually. Hopefully the script (that is a special compound and must be mixed by a specialist) will be ready no later than Thursday morning so we can carry on our merry way.
She returned home, took care of a few things.
Doug’s walk went well even though he felt somewhat tired most of the way but he finished the distance and was happy with that.
Fran heard from the compounding company and her script will be ready tomorrow by mid-day so we will hit the road back to Colorado through Wyoming after our appointments with our family doctor and picking it up.
That night we went out for burgers – real burgers at Sickies Garage, a place we’d been to before in Box Elder. It specializes in burgers and brews and they were very good. They even had $5 margaritas so Fran had to partake. After dinner we went over to Cabella’s/Pro Bass Shop and bought new camping chairs as they were getting quite old and Fran finds them too low. After trying out several, we chose some and went back to the trailer for the night.
So Wednesday morning Fran say the spine doctor and they took x rays and said the pain she is feeling next to her spine is not spine related. She does have moderate arthritis in the lower spine and mild above that. He gave her a script for a steroid to take for four days, then an anti-inflammatory for a month and muscle relaxers for any bad days. If they don’t do much, she has an order for PT and in 4-6 months, if things have not improved an MRI may be needed.
She stopped for gas and fruit on the way back to the trailer to get Doug. He hitched up the trailer, we went to dump and fill and were on our way once again. We went over to a nearby big box area and Fran went for a pedicure and we picked up a few things at the Dollar Tree before walking over to Panera Bread for lunch before going to pick up Fran’s compounded script and our family doctor appointments. The bloodwork Fran had done in Pueblo apparently had not shown up so she could not discuss with doctor, but neither of them expected any surprises in that regard. After Doug’s appointment we were on our way and Fran told the RN she’d call about the bloodwork as she had more time than Jayme did. She found out that it had been sent but they will fax if over later today. Apparently, Fran should have been able to see the results in the Patient Portal but couldn’t so the woman said she’d also sort that out.
As it was already after 2pm we’d didn’t want to go too far today so we made it to a wild camping spot found on iOverlander about 8 km / 5 mi south of Custer and parked there. It’s like a pullout off the road and we can hear road noise but expect that to lessen as night falls. That’s it for South Dakota and now we begin the trek southwest back to Nevada!
GAS: in WY ranged from $2.79 to $3.29
It did end up being a relatively quiet night with a cool fall morning dipping into single digits: 8C – 47 F. Doug went for a run while Fran did yoga and after showering and coffee/tea, we hit the road again. Today we crossed into Wyoming and stopped in Lusk. First try was the fairgrounds that normally allows camping in the large gravel lot but they were setting up for an auction and we couldn’t stay. Fran found a large park on the other side of town with baseball diamonds, a pool and more and we went over there instead. It was right by some train tracks but the trains are not that frequent. There was a water spigot on the restroom building by the diamonds and we took advantage and added water to our tanks to replace our shower water this morning. It got quite pleasant today with full sun and temps in the low 20’s C / mid 70’F and we had time to read outside in our new chairs:
We are planning to stop in Boulder, CO on Saturday and stay with overlanding friends we’ve stayed with before and we chatted today. They advised that the Boulder marathon was on Sunday so traffic would be difficult on Sunday; this gave Doug the idea to do the marathon but it was full so we he signed up for the half.
We arrived in Lusk hoping to get a free camp spot at the local fairgrounds only to learn there was an event being prepared for and we could get neither a free spot or a paid one so Fran saw the city park on the other side of the town had been used by others on iOverlander and we moved over there. It was a huge parking area at a swimming pool/skate park/baseball diamond park. There were bathrooms that were open, a water tap and playgrounds. It was a nice place to park except for the odd train (Doug said there were more overnight as he slept without ear plugs) but no one bothered us.
Shots of Lusk:
It got rather cool again overnight; it sure feels like fall!
Friday morning we were out of there after coffee/tea and made our way southwest to Cheyenne. It was very hill terrain and the mileage on the Tundra was terrible! We were going to go to the local Walmart but opted instead to head to the rest area a bit further out of town. Only then did Fran remember she had a script to pick up at the Walmart! So after we ate brekkie, Doug unhitched the truck and Fran went into town with just the truck only to learn that her script was NOT there. She had to call the clinic in Rapid City and learned they screwed up and sent it to Walgreen’s instead – luckily, it was just down the road from Walmart about 5 minutes. She returned to the rest area and we spent the rest of the day there.
You check out more photos here.
Back to Colorado tomorrow as we continue on.
