On the Road to Colorado....What Could Go Wrong?

This trip had been in the making for 9 months before finally venturing out on our first trek, with our travel trailer, to Colorado. We mapped our route and made our way up through Caprock Canyon State Park to Southfork, Colorado. the map below shows a straight shot from Dallas to Southfork, Colorado. 

We wanted to stop at Palo Dura Canyon State Park on the way, but they were closed for a retreat of some kind. We settled on stopping at Caprock Canyon State Park instead and made reservations. We travel with dogs, so you can imagine the ETA wasn't quit on par with how long it actually took us to get to our final destination. Nonetheless, we made our way slowly through the canyons to the tip of New Mexico and then to Colorado.

Straight to Colorado

         

From Caprock Canyon State Park to Southfork, Colorado

          

I can't even remember how many times we had to stop for gas, restroom breaks, and food. The day could've have come sooner. It felt like it took forever for us to make it to Colorado, but we finally did. When we arrived, it wasn't what we expected though. We learned a lot on this trip that we would've otherwise known.

Lessons Learned
1.   Always call ahead: You never know when your plans are going to be crushed until you get to your destination if you don't have a backup plan. We had planned to camp in the Rio Grande National Forest off Park Creek Rd. in Southfork, but due to unexpected melting snow, many forest roads were closed.

2.   Always have a backup plan: We called Southfork Campground and booked a few nights there until we found somewhere else to stay. We enjoyed our stay at this campground. The owners were very helpful and kind. We stayed near a rushing river. The river was moving so fast, that if you stepped into it, you'd be swept away! We steered clear of it, especially with dogs. I wouldn't have wanted jump in after them.

3.   Never give up: After a few days of driving around and finding that everything was closed or more expensive than where we were staying, I was ready to give up. I literally said, "I just want to go home." Cody left me in the camper and then I finally decided to call around and it was suggested that I call the Divide Ranger District in Del, Norte, so I did. Lo and behold, I found a place for us to camp in the national forest. When Cody finally came back inside the camper and I found out that his solution to my crying was to go out by the river and put up my hammock. I had wondered what he was doing when he left me after my breakdown. Turns out, that's what he was doing. It definitely made me feel better. Anyway, I told him about what I found out and we decided to wake up early the next morning and drive up to the location. It was perfect and not crowded at all.

4.   Make friends (outside of my comfort zone): We had a night or two to ourselves at our new camping spot until we had neighbors park near us. I was not happy about it at first because I am NOT a social person. It turned out to okay because they were nice and helpful. We went on many OTV rides with them (on our 4 wheeler) that we wouldn't have otherwise gone on.