Equipment
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Finding Our Rig
In the summer of 2022, when we decided to give #RVLife a try, we owned neither an RV nor a truck capable of towing. The only two vehicles I had ever owned were SUVs, and I had only a handful of experience towing things of any kind. I towed our Kia behind a U-haul when we moved from Denver back to Sacramento, and I towed a travel trailer briefly during a recent trip to Alaska. Aside from that, the occasional small cargo trailer or boat, but even then I often handed off driving duties when backing became necessary. Christy drove a Chevy Cruze, a compact sedan intended as a commuter…
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Mt Elbert Forebay
After a quick night at Clear Creek Reservoir, we headed back to the Twin Lakes area to find a more scenic campsite. By noon on Sunday, most of the campers had packed up and left. Despite numerous available campsites, we were hoping to take the place of the Sprinter van who had beat us to a spot by mere seconds around sunset the night before. When we arrived to the location, we were disappointed to see the Sprinter van still parked in the site. We pulled into a gravel lot just down the road. It had several rough dirt roads leading to additional campsites, but two RV’s occupied what seemed…
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DIY Solar
As part of our new RVing lifestyle, we really wanted the ability to get off-grid and dry camp. On the other hand, we needed a reliable source of AC power for the computers and internet we use for work, but the idea of running a generator for eight hours a day was out of the question. The solution was to add solar panels to the roof of the RV and an all-in-one power station capable of solar charging, high wattage AC output, and enough battery storage to get us through the day.
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Union Valley ’22
For our first official camping trip in the new RV, we took it somewhere that has been part of my family tradition for over 30 years. The annual camping trip to Union Valley lined up perfectly with our new purchase, but there was just one problem. The camper we chose is a Behemoth, and I am a total n00b to driving a truck and trailer. This year was different because our traditional campground was closed for renovations. Instead we booked a large group site at a campground on the other side of the lake. Still, there were already several RVs in the lot from our group and the campground advises…
