Roosevelt National Forest Crown Point Rd Boondocking

This weekend we headed off with a goal of boondocking in the Roosevelt National Forest. We left Sat. morning so were hopeful, but not confident, that we would find a spot. To our amazement there were tons of spots available. You have to go down some dirt roads and we only saw one other RV the whole weekend. Our RV has higher ground clearance than most newer ones so we can be more adventurous.

On the way to the national forest we passed a ton of campgrounds with sites right on a rushing river. At first they were all full but as we got further along the road we started to see some with openings. Although tempted, we kept our goal in mind, and continued on.

Upon entering the forest we started seeing sites right away. It was surprising but we wanted to explore some more so kept going. Eventually we found a site with a babbling brook running through it and some logs for crossing it. This was it! In addition we didn't have to level the RV. Always a bonus when you don't have leveling jacks.

Our RV was up on a level pad and the campsite was down the hill a bit.

A view down to the site from the RV.

It had a nice view of the forest and the sound of the nearby stream was lovely.

Sunshine wants to explore right away.

But there was a bridge to cross.

He quickly mastered crossing the logs. Blossom kept wanting to jump in the water but even though it was flowing it didn't seem that clean due to all the cows in the area. I promised her we would take her swimming in the main river before we went home.

There was a fire ring on the other side of the log bridge so we had two to choose from.

We did see some fish which was surprising because it was so shallow.
Below is our segment of the babbling brook.



Everyone settles in for a little relaxation.

These cows looked murderous when you ran into them on the road or paths. Here they look perfectly harmless.

After setting up camp we hiked down the road a little.

We didn't seen anything better than our site. We were going to hike up the hill behind our campsite but were blocked by a herd of disgruntled cows. Instead we hiked up a 4-wheel drive road to the top.




We climbed to the top of the nearby hills but didn't see anything spectacular.

Some of the views were pretty.

Lots for the dogs to explore.



After the hike, Blossom enjoys watching out the window for wildlife.

But she doesn't mind a nap either.

The next day we hiked a bit more but then headed back to the main river where we wanted to let Blossom swim. She had a ball! The current was swift but she is a strong swimmer. Even so, at one point she started to drift away and Max had to pull her back in.

Sunshine says swimming is not for him.















We then hiked down the river a bit and saw a family jumping off a high rock into what must have been a hole in the river. As we drove out we passed many tubers, kayakers, people fishing and river raft trips. It was a beautiful canyon.

Our new toilet-Dometic Sealand Traveler 511H (low profile white)

We didn't lose interest in RVing we've been sidelined due to toilet issues.

We've been very happy with our Thetford Aqua Magic IV pictured below. It is the standard plastic toilet that comes on most RVs. The only problem was the water connector into it is such a tight fit against the riser behind our toilet that to even see it or trouble shoot it you have to remove the whole toilet from the base.



Unfortunately this toilet developed a leak during our Grand Canyon trip. Thetford suggested replacing the water valve which was promised to be in stock by several area dealers but when called for turned out to not be. This delayed us about a week trying to get the part. Once we had it, we installed it, but broke a plastic connector to the toilet so then had to find that. Another week gone. And after all that the toilet still leaked at some undetermined interior point. We hated to do it but we decided to just get another one so we could get on with our summer.

Since we were happy with our Thetford we decide to get another Thetford, the Style II. After installing it we found that it did not rinse the bowl when it flushed. It just sprayed water at the bottom. The reviews on it are split with most loving it and some finding this same problem we did. In addition it did not fit well with our carpet covered step behind the toilet so back it went.

After much research on what the connectors looked like, we ordered another toilet. It took about three weeks for us to receive the Dometic Sealand Traveler 511H which we ordered in low profile white. This is the world's heaviest toilet. Dometic Sealand has a lite version for travel trailers. This may be a better one to get unless you have a big strong guy like my husband to install it. I can't imagine why there is a differentiation between the motorhome and the trailer product as it seems they should both function equally well but there is.

However since this is the one we ordered this is the one we installed. It fits in our space, flushes the whole bowl, and has the water inlet in a place where we can install a shut-off valve.

To install this one we had to get a 2 bolt to 4 bold conversion kit from Sealand, known as their Universal Conversion Kit. It was about $24 on Amazon.com.

The new shut-off valve for the new toilet. This was facilitated by the water inlet being behind the pedal on the side of the toilet. There was no room in our installation to install one for any of the toilets with a water inlet at the back.


Do we like the new one? Not as much as the old one which had a swirl action to the flush so got things done better and had better water pressure. Our new shut-off valve may affect the pressure because we had to install two right angles to get it to fit. We were limited in the placement of the water inlet line due to the furnace ducting that is under the carpeted riser behind the toilet. If we could have come in midway through the riser we could have gone straight into the water valve without a right angle. As it was we needed to be either on top of the furnace duct or below it.

In addition the new bowl is larger and flatter so it requires more water to get a clean flush and often it isn't possible. We decided to prioritize the shut-off valve as it wasn't possible to turn off the water to the old leaking toilet and use the water in the rest of the RV, which was inconvenient.

While I was in the bathroom taking toilet pictures I decided to take pictures of our new shower head and the insulation that we have for the shower dome.

The insulation is attached with the self stick velcro so we can take this down when we shower but leave it up the rest of the time which keeps the RV cooler. The shower dome had tremendous heat gain on a sunny day. We got a roll of the foil insulation from Camping World and have made covers for our vent caps, windows and shower dome. The difference in keeping the heat out is unbelievable. They are very effective.

The shower head was a waste of money. Everyone on the RV boards raves about the Oxygenics shower head. It's OK. The pressure isn't very good but that works OK for us since if we had a high pressure we would have alot of splash out because we are tall and our heads are in the shower dome when we shower. Supposedly it saves water. Very hard to tell.

Edit: We've used this toilet on a couple of trips now so I thought I'd come back and add my thoughts. I hate this toilet. With a passion. It uses a ton of water to get done what the old one did on a bit of water. The problem is that the bowl is very large and very flat at the bottom. To flush anything down the toilet you have to fill the large cavernous bowl. And it doesn't flush clean because the bowl is so huge that it takes a long time for the water to get all the way around the top of it and then it just dribbles into the bowl, doesn't flush with the strength that the old one did.

Our new Velvac mirrors

When I was shopping for an RV, I noticed a few years after mine was built, Winnebago incorporated superior mirrors. Recently Motorhome magazine had an article about upgrading to the new ones so I decided to do it. The list price for the mirrors was about $500 but I got my pair for $250.

The old mirrors.

The new mirrors.

The part number to order is 713854.
Here is a link to order them for the $250 price.
New Velvac Mirrors
http://www.ryderfleetproducts.com/ryder/af/ryder/core/content/product/srm/key/U80%20713854/pn/Mirror-20-25-black-revolution-pair/erm/productDetail.do

They came complete with both right and left mirror and base. The only thing we had to buy was new screws. We used the old ones as a guide on what to buy.

The mirrors were well packed and appeared to come right from the factory. I had to order a roll of tape to get the price up to $250 so I could qualify for free shipping. :-)

The difference in visibility is huge! Not only can we now see if our steps are out but we have great visibility to the side and no blind spot that I could see. Well worth the money! I just have to get rid of the old mirrors. I'll probably post them on craig's list.

Look who moved in while we were gone

A Bull snake exits our garage.

Then heads across the driveway to the bushes. Hopefully he is vacating the premises and not just going out hunting.

The upside is that we saw no evidence of mice.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

Our last stop for the trip was at Great Sand Dunes National Park. What a treat! I did not know how much I would enjoy this stop and had included it simply because my husband had come here as a child and loved it. We will definitely be back. I think this may have been the highlight of the trip as far as the National Parks go, simply because I did not expect much. Our campsite was OK. Nothing special with lots of other campers nearby. We stayed at Pinyon Flats Campground in the National Park.

We did have a view of the dunes and there was a great path right next to our site where we could walk down to them.

So first thing in the morning that is where we headed.

The dogs were thrilled and playful like pups.



I was amazed at how big the dunes were.


We headed right in search of the creek that runs in the spring.

Eventually we hit wet sand.

The doggies are hiding in the shade. Lest you think we were mistreating them we brought plenty of water, were monitoring the temperature of the sand with our bare feet and they were back in the RV by 11 a.m. I had read about how hot the sand got so was careful to turn back in time. Amazingly alot of people were just taking their dogs out on the sand as I was coming back up the trail. I warned them about the sand temperature.

But after a while of this I started back with the dogs while my husband continued on.
Blossom rests back at the camper.

Eventually he found the creek.

And took some pics of the water.

I however, was glad to have headed back early as it had gotten really hot out. My husband reported that we could have walked on a jeep trail that runs parallel to the river and kept the dogs off the hot sand. I will have to check this out next time we go.

Last stop (to dump) before leaving the park.


Last view of the dunes.