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Our 49th State, Colorado

Our 49th State

Our 49th State for camping was Colorado. For seven years, we have been working on a retirement goal to camp in all fifty states. Finally, in the summer of 2023, we took a trip to pick up the last four unvisited states in the continental United States. The entire trip was challenging because it was over 7,000 miles and two months on the road. I was actually concerned about our ability to do such a long trip as we are older with some health issues. But, we forged ahead, and I’m so glad we did.

However, I wish we had traveled to Colorado years ago because the altitude was too much for me. Despite the issues, I’m so grateful I was able to spend some time in this beautiful state.

Colorado

Our intention for Colorado was to visit Rocky Mountain National Park for three days, with a couple of one night stops getting there. I knew the elevation was high, but we had already stayed in Arco, Idaho and Salt Lake City, Utah for several days and the elevation for both was in the 5000 range. I was struggling a bit, but hoping that acclimation was occurring. Plus, we were excited about seeing Rocky Mountain NP.

Grand Junction

Our first night in Colorado was in Grand Junction at the KOA. The altitude was 4,593, which is similar to what we experienced on our previous five nights. I could feel the altitude, but it wasn’t extreme.

We had a relaxing night at this very nice KOA. All was good!

The Ride to Gypsum

It turned out that the trip to Gypsum and then to Estes Park was a major part of our Colorado experience. In our travels in the Pacific Northwest, we traveled around mountains. In Colorado, you travel through them!

For example, Hanging Lake Tunnel is almost a mile long. The roads carved out in the mountains were impressive.

Our route was quite scenic because most of it wound along the Colorado River. The river was very wide with fast rapids. We saw a lot of people enjoying the river.

River rafting in Colorado, our 49th state. — Glenwood Springs Rafting the Colorado

My husband did all the driving because the road was very curvy, yet with a fast speed limit. So, I was free to just enjoy it. Sometimes it’s good to be the less-competent one.

River Dance RV

River Dance in Gypsum was gorgeous. We arrived during very high winds. So, we just plugged up the power for the air conditioner and waited for the wind to calm. It was very hot.

After awhile, we ventured out and walked the park. It was very challenging for me to do anything. The altitude was 6,300 and it took my shortness of breath to the next level.

I began to think that Rocky Mountain NP was not going to work for me. My blood oxygen levels were lower than the should be and our next stop was even higher. I looked to see how we could head in the direction of home and get to a much lower elevation in one day’s drive. Unfortunately, all the places we could practically get to were quite high elevations.

So, we decided to go to Estes Park, where we had reserved three nights and to buy some Boost oxygen. It is sold there because of the high altitude and I hoped that it would enable us to complete the trip. In the meantime, we enjoyed the beautiful surroundings at our current stop. Once it cooled down a bit, I could walk around, but I was not moving fast at all. The Eagle River was behind the campground and it was pretty.

Our 49th State Destination, Estes Park

As planned, we made it to Estes Park Campground, which is just a few miles from Rocky Mountain Park. To get there, we drove through Loveland Pass with an elevation of almost 12,000 feet. Both my husband and I were not feeling well. We also went through the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel and after it the road was covered with potholes. I later learned it is because it receives so much heavy ice and snow. I heard some pretty serious cussing from my husband.

We headed first to a pharmacy for the Boost oxygen and then to the campground. Our site was quite short, but adequate for our trailer. The views were very nice though.

The oxygen helped me a little, but the effect was very short-lived. The elevation at Estes Park was 8,000.

We drove around town looking for a place for dinner. The small town was jam-packed with people. We tried to eat at a popular barbecue restaurant, but the parking was insane and once parked, we discovered there was an hour wait. This was on a weeknight. Big Horn Restaurant, however, was not so crowded and we had a very good meal there.

If all was well, we planned to go to the park early the next day to beat the crowds. But, several times during the night, I checked my blood oxygen levels. I used the Boost oxygen, but my levels of 87-88 were below what is considered safe. This meant that my organs and brain could be compromised. We would have to leave!

The Stanley Hotel

I wanted to see two things while at Estes Park. The National Park, of course, and The Stanley Hotel. We didn’t have time to see the National Park and didn’t need the higher elevation, but we could drive just a few miles to check out the Stanley.

The enormous hotel was built in 1909. Stephen King stayed there in the 1970s, when it was in disrepair. It inspired his third novel, The Shining. At that time, it did actually shut down for the winter and required a caretaker. It was also reputed to be haunted.

The Stanley Hotel in Colorado, our 49th state. — The Stanley Hotel

It was gorgeous, upscale, and very well-maintained. We checked out the lobby and gift shop and also walked around it, but did not get to take the nighttime tour that I would have liked.

The view of the Rockies from the Stanley was stunning! So, we had been able to breakfast at a popular restaurant, The Egg of Estes, and tour the lobby and grounds of the Stanley. It was not all we had planned, but better than nothing.

Departure Landscapes

Before we left, we checked out Mary’s Lake. Pretty, but no swimming or boating there.

The road to our next destination was not as challenging to drive, but still pretty. Colorado, you are beautiful!

Our 49th State Conclusion

I am so glad we were able to visit Colorado, our 49th state, but boy did it kick my butt! I think most people would do fine there, but I have some significant lung issues. If you are interested in any of the other forty-eight states we have visited, check out States Visited, a Campsite Resource. Now all we have left is Hawaii.

Happy camping!

Second Year Retirement Highlights

Second Year Retirement

Our second year of retirement was wonderful, except for a couple of months which were quite difficult. We settled into a routine when not traveling that was comfortable and companionable. I can honestly say I do not miss working. We were also able to travel extensively and it was amazing.

I am writing this post primarily for my husband and myself. It is like a journal of our experiences. Because it will likely be boring for those who do not know us, it will not be posted on camping social media sites.

Our first year retirement summary, Retirement: First Year Highlights , is also a blog post.

Daily Routine

The time that we previously spent working is now being taken up by a slow, comfortable pace of living. We start our days later now, with ample sleep. Most of our meals are at home and are generally healthier than before retirement. We work out at the gym about four times a week, me with classes and my husband doing a combination of exercising and socializing. Our days start around 7:00 and we are usually asleep before 11:00. Sadly, we have officially become old folks!

Family Time

We now have much more time for family and we see them every opportunity, but we do try not to encroach upon their lives too much. It is great to know that we can be there for them if they need us without having to worry about working.

I have been working on a family cookbook since I retired and finally finished it. I gave family members copies of it on Thanksgiving. They seemed to like it and the personal notes in it. It is nice to have all my favorite recipes in one spot and on line.

We were able to take a couple of road trips to Tampa to visit our son. Retirement has enabled us to have much more time for trips like those.

I am trying to keep my brain challenged, so I spend a good bit of time doing Luminosity games, Sudoku, and others. For some reason, I find them relaxing and somewhat addictive.

Planning trips and later writing about them is also something I enjoy. I know that one day, we will not be able to go like we do now and I am working to capture our memories. Also, in a small way, I believe I am helping some new campers navigate their way. I have received responses from several who let me know how much they appreciated the blog.

Yardword and housework also take up parts of our days and it is good to be able to devote more time to them.

Lastly, we watch way too much television. We try to limit it and honestly do get a little sick of it, but there you have it.

Our Big Event

Knee replacement for my husband is something we have been working on since we first retired. It was delayed by needed vein surgery that was done in our first year of retirement. Unfortunately, there were complications that resulted in pulmonary embolisms. Then, we had a period of time on blood thinners and testing to see if it was advisable to move forward. It pushed the surgery to August of our second year.

He got through the surgery fine. While he was at a higher risk for blood clots, thankfully there were none! However, his rehabilitation was harder than for most because he had significant swelling related to the vein issue. It was very, very painful for him and challenging for me as well because I helped him with his rehab at home. Wow, it was tough! It was scary too because I wasn’t sure at first that he would even get back to where he was before the surgery.

He is now much better and we are told his knee will continue to improve many months after the surgery. We are so glad to have this behind us.

The Inevitable Decline

We both are very aware of the effects of aging. My husband had the bad knee for several years and though older, I was much more active. Now, his knee is better and we are hoping he will be able to do more. It seems that now I am going to be holding us back. An orthopedist told me that I will eventually need shoulder replacement. Additionally, a hip that was only occasionally an issue before has become quite painful.

Not to be all doom and gloom, but these things make me acutely aware that we had better go and do what we want to do while we still can.

Recreation

Yes, we do have lots of fun! I think it makes it that much sweeter knowing that this is not something that is just going to go on forever.

Camping in the T@G

We have been camping for just over two years now and we both love it. I think we got along better in that small teardrop camper than we do in our very roomy home. There is so much beautiful country to see. There is also the feeling of overcoming obstacles and working together.

Our retirement goal is to camp in all fifty states. Toward that goal, we were fortunate to take two amazing month-long trips. The first west all the way to California and the second north to the Upper Peninsula. Both were incredible!

Retirement travel — Winter trip out West

Our summer trip included the nüCamp 18 rally in Sugarcreek, Ohio. We also attended the Key Lime Rally in Gulf Shores and the Tiny Christmas Campout in Pensacola. Lastly, we went camping with several friends at Stone Mountain. We have so many wonderful memories of those trips! I feel so blessed that we had this time together.

Next Level Camping

Our little T@G gave us so many wonderful days camping that we knew we were all in for much more. We had been looking for something that offered a few more amenities—a bathroom and a place to be comfortable when inside during the day. The nüCamp T@B 400 was our choice.

We loved it immediately, but felt that the tongue weight on our tow vehicle was under too much strain. So, we traded our tow vehicle for something bigger. Lots of changes in our camping world occurred that week in November!

Bigger SUV — Very much bigger tow vehicle

We were able to use our new toys on our last camping trip of the year to the Tiny Christmas Campout. We did some camping in South Carolina on the way. Another state for our map!

We made quite a bit of progress in our goal of camping in all fifty states. Still a long way to go though!

Big Cities

We were fortunate to be able to travel to two big cities during our second year, Los Angeles in January and Chicago in July. Both cities were exciting to visit—amazing food, interesting museums, and lots to see and do. We like to stay at hotels in the heart of big cities to be able to see as much as possible.

Couple outsid Warner Brothers Studio Tour — Warner Brothers Studio Tour

Dancing

Ballroom dancing has been a big part of our lives for several years. We are members of a dance club and two dance groups. From the sound of that, you might assume we are good dancers. That is not the case, but we do enjoy it and we get to spend time with some truly wonderful people.

The declining knee has resulted in declining dancing over the last few years, but I hope we can dance more in the next year.

Second year retirement was a great for us! We look forward to our third year of retirement and whatever adventures it may bring.

Shoulder Problems and Getting Older

My Routine

Shoulder problems; one of the joys of getting older! Now sixty-seven, I am very aware of how the aging process impacts mobility, energy, and the ability to do everything you might desire. But, I have been actively trying to fight the ravages of age. My fight included trips to the gym three to four times a week for classes in strength training and cardio. I have tried to keep my weight down as well, but that is a constant battle. Overall though, I have felt pretty good and could do most things I wished.

My husband and I are recently retired and are trying to live our lives as actively as possible for as long as our health allows. Below is a link to an earlier post about some other health issues we have had.

Retirement: In Sickness and in Health

Shoulder Problems

My shoulder started really bothering me about a year ago. Sleeping on it in the car returning from a camping trip resulted in pain in my bicep and a limited range of motion. I could not fully raise my arm and was limited in putting it behind my back.

I dealt with the issue by doing stretches that I found online. They helped and my strength training classes (Body Pump) also helped. However, I did not get back my range of motion. I could no longer do a favorite yoga stretch, Child’s Pose. In spite of this, I rocked on for a year keeping most of the shoulder problems at bay.

Recently though, it was beginning to feel very tight when I put a barbell on my shoulder, which is a frequent task in Body Pump. At that time, we were about to take a monthlong camping trip. I speculated that the classes might be aggravating my shoulder and that a break might help the situation. Boy was I wrong! While traveling, my shoulder became much worse. Sometimes, it hurt to just reach for something. When I returned, I could barely place the barbell in position and it really hurt when I did.

Orthopedic Assessment

It was time to bring in the big guns. My internist at the local healthcare system referred me to Orthopedist who specializes in shoulders. I was expecting an impingement and physical therapy and nothing more.

On the day of my visit, they first took x-rays. The doctor immediately referred to my x-rays when he came into the examination room. He asked if I had seen them and I replied that I had not. I was led into the hall where a screen had my x-rays was displayed. The doctor stated that I had arthritis and two bone spurs. As he pointed to the two bone spurs, I was dismayed that I had no trouble seeing them. They were very prominent in the x-ray. I was not expecting this! Somehow, I had felt that if I worked very hard at staying fit, this kind of thing would be far down the road for me.

So, what should I do about my shoulder? He said that I would eventually need a shoulder replacement, but in the meantime some physical therapy and ice plus Advil for the pain. I felt as if I had a ticking bomb in my shoulder.

Physical Therapy

I heard about ATI Physical Therapy from a neighbor. My husband did not do well using another company for his knee, so I was ready to try ATI. I went twice a week for about four weeks. Stretching was a big part of my therapy, plus strengthening exercises. It seemed to help, but my shoulder was nowhere near normal.

ATI did, however, greatly enhance my ability to lift my arm over my head. This resulted from a process called dry needling in which the therapist inserted needles under my arm. It was pretty painful, but after that, I could lift my arm to a normal range. I could even do the yoga stretch, Child’s Pose. I highly recommend needling, assuming you have a qualified therapist.

After the needling, it was easier for me to get the barbell on my shoulder as well. However, after just a week away from the classes makes it somewhat more difficult.

The local ATI Physical Therapy Clinic did a great job for me. I don’t think the return to a normal shoulder is a reasonable expectation given what my orthopedist said about the condition of my shoulder. I believe my outcome was quite good, all things considered. A link to ATI follows.

https://www.atipt.com

Epilogue

It is now very important for me to do regular stretching. If I skip a day or so, I experience more pain. The strength exercises are important as well. Putting the barbell on my shoulder is also a very good stretch for me.

This is not really the end of the story though. My shoulder problems still exist and in the future, a shoulder replacement awaits. I just want to delay it for as long as possible.