Denver Trip

 

On a recent trip to Denver, Colorado to visit with our Grand-Daughter and Great-Grand Son, my wife and I followed Highway I-80 from Sacramento, California to Cheyenne, Wyoming and from there south on Highway I-25 to Denver. On our journey we stayed at three RV Parks on our way there and the same three on our return trip. Upon arriving in Denver we choose an RV Park just 11 miles from downtown Denver in the town of Golden. While all the stops provided adequate arrangements there are two I would like to mention. The Park in Golden I chose because of the ratings that Good Sam had given it and also because it was near to three of the many attractions that Colorado has to offer and ones that I definitely wanted to see.  DAKOTA RIDGE RV PARK was as near to perfect as any of the hundreds or so RV Parks I have stayed in over all the years I have traveled in an RV. One thing that I never ask for when staying in an RV Park is a free stay. As a Travel Writer I know that they are available but when I write a review, as I am now, I want it to show exactly how I felt about my stay there and not feel my review was bought with a free stay.

 

Good Sam rated DAKOTA RIDGE RV PARK with a 10/10/9.5 rating. It can’t get much better than that. Their rest rooms were as clean as any I have ever encountered in my travels. The pool and Spa were sparkling clean and as with the rest rooms were kept that way on a daily basis. They provide a rec room with very comfortable chairs and a sofa plus a large screen TV. Just off  the rec room is a private area set aside to use while on your computer. They also have an exercise room with enough equipment to get a good workout. Another room contains a pool table with pool cues and balls to use for free. Their check in area has a small number of items for sale you might need plus all the free coffee you care to drink. The general grounds were kept as clean as any I have ever encountered. One thing they do that I haven’t seen too often is that if you bag your trash and leave it near the road at your site they will pick it up for you. Management and their staff go out of their way to see that your stay is everything you could possibly want it to be. On top of all that one thing my wife really appreciated was that besides being spotlessly clean the laundry room had a change machine to give you the correct change you needed to do your laundry.

The following pictures will give you a brief idea of what you can expect when you book a stay at DAKOTA RIDGE RV PARK.  

 

     Part of the friendly staff

 

     The Recreation Room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sparkling pool with a hot tub where I'm standing

      

     Two views of the tree lined park

 

 You can make reservations by phoning them at 800-398-1625

 

The first attraction that I really wanted to see was the Buffalo Bill Museum and his grave site. This took just a drive of a few miles up Lookout Mountain to reach it. I am a history buff especially when it comes to early western history and who better to represent that than Buffalo Bill Cody. He was a fantastic character who was an Indian Fighter, Scout for the Army, Buffalo Hunter for the railroads and for his time one of the greatest showmen ever. The museum is stacked full of mementos regarding his life. He and his wife are buried together there looking out over the Great Plains to the east and the Rocky Mountains to the west.

 

 

The entrance to the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum

Looking East from Lookout Mountain toward the Great Plains

 

 

The gravesite of Buffalo Bill and his wife Louisa

 

The next attraction was the Manitou Cliff Dwellings which are about an hour’s drive south of Denver on Highway I-25 to Colorado Springs and another five minutes west on Highway 24 to the Dwellings. These are authentic Anasazi cliff dwellings that were built more than 700 years ago. It will amaze you what these people were able to accomplish in building these dwellings with only the most primitive of tools. Bring your camera as you will definitely want a lot of pictures. One thing that I was happy to see is that there are no “DO NOT TOUCH” signs. They want you to go all through these dwellings so that you can totally appreciate what it must have taken in time and labor to complete them. 

 

 

 

 

                      

 Last on my list was the Coors Brewery Tour. Sorry, I didn’t take any pictures but I felt that this brewery that has been in business for over 135 years would well be worth your time in taking the tour and not because the free sample of their produce that you will get when it is over. That is of course if you are at least 21 years of age. They do have other non-alcoholic beverages for those who are too young or those who don’t drink alcoholic beverages. The brewery is located right in Golden and you can ask anyone for directions. For tour information you can reach them at 303-277-BEER.

 

The other RV Park worth your consideration is the HI DESERT RV PARK in Winnemucca, Nevada. This Park as the name states is in the high desert of Nevada so if you expect to see lush green lawns throughout the Park you won’t. Water is at a premium in this country so you won’t see many lawns. But don’t let that discourage you. Good Sam rated this park 9.5/9.5/9.5 and I think that was right on. Everything about this park was kept very clean. The staff was there to see that you have a very enjoyable stay.  You can make reservations by calling 775-623-4513.

 

What impressed me on this trip across Nevada, Utah and Wyoming was that I was crossing some of the very same areas that the first settlers did in their covered wagons. The trip from Sacramento, California to Cheyenne, Wyoming is approximately 1,100 miles. We covered this in three days of easy driving before heading south to Denver. On average, this would have taken at least three and a half to four months for those settlers to cover the same distance in their covered wagons. They must have really wanted to do it to undertake such a journey. My hat goes off to them.