Announcement Just Sent Our Final Check

On our 560. From pictures it looks like it will be ready in a week or so. Can't make it to Wisconsin until first week of September, not sure I can wait that long.

Thanks to everybody on this forum. Your openness and love of your Camp-inn made me a true believer.

Last son off to college, semi-retirement, new raindrop. Going to be fun few weeks.

Any suggestions on heading west to Colorado would be appreciated.

 

This is our situation as well. Except we are about 1 month ahead of you. Our second will be headed to the left coast and we will be empty nesters. Semi-retirement sounds nice but those numbers don't work for us financially. Keep posting on your outings. It's always fun to hear what others are doing with their Camp Inns.

 

I'm a year ahead of you. My kids wondered why we were so quickly having so much fun. I reminded them for the first time in 20 years we don't have ballet class/recitals, soccer games, football games and other events of theirs to attend...our weekends were now ours! They liked what we were doing so much this summer's vacation was at their request...join their parents on a 5 National Park tour out west. We put a roof top tent on our tow vehicle for them! Enjoy your Camp Inn!

 

Going back home to Colorado you won't even know it is there. In fact every once in a while you will be startled by the guy driving really close to your bumper, until you realize it is just your own trailer. Just be alert to where you are and before you turn into a place see if there is a way out so you don't get trapped into a tight situation. If you are already an expert backer upper just disregard this suggestion.

 

Definitely a rank amateur on backing up so appreciate the insights. Have read to put hand on bottom of steering wheel and turn it the way you want trailer to go. Know this will be an acquired skill but hope it isn't too painful an acquisition.

Anybody camped at Wind Cave National Park? We are planning on staying a couple nights in Badlands NP but thought about one night Wind Cave before hitting Colorado.

 

Loved Wind Cave NP! We were the only people in our area of the campground and heard buffalo bellowing throughout the evening.

 

Depends on how much time you have...and the season. If you could loop north a bit - try Teddy Roosevelt Natl Park in ND, the Bighorns in WY, Thunder Basin Grasslands down to Cheyenne and Denver...not the big parks so not as crowded in summer.

Avoids the summer crowds and packed roads in the Black Hills ...which are best in the fall, imho.

 

We've camped at Badlands and also in the Black Hills National Forest. Haven't managed to see Wind Cave yet, but we have done Jewel Cave...it was spectacular. For Wind Cave, I don't know if it's changed since COVID, but you used to have to get tickets early in the morning if you wanted a shot at getting in. There's also a Minuteman Missile site that is really cool next to Badlands. It's worth seeing if you have time. Lots of natural beauty in the Black Hills.

 

Wind Cave is a nice quiet park in the off season, and yes, get in line early for the cave tour.

 

The bottom of the wheel trick works fantastically. I use it every time I back-up.

The best advise I can give is to get into an empty parking lot with no cars, light poles, or other obstruction and have a 'safety spotter' and just start backing up --- practice keep the trailer straight at first, then introduce "turns" Remember too, when things go wrong --- just pull forward a few feet, the trailer will naturally straighten out. Keep an "out" if possible so you can come back for a second try if you need too.

Set a threshold (20 degree at first, then adjust as you become more skilled) between the car and the trailer where you abort is a good idea -- bent metal is difficult to fix.

My first backing experience was with a concession trailer -- in the first year after doing about a dozen shows I had become pretty proficient. After 2 years I could parallel park with a trailer attached. The skill comes in quickly, the learning curve is more like a hockey stick ---

Night time is when it gets really hard --- you lose the points of reference. To this day, I have a hard time backing up into a familiar driveway at night. Don't feel self conscious about it. Anyone who says night time backing is easy is a liar.

Don't let anyone make you rush --- the guy behind you in the campground will just have to wait. No matter how "good" is is today --- at one point, he was new at it just like you are today.

By the end of summer you'll have score cards to hold up as others struggle...its all just part of the fun.

 

Sweeny ..along with the bottom of the steering wheel, your suggestion to do this is a great idea especially when backing a short trailer Set a threshold (20 degree at first, then adjust as you become more skilled) between the car and the trailer where you abort is a good idea -- bent metal is difficult to fix.

 

I also do paint-less dent repair

But I still have a cracked plastic bumper on our '12 outback...

It has been said a smart man will learn from his experience...a wise man will learn from the experience of others. Some days, I am neither wise nor smart.

 

Lol, right there with ya!

 

Thanks Mike.
Advanced locals tip from my last swing thru Deadwood...
If you want real local handcrafted artisan minerals/gems type gifts
plus other really cool stuff visit Mike here:
(Ask about the wolves...and the neolithic knives...)

 

Sounds like a couple places I didn't know about...adding these to our plan...