I took my truck to a diesel repair shop this morning to have it fixed and  the truck's annual emissions test done to renew my tag. I feel a little better about this repair job because I have more information to give to the mechanics. And this place specializes in pickup trucks, and not semi's and other giant types of diesels that the Santa Fe shop did.

I'm also feeling better about the Bat flu because Colorado is doing a lot better than some other places in the Southwest. More and more restrictions are being lifted. Plus, you can go camping in Colorado state parks.

Someone asked me about the picture of the train at the top of my blog, and I was unable to contact them, so I'll answer their question here...... I took that picture winter before last while staying in a campground in Dateland Arizona, home to the world-famous Date Milkshakes, mmmm good. The tracks happen to go right by the campground, and I mean RIGHT by the campground. The whole time I was there, I feared the train coming off the tracks and wiping out half the campground.

My picture taking opportunities have been rather sparse lately since messing around with the truck and catching up on family news has occupied most of my time. We've also planned a family camping trip to a Colorado State Park up in the mountains about the middle of July. I will be taking the little Bronco pop-up and leaving the Arctic Fox here at my daughter's house. So I've got a lot to do to get the truck and the little slide in camper ready to go.

                             theboondork

Well bowl me over and call me Sally, if my truck didn't refuse to start AGAIN yesterday afternoon. Yep, the exact same thing it was doing before.

Now oddly enough, I don't blame the mechanics in Santa Fe that worked on it. They fixed what they fixed and drove the truck around for 15 or 20 minutes up and down some hills,  plugged in their computer to the truck's OBD plug [on board diagnostics]. The readouts for the truck were typical, I was standing right there next to the mechanic. And of course, I  then drove 200 miles to Denver, turning it off and starting it twice without any problems until I got to my daughter's house where it wouldn't start again.

Also, the mechanic said when he started working on the truck since there are numerous things that can cause my problem, he will do the simple things first. If that fixed it okay, if not, he will dig deeper. So since this problem is so sporadic, it wasn't his fault it didn't show up when he tested it. And of course, if I lived in Santa Fe, I could drive it back to them this morning. They would dig deeper into the problem. But as it is, I'm going to have to take it to a diesel mechanic here in Denver, which will be the same place I have my truck emission's tested every year. And since I need that done anyway before the end of July, it looks like I'll have it all done at one time.

Sure feels great to get back in cooler weather again, it looks like it's going to be high 80s low 90s in the daytime and low 60s at night. And with the humidity being 20 or 30%, it sounds like typical summertime Denver weather to me.

I'm just starting to settle in with the family. I've been well isolated, so I wasn't concerned about picking up some Bat flu until I had the truck problems in Santa Fe, where I was around a lot of people that weren't using masks, including indoors. Now I'm trying to semi-isolate myself a little until I know I didn't catch something in Santa Fe, which means my interaction with the family has been mostly outside and keeping our distance.

I briefly checked out the little Bronco pop-up camper, and it appears to be okay. The roof didn't cave in from the snow load, and when I opened the door, water didn't rush out, so I'll take that as a promising sign.

                                        theboondork

When I pulled out my camera everybody scattered except the grandkids and the dog. This is my granddaughter.

My usual boondocking spot outside my daughter and son-in-law's home in Denver Colorado.

I left the Walmart parking lot in Trinidad Colorado this morning at about 7 o'clock. And pulled into my daughter's driveway in Denver about 11.

There were many RVs in the Walmart parking lot when I left this morning, I counted 13 as I was leaving, but others had already pulled out before I did. I would say that's more than average. But it is the heart of travel season in Colorado, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the amount of RVs I'm seeing.

There was still a lot of traffic on I-25 going north and south this morning, and a lot of that traffic was RVs. It was still a relatively easy drive until you get north of Colorado Springs. There you run into miles and miles of road work that definitely requires your attention while towing a trailer.

Most of the rest-areas I passed were open and not crowded. Still, there were a couple of rest areas on I-25 in southern Colorado that were closed, but I don't know if it was because of the Bat flu or maintenance.

One thing I noticed was I don't think I passed a single truck weight station that was open, including the main weight station as you leave New Mexico and enter Colorado. It looks like the government is temporarily getting out of the way of truckers and letting them haul their loads as quickly and efficiently as possible.

So what is my take away about this trip from Deming New Mexico to Denver Colorado during this time of Bat flu, and an RVers ability to make it without too much drama?

I would say there's plenty of gas and fuel. It's a bit crowded. There are restaurants open. I don't know about RV parks except for the one I stayed at in Deming, and it wasn't crowded, but based on the amount of RVs I saw on the road and the ever-changing local rules. I believe, in most cases, a reservation would be wise. I saw very few people wearing masks. All in all, it wasn't bad, not counting my breakdown, the trip needed a little more planning than I like to make, but I am nothing if not adaptable.

                                             theboondork

There was a lot of RVs boondocking in the Walmart parking lot this morning.

Usually I get to my daughter's house in time to watch the flowers grow, but I got here so late this year a lot of them are grown already.