TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post

04-22-2007, 01:24 PM

Yes, having to drive through Denver is a mess - and they've got I-25 pretty messed up through Colorado Springs right now with construction. On my two trips down to them for this trailer, I probably spent 4 or 5 hours sitting on the highway in either Denver or Colorado Springs. Considering the size of Denver and Colorado Springs, I just don't understand the traffic problems they have.

I'm home now, have been camping in the driveway to find the limitations of the systems (no water - too cold here still for me to feel comfortable putting water in the tanks - although I *love* how easy it is to winterize, which let me have running water at the campground in Denver). Ran all night with the furnace and fridge on propane, no prob, and the battery is almost fully charged halfway through the day from solar only (80W factory option) - and I didn't make a huge effort to conserve lighting power (although I only used one light at a time, and tried to stick with the florescent light over the stove thinking that it probably used the least power). The low was 28F last night, and I stayed quite warm in the TM. So I'm really pleased with the solar panel option - I expected the batteries to drain more than they did with the heat (I set it at about 70F).

I did cheat a little and brought a TV into the camper so I could play with the TV antenna - it works quite well IMHO. No problem tuning in the stations in my area, which are weak translator stations.

I stayed at Dakota Ridge RV Park in Denver, which was a good experience save one thing - I wanted to leave my trailer there for two hours past checkout (instead of taking it at 11:00 AM, I wanted to have it out by 1:00 PM) because I needed to make an appointment in Denver and didn't really want to weave through traffic with the TM behind me. Long story short, there was no way they would allow that except if I was willing to pay another night's rent (I offered to move it anywhere they wanted me to move it, and I would have considered a small fee). I'd understand this if they were going to be full by 1:00 PM, but I don't think that was going to happen. Oh well, I go down to Denver at least monthly, often twice a month, and will find another place to stay. Maybe this is typical for RV parks, but I was still not very impressed.

The thing fits wonderfully in the driveway - I don't even need to use the swing hitch (I thought I was going to have to), which is probably good since I have to disconnect the regulator to swing the hitch out (that's a bad design).

04-22-2007, 01:24 PM	#4
grakin Guest Posts: n/a	Yes, having to drive through Denver is a mess - and they've got I-25 pretty messed up through Colorado Springs right now with construction. On my two trips down to them for this trailer, I probably spent 4 or 5 hours sitting on the highway in either Denver or Colorado Springs. Considering the size of Denver and Colorado Springs, I just don't understand the traffic problems they have. I'm home now, have been camping in the driveway to find the limitations of the systems (no water - too cold here still for me to feel comfortable putting water in the tanks - although I love how easy it is to winterize, which let me have running water at the campground in Denver). Ran all night with the furnace and fridge on propane, no prob, and the battery is almost fully charged halfway through the day from solar only (80W factory option) - and I didn't make a huge effort to conserve lighting power (although I only used one light at a time, and tried to stick with the florescent light over the stove thinking that it probably used the least power). The low was 28F last night, and I stayed quite warm in the TM. So I'm really pleased with the solar panel option - I expected the batteries to drain more than they did with the heat (I set it at about 70F). I did cheat a little and brought a TV into the camper so I could play with the TV antenna - it works quite well IMHO. No problem tuning in the stations in my area, which are weak translator stations. I stayed at Dakota Ridge RV Park in Denver, which was a good experience save one thing - I wanted to leave my trailer there for two hours past checkout (instead of taking it at 11:00 AM, I wanted to have it out by 1:00 PM) because I needed to make an appointment in Denver and didn't really want to weave through traffic with the TM behind me. Long story short, there was no way they would allow that except if I was willing to pay another night's rent (I offered to move it anywhere they wanted me to move it, and I would have considered a small fee). I'd understand this if they were going to be full by 1:00 PM, but I don't think that was going to happen. Oh well, I go down to Denver at least monthly, often twice a month, and will find another place to stay. Maybe this is typical for RV parks, but I was still not very impressed. The thing fits wonderfully in the driveway - I don't even need to use the swing hitch (I thought I was going to have to), which is probably good since I have to disconnect the regulator to swing the hitch out (that's a bad design).