Colorado - Winterset Iowa

 Since we had to leave Torrey Utah 3 days early, we made our way into Grand Junction Colorado with new sleeping arrangements. We canceled our stay at the KOA and made new reservations at a campground called Camp Eddy. We were so impressed with this place we wish we were staying longer.

Camp Eddy - Grand Junction, Colorado

The campground was smaller in size (about 55 spaces total) with a combination of Pull-thru and Back-in sites. The spaces were good-sized with FHUs. The campground itself sat on the Colorado River with a lounging area where you can sit and enjoy a beverage while listening to the river flow by.

They had little Airstreams and Tiny Houses that lined the river for you to rent out which was a nice addition. Along the river was also a nice walking/bike path for everyone to enjoy. One day we walked next door to the Amphitheater and enjoyed a wonderful outdoor event where they had taco trucks set up, live music, and some added events to watch.  You could also buy an adult beverage to enjoy while you did some people-watching in the park.

Of course, while we were in Grand Junction, we were getting our car worked on by the Subaru Dealer, who did a fabulous job. We took the car in on Friday and by Saturday afternoon we got the call that the car was ready. We were very pleased with the outcome, especially as we shaved 2 days off our rental car bill!!

Before departing the Grand Junction area, we enjoyed an afternoon day trip to the Colorado National Monument. I wasn’t expecting much, but I must say it was gorgeous. The rock formations with the canyons and steep terrain were breathtaking. I can’t recommend this stop enough. You will not be disappointed.

Colorado National Monument

I will say the weather during our stay was warm, but we did dodge some serious thunderstorms that were around the vicinity of Grand Junction.

We woke up on June 6^th and headed off to the Denver West KOA in Central City.

Central City KOA

Central City

We have been traveling with our elderly dog Izzy our entire time on the road since we started full timing in March 2020. In the last 3 months, she has become increasingly lethargic, having intestinal issues along with some breathing issues. So of course, the altitude changes since entering Utah has not helped at all. Coming into Central City we were sitting at about 8500 ft. It’s been incredibly stressful to say the least, and it’s also hard to comprehend that her time is coming to an end.

My Izzy

So, while we were at the Denver West KOA, we didn’t do a whole lot. One night, Mark and I went to the Casino in Black Hawk and gambled a bit, indulged in a few adult beverages, and had dinner.

The Second day here, my girlfriend Kim came and visited; we went into Idaho Springs and had lunch. While we were there it started raining, it rained so hard I honestly thought we were going to have to swim home. Colorado has been getting more rain this year than they have ever seen in a long time, but I will say it’s made things very green.

It was wonderful being back in Colorado and wishing I could have spent more time seeing friends from the past and visiting some of our old hangouts. But this time it just didn’t work out.

We woke up Friday, June 9^th, and made a mad dash into Nebraska. We stayed at the KOA (Tri-Trails)  it’s important to know the name because there are two KOAs in this small little town of Ogallala Nebraska. We stayed at this campground back in 2020 during the pandemic when it was privately owned. They have fixed it up very nicely and would highly recommend it if you are passing through town. 

Prairie Oasis Campground - Our view

Just a one-night stop, we woke up the next morning and headed to Prairie Oasis Campground in Henderson, Nebraska. This campground was really cute. Another place I would highly recommend if you are passing through. It truly has a country feel with great owners and the sites had what we needed.

This again, was just a one-night stop for us, we woke up the next morning and were on our way again.

Traveling with an elderly dog, as I’ve said before, can be daunting. She is 15 years old, and we felt she was on borrowed time. So, traveling every day really did do a number on her. She had done so well until near the end of last year when she was getting pickier on eating and would go 2-3 weeks with no problems and then a few days of not really wanting to eat much and then be back to her normal self for another 3 weeks. Then at the end of February/ early March, she caught some type of virus or the water in Yuma was just not filtered enough for her causing problems (we will never really know the cause.) She did recover, but I feel, now looking back, she never fully recovered.

It has been hard to watch and we did the best we could with her, she was always a trooper, and we did as best we could to keep her comfortable.

Sunday, June 11^th we pulled into a Harvest Host in Winterset, Iowa. We were hoping to relax and just enjoy some wine and allow Izzy to recoup from the driving we have been doing.

Covered Bridges Winery

Covered Bridges Winery

Wine Tasting

The name of the winery was Covered Bridges Winery. I highly recommend this place for big rigs. Some Harvest Hosts are not “Big Rig” friendly, but this one I will say was. Parking was in one of the two large gravel parking lots.  Or if more adventuresome you could park out in the grassy area.  We parked overnight in the lower gravel lot – it had a fairly good slope (which others had mentioned on Harvest Host pages), but we made it work for the night.  

After enjoying a big glass of wine, Mark and I took off and toured the Covered Bridges in Madison County. If that kind of rings a bell, this is where the movie starring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood was filmed appropriately titled “Bridges of Madison County.”

Exploring the Bridges of Madison County

We saw four of the six bridges that were in the area. Only two of the bridges were actually featured in the movie the Hollliwell Bridge and the Roseman Bridge.  All of the bridges looked very similar, but it was just cool being able to say we were there. Also, if you have not seen the movie, I highly recommend you do so, it’s truly a tear-jerker and very heartfelt.

We also took the time to drive by the birthplace of John Wayne. It was a cute little house that sat on the outskirts of town. I would have loved to go inside, but that was not an option by the time we arrived that day.

Birthplace of John Wayne

Izzy did well that evening as Mark and I sat outside and sipped some wine, she joined us on her bed and sat with us relaxing out in the middle of a huge open field in Winterset Iowa.

Izzy enjoying the winery

Izzy - Covered Bridges Winery

We just enjoyed the time we had with her as we knew that time was drawing short.