Colorado Sunshine...

Since arriving in Summit County Colorado, we've been camping at our favorite ski resort, Copper Mountain where Todd has skied for 26 years and Shonah for 11 years.  With the benefit of Aunts that own condos at the resort, we have purchased discounted season passes and have been skiing off and on for the past two weeks (thanks Lou Lou and Lynn!).  As an additional benefit of having the homeowner credentials, we also have unlimited free access to the athletic club where we've been working out, running, cross-training and using the steam room, sauna and hot tubs on an almost daily basis.

"Camping" is as simple as parking our Earthroamer in the Alpine lot of Copper Mountain Ski Resort where they allow discrete overnight parking.  From there, we can easily walk or catch a shuttle to the Athletic Club, ski slopes and village.

The southern and northern views (respectively) from our "home" aren't bad either:

The weather conditions have been absolutely fantastic for the most part since we've arrived.  Colorado has been blessed with an awesome ski season this year and the average depth of snow at the base is currently 92 inches.  The temperature has hovered around a high of about 32 degrees with temps at night dipping down to about 10 degrees (Fahrenheit).   With sunshine almost every day (gotta love Spring skiing!), it makes it feel much warmer than 32, as long as the wind is reasonable.

Shonah's skiing has advanced to the point where he'll ski almost anything Todd skis and sometimes even skies it better (though tough to admit).  He's also grown fond of the bumps (or moguls). 

Shonah on the left, Todd on the right:


























In addition to skiing, we've also spent a day snowshoeing, first with a free "Copper Ambassador" tour in the morning, then on our own in the afternoon.

Again, Shonah on the left and Todd on the right:

We've also been taking a few days "off" here and there to do exciting things like laundry or to browse through the town of Breckenridge where we saw the local ski museum, tasted wines and allowed Shonah to indulge his Starbucks craving (withdrawal makes him cranky).

Adjusting to our new lifestyle isn't without it's challenges as we've been learning how to spend (or not) 24/7 together.  Thankfully, we're not the first to go through this transition and there are several blogs out there offering experience and advice.  As an example of one that hits close to home, you can check out the following link to get an idea of the adjustments we're making:  http://www.frugal-rv-travel.com/Emotional-Challenges.html

We Made It...

Finally!  We've arrived in Summit County which will be our base for the next month of skiing, snowshoeing and hiking...

Working out the Kinks...

Our first stop in Colorado was to the Earthroamer factory where we had a few minor issues and questions for the manufacturer to review.  After a morning of inspections, we determined that a new battery monitor was needed and arranged for the replacement part to be shipped within the next week for Todd to install.  A complimentary truck wash later and we were ready to hit the road again:

While near Denver, we stopped in for a quick visit and dinner with Todd's cousin Davey, his wife Susan and daughter Hannah:

After leaving, we started heading for the mountains!  However, on the way up the mountain, the engine sound was not sitting well and we decided that before travelling to higher altitude, we'd spend the night in Denver to see our Ford Dealer (O'Meara) and have the truck checked out in the morning  (not to mention that while en route to Colorado, the truck overheated in Nebraska and required a coolant top-off so we already knew that we had an issue).  Two days, a few thousand dollars and one oil cooler later, we were finally ready to head back up the mountains...

Bon Voyage...

With our main projects complete, the storage box and all compartments loaded, it was time to depart Cleveland and head to Chicago for Shonah's last official day at work and to see a few friends before heading to Colorado.

Todd's Mom and Dad hosted a farewell dinner with Brenda, Don, Rose, Rachel and Kyle attending.  They were sad to see us go, but excited for us to start our travels.  Unfortunately, I forgot to snap a quick family photo, but you can see recent pictures of Todd's Mom and Dad below sitting in the living room with new furniture, new carpet (thanks Griff) and newly painted walls (thanks Don, Rose, Brenda, Bob, Rachel, Kyle and Elizabeth).  In parallel with all of the truck projects over the last 2 months, every room in their house was painted, closets were purged and organized and new carpeting and furniture was installed in the living and dining rooms:

 

The next stop was Chicago, where Shonah went into the office one last time and said goodbye to his friends at Cricket.  That evening we hosted a few friends (Tyrell, Deon, Jeff, Sean, Jerry and Kevin)for wine and cheese in our vehicle before having dinner at a restaurant in our old neighborhood:

We then made a stop to visit Shonah's parents and Aunt Gloria in Western Illinois where Mom made a delicious bbq rib dinner.  After a few games of Yatzee, we hit the road and started heading toward Colorado.

The Box has Arrived!!!

Just a few days past the end of February target, the all important storage box for the rear of our Earthroamer has arrived:

The box was completed by Custom Aluminum Boxes in Elyria, Ohio and measures 74 inches wide by 33 inches deep by 18 inches tall with a drop down rear door and 24 inch slides which allow access to the lower storage compartment on our Earthroamer.


With a few salvaged parts from our old bike rack, a new rack was made to mount to the top of the box:

 

The box now stores 3 sets of skis and ski boots, 2 stand up paddle boards and associated equipment, rock climbing equipment, camping equipment, bbq grill, and several other smaller items...





More Projects, Projects, Projects...

During the home stretch of our visit to Cleveland to customize our Earthroamer, we finished up a few more projects:

Chip (our dog) is now happily residing in his new home:

With Mom's help, we now have new thick, comfy cushions for our benches:

An additional 2 inch pillow top mattress and new bedding has been added to the standard 4 inch Earthroamer mattress to complete our king size bed:

Window security screens have been made that slide in and lock to the truck drivers side and passenger side windows:

Picture Coming...