Roadrunner Financials - July 2015

Roadrunner Recap
In July, we began the month at a great campground at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.  We were surprised there to meet up with a number of friends including some we didn't know had moved their from San Diego.

After a couple of weeks in the Colorado Springs / Denver area we moved on down the road heading east to see the Eisenhower Presidential Museum and Library and the Kansas State Capitol in Salina.

We met up with long time friends in Branson MO for a some golf and a couple of great shows.  Next we made our way over to Pam's sister and brother-in-law's place in Maynardville TN where we have an RV pad and hook ups with a sewer dump.  It was another busy month on the road!

• Peregrine Pines FamCamp USAFA, Colorado CO
• Buckley AFB, FamCamp- Denver CO                                                                       
• Salina KOA, Salina KS                       
• Osage Prairie RV Park, Nevada MO           
• America's Best Campground, Branson, MO                       
• Lady Luck Casino CG, Caruthersville, MO           
• Nashville East KOA, Lebanon TN           
• Roadrunner RV Resort and Campground, Maynardville, TN            

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget

We were under budget in RV Maintenance Repairs and Campgrounds as well as Household Items

Biggest Expenses
Our biggest expenses this month were in diesel and gas.  We also were way over in Computer Accessories and Entertainment.

Large One Time Cost Item
We had more than one high cost item with a hard drive upgrade on my aging MacBook laptop an iPad Bluetooth keyboard, and training classes ($309) at the Mac Super Store in Colorado Springs.
We added an expensive round of golf and two shows in Branson MO that while 'worth it' were $200. 

Monthly Average

At $304 over the monthly average, we are not on a very good glidepath to keep to our budget for the year.  We will have to have a few lean months to get back near our target numbers.

As always, if you think this spreadsheet might be useful I'd be glad to pass it along at no cost.  Just let me know.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Roadrunner Financials - June 2015

Roadrunner Recap
We spent one of the best June's on record visiting a major portion of Utah.  We started out at Mesa Verde and saw the cliff dwellings, then moved over to Monument Valley and took a jeep tour.

Next we traveled to Page AZ where we saw Lake Powell, Glen Canyon Dam, Vermillion Cliffs, Grand Staircase, Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.

We spent a week in Orderville UT and took day trips to St. George UT, Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon.

We stopped in Torrey UT to see Capitol Reef National Park before moving on to Arches National Park in Moab UT.  Then we stopped at Fruita, CO to see the Colorado Monument SP.

We ended up the end of the month at the foot of the Rocky Mountain National Park in Loveland CO.

It was probably the most scenic and spectacular month we have spent in our six years on the road.

Here are our stops:

• A. Cortez/Mesa Verde KOA - Cortez Colorado
• B. Gouldings Campground and RV - Monument Valley, UT
• C. Lake Powell Campground - Page, AZ
• D. Mt Carmel Motel and RV Park - Orderville, UT
• E. Sand Creek Campground - Torrey, UT
• F. ArchView RV Resort and Campground - Moab, UT
• G. Monument RV - Fruita, CO
• H. Riverview RV Campground - Loveland, CO

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget

We were only under budget on a few areas and overall we spent a lot on campgrounds and internet.  I called Verizon and adjusted some things but it was quite a shock to be over that much.  

Biggest Expenses
During the summer high season in Colorado and Utah we found ourselves paying more than we like at a lot of the campgrounds.  I just have to remember that we will make some of that up in the coming months when we stay at military bases and at free places like Joan and Mike's (Pam's sister) in Tennessee.

We spent 172.13 on shirts and souvenirs while visiting Monument Valley, the Northern Rim and the Arches National Park.

Large One Time Cost Item
The biggest expense for the month was getting new Michelin tires for the Honda.  We called ahead to the Walmart and ordered them so they would be there when we arrived.  It turned out to be $649.61 which was cheaper than what we have paid in the past at Sam's Club for the same brand.

Monthly Average
Not much to average here since it is only the first month of our 7th year on the road.   

As always, if you think this spreadsheet might be useful I'd be glad to pass it along at no cost.  Just let me know.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Our Time in Rocky Mountain National Park

We stayed at the Riverside RV Campground in Loveland, CO for our time in the near Rocky Mountain National Park.  It was about a 20 minute drive from there up to Estes Park and then a little ways beyond that to see the RMNP River Entrance Station.

We started there and then made our way over to the Alpine Visitor Center.  What a great drive!

The right corner of the map shows the Fall River Entrance Station which is where we started.  From there we picked up a map that showed the major roads and scenic observation points throughout the park.

We took our time and drove over the Trail Ridge Road to the Alpine Visitors Center.

Inside there were some artifacts and small displays of animals that frequent the area

There were some nice views of the valley below

 There was a restaurant at the Alpine Visitor Center but since we had a picnic lunch we just looked around some more and headed back down the mountain.

Here's another map showing some of the stops we made along the way

The overlooks and scenic stops were beautiful.

And we saw some wildlife down the mountainside

With my telephoto lense, I was able to get some close shots of these magnificent beasts.  They didn't seem too interested in us which was fine with me...

We found a spot to have a picnic and enjoyed our lunch along the way.

We also drove up another day for a drive over to the Bear Lake.  It was still before 10:30 but they put up signs advising to take the Shuttle because the parking lot was full.  We took our chances but sure enough it was full!  We were hoping either there might be a spot or someone would be pulling out.

So we have something to see next time.  We didn't take advantage of any of the hikes this time but there are plenty of those in the park.

We enjoyed our time at Rocky Mountain National Park and will have to come back another time.
Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Museum, Cliff House and Other Dwellings at Mesa Verde

You can't see everything in a day at Mesa Verde National Park.  In fact, it takes more than the two days we spent there.  But we saw quite a bit and finished up with a tour of the Museum over on Chapin Mesa.

It had a great 25 minute video explaining the history and some of the archeology of the Ancient Puebloans who occupied the area.

Some of the displays were old ones from the 1950's which I liked.

 A short hike to the Spruce House was next on the agenda and we had a good walk down the zig zag trail.

 The Spruce House is one of the best preserved and third largest cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde.

We next made our way over to the Cliff Canyon area and saw more dwellings high up along the canyon walls.

There was lots to see and plenty of scenic driving at Mesa Verde.  We are glad we finally made it there and hope to return.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Mesa Verde National Park - Long House

Mesa Verde has too many sights to see in one day, so we actually spent three nights and two days.  It was the best display of ancient Puebloan cliff dwellings we have ever scene.  And then more.  We'll get right to the good stuff:  Here's a couple of photos at the Long House

We began our day early at 7:30 when the Vistor's Center opened.  We were scheduled for a 10:30 tour of the Long House but wanted to see if we could get tickets for an earlier one.

As it was, we were fortunate to get the last two tickets for the 10:30 tour.  And it was a 25 mile drive to the site so we had plenty of time to get over there.

**Hint:  You can purchase tickets for tours in advance in town at the Visitor's Center in Cortez or at the National Park Visitor's Center.  If we had known that, we would have gotten them the afternoon before.

It was a gorgeous day and we took our time driving through the park out to Wetherill Mesa and the starting point for the Long House tour.

The ranger-led tour was still over an hour away so we took a 2.0 mile hike to the Nordenshkiold Site.

We made it back to the starting point with our other 23 hiking partners and got the safety and resource brief from our ranger guide before we started out.

The hike down to the Long House was only slightly longer at 2.25 miles.  Once we got there it was everything we hoped it would be.  They estimate 150 people lived here under the alcove in their cliff dwellings.

One of the best things about the hike was meeting two new friends - Dick and Cathy.  They are from Minnesota and travel extensively in their Leisure Travel RV.

We had a great time chatting with them and then had a picnic under the shelter when we finished the hike.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!