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Santa Fe Skies, Santa Fe, NM

17 10 2025

Welcome to a beautiful fall day in Santa Fe, New Mexico!
Wow, how summer has flown by!

But, to rewind a bit… Our July trip to Boyd Lake State Park and Cheyenne Frontier Days didn’t go quite as planned. Instead of visiting friends & family and enjoying concerts, a respiratory infection kept me from attending many of our favorite events. However, after a short regiment of very strong antibiotics, the infection was on its way out and things were much better.

Brett Young at Cheyenne Frontier Days, 2025

In early August, we began nearly weekly trips to Lake Pueblo State Park in Pueblo, CO. After having robot-assisted total knee replacement surgery on August 4^th, weekly physical therapy meant that staying at the lake was much easier than a 2.5 hour round trip for a 45 minute therapy session 3 times per week. In total, we spent 8 weeks and about 30 nights at Lake Pueblo. Warm temperatures, beautiful sunsets and a view over the lake – not a bad place to recuperate!

Lake views at Pueblo Lake State Park

This weekend we’re in Santa Fe, enjoying the beautiful foliage and fall weather in New Mexico. Our favorite RV park here is Santa Fe Skies. It’s busy in the park with some guests opting for a few more nights in New Mexico after the closing of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta last weekend.

Santa Fe, NM from Santa Fe Skies RV Park

Santa Fe Skies, Site #7, Santa Fe, NM

Tamales at Santa Fe School of Cooking

From here we’re headed home where we’ll winterize and get the trailer ready to deliver to Lazydays RV in Longmont for some warranty work. We’ll be home for the holidays and then anxiously awaiting our departure to Arizona in mid-January. More from Arizona in 2026!

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Tags: boyd lake, cfd, cheyenne, lake pueblo, Lake Pueblo State Park, santa fe
Categories : Summer Camping 2025

Off to Frontier Days

20 07 2024

In what has become an annual tradition, we’re headed to Cheyenne, WY for the 128^th presentation of the “Daddy of ‘em All” rodeo, carnival and concerts. We’re seeing two concerts this year, Lainey Wilson on Friday and Thomas Rhett on Saturday. And, we’ll spend 1 afternoon enjoying the rodeo and carnival.

Cheyenne Frontier Days, Lainey Wilson

But, before arriving in Cheyenne, we’re parked at Boyd Lake State Park, just north of Loveland, CO. We’ll be in two sites during our 4 night stay, #39 and #126. Both sites offer 50A electric. Water can be filled on arrival, and there’s a dual dump station for use on departure. The big news at Boyd is the expansion and rebuilding of the former A loop. Originally with about 30 sites, the loop has been expanded to the north and now boasts about 85 sites, with about half of these new sites offering full hookups! The construction fencing and gates are still closed on this new area as they finalize site utilities and try to get some ground cover to grow. With an planned opening date in June, they appear to be about 90 days or more behind schedule. But, this new space is going to be great – we can’t wait to check it out next year!

Boyd Lake Campground Redevelopment

In Cheyenne, we’re at AB Camping again this year – we think the best and only option for CFD stays. The BBQ restaurant serves up tasty burritos for breakfast, amazing smoked meats for lunch and dinner along with delicious pies and ice cream for anytime. And, with regular shuttle service to Frontier Park, no need to hassle with parking and traffic. Thanks again Marc and Jane – it was a great stay!

Cheyenne Mountain State Park, site #16

From Cheyenne we’re headed to Cheyenne Mountain State Park outside of Colorado Springs. We’re parked on Gobblers Gove loop, site #16 for the next 3 nights. As with many sites in this park, the views out across Colorado Springs are awesome. From Cheyenne Mountain we’re headed home. With only 6 weeks at home since the beginning of the year, we’re anxious to actually spend some time there.

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Tags: boyd lake, cfd, cheyenne, cheyenne mountain state park
Categories : Summer Camping 2024

Chama, NM and Cumbres & Toltec Railroad

31 08 2023

After exploring 3 of our favorite Colorado State Parks, we spent 5 nights in an abbreviated stay in Cheyenne for Frontier Days. We attended only 1 concert (compared to up to 6 in previous years) enjoyed the brews at the Accomplice Brewery, and wonderful dinner at the Rib and Chop house. After Cheyenne we spend 3 nights at Boyd Lake State Park outside of Loveland visiting family in northern Colorado.

Old Dominion at Frontier Nights, Cheyenne Frontier Days

It’s been 4 years since we last visited Chama, and once again we’re parked at the Rio Chama RV part on the north side of town. This park was recently sold, and from the looks of it – the new owners have a lot of deferred maintenance to deal with. On the good side, this is a beautiful location along the Chama River, just next to the trestle bridge where the trains rumble in and out of town. On the downside, many of the cottonwood trees have died or are dying and need to come out before one falls on an RV. And, the old, possibly trusty back in the day WiFi, isn’t usable in it’s current state.

Cumbres & Toltec Historic Railroad, Chama, NM

We’re parked in site N3, a very tight site that sits right next to highway 17, the main highway. Last time we stayed in site #40, a huge long pull through site very close to the river. We’d prefer to be back in that part of the park.

Rio Chama RV Park, Chama, NM

Our railway trip is everything you can imagine from the gorgeous scenery across Cumbres Pass, to stories and highlights from our guides and docents onboard. The food hall at Osier station left a bit to be desired, but all in all a great day! After returning to Chama we opt for some local BBQ at the Outlaw BBQ company. We’d highly recommend the Outlaw. The following evening we opt for “Local”, a pizza parlor that was in the middle of construction during our last visit. If all you are looking for is pizza, Local does an good job. All other items on their menu were out of stock, even the “Chef’s Specials” that were shown on the blackboard.

Following Chama we’re off to another favorite Colorado State Park, Golden Gate Canyon State Park near Golden, CO. More from Golden Gate…

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Tags: cfd, chama, cheyenne frontier days, cumbres & toltec, railroad, rio chama rv park
Categories : Summer Camping 2023

How Time Flies

18 09 2022

Wow, how time flies. Since our last outing to the Montana Owners Group meeting in Dolores in early June, we’ve managed only one trip. Our annual trip to Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, WY

Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo

Cheyenne Frontier Days, Frontier Nights Stage

As in past years, we spent the full 10 days at AB Camping RV park and enjoyed both concerts and rodeo. Our concert schedule this year included Dierks Bentley, Parker McCullum, Sam Hunt and Brooks & Dunn. We also attended a day of rodeo and spent an afternoon on the midway. After CFD we were once again back at Boyd Lake to catch up with friends and family in Northern Colorado.

Union Pacific ‘Big Boy’ 4014 in Cheyenne

So, in over 3 months, we’ve spent only 13 nights in the RV. However, we’ve been busy with lots of house guests and some non-RV travels. We also just returned home from Europe, where we spent 3 nights enjoying London before flying to Rome to sail a 10-night Greek Isles cruise onboard the new Celebrity Beyond.

&Juliet at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre

Celebrity Beyond in Santorini, Greece

RV travel continues later this week with a trip to Hecla Junction, one our favorite campgrounds in Colorado. We’ll also spend closing weekend at Circle the Wagons RV park in La Veta and then a week at Chatfield State Park near Denver. That will take us into the last week of October, and most likely the undesirable task of winterizing the RV.

But, let’s not get into winterization yet – more from Hecla Junction later this week…

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Tags: big boy, celebrity beyond, cfd, cheyenne, frontier days, london
Categories : Summer Camping 2022

Cheyenne Frontier Days & the Black Hills

24 07 2020

Crazy Horse Memorial, Crazy Horse, SD

We learned in late May that the 124^th presentation of Cheyenne Frontier Days had been cancelled due to Covid concerns.

Still wanting see friends and support the owners of AB Camping, we’ve kept our original arrival dates, but cut our stay short and added a South Dakota loop to explore the Black Hills. Our cancelled concerts of Thomas Rhett and Blake Shelton have already been rescheduled for 2021, which is already know as the 125th anniversary.

After a couple of nights at Boyd Lake State Park to visit family, we’ve arrived at AB Camping in Cheyenne. We’re parked in the South section, center row, site S10, with friends in S11, S12, S19 & S20. While certainly different than past years, we enjoy the relaxing times and a fun evening at the Accomplice Brewery at the historic Cheyenne Train Station.

Departing Cheyenne, we’ve spent 2 nights at Glendo State Park, a favorite and this year, in electric sites TM46, TM47 & TM48. While these sites aren’t as visually appealing as the cliff-side sites, it’s sure nice to have A/C as temps push up close to 100 each afternoon.

Whistler Gulch RV, Deadwood, SD

After our relaxing time at Glendo State Park, we’ve arrived at Whistler Gulch RV Park in Deadwood, SD. This 100+ site is tight, but affords a unique location just on the outskirts of town. Built up a long gulch, the park offers a (closed) swimming pool, a long row of tiered pull-throughs along with some back-ins where the gulch widens a bit. Along a narrow dead-end road to the front of the park are 10 of the best view sites. It’s about a 20 minute walk into town but the regular trolley service stops at the office and is only $1 for each trip in or out of town.

Whistler Gulch RV, Deadwood, SD

We’re in Deadwood to explore more of the Black Hills after being here at a family reunion about 15 years ago. We’ll see the typical sites of Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial plus make the beautiful drive along the Needles Highway in Custer State Park. We’ll wander through the “old western” town of Deadwood and check out the beautiful painted buffalo statues in Custer. And, we’ll be entertained by a boisterous “pro-Trumper” at the RV park in Deadwood! After Deadwood, we’re headed to Devil’s Tower, WY. More from there…

: Downtown Deadwood, SD

: Mt. Rushmore

: Crazy Horse Memorial

: Whistler Gulch RV, Deadwood, SD

: Buffalo of Custer, SD

: Crazy Horse Memorial, Crazy Horse, SD

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Tags: boyd lake, cfd, deadwood, glendo state park, south Dakota, whistler gulch
Categories : Summer Camping 2020

CFD & Glendo

21 07 2019

We’re back to AB Camping in Cheyenne for the 123^rd edition of Cheyenne Frontier Days. As in years past we’re in the rear section in the first 3 sites of the west row. The first two sites work perfect for face-to-face parking so that we can share a common area under our awnings.

AB Camping, Cheyenne, WY

We’ll upped the ante this year, with 6 concert performances planned! Lady Antebellum/Kelsea Ballerini & Midland open the festivities on Friday followed by Rascal Flatts/Clint Black on Saturday and Josh Turner/Tanya Tucker on Sunday. Then mid-week is Miranda Lambert/Randy Houser. On Friday we’ll see Keith Urban/Walker Hayes and the final performance is Saturday with Tim McGraw/Devin Dawson.

CFD Concert Nights

Once again, CFD was awesome – we enjoyed all of the concerts and the familiar Buckin’ A Saloon. We also attended the VIP Chuckwagon experience again this year – this time without the downpour and soggy shoes! We’ll be back next year!

After 11 nights in Cheyenne – thanks again Mark & Jane! – we’re headed north to Lake Glendo. It’s been several years since we were at Glendo and it was nice to get back. We managed to capture our favorite cliff-side site in Two Moon campground. We’ll spend 3 nights here and then 2 nights in Denver’s Chatfield State Park before heading home.

Lake Glendo State Park, Two Moon campground

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Tags: AB camping, cfd, cheyenne, glendo
Categories : Summer Camping 2019

Cheyenne Frontier Days, 2018

20 07 2018

Welcome to Cheyenne and the 122nd edition of the “Daddy of ‘em All”, Cheyenne Frontier Days. Just as last year, we’re parked at AB Camping for the full 10 day run of CFD. We’ll attend 5 concerts this year, starting with Cole Swindell on Saturday night, followed by The Charlie Daniel’s Band, Eric Church, Toby Keith and Dierks Bentley to wrap things up on the following Saturday. We’re also hoping to see the Air Force Thunderbirds that were rained out last year, attend a Pancake Breakfast, eat some carnival food on the mid-way, drink a cold beer (or two) at the Buckin’ A Saloon and see more of Cheyenne and surrounding areas. We are also looking forward to a VIP Chuckwagon experience where we’ll enjoy an authentic chuckwagon style dinner.

Cheyenne Frontier Nights

5 Nights of Concerts

Air Force Thunderbirds

On Tuesday we decided to check out Curt Gowdy State Park about 25 miles west of Cheyenne. About 7 different camping areas are set around Granite Springs Reservoir. Many of the entrances and exits into the camping areas are steep and narrow – and not all of the sites will accommodate much more than a tent. Pick your site carefully! Continuing west to I-80, we stopped at Vedauwoo Campground in the Medicine Bow National Forest. 28 sites set among pine trees and rock outcroppings make for some attractive spots. Several non-operational water taps and vault toilets are about all provided in this primitive area. But, it’s close to I-80 and would easily provide a nice overnight spot on the way across southern Wyoming.

Vedauwoo Campground, site #9

Vedauwoo Campground

Vedauwoo Campground, site #2

After Cheyenne, we’re off to Chatfield for a quick overnight, then back to Walsenburg to drop the trailer off before a flight to London. More after our return from London and a Norwegian Fjords cruise aboard the Azamara Pursuit…

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Tags: AB camping, cfd, cheyenne frontier days, curt gowdy, Vedauwoo Campground
Categories : Summer Camping 2018

Concerts, Cowboys and Carnival

22 07 2017

Cheyenne Frontier Nights

We’re back in Cheyenne for the 121st performance of Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, Frontier Nights and the Carnival Midway. Unlike in the past, attending 1 or 2 concerts and making a long weekend of it, this year we’re all-in – arriving on Friday the 21^st and staying all 10 days of Frontier Days until next Sunday the 30^th. We have tickets to 4 concerts, Little Big Town on Saturday evening, Luke Bryan on Wednesday, Thomas Rhett on Thursday and Jason Aldean to wrap things up next Saturday. With more than a week in Cheyenne we hope to enjoy more of the events that we’ve missed in past years – Rodeo, Pancake Breakfast, Grand Parade, Indian Village, Chuckwagon Cookoff and the USAF Thunderbirds.

Last Year, 2016, Cheyenne Hail

And, once again we’re parked at AB Camping, one of our favorite RV Parks. We’re in sites S13 & S14, in the middle row of the southern section. These two sites along with several others provide welcome shade during the warm July afternoons. Last year for the Florida Georgia Line concert we were in sites S10 and S21 for the “Mother-of-all-Hailstorms” – that produced about $10,000 damage to every RV roof in the campground, tore down tree limbs, shattered auto glass and totaled tow vehicles.

After a great 10 (hail-free) days, we’ve already opted to return next year. Thanks Marc and Jane for once again doing a great job of hosting all of these RVs during a VERY busy time. From making sure we had shuttle services when the city cancelled just 3 days before CFD opened, to providing us early morning breakfast burritos and late night BBQ snacks and everything else you do – a very heart felt Thank You!

Oh, our success rate was fairly high. We had dinner on the Midway, attended a Rodeo, saw the Indian Village and Frontier Town, listened to Micheal Martin Murphey at the Sidewinder Saloon and of course checked out the Buckin’A Saloon a few times. The USAF Thunderbirds airshow was cancelled due to weather and we still haven’t had a Pancake Breakfast or watched the Grand Parade or tasted at the Chuckwagon Cookoff. More for next year!