PROBLEMS in the New RV Boondocking in Colorado
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- čas přidán 30. 06. 2024
- We're starting this week stuck at a boondocking spot in Colorado and trying to fix our new RV's broken electronic leveling system. The goal is to finish driving the RV over the Million Dollar Highway and get to our next boondocking spot on Lizard Head Pass in Colorado. Watch to see how it goes!
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:49 Picking up our package from Brinkley RV
6:33 Roadside climbing
7:48 Filling the water bladder
10:55 Fixing the broken RV jacks
14:39 Heading to a new Colorado boondocking spot
18:16 Scary times on the Million Dollar Highway
22:14 Dumping the RV tanks at a gas station
25:00 Lizard Head Pass boondocking spot
30:52 Loose spare RV tire
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*Who are we?*
We’re Victoria & Craig! In 2021, we decided that we needed to make life a little more exciting, so we bought a used fifth wheel and completely renovated it. Then, we sold our house in Tallahassee, Florida and hit the road full time in our RV! We’ve traveled all around the United States (and Baja Mexico!) and fell in love with boondocking in our RV at the most beautiful places. In 2023, we upgraded to a brand new Brinkley RV Model Z 3100. You’ll always find us on some kind of outdoor adventure, whether it’s hiking the Grand Canyon, rock climbing in Yosemite or surfing the shores of California. Subscribe to our channel (bit.ly/3ssOjGT) to follow along on our full time RV living adventures!
The bird was trying to make you think it was injured with its wing down so you would follow it away from the nest. A Killdear does that too so that any hunters will not find the nest. Good mama.
Or at least, that’s what it looked like since I’ve seen a Killdear do that 😊
Oh that’s so interesting!! I didn’t know that birds would do that, but that makes sense. Smart animals!
@@wildrvlife I did just find that grouse do the same fake injury display as a Killdeer. czcams.com/video/WCRfJO1XKvA/video.html
I used to use the killdeers as my way to find their nest when I would cut the grass growing up in the country. They fake a broken wing and run the opposite way.
The bird you encountered is called a Dusky Grouse. It lives in the forest areas of the Rocky Mountains and is a game bird (like a quail or pheasants). Until recently, it was called Blue Grouse, but apparently they discovered there are 2 subspecies throughout the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. and Canada, so they renamed them both and the subspecies in CO is the Dusky Grouse. There are also ptarmigan at high elevation in CO (another game bird that are similar in size), but they live within the alpine tundra zone above timberline...probably more than you wanted to know...😁
We've been FT for the last 4 years, boondocking most of the time. We disinfect our motorhomes freshwater tank once a year but always drink the water out of our tanks, though it's filtered twice before it goes in and twice after it comes out - mainly for taste rather than safety though. We carry 115 gallons with us which usually lasts us the 2-week boondocking limit in most places if we only shower once a week - doing "bird baths" to get us through. We usually use about 12-15 gallons for both our showers (and shaving). So, we carry 3, 5-gallon folding water containers in our toad to replenish 1 shower day per refill trip when we go out to eat, buy groceries, etc. which allows us to leave our MH in place for the full 2 weeks at a time. We haven't spent a dime on RV parks since March when we wintered over in the RGV in TX which cost us only $170/mo for the 50a FHU site plus about $65-$100/mo for electricity as we have solar.
Keeping an RV functioning FT can be challenging. Just today the plastic drain plug in our water heater burst while filling our tank causing some field expedient repairs just so we could fill our tank.
A couple years back we boondocked for 2 weeks at the Golden Horn, between Silverton and Ouray. That million-dollar highway is crazy in a big RV, no? I sure wouldn't travel it when there's snow and ice on the road! You have the same idea as us - head for high elevations when it's hot (we're in the Grand Tetons now), then we "run for the border" when it turns cold. This winter we're returning to the LTVAs around Quartzsite - can't beat $180 for 7 months (86 cents a day) for not only a safe, level place to stay, but unlimited water, dump and trash disposal.
Hope to see you down the road someday. Take care, Chip & Cindy
Will you please give me more details on RGV in Texas and LTVAs around Quartzsite? Thank you
Never a dull moment with you three. That grouse thought you were a female grouse that was answering his drumming call by the way he was strutting while putting on a floor show for you.. 😆
LOL it was strutting that’s for sure! Never seen anything quite like it before 🤣
Check into a Berkey for your drinking water. Great filter and you just use your fresh tank water. We’ve used one for years in the rv.
Nice!! We really have been thinking of getting one lately.
swap out that wirenut with a WAGO lever nut. My Ibex (Forest River) uses these instead of wirenuts. I've been using them all over our home for electrical projects and everything has been working great for a few years now.
Yes…we are ColoRADoans :) because Colorado is RAD 😊. So glad you are enjoying our beautiful state ❤️. Love watching your videos!
We are ever from way back, and one of the first things I learned about wireing in a RV is to tape all connections when using those wire nuts with electrical tape. I have had them come loose.
Enjoy you two, but we were never boondockers ,
Congratulations on going back for the water bladder without disappointment or anger that you could have had in it and I’m proud of you for being so cool !about it.
We loved the dog chasing shadows! 😂😂 We have a reflection and fly chaser too. 🙄
White-Tailed Ptarmigan. Your solar should be producing very well due to elevation!
The bird looked to be pretending it had a broken wing and was leading you away from the nest. I could not tell for sure what it was on my little screen, if it was a grouse it may have been calling in a girlfriend and was dancing for you. Glad that camper did not end up on your hood on that corner. Stay safe and healthy. Glad Leland kept you safe from the dangerous shadows.
Someone else mentioned that birds sometimes pretend to have broke wings to lead you away from their nest. Had no clue they did that, very smart!
And us too! We really had to come to a full stop in our lane to avoid them hitting us…crazyyyy!
That bird encounter was awesome - your reaction was both gentle and hilarious
😆 tried to give it space but it wanted allllll the space 🤣
Get rid of that dam 5th wheel hitch and get a gooseneck. A lot more room in the truck bed and no hitch to lug around.
I bought a 50 gallon plastic water tank. I put an rv pump on the outlet of the tank. I have a rv plug and wired the plug to the pump.i plug it into the rv socket and put the hose in the city part and fill my rv water tank. Good luck on your new venture.
When you use a water hydrant like that, you do not have to lift the handle all the way up to get water. You can lift it half way or a little more to get the water pressure you need. We have one at home that we use for our horses.
Ahhh I never thought about doing that for some reason! Seems obvious now that you say it 🤣 thank you!!
Really enjoy that area of SW Coloado and Lizard Head Wilderness. Wife and I love yalls channel.
Definitely a grouse trying to act injured to lead you away from young ones. Pretty sure it’s a Blue Grouse based on your elevation. We typically see them probably 4000-4500’ elev. and above in Idaho and other western states. Can be quite loud when they fly away when spooked. Enjoy your vids. 🙂😂
Good info! Thank you!!
We were in that exact same spot at Lizard Head in August of 2021. It was spectacular!! Your video brings back happy memories
Truly one of the most beautiful boondocking spots weve been in! We loved it!
Run water through your hose before you hook it to your bladder to purge the air out if your hose
You guys rock!!!!
It’s called lizard head pass because the RGS thought the rocks looked like a lizard head when it’s railroad went through that area in the late 1800’s
Love your channel , you guys are « naturals » , and your vlogs are entertaining 😊
Thank you so much!!
Oh lort that Million Dollar highway😮!! I would be in the floor board. (Scared of heights). Thanks for the adventures❤
Haha!! It was a very high road, that's for sure.
Another great video! Beautiful spot!
Thank you so much!!!
Love your videos! Ya’ll are too precious❤ Look forward to following ya’ll on your adventures😊
Thank you so much!! ❤️😊
Those trailers are special and I see all the trouble I see you guys having some trouble
Another great video! It looks pretty there. Take care!!
Thank you so much!!!
I'm so glad I found you guys. I love to watch your videos. You sure have a nice rv now.
So glad you’re enjoying them! Thank you for watching and we’re enjoying the new RV! 🙌🏼
Just stumbled upon your video. You are really funny 😂. We see what we have to look for to on our RV journeys.
I was up in that area maybe a year ago? Its really breathtaking. We stayed at an rv park about an hour away. Thats a heck of a climb to get up there. Most of the boondock spots are great, its those transitions from road to dirt you gotta watch😮.
I know I’m a little late on this video but one suggestion I would make is every time you pull your hose reel back in and have a clean rag to wipe it off as it goes in. This will keep your mechanism from being worn out.
Good idea! Thanks!
You would think a million dollar highway could afford a guard rail!
Haha, or to widen it, just a fee more inches.
Thank you for sharing the product pick for the covers. I have the same truck and my dog gets the whole back too. I have been tucking a large blanket. This looks better. I especially need something for the doors!
The door covers have been a life saver for any claw marks or slobber while they’re looking out the window!
Just love the views.
Really enjoy watching your videos. We've recently retired and are keeping a home base but have a lot of trips planned. 30 ft 5th wheel. We love your great attitudes and the awesome way you handle "hiccups." Keep the videos coming!
David and Cathy Outlaw
Thank you so much for joining us on our adventures! And I hope you have the best adventures in your RV too!
I watch a lot of CZcams RVing videos and really enjoy yours.
At first I thought Victoria was popping speed she's so upbeat and Craig's calmness offsets it nicely.
Your vids are just the right mix of various content without making them too short or too long.
The shame of these newer rigs is that the brands can get blasted when it really is the Lippert junk that the manufacturers have to use due to the seeming monopoly of slides etc.
The clips on the brake magnets recall was simply ridiculous and could have gotten you badly hurt or killed.
Love you guys!
Thanks for watching!! 🙌🏼
I think the bird is a pheasant. Great video. I love watching you channel
Loving your videos!
Thank you so much!!
You Reap What You Sew.... LOVE IT Craig. Ridgway State Park is amazing but a rip off. $38 to dump it highway robbery. Glad you had a nice guy at the gate to tell you about going to Montrose. We camped at that park for 3 nights and when we got to the gate they told us we also had to pay another $7 per day for every day we are there to cover the entry fee. You are so lucky that you got a spot at Lizardhead Pass we came in from the south when we came thru there last spring but there was still too much snow for us to get in. Safe Travels you guys.- Kyle and Michelle
another awesome video
your friend from maryland Rodney
Thanks for watching!!
good job guys
Thank you!
Tow haul mode hit the exhaust brake run in 4th or 5th gear with your exhaust brake on .we went down a 6 percent grade had the truck on tow haul mode set cruise control on 50 mph and hit the exhaust brake twice you will be on automatic the truck will put the truck in the proper gear .all I had to do is steer the truck .good luck on your new venture. Denis from Santa Rosa CA.
Your spare tire lifter is a 3/4 and you can use a socket on a ratchet for ease, it's made by LCI. I have one too.
You can run that brinkley with 3/4 full fresh water tank.
Who does the editing? Much better job than most. 👍
Thank you. It's me, Craig. I put a lot of effort and time into it, so I really appreciate your comment.
@@wildrvlife I thought I heard that before. Again, great job. I know it's a lot of work.
You guys are finding some beautiful spots. Ouch on the groceries. It's OK I have spent that amount just for two . Lol.❤😂 God bless and be safe out there. Much love Mary
They should last us a while, at least I hope! Lol. And yesss there are some beautiful places out here in Colorado
U guys are the most honest in telling all the good and bad that happens in the RV life, really enjoy ur vids
Hehehe you guys make me laugh. So me and the wife back in the 90s.
Haha... thank you for watching!!
It's a partridge 😊
I think someone was hangry lol I also cannot wait to see the boondocking places video!! I've been wanting to do this with our camper but we have no clue how to find those places?
Haha you might be right!!
I really enjoy your videos, you’re doing full time travel the right way, always an adventure! If we ever hit the road for real, we hope to follow your lead! Some great scenery out in Colorado! That’s a big rig for boondocking though.
Thank you so much! We seriously considered going a lot smaller when we decided to get rid of our old rig (38ft), but with my current remote work and the meetings I have, we just couldn’t commit to downsizing our space that much 😆 we managed to shave off 3 feet and have a 35 footer now though lol!
@@wildrvlife I know you mostly boondock, but 35’ definitely is easier than 38 at state parks campgrounds. We’re trying to keep our next rig under 35 for that reason.
that is very true!! And honestly, we don't miss the extra 3 feet. Brinkley did a really good job of making the space particularly functional and it feels just as spacious but now we can actually get into state or national parks without lying about our rig size 😬😂 (and if we'd ever book far enough in advance lol)
Get rid of the wire nut. Fine for AC connections in a sticks and bricks home. Poor choice for DC connections in a moving vehicle. A crimped butt splice connector, with a sealing heat shrink jacket is much more reliable. You won’t need to add electrical tape in hopes it doesn’t vibrate apart in transit. You two deal with RV challenges very well!
Hello, congratulations on your very informative video.
I would like to know where I got the water tank that you used to transport the water in the truck box.
THANKS
Ruffed grouse , usually not aggressive except to guys named Craig! You dodged a bullet my friend 😉🤣
You guys are hilarious 😂😂
😂🤣 our lives aren’t dull, that’s for sure lol
Gooood video!!! Just found you guys - new scriber to y’all’s channel.
I was looking at your leveling jacks and it was hard to see if they are set to the highest setting. If not, its critical for boondocking to mitigate ground clearance issues like the place y’all entered.
We are avid boondockers out west and, we raised ours up so our 48’ TH legs don’t get cut off at the ankles😂😂
Gonna do a little binge watching on you guys’ channel
👍😃🍻
thanks for joining us!! we've been talking about seeing if we can raise them up a bit more. I think there might be a notch or two we can still raise them.
@@wildrvlife Purdeee easy fix and will give more ground clearance with some peace of mind in those a$$ puckering situations.
👍😃🍻
That was hilarious!!!! 😂 The bird looked like a roadrunner but not sure. I don’t know if they live that high in elevation? Def funny though.
It freaked me out when it first darted out from under the tree before I knew it was there, lol!!!
The bird is the African Kooka bird, rarely seen in the U.S. It was a female looking for a mate and found your husband attractive.😁
That bird could be a road runner and Wile E coyote has a big old school blog on how to catch them using ACME products ....Not a Sponcer
Wanted to tell you Creede has stopped the water and dump station. Chamber of commerce said yiu can get from city hall but we never saw where that slicker was. Fortunately we have a friend that lives there so got water from them. Next a new weed with a thorn is growing all over and it sticks to dog hair bad! So we only stayed a few days. You might like county rd 9A in Leadville. No Verizon service now but you have starlink
Was that weed Foxtail? I’ve heard Foxtail can be very dangerous to your dogs, especially if they inhale it. I heard it can go to the brain and kill him.
Probably a partridge or grouse.
These are the two I keep going back and forth with.
We just found your channel! Loving the videos and we’re fellow Brinkley owners (#460)
Maybe we’ll find you on the road one day!
Ahh yay!! Yes, hopefully we will cross paths one day! Looking forward to meeting more Brinkley owners!
Hi guys.... Craig that bird was protecting a nest.... You were getting a little bit close.... Never been on a million dollar highway... hope to do it 1 day.... That one camper was a little close because he wasn't paying attention to his trailer in the turn...❤ But you handled it well.... On your water bladder.. do you not Fill it all the way up... How many gallons does it hold.... You are right $38 is a lot to be flushing down the toilet... Oh well we definitely enjoy your videos... Looking forward to the next one... Thanks... Stay safe...J&A
He sure didn’t seem to be paying attention! 😅 I hope you can drive the million dollar highway one day too, it was so beautiful! The water bladder holds 68 gallons and sometimes we will get close to filling it up but honestly sometimes it just makes us nervous about it popping when it gets too full! Lol even though it’s made to be filled. Thank you for watching and joining our adventures this week!
See y’all in November 👏🏻👏🏻
I can't wait, I'm excited about it.
@@wildrvlife 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Excited to meet y’all in person too
never ever use wire nuts in auto type use they loosen up they are meant for houses where the wires don't move around . i use WAGO lever nut the lever locks the wire in .
I'm not positive you may have to ask around but I read after you auto level and put your slides out your supposed to hit auto level again to compensate for the slides. Again, ask around to be sure.
Your videos are great to watch, and they have a lot of good info for newbies, I've been researching the RV market, and it seems that people are being told to steer away from buying RV's made from 2021 till now. I guess the mass production of RV's during the pandemic has caused poor quality. What's your opinion, do you think that's true?
Absolutely!! If they were built during covid, I would highly recommend staying away. It's also one of the reasons why we went with a brand new manufacturer. With Brinkley being brand new, I would be hard pressed to think they were just slapping rvs together without plans of a future in mind.
We have been motorhoming since 1979 and always drink water out of our tank. We use our motorhomes a lot, so they don't sit. With you full timing I see no reason to not drink from your tanks. Water companies work very hard to provide very safe water to every faucet.
Also, we do not buy bottled water. We take tap water in plastic water bottles to drink. I do wish I had invented the concept of bottled water, because I would be a gazillionaire.
How do those bladders stay clean inside? Seems like with always having moisture inside that you might get mold in it? You just use for showers and dishes etc? What do you guys do for drinking water.? You use a refill jug?
Sanitize the bladder once in a while?
The front two was Lamborghini’s and the back one was a McLaren
How do you like towing that rig with a mega-cab truck? Small bed, weight behind the axle?
Great show, great content, looking forward to watching the boondocking video. What brand and where did you get the Ram rear door guards? I think you may have called them the flappy things. Our truck is the regular 4 door version not the mega….same color, year and trim level as yours.
Thank you so much! And yes! Lol the flappy things..got them off Amazon! They’ve held up great. Here’s a link: www.amazon.com/dp/B07XY8WPFX/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_S4T36Q58MM5659K469D8?linkCode=ml2&tag=victoriashelt-20
@@wildrvlife Saaaweet!! Thank you!
Those rear jacks, levelers, sure hang down awful low. They came real close to bottoming out.
Grouse can get a little aggressive around their nests!
She want you to chase her. She’s leading you away from her nest of babies 😊
What was the incident you didn’t want to talk about you mentioned in the previous video. You be safe traveling those mountain roads.
Yeah I’m terrified of heights so I’ll be curl’d up lying on the floor of the gondola
Lol just wait until you see our next video! 😆
Stay off of Hwy . County Rd.40 steep Curvy
Wally World(WalMart)
We live in montrose welcome
Those burgers looked awesome...go gators!
I noticed you are towing with a Ram mega cab short bed. How is the turning with that setup?
We have the Pullrite Superglide hitch and it’s worked great!
How do you like your Ram? What model is it?
The bird chasing you looks like a dusky grouse. It was probably protecting its young or territory.
We do think that’s what it was now!
Not sure but it looks like a Scaled Quail to me. Most likely protecting a nest in the vicinity you were hiking in
All birds are jerks. Lol
Brinkley! Very Cool, my wife and I have been looking at the Z3100 for our first RV. I haven’t gotten to the part in the video where you talk about which one you got.
On July 16th-26th test rented a Grand Design 36 foot, 9000 pound RV that we drug from Dallas, Texas to Page, Arizona (Lake Powell) for 5 days, then on to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, for a total of 2,456 miles. The tow vehicle for the 2019 ram 1500 in those mountain were no joke.
When we get the Brinkley, my 2020 Raptor will be the sacrificial lamb. I’ve been looking at the F350 high output Ford but my son loves the RAM 3500 and wants me to get a 3500 single rear wheel. The dully trucks are a lot to drive around day to day. What are you guys towing with? I have so many questions!
Are you loving the Brinkley? What options would you go for? With your Boondocking, did you go with the lithium batteries and the most available solar power? Obviously, I subscribed and cannot wait to see more of your videos. We were planning a pick up at the Brinkley as well. Sooo cool!!
We have the z3100. I also did go with lithium batteries, but I highly recommend watching our brinkley solar install video for more on that. I tow with a 2020 ram 3500 srw and have been very impressed with it. Thank you so much for watching!!! Hope to see you on the road.
@@wildrvlife Good to hear! I will absolutely watch your solar video, thank you. I am about 4 videos deep in your channel now 🫣😂.
I’ve seen your solar install, I was wondering if you have enough solar/batteries to run the AC all day and or night? Thanks
We do not have enough batteries to run the a/c without sun. But we do have enough watts of solar to run one from like 10:30am till 3 or 4pm.
@@wildrvlife Thank you
Colorado citizens are high, that’s why their nice.
What are you using for portable water bladder?
we use this one! amzn.to/43HtFSj
That’s a bad way of doing that that should be a big but connector with shrink rap
Why did you chose a Brinkley rv?
It’s a ruffed grouse
Lol just looked it up and that does look like it!! We’ve never heard of those!
@@wildrvlife season on them for hunting in the fall , in minnesota anyway , good eating :)
We are Coloradans!
Aha! I was pretty close! 😆
@@wildrvlife yes you were! Love watching your travels.
Pretty good stuff, but Wow, a bunch of commercials. I had to tap out.
You guys are freaking awesome! I go full-time in next summer for a while until I decide where to buy my next house. Everything’s going quick. New fifth wheel this winter new truck next spring! I really hope to run into you. Crazy kids! I’d love to have a conversation. I’m 20+ years your senior, I would guess but I enjoy you guys so much! And my Australian shepherd Tango, thanks your dogs are great!
Oh how exciting!! It really does go pretty quick getting everything ready to hit the road. It’d be great to run into you! Which, is quite likely since all us RVers are chasing good weather 🤣 and thanks for coming along on our adventures!
U got to Close here Babies
Well Brinkley seem to be much better in responding to any problem you have, I’ve just watched Wanderlocal who have just taken over a £300,000 Airstream motor home, and the water systems all failed and flooded the back of there van, they’ve been days without water,, and Airstream haven’t responded that well, they also have a baby to cope with. They also have been in a very heavy hail storm which has damaged the body of there new RV and the insurance is trying to duck out of paying.
Oh my goodness! That sounds like a nightmare! I do have to say that we’ve been very impressed with the customer support from Brinkley so far 🙌🏼