Tick It Before You Kick It

Near Misses in Paonia State Park + RV Guide

• Alexandra Lauren | The Bucket List Mermaid • Season 1 • Episode 22

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What happens when the open road meets the unpredictable nature of mountain travel? 🚐

🇺🇸 Join me, Alexandra, and my mother, Pam, as we share our story of navigating the winding roads of Colorado in our large RV. 

🛣️From the infamous I-70 near Glenwood Springs, with its seemingly perpetual road closures, to the heart-pounding experience of maneuvering tight mountain passes, our journey to Paonia State Park is filled with challenges that test our nerves. 

😳Our travels take a dramatic turn as we recount a nerve-racking encounter with a reckless truck driver on a narrow mountain road. 

☎️With no cell service and little room to maneuver our hefty vehicle, we faced a tense situation that underscored the importance of patience and vigilance on these perilous paths. 

🏔️Alongside our adventurous tales, we also highlight the beauty of Paonia and its surrounding areas, from the picturesque Maroon Bells to the charms of Crested Butte. 

Tune in to experience the highs and lows of our RV lifestyle and the unforgettable moments that make it all worthwhile. 💙

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Alexandra:

If it was nighttime, like I could just run around, you know, naked like Bigfoot, and nobody would know. Hi there, adventurers. My name is Alexandra, and welcome to Take it Before you Kick it the podcast where we talk about all of the adventurous things that you can put on your bucket list and some travel stories. Now, today, I am joined by my mother, who lives full time in this RV with me, and since we do live this lifestyle, we do tend to accumulate the travel stories very frequently. So this one is going to be about the infamous okay, maybe not so infamous Paonia State Park, and I say that because I've never heard of this. And, yeah, we're going to be talking about our crazy story getting there, if it's big rig friendly, why we chose it, what we did, some more about the campground and more. So stay tuned and let's talk about Paonia State Park.

Alexandra:

Okay, so first things first. This is my mother, pam, who is going to be joining me in talking about Paonia State Park, and we are going to talk about what happened when we were going to Paonia State Park. So normally my mom drives forward and then I back the thing in. So she was driving, we were coming from Glenwood Springs, right, yeah, and what? It was about a three hour drive. We ended up sitting on the highway for about two hours extra because, let me tell you, i-70, near Glenwood Springs is notorious for closing. I feel like it's either Glenwood Springs or Eisenhower yes, those are the two places where it just closes, so we waited there.

Pam:

It's either crazy traffic, or there's some kind of road construction which you think they'd be done by now, after a decade, but alas, Nope, always.

Alexandra:

Road construction on I-70, the armpit road of Colorado, so it's the only way in and out of the mountains. What was the saying? It's called I-70 because you're either going seven or zero. Yes, so anyway, why don't you tell us a little bit about this drive?

Pam:

I'm always a little bit nervous driving the big rig. You know you just have to be on it all the time. You know, head on a swivel, looking at every mirror, making sure you know exactly where you are. And I like highways because you can really tell what's going on around you. There's not a lot of guesswork. When we got off to take this tiny little two-way road to Paonia and I'm talking it's small I would have been nervous driving the truck on this, but we are driving a big rig. Curvy mountain roads, curvy mountain roads and I'm just kind of praying. The whole time it started raining, terrible conditions. I was nervous. Some of the things that people like to do around fifth wheels is pass them.

Alexandra:

Yes, everybody. I don't know why is so impatient on these mountain roads, and I've never really thought a ton about it until we started fifth wheeling.

Pam:

Yes, I mean people are passing when they shouldn't. They are and we're going the speed limit of five under. So it's not like we're going 20, you know, on a 60 mile an hour road. So you know, we think we figure we're catching up. I mean, if it is, you know, looking like we're going slower, then you know we'll pull over put our flashers on, kind of go to the side so that people can pass get the bugs off the windshield, just let everybody pass so we can be the slowest one on there.

Alexandra:

For those of you who don't know that that was the term that our RV tutor. We literally went to RV driving school and he said oh yeah, go in the passing lane so you can get all the bugs off the windshields Basically just a term that he used for everybody just passing you so we just would get all the bugs off the windshield. But sometimes it wasn't safe for us to get the bugs off the windshield there wasn't a passing lane.

Pam:

Well, there's no room, there's no room. You clip on one side, mount on the other, and it is a small two-lane windy mountain road, and so tooling along doing our own thing, and I see this truck who is speeding in the opposite lane and it's a double yellow on a turn.

Alexandra:

Well, and you have to think too, there were these three cars already behind us and turn. Well, and you have to think too, there were these three cars already behind us and we kind of slowed down and tried to let them pass, but I think the three cars behind us just decided not to, so we gave them the option too. And then this truck comes along and decides to not pass one car, or two cars, or three cars or us, but all of us at the same time on a double yellow, on a turn.

Pam:

Now, the other thing the rig doesn't do is stop quickly. And so I see him and I think he's going to merge in. He's going to merge in, he's going to merge in. So I am slowing as safely as I can. I'm kind of don't want to, you know, burn out the brakes. But I'm aware of him, I know how fast he's going. I mean, this guy is flying, and then he almost gets to the point where he can pass us and we're almost stopped. At this point I mean, we're just watching this unfold.

Alexandra:

I mean I yelled at you. I said he's trying past three cars and us Slow down, slow down, slow down. He's being reckless. I don't know what to do.

Pam:

This Porsche, beautiful Porsche, comes around the corner I want to cry. Sees him coming right at him and there's nowhere for anybody to go. So there's so many ways that we could have crashed here, but miraculously- we didn't.

Alexandra:

Honestly, I think it was because of the Porsche's defensing driving skills and unfortunately he was the one that got the front because he didn't want to get on a head on collision with this dude doing 90. So, then he started coming into our lane. So then we thought, oh my gosh, now he's going to head-on collision with us because of this stupid truck. And then he swerved about, missed our bumper head-on by about two feet and just went into a ditch on the other side.

Alexandra:

This poor guy who's doing everything right, and the truck kept going Kept going, saw this Porsche crash and absolutely hit and run, flew out of there as fast as he possibly could. And then we're faced with the dilemma we have no service, we can't stop because we're huge. So what do we do? So here I am trying to like text 911 on their satellite, which I've never had to call 911 via satellite before. But I really had a tough time getting 911 on the phone. I mean, luckily, I don't think that the Porsche was in a situation where he would have gotten hurt. I think he just did some involuntary off-roading in a car that was not made for off-roading.

Pam:

Yeah. So whoever you are, you're a rock star.

Alexandra:

Yeah, whoever you are the person in the Porsche, you're a rock star. Whoever you are the person in the Porsche, you're a rock star. I am so sorry that there are terrible people in this world. And to that guy in the truck you know who you are and shame on you.

Pam:

Luckily, the cars behind took care of the Porsche and we just kept trying to call 9-1-1.

Alexandra:

Kept trying to call 9-1-1 and then finally there was some construction, because you know we're in Colorado on a mountain road, so therefore we have to have construction. And we finally stopped and you know they were holding us for a bit and I said, hey, do you have a satellite phone? There's a Porsche that just crashed in a ditch over there and we're not sure what to do. Can you call 911 and just make sure that they're okay? And they did call 911. So luckily we did get help, but I just don't know if it was fast enough. It was really a tricky situation where we couldn't really stop and see if he was okay.

Pam:

Because then we're blocking one entire lane of traffic Right.

Alexandra:

So then we're creating more danger just by stopping.

Pam:

It was terrible it was such a terrible.

Alexandra:

We have so much guilt, moral dilemma, I mean, even though we were going slow and we tried our best to prevent this. I think it's a good reminder for everybody. When you are being very impatient on mountain roads, someone else's life is not worth you getting up five minutes earlier, like that's not their problem that you didn't get up five minutes earlier, or that you're an impatient driver and that Porsche is now gonna have to pay for all of his own damages for something that was that dude's fault.

Pam:

Don't be in a rush. Don't pass on a double yellow. Maybe just not pass on two lane windy roads, I don't know.

Alexandra:

Yeah, or just wait, don't pass three cars and a massive fifth wheel that are going the speed limit. It's not like we were going slow and, as I said, we tried to let those cars over and they were even like no, you're fine, you're going the speed limit, I'm not going to pass you. And still that car overtook all of us at the same time and caused an accident. So I don't know what more we could have done, but I don't know why I feel so guilty about it.

Pam:

But I'm just mad for him.

Alexandra:

Yeah, I'm mad for the Porsche, so I need justice for the Porsche, I know. So anyway, we ended up getting to Paonia. There are three campsites at Paonia and we'll talk about those a little bit later, but the one that we were at was kind of on the outskirts of Paonia and that was the Anthracite campsite. And if you don't know the geography of this, if you started going on this road it's called Keebler Pass you would take this pass to Crested Butte. However, there is a length limit and they don't really put enough signs for the anthracite campsite, so we missed it. And then we thought, oh goodness, now we're forced to go on Keebler Pass and we won't fit. So we ended up going into a different RV park and they were super confusing, and then we got stuck and had to like back out onto the road and then ended up pulling through through and they were super mad at us. Anyway, the whole journey to Paonia was very, very stressful, especially for a big rig. So that was lovely, it was great, it was so fun.

Pam:

Yeah, so we finally get turned around. Leave the angry second campsite people. We got, we found the spot, but even then it was still a tricky turn to get in there. It was just a solid, terrible turn with not a lot of leeway.

Alexandra:

Yeah, not a lot of leeway, and I think it's hard because it goes from the asphalt to the dirt on a hill. Getting in was okay, but getting out you have to really gun it and then you're on this mountain road. So, anyway, that was my biggest complaint about Paonia. We're going to go into why Paonia is cool. However, getting into Paonia, wow, and it was just in the middle of nowhere. But let's talk about why we actually chose Paonia.

Alexandra:

Oh for the coolest place ever, Maroon bells which this was still far away, and we actually booked this because we wanted to hike to maroon bells and then we realized it was like a two and a half hour drive. However, we still did it. We did maroon bells, we did keebler pass, we did crested butte there are so many amazing locations here that and the area itself is just stunning yes, it's just wooded and mountains and you just are in the middle of nowhere.

Alexandra:

I do have to say if I were to do this again, I would do this during fall, because Keebler Pass in the fall it is a sea of aspens. I bet it's one of the best in Colorado.

Pam:

Yes, but I would probably stay at the KOA.

Alexandra:

Yeah, I would definitely stay at the KOA.

Pam:

And we'll tell you why we love them in a minute.

Alexandra:

So, yes, that is why we chose Paonia. We did also choose it to paddleboard. However, nobody told us that the reservoir actually gets too low for recreational use at about July and August-ish area. So that was not accessible and neither was kind of any of Paonia State Park. So we actually ended up going for Paonia, but we stayed for the rest of it. Yes, okay. So now let's talk about all of the campsites. In Paonia. There are three campsites and we went around all of them. The Spruce and the Haw's Apple are small, I mean, they're definitely for very small rigs or tent camping, tent vans, tiny trailers, yes, tiny trailers. And so the Spruce Campground has six campsites and it's surrounded by spruce trees and babbling brooks. Oh, it's gorgeous.

Alexandra:

Yeah, it is gorgeous Now to get close, I'd probably recommend sites eight, nine or 13. Definitely recommended those. And then, if you went a little bit further, there was the Hawes Opel. This has seven campsites and it's one of the most popular with water skiers because it's right on the water and has direct access to the water. Not in late summer, early fall, definitely not. That thing was dry as a bone when we were there. However, if you do have a small enough tent or RV, I would try to snag site two.

Alexandra:

This was my favorite just because it was semi-isolated and had a good view of the water, or what was left of it. And then there is ours, which is the anthracite campsite. Again, this is way further down. I feel like the spruce and the hawse apple was kind of in the same area. You do have a big rig. Don't make the mistake and turn into the hawse apple and spruce. Oh gosh, you'll never get out. You'll never get out. Those campsites were so tight. And again, if you make one mistake, there's not a lot of room for error at Paonia, you know. You just kind of have to know what you're doing. So I would definitely recommend doing a Google map. You know, see a satellite above before, just so you can tell where you're going. But if you are at the anthracite, we found that site 23 is not directly on the river, but we couldn't really see the river anyway. But that one had all the shade. That was the one in the middle.

Pam:

Right in the middle. I mean we actually booked this. Well, we're smarter now, but we booked it because it was on the river, but you couldn't see the river because they had a big fence.

Alexandra:

Well, and they also had a lot of shrubbery.

Pam:

Yeah, so there's no way to get down to the river?

Alexandra:

I could see the river if I climbed up on the top of the rig.

Pam:

Oh yeah, so I guess technically it was a river spot.

Alexandra:

It was, but you just couldn't really see it.

Pam:

Not all campsites have showers or water.

Alexandra:

And it was kind of confusing because it said no portable drinking water. So I was like, okay, but I guess that is no water at all. I don't know why. I was just being a stupid RVer. Don't be a stupid RVer like me. Lesson learned we were kind of more noobs at this point, oh yeah, but I kind of figured they would at least have a sink with a toilet in there. But no, it was just one of those vault toilets that's kind of like a glorified porta potty, and we had no water, no sewer, and we were there for two weeks, two weeks. So, as you can tell, we were very, very stinky RVers and this led us to go around to other campsites and say please take pity on us, which is why next time we will be staying at the KOA, because we went into the KOA after we hiked Maroon Bells and we said, hey, listen, we're KOA members, can we pay to use your shower? And they let us use their shower.

Pam:

Just for free. They just took pity on us. They probably just wanted us to get out of their office so it wouldn't smell.

Alexandra:

I'm not sure that's their policy, but I really, really, really do appreciate, but huge thumbs up to KOA. So for them letting us use their shower. We will endorse the.

Pam:

KOA. It was glorious there, you go.

Alexandra:

We really reconnected to nature in Paonia. Yep, we were one with nature I think the really the biggest thing was just dishes. It was just hard to do dishes With bottled water. With bottled water because we obviously got some water that we just used just gallon jugs of water and it was kind of hot, so we needed to like fill up the air conditionings with that and everything else.

Alexandra:

So it's just overall quite interesting. Also in Paonia it rained so much that we got a leak in the roof. Obviously, rvs get leaks, things happen but it was a little rough and then it just wouldn't stop raining. I obviously did get all the materials but all of them said, oh yeah, let it dry for 24 hours. I'm like honey, how am I supposed to let it dry for 24 hours if it won't stop raining? Another thing that happened was she left because she had to go to Loveland to get the tags for the truck and I ended up staying there with the animals alone with no way out. So there I was and there was nobody in this campsite, and when I say nobody I mean nobody. So it was so weird just to think that I was so alone in this campsite. It was kind of nice in a way. I don't know, I just never really been that isolated before and you couldn't go anywhere unless you hiked out.

Alexandra:

No, no, yeah, I couldn't go anywhere. And I had this thought because I was going to the, to the little vault toilet, port-a-potty, and I was just thinking to myself, wow, I could just walk from my rv through this entire campsite naked and nobody would know. Maybe maybe some cars driving on that keebler pass for three seconds, maybe, but if it was nighttime, like I could just run around, you know, naked like bigfoot and nobody would know. So it was kind of fun to be that isolated, but overall it was just fun to see everything. Let's talk about Maroon Bells and Crested Butte. Those were the two reasons why we came, obviously Maroon Bells.

Pam:

Maroon Bells was phenomenal, absolutely worth the hype. An amazing place to see water and the trail is phenomenal.

Alexandra:

You do need a reservation. We might do a whole episode on Maroon Bells because it was just incredible, the hiking. I honestly think that it does need to be on everyone's bucket list. One of the best views I've ever seen in Colorado.

Pam:

Is that where we saw the?

Alexandra:

moose yes, we saw a moose there, stumbled upon a moose. That was a little scary, but yeah, that was incredible. The other place that we went to is Crested Butte, and this is a big ski area here in Colorado. Cute little mountain town, very, very cute little mountain town, and Keebler Pass I mean that was almost better than Crested Butte.

Pam:

Yeah, we did it twice because it was so pretty, yeah, that in the fall will be my bucket list.

Alexandra:

Yeah, stay tuned, because I'm going to do that next fall. I can't even imagine the fall colors Absolutely amazing. Oh, we totally forgot about marble.

Pam:

Marble. Marble is where marble is made. Marble is marble, marble is marble and you can dig for marble. Yeah, and it's the same marble that was used in several monuments in Washington.

Alexandra:

Yeah, washington DC, like the Washington Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, all of those white marble iconic landmarks that you see in DC, were actually they mined for the marble here. So that was kind of another fun thing that you could do. It was the town is small.

Pam:

Oh, it's so small, maybe a block long and well more than that, but there wasn't much there. There was a cute little marble museum. That was adorable, but it was just. The drive was nice and it was kind of nice. Just, you could buy a piece of marble for a dollar, yeah, and it actually takes you through the Gunnison National Forest.

Alexandra:

And was it McClure? That was pretty. Mcclure Pass, mcclure Pass, I think so. I think it was. But anyway, anywhere you go in here is just stunning.

Alexandra:

Yep just drive and roast, you won't be disappointed. Yeah, if you do go to Paonia, I would encourage you to get out of Paonia and actually just go drive everywhere, because these mountain passes are amazing. But just good luck parking your rig first, yes, and then again we did leave. It was a little tight getting around the loop of the anthracite campsite. As I said, forget it for the other two if you have a larger rig. Yeah, no, but yeah, getting out of there was a little tough. It was like we had to get a running, start up the dirt road with our massive fifth wheel and then make a left turn onto a mountain pass road. Yeah, she just said is anyone coming? And I said, if they are, they're just going to have to see us because we can't stop, and if we stop we'll roll backwards and knock it up the hill. And we did make it. And then we actually went through the town of Paonia and that was a tight road. It's tiny. It's tiny. That place is so tiny. We joke said our favorite sign in the RV is when it says road narrows and we all just roll our eyes. Yes, but once we were out of there we were totally fine.

Alexandra:

So anyway, what do you think of Paonia State Park? Would you add this to your RVing bucket list? Would you park your RV here? Would you tent camp here? Where would you go? Would you go to Maroon Bells or Crested Butte or Marble, or is it all just kind of too far away from Paonia and you would just go somewhere else? Don't forget to let me know. I do have an entire Paonia state guide. If you are interested in going to Paonia, I have everything, all of the information here, including where it is hookups of everything and more on that guide, and I will link that in the show notes. Guys, thank you so much for listening and I just wish you all of the many good travels with your RV and camping experiences and adventures. We will see you next time. Keep adventuring.