You may have noticed that last week we went silent on social media. That was not my initial plan, however, when the wifi signal and cell phone service is nonexistent, you do not get that choice and a little bit of forced unplugging is just what this family needed. We decided to take the our brand new camper on its maiden voyage last week to Walden Colorado, for some incredible time with family and friends and do some ATVing too!
Walden, Colorado is in the northwestern area of the state and is a little gem tucked away in these beautiful Rocky Mountains. Our views were tremendous and the weather was amazing. A little over 4 hours from our home to Walden was well worth it and the week we spent there was fantastic.
Our family loves camping and loves ATVing and Walden brought all that fun and more. We have only ever taken our machines out in the mountains and on trails, so sand was a completely new experience for us, but honestly it was a TON of fun. So much fun that we are now looking at purchasing a new ATV specifically for sand!
Yes I know I look like a nun here, however, it was pretty windy on occasion and I absolutely cannot handle dirt, so a hood and bandanna was necessary to keep as much sand and dirt out as possible. Yes, I know that is weird. I have never liked to be dirty and even as a kid, I did not play in the dirt (I mean I had a skating rink to play in, so that was obviously the winner). I am one of those people that takes a shower daily, changes my clothes 1-2 times a day, I do not wear the same PJ’s each night, our sheets are changed every couple days and I need a new towel each time I bathe. Some of this is because I have serious germaphobe issues, but mostly it is because I cannot stand the way that it feels when you are dirty. So yeah, I look like a nun, but I clean up well!
My kids on the other hand do not care about dirt and in fact this little girl was making dirt angels (like snow angels but you know, with dirt). They were absolutely in their element and loved being in the mountains, playing, and making huge messes. I might have freaked a bit about them being so dirty, but thankfully we were able to get them washed up and all was well for this OCD mama.
You cannot have a camping trip without a small injury or two. I literally purchased some serious first aid kits because I want to make sure that when there is an injury we can respond accordingly. We are fully aware that recreation activities like this can be dangerous and we take every precaution to make sure that we are safe, however, even with those, my kids are bound to wreck themselves up. Case in point, my son was riding around the camping area on a small little honda 90. He was going maybe 3 mph and caught an edge in the sand and the little ATV flipped on its side, pinning my kiddo for about 30 seconds. He gained a few little bruises from this on his thigh and a good lesson about making sure that we watch where we are riding.
In between trips to the dunes, we spent a lot of time at camp. Some of this was spent shooting BB guns. I was raised with guns and as a kid my parents actually liked to participate in rendezvous, where my sister and I did a lot of knife throwing, shooting and much more. We have a solid understanding of safety and a good respect of guns as well. My kids are being raised this way as well and we make sure they understand safety, responsibility and that there is ALWAYS an adult right there and that guns are locked in a very secure safe when not being used. In fact, my dad actually has a stand up safe in his camper for this reason.
The BB gun my son is shooting is actually my dad’s BB pistol from when he was a kid. My son has been shooting for 4 years and is really getting good. He can walk you through the exact safety rules and carry them through with ease. He is also getting to be a pretty accurate shot too!
In the evenings we spent time coloring, snacking and playing in the camper. We really got to test out this camper fully and we learned a lot. The biggest lesson was that we did not know how to fill the water tank and not even 24 hours after arriving we were definitely out of water and had to go into town to fill up. Remember, I do not like dirt, so not having water was not an option.
I needed to bathe and I was literally losing my mind and my husband was trying his best to calm this clean freak out. There was just enough water for me to wash and when my husband and dad returned from town with water, I was already clean and in a better mood. This is exactly why I am a glamper and not a camper. In addition, to learning about our water filling issue, we also realized that the camper needed a few adjustments from the dealership made.
We really had a great time in Walden and are planning on going back very soon. The ATV trails there are incredible. From easy trails to some crazy drop in cliffs there is something for everyone. You can see some of the sand trails behind us in the photo below.
You also cannot beat these views. Centered right in the Rocky Mountains these sand dunes are tucked away and offer so much beauty to take in. It was so breathtaking. I will say that the weather there can change in an instant and that you need to be prepared. The first day we went out was so hot and sunny and just as we started to head back to camp, we got nailed by hail. Hail on an ATV is pretty awful and we were so thankful that our kids had helmets and jackets on, because I did not and my legs, arms and chest are bruised up from the hail.
Camping in Walden is free, but you do need to register your vehicles and you need to pack in water because it is dry camping. It gets very busy up there and holiday weekends will host around 3000 visitors. Over Memorial Day weekend they had to flight for life 2 people out, so if you are planning on making the trip, plan accordingly and make sure that safety is at the forefront of your plans.
