I’m just going to gloss over the highway reader boards telling me and anybody else driving an RV to turn back due to ‘high winds and risk of blow-over ahead‘

If you need a refresher first:

3 a.m. Idea Sparks Pilgrimage to the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial – Part 1

With RV Secured, Road Trip to Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Begins – Part 2

On Sept. 17, somewhere between the crack of dawn and almost noon, Rich and I got the RV on the road. That day’s 10-hour drive would take us from Boise, ID to Casper, Wyo., to meet up with the Seattle logistics crew. They told me to look for the “C’mon Inn” hotel once we got to Casper. As I smirked, I promised I would … but I really thought they were pulling my leg with the name of the place.  Nope, it was legit.

After a brief lunch stop at the In-N-Out Burger in Ogden, Utah, we made it to Casper by dinner time.

Before I tell you about Casper, I should be upfront about not having done any research or knowing anything whatsoever about its weather. I just figured it was September, how bad could it be?

We found the C’mon Inn just as all my Seattle buddies were checking in for the night. Rich and I decided to save few bucks by “not getting a hotel room” but instead choosing to stay inside the RV. Have I mentioned yet that I’m a bit of a cheapskate? The lure of a few bucks often ends with me shooting myself in the foot. Right about now you can probably hear the hammer audibly cock back. 

The hotel staff said we were welcome to stay in the parking lot. So we got the RV all set up and headed across the street to a steakhouse to meet the rest of the group for dinner and drinks. You can see in the photo below that Matt came with us. Dinner was full of fun and friends, and we made plans for the next day to get all the way to the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colo.

With bedtime at hand, Rich and I made our way back to the RV and hit the bunks with no issues, yet.

Somewhere around 2 a.m., I awoke from a very vivid dream. In said dream, I had been riding on a very noisy train that had been rocking from side to side. As I sat up in bed, I was confused because it still seemed like I was on that train. To keep this story moving, I’ll tell you we woke up to a bit of a Wyoming weather event, with wind gusts hitting at 55 m/ph.  The RV was rocking from side to side. All the windows, doors and roof hatches were rattling and the bike rack was definitely trying its best to rip off the rig and fly over the hotel to Oz. 

This storm rocked us for the rest of the night and well into the next day.  Us RV dwellers got no sleep, but Rich did tell me I was a brave boy. And I calculate we saved ourselves $127 that night by choosing to stay in the aluminum box and wondering when the roof was going fly right off.

At breakfast the next morning, all my super posh hotel friends said they had no idea there had been a wind storm and that they “slept just fine.”  😠

After breakfast, we parted ways with the logistics crew, who were headed for Colorado Springs. Rich and I took a side trip over to Casper Fire Station No. 3, where Deputy Chief Gavin and his crew were terrific hosts. They gave us the grand tour, posed for photos, and traded T-shirts for CRACKYL magazines. For what it’s worth, they thought I was a bit hysterical about 55 m/ph winds. They hadn’t even noticed …

Putting Casper, Wyo., in our rear view, our next stop was Colorado Springs.  At this point I’m just going to gloss over the highway reader boards telling me and anybody else driving an RV to turn back due to “high winds and risk of blow-over ahead.” So for the next five hours, Rich and I white-knuckled it at 10 and 2 because we had a schedule to keep. Looking back, I’m now ready to blame any bad choices on lack of sleep.

Around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, we made it to Colorado Springs. As neither of us had been to the memorial before, we headed straight there to have a look around. With the ceremony scheduled for Saturday, we pretty much had the place to ourselves for some exploring.

Remodeled in June 2015, the memorial is located near Pikes Peak, the highest summit of the southern front range of the Rocky Mountains. The memorial consists of 121 granite tables, placed in four rows, etched with more than 9,528 names dating back to 1919.

All 365 days a year, IAFF members of Colorado Springs, Local 5, are the caretakers of this somber place.  Each year during the multi-day remembrance they step up even more by caring for families, offering shuttles, hosting events, staffing hotels, and even providing therapy dogs.

 Wednesday night drew to a close with the arrival of our friend Will, who flew in from Seattle. We showed him the super narrow RV couch he’d be sleeping on, and gave him the big 30-second tour of the RV campground. He was a good sport about both.

In the next installment of this story, I’ll show you the memorial set up and nightlife as tons of fire nerds descend upon Colorado Springs.