I felt a little sorry for whatever accommodations would follow our last night at Lost Valley Ranch.

I mean, how can anything compete with turn down service and leather furniture and two bathrooms?

I at least had the common sense not to schedule a tent night for our first KOA on the drive east.

We still wanted to explore a tiny bit of Colorado and the Royal Gorge area before we trekked it back all those miles to our house so we chose to stay just a few hours away from the dude ranch in Pueblo, Colorado.

That familiar yellow sign pointed us onward like a beacon.  (Actually, I pulled into a different KOA below a different yellow sign far too many miles early and had to keep on driving south when I realized my mistake.)

The mountains changed as we drove south, but they stayed really beautiful for us.  The Pueblo South/Colorado City KOA is near the San Isabel Forest.  If there’s a next time at this spot I would love to spend days exploring that Forest.  It was gorgeous – even from a distance.

(Perhaps I mentioned this already, who can recall?  But the kids had a running joke this entire trip where they teased me about my reactions to the mountains.  Apparently I kept saying, over and over and at every stop with a mountain view, “Man, this gas station has the prettiest view ever.”  “Man, I’ve never seen a donut shop with a better view.”  “Goodness, I would work at this Walgreen’s, just to have that view from the parking lot.”  And so when I stepped onto the little porch of our deluxe cabin, I said something pretty similar, “Guys – this cabin at this KOA has the best view – just look at it.”)

This was a great little KOA, what with that mountain view and all.  Their playground was a great size for the kids with that old school invention that can’t really be called a sport – can it?  Tetherball!   Anyway.  Mosely and Bergen played until I insisted I play the winner (how does one win tetherball anyway?) and then I remembered with crystal clarity why tetherball has a few problems — bent fingernails!  But goodness – is there a tetherball anywhere with view as pretty as this one?

Plus, there was a handy camp store – those KOA camp stores saved me many times.  I had planned to stop at grocery stores more frequently to stock the cooler and we did stop some, but honestly, the KOA camp stores were far more convenient and easy and accessible.  That night we waltzed over to the camp store and bought the makings for cereal sundaes.  A creation my momma invented (or so she told us) and when I told the KOA staffer in the camp store what we were making he sat up straight and said, “I have cocoa puffs at home.  I’m going to make myself one of those tonight.”  (I wonder how the cocoa puffs turned out with it.  I prefer Honey Nut Cheerios myself, but I have never been a fan of chocolate flavored cereals.)

Also – this KOA carried these marshmallows — and I thought it was pretty funny for some reason.

This deluxe cabin was a really nice one.  Linens were provided and I rejoiced at the thought of not unloading and reloading the six sleeping bags.  There was a little kitchen area and a TV with cable – yeah, I let the kids watch a show – and a small room with a bunk bed with a double bed on the bottom and a single bed on top, which accommodated our band quite nicely.  The bathroom had a really clever touch too, I thought.  A small retractable wire clotheslines could be pulled across the shower and tub so your swimsuits could actually be hung up instead of left to drip dry all over the bathroom.  I should install one of those in our house.  (Seriously.  Wouldn’t that be handy?)

I do LOVE parking the car right beside the cabin, unloading the least possible amount of supplies, and rejoicing in the fact that we have a private bathroom and shower, as well as the fact that the kids can sit outside, play on the playground or walk around the beautiful property instead of sitting in a stale hotel room and being all up in one another’s business after spending a day in the car being all up in one another’s business for the past eight hours.

When we were at the ranch we shared with one of our new friends how we were staying at KOAs across the country as we traveled.  He asked us if we had ever heard of a singer called Kacey Musgraves and her song “My House”.  We had not.  But now we have.  The chorus of the song says ” the KOA is A-Okay with me”.  It’s a great little ditty and its chorus played in our heads every time we entered and exited a KOA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxQTsp9if1M

This KOA had all the regular and convenient features we’ve come to know and appreciate in a KOA.  Pool.  Mini Golf.  Outside areas for picnic shelters.  Dog runs. Pool table. Regular cabins.  And grassy tent sites.  (Goodness, I appreciate a grassy tent site.  Why can’t all tent sites be grassy?)

I’m not sure the city of Pueblo itself has a lot of appeal to me, unfortunately.  But this KOA is a nice distance from the city and much closer to inviting lakes and natural attractions like hiking and mountains and fishing and the kind of stuff we actually love to do.  And that view, you guys.

Yes – KOA is most certainly A-OK with us.

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