Saturday, February 12, 2011
A Day Trip To Colorado/Manitou Springs
White snew on the ground and a clear bloo sky. Perfect weather to take a little day trip down I-25 to Colorado/Manitou Springs! We needed to blow off a little stink after hanging around TEH CONDOH during the recent snewy weather.
On the way, we located a Yogi Bear Campground at mile marker 174.
On the way, we located a Yogi Bear Campground at mile marker 174.
Imagine this scene with snew on the ground.
Only a few of these sites are open during the winter.
The campground has a great view of the surrounding hills and evergreen trees. We'll pay this place a visit when it warms up a bit.
On we drove to the Springs. We checked out a doll shop, but it appeared to be a private home and nobody was home. We had better luck at the next place:
Needleworks By Holly Berry
2409 W. Colorado Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Lots of knitting stuff, yarn, patterns, etc. While we were perusing the goods, I overheard a conversation between the staff and someone who must be on the city council. "We need a red light... We need better parking..." You know, the usual.
We et lunch at:
On The Menu
Black Bean Soop
Cajun Crepe with Shrimp, Onion, Mushrooms, Spicy Cream Sauce
Crusty Garlikky 'Taters
Rise and Dine Breakfast Crepe with Black Forest Ham 'n Eggs
Fruit
A fyne Herbal Tea
Chime Chardonnay
We took our time eating this delish food!
We found our old friend, the El Colorado Inn. We stayed there a couple times in the past.
Then off to Garden Of The Gods and a brief hike among the red rock formations.
Bloo sky over Colorady
Darkness fell as we returned to Denver. The hordes were already hitting the freeway going home from work. Oh yeah, the weekend begins NOW!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
A RUDE Surprise: The horrific costs to register vehicles annually in Colorado
Last year, I paid about $75.00 to register the Tribby in Texas. This year, to register the Tribby in colorado cost about $280.00! Wowsers! The cost to register the motoryhome here in Colorado will be horrific. Here's a posting on a blog that explains why many peeps register there RV's outta state:
One thing my friend noted is that the RV dealer salesmen and managers he talked to in Denver and Colorado Springs areas when asked what the taxes and registration fees would be, every person he talked to "had no idea" as if they'd all been trained to play the same phony script. How can you sell these things for a living and not know how much it costs to pay taxes and buy plates? You can't...but you won't tell a potential customer because he'll be SHOCKED to find out how bad the bill really is. And if you call DMV to try and get an estimate before the sale...they won't help you, either.
So I have done some digging in the Colorado tax code to shine a light on this for folks so they don't end up stunned with the equivalent of a second property tax bill for their big resource-sucking toy.
Take my friend. He bought a five-year old diesel pusher motor home...in great condition I must agree. The MSRP for that motor home in 2005 was around $225,000, and he got it for $90,000 from it's elderly owner who had to sell in a bad economy due to illness. After trying a few days before making an offer to get an idea of taxes and fees, he just decided to throw caution to the wind and pull the trigger. Bad idea...
Let's start with the Colorado ownership tax. This is a substitute for the ad valorem personal property tax. It's based on the original MSRP of the vehicle when new. Note that is NOT what the first buyer actually paid for it. Manufacturer's...List...Price. If you've ever paid list for a vehicle you are a sucker and a half. Nobody pays list (unless maybe they're trying to swing a deal with bad credit and an upside-down loan on a crappy trade-in).
For a motor home, which is "class C" property under Colorado tax code (not to be confused with Class A/B/C motorhomes), the ownership tax is computed based on 85% of that original MSRP and on the years since first registration.
Year 1 - 2.1% of 85% x the original MSRP
Year 2 - 1.5% of 85% x the original MSRP
Year 3 - 1.2% of 85% x the original MSRP
Year 4 - 0.9% of 85% x the original MSRP
Years 5-9 - 0.45% of 85% x the original MSRP
Year 10+ - $3
For a travel trailer, which is classified "Class D" property, it's the same, except that in years 10 and beyond, it remains 0.45% of 85% x the original MSRP (or $3, whichever is greater)
So for my buddy's new (to him) motor home, in year 5, his ownership tax works out to 0.45% of (85% x $225,000), or $861, and will remain the same for the next four years.
Oh, but that's not all. The registration fee is based on the vehicle's weight. For vehicles below 16,000 lbs, it's based on the vehicle's empty weight (found on the title as CWT, or curb weight, in hundreds of lbs). For vehicles over 16,000 lbs empty weight, the registration fee is based on gross (loaded) weight. My friend's diesel pavement pig comes in at 21,000 lbs with all the goodies aboard. The relevant tables that the tax dept won't even point you to can be found in CRS 42-3-306, and in the case of a motor home, in subparagraph 13. (www.michie.com/colorado is a good resource to look this up), the registration fee will be $24.50 for the first 4,500 lbs, and $0.60 per hundred lbs above that, for a total of $123.50.
Oh, but that's not all. There's the new (in 2009) SB09-108 Road Safety and Bridge Surcharges. (Department of Revenue - Division of Motor Vehicles:SB09-108 FASTER (Funding Advancement for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery)) That's $55 between the two for a vehicle over 16,000 lbs, and will go up $8/yr for the next two years.
And there are a couple miscellaneous small fees...but that's not all.
Sales tax. An RV is taxed at the same rate as an iPod or a pair of jeans. The slick salesman will tell you that Colorado state sales tax is 2.9% out on the lot. When the final bill comes across the table, though, it'll include county, local districts, etc...in El Paso County, a total of 7.4%. Add another cool (but one-time) charge of $6,660.
So for the privelege of that first year of RV bliss, he paid the state $7,700, and he'll continue to get a bill for over $1,000 every year, just to put plates on it.
Oh, but that's not all. He hasn't told me yet what he's forking out for insurance...
Anyway, there you have it, some idea for how the numbers are derived and their sources, since neither a dealer nor DMV will tell you before the sale. And a not-so-subtle submessage: "RUN AWAY!!!"
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/colorado/925326-cost-register-rv-colorado-denver-colorado.html#ixzz1B8ENb68K
One thing my friend noted is that the RV dealer salesmen and managers he talked to in Denver and Colorado Springs areas when asked what the taxes and registration fees would be, every person he talked to "had no idea" as if they'd all been trained to play the same phony script. How can you sell these things for a living and not know how much it costs to pay taxes and buy plates? You can't...but you won't tell a potential customer because he'll be SHOCKED to find out how bad the bill really is. And if you call DMV to try and get an estimate before the sale...they won't help you, either.
So I have done some digging in the Colorado tax code to shine a light on this for folks so they don't end up stunned with the equivalent of a second property tax bill for their big resource-sucking toy.
Take my friend. He bought a five-year old diesel pusher motor home...in great condition I must agree. The MSRP for that motor home in 2005 was around $225,000, and he got it for $90,000 from it's elderly owner who had to sell in a bad economy due to illness. After trying a few days before making an offer to get an idea of taxes and fees, he just decided to throw caution to the wind and pull the trigger. Bad idea...
Let's start with the Colorado ownership tax. This is a substitute for the ad valorem personal property tax. It's based on the original MSRP of the vehicle when new. Note that is NOT what the first buyer actually paid for it. Manufacturer's...List...Price. If you've ever paid list for a vehicle you are a sucker and a half. Nobody pays list (unless maybe they're trying to swing a deal with bad credit and an upside-down loan on a crappy trade-in).
For a motor home, which is "class C" property under Colorado tax code (not to be confused with Class A/B/C motorhomes), the ownership tax is computed based on 85% of that original MSRP and on the years since first registration.
Year 1 - 2.1% of 85% x the original MSRP
Year 2 - 1.5% of 85% x the original MSRP
Year 3 - 1.2% of 85% x the original MSRP
Year 4 - 0.9% of 85% x the original MSRP
Years 5-9 - 0.45% of 85% x the original MSRP
Year 10+ - $3
For a travel trailer, which is classified "Class D" property, it's the same, except that in years 10 and beyond, it remains 0.45% of 85% x the original MSRP (or $3, whichever is greater)
So for my buddy's new (to him) motor home, in year 5, his ownership tax works out to 0.45% of (85% x $225,000), or $861, and will remain the same for the next four years.
Oh, but that's not all. The registration fee is based on the vehicle's weight. For vehicles below 16,000 lbs, it's based on the vehicle's empty weight (found on the title as CWT, or curb weight, in hundreds of lbs). For vehicles over 16,000 lbs empty weight, the registration fee is based on gross (loaded) weight. My friend's diesel pavement pig comes in at 21,000 lbs with all the goodies aboard. The relevant tables that the tax dept won't even point you to can be found in CRS 42-3-306, and in the case of a motor home, in subparagraph 13. (www.michie.com/colorado is a good resource to look this up), the registration fee will be $24.50 for the first 4,500 lbs, and $0.60 per hundred lbs above that, for a total of $123.50.
Oh, but that's not all. There's the new (in 2009) SB09-108 Road Safety and Bridge Surcharges. (Department of Revenue - Division of Motor Vehicles:SB09-108 FASTER (Funding Advancement for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery)) That's $55 between the two for a vehicle over 16,000 lbs, and will go up $8/yr for the next two years.
And there are a couple miscellaneous small fees...but that's not all.
Sales tax. An RV is taxed at the same rate as an iPod or a pair of jeans. The slick salesman will tell you that Colorado state sales tax is 2.9% out on the lot. When the final bill comes across the table, though, it'll include county, local districts, etc...in El Paso County, a total of 7.4%. Add another cool (but one-time) charge of $6,660.
So for the privelege of that first year of RV bliss, he paid the state $7,700, and he'll continue to get a bill for over $1,000 every year, just to put plates on it.
Oh, but that's not all. He hasn't told me yet what he's forking out for insurance...
Anyway, there you have it, some idea for how the numbers are derived and their sources, since neither a dealer nor DMV will tell you before the sale. And a not-so-subtle submessage: "RUN AWAY!!!"
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/colorado/925326-cost-register-rv-colorado-denver-colorado.html#ixzz1B8ENb68K
Sunday, January 09, 2011
A SNEWY Sunday Afternoon
Santy forgot his Christmas reindeer.
Don't leave yer car out overnight!
Rowdie quat doesn't want to go outside for a change.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Never too old to learn....
Our drive in the Windy from the South Coast to Colorado a couple weeks ago reminded me that after years of RV'ing, you can still learn a few things not to do.
F'instance. Don't put stinky moist cat food near the LP gas leak detector. The alarm will whine and whine and whine. With the Workhorse chassis, don't try to start up in the cold before it is ready. It'll just sit there quiet and ded. Don't turn on an electric space heater while running the electric hot water heater while running a coffee maker while running the coach heater with a bunch of lights on. THAT blew a main fuse somewhere!
Live and learn.
F'instance. Don't put stinky moist cat food near the LP gas leak detector. The alarm will whine and whine and whine. With the Workhorse chassis, don't try to start up in the cold before it is ready. It'll just sit there quiet and ded. Don't turn on an electric space heater while running the electric hot water heater while running a coffee maker while running the coach heater with a bunch of lights on. THAT blew a main fuse somewhere!
Live and learn.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
December 10, 2010 Snew Cover Map
I'm told that anywhere that has snew today should have a white Christmas!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Denver Agin.
Snew on the shrubs greeted our latest arrival to Denver!
After closing, all the seller's stuff is gone. We got shoes in! Furniture next week. I'm deciding about the green. Stay or go. We'll see.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Colorado October 2010
Yet another trip to Denver, this time to pick out a condo. We found one all ready to inhabit, renovated, and with a new kitchen. The listing pictures have disappeared from the net, since the unit is sold - to us!. But here are some nice pictures taken on a lazy drive onna Sunday afternoon near Denver.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Back 'Ta Denver
Back to Denver to snoop around for a condo. We also spent a fair amount of goof-off time, too!
Looking down on the campground from above!
A petrified baar????
The Golden arches. Heh heh heh.....
A stream runs thru Golden.
There be good eats in the foothills!
Good eats. Ummmm.....
OMG. 2 Windies????
Kansas stormy sunset.
Looking down on the campground from above!
A petrified baar????
The Golden arches. Heh heh heh.....
A stream runs thru Golden.
There be good eats in the foothills!
Good eats. Ummmm.....
OMG. 2 Windies????
Kansas stormy sunset.Tuesday, August 24, 2010
I luv Rethug, er, Republicans!
OK, send me tha' money!!!
http://dailycaller.com/2010/08/23/true-stories-of-bloggers-who-secretly-feed-on-partisan-cash/
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Windy Update
Gotta call yesterday from Brett at the moho dealer. Due to a lack of Bosch brake calipers, he's ordered some aftermarket parts to git my moho motorating again. Blogs indicate this is a good move. Inna few days, the brakes will be good, the satellite will be receiving, we'll be all washed and polished, and I'll be able to air up all the tyres myself for the first time ever.
Then we'll see about a little interior renov. Perhaps trade out the sofa for an ultra leather model.
Natchez Trace Parkway, a few years ago
Several years ago, I got notice from Efram Zimbalist, Jr. that I'd better pay up on a speedin' ticket in my name writ on the Natchez Trace Parkway. Since this was before the era of Breitbart and Fox Noise, one fone call cleared up the cornfusion. See, I'd never been there! Well, several years later I decided that we should examine this Parkway. I have some pictures of it elsewhere on this blog from a recent drive on the beautiful road, but here are some pictures taken years ago on our first drive on the Natchez Trace Parkway.
She Who Must Be Obeyed™ restin' up before hitting the trail.
A portion of the original pathway.
Looking out from a shady spot.
A front porch is always a good idea.
Swampy trees.
Another well-worn section of the original Natchez Trace Parkway.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Elvis Presley's Childhood Home
We visited Elvis's childhood home in Tupelo, Mississippi a few years ago!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Windy's in the shop
Well, work progresses on getting the Windy suitable once again for campin'. Workhorse has authorized yet another brake caliper replacement and I'm having the shop turn the front rotors, replace the am/cb antenna, adjust the satellite dish, wash 'n polish... That should do it.
A motorhome: a hole in the pavement that you throw money into!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Monday, July 05, 2010
Workhorse Brake Recall
Hot brakes are bad brakes!Unfortunately, we thought the problemo was fixed, but a few weeks ago the brakes began acting really bad as we returned to Houston from Galveston.
The Workhorse factory sez they do not know when Bosch will have new brake calipers available and the local dealer doesn't know when they'll have any calipers at all available.
So the Windy sits.
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