After a two year hiatus with no major camping trips, at long last we are getting ready for another run out west. We did not take a trip in the trailer last year because we went to Alaska by air and did the cruise/land trip with Holland America. That was super fabulous, but I am ready to be rolling again. 
The past year has been pretty busy for us, with my Dad's illnesses and subsequent death, so we did not feel comfortable planning any major excursions until now. BUT, we are heading out to finish and add to our trip from 2 years ago, which was shortened due to both of us being sick. 
We DO camp & fish locally at the lake, so we have used the trailer in the last two years and we bought a beautiful pontoon boat last January, so we can take it to go fishing when we go. Love me some fishing, too! 
It has been a great joy for me and my husband to share our boat with friends and family over the last 18 months since we have owned it. There's been fishing, wake boarding, swimming, boat riding and tubing galore!
Here are a few pics of the fun we have had on the boat.

​At the end of June, we are heading out, first to visit family and attend a wedding, then to head west. Here is our proposed route:

When we got up on Monday morning after staying in Zion Canyon since Tuesday, thinking we would continue on to Bryce Canyon, two things changed our minds. First of all, even though the trip was only about 90 or so miles, it was all mountain roads, with lots of switchback and it was SNOWING! That, I think, was the straw that broke the camel's back for my husband. When I got up, he told me he did not want to continue getting even further from home as bad as he felt and that he was ready to start heading back east. With HUGE disappointment, I agreed. So, we started heading back towards Las Vegas and I-40 to begin our trek home.

After being home for a bit over a week, I realize that he was probably sicker than I was, perhaps since he is less than six months past open heart surgery. Needless to say, our trip home was a totally different type of trip than the earlier parts had been. Our focus was getting home without driving too far, since we both were still not feeling our best. Most days, we still only travelled around 350 miles, but as much as possible, we left the truck and trailer hooked together and did the minimum amount of setup. Several times, we even picked up pre-cooked food for dinner, since setting up took all the energy we had left. All of that being said, I did want to finish blogging about the final days.

Day one ended in Kingsman, AZ, where we stayed in Blake Ranch RV Park, which literally had stables for horses for folks that needed them. We had picked up some groceries on our way into town, and fueled up the truck. Safeway had some decent looking fried chicken and microwaveable mashed potatoes, so that sufficed for supper, and we settled in for the evening. Tired, but moving toward home!

USA RV Park in Gallup, NM was our home for the second night.  We did unhook the truck and trailer here, and headed into town for fuel and ate supper at a local Mexican restaurant recommended by the girl at the front desk. This campground was a family-run business, with Dad and two adult kids running the show. It was fine for a night, but oh, the wind was back! I have not missed that midwest wind since we got back to SC. One really nice note about this park: active duty military stay for free!

We stayed "on the cheap" at the Historic Cactus RV Park in Tucumcari, NM for our third night on the road. I had joined Passport America before we left and this site cost us less than $20. Once again, we did not unhook and we had picked up a meat and two vegetables dinners for each of us at a Loves Truck Stop at lunchtime. This campground is on the site of an old Route 66 Motel that is being restored. It was pretty neat. No amenities at all, but full hookups, so plenty good for one night. The picture is the old Cactus Motor Lodge, in the 1930's.

Of course, weather was looming once again in Oklahoma and Texas, with a second weekend of possible tornadoes in the forecast for Oklahoma City, so we decided to stay in a motel there, so we could get on the road super early, with no breaking of camp required. On the road at 4:30 AM and drove a whopping 467 miles to West Memphis, AR! We stayed at the Tom Sawyer Campground, right on the Mississippi River. It was stormy, with thunderstorms rolling through in the afternoon and evening both days we were there. This was our "rest stop," so we stayed two nights and got our laundry done(for free!) and just relaxed. We saw two of the cruise boats go by while we were there. We also met a really nice couple who were full time RVers and had a very interesting conversation with them about living in a fifth wheel on the road. They were headed TO OKC with their son, who had just graduated from college and was reporting to Fort Sill there. Sure do hope they made there' safely! I really loved this campground, and it was another Passport America member, so the price was super low. I definitely want to stay here again on another trip west.

At long last, our final two nights were spent in Seneca, SC, where we visited with our daughter and son-in-law. We wanted to check out this campground, in case we wanted to stay here when visiting in the future. We stayed at Crooked Creek Campgound, on Lake Keowee and it was quite lovely! Brings back memories of my summer at Clemson, when I had a friend who lived locally and he took me water skiing on this lake.

Looking back over the 7 weeks we spent on the road, would I do it again? Absolutely! We are still searching for our "right" way to RV, and are rethinking things a bit. Not sure what the best way is to keep from totally wearing ourselves out or being gone for just ridiculous amounts of time, while still seeing the areas of the country we want to see might end up being. We are discussing the possibility of doing some really long days and boondocking in Walmart parking lots to get us further down the road, when we are in areas we don't particularly want to explore. 

Would I do this full time? No, even though I LOVE being on the road and I feel that hubby and I are different people and a different, less stressed couple when we are gone. But, we do love our "dirt" and neither of us can imagine giving up the home we have worked so hard to make just like we want it here in the area where essentially all of our family lives. Since 3 of our 4 parents are living but in their 80's, we expect that in the not so distant future, we may need to stick closer to home. And, of course, grandchildren are a possibility as well. So, for now, we will pack in all we can while we can, and let the future take care of itself! Thanks for sharing our journey with us, and I hope you will join us on our next adventure, hopefully Alaska!

Today was a travel day, as we moved on from Vegas to Zion Canyon National Park. We were unable to get reservations inside the National Park, but did get a spot in a campground on the shuttle system right outside the park. Once again, the views began to change as we traveled. We returned to AZ for a brief time, cutting across the NW corner of the state, on an amazing drive though the mountains then entered Utah. We arrived at our campground between 2:00 and 3:00 to set up, right under the red rocks of this area. I was not feeling well at all, running a bit of fever, but hoping to feel better tomorrow!

Take care, and visit us often as we move along.

We spent today exploring the Hoover Dam, and fortunately, the skies were overcast and the temperatures were cool. According to our tour guide, temperatures at the dam usually run 10 degrees higher that in Las Vegas, so I was grateful for the lower temps. The Dam is an amazing feat of engineering and was very interesting to tour.

We went down into the dam itself and were able to look out at the river from a ventilation vent about ¾ of the way up the dam, and we also toured the power plant area. The foresight of the builders in the 1930’s was stunning. The dam was constructed in such a way as to allow visitors, and the décor was just beautiful. There were lots of brass doors and art deco style décor to be found everywhere. All in all, a fun day, even though I was starting to feel less than wonderful with what I believe to be the beginnings of a sinus infection. I have been coughing for several days, and generally feeling very tired.

Take care, and visit us often as we move along.

What a dramatic change, going from the Grand Canyon to Las Vegas! We went from the natural, serene beauty of the Canyon to the glitz and noise of Vegas. We had a fun day, exploring the city by riding on an open-top bus and walking, LOTS of walking! We ended our day by seeing the Love Cirque Du Soleil show at The Mirage. At times, I hardly knew where to look because there was so much going on! What a treat! We managed to conquer the traffic and driving the Las Vegas to get back to the trailer for a late, light supper, then bed. Exploring the Hoover Dam tomorrow. Yet another item on the bucket list.

Take care, and visit us often as we move along.

We encountered by far the bumpiest ride today, on I40 W from Williams toward Kingman, AZ. Our furniture was all over the place, and the doors and drawers that could open, did. Luckily it was only about a 40 mile stretch and ironically, the non-interstate road was MUCH better. The scenery changed once again, and was something new for us to enjoy. I am in awe of how different everything is here, compared to the east coast.

Our campground is nothing to get excited about, although the office area is beautifully landscaped. The entire campground is paved and the sites are tiny, but it is a Passport America site so we again are only paying about one night’s fee for a 3 night stay. So, we will deal. Don’t think we will stay outside much, though. We got in early, so we will take the opportunity to get laundry done today.

Take care, and visit us often as we move along.

Today we finished exploring the western views of the South Rim of the Canyon, with each viewing site offering different vistas and sites. Tiring, but fun. Late afternoon found us back at our site, to cook supper and prepare to travel on to Las Vegas tomorrow. Check an amazing site off of our bucket list! Take care, and visit us often as we move along.

We started our day VERY early, so we could catch the sunrise. So, up at 3:30 for me. We rode the shuttle to one of the recommended viewing points and were treated to a magnificent show.

After the sun was fully up. we hiked along the rim for a little while, exploring the area around the point a bit. The lovely flowers tucked here and there in this rocky, desert environment again took me aback.

Unfortunately, hubby woke with a toothache (he was actually up most of the night with it), so after we returned to the trailer, I did some research and found a dentist back in Flagstaff who would see him. After he napped for a couple of hours, back to Flagstaff we went. The trip there was about 2 hours, he was seen and told that nothing major was wrong and given a prescription for and antibiotic just in case it recurred. We took care of some business, then headed back to the canyon. I was really glad it was not anything serious.

We caught the shuttle again, and headed in the opposite direction from the day before to check out the sunset once we got back. The views are just amazing! By the time we got back to the trailer, it was time for a light supper and early to bed! We were both beyond exhausted. We decided not to try to view the sunrise again, and sleep in a bit. 

Take care, and visit us often as we move along.

After nearly 4 fabulous weeks on the road, we reached one of our highlight designations, pulling into the Grand Canyon National Park. I was so excited to finally get my first view of this amazing area. We pulled into our campground and were set up by around 3:00, and quickly headed over to the free shuttle stop to head over to the visitor’s center. After a short hike, we saw our first views of the Canyon, and it is truly grand! Words and pictures simple cannot do it justice; it must be experienced to believe. We settled in after a little bit of hiking and exploring, making plans to get up VERY early to meet the 4:30 shuttle so we could go watch the sunrise over the canyon. That was a breathtakingly beautiful experience.

Sadly, I found out that we lost my sweet 100 year old great aunt when we arrived here. I am so very grateful that we had such a good visit with her during the early part of our trip. We knew it would not be long, and we had decided that we would not head back for the funeral. God Speed, Aunt Elsie! You lived a long and beautiful life, now I know you are enjoying being nimble again.

Take care, and visit us often as we move along.