Sunday, October 29, 2017
Petrified Forest National Park
Posting about our last stop on the 2017 adventure more than 5 months late as we are preparing for our 2018 fun to start tomorrow...
Petrified Forest National Park was a great 2 day stop in Holbrook to break up our drive back to our winter home of Mesa, AZ. The petrified logs in the park look fake when you first see them. We did many of the short hikes and stops to read about the history of the park and the details on the formation of the logs. I would highly recommend stopping at the park for anyone who has not yet visited it, but it will only keep you occupied for a day or two unless you do into the backcountry for some overnight camping.
We also explored a bit of the old route 66 that ran through this area.
Friday, October 27, 2017
Arches, Canyonlands, Moab
After driving thru the Moab area on our way to Albuquerque, I was excited to go back and spend time there. It is a beautiful place full of red rock and stunning sunsets. We pulled into town and since we were so close to Arches National Park, we decided to drive in and get a general feel for the park and make some plans. The park is small so we got about half way thru in about an hour. The red rock there makes Sedona, AZ look like a grade school playground! We ended up spending one more day in the park, doing a 10 mile hike thru the "Devil's Garden" area and driving thru the other part of the park we missed the first day. There are a little over 2000 arches in the park but there is no way to see all of them. The roads and various hikes do get you close to a lot of them though. Each of them are amazing and just leave you in awe about the time it takes to make them.
We took 2 separate days to do the Canyonlands National Park. This is because the 2 entrances are very far apart and are not connected. One is called the Islands in the Sky district and the other part is called the Needles district. Both have unbelievable views but the Needles was my favorite between the two. Islands in the Sky has more of the canyon views you would expect from the park's name and the Needles district has a lot of hoodoos and the scenery looks a lot like what the scene scouts for the various Star Wars films must have seen when building sets for those movies. Absolutely out of this world! We did a couple of hikes in the Needles district but after the ten mile hike the day before in Arches, our legs were kind of shot. We did all of one hike that took you to scenery you can't see from the road but we only did half of the one that gives you the amazing Star Wars views. If we go back to the area I will definitely finish that hike that takes you further into the hoodoos.
We had one last day in town and we wanted to do a 4x4 expedition with a "mule" but all the tours were booked so we ended up just spending the day in the town of Moab, going thru the little shops all up and down the main street. There was a lot to see and after all the hiking maybe it was good to have a relaxing day. :)
We took 2 separate days to do the Canyonlands National Park. This is because the 2 entrances are very far apart and are not connected. One is called the Islands in the Sky district and the other part is called the Needles district. Both have unbelievable views but the Needles was my favorite between the two. Islands in the Sky has more of the canyon views you would expect from the park's name and the Needles district has a lot of hoodoos and the scenery looks a lot like what the scene scouts for the various Star Wars films must have seen when building sets for those movies. Absolutely out of this world! We did a couple of hikes in the Needles district but after the ten mile hike the day before in Arches, our legs were kind of shot. We did all of one hike that took you to scenery you can't see from the road but we only did half of the one that gives you the amazing Star Wars views. If we go back to the area I will definitely finish that hike that takes you further into the hoodoos.
We had one last day in town and we wanted to do a 4x4 expedition with a "mule" but all the tours were booked so we ended up just spending the day in the town of Moab, going thru the little shops all up and down the main street. There was a lot to see and after all the hiking maybe it was good to have a relaxing day. :)
Saturday, October 21, 2017
What I have learned after 1 year of full time in a RV
I can't believe it's already been a year since we embarked on our new life! Where the heck did the time go?? What is funniest to me is that we have become one of those couples that mid conversation says, "Where were we when we saw that one thing....?" Haha! Oh, the fun!! ;)
1) Life on the road is FUN....until something breaks. We have been "hobbling" along for about 2 months now with things on the rig that need to be fixed but don't necessarily impede our forward progress. We have a bed lift that works like a hospital bed in which we can make it sit up during the day for more room or lay flat at night to sleep. It is broken but luckily Gary the engineer (and my hero) jimmy rigged it so it still functions properly but it will be nice to get it fixed. We don't have a dryer right now so it requires me to wash and then either hang dry everything or take it to the laundry area to throw in the dryer. I hate paying money to dry my clothes so this doesn't happen often. There are a few other things that need to be fixed but you get my point. ;)
2) You still have to clean your rig sometimes! About every other stop Gary takes a broom mop to the outside of the rig and I clean the inside. When the inside of your rig is mostly white, this is imperative. Yes I still complain about having to clean 2 toilets but how embarrassing would it be to call a cleaning service? Honestly I'm pretty sure they would laugh at me and tell me to get my lazy butt in gear. (OK, that may be my mom talking inside my head but still....)
3) You will come to love your spouse more than you ever thought possible and you will appreciate the kind of person said spouse is. I honestly thought I knew my chosen one but this past year has taught me a lot about him. Yes, he still drives me crazy at times BUT I love to look at him and actually see his huge brain ticking like a well timed machine and appreciating him way more than if we lived a "fixed home" life.
4) The world is very small but also there is so much to explore! We've been on the road for a little over a year but we have not left the west side of the country. States are huge on this side and there is so much beauty to take in!!
5) Home will always be home. It's where you came from and where "your people" are. It's always fun to visit and catch up with people you know and love. To make your rig part of home, don't be afraid to take things from your "fixed home" to put inside your rig. My fridge has lots of magnets on it and my counters have things my counters at home had on them. I also have a digital picture frame full of pictures from all times of my life.
6) When a RV park advertises "free wi-fi" it means that it is so free it is non-existent. This can actually be said for pretty much all parks but the ones that advertise it make me laugh. Like I said in my previous 6 month post, get yourself unlimited data and resign yourself to always using your phone or jetpack or both. I can count the number of parks that actually had decent wi-fi on one hand.
7) Always have DVD or Blu-ray movies on hand for the parks that have huge trees impeding your ability to get your dish satellite tv. This is especially true when the park does not even offer cable TV. It sounds funny that this is even a problem but how many of you have only antenna channels in your "fixed home"?
8) You don't have to eat out all the time. A pitfall of always discovering new places is feeling like you are on constant vacation. What do people do when on vacation? Usually indulge and eat at all the yummy restaurants! We fell into the trap at first but within the last few months we are making a concerted effort to only eat out once and sometimes twice a week. Your wallet and waistline will thank you.
9) Not all RV parks are created equal. We have stayed at parks where we were sad to leave and some parks that I was literally itching to leave! Some have been among the best places I have ever stayed and some have had mice. BLEH!!! Most are somewhere between the two but just be prepared to encounter everything.
10) If you have an inkling to try this lifestyle, DO IT!!! You will learn so much about yourself, your spouse AND your country that you will never regret at least trying it out.
1) Life on the road is FUN....until something breaks. We have been "hobbling" along for about 2 months now with things on the rig that need to be fixed but don't necessarily impede our forward progress. We have a bed lift that works like a hospital bed in which we can make it sit up during the day for more room or lay flat at night to sleep. It is broken but luckily Gary the engineer (and my hero) jimmy rigged it so it still functions properly but it will be nice to get it fixed. We don't have a dryer right now so it requires me to wash and then either hang dry everything or take it to the laundry area to throw in the dryer. I hate paying money to dry my clothes so this doesn't happen often. There are a few other things that need to be fixed but you get my point. ;)
2) You still have to clean your rig sometimes! About every other stop Gary takes a broom mop to the outside of the rig and I clean the inside. When the inside of your rig is mostly white, this is imperative. Yes I still complain about having to clean 2 toilets but how embarrassing would it be to call a cleaning service? Honestly I'm pretty sure they would laugh at me and tell me to get my lazy butt in gear. (OK, that may be my mom talking inside my head but still....)
3) You will come to love your spouse more than you ever thought possible and you will appreciate the kind of person said spouse is. I honestly thought I knew my chosen one but this past year has taught me a lot about him. Yes, he still drives me crazy at times BUT I love to look at him and actually see his huge brain ticking like a well timed machine and appreciating him way more than if we lived a "fixed home" life.
4) The world is very small but also there is so much to explore! We've been on the road for a little over a year but we have not left the west side of the country. States are huge on this side and there is so much beauty to take in!!
5) Home will always be home. It's where you came from and where "your people" are. It's always fun to visit and catch up with people you know and love. To make your rig part of home, don't be afraid to take things from your "fixed home" to put inside your rig. My fridge has lots of magnets on it and my counters have things my counters at home had on them. I also have a digital picture frame full of pictures from all times of my life.
6) When a RV park advertises "free wi-fi" it means that it is so free it is non-existent. This can actually be said for pretty much all parks but the ones that advertise it make me laugh. Like I said in my previous 6 month post, get yourself unlimited data and resign yourself to always using your phone or jetpack or both. I can count the number of parks that actually had decent wi-fi on one hand.
7) Always have DVD or Blu-ray movies on hand for the parks that have huge trees impeding your ability to get your dish satellite tv. This is especially true when the park does not even offer cable TV. It sounds funny that this is even a problem but how many of you have only antenna channels in your "fixed home"?
8) You don't have to eat out all the time. A pitfall of always discovering new places is feeling like you are on constant vacation. What do people do when on vacation? Usually indulge and eat at all the yummy restaurants! We fell into the trap at first but within the last few months we are making a concerted effort to only eat out once and sometimes twice a week. Your wallet and waistline will thank you.
9) Not all RV parks are created equal. We have stayed at parks where we were sad to leave and some parks that I was literally itching to leave! Some have been among the best places I have ever stayed and some have had mice. BLEH!!! Most are somewhere between the two but just be prepared to encounter everything.
10) If you have an inkling to try this lifestyle, DO IT!!! You will learn so much about yourself, your spouse AND your country that you will never regret at least trying it out.
Mesa Verde National Park
After spending some time in cities like ABQ, Santa Fe and Boise, we headed back to a National Park. We ended up at Mesa Verde National Park which is just outside of Cortez, CO. It is a small but beautiful park that has preserved the settlements of early Puebloan people of 1200AD. So, not too long ago. ;)
I love areas like this because they just let your imagination wander. What would it have been like to live on a cliff, in a little village where rocks and caves are your main shelter? What would life have been like to have 40-50 people in your village that is about 250 feet long by about 40 feet deep? What if I (at 5'0) would have been on the taller side of society? Oh, I had a lot of fun at this park. :)
We spent about 2 half days in the park and then drove around trying to find the Yucca House National Monument (which we thought we found but did not since there are no signs and you have to go on to a rancher's property to do so) and visiting the Canyon of The Ancients which was pretty but didn't take a lot of time. So, we ended up at a winery and had a tasting plus a glass of wine. :) All in all, it was a nice, relaxing time and a very quiet part of CO.
I love areas like this because they just let your imagination wander. What would it have been like to live on a cliff, in a little village where rocks and caves are your main shelter? What would life have been like to have 40-50 people in your village that is about 250 feet long by about 40 feet deep? What if I (at 5'0) would have been on the taller side of society? Oh, I had a lot of fun at this park. :)
We spent about 2 half days in the park and then drove around trying to find the Yucca House National Monument (which we thought we found but did not since there are no signs and you have to go on to a rancher's property to do so) and visiting the Canyon of The Ancients which was pretty but didn't take a lot of time. So, we ended up at a winery and had a tasting plus a glass of wine. :) All in all, it was a nice, relaxing time and a very quiet part of CO.
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