2021/07/08 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 21 - Monuments

 We got moving later then normal - 10

We finally get to do the Walnut Canyon National Monument Rim Trail.  Mom M stayed at the visitor center while the rest of us (J,C,A,E) did the hike.  The most brutal part is the steps back up.  So many steps!

We headed to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, but the parking lot was FULL and it was more hilly then we expected so we did not stop.  

We stopped for lunch at Hideaway House.

We visited both Tuzigot National Monument and the Montezuma Castle National Monument. 

Dinner at The Crown Railroad Cafe

Back at the RV to relax.

2021/07/07 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 20 - Hitting Flagstaff

We left at 9 and headed west...

Next stop Flying J for Gas.

We stopped at KOA but they had no opening for the next two nights, so we got online to find a place and we finally found a place - Black Barts RV Park

Unloaded the 4Runner.

I lost the pins to my flag poll so we stopped at a Tractor Supply Co. to get some new pins and few other things.  Next stop was at Home Depot to get stuff that Tractor Supply did not have.

I went ahead and topped off the 4Runner of the necessary go go juice.

We did several stop in the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Wupatki National Monument. 

Back at the RV to check on the animals.  We had made some reservations.  I did not know that it was a dinner and show at the Black Bart's Steakhouse.

2021/07/06 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 19 - Monument - Free Night

 We left camp at 9 and headed west.

In town we stopped to fill the RV up and start the slow climb over Wolf Creek Pass

We stopped at Aztec Ruins National Monument and A got another JR Ranger badge.

Stopped at Sam's Club to get gas.

We stopped at USA RV Park and because E is with us and he is active military we stay for the night free.

Went to dinner at Anthony's A Taste Of The Southwest afterwards we stopped at Sonic for some ice cream / shakes.

2021/07/04 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 17 - Hitting the Rockies

 We got moving at 9.

Stopped for the necessary go go juice.

I was differently going slow up and over the pass from Walsenburg/La Veta

We had made some calls and found a campground that had an open spot for two nights.

Unloaded the 4Runner and went to the Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center.  The line to get into the visitor center building was stupid long.  They were doing a Covid protocol, only allow a very small number of people in the building.

We headed to Zapata Falls.  Mom M and I stayed at the car while C,A and E hiked up to the falls.

Returned back to the RV to check on the dog, before heading out for dinner.

IHOP was the safest and not busy for the 4th of July dinner.

Went shopping at Walmart and stop for gas for a full tank for our planned drive tomorrow.

No fireworks at the park but in the FAR distance we could see fireworks and mother nature also provided some lighting.

2021/07/02 - Friday - Vacation - Day 15 - Battlefield and Monument

 Left shortly after 9.

along the way gas is needed, so we stopped at a Sam's Club.

Next stop was at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. 

Then the next stop is at George Washington Carver National Mounument

We stopped at a campground but they did not have a space for use for one night, so went went to Big Red Barn RV Park.

Unloaded the car, headed out for dinner - Lucky J Steak House & Arena.

We stopped at Walmart for some shopping and now back at the RV to relax.

2021/06/30 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 13 - Natchez Trace Pkwy - Explore the Northern Portion

 Got moving late, our first stop is at Starbucks

We back to the Natchez Trace Pkwy and explored more the pullouts.  Two of the main stops was Fall Hollow and Jackson Falls.

At the end of the Trace, we stopped for needed gas.

On the way back we stopped to check to see I could pickup new cups for the bike rack - nope has to be ordered. 

Dinner at Caney Fork River Valley Grille

Back to the RV to relax.

2021/06/29 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 12 - Battlefield - Music

 We got a very late start for the day.  We did brunch at Bob Evans.

We headed to Murfresboro to explore some battlefields.

We explored the Stone River National Battlefield, which also has Trail of Tears.

Back to the RV.

 Dinner has to be early today - so dinner at the Opry Backstage Grill at The Inn at Opryland

We headed over to the Grand Ole Opry for some fun entertainment.

2021/06/28 - Monday - Vacation - Day 11 - Natchez Trace Pkwy - On to Nashville

 We left shortly after 9.  our first stop was for gas just down the street at a Sam's Club.

We stopped at several pullouts along the way.  We did Cave Springs, Buzzard Roost Springs, Colbert Ferry Park, Rock Springs Trail, Grinders Stand reconstruction.

from that point forward we did not stop at any of the pullout because we will come back to do the last part of them.

We first stopped at KOA but they did not have anything open for the time we wanted, so we stopped next door and they had plenty of room.

We are staying at Nashville RV Resort and Cabins.

On the way to dinner, we stopped at a place where C can eat some good snacks. - Sunflower Bakehouse.

Dinner at The Grilled Cheeserie.

Back to the RV to relax.

2021/06/27 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 10 - Natchez Trace Pkwy - Another day on the Trace

 We left about 9:30 - Had to pull out of the spot and then load the 4Runner so that takes some time.

Our first stop was at Flying J's for the RV.

We drove 2 hours to get to the location were we left the trace the day before.  Once on the trace, pulled into any pullout that I could fit.  We even drove out to Davis Lake - they had were full!.

We stopped for the night at Campground At Barnes Crossing.

We unloaded the 4Runner and headed out onto the Trace for more driving.  We stopped a the Visitor Center, Old Trace and Confederate Gravesites, 

It was starting to get late and I needed gas for the car, so headed back.

We went grocery shopping and headed back to the RV.

Went out to dinner at Mugshots - it was as good as last time we where here.

Back at the RV to relax.

2021/06/26 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 09 - Natchez Trace Pkwy - Next Section

 Well, again my back is not 100%, so we will go in the afternoon, so we planned to do more of the Trace.

Before getting to the Trace were we left of yesterday we stopped at Starbuck for our morning drinks.

The first stop on the trace today was at the Cowles Mead Cemetery, Next was the Clinton Welcome Center.  We did several stops along the trace - Osburn Stand, a Old Trace location, Overlook at the Trace, Cypress Swamp,  River Bend Picnic Area and then Kosciusko Information Center.  We went into town to grab some lunch (McDonald's) before doing more of the trace north.  We did some time Little Mountain to enjoy the views.  

It took about 2 hours to get back to the RV.

I was checking things, I noticed that the bike rack cups is broken so did some moving of the cups to we don't loose the bikes.

We went to the convention center to check on the square dancing.  We went ahead and picked up our packets and registered for the next few convention.  Was able to talk to several people.  The turnout was very low for this convention.

We headed out for dinner at Babalu - it was good.

Back at the RV to relax.

2021/06/25 - Friday - Vacation - Day 08 - Natchez Trace Pkwy

Because we got delayed, we went ahead and did the Natchez Trace Pkwy instead of going to square dance today.  And I am still not 100% with my back so we want to do the sight seeing instead.

First stop was to get our morning fix - Starbucks.

We headed south to the start of the Trace, We stopped all the different pullout on the right-side (west side) of the road.  We stopped Owens Creek Waterfalls, A sunken trace location, Mount Locust Information Center, and Elizabeth Female Academy.

We got to Natchez about 1:30 and we were hungry for lunch.  We stopped at a small place - The Little Easy - truly southern food.

We stopped at the Natchez Visitor Reception Center and Melrose Estate.  On the way north, just north of Mount Locust Information Center, I did some off-roading on what looks like the very old layout of the trace.

We needed gas for the car, so a stop was necessary.

Still heading north we stopped to find the Rocky Springs Cemetery.  

Back at the RV, it is now dinner time, so out we go again.

Our first choice, the parking lot was FULL and it looked packed.  So we went to our second pick - Logan's Roadhouse.

After dinner the Car needed more go go juice.

Back at the RV to relax.

2021/06/24 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 07 - Made it to Mississippi

 We left close to 9:30 today.

Next stop is for the necessary gas.

We had time, so we stopped at Vicksburg National Military Park.  We drove most of the grounds with the RV and trailer.  We did not do all the grounds, we ran out of time and A needed to be able to turn her paperwork in to get her JR badge.

We made it to Lindeaire RV Park and setup camp under the trees.  But what a dump.  I would not recommend this park to anybody. My 30 amp connection was not grounded, and I had to park so I would not get stuck in the mud.  They had several modular homes that were totally run down falling apart with no windows or doors.

We headed out to dinner - Aladdin Mediterranean Grill.  We stopped at Joann Fabrics to do some shopping.

Back to the RV to relax.

2021/06/20 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 03 - Recovery Day

 Got a good wake-up call from Mom M.  She sound normal and wanted to get out there.  They never transferred her to the hospital because they did not have any rooms available for her.  So I headed on over to pick her up.  The doctor wanted us not to travel today and take it easy.

First stop was at a pharmacy to get her new meds.....

Back at the RV, it is still to warm for her so we are going to do some driving in the car where we can keep Mom M cool.

Next stop was for some cool fluids. - Starbucks...

We did the Saguaro National Park East driving loop, 

Lunch we stopped at Coyote Pause Cafe and had a good meal.

Next stop was at Saguaro National Park Tucson Mountain District (West) Visitor Center,  I drove several of the dirt roads.

Back at the RV, now we head out for dinner - Chef Alisah's Restaurant

Back to the RV for the night.  The heat of the day has not been nice to the fridge, we lost all the food in the fridge because the heat was to high.

J&C did go to the pool for a nice swim.

Mom M appears to be good showing no signs of having heatstroke!

2020/06/30 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 19 - Hot Lake

We slept in a little bit today.

We went back onto the park and got lunch to go from the park store.  We then headed out and stopped in several places along the route through the park.

Going to a different section of the park, we stopped in Chester for necessary gas for the van.

We all started the walk toward Boiling Springs Lake, Mom M made it a little past the bridge, Cheryl made it to the lake and A and I did the loop around the Lake.  You could smell the sulfur in different parts walking around the lake.

It was a long day,  once back at the RV, Cheryl had dinner cooking in the slow cooker all day, we ate dinner and watched a video and went to bed.

2020/06/26 - Friday - Vacation - Day 15 - Tire, Long Drive, and Family

We got moving about 8:50.  Our first stop was at Discount Tires to get the van tire replaced.  While we were there we also got all the tires air pressure checked.  The time at the place was only an hour so not bad.

Our next stop was for gas.

We went ahead and did drive to the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center.  The drive is very bouncy and one of the wheel straps on the van came off, so I had to redo that.  We ate lunch in the parking lot after we did our walk/hike.

Our next stop was for gas again.

The passenger front tire is very slowly loosing air and the Smarttire sensor is going off because of it.

We finally made a decision on where to stay for the night near Long Beach, WA.

We headed out for dinner and then finally went and visited family in the area.

2020/06/25 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 14 - Long Drive, Falls, Water, Beach, and T???

We got moving shortly after 9.

First stop was at Starbucks to get drinks and my food.

Next stop was gas for the Van

Now our long drive to the southwest corner of the park.  We stopped at Ruby Beach but it was overcast/foggy

We stopped at Quinault lodge for lunch. 

We backtracked a little bit and we walked a nature loop (the falls was not really viewable from the trail).  We drove all the way to the end of road stopping several times along the way to view water falls.

On the way back we crossed over and did the north side of the lake.

Now that we were heading back, the tire sensor light went off and I determined that it was the back driver tire was bad so I drove further to find a safer stop to change the tire.  Once changed, we drove to Ruby Beach and A and I went down to the beach and walked it.  The fog was still covering the area.

Next stop was dinner at a place in Forks.

We stopped again for gas.

Back at the RV, I loaded up the Van on the tow-dolly and took Turquoise for a long walk.

2020/06/15 - Monday - Vacation - Day 04 - Snow

We left on our usual time of 9.  Our first stop was at a DMV, but they wanted me to wait in a long line just to use the kiosk, so I left and headed over to a different kiosk to get the necessary tags for the RV.

Next stop was at a Walmart at the next town up the road.  We then stopped at a Costco Gas to fill up the RV.

Once we reached I-5, the next rest area we stopped for lunch.

We stopped in Weed to get more gas for the RV.

Once we stopped for the night, we unload the van and headed further north to Crater Lake.  By the time we got to the top it was foggy and snow/ice was blowing around.  We could not see the lake and the East Rim Drive was also closed, so no going all the way around.  After taking several photo shots, we headed back to the south entrance area and had dinner.

Back to RV to relax and get ready for the next day of driving...

2020/06/13 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 02 - Kings Canyon

We got up a little after 7.  We got things ready for the day and finally left shortly after 9.

First stop was to top of the tank for the van and then proceed over to Starbucks to get our breakfast and drinks.

About 5 minutes back on the road, I asked if we have the cameras, NOPE, so off at the next ramp and headed back to the RV to get them.  That only delayed us about a total of 25 minutes.

We finally made it to Kings Canyon National Park.

 - Big Stump - but we only pulled in to the parking lot and determine we did not want to walk to it.

 - General Grant Tree - we walked the loop and A took a lot of pictures

 - Panoramic Point - we walked out to the vista location and what a vista

 - McGee Overlook - seeing the old burn area down the valley

 - Junction View - looking down and seeing the Middle and South Forks of Kings River

 - (Before Kings Canyon Lodge) - stopped and take pictures of a water falls that some times the wind would not allow the water to reach the ground

 - Roaring River Falls - short hike to the falls and A took lots of photos

 - Drove around at Roads End Permit Station

 - On the way back, drove a dirt road

 - Grizzly Falls - very short hike to get close to the falls

 - Heading towards Sequoia, we drove as far as Kings Canyon Overlook before turning around.

 - Redwood Mountain Overlook

We made the decision not to do Sequoia National Park because it was already getting late, so we headed back to the RV.

After getting things taken care of at the RV (letting Turquoise out and feeding the animals) we headed out for dinner.

I loaded the van back onto the two dolly and we got a few things ready for tomorrow drive.

2019/07/11 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 21 - HOT - Rain - Wind

We got start a little late, but I need to stop by the office to pay the bill.  We got on the road about 19 minutes after 9.

Our first stop was just two exits up for the necessary gas for the RV at a Flying J's

At about noon, I stopped at a over look.  The generator keeps stopping, so I checked the oil level and it was fine.  So must be hot.

In El Paso, we stopped at Chamizal National Memorial Park and Grounds.  Amanda was able to get another JR Ranger badge.  The walk from the parking lot to the visitor center was a killer for my back...

 We stopped at a Flying J's for more gas.  C.M. was trying to pay for things and they were having all sorts of problems, but they finally got it squared away.

We did hit rain heading to our stop for the night.  I also had to reduce my speed to 55 to keep my tires from reaching 177.  (The highest that I seen on it was 176).

We are at Little Vineyard RV Resort for the night.

We unloaded the van and headed into town to go eat.  While we were eating at Marie's Italian Grill, the wind picked up and we were having a dust storm.  The last time we were in this town it was because of a dust storm, I don't about our luck.

Back at the RV park, Mom M and I went and had some Ice Cream at their Ice Cream social they were having

C.M. finished up the laundry and now relaxing in the RV and once in a while we hear the wind or a little bit of rain.

2019/07/08 - Monday - Vacation - Day 18 - Around New Orleans

Our first stop for the day was for lunch a Wow Cafe outside of New Orleans (Chalmette) 

We stopped and view the battlefield at Chalmette Battlefield.  Amanda got another Jr Ranger badge.

We had enough time and headed back to the RV to check on the animals before heading out again.

We did another airboat ride with Airboat Adventures.  I got to say the airboat ride in FL was better then this one.  We did see alligators and birds.

We headed for the french quarters again and had dinner at Mulate's Cajun Restaurant.

We stopped at a Yogurtland for some and then headed back to camp.