We got home this evening about 5:30. We got a late start. I forgot we entered the Eastern Time Zone yesterday afternoon. I slept until 7 and we didn’t get started until 9:30 or so. We traveled 8,800 miles. We went to at least 7 National Parks. We crossed the continental divide several times. We need to count all the states we went to but It was at least 24. We had a great time but it was good to be home. We have lots of pictures to go through. Many more than what I put on the blog. Thanks for all who followed us and commented on our journey. It was definitely a trip of a lifetime.
We are staying at a resort in Corbin, Kentucky. It is near a lake. There are lots of people here with families that have been here for a few days. We plan on leaving early so we can get home relatively early. The countryside was beautiful today. The last time I drove through here it was pouring down rain and a tornado was chasing me! This was a much more pleasant drive.
We are in Mt. Vernon, Illinois tonight. We drove through St. Louis today which is never fun. It wasn’t too bad but I was glad to be through it. We are staying at the Archway RV park. A nice park with pull through sites. Good WiFi. The owner of the park saw my purse and asked if I had made it. She is a fellow sewer and embroidery person. We had a nice conversation. We just made our last reservation in Corbin, Kentucky. We stay there tomorrow night and then will be home on Sunday.
We got to Hamilton a little after noon. I went to the shops but didn’t find much. I was talking to our neighbor and we agreed that there are lots of commercial items but the fabric selections are not what I remember. It was still a fun day. Tomorrow we drive early and try to make good mileage. We have to be home on Sunday since Cecil has appointments on Monday. At this point we are getting anxious to get home. Not much more to see that we have time to stop for.
We are in Nebraska City, Nebraska tonight. We are staying in a lovely park called Victorian Acres. Wi-Fi is spotty so I am doing this on my phone. We had an uneventful day but are safe and settled for the night. Tomorrow we are taking back roads through a portion of Nebraska and Kansas. We are only going to Hamilton, Missouri so we don't have far to go. Then we have about 1000 miles to get home in three days. That will be no problem. Looking forward to telling all of you about our adventures.
Happy Birthday to Linda!! We drove to Mitchell, SD today. We stopped at Wall Drug and then drove through the Badlands of South Dakota. What an awesome sight they are. As usual, the pictures do not do them justice. We have seen so many amazing geographic features of this great country. Cecil has not seen the wildlife he hoped to see, but we have seen some. The picture of us at the Welcome to the Badlands was taken by a lovely young lady in a car from Minnesota. Her husband was raised in South Dakota but she was from she was from the UK. Her accent was a dead giveaway. We are at the R and R campground in Mitchell tonight. It has been very smoky and today was the worst other than when we left Boise, Idaho. We are not sure where the smoke is coming from, but it is very visible in the pictures. We will decide where we will stay tomorrow night. The following night we have a reservation in Hamilton, Missouri. For those of you that are not quilters it is the home of Missouri Star Quilts. This is my birthday present to myself. Our trip is coming to a close. We have mixed feelings about that. We have traveled 7,200 miles far. We have seen some amazing sights and made many memories. Thanks to all who have followed us through journey.
We stayed in Rapid City today. We planned our return trip. Tomorrow we will drive through the Badlands and stay in Mitchell, SD. Today was just a relaxing day. We picked up some supplies and are ready to drive home. The park we are in is very nice. The people are very helpful and friendly. There are some very big rigs here. We should have some pictures of the Badlands tomorrow. In some ways we are ready to go home but in other ways we would like to keep exploring. Another time.
We took the 1880 train this morning from Hill City to Keystone and back. It is a steam train. Not a narrow gauge, but a fun ride. We went to the Prairie Berry winery. We did a wine tasting and had lunch there. The wines were too sweet for me and not sweet enough for Cecil. We found a couple that were okay but not good enough to buy. We drove back to the trailer and relaxed for the afternoon. We decided to stay another day. We have to move the trailer in the morning but can stay at the same park. After tomorrow we have to head home. Not much to see along the way other than the Badlands but that is mostly a drive through. We will stop at Wall Drug. For those of you in the east, Wall Drug is a must see. Just a tourist trap, but a definite stop. I think we can get ice cream there. Still determining our route home. We will let you know!
We are in Rapid City, South Dakota tonight. We went to Mount Rushmore today and decided to stay another night. We will be leaving Tuesday morning for home. We will go through the Badlands on Tuesday and probably stay in Chamberlain, SD. We drove out to Devils Tower this morning. It is an awesome sight. We then drove to Rapid City. It is a nice park with awesome management. I was driving around to park the car and this man jumped out and swore at me. I parked the car, but decided to tell the management what had happened. It turned out he was just looking for another reason to call the police. When we got back, he was gone. Evidently there were drugs involved and they were glad to have an excuse to have him removed from the park. We drove to Mount Rushmore and saw the monument. It is a very moving experience. Tomorrow we will try to get on the 1880 train. If we can’t get tickets tomorrow we will go on Monday. The weather is delightful. We have the trailer open tonight and it is lovely.
We visited the Custer Battlefield this morning. We are in Sundance, Wyoming tonight. It is very cool and refreshing. We will drive to Devils Tower early in the morning and then on to Rapid City. Tried to get some of the pictures that Cecil took but they would not transfer to my phone. Pics tomorrow for sure.
We left Great Falls this morning about 8. We drove through miles of wheat and hay fields. Cecil decided he saw more big rolls of hay today than he has seen in his life so far. There were acres and acres of hay all rolled and ready to stack. We stopped in Billings and had lunch with a cousin and then drove to Garryowen Montana. We will drive out to the Custer Battlefield in the morning and then com back and hook up the trailer. We drive to Sundance, Wyoming tomorrow. We will get up and drive to Devils Tower on Saturday morning and then on to Rapid City, South Dakota. That is the last of our reservations so we have to decide how we are going home from there.
We started the day at the Lewis and Clark interpretive center. Lots of interesting things to see and read about. Then we went to the Great Falls at Ryan Dam. We walked over a suspension bridge to the island and then walked around to see the falls. They have built dams at all the falls for hydro electric power. The falls are still there with the dams above them. We then went to my cousins and spent the rest of the day with her. Another cousin came over for dinner. We had a great visit. It is 8 pm and we are back at the trailer. We drive to Billings in the morning and then on to Garyowen which s right by the Bighorn Battlefield. We plan on visiting the battlefield Friday morning.
We drove over Roger’s pass this morning to get to Great Falls, Montana. We visited with my cousin and then got the trailer settled in the KOA. The sites are shaded and somewhat private because of the trees. The roads are not the best but the site is level. We will be here tomorrow night also. We are going to Giant Springs in the morning. That is part of the Lewis and Clark trail. We should have pictures to post tomorrow night.
A very quiet day today. My cousin’s husband went into the hospital today. Not sure what is wrong, but they are keeping him overnight. We were both tired so decided to do a little shopping and then just stay at the trailer. Tomorrow we are driving up to Flathead Lake and then on to Great Falls. It is quite a bit longer, but no passes to drive over. We see another cousin of mine tomorrow. We will see some beautiful country. We should have pictures to post tomorrow evening. We are definitely on the way home. We still have things to see but are heading east. So far it has been a wonderful trip.
We are in Missoula, Montana. Spent a wonderful evening with my cousin and family. Just relaxing tonight. We will be in Missoula again tomorrow night. Then we go to Great Falls. We drove through Coeur D’Alene today. It is beautiful country. Not much chance to take pictures. Just know we are safe.
Tonight we are in Kennewick, Washington. We visited with my Dad’s cousin and his wife. They are in their 90’s so we see them when we are near. We stopped in Baker, Oregon. We were going to see the Lewis and Clark interpretive center, but we were too early and decided since it was supposed to be in the low 100’s in Kennewick we were not going to try to wait. We got our tire cover on today. We had a wonderful visit. Tomorrow we go to Missoula, Montana. The adventure continues! We are in state 15 of our trip. No new states tomorrow.
Another day of relaxation. Tomorrow we drive to Kennewick, Washington to see another cousin. A little under 300 miles but still hot so we will leave early in the morning. After tomorrow the temps will be in the low 90’s. That will feel good.
We spent today visiting with my cousin and her family. We had a great time catching up. Tomorrow will be the same. It is nice to just relax and visit.
We drove to Boise, Idaho today. Lots of changes in the scenery, but we didn’t stop to take pictures. It is hot here. About 106 degrees. Fortunately the air conditioner in the trailer works well. We are going to rest tonight and then see my cousin tomorrow. We just wanted to let everybody know we made it safely.
We had a beautiful drive today. We went back into the park, but headed north. One of the first things we saw was a bison resting along some de the road. We were able to stop and get a picture. We went a little further and saw a herd of buffalo, including some babies. By the time we parked they were crossing the road but we manages to get some pictures. We saw Gibbon Waterfall. I walked and took pictures since the altitude really got to Cecil. We made several stops along the way to Mammoth Hot Springs. We had lunch there and then headed south. The elevation got very high, almost 9,000 ft., so I took the pictures. We saw another beautiful waterfall and some mule deer. We could not stop so we didn’t get any pictures. The mountains were beautiful. It made me a little homesick for the west. Then I remembered the snow in winter and decided I like where I am. We leave for Boise in the morning. We will spend 3 nights there. We won’t have much to blog about since we will be visiting family. I will let everybody know when we arrive.
Today we drove to West Yellowstone. It was a short drive so we disconnected and drove to Old Faithful. It has been many years since I was here so I was not prepared for the thousands of people. We did see Old Faithful erupt. On the way back we saw several bison by the side of the road. Cecil had really wanted to see bison in the wild, so this pleased him very much. The weather is mild here. We leave for Boise, Idaho on Wednesday. Our tolerable weather will be over for a while. Not looking forward to 100 + degrees. Tomorrow we will drive into the park and head north to see the hot springs. Hopefully we will see more wild life. I am very pleased with the Acadia. Overall, we are averaging almost 15 mpg. Some of that was just the car, but some was towing up some rather steep and long grades. Our gas prices have increased to about $4.00 a gallon. Still not outrageous. We are staying in the Wagon Wheel RV park tonight. A rather small park but the sites are level and it is close to town. We are having a great time and not ready to go home yet. We still have lots to explore.
We drove to the Grand Tetons today. The weather was wonderful. We went to Jenny Lake. I had been there years ago with Jenn. She was swimming in the lake and a bear swam across the lake several hundred feet from her. She said “Mom, I am swimming with a bear”. Good memories. There were lots of people in the park. Many were riding bikes. The pass to Jackson had been compromised, but they had made a detour so we were able to go that way. Beautiful country. I had not been over that pass before and of course it was all new to Cecil. Tomorrow we drive to West Yellowstone, Montana. That will make 12 states we will have been through.
Today was mostly a driving day. The drive through Salt Lake City was uneventful. We are in the Snake River RV park in Idaho Springs, Idaho. This is state 11 on the trip. No pictures today. Tomorrow we drive to The Tetons. I haven’t seen them for a long time and Cecil has never seen them. We will definitely have pictures tomorrow. We are in for some hot weather so we will drive early.
We had a good drive this morning. Across a mountain range and into Nephi, Utah. We arrived about 1:30. We are staying at the Rolling Home RV Park. Good level sites and a cafe if we want to have breakfast. It is sunny with gusts of wind. We can see Interstate 15 which is what we will take in the morning. We did not have to disconnect so getting going in the morning will be easy. We drive through Salt Lake City tomorrow n our way to Idaho Falls, Idaho. The high is only 88 degrees so we will probably open up the trailer soon. It is now 3:30 so it should start cooling down. The landscape changed from rocky bluffs to green hills. We went up to about 7300 feet so the altitude got to Cecil a bit. We did see fireworks last night. We were both tired
We went to Canyonland National Park today. It is not far from Arches but so different. We left early and got back to the trailer about 1. It is a little cooler today. Six o’clock and only 92 degrees. I am so glad we spent the three nights here. I have never been here before and I have enjoyed it immensely. We met a couple who used to live in Tennessee. He knew where Chuckey was!!! We met another couple from Seattle who parents live in Fort Mill, South Carolina. That is only about 45 minutes from us. It really is a small world. I will try to get pictures up but lots of people using the internet so it is slow sometimes. Cecil continues to be awed by all the things he is seeing. He enjoyed watching me get excited about seeing new things. Tomorrow we go to Nephi, Utah for the night and then on to Idaho Falls. We hope to get out and walk a little later. I hope everyone had a safe and happy fourth!!
We had a busy day. We started out this morning heading south to see some things we did not stop at on the way in to Moab. We went to the Hole ‘N the Rock stop. This started out as a cafe for miners in the 30’s. Alfred Christensen and his wife continued to carve out a 5000 square foot in the rock. We went through the house. We couldn’t take pictures but they have a web site. They blasted and moved out all of the rock to form the rooms in the house. After he died, his wife continued to live in the house for 17 years until her death. We then went back to the trailer and both of us took a nap. We drove through Arches National Monument this evening. It s an amazing place. Every time we turned a corner, the views were more awesome. I had to hike out a bit to get some of the pictures. Since it was 101 degrees that was quite an achievement. I will pick the best pictures to post. This was new territory for me since I had never been here. We have two more nights here. Tomorrow we will go to Canyonlands. We have been on the road for two weeks and we needed a day or so of downtime. Pictures are taking too long tonight. I will download them later.
We left Durango about 8 this morning. We are in Moab, Utah for three nights. The area is beautiful. We are just relaxing this afternoon. We have been doing so much that we both needed to just chill. We are at the Spanish Trail RV Park. Sites are gravel and very level. We are all disconnected and ready to explore tomorrow. I didn’t realize that we needed a reservation to drive through Monument Valley, but if we get there after four we can get in without a reservation. We will do that tomorrow afternoon. We saw some interesting things on the way in today so we will explore that in the morning. It is warm but not unbearable. It is supposed to cool down to the 60’s tonight.
What a wonderful day we had. We rode the Silverton Durango Narrow gauge railroad today. The scenery was magnificent. Cecil used his oxygen for the first time. Silverton is at 9,722 ft. That is the highest altitude we will be on this trip. We had a lunch and then he sat while I did a little exploring. We met some wonderful people on the train and had great conversations. The pictures do not do it justice. We left at 9:00 and got back to the station about 6:30. We were going to go out to dinner, but decided to just come back to the trailer. Cecil saw a long horn bull. Go figure, we drove through Texas for 3 days and he saw his first Long Horn Bull in Colorado. The first picture is a car in Silverton, the second was a statue in Durango. The third and fourth are the train we were on in Silverton. The rest were taken along the train route. No robberies today. Just a beautiful ride through magnificent countryside.
We are in Durango, CO. It was amazing how the land changed as soon as we got into Colorado. The sand changed to green. We did a lot of climbing. The welcome to Colorado sign was just around a corner, and although there was space to park, by the time I saw it we couldn’t pull in. We ride the Silverton Durango train tomorrow. I went and got our tickets for the train and scouted out where to park and drop Cecil off. Our seats are not together, but we are hoping to be able to change seats with someone. If not, we will still enjoy the ride. Other than the bad storm in Winslow we have had good weather. We will definitely have pictures tomorrow.
This was a short day to drive. We are staying at the USA RV Park in Gallup, NM. No trees, but level sites. No disconnecting again tonight! I always like that. We had a long delay due to road construction. We will do laundry tonight and relax. Tomorrow we drive to Durango, CO.
We took the train from Williams, AZ to the Grand Canyon. We did not see any wildlife that we were hoping to, but it was a fun trip. We had a bus tour scheduled when we got to the Canyon and we are so happy that we booked the bus. We had two stops that were magnificent. We took pictures which I will post tomorrow. It has been 30 years since I have seen the Grand Canyon. That time we were at the South Rim before sunrise and watched the sun come over the canyon. We saw more of the vistas this time and there are no words to describe the majesty that we saw. The train ride back to Williams was complete with a train robbery. Lots of fun was had. We are very tired tonight. We are fighting to stay awake until 10. I am hoping I don’t wake up at 3 or 4. I will post pictures tomorrow.
Happy belated birthday. You and Cecil have had an amazing adventure. Looking forward to seeing you after you get home.
I love your daily blogs pictures. It looks like you're having a fantastic time.
Enjoying your pictures.
Love the information
Can't wait to see the photos
What a great adventure for you two.
Happy Trails!!
Hello. Safe travels.
Glad you are having fun!
This has been a very eventful day. We left Holbrook about 7:30 this morning. We got to Winslow, AZ and the heavens opened up . I could not see much of anything. Truckers were pulling to the side of the road. We found the exit and stayed under a canopy at a gas station for about 10 minutes. The storm passed and it was easy travel from there. We got to the campsite a little after noon. It is a back in site but I had no trouble getting the trailer into the site. We hooked up and then drove to Sedona to see the wonderful orange rock formations. We drove down the very windy roads with a one way part due to construction. We stopped at a little shopping center and went into Mooneys Irish Pub. We spent about an hour there just talking to the owner and a couple of patrons. We had a great time. We chose to drive back the freeway. It was a little further but much more relaxing. We have to be at the train station tomorrow morning about 8:30. It is not far but I may take Cecil down there, then bring the car back and I will walk. We did get him a canister of oxygen this afternoon so we are not anticipating any problems with his breathing. He is doing very well. We walk slow. We stopped in Flagstaff today and got a pizza. I did walk to the truck and trailer to bring it up so he wouldn’t have to walk so far. He s amazed by all of the things he is seeing. The picture above is a church that is built int the rock. It is amazing. If you are reading our blog, please feel free to leave a message. It would be nice to know someone is following us!
June 26, 2024
We had a good drive today. We saw some very interesting land formations. We drove through the Petrified Forest National Park. I had been here many years ago so it seemed fairly new to me also. It is still hot, but we are hoping for cooler weather tomorrow. The high in Williams is supposed to be 80 so that will be a relief. It is still 90 here and it is 4 pm. We are at the OK RV resort in Holbrook. Nice gravel roads and level sites. The people were very friendly. We have still been following Route 66. There is a part of the original highway in the park. My pictures did not come out as well as I had hoped. Tomorrow we will be in Williams, AZ. Friday we take the Grand Canyon train. No driving on Friday! I am still figuring out how to add pictures. Cecil is doing pretty well with the altitude but the heat is getting to him. Tomorrow will be better. We just talked to a couple from Switzerland who had their camper shipped to Buenos Aires and have traveled up from there. They plan to go to Alaska and then across the country to Nova Scotia. We meet such interesting people.
June 25, 2024
We are finally out of Texas! It is still hot but not as humid. It was a good drive today. Just under 300 miles so not too bad. We are through Albuquerque so we shouldn’t have much traffic in the morning. The topography really changed today. We saw miles of wind turbines in Texas. We saw lots of cattle but no Longhorns. We did see a couple of cowboys on horseback herding cattle. They were loading them on trucks. The further west we got, the more barren the land became. I have seen this kind of land before but Cecil had not. This has been an experience for him. We are staying at the Enchanted Trails RV park. The roads are gravel but the sites are level and there are some trees. The people are very nice. We have a drive through spot and did not have to disconnect. We drove on part of Route 66 today. For anybody that doesn’t know, Route 66 was an iconic highway between Chicago and California. We saw some of the original road alongside the freeway.
June 24, 2024
We are at the Fort Amarillo RV resort. We have a shady spot with a patio. We plan on sitting outside when it cools off a little. There is a nice breeze so it is quite comfortable outside. It is only 3 pm so we have some time to relax. We are all hooked up and I have done some organizing in the trailer. This is a wonderful park. There is a small pond that can be fished in and a shady area to sit and relax. It is still 98 degrees so we are inside the trailer for now. We did not have to disconnect again tonight. The sites are level and wide. I am putting a couple of pictures of our site on the blog. Tomorrow we go to Albuquerque. It is about 280 miles which is not bad. We will leave early again so we can drive in the cooler part of the day. It will get down to about 74 degrees. We are looking forward to being in Williams, AZ
June 23, 2024
We are at the Wichita Falls RV Park. We have shade which is great because it is 99 degrees outside. It is a nice park. Very friendly people. Our site is level so we did not have to disconnect tonight. That is always a plus. Tomorrow we go to Amarillo, TX. It is only 225 miles so we will have an easy day. We purposely made these days short because we knew it would be hot. We haven’t stopped to see much yet. This part of the trip is to get west! I filled out a register at one of the rest areas and it asked our destination. I just said west! Pictures will be coming. There were many more trees in south Texas than I was expecting. We got to the more barren flat part today. Tomorrow will be more cattle country. I have driven across that road before.
June 22, 2024
We are at a Thousand Trails park in Willis. It is a huge park, meant for family vacations and not necessarily for an overnight stay. The roads in the park are awful, full of potholes and rough gravel. There are no signs to let you know where you are, and no directional signs to guide you around the park. There are lots of activities for families with children. The good thing is it was only a couple of miles from my sister-in-laws.
We spent the afternoon with my sister-in-law and her son. We had a wonderful visit. It was so good to see them.
We drove a little farther than we had planned so I am tired tonight.
Here we are in Vicksburg, MS. We are just a few miles from Louisiana and will cross the Mississippi River in the morning. It is hot, but the Acadia is working like a champ! We are cooling off now and will probably take a walk later this evening. We did not have to disconnect again tonight. We are all hooked up and the air conditioner is working great. We are staying at the Rivertown Rose campground. It is about 6 miles from interstate 20 so it is quiet. Some shade, but unfortunately not on our site. I will try to take a picture with us later tonight. We are getting settled in the camper and really like it. We opened up the camper last night and will probably do the same tonight. The nights are in the high 60’s which is great for sleeping. The air conditioner works great but is noisy. We met a great couple last who wanted to follow us as we travel. We are looking forward to meeting many more people.
You are on the home stretch!
Try to stay cool and stay safe.
I typed a message and it disappeared. Safe travels. Love all the photos. Continue to have a lovely time. Hugs
We left this morning about 6:10. We arrived at our camp about 3. Driving through Atlanta was a bear. There was one car that moved back and forth over 4 lanes of traffic at high speed. We are at the Scenic Drive Campground in Anniston, AL. There are trees around but no shade in the campground. We have a pull through site that was level enough that we did not have to disconnect from the Acadia. This was our longest day. We had a little detour due to the gps but at least we were at the highest point in Alabama!!! I am so glad we put the rear camera on the trailer. It really gives me lots of visibility. We leave early in the morning for Vicksburg, MS. This part of the trip is mostly driving to get to the really good parts. More updates tomorrow if internet allows!
June 18, 2024
We are almost ready. Cooking is done. Laundry is done. We just have to load up the trailer and then take off Thursday morning. It will be a wonderful trip.
We got the rear camera installed on the trailer today. It will make our trip safer and more comfortable. We had to get a new battery but now the camper is ready to go. Reservations are made through the Black Hills. We are going to see Yellowstone Park and the Tetons. The next few days will be doing all of the last minute things. We are getting so excited. The next update will probably be from our first night out. That will be in Anniston, Alabama. Some days we may not be able to post because of spotty internet.
Most of the reservations are made. What a job that was! We are taking the trailer in to have a rear camera installed on Thursday. We will park out front that afternoon and get things organized in the trailer. We plan on leaving early each day to avoid the afternoon heat as much as possible. The morning of the 20th we will be on our way. In case we didn’t tell you, if you click on the read more button you can leave us a message. Let the adventure begin!
June 29th.We looked at the temperatures in southern Texas and decided a different time of year would be better for that trip. We are in the process of making reservations and planning out the trip. Unfortunately, gone are the days when you can just stop someplace and get a campsite. Everything has to be planned out and reservations made. It is working out. We are anxious to get going on our adventure.
We have had to change our departure date because of medical issues. We will be leaving on June 20, very early in the morning. We have realized that we won’t have time to go to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. That will have to be another trip. We will still see lots of things. I will try to update this more often.
Our journey will begin on June 16th. We are heading to Texas to places neither of us have been.
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Glad you are home safe, and had such a wonderful time. And, thanks for sharing all the pictures here. When you go through the pictures you didn't post, please post them here so we can see more of the trip.
Stay safe. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures.
Love reading your daily adventures and seeing your pictures. Glad you're both having a great time
Awesome photos. Keep them coming.
Going to be very hot when you get here. I saw the numbers of 109 -110. Mother Nature saved the hottest days for you🥴