Sun, Nov 23: Cracker Barrel Richmond, IN to Walmart Clearfield, PA
NOTE: Walmart (first one after Richond, IN) would be much quieter. The CB is right by the highway 70. We rolled at 7am...just after first light. Stop at walmart. Route i70 to I76 to i80. Sunday is a good day to travel as is saturday! Especially thru these eastern cities no worry about rush HOURS.
We rolled into Walmart in Clarion PA around 1:30 originally thinking we would stay. However it was early and parking lot was buzzing and small. We took showers and decided to move on to Walmart in Clearfield, PA...about 1 hour away. On the way was the Loves Travel center in brookville, pa where we would dump/no rinse water this time of year.
We arrived at Walmart in Clearfield pa around 3pm. Bigger parking lot. David reports he wants to use only flying J dump stations because of the way they are set up.
Sat, Nov 22: CB in St. Robert, MO to CB in Richmond, IN
The day greeted us with grey and a rain spit.
We rolled at 7:16 this morning stopping at walmart down the street...which by the way would have been more quiet as the CB is right next to the road. When David was doing a walk around the rv before leaving. He discovered our protect-a-tow was missing...just gone. He surmised that the shock cord gave up the ghost. He's tightened it a few times because it got stretched out. Anyway we bought it in 2017 when we got old Jayco to tow our jeep. We will measure and buy a new one. Also decided to get gas at the Walmart with our walmart+ savings of $.10.
One more stop for gas today. We arrived at the Crackerbarrel in Richmond, IN around 4:30pm. Dinner was ready for us. David had a grilled chicken salad and chocolate coca cola cake. I had cole slaw, broccoli and roast chicken....decent for both of us.
Fri, Nov 21: Jimmy and Sandra's/broken Bow, OK to Cracker Barrel, St. Robert, MO
We said our good byes and rolled at 7:30am. Stop at Walmart. Stop at McDonalds for french fries and smoothies. Stop at Sam's club in Fayetteville AR for gas...getting to Sam's in Fayetteville made it 5 hours! The whole supposed 6h 31m google maps guestimate took 9 FLIPPING HOURS....way too long. The first few hours we were not able to do up to speed limit for various reasons. The few stops were not long...45 minutes max. Got to somehow break it up more next time.
We arrived at the Cracker Barrel at 4:45pm. Dinner was ready for us at CB. MY back was sore from sitting/aspercream....not sure why.
Tues, Nov 18: : Crosbyton City Park to Lakeside Rec Area, Mead, OK 6 hours. Reserved at Site F34 $13 w/senior pass.
After staying at Crosbyton City Park (its not a city) not sure I would stay again...more trucks than we imagined and parking spots are right by the road. Goats heads limited our walking Mali dog as well. I am going to have to peel my flip flops of them shortly. Yeah, I know its free and its convenient.
We rolled at 7:45am. Going to be 86 degrees today!!!! in Oklahoma. Yikes. Soon after Crosbyton on route 82 east we hit the hills of texas. Rural/ranches.
Stopped at a Dollar General for snacks.
We arrived at Lakeside Recreation Area around 2:30. Interestingly it listed 6PM as the check in time!!!! THAT's LATE! I have NEVER seen a check in time that late. Anyway, no one at the gate and we just drove to our site. When I made the reservation it was during the government shut down and I was the only reservation! But it let me do it so okay. There were only 3 loops open D, E, F. Ours was in F. In total in our loop there was only one other rv. We were the last one at the end....perfect spot. No showers here but that doesn't matter to us. Our spot is long and many are and we are waterfront! We walked Mali, made dinner and walked her again. Showers. There are trains semi nearby but our noise machine will take care of that.
Mon, Nov 17: Valley of fires to Crosbyton City Park, TX
We rolled around 7:30am. David reports that route 380 was rough....combined with our noisy lock mechanism...it was noisy. Next time we will try route 60 east and not 380 or give David a gummy. I thought it was scenice and didn't mind the noise.
We stopped to see what Randolph Rampy Rv park looked like in Tatum, NM. Not staying this time but I would if I was in the area. There were two rv's using the amenities. Next stop was Sam's Club in Lubbock TX for gas. We have a walmart plus membership so we get 10 cents off their gas which is usually cheaper for the most part. David could not get it to work. Anyway $2.23 for gas! Next stop Walmart. OMG, LUBBOCK TX, FEEDER ROADS, TRIPLE STACKED HIGHWAYS, BIG CITY...thank God for google maps. I am the navigator and was having troubles. David grew up in TX so he knows about feeder roads...nope not me. Not stopping in Lubbock again unless I can see the store I want.
Texas is windy today and in some areas very dusty. You can see it in the air and blowing across the flat lands. Its also cotton season and the bales of cotton are everywhere and there is cotton in the fields ready to be picked/baled. They jam a LOT of cotton into a bale. SO WHY CAN I NOT FIND GOOD THICK COTTON SOCKS!
We arrive in Crosbyton around 3:30pm. I took Mali for a walk to get the jiggles out. We found LOTS of goatsheads. More than we would ever wish for. I got one on me also/flip flops unknowing. I felt Mali dog's pain. We stopped often because she couldn't walk; I took one for the team. A simple little rv park...free and full hook up if you wanted it. Somewhere after dark another camper came in right next to us...its like a parking lot now with services. But hey its free.
Sun, Nov 16: National Forest west of Springerville to Valley Of Fires in NM.
Camping to Valley of fires dump & water RESERVED #17 (reservation fee is $8 per night) $15.50 due to reservation fee!
We stopped at the Datil Well blm campground to check it out for another time. We have been by it many times. Not ready to stop yet today and have a reservations. New fees at Datil Well are $30 for electric (only in three sites and those were the three sites that were taken). $20 for no electric....so $10 for us. They did have a host and pit toilets and it appeared to be a well kept campground. However sites didn't seem to be that level...bring blocks. Did not see a dump station. It does have water and trash.
Saw a man pulling a shopping cart LOADED with stuff on route 60 just outside of datil well. This is a rural highway. How far could he possible make it in one day? 10Miles? 20 miles.
We stopped at walmart in socorro, NM, for a very small pick up order. Gas at Circle k $2.85...cheapest in awhile. It took us about 1 hour to get to Valley of Fires where our reservation awaited us so we arrived early afternoon. Dumped and took on water before going to our site. Glad we had made a reservation even if for one night and $8 extra because we got a spacious site even though it wasn't our first choice/no service site. I made dinner and David took Mali for a walk. GOATS heads here so I need to bring a tweezer with me. Mali dog was getting a couple at a time and one of us had to take one for the team to pull them out of her paws.
Sat, Nov 15: Grahams to National Forest
packed up rv and we drove to the National Forest to camp for one night with Graham and Melissa. Lots of stars and a campfire. Melissa used to work about 5 miles further down this dirt road in a Fire Tower. We reserved at Valley of Fires so we wouldn't have to hurry in the morning tomorrow.
Nov 1 to November 14: Sons' house on a mesa in AZ near Show Low.
We loafed and helped with projects on his 72 acres of off-grid. He is working towards building a home to replace rv. I did burning of juniper cuts. David did various other things and will help him build a solar shed. I helped melissa separate garlic and plant garlic. I need to wear a mask when disturbing soil. Walked Mali dog. Hang out.
Fri: Oct 31: Son's home near Show Low AZ
It wasn't very quiet last night...Show Low is pretty busy and the Walmart is also but there was room to park and it eventually died down and we have the noise machine to blur things out. I had labs at sonora quest, got signed up for UPS pick ups for packages, picked up a fat walmart order, prescriptions at Walgreens. Then we drove off to son's house on a mesa between show low and concho.
Thurs, Oct 30: NEW TIME ZONE/3 hours from EST - Walmart Taylor AZ
We rolled at 7:30am and are going thru the Navajo Reservation because its the fastest way. Don't like to...always dead dogs on the roadside. One particular heart wrenching time there was a litter of puppies/dead and decaying and also a horse and a dog that David had seen about a month earlier alive.... Their dogs are outside on short chains and don't want to be there. The older native man at goosenecks state park when we went in to ask about the park, had the nerve to say our jeep was dirty (it was dusty but not as dirty as I've seen on the reservation) and this was a sacred place and we needed to clean it. I almost gave him a piece of my mind. David though he was kidding and I almost did until he added the sacred place part and the part about the valley of the gods being the mormons. He was a bit bitter which maybe I understand to a point but....
Oddities we saw. One man pushing two supermarket carts going westward in the eastbound lane of Interstate 40...think lots of trucks and lots of crap in his two full carts!
We first went to the Walmart in Taylor AZ and had lunch at the Asian bistro nearby....good and gluten free choices!
Overnight Parking tonight at the Walmart in Show Low, AZ as the one in Taylor had work being done in the part of the parking lot where we would normally go and its not very big for the amount of people buzzing about. Show Low allows 24 hour parking max.
NO BINDER DAY? FASTING in PM.
Mon, Oct 27: Valley of the Gods
Today we took a ride up Moki Dugway in the jeep. This was our second time doing it...at least a few years ago it was. Easy and quick drive but not for the heights scared person....me. When we got to the top, we hung a left and went to Muley point...somewhat washboard but nice views at the end. The ride down was scenic and fortunately we didn't have to squeeze on a narrow spot. Someone was totally hugging our lane on the way up but they did move over...probably scared. Then we took a ride over to Gooseneck State Park to check it. We went in 2014 and it was free. Now it is $10 with nothing but trash and maybe a shade structure.
Tues, Oct 28: Valley of the Gods
Today We took a jeep ride down a dirt road to Muley Point...a rather roughish road and we went almost to the end. No cars or debris at the bottom....surprisingly.
Weds, Oct 29: Valley of the Gods
I realized at 6pm that I had goofed by listening to David and we were supposed to go out to the main road tonight. So we hoofed it and closed up shop fast: rug, mat, dog rope, dog ball, window covering front, solar panels....done in about 10 minutes. We did scrape a bit...bad noise going out but all is okay we hope. Spending the night at the corner gravel area.
Sun, Oct 26: To Valley of the Gods
Currently the sun isn't showing its face until almost 7am...
We rolled at 8am but first I had to cut the big Chrenshaw melon we got at Green River and get rid of the rind/shell here and eat some for breakfast. $10.95 for the big melon but still a lot but cannot get them in grocery stores....
Uneventful drive to Blanding, UT with a stop at Muley canyon (verizon 4g) and Butler Interpretive center. Blanding had a Family Dollar so we picked up ice cream and found a trash can an were again on our way to Valley of the Gods.
We have been to Valley of the Gods just not in about 4 years and then it was in our old class c. The west side/Moki Dugway side was our usual entrance so that is the way we chose. Not the best choice. Odd that I saw no vans, no small class c's pretty much nothing but truck campers coming out while we separated and drove in. Found the first spot after two washes...once particularly rough to navigate. David thought he was dragging the hitch...nope, the corner so he is now fixing the corner. We then decided to see if anything better was up ahead via the jeep and pretty much almost immediately decided to stick where we were due to the washes being frequent and a bit rough for Jayco. It was the perfect time to continue the ride all the way around the Valley of the Gods loop drive. Roads had deteriorated (mostly the washes) since we last came. It was evident that people knew this because the west side had just maybe one other camper in it...like car camping not bigger.
For the next visit, we will go in the east side...really no washes and big dips to speak of...just need to time visit right...not on weekends. It is beautiful though.
Evening....go look at the last wash David drove thru to see if we can fix it any to make it more friendly because that is the way we have to go out in a few days. We did do some Valley of the Gods DOT work to make it marginally better for everyone....no shovel work though...moving rocks in the way/a sharp rock or two...big ones that rain brought.
Sat, Oct 25: Route 24/Temple Mtn Road to Cattle Corale in UT
It was quiet after the cars stopped coming and going as expected.
Now this is the desert but there was an interesting little tree (a locust) at this corner with a carefully made border of rocks and a small set of stones made into a sitting bench. It was planted in 1956 (my birth year) by Edith Marsing. It was requested that you give it some water....which I did. A bit of grass was growing under it and it was alive in the desert where normally it would not thrive (no cottonwoods indicating any water right here). So people ARE watering it! How cool is that!
Note to self. We had managed somehow to not do laundry for five weeks...hence washed everything! $16.50 Laundry in Price Utah.
We went down route 95...notes places for trash, possible places to explore instead of Goblin Valley next year (WAY OVER USED) and places to overnight park and possibly longer.
We decided to stop at Natural Bridges National Monument. The camground is small and tight with a maximum of 26 feet total. Even though we are 25 feet, we won't stay there. Drove the loop rode and david looked at most things and Mali and I a bit.
Our traveling day came to an end shortly after Natural Bridges when we settled into our home for the night at a old cattle corale. It had rained a lot south of Goblin Valley and you could see it in the skies a couple of days ago It was evident as we drove today by the water soaked red soil and the greening up of the plants. Everything was greener than usual.
Walk in evening. Walking down the road took us to a blm camping area; it would have been a bit more quiet (we can hear cars/vans/pick up trucks and more than you would think). The road was rather rough with a washout on the side and it might have taken some road work/rocks for the last bit. It was not really worth the effort. I could see recent tracks down there.
Fri, Oct 24: Goblin Valley to ???
We rolled out of the free camping area by Goblin Valley at 7:45...some low flying clouds that resulted in dense fog. Lots of condensation on rv/jeep....thats unusual for us. Green River was to provide all our needs but it did not. First stop was the grocery store $106 later we were done. Second stop was the sole Laundromat in Green River; they need another one. However the dryers were not operational so...no go for us and we had a LOT of laundry...only the second time doing it since we left. The solution was to go to Price Utah because it was the closest one AND it had a walmart that we could overnight in. Third stop was Maverick for free dump; potatable water was at the pumps but we elected to use the BLM office in Hanksville today or tomorrow for that. Fourth stop was Love's for Gas. By the way Green River State Park is now $45; I think all their parks are that? So not doing that....way too much but it is a nice little oasis in the desert for those who do not mind paying $45 and need the services they offer. You can even play golf next door! Last stop in Green River, UT was to pick up a crenshaw Melon...edible in two days time. Then off to Price to do Laundry...a good one hour away. Since we were going to Price and since it has a Walmart, we decided to get a few things which turned into $160 worth because it was a pick up and our larders were bare....this after spending $106 in Green River. If I had only known the Laundromat was not open, I would have skipped out of Green River grocery shopping. Trash was distributed every store we went to. Move day is always errand day but this one needed everything to be done except propane. We ended up at the corner of Route 24 and Temple Mountain Road....the turnaround or small parking area about 10 minutes from where we started this morning... This was a guaranteed quiet spot where our other two options could have been busy/crowded since it was friday night....this was the sure thing and we had been doing errands since 7:45am. Done for the night at 4:30pm.
NO real cell service on this corner...booster would have helped...verizon.
Mon, Oct 20: Goblin Valley BLM
David took off to Green River to get some groceries. We didn't walk today at least not a hike up to the arch or canyon.
Our next door neighbors with small trailer and generator! Kept that thing running flat out all night but didn't bother me. I have a noise machine to blot that out. They left this morning so now it is peaceful.
Tues, Oct 21: Goblin Valley BLM
We decided to take a ride to hanksville because Green River would be 15 minutes for there about. We got water at the BLM office hand pump; they also had a toilet there (maybe possible overnight place after hours?) Stopped in the store and bought more water as we won't be near a grocery store for a week and wanted to make sure we had water. Mali dog is drinking almost one gallon per day.
Weds, Oct 22: Goblin Valley BLM
Today we hiked Wild Horse Canyon from our boondocking site. I only committed to two miles total even though it was flat. David did the full hike. Coming back up to our campsite was steep and I was out of breathe easily. OUT OF SHAPE.
Thurs, Oct 23: Goblin Valley BLM
Rain early in the morning so I guess we are not going anywhere today by jeep or see if it rains more. A cloudy overcast day...all ding dong day. Didn't do much...more folks coming in because weekend is coming and got to be somewhere. Ready to move somewhere else!
Sun, Oct 19: HOLE IN THE ROCK ROAD, Escalante, UT to blm Lands outside Goblin Valley, UT BLM
We rolled at 8am this morning driving the Hogsback thru Boulder and Torrey....ziggy zaggy weavey winding and up, up, up, down, down, down. We stopped at Capitol Reef to check out the campground and take on water and dump. Lots of people but its a sunday and the weather was perfect! 70Ish.
We passed Factory Butte and decided to move on to Goblin Valley area.
WOW were we shocked when we arrived. We have always found a spot and its sunday. In the area where we would usually boondock, there were MANY rv's with atv's AND a tractor trailer! We found a spot close to the road and unhooked the jeep to scope out possible other sites. Found one and moved our small class c to its spot for the next 4 or 5 days. It was very odd that there were atv/utv folks in the area. They usually are closer to temple...in that parking lot and beyond. We took the jeep out to cruise to see what was going on. WHY was the atv crowd where they were. AS it turns out in 2022 the blm gave use of the lands around Goblin Valley to the Utah parks system (goblin valley). I know we were not here in 2024 and we may have been off i70 in 2023. So now where the atv's by temple mountain there are blm PAID sites. For $15 you can nab a spot and park TWO rvs there in one of their numbered sites...no longer a free for all. Well obviously that pissed off the atv crowd and they were absolutely NOT paying $15 for something that has been free for a long time. So now atv crowd is in the used-to-be quiet part outside of Goblin Valley. There were only two big rvs with toys in the paid part. Also the buttes/castles just outside of the Goblin Valley SP are now NUMBERED sites. There is a pay box and a map of where each site is and its number. It didn't seem they did much for the dirt roads in...needed grading. So for your $15 you get a VERY primitive toilet...like I can see your legs primitive and cheap, cheap...not the usual BLM pit toilet building and you get a number for your site. The positive side of this is that they get some money (positive for them) and hopefully grade the roads at least yearly and for sure less usage. I cannot image what this will now look like on weekends! I imagine the small area that is free of fees will at some point be turned into sites and fees like the rest of it. The Goblin Valley State Park Sign is now right up where you turn left before you go straight to temple mountain. Boo hiss.
Weds, Oct 15: HOLE IN THE ROCK ROAD, Escalante, UT
Most people left today but a smaller crop came in. It rained just a bit this morning and initially it was sticking to shoes but it quickly dried out. We took Mali for a stroll. I did my clinic appointment...silent reflux/prilosec. We went to small grocery store in Escalante for ice cream/tilamook chocolate. Dinner was refried beans/cheese on corn torts with mango salsa and a smoothie.
In p.m. Still more clouds than I would like to see. Rainiest month since 1981. We have never had rain in the SW in the fall...never!
thurs, Oct 16: HOLE IN THE ROCK ROAD, Escalante, UT
Did a 2 mile diy walk with Mali in the morning. David went and hiked a slot canyon. A nice full on sun day! David reports one of the canyons was wet so he was not up for that...people coming out with mud up over ankles. The other one said that it was 15 inches wide and he started in but it was too tight...he thinks 12 inches. He said he could have squeezed in but......
Just hanging after dinner outside until the temp went down.
Each day some rvs leave (most) and more replace them...weekend is going to be interesting. Yesterday while david was gone, Mali dog and I were hanging outside, a BIG ass fifth wheel intially pulled behind us and then next to us. I was thinking, “Oh hell no” but they didn't stay a minute and as they were pulling away I saw they were also towing a side by side! (truck/bigass fifth wheel/side by side in another trailer) THAT was going to be noisy and I am not here for the noise. So I decided since we have a BIG space and david was gone with the jeep and Mali's long line was gone that I would run the generator as a scare off technique. Not many came down our road after that. About Mali's long line....it was still attached when David took off to search slot canyons and he didn't realize it. At some point bumbling down the washboard road, the metal clip bounced up on the jeep hood and he got it (maybe 2 feet of rope). The rest of it was gone... We bought a new cheesey plastic or nylon rope for too much money.
Fri, Oct 17: HOLE IN THE ROCK ROAD, UT Escalante, UT
Late start this morning. David took Mali for a slot canyon walk. She's climbing dog at 8 years old! I hung out and figure out my medicare for 2026....not fun but necessary.
Oddly, I was expecting a whole slew of people coming in on friday night. NOPE.
Sat, Oct 18: HOLE IN THE ROCK ROAD, Escalante, UT
We took a 12 mile drive down dirt road to Devil's garden....hoodoos...a neat place but lots of people...and lots of cars going up and down that 12+ mile road. Mali dog loved climbing the rocks.
Tues, Oct 14: Kodachrome State Park, UT/DUMP/WATER to HOLE in the Rock Road, Escalante, UT
Since it stopped raining pretty early last night and we are in a dry climate, we moved on to Hole in the Rock Road Boondocking. There is no immediate rain in forecast either. We've never had fall rain before while traveling in the southwest! AND I am not paying $46 again. We have been here at least once before to this park.
With stop in small grocery store in Escalante and then at a clinic in Escalante to get my lungs checked/cough since March/April. I have appointment tomorrow a.m. Mind you there was NO ONE in the office except for receptionist and only a few cars outside....so not sure how busy they actually were to not just check my breathing quick....
We found a nice big spacious spot at Hole in the Rock Road and we were in no way alone but it was a very large area. I had thought it would be much smaller so pleasantly surprised. An assortment of rv's had taken up residence in the area and all were well spaced. Mali dog got her 70 foot long line but was disappointed that there were no bushes with lizards in them.
Walk in the evening....so many spaces in this area....not sure what the weekend will bring.
Mon, Oct 13: Cathedral Gorge State Park, NV to Kodachrome State Park UT
Woke early to drive the approx 1.5 hours to get good cell service but would have liked to stay at this camground longer. The older Host couple next to us offered us the use of their wifi but we declined...not sure how that would work out HIPPA wise. Rolling by 7ish. Cedar City was the destination for Verizon service. We picked up Walmart order, got gas, ZOOM meeting Marybeth, UPS store to print labs.
For fun and we were feeling lucky (we were not), we decided to drive into Bryce Canyon National Park because it was along the way. I cannot imagine in summer...nope cannot. Lots of people and rv's. Park is not closed but not a lot of personnel. Visitor center open despite government shut down. Campgrounds full and reservation only. The sites were small and some our 24 foot class c would not have fit into.
Hole in the Rock Road was our destination today however we did not make it. We wanted a paved site today because it rained. The dirt roads would be be a sticky/muddy mess...NOPE. David mentioned Kodachrome so I quickly googled it.....6 miles away plus 7 miles on a paved road...perfect. On that drive in we saw TWO rv's coming up the road. We were pretty sure they were turned away because they were full but went anyway. Shockingly, we had a choice of two sites. I wanted paved so it was $45 GASP for the night but it was a full hook up (not needed though) They have laundry as well but we will do that another time. It is site 30 and a pull thru. Since we are leaving tomorrow, that is nice to not have to unhook.
Took Mali dog on a walk after dinner....she needed some walking to get the jiggles out. We just walked around the campground to avoid mud and didn't use a trail.
Sun, Oct 12: Ward Mountain Recreation area, nv to Cathedral Gorge SP, nv
Woke to full on sun this morning...nice after one of our only rains last night and roads were dry. Checking temps we decided we needed to be more south than planned but I still need to have Verizon cell coverage for tomorrow 10am zoom meeting. Dumped at Love's in Ely but if I had to do again....Sage travel center had fresh water included...love's no potable water...$10 for either. Drove to Cathedral Gorge SP without a reservation (72 hour rule) and I saw that three potentials fit us. We did manage to snag a nice sized one $30 and we should have just dumped here. Electric is at site. $20 non nevada camping plus $10 Utilities fee/electric. Water spigots around the campground. Dump station is on the road out. The entry fee is included in camping price...no separate entry fee...which when I called Nevada State Parks she was really vague about it....sounded like it was extra and it is not. If you camp no extra entry fee. We did some walking around campground and at night we walked over to the cathedral rocks. Nice Little campground although I wouldn't go in the showers (just my mold issue).
Sat, Oct 11: Private HOT SPRING to Ward Mountain Recreation Area
First thing soak in hot spring...made it warmer this morning as it was cooler out and a cooler walk to the rv. Rain is coming. Walk 2 miles. Windy again today. We had sand coming in our windows yesterday because it was a bit too warm to close it all up. Made the decision to just drive, drive, drive to get to Ward Mountain Recreation Area just south of Ely, NV because I need to be in Ely/civilization for a zoom meeting on Monday and dark clouds. We did get rain...just as we had parked in our campsite on Ward Mountain (newly renovated)...dark grey sky. We got a pull thru site (#1) BUT since government is not in full force and this is a National Rec Area, there were no envelopes to pay and scan and pay was fritzing out. It appeared to be the only pull thru site (someone left a grill hidden behind bushes but nothing else to say it was occupied sooooooo its ours). No tag or note on the post either. I am wondering if anyone else paid. I tried the recreation.gov site as well...nope. This time of year water is turned off in the park BUT there is a big dumpster and we had 5? days worth of trash get rid of! Early dinner because no lunch and it was leftovers from last night....gf pasta with sausage, peppers, onions, parmesan cheese.
Weds, Oct 8: Private HOT SPRING
A quiet night. Walk with Mali while david goes to soak. Mali dog gets HOT in full on sun... Her walk of 3 miles with david she came back panting like crazy. She was trying to find lizards under bushes because she saw one the first year we brought her out here (2018) and now every desert bush has a lizard... I also have to stop her from poking her nose in every hole she finds.... AND she keeps bringing me her reel leash (she was quick to learn the reel leash also means walks) so she can go hunt lizards/horny toads? What I think is horny back toads are only 1.5 to 2 inches. She is quick and jumps on the bushes...meanwhile the lizard/toad scramble out FAST. Short walks and she is panting by the time we are done!
Thurs, Oct 9: Private HOT SPRING
I was up and in the hot spring by 6:30...david must have heard me and figured out where I was. It was a cool 46 degrees out and the hot spring could have been a tad warmer so David fixed that part of it. Nice soak. Still no one else here although there was when we arrived, but he left. Mali had a nice walk in the coolest part of the day and very much interested in finding lizards in almost every bush! However black dog and 2 miles when it is going to push 70 degrees in intense sun, she gets hot! We made gluten free chocolate chip cookies today. Windy in the afternoon and evening so only walking when it made sense. David soaked...he loves soaking.
Fri, Oct 10: Private HOT SPRING
First thing hot spring soak...still no one else to disturb our peace. Walk Mali dog for 2 miles. We are watching weather as hurricanes in pacific twirling but so far missing our area. Rain is not our friend on these dirt/gravel roads so we would have to move out.
Tues, Oct 7: Meadow Hot springs to Private HOT SPRING
David did not soak this morning but instead he took care of some banking/vanguard stuff. Heading to an unnamed hot spring today. Stop at grocery store to get a few things. Stopped to top off gas.
Things to check out further: West of Delta by sevier dry lake bed there is U-dig fossils...do it. Then Painted springs 10 mile to the east. We need to explore more of this...LOVE Nevadas stark beauty. Also Sacramento pass is just after Baker to ONP. There is also the wildlife viewing area before ELY on right...a parking lot. Ward charcoal ovens sp in same valley before ELY/7 miles down dirt road. Cummins Lake on left before ely and ONP. On route 6 just south of ELY on the left heading south is Ward Recreation Area. We arrived at our secret hot spring in the afternoon with enough time to soak....and because it was 70 degrees outside and the water was HOT...it didn't last long at all. It was rather disappointing but we will be here for a few days with one being 25 degrees at night. We will see what we can do to further divert the HOT water.
Dinner was salad and diy turkey burgers. I am making burgers often...turkey and farm beef but they are more like meatloaf burgers. No oven so I have to get creative.
Mon, Oct 6: McCoy Road, Vernal UT to Meadow Hot Springs
Walmart for last minute shopping. Superior Oil for Oil change on Redhawk, dumping and propane...one stop for everything. We arrived at Meadow Hot Springs around 4:30pm....later than we thought but it always is. We took a one mile walk around. David will go in hot spring at some point. Long ass day of driving...David not me.
Sun, Oct 5: Big Sandy reservoir to McCoy road, vernal Utah
Woke to being socked in by clouds. The plus side I'd never been in the desert after a rain. The SMELL is wonderful! We rolled around 7:45am...weather is getting a bit cold at night....don't want freezing temps. There is a little park south of Farson, WY that could be used as an ONP spot. A stop at Walmart in Rock springs, WY and get gas $3.19 per gallon...too much...been below $3.00. We already reworked yesterday's plan to go further south with no stop at Flaming Gorge...a cold spell and we don't need to be there. This time we went via 191 and the eastern side of Flaming Gorge. We hadn't done that in about 4 years. Same next time! Stopped in Vernal to figure out where to stay tonight...was going to be walmart but too busy and not a big parking lot considering the people shopping. Zoomed Kaete/Hayes and had lunch at Denny's for a treat. Zoomed Finley/Brett later one.
We decided to stay at BLM area Mccoy road south of Vernal. It took us a bit to find a spot. The first one was just too much trash. We dragged the hitch on the final chosen spot but it was quiet and more quiet than the first one. Took a walk and leftovers for dinner.
Fri, Oct 3: Big Sandy Reservoir
It took awhile for the noise to calm down (wasn't like this previous times)...between someone with what sounded like a leaf blower to car(s) booming music (hesitate to call it that...boom, boom, boom). In the end I just fell asleep anyway.
First stop is gas...probably one of the first times paying over $3 per gallon. Second stop is home improvement store to see if I can find a flexible hose for our little hand vaccuum....need to get into crevices.
Instead of parking overnight at riverton wy walmart....louis lake road loading area for a quick overnight....up the steep hill from Lander and on the right. Or a bit further to south pass city historic site on left side. OR rest area further on on the right/route 28 out of Lander.
We arrive early afternoon at Big Sandy Reservoir. Our usual spot was taken with trucks and work equipment workig on the boat ramp. I selected a spot at the little campground. I think its meant for a group of three but cose it anyway. No one else came and there was only on other caming unit...suspected to be involved in the work group.
We took a walk...not long enough and Mali dog was very interested in a jack rabbit. Jeep took us for a drive across the dam to scope it out. We like what we have used in the past and not sure rv would fit across the narrow road over the dam. Never have we seen an rv over on that side but that doesn't mean anything. Saw pronhorns nearby and Mali dog did too...thankfully they are scittery and moved on.
It rained a bit in early evening.
We thought our flies were gone...nope. Outside trying to get in and they do.
Fri, Oct 3: Big Sandy Reservoir
It took awhile for the noise to calm down (wasn't like this previous times)...between someone with what sounded like a leaf blower to car(s) booming music (hesitate to call it that...boom, boom, boom). In the end I just fell asleep anyway.
First stop is gas...probably one of the first times paying over $3 per gallon. Second stop is home improvement store to see if I can find a flexible hose for our little hand vaccuum....need to get into crevices.
Instead of parking overnight at riverton wy walmart....louis lake road loading area for a quick overnight....up the steep hill from Lander and on the right. Or a bit further to south pass city historic site on left side. OR rest area further on on the right/route 28 out of Lander.
We arrive early afternoon at Big Sandy Reservoir. Our usual spot was taken with trucks and work equipment workig on the boat ramp. I selected a spot at the little campground. I think its meant for a group of three but cose it anyway. No one else came and there was only on other caming unit...suspected to be involved in the work group.
We took a walk...not long enough and Mali dog was very interested in a jack rabbit. Jeep took us for a drive across the dam to scope it out. We like what we have used in the past and not sure rv would fit across the narrow road over the dam. Never have we seen an rv over on that side but that doesn't mean anything. Saw pronhorns nearby and Mali dog did too...thankfully they are scittery and moved on.
It rained a bit in early evening.
We thought our flies were gone...nope. Outside trying to get in and they do.
Thurs, Oct 2: Big Horns to Thermopolis hot spring/ONP Lander Walmart
We rolled at 7:15am. First stop was Young's Camper repair in Worland, wy...we called on a whim and he said bring it by and lets try something. They tried “somethings” for two hours while David shadowed and yacked at him. In the end it was the ignitor. $200 later but in the end we threw him another $100 because he saved us lots of time finding someone else to fix it. Thermopolis State Park hot springs...the free one...the last two times we paid but now I know where the free one is. You get 20 minutes for free but can come back two hours later for another 20 minutes. David was tempted on the second 20 minutes...me not so much. A nice soak was had but 20 minutes was more than enough for me.
The drive thru Wind River Canyon is beautiful feels like you are going down in elevation while the water is flowing north....
Next stop was boysen state park in Shoshone to dump our tanks and take on some water. It took a bit to find the actual dump station. It is on the left side of road heading south in the complex with the ranger station. It is paid. How much I don't know and where to put the money...don't know. There are only two spots in which to dump which is few compared to the handful of campgrounds that comprise Boysen State Park.
Tonight we parked overnight at the Riverton Walmart and also picked up some groceries. We've stayed here one other time.
Weds, Oct 1: Big horns Boondocking
David had some more ideas about the heater fixing project so he tried more things. Meanwhile I got up at 5:30 to take pills and put the heater on 1. It was 47 degrees in the rv this morning. The little heater worked well enough with a fleece on. It was warm enough by 8:30 to turn off heater and open door to the sun. Less clouds than yesterday so more solar power.
Garmin weather again said zero percent change of rain...lets see how inaccurate he is this time. No rain but more clouds than we would have liked for charging batteries.
We were attempting to make gluten free cookies from a mix while David was juicing up the batteries. AT any rate I smelled something like ambesol. David knew where to look. Smoke billowing out from the power bank under the dinette seat. I tossed Mali dog outside...she freaks at smoke alarm. David is pulling apart the dinette seat to get at LITHIUM battery bank and find what is actually smoking. He could see small flames. He is pulling stuff out. I am the emergency back up. Mali is outside freaking/shaking. Long story short it was the converter not being happy. He did manage to get it out and without using our fire extinguisher....which by the way is not rated for lithium. SOOOO, had the batteries begun to flame, 100% chance rv would have been total toast. We would have been grabbing only important things to save. We are a GOOD 45 minutes from any town and zero cell service. Lesson learned...maybe we need a go bag each plus dog.
I did make cookies though.
Tuesday, Sept 30: Big Horn Mountains/boondocking
I got up at 6:30 and yup heater didn't work again. Put on my jacket and woke David. He began testing at 7am. Damn it! The heater quickly crapped out at purchase (in december in ny and living in it...little plug in heaters in daughters driveway). Then a mobile tech after he tried most things. It was the thermostat that we had that rv tech installed....problem fixed. We were on a time crunch then because we were leaving for New Mexico and would need the onboard heater to work and IT WAS A NEW 2025. Welllll, David worked on the heater for a few hours and he could not figure it out...replaced parts, tested multiple things, and NOPE. JAYCO is absolutely zero help....slow and guessing wrong parts. We will use our little heater and David just put out four other solar panels we had on the ground.
We took Jeep out for a drive to see other potential areas to stay next time. We have used this site for a few years now...maybe this is our fourth time? In the end we are going to stick with this one. Its less than a mile on gravel/dirt road. We usually don't see but a few cars. Its wide open for solar and mali dog on long line. Awesome view...only thing missing is an aspen clone but none of them had that. We did see them on the way up in various degrees of yellow to no leaves.
It sprinkled/rained on an off today but in total not much. Garmin weather said 0% of rain....
Mali dog had her long long line...about 70 feet worth. I am not sure why maybe the more freedom? But she was barky...not her usual. Maybe she heard a dog echo? Maybe she thought there was unseen animals around/lots of scat. She also wanted to play ball more than usual.
Mon, Sept 29: Devils Tower to Big Horn Mountains/boondocking
We rolled early this morning 7:15am. First stop walmart pick up in Gillette, WY...not verizon cell service is spotty in Wyoming. Wyoming IS beautiful. Gillette has EVERYTHING you could need...if they don't have it, you don't need it Wyoming is the least populated state in USA.
Buffalo, WY has a loves travel center. With the ap you get 10 cents off gas and 25 cents off diesel. They also have overnight camping spot....three of them with full hook ups. I do not know the price...don't need any of it and if I did, I wouldn't pick this unless desparate to stop.
When you leave the town of Buffalo (basic services compared to Gillette), the ascent up begins...up, up, up. Our destination is pretty much at the top to boondock for a few days. We arrived around 2:30pm and found a spot. Periodiic rain spits. We are the only ones in our immediate area but there is a trailer that someone dropped down the next site.
David installed the new oxygenics shower head for hopefully better showering...its and rv model. I bought a shower curtain/hooks to use instead of the coil up shower door thing....that I am not convinced gets dry enough for my use as very mold sensitive. I set it up for next showering.
Before we went to sleep, david set the thermostat...going to be 46 at night. Did not work. Off to sleep we went to fix in morning. I like it cold to sleep.
Sun, Sept 28: DUMP at Belle Fourche Res then on to Devils Tower
Today is move day and we dumped at Rocky Point just next to reservoir and filled water tank. Next stop was gas in Belle Fourche as Wyoming gets pricier.
We made it to Belle Fourche campground at Devils Tower by 9:45am and easily scored a spot...saw a few campers coming out. I rode around a couple of times because there was too many to choose from. The camground is small and mostly pull thru sites just off the road. Not much privacy but we secured a spot on the outside of a loop and it had a water spigot. Add trash and recycles and we are good for now.
We have verizon mifi but its really slow..... Went up to visitor center. HOT today 85 ish but no wind. Paid for two days but only going to stay...going up to higher elevation. Had enough of tourist stuff. I saw it, got the picture...time to go. Complete with tourist busses!
Friday, Sept 26: Belle Fourche Reservoir
Walked a total of three miles today...in 3 segments. Temp was about 83 but it was 22mph winds so decent in heat index. Some haze from fires in the afternoon. Around noon I had some pretty strong discomfort/pain under my boobs so I elected to go to Monument health to see what they said. She was thinking probably acid stomach given that I am on binders for mycotoxins and a lot of meds/supplements. So I will take something like priolosec for a few days and drop the binder/colonization work for 4ish days...to see what happens.
It being friday, more people came into the reservoir. Hopefully it remains quiet and the utv/atv crowd is somewhere else..so far so good.
thurs, Sept 25:ne quilt...not the two I have. Walked 2.3 miles in the morning while still cool. 85 degrees today with no electric. There is a small cool breeze right off the water and we are waterfront! The decision was made to stay here for two more nights instead of leaving in the morning and then move on to Devil's Tower Campground hoping a Sunday arrive will be better than Friday. Let's see what the weekend brings here. The Rocky Point state park is right across the way with services as opposed to our pit toilet/NOPE and trash services.
Went to Dollar General in Belle Fourche town to get milk.
Walk in the evening for a today total of 3.5 miles.... Belle Fourche Reservoir
It was a very quiet night and a cool one. We left big bedroom windows both open but I still only required o
Weds, Sept 24: Buffalo Gap Grasslands to Belle Fourche Reservoir
We rolled after a quick Mali dog walk...around 7:30am. Stop for ice cream. Riding by the rolling, cattle/grass fields of ND and then SD. Driveways 5 miles long!
We drove about 4.5 hours today to get to Belle Fourche Reservoir...always longer than it says. GPS wanted to take us on a dirt road off route 85 but NOPE not doing that unless we have to. I took the jeep and went ahead to find a site for us. There were so many to pick from that it was hard making a decision. There are 3 campers here and one car dweller. Trash is the only perk and there is Verizon cell service.
Tomorrow we will take Mali swimming which is really just fetch stick in shallow water. Too much swimming and its a NOPE from Mali dog. Hopefull she will smell a little bit better...it is a reservoir (with motorboats!).
Tues, Sept 23: Buffalo Gap National Grasslands campgrounds
Early morning walk because Mali dog needed some exercise...she keeps us on our feet...so we don't blob around. A few more camping units snuck in last night. I won't swear they all paid though....no tags! Not right! There is no camphost here except for me removing old tags. No ranger presence to keep people honest.
Boo hiss.
Mon, Sept 22: Diamond Prairie Ranch, Steele Idaho to Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, ND
A quiet night was had by all EXCEPT for Mali sounding off twice last night in succession...she's normally quiet but this is a ranch and there IS: a horse, cats, multiple dogs, lots of goats that could make noise. I did no hear anything. I am prety sure that this type of Harvest Hosts is not for us. Maybe a winery or something next time.
We tried to order up a oil change but we will just wait until Vernal, UT.
The decision was made to stop for the night (or two) at Buffalo Grasslands to have a short day. We arrived around 12:30...nice and short. A walk .9 miles and more later. Our set up is quick: unhook jeep, back in/level, Mali dog tie out. We have a nice large site with plenty of room for Mali dog. There is trash at entry, water for jugs and maybe to fill tanks. The dump station is currently closed...boohiss. There is a shower too and flush toilets.
Dinner if we care is pasta/sausage and peppers and salad. Today we hit another time zone....quicker than I thought we would. Mali dog was just getting acclimated to the previous one...what no dinner now...gotta wait an hour?
We walked again after dinner and realized that the campground where we are is more hidden from the route 94 traffic (not much traffic...its ND). You can hear more in the other campground. Two small loops. 1.8 miles total...need at least two in one go.
Sun, Sept 21: Leech Lake Recreation Area to Harvest Hosts location in Steele ND
We were at dump station around 7am this morning because we knew a whole bunch of weekend warriors would be leaving....first one out the gate. Stop for gas $2.90 gallon. Stop for ice cream. $7.99!!! Along our journey we saw two groups of Swans roadside with their cignets...it was right by water. I wanted to stop and gawk but did not want to disturb them...no picture. We arrived around 3:30 and the Diamond Prairie ranch. Owner warned us that yard would be muddy but it had dried up so we were fine with it. Bought some ground beef...7 one lb. Packages at $6 each.
We walked Mali dog out the driveway and up the road. Farm dogs did not bother us...thankfully. Didn't want Mali ganged up on...she doesn't appreciate that.
Tired so early to bed after tv
Sat, Sept 20: Leech Lake Recreation Area
It is really quiet here and no on else near us...nice! Yesterday we saw a lot of rvs and a fair amount of them were what I would call “ice house rvs” but I didn't realize that until we saw one pull in across from us. We watched has he lowered it to the ground...aha moment. Multipurpose!
We took a walk around campground and there are only 4 pull thru campsites here. Fall colors are pretty much here now. Nice campground and sites are mostly well spaced.
Friday Sept 19: Leech Lake Recreation Area, a COE park
This will be our fourth COE park so going to be interesting. For the most part the parks are fine...the facilities (bathrooms) are usually OLD. The last one in Pennsylvania had very aged bathrooms that I would not even go in when I peeked inside. This one is by a Federal dam and usually they are by water or dams. We arrived around 2:30pm. It is a pretty good sized campground and about 7 miles off route 2 in Minnesota. Free laundry and bath houses looked clean by anyones standards. David is doing laundry as we speak while getting a shower. Our site is in a less used loop...yay and it is a pull through so we don't have to unhitched for our two night stay. Plenty of roads to walk and dam to visit. Gate code on bathrooms/showers and laundry room. Its by the reservation. Route 2 is well surfaced and not chucked with pot holes and its an easy drive (for david as no traffic). I would come back here again (free laundry which we much needed). $26 for two nights with the old guy pass!
Thurs, Sept 18: Twelve Mile Beach to Walmart in Ironwood, MI
Uneventful drive to park overnight at the walmart in Ironwood, Michigan. Stopped for gas once. Also stopped to dump tanks in Munising, Michigan at Munising Tourist Park. We arrived around 1:30 (CST...new time zone) Did a pick up at walmart. We grabbed a cart and stood by the #2 for pick up and let them know via text we were here. We see the guy at the door with presumably our order just standing there. Since we are the only one waiting for pick up, we know it has to be our order but he's not getting that we are there to pick up our order. Before we walk over and tell him, you can see he gets it. I point to the shopping cart SILVER in color and say see, silver vehicle. He thought it was funny and evidentally no one else had done it. We COULD have just parked the rv in a bunch of spaces (have done that before) but decided to not hog up so many. A quiet night but it did at some point rain. We run a sound machine that sounds like a babbling brook so it was hard to tell. We lost our poop tube elbow and the cap although David assured me this one was on to stay but the screw fell out and so did our stuff. He went into walmart to get this and a watch to replace his old one.
Tues, Sept 16: Twelve Mile Beach
Last night there wasn't much breeze and it was a warm 77 degrees yesterday. I put the diy screen in my emergency window and the prop stick...hokey dokey as it is it worked well for cross ventilation. 59Ish degrees last night. Early walk to avoid sable flies because it warmed up today but they were not as bad as yesterday. We could walk fast and avoid them and david had the tennis racket thing to zap them. We burned the last of our free scavenged firewood. This is too relaxing for me...one more day. Getting 2 miles in daily but not necessarily in one go...just works out that way with Mali dog. She does NOT like the sable flies biting her and wants to go inside
Mon, Sept 15: Twelve Mile Beach at Picture Rocks National Lakeshore
David said it would be okay to run the fan and sound machine (for mali dog) last night and we did. I slept with just a sheet on. We went to Grand Marias to hang out and run generator for the day and came back around 2:30. We got lunch there as take away...the breakwall. I had whitefish sandwich on cauliflower thick wrap...delicious but they paired it with potato chips. David had chicken cheese “steak” and his was good as well. We ran the generator the whole time to really stuff our power up while he trouble shooted with our expert, son Graham. We spent a bit of time at the beach and Mali dog played stick fetch in water....her favorite. I get a knock on the door and david is there with a wet dog which he managed to keep from rolling in the wet sand. She feels compelled to wipe the water off by rolling....after a bath, swimming...in whatever is available...the rug, the grass, the SAND! David held her upright in her harness the walk back to car. Maybe now we can postpone a bath... When we got back it was aparent the sable flies were out! Bug spray does not work on them...just cover up and its 77 degrees. Although most sites are full, no one was “home” avoiding the flies. Not at the beach either...no one! Mali was getting bit and I was pretty sure the tennis racket bug thing was not going to get them before they bit so we are in the rv hiding from them.
We were aiming to make a campfire this afternoon but the sable flies were out and Mali dog kept hopping about getting bit and david was also. No campfire...hole up inside. No one on the beach so must be worse there. Tomorrow we go in water...cold or not! Downloaded tv at night.
Sun, Sept 14: Twelve Mile Beach at Picture Rocks National Lakeshore
Did I mention most people don't stay here more than a few days? We are here for a week this time. Temps are going up to 77, 78...so we MAY go in the water.... Our neighbor reported that water temp was 63...about 20 degrees colder than I would like but the lake bath would be nice. Walking. Another campgfire courtesy of menonites. Evening power issue with lithium batteries...a subtle hidden beeep, beep, beep. David thinks one of the gauges is wrong. Going to town tomorrow to run generator for hours and not torture our neighbors who are in a tent...generator is louder than we would like. We get internet and David can confir with Graham, our son/expert solar guy as he is off grid. OR it could be the lithium batteries. We did run our generator until 8pm cut off time from about 7pm.
Sat, Sept 13: Twelve Mile Beach
After a morning walk, we decided to go to Grand Marais for gas $4.19 gallon!!!! because we needed it in jeep. Ice cream. Cell service. We were not there maybe 1.5 hours. Their gluten free offerings are paltry.
We decided to make another fire after the hostie made us aware that the menonite group left a bunch of firewood. David and like three others were there gathering. I managed to get enough smoke to make a fire with fallen birch bark David gathered. We probably now have enough for two fires...woot, woot.
This campground has the North woods trail going thru it so we see a fair amount of hikers in all shapes, ages, and sizes walking thru. A young woman came back asking where the hostie was and we knew he was out to lunch in Grand Marais but due back soon. Her Brother back home was in need of help so she needed to get back to her car in Muinising falls...roughly 30ish miles away. Knowing that there was no service and not knowing when hostie was coming back and not knowing if/when a ranger would pass by and would they do anything and no radio (hostie has one), David volunteered to take her. She offered money but no way in hell would he take it. So off they went in jeep. David came back about 1.5 hours later as Muinising Falls was not around the corner. I found out the true story when David came back so here it is. Apparently she had prepared somewhat for the trip but not enough. She was holding the group back but had hiked 12 miles yesterday and 8 today...backtracking to get to this campground. She was holding the group back and realized it with a couple more days to go. When she got out of the jeep when david dropped her off at her car she was immediately stiff and sore from sitting for 45 minutes. That tells me a lot because I had the same issue when I biked with david's sisters after giving birth to three children within 18 months (twins) and thought I could pull off a hilly bike ride in Lancaster, PA....immediate sore and stiff when we went to dinner. She could have stayed in the tent pad on our site and caught the shuttle in the morning. She had a six hour ride home but I am guessing she hit up a hotel for a nice warm shower and a nice bed before going home tomorrow. On a positive note, she did like the backpacking but will prepare better for it next time.
We ran the generator today as making brownies ate up solar power...ditto on cookies last week.
Fri, Sept 12: Twelve Mile Beach
We spent maybe 10 minutes in the Lake Superior in 2024. Temperatures are cooler this year so not going in the water. High 60's during the day and low 50's during the night. A bit of rain twice today...just a brief spit. Aiming to walk 2 to 3 miles...in separate spirts at first. We made a campfire today and I didn't have much hope because we/david forgot to bring the campfire starters that I made. We did in the end get all the wood to burn up with the help of hand sanitizer (covid leftovers) and some fallen birch bark. I didn't have much hope at first but we did it. Flies were out a bit in p.m. But the tennis racket zapper worked well. This is a nice simple campground but most people only stay a few days. Because there is not much sun to reach our solar panels we will have to run the generator tomorrow...made GF brownies today and that ate some bips/amps/power.
Thurs, Sept 11: Lake Michigan at St. Ignace to Twelve Mile Beach @ Picture Rocks National Lakeshore.
We left around 8am but not in a hurry since in theory it only takes 2 hours to get there...hahaha. We stopped at an IGA grocery in Newberry to top our groceries. Of course, it took longer than two hours. We arrived around 1:30pm and did our quick set up but put out the camping rug due to sand. Our stay is for a week and it is our third time here. I got a nap and david took Mali and himself on a walk. NOTE TO SELF: make sure he turns on gas before taking off. He is most likely chatting with someone/anyone and I need to start cooking. There is no cell service here so we will go to Grand Marais in a couple of days to check emails and make phone calls. New hostie this year. Did some walking in evening and went to get firewood. The firewood turning right out to pavement was about 12 miles away! $10 and short cuts...not doing that again. Grand Marais has choices and probably won't be that expensive.
When David went out to take a picture of the sunset last night, he saw people on the beach...its down, down, down from the campsites. He was out there long enough on the top of the dune taking a bunch of photos and waiting a bit inbetween. He saw our next door neighbor (not young) with a beer in his hand get up from the blanket, stumble around/almost falling and then go back on the blanket. I should have brought lawn chairs out to watch his antics coming up, up, up the dune to his site. It's one step up and half slide down...we missed it. There are stairs but they would have been aways away for him to use...other end of the campground and the set nearest him is washed out.
Weds, Sept 10: Lake Michigan at st. Ignace
Despite a road (route 2) being right next to this strip of a campground, a quiet night was had by all. The higher the number on campsite and closer to the road. There are 4 spaces taken currently out of 32 (midweek, rain came thru two nights ago?). Camphost is gone. It closes on 9/15.
Tuesday, Sept 9: East Harbor State Park to Lake Michican at st. Ignace
I was awake by 5am so I got some things done quietly. After showers we took off
for Lake Michigan at St. Ignace another long day...poor planning on my part and I knew better we usually break it up but.... We arrived around 4:30pm and left in the morning around 7:30am. Another day or two in Michigan would have been nice before going to UP. McDonalds just over the Mackinaw bridge or is it mackinac? Because I was hungry. Walked Mali dog back and forth in campground because she needed a bit of a sniffy walk. David went to help rescue a couple who were aiming one of their back wheels over the side of site. And then they tried to use a wide side as a pull thru site......I sent David again to help them out. I don't think they do this much....
Monday, Sept 8: Southwick beach state Park to East Harbor State Park, OH
left Southwick at 7am because long day ahead...a good 7 hours. Stop for pick up at walmart and gas. Well as it turned out it took a good 10 hours because I didn't know we would end up at a walmart for gas (cheapest with the $.10 off with walmart plus) plus another walmart for pick up (again didn't know it would be walmart for gas because I didn't know gas status which david tells me when we are driving so the pick up order didn't jive with the gas). So two separate walmarts very convient along the route 90. A long day of travel. We did get a short ¾ mile walk in upon arrival for Mali dog and us...too much sitting.
Thursday, Sept 4: Southwick Beach State Park
RAIN today. Spent some time hanging with Debbie and tj in the morning and then in evening.
Friday, Sept 5: Southwick Beach State Park
walking 2 miles and visit with deb and tj
Sat, Sept 6: Southwick Beach State Park
walking 2 miles and visit with deb and tj
Sunday, Sept 7: Southwick beach state Park
walking 2 miles and visit with deb and tj. Saying good bye to deb and tj...sunset on the beach.
Weds, Sept 3: Southwick Beach State Park, NY
Departure time was about 9:15am heading to Southwick Beach state Park (full hook ups), north of us about 5 hours. Arrived around 3:15 AND they never let you in despite it not being summer before 3pm. I've never known a park to keep to entry times. Honestly though I get it because they don't have parking room for big rigs or any rv's of size. However, they could have a list of empty/cleaned campsites that could go in. Our friends, debbie and tj, arrived around 5:30pm...having picked up their rv from service at Alpin Hause.
Tuesday, Sept 2: We had a part to play in this (unbeknownst to us but ready to do what she needed) and were responsible for everything after the sedation and removing certain possessions (bed and toys that grandson had picked out to send with her) from the yard site. It was a very sad day for everyone. We had lived with Kota Girl for awhile and were living in her driveway for summer so we saw her everyday. RIP Kota Cason!
Sat & Sunday, August 30 and 31, 2025: Off we go to our son bretts cabin near Norwich ny...about 3.5 hours away. I had never been before but David had built it with Brett. A nice cabin with all amenities except for bathroom/planned but currently outhouse. Luckily we were in our rv so didn't have to resort to that.We spent two days with them. Then got a phone call that our well loved granddog had cancer and was going to be euthanized. Our single parent daughter needed help so back we went to Hyde Park.
Sat, March 22:
CB Richmond, IN to Walmart, Everrett, PA
Well it really wasn't that quiet at this CB...the trucks were noisey and above us. I would not stay here again. Also, our sound machines didn't cover up the truck noises. Still slept well enough.
Stopped at a walmart in Huber Heights, OH...it would have been MUCH quieter than our CB and saw three rvs there.
We hit up Denny's on the way into our parking spot for the night. I'm not cooking while commuting. We arrived at our overnight parking destination around 2:30pm. Walmart in Everette, PA....about 6 miles off intersate but there were no other choices. WINDY upon arrival and beyond.
Battery in Jeep is dead so David pulled it and autozone provided us with a replacement...but first the Hood got dented in the wind.... Not going to fix it.
Friday, March 21:
CB St. Robert to CB Richmond, IN.
A quiet night for me. We were rolling by 7am. Stopped at Walmart and to get gas.
The place we stopped to get gas was obviously hit by the recent tornado and its damage was random oddly but I've never seen tornado damage or tornado...aim to keep it that way.
The CB in Richmond, IN is rather spacious. Dinner was good. There is road noise (from above) but this time of year its windows closed so less noise.
Thurs, March 20:
We were rolling at 7am. Stop at walmart in Dequeen. Take route 71 up to route 44 in Missouri. Stop at Loves in Strafford, MO to dump. Our final destination to park overnight was Cracker Barrel in St. Robert MO...our dinner was preordered and picked up for consumption upon arrival.
I mentioned to David that this didn't seem to be the most quiet CB. He countered with, “Well, it is 8pm so most people are NOT attempting to sleep. Oh, Yeah...
CB Gainesville, TX to Broken Bow OK
A VERY quiet night and woke up late (new time zone) at 7:30. NOTE TO SELF: There is a walmart very close to this CB that would be more quiet (CB was gummy quiet/zonked but david said it was noisy). Still in gainesville and it looks like they allow Overnight parking.
Visiting good friends in Oklahoma for two nights.
Mon, March 17:
Mescalero Sands OHV area, NM to Cracker Barrel, Gainesville, TX
A very quiet night. Road in/out was a bit washboard but doable on slow. We were rolling by 7:10am....breakfast later. There was a bedraggled rest area about 2 miles east on route 380...but our night was quiet.
Uneventful drive today...except according to this NY girl...roads were pretty sparse...very nice.
We arrived at the Cracker Barrel In Gainesville, TX at 3:30pm. David was convinced he had heard of this CB before....well, we did stay at it during this trip after Palo Duro Canyon.
Dinner at CB!
