Day 58 - November 28, 2017: Commuting and HOME.

Day 58 November 28, 2017 – Tuesday: Drive from Streetsboro OH Walmart to home. Push for home today and arrived just before dark…around 2:30.A good time was had by all. I think Mali is ready to get out of the rv and so am I after all that driving and sitting.

Day 57 - November 27, 2017: Commuting home to NY

Day 57 November 27, 2017 – Monday: We timed our leaving the Walmart in Lebanon, MO to hit St. Louis after morning rush hours. We actually parked in the Lowes next to Walmart. It was not quiet…police sirens numerous times, gear head trucks, road noise, etc. We would not stay there again. On the road again and with David’s prodding to drive more (him) we made it to Streetsboro OH Walmart. It was pretty quiet and we stayed by the pick up area. Tomorrow’s drive will be shorter.

Day 56 - November 26, 2017: Commuting home

Day 56 November 26, 2017 – Sunday: Big push to get past Oklahoma city and we made it to Lebanon, MO. The Walmart in Venita, OK is not a place I would overnight BUT on top of the hill next to it was a tennis court that was open. WELL, mali loved it to play ball in and we were able to let her just get her jiggles out. David found a golf ball that she just went nuts over. She was panting awhile after that fun time…yay success!

Day 55 - November 25, 2017: Show Low, AZ and begin commute home...

Day 55, November 25, 2017 – Saturday:

In the morning we viewed two properties near Show Low Arizona. Lunch back at the RV. Sad goodbyes and on the road home. We made it to Edgewood New Mexico Walmart (would stay here again, quiet).

Day 54 - November 24, 2017: Show Low, AZ area

Day 54, November 24, 2017 – Friday: Melissa and Graham played tour guide to property tour. They are looking for land to build an earth ship on. They drove motorcycle and we took the jeep. We all saw three properties together (walking the perimeter using gps) and then they did one more on their own (faster on the bike). Graham came back without Melissa…flat tire. Graham took the jeep (about 7 miles away) to fetch Melissa. David looked for another route out of here for our RV and found none. Dinner (diy French bread and gluten free pizza with salad). Fire and stars.

Day 53 - November 23, 2017: TO show Low, AZ

Day 53, November 23, 2017 –

Thursday/Happy Thanksgiving from the road. Breakfast and hit the road heading to Show Low area with Graham and Melissa. We were able to boondock across from one of the parcels on state trust land with a permit…nice! The ride in was one in which we would not normally take the RV EVER but we made it. It was pretty rough to say the least.

Day 52 - November 22, 2017:

Day 52, November 22, 2017 -

David's hike to Mt. Humprhey's

Wednesday: Today David left early to hike Mt. Humphrey’s (tallest in Arizona)…and it is a cold 34 degrees (maybe less). The elevation plus my current state of lack of physical fitness (and foot issue) meant I would no way do this hike. Mali was not allowed to go which was okay with her as she is recovering from consuming a whole bully stick too quickly while we were in Walmart for ½ hour (won’t do that again…no bully stick babysitters). Today Mali and I walked the area gathering firewood makings, bake brownies from package, cleaned up the rv (desparately needed), cooking, and loading up KONGs with dog Food/freeze for the ride home.

We also hung out soaking up the warm sun.

Melissa and Graham arrived at our boondocking spot…whoopie! Mali will be happy, happy, happy when she finds them in the morning.

David came back a hurting man…high altitude, bum knees, elevation gain, out of shape....moaning.

Yup, I had a great day...lol!

Day 51 - November 21, 2017: Boondocking west of Flagstaff, Az

Day 51, November 21, 2017: Tuesday:

We left Lake Mead’s Boulder Beach campground around 8 am and headed to Kingman, AZ to procure all services (gas, propane, walmart, Chipotle/a nice add on). Then west on I-40 to get to our boondocking spot west of Flagstaff (A1 Mountain Road). We arrived at our boondocking spot around 4 pm…despite it only being around 4 hours drive… Mali set to sniffing the area out for edibles (ugh…to her pretty much everything is edible thanks to her time on the streets).

She has gained 10 lbs. now while on my watch and she needs to drop a couple of pounds (according to me not her). She would like to be chubby. We changed boondocking spots (way less cow poo and less policing my me) a couple of hours after arriving which gave us a chance to explore the area on foot and by jeep. Although there are train tracks just south of route 40, we could only hear minimal rumbles of track noises…thankfully no whistles (whistles during the day). I would stay here again especially in off-season.

Day 50 - November 20, 2017: Boulder Beach BLM Campground Lake Mead

Day 50, November 20, 2017:

Monday: Today is move day. We moved from Las Vegas to Boulder Beach campground for one night. We nabbed a pull through site for quick exit in the morning. Surprisingly there are quite a few rv’s here…thought with thanksgiving weekend looming and it being early in the week, it would be empty…hardly the case. Took a walk down to the water to let Mali chase sticks And get some water time. Relaxing.

Day 46 - 49 - November 16-19, 2017: Las Vegas

Day 46, 47, 48, 49 – November 16, 17, 18, 19 2017 –

Liberty bell arch

Thursday - Sunday: Today after doing all our errands we made our way to son, Graham’s, place in Las Vegas. David was careful to avoid any tickets (Boulder Highway end of month is ticket trap). Socializing for the next few days in las Vegas. Making Ethiopian food. Sushi Hero for all you can eat sushi.

Day 45 - November 15, 2017: Lake Mead exploring

Day 45 – November 15, 2017 – Wednesday:

The jeep took us up a wash to check out The north section of Bowl of Fire at Lake Mead….5.5 or so miles in on dirt and then a quick walk up another wash and over a hill to check it out. Some really cool colors of oranges, pinks. I think Lake Mead is more than just about the lake.
Mali did more stick fetching (which she is really good at) in the water and got more practice swimming (no pfd until we get home). She is cautious but getting more confident. Evening campfire as we still have some wood left.

Crazy dog eyes!

Day 44 - November 14, 2017: Lake Mead

Day 44 – November 14, 2017 – Tuesday:

Sunrise at Lake Mead…very nice. Rv’s dot the landscape with each having a nice amount of space. Cost = free for 14 days and the view and experienceis priceless. You can keep your rv park although I might stop in for a LONG hot shower. Walked the area and Mali got some exercise chasing sticks in the water several times. She won’t yet go in over her head and swim but perhaps with a pfd she will? For a lab she is not water crazy...only goes in after the sticks. David paid his two tickets (boulder highway ticket traps). Mali was barking at what we thought must have been a bird and then her echo…turns out it was a coyote walking along the ridge just up from us. Her tail was wagging…she must have thought it was a dog to play with. Mali’s second time in the water (throwing/fetching sticks), we managed together to swim some (no pfd yet). We went out in the water and lured Her out. Swim therapy? Evening campfire with wood we have been carrying…perfect time for one.

Our great camping spot!

Day 43 - November 13, 2017: To Lake Mead

Day 43 – November 13, 2017 – Monday: In the morning we went out to explore in jeep and see what was on Johnson Canyon Road/North. We didn’t get but a few miles before we saw a young couple with a dead car. We stopped, of course, because It could be awhile before another car passed on this dirt road. As it turned out their GPS directed them this way (hey it was a jeep but not a wrangler) and we’ve been there and done that! Their car just died and they cruised to the side of the road. We met them 3 minutes after they had stopped….very lucky for them. It could well have been at least an hour or hours. They were approximately 14 miles down a dirt road. When the girl mentioned that the car windows wouldn’t go down, David/mr. fix it guestimated that HMMMMM Battery? In short one of the fuses (large 150 amp) was affixed with screws. HOWEVER, being a brand new car, it was clear that one of the Screws was never put on and the rocky road had jiggled loose the one existing screw enough to shut down everything on an electronic car. We followed them out to the main road (about 14 miles) as we were exploring that way anyway. By the time we all arrived at pavement, we were all convinced the screw was indeed it. We said our goodbyes and booked it back to our rv boondocking spot. It was decided that it was time to move on as there wasn’t anything else we had intended to do. On the way out we did find one more place to explore almost to the main road (route 89 near Kanab)…hog and crocodile canyons. AND, AND, AND

Lousy picture of the cowboys/girls...

while we were travelling down South Johnson Canyon Road, we kept dodging cow poo. We found the REAL cowboys and cowgirls right at the intersection of JCR and route 89. They were moving a herd across the highway and a policeman had stopped traffic for them to do that. Truly this is the Wild West...lol! Our destination today after a few errands was Lake Mead. We arrived at sunset and it was quickly getting dark while we tried to find a place to boondock for the next Two to three nights. Mali wanted easy water access so she could chase sticks. It would also help get rid of the dog smell until we can bathe her in a few days. So here we are settle with nice views of Lake Mead and easy access to son’s house in Las Vegas. Mali is happy as she gets to swim tomorrow.

Day 42 - November 12, 2017: Boondocking near Kanab on BLM lands

Day 42 – November 12, 2017 – Sunday:

Lick Wash was our destination today and a much shorter ride from our boondocking spot. A grey day in Utah. We were the only hikers today at Lick Wash and it was Sunday. As far as canyon’s go it was okay and a nice walk…but a wider canyon most of the way. We walked a couple of miles in and decided to retreat. After that we attempted to do a little exploring with jeep but were thwarted by a washed out back road. Back to the rv for dinner and walk “around the block” on atv routes. Our boondocking spot which is on a back dirt road has had only two trucks go by (and that was last night)..not sure where they were going because we didn’t see any campers when we jeeped around. There are ranches around her and free range cattle (which we saw tonight while walking).

Day 41 - November 11, 2017:

Day 41 – November 11, 2017 – Saturday:

The coyote concert was brief and we all fell asleep. 30’s at night currently so we set the heat-on-the wall at the lowest it goes, throw on piles of quilts and SLEEP. Mali and I get up early raise the heat a bit and turn on Mr. Buddy (and vent the rv a bit). Then we prepare
Mali’s breakfast and she is very patient but heaven forbid if you leave it on the counter to start something else. I will know about it as she “grumbles”. Today is canyon day! We explored Willis Creek Canyon…very nice and it was cool in the canyon. Mali appreciated the ice (eating it) on the little stream that ran through the canyon. Any more water and I would have had wet feet. It was a ride….maybe 45 minutes on dirt roads from our boondocking spot to get to the trailhead. Being a Saturday, we were not the only ones there…about 7 cars worth well spaced out.

Day 40 - November 10, 2017: BLM lands near Kanab, Utah

Day 40 – November 10, 2017 –


You can see the back side of Bryce Canyon in the background.


Friday: Moving today…decided not to stay longer at hot spring.  It was grey in Utah..going to find some sun and canyons. Got woken up last night by some hot spring revelers at midnight (and this is out in the middle of nowhere). Mali slept through the revelers and the coyotes singing. Our day ended in a very nice boondocking spot near Kanab, Utah. We are nestled under a large cedar (or is it a juniper?) with an overlook towards Bryce Canyon area.


The wind is whistling and we are up 10 miles up a gravel road and then 3 miles on a dirt road in a spot that just has room for us so we won’t be getting anyone wanting to share the spot. It was Friday afternoon and we still managed to secure this spot…pure luck. The sun is shining and I am happy. Took the jeep out for a spin. By now our NEW jeep looks nothing like new. The dust of the southwest covers the Outside and has made its way nicely to the inside (our feet and four paws). We are REALLY glad we got a cover that seals the whole back from anything any of us can do to it…a very nice accessory.

Day 39 - November 9, 2017: Utah Hot Springs

Day 39 – November 9, 2017 –

 Thursday: Soaking in hot tub, walking via diy hikes.

Day 38 - November 8, 2017: Hot springs in Utah

Day 38 – November 8, 2017 –

Wednesday: This morning we left fairly early to explore another hot spring. Lots of soaking, exploring, walking.

Day 37 - November 7, 2017: Quail Creek State Park

Day 37 – November 7, 2017 – Tuesday:

We selected a spot to boondock via freecampsites.net and left Quail Creek State Park by 10 am to get a spot around Leeds Canyon. Dump at Texaco station corner of route 15 and route 9 (fill it up cheaper than Nevada by 30 cents and you get free dumping). Arriving at Leeds Canyon we find only one site open and it is very unlevel and we really don’t have enough Legos /levelers to level it (and we have a lot). So we decided to try out Red Cliff Recreation Area. That one was a no go access is via a very narrow and questionable height for our rv. Quick decision was made to just go back to Quail Creek State Park…at this point it is about 3 miles away. All in all we went maybe 7 miles up route 15 to get to Leeds. Spent the rest of the day bumming around Quail Creek State Park (walking, letting Mali play in water, etc).

Day 36 - November 6, 2017: Quail Creek State Park, UTAH

Our camping spot at Quail Creek State Park in Utah near Hurricane

Day 36 – November 6, 2017 – Monday: Today is move day and back to civilization day…do errands (propane, dump/water, food shopping, etc). Mali’s paws are giving her troubles one in particular. So for the past two days she has been resting and doing quite well at it considering that normally she is VERY active. So our plans are changing as to where we will spend our next week or so…less hiking for Mali's sake.

We ended the day in Quail Creek State Park in Utah/Hurricane (no dump, no showers...just water). It was a change of plans again. Just for tomorrow night temps are going to be too low if we go north like we intended (like in the teens). After that they are low 30’s or high 20’s…very doable. Mali seems to be doing better with a couple of days off her paws. In fact she was pretty nuts/crazy tonight when we let her out of the rv because we had a cement pad (yay no more rough gravel surface)…she played ball, frisbee trying to chew it and tug. We took her down to the water and she readily went into the water on her own and threatening to take me/Donna with her.

Day 35 - November 5, 2017: Gold Butte, NV

Day 35 – November 5, 2017 – Gold Butte, NV

Mali loves camping but she sure wish
that she wasn't tied up!

Sunday: Graham brought us GUNS to do practice shooting. I thought it might be a useful skill. So out in the boonies of Nevada, I shot a 22 rifle. Hit the target 20 out of 25 times (with a prop to hold gun steady…shoulder issue). He also brought a 380, shot gun, 9mm. I did not do those. I was busy keeping Mali company while she was spooked by the guns. Graham and Melissa went home to the work week grind. We stayed another night and took a short drive further up the hill towards Arizona. I took a walk across the way to check out some red rocks off in the distance.