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).
