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Southwest Adventure

Mick'nSarah

Mick'nSarah

Junior Ranger
Hi All!

The Lad and I just got back from our big adventure with Lena and Katie. We left them on Saturday morning, bright and early, and high-tailed it north to get back to Mick (and cooler temps) with a quick overnight in Boise. I will write more about it later after I finish a hundred tons of laundry and catch up on my chores and rest. Eventually the dog will stop following me around (I gained a shadow as soon as we pulled up...she missed her mama, I guess).

Quick highlights:
3 weeks and 1 day on the road
9 states (8 if you don't count us going into Utah twice at different points)
7 National Parks
4087.6 miles total (one of these days I will get my long haul)
1 isolater bypassed in Hurricane, UT as it wouldn't charge from the car (that is getting fixed soon)
2 wheel bearings repacked near Flagstaff, AZ
2 calls to Craig for problem solving help (thanks so much Craig, and so sorry to bother you!)
1 near death experience with a guy passing in a no passing area and headed straight for us, forcing me off into the sage brush (no shoulder on that road)
My favorite sandals broke
7 Jr. ranger badges earned, plus one special patch for the Grand Canyon Discovery Pack
1 sunburn
Temps as high as 108 (Ashewolf's advice rang through my head the whole time, "Drink water like it's your job!")
1 awesome rope swing into the Merced River
Lots of Lizards
Even more mosquito bites
Super amazing sights
Even more amazing storms (we get rain, but we don't get thunder and lightening and that was something)
A few amazing rainbows
Tons and tons of whining...I mean fun! (just kidding, but not really)

In all honesty, it was a blast and we really enjoyed and appreciated Lena and Katie sharing the adventure.

Jim and Sue, so sorry we missed you on our way through. It would have been awesome to have met you!

Good night for now!
 
Wow!! I just love hearing about the memories you are giving the little guy. Some day he will stop the whining and really appreciate all the time you have spent with him. Meanwhile just smile and go on. I'm waiting to hear more about your adventure.
 
Been thinking about you all the whole time you've been off the forum!!
Glad you are home.
Start thinking about the next "big adventure"...
 
So, the trip went like this:

6/21 (Sat) - We decided on a late start as we were just driving to Valley of the Rogue State Park in Southern Oregon. It was about 4.5 hours away from PDX. We wanted the extra time with Mick since he had been away in the week and had returned Friday night. Got to the SP, made a bit of dinner, then broke out the bikes for a nice bike ride along their paved bike path. Hit the pillow early since the drive the next day would be longer.

6/22 (Sun) - traveled to Plymouth, CA to stay with friends. They threw us a nice big dinner and other friends came out as well. It was great.

6/23 (Mon) - Stayed in Plymouth that night but spent the day exploring Gold Rush country. Checked out the Black Chasm Cave which was very interesting (near Volcano, CA) and bought a bag of sand to try our hand at the Sluice Box. Lots of fun.

6/24 (Tues) - Decided we would head to the Bay Area and stay with another friend, and also have dinner with Mick, as he was down in business. Had a liesurely morning in Plymouth, then set out with a stop in Sacramento to visit the California Railroad Museum, which was really amazing. I had no idea it is actually a California State Park! The Lad loved it! After that, we headed towards Freemont, just in time to get stuck in Rush Hour. People were very nice about an Oregonian pulling a trailer and not knowing which lane she needed. Had a lovely evening.

6/25 (Wed) - Got up and had a good clean up and breakfast before meeting up with L & K. Ran a couple of errands before making our way to Yosemite. We got in around dinner time and pretty much set up camp and relaxed. L & K were at a different campground, but were able to move in with us the next day. We stayed at the Wawona Campground, and really enjoyed it.

6/26 (Thurs) - We headed to the visitor center in Wawona to get the Jr. Ranger packets, a new friend for the Lad to sleep with (since we forgot his at home, which is a truly tragic thing) and to get our bearings. We also learned it was Yosemite's 150th year, and the place, come the weekend, would be a mad house. After, we headed up to Mariposa Grove on the Shuttle and enjoyed a 2.5 mile hike through the giant Sequoias. They have become my favorite tree, because they are truly incredible. We headed back for dinner, and enjoyed watching bats fly all over camp eating the Mosquitos. We cheered them on as we scratched and scratched.

6/27 (Fri) - we started the morning in Yosemite with a visit to the Pioneer Open Air Museum. We got to see "Olde Time" blacksmithing and modern day hot shoeing and we rode the Stage coach (which I highly recommend, the driver has been with the NPS for over 30 years and is a wonderful storyteller). After our lunch on the porch, we hopped in the car and went up Glacier Road for a hike to the top of Sentinal Dome. When it comes to "Bang for your Buck" this is the place to go. The hike is 2.2 round trip and gives you full views of the entire valley and beyond. Just awesome. They kids loved it too, because they felt like they were on top of the world!

More in a bit. Need to take the lad to violin.
 
Hi!

I love reading about travel adventures and I am glad you are sharing yours! Thanks! Sounds like Yosemite was awesome -- we haven't been there and it is on our list. We have spent time among the Sequoia trees at Sequoia NP -- and they are, well, I don't know the word...amazing? Look forward to your next installment!

Best,
Diane
 
Thank you Alan and Susan for all of your thoughts while we were traveling. I really appreciate them! I am sure it helped on a couple of my more challenging days.

Diane, thanks! We are a younger 3 people with a teardrop so our adventures are a little different than most. We are about 20 years from retirement and have a younger kid, so our trips have a different focus right now. This trip was super fun having traveling buddies. Normally I take the Lad out for a Roadtrip each summer to different places just the two of us. The first year was the Redwoods and Oregon Coast. Last year was Yellowstone and Grand Teton. This year was the southwest with Valley of the Rouge SP (Oregon), Yosemite, Kershaw Ryan SP (Nevada), Zion, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Canyonlands and Arches. I just realized I miscounted my National Parks. We had intended to do Great Basin too, but changed plans at the last minute. Maybe that is the extra one I was thinking of. Oops! We just got the bugs and cottonwood sap washed off Snowy (my truck) and .e (my trailer) today. They both deserved a good wash. We head to the coast for a bit more camping on Thursday. I have a few more trips in mind for summer, but nothing on the books yet. Hoping to finish the laundry and cleaning tomorrow! Oh, and Yosemite, Zion, and Mesa Verde were my favorites and I can't wait to get back to explore. Will try for spring or fall next time to beat the heat though! Next year will be Banff and Glacier, along with some BC/Alberta activities.
 
6/28 (Sat) - knowing things were going to get crazy on Sunday with celebration, we headed into the Valley on Saturday. Our first stop was the parking lot and then the Visitor's center. We had a quick look around before taking the shuttle up to the Nature Center for a Jr. Ranger walk, which was very good. It really kept the kids interested, which was awesome. They finished their requirements with that and got their first badges of the trip. We had a look around the Nature Center before heading out to the shuttle to head back to the Visitor center area. We had lunch and went to the art center for a "Crafts for Kids" session. It was great! We paid $5/kid and they got to make a mobile and do some beading which they both enjoyed. We thane headed to the Miwok replica village and checked out the Indian Museum. Both were fantastic. Since the were no showers in our area, we made sure to get showers and do laundry that night and grabbed quick dinner before getting back to Wawona Campground.

6/30 (Sun) - It was recommended that we leave Yosemite if we don't appreciate crowds, so we decided it would be a great day to sleep in and then head out of the park to check out the Yosemite Sugar Pine Railroad. It was fun, although the kids were hoping we went a little quicker. The engine is an original engine used during the logging days and runs on a narrow gauge track. It was fun. After the kids learned to pan for gold before we headed to Oakhurst (the closest biggish town) for groceries, fuel and ice cream.

7/1 (Mon) - As we were to leave the next day, and it was going to be a long day in the car, we decided to have a recovery day. We hung out at the campground, slept in, organized and cleaned, swam in the river, and turned in early to prepare for our drive.

7/2 (Tues) - got up early and did the drive through Yosemite, and into Nevada. We drove on the Grand Army of the Republic Hwy, the Extraterrestrial Hwy, and some others I have lost track of. Parts of Nevada are very very lonely, but their open range signs show cows that seem a little friskier than most other signs I have seen! It was on this drive I realized my trailer batteries were not charging, which explained why I was running so low during our stay in Yosemite. During a fuel stop I had a long chat with Mick about fuses and connections and isolators and bad chargers. We befriended a very nice lady named Colleen, who's husband sold RVs for 30 years strangely enough, recommended I call Nielson RV in Hurricane, UT on our way to Zion. We continued our drive and I called Craig for further suggestions and problem solving. We made it to Kershaw Ryan State Park, which was an awesome oasis in a canyon, next to a field in a town called a alienate, NV, in the middle of nowhere. The campground was clean and basic and $17/night for non-residents, but their day-use area was incredible. Wading pool and play structure for the kids, beautiful BBQ/outdoor kitchen area, rose garden, volleyball court, horseshoes and hiking. It was 103 when we pulled in and it was much cooler up there. The rangers really couldn't have been nicer people. If we find ourselves out there, we would stop again (in Spring or fall!). We had a most amazing storm that night. Our first taste of SW Thunder and lightening. We get a lot of rain, but not T&L, so that can be a little scary. The cows in the field weren't happy about it either.

7/2 (Wed) - Got up a little later than before for a rest since our drive was shorter this day. Got packed up and headed to Hurricane to get the trailer fixed and to find some cool place to relax a bit. When I called Nielsens, they couldn't get me in, so referred me to a shop next door. We determined my isolator had gone out, so we had them bypass it (meaning I had to be super careful to unplug the car from the trailer if we were parked, not ideal, but doable). We had some cool playtime at a McOffice and ice cream before getting back in the car and heading to our campground (Watchman) at Zion. It was amazing, and I would love to go back in the spring or fall. We got set up and then ran to catch the shuttle up to the lodge for an evening ranger talk.

7/3 (Thurs) - we got up early so we could take the shuttle up to the lodge where we got off for the Emerald Pool hike. We thought about just going to the lower pool then coming back to take the shuttle further up the valley, but the kids decided they wanted to go to the top. It was beautiful up there. We started back down, and the heat started getting to me. We sat and have a snack lunch at the lodge and finished the work in the Jr. ranger books so we could hop the shuttle and head back to the visitors center to get the badges. We only got to see a small amount of this park, but what I saw makes me want to return. Around 2:00 we got back in the car and the temps were topping at 108. We started our drive to the Grand Canyon, and it would be the drive would never forget. I missed a turn which lead us to travel 89A on our way. I also decided not to stop at a view point. I was considering, which put me on the road at the same time an oncoming driver made a very poor choice in passing a semi, in a no-passing zone for him. I came over a slight hill and realized I had headlights pointed straight for me. I hit the brakes to try and slow as much as possible before taking us down a slight embankment and into the juniper scrub. Lena thought the guy was still in my lane when he went by me, but was able to get back to his lane before he got to her (thank the heavens) we all walked away fine, but when we got to the Mather Campground at the Grand Canyon I was smelling burning oil and the passenger side wheel on the trailer was burning hot. Mick speculates I threw the bearing off slightly when I went off the road. After a panicked call to Mick (for a second time that day) I decided it best to tackle the issue the next morning after a little rest. I was completely and totally emotionally spent. I was no longer feeling like the strong woman I normally do.

7/4 (Fri) - Called Craig for the second time to trouble shoot the wheel. A very nice man in the campsite across from us came to double check my work before his wife called him back to make breakfast. We all decided it best to make some calls and see if I could get it looked at. Got an appointment with a Truck Repair place just outside of Flagstaff for the next day. We spent the rest of the day recovering, getting showers and laundry done. Did some grocery shopping (they have a surprisingly good and reasonable (for a NP) grocery store. Headed up to the visitors center to get our bearings and to check things out. Then headed back to camp for a relaxing dinner and movie night.

7/5 (Sat) - limped to Flagstaff stopping every 5-10 miles to check the wheel. It warmed up quick then started getting cooler, which was odd. Got to the Bellemont Truck Repair and had both bearings repacked. Nice people and was grateful they got us in. Headed to one of the newest REIs to get new sandals and shoes for 2 of us, and new socks for one of us, had some lunch, grabbed a few groceries they didn't have at the NP, then headed back up to camp for an early night.

Speaking of turning in, it is time. Final installment will come tomorrow.

Good night all!
 
Final installment!

7/6 (Sun) - We got up early to make the most of our day of exploration. We borrowed the Discovery Pack from the Visitor's Center and set out for the South Kaibab trail. We did the hike to Ooh Aah Point and were able to marvel at the Trail Maintenance workers as they labored away on the side of the canyon in the heat. I am so grateful for these folks. After our morning there, we headed back to the trailers for a quick lunch before heading over to the El Tovar for a Jr. Ranger chat about Critters. It was awesome! The Ranger was the former principal at the Grand Canyon school and the kids were captivated. He had memorized a book he sang to them as he showed the pictures and we learned all sorts of really cool things about all of the crazy squirrels in the GC.

I will say, having stayed at Mather Campground, that it is massive and I have never heard so many car alarms (I assume this is because of the number of rental cars). I also found it to just be really loud in general. The location is rather convenient, but if we go back, I will probably look at trying to stay at Desert View Campground instead. A quick drive through, due to another wrong turn, gave us a quick tour and it seemed quieter. Mather had nice big spots, but people were constantly walking through our site, which was a little annoying (right next to the trailer too).

7/7 (Mon) - Travel day. Got up and started our travels to Cortez, CO so we could see Mesa Verde. Along the way, we stopped at Four Corners and took our pictures. We peruse the stalls and enjoyed some lemonade and fry-bread before getting back in the car for the rest of the trip that day. We made it to the A&A RV park. First impressions had us a little worried, but it ended up being a great place. The kids loved the mini-golf! Once we dropped anchor we headed to the Visitor's Center, which was pretty much across the highway. Some places the rangers are more helpful, and other places less so. This was a less so place, even though the visitor's center was amazing. We were able to schedule a tour for the next day and started getting our bearings. This is one place I was super excited to see.

7/8 (Tues) - got our early to drop trailers off a the Trailer lot so we could make the drive into the park. We headed straight to Balcony House, which was the tour we chose. If we had been there longer, we would have done the Cliff Palace tour too. The Balcony House was amazing and to stand where the pueblo an people had 700+ years ago was awe-some! The kids really enjoyed it and learned as much (or more) than we did. We did a driving tour and checked out the museum before heading back to the trailers for a quick lunch. We hitched back up and started our drive to Moab. Checked in at Canyonlands Campground.

7/9 (Wed) - We had been going pretty hard for a couple of days and everyone needed a recovery day, so we stuck close to camp. We went swimming, headed up to the Moab Brewery for some delicious gelato, and I ran up to the Arches Visitor's Center so we could plan the next few days.

7/10 (Thurs) - We got up really early and headed to Canyonlands NP. We were rewarded with an amazing double rainbow, and 2 hikes before it got super hot. The 3rd was warm, but worth it as it was to Mesa Arch. We went to the visitor's center to get out of the heat a bit and the kids earned their badges.

7/11 (Fri) - Headed to Arches relatively early and hiked Park Avenue, which was wonderful because it was in the shade. Headed out and did Double Arch, which the kids love due to all of the climbing they were able to do. Had some time at the Visitors Center, then headed back for rest, dinner at the Brewery, and swimming.

7/12 (Sat) - the Lad and I got up early and started our long drive to Boise. We pulled into the KOA, which had really nice people, but I was happy to be there only one night. Had some time with friends and enjoyed an evening in Eagle, ID at their Eagle Fun Night.

7/13 (Sun) - Did the drive home and enjoyed sleeping in our own beds, sushi dinner, and time with Mick. I also enjoyed the 69 degree day and rain! Best welcome home gift ever!
 
Only if you will fit in one of the bunks! ;)

We love traveling with folks so keep us posted and maybe we can camp together one day. Would be lovely to meet you!
 
Great read Sarah, thanks for all your posts! I'm curious, did you make reservations in advance and if so how far in advance. I bet you got a few more destination pins for your galley and I guess your travel companion didn't keep asking you if Katie would be there because of course she would be. Glad to hear you made it home safe, enjoy the cool temps here in the great PNW!

Michael
 
Thanks Michael!

The Lad never asked if Katie was going to be there. A little bit those first few nights about when she would be there, but otherwise, you are correct.

I did get 6 new medallions for the galley (Zion's was my favorite...a beautiful elk).

As to reservations, we did make them. We started with the Yosemite ones in February (I think, or maybe it was January?). They are tricky. Lena ended up with a different campground because she had a computer glitch and in the 3 minutes it took her to hit the submit button all campsites at Wawona were gone. It was shocking. The others we made 3-4 months out. The one place with no reservations was Kershaw Ryan in Nevada, but we didn't really need to worry. They said very few people camp there in the summer because it is too hot. There was one other site occupied.
 
We've never been to Oregon, so perhaps we will meet up there or elsewhere! We would enjoy meeting you as well!

Diane
 
Had to book Yosemite that far in advance huh, WOW! Popular place. Been only once in early May I believe, and it was fullish but certainly not over run. I'm curious if the Dometic cover helped you save amps? Worth the money, yes or no?

Michael
 
In all honesty, I don't know that I can actually answer that. Our temps were so high, and I have never camped in those types of conditions. Did it help? Maybe, but we were in 108 at our highest, it was 105 in the shade in Yosemite, average was 100 I would guess. Based on that it ran like crazy. Also, with the isolator going out and needing bypassing, I turned up the temp on the fridge a bit more than usual so it wouldn't run quite so much. I usually keep it at 27 degrees, but had it up to 35.

The bookings in the summer were crazy. We were warned by the reservation people I called and took the advice she gave. Get logged in early, get the page open for the site you want, when the clock hits 7:00, push submit. Don't do it before or you will lose the spot. Wawona felt like a regular campground and seeing the people packed into the Valley, I was really happy we were only in the valley to visit. I think outside of the summer months when the majority of folks are coming through the gates, you don't have to worry so much. We are just on the same schedule as everyone now with the school schedules and such. Plus, we didn't know about the 150th year celebration of the Yosemite Grant until we got the and were warned about the crowds.
 
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