A Few of My Favorite Things

 Beach or pool? Shade or sun? Decisions, decisions

Shades of aquamarine teal azure sky-blue filling my view

Soothing Swedish massage

Sunrise yoga on the beach

Lace-edged waves swirling on the shore

Energizing walks along the beach

Scuba-diving husbands, sun-worshipping wives

Free night hotel stay thanks to Mike's abundant travels

Breakfasts at Coconut Joe's

Visit to Turtle Farm aka Turtle Prison

Warm sun, cool breezes

Coconut scent of suntan lotion

Pirate Week on the Island

Gazing at the super moon through palm trees

Sky-on-fire sunset with pirate ship silhouette

Sightings of iguanas, turtles, roosters, chickens, chicks, lizards, sand crab, fish

Catching up with fantastic buddy family friends

Feeling grateful and blessed and less-stressed

These are a few of my favorite things from our week on Grand Cayman Island.

RV Roadtrip - Fall Version

It had been almost two months since we returned home in August from our first big RV trip. The road was beckoning us to seek out some pretty fall foliage, find a college football game, and frolic with some friends. Our 11-day, early-October trip fulfilled the mission.

It felt good to be on the road again and I was inspired to post some observations about our latest adventure.

First stop, near Hattiesburg, Mississippi

I found myself not snapping as many photos this time. It was as if the newness of RV travel had worn off and I could just relax and enjoy the journey.

The autumn season meant it got dark earlier than on our summer trip, necessitating dinner inside the RV. That was not as much fun as eating outside but it's nice to be able to see your food. Plus it's a little easier than lugging everything outside and then back in again.

This time we used a special GPS navigator for RVs. It interfaces with a Good Sam app that contains our route and campground stops. Last time we used up a lot of data running map apps on our phones. We still have our road atlas but you can't zoom in on a paper map. Also, Chris seems to like verbal driving instructions -- so long as they're not from me! The GPS announces when we cross a state line, upcoming curves, and gives a warning when our speed exceeds 9 mph over the speed limit. (Heard that one a few times!)

We usually were on the road for about five hours a day. I would pack a lunch in the morning so we could have a quick picnic break at rest stops. It took me back to all the school lunches I made for the kids over the years, and now here I am back to making lunches, but for me and Chris this time.

We chuckled at how our 11-year-old golden retriever, Ginger, could barely make it up the steps to enter the RV but she had no problem jumping up on the couch or driver's seat where she is not allowed. 

When we needed to shop for some supplies, Walmart was the obvious choice with its huge parking lot that welcomes RVs. We parked far away from the store where there was plenty of room and near some other very nice looking RVs. Also parked nearby was a well-worn car which appeared to have a woman living in it. Boy did that make me feel guilty. Living in an RV is a much different situation than having to live in your car.

We traversed through nine states over eleven days:

• Texas
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Alabama
• Tennessee
• Kentucky
• Illinois
• Missouri
• Arkansas

Here are some highlights of each stop:

Hattiesburg, Mississippi - Okatoma Resort & RV Park - We enjoyed catching up with Chris's college roommate and his wife, Julian and Melissa, who joined us for dinner at our campsite. We were right on a lake but dogs were not allowed to swim in it due to lots of fish hooks in it. Sorry Jack and Ginger!

Decatur, Alabama - Point Mallard Campground - This place had lots of permanent residents with cool Halloween decorations displayed. We took the dogs on a nice hiking trail by a nearby golf course; they slept well that night.

Nashville, Tennessee - Two Rivers Campground - We were right up the road from Opryland where the Grand Ole Opry is now located. There were lots of hotels in the area and three RV parks: tourist city! A free shuttle bus runs from the RV park to Opryland. I'd love to come back sometime and go to a concert. We rented a car and had dinner with Lexi at The Whiskey Kitchen near Vanderbilt. So wonderful to visit with her.

Nashville

Frankfort, Kentucky - Elkhorn Campground - We got to host Lexi and Max as our guests in our RV for two nights here. We all went to the Vanderbilt football game against University of Kentucky in Lexington. Afterwards we had pizza delivered to the RV park but I had to meet the delivery guy at the entrance. He couldn't find a place on his computer screen to enter our site number. This campground was quite child-friendly with a mini-golf course and a Halloween party. We opted to build a campfire that night. Leave it to Lexi and Max to find an electrical outlet in the RV that we didn't know about. Gotta charge those phones you know!

Nashville, Tennessee - We returned to the same campground for one night. This time there was live music in the evening; of course, it's Nashville! Our next-door neighbors had Texas license plates. Turns out they were from San Antonio, with a kid living in the Houston Heights. Small world.

Cape Girardeau, Missouri - The Landing Point RV Park - We took the dogs down to the creek right behind our site, they loved it. Jack cutely dunked his face in the water, trying to catch minnows or maybe crawfish? 

 We could hear church bells tolling and playing songs -- very pleasant. Chris got a good nap in but suffered with a crick in his neck the next day.

Naptime

Camdenton, Missouri - Here we stayed with our friends Kenton and Jackie at their awesome lake cabin. We were able to park Thor in front of the house where he just fit perfectly.

The guys had a blast jet-skiing on smooth as glass water. We boated over to a restaurant for dinner one night. We visited Ha Ha Tonkin State Park on a beautiful fall day and saw springs and ruins of a castle. The weather turned cold our last night there so Kenton got to build a roaring fire in the fireplace. It was a fitting end to their enjoyable summer at the cabin. What a great time we had visiting with these guys.

Hot Springs, Arkansas - Catherine's Landing - One more stop on our way home. Paid a little more for a waterfront site which was very nice. It really felt like winter was on its way with temps in the 40s and 50s. The nice thing about the cooler weather was no bugs splattered on our giant windshield!

Near Hot Springs, Arkansas

We made it back home to hot humid Houston where fall seems to have disappeared. It was nice while it lasted.

On the Road to Texas

Quanah, Texas

Today is the day we returned to Texas. Our route brought us back to the same interstate we were on when we left Texas, 49 days ago. We passed through Santa Rosa, New Mexico, where we had spent our first night on this seven-week trip. Memories already!

Today our gas mileage reached almost 11 miles per gallon. It's probably due to the long flat stretches of road and cruise control. It doesn't sound like much but it sure beats the 8 mpg we usually get. Strange to be excited about attaining a whopping 11 mpg.

It feels like we know so much more now about this form of travel:

• Chris has figured out how to turn off the clock display on the rear camera video screen, giving him a better view of traffic behind him.

• We've stopped using the child gate to keep the dogs in the back; they just know to stay back there now.

• We've learned you can use the bathroom while we're moving if you really have to.

• Chris now flashes his lights at truck drivers to signal when it's safe for them to pull in front, and they signal back.

• We now bungee cord the refrigerator doors closed as they have flown open a few times on some of Chris's crazy fast turns.

• I no longer physically lean over when we are passing close by something; apparently it doesn't help.

• We've learned the house heater can run off either propane or electricity. Wish we had known that sooner instead of using up our propane instead of the free campground electricity.

• The vehicle towed behind a motorhome is known as a "toad".

Shortly after we entered Texas, there was a huge spread of those giant wind turbines. Even more than we had seen in Wyoming and Oregon. I didn't remember seeing so many the first time we passed this way.

Texas Panhandle wind turbines

Tonight is our 12th campsite while living in our RV for the last 3 1/2 weeks. We are near Childress in the Texas panhandle. The office for this RV Park is an old cotton gin. 

Ole Town Cotton Gin RV Park

As we spend our last night on the road in our house on wheels, I have to testify that the saying on my shirt is indeed true:

Home is Where You Park It

On the Road to New Mexico

Santa Fe KOA Campground

We're getting closer to home now, as we headed south some more from Colorado to New Mexico. Passed close by Taos, New Mexico, where we skied once, long ago. Went through Santa Fe where the kids skied their first time.

We had a day to hang out since we were spending two nights here. The campground was 14 miles from the historic downtown of Santa Fe. Too far to bike, taxi would've been $50 one-way. Rental car places weren't open on the weekend. We even checked uber but it was not available. So we settled in for a day of sitting outdoors, enjoying the nice weather. Chris turned on the Astros game on the outside TV.

Just then, our luck changed. New neighbors pulled in to the space next door. We got to chatting with them as they set up their fifth wheel. When they asked if we had been into Santa Fe yet, we explained our situation of having no car. Without hesitation they invited us to ride in with them as they were planning on going anyway. We somewhat hesitantly accepted, thinking we could just bail out and taxi back if we wanted. Well we ended up having a nice lunch together and a walk around the plaza and a pleasant time with them. Plus it was nice having someone to take pictures of us.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

That evening, after a heavy rainstorm had passed on, we sat outside for our last chilly night before heading into the warmer Texas weather the next day. Chris got a nice campfire going (eventually 😊) and we had the Olympics on the outside TV.

This was the night that Michael Phelps swam possibly his last race and earned his 23rd gold medal. Also, Simone Manuel from the Houston area swam for the USA gold in the relay. Simone's dad is with Shell. It was an exciting night of hearing our national anthem several times. I realized this would be one of those times that you always remember where you were when you were watching the 2016 Summer Olympics.

On the Road - River View to Royal View

Royal View Campground - Canon City, Colorado 

We had two more nights in Colorado as we continued our journey south. Driving through Denver, we noted we hadn't seen a city skyline since Seattle.

Denver, Colorado Skyline

Last night we were at River View RV Park; tonight Royal View. This campground has a distant view of the Royal Gorge Bridge, one of the world's highest suspension bridges, built in 1929. We had been to the bridge when the kids were young.

Royal Gorge Bridge from realcoloradotravel.com

View of Royal Gorge Bridge from RV Park

I've noticed that the town markers on the highways in Colorado give the city's elevation instead of its population. There's a "high" joke here somewhere; I'll let you come up with it.

The weather continues to get warmer but it's a "dry heat" so it's not unbearable. Our site is on the end so we have an open view which is nice. We can't pick up a satellite signal here or any local channels and the wifi is weak, so it's a good thing we have a pleasant place to sit outside. Once again, the nighttime stars put on an amazing show.

Our Campsite

There's not much to do here so we soaked up some sun at the pool in the RV park. The pool water was cold but it was refreshing. We cleaned up the RV a bit as it is showing some grime after three weeks of living in it. It's so nice to be able to do laundry in our own onboard washer and dryer.

Moon over Canon City

There were lots of hummingbirds, lizards, beetles, and a little bit of cactus here. There was rain, wind, clouds, and sun all within an hour. 

We discovered a clever feature: when the side awning of the RV is out and it gets too windy, the awning automatically retracts to save it from wind damage. It's all about adapting to the changing conditions I guess.

On the Road - Colorado Here We Come

Riverview RV Park - Loveland, Colorado 

From Wyoming, we headed south to Colorado. Nice short drive today: 1 1/2 hours.

Leaving Wyoming, we passed a stand of evergreen trees planted in rows. A sign said it was a Living Snow Fence. What a neat idea to use trees to hold back snow from the highway. When I later saw this row of trees in Colorado I knew what it was:

Living Snow Fence

As soon as we entered Colorado, there seemed to be more trees and hills. We saw interesting rock formations, some rocks precariously balanced on others.

Our campsite for these two nights backed right up to Big Thompson River. The dogs swam in the river and then got very muddy as the whole place was like a dust bowl. We'll be cleaning dirt from the inside of the RV for awhile. 

Our next-door campers were from Kansas; just like us they were escaping the heat. The weather made it into the 80s but cooled down in the evenings.

We got to visit with another friend from the old Shell days. Mark was kind enough to come pick us up and take us to see his fantastic home in the mountains overlooking Boulder. He and his wife also showed us the neat downtown Boulder area where we had a nice dinner. It was great catching up with them. 

We borrowed Mark's car to drive to Rocky Mountain National Park, about an hour away. More amazing scenery!

Rocky Mountain National Park

In one day we had these animal sightings:

In Rocky Mountain National Park:

• Elk (a herd grazing below us in a meadow)
• Marmot (a large squirrel)
• Chipmunks

From the side of a highway where some people had pulled over to look:

• Bighorn sheep (a herd of about 20)

Across the river from our campsite:

• Rooster
• Cattle (a herd being driven along)

Walking the dogs around the RV Park:

• Snake (Chris nearly stepped on it, but it was probably dead as it didn't move)

Cattle drive across the river from us

We went back a second day to explore Rocky Mountain National Park, this time leaving early in the morning, hoping to beat the crowds. We arrived at 9 am and it was already crowded. This national park was the third most-visited last year. We hiked by four lakes: Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake. All were spectacular.

At Emerald Lake, lots of hikers were sitting around, enjoying the view, maybe lunching, perhaps basking in the success of reaching the end of the 1.8 mile uphill trail. We had some entertainment when a hiker stripped down to his underwear and, with encouragement from the crowd, plunged into the icy cold water. He received a round of applause. Then a yodeler serenaded us. More applause. 

Emerald Lake

We had time, and just barely enough energy, to also hike to Alberta Falls. It was well worth the climb. 

Alberta Falls

I learned something new. Some hikers had large, rectangular, folded pads strapped to their backs. I thought it was a new kind of backpack, like a mattress with belongings folded up in it. Silly me. They were crash pads that cushion rock climbers' falls. I embarrassingly learned this when I asked one of the hikers if it was a new type of backpack. 

While we were at the park, a windshield repairman came to the RV park and fixed the chip in our windshield. Good feeling to get that done. 

It was also a good feeling to have hiked about 8 miles and to have experienced such natural beauty. We were definitely tired that night. 

On the Road - Utah to Wyoming

KOA Campground - Laramie, Wyoming 

Today's tour of states took us through a little bit of Utah and a lot of Wyoming. I saw many tall, skinny, white steeples when we passed by Brigham City, no surprise I guess. My ears started popping as we traversed through the mountains.

 

With the mountains come the pretty mountain streams. It's cool when the highway meanders right next to a rock-laden, swiftly-flowing creek. I imagine travelers from long ago carving out a trail along the stream as it cut a natural path through the mountain passes, and over time the trail became a highway. I saw some white-water rafters floating along. 

We drove right by a neat rock formation called Devils Slide. I didn't get a picture but here's one from the Internet:

Devils Slide, Utah

When we entered Wyoming, all of a sudden it seemed like billboards appeared. Also, wide open spaces. 

With such amazing, expansive views, I'm bummed that the splattered bugs on the windshield mar my photos. We saw spectacular scenery around Green River and Rock Springs in the southern part of Wyoming.

Big gusts of wind on the highway were scary while driving through the Great Divide Basin near the Continental Divide. It was not the most pleasant drive today, especially towards the end with the constant, strong wind. And I wasn't even driving.

We saw more wind turbines near Laramie, and these were moving really fast.

I learned about snow fences, which I had never seen. They are fences positioned to collect snow into drifts to keep it from blowing across the highway. I'm glad we are here in the summertime. 

At the Laramie KOA campground, we had access to wifi; our last two stops did not have it. So we spent time catching up and I was able to publish some blog posts. We also rode our bikes into the cute, western-themed, downtown Laramie and had lunch. It was a cold miserable ride back to the RV in pelting rain. We made use of our "fireplace" to warm up. Then the rain quit, the sun came out, the wind died down, and it was perfectly pleasant. Lucky for the dogs, since they got to go for a walk and take a dip in the Laramie River which was close by. 

This was the first time that we didn't spend any time at all sitting outside at our campsite. The first night it was too windy. The second night it was too wet, plus there was hardly any room between us and the giant RV next to us. So we hung out inside and watched the Olympics. 

Overall, our visit in Wyoming was good. We got to see an interesting variety of scenery and weather.