Month: August 2018

August was all about the journey home from Alaska. We started August in Beaver Creek YT at the Discovery Yukon Lodge. We didn’t come straight home, instead choosing to return back through Jasper/Banff Canadian National Parks, North and South Dakota, and Rocky Mountain National Park. Below is our August route.

I don’t have the words to express what an amazing experience the last 7 months has been. We left home on 28 January of this year and have traveled over 14000 miles in the coach. We visited every Western state in the lower 48, Alaska, British Columbia, Yukon Territories, and Alberta. We visited around 19 US National Parks and 2 Canadian National Parks. We visited many more historic, scenic, and amazing locations. One of the unusual observations is that experiences from as little as a month ago seem like they happened years ago. Each week of this trip contained as many experiences as usually happened in a whole year before this trip. With 30 weeks of adventures we’ve experienced 30 years of vacations! Not once did we regret our decision to take on this trip and we are positive we will feel like traveling by the time our laundry is clean at home. One question that inevitably comes up is “What was your favorite place?” It is nearly impossible to answer that question. We loved so many of the places we visited but for different reasons. Some of our favorite highlights include:

• San Diego/Chula Vista CA – The weather is great and there are so many things to see and do. We could easily spend months here.
• San Lous Obispo – Really neat towns, beautiful beaches, nearby wildlife and hilly/semi-mountainous terrain. A really comfortable place to hang out with easy access to the ocean.
• Giant Redwoods – You can experience these forests from several places in California. Visiting these forests is a very spiritual experience for us. The hikes there will remain some of the most cherished of any we have experienced. Visit these sometime in your life if you can.
• Bend Oregon – If it were closer I would consider moving here permanently. The town is really neat and the surrounding mountain wilderness areas are some of the most beautiful anywhere. The ocean is only about 1 ½ hour away.
• Oregon Coast – The coastline here provides some of the most dramatic coastal scenery you will find anywhere. This same beauty continues all the way up to Olympic National Park in Washington. We absolutely loved it.
• Port Angeles WA – On the edge of Olympic National Park, ocean views, and a short ferry ride to Victoria British Columbia. The town has a great port feel and great weather. Not far from Seattle if you need big town resources. This is another place we could live if not so far from family.
• Kenai Peninsula in Alaska – Stunning scenery everywhere. We are not sportsman but you can’t help but be taken in by the abundance of sportsman activities and wonderful wildlife. Everyone should plan to experience Alaska some time in their life. In Alaska you can still see “real” wild areas that are rare to find anywhere in the world.
• Mount Ranier, Olympic, Glacier, Jasper, Banff – If you love mountains as we do, all of these are amazing. We are so privileged to have experienced them. The richness of your experience will vary somewhat with the crowds, time of year, and where you stay. We only take short easy hikes but these all beg for longer hikes if you are able.
• Colorado Rocky Mountains – Ok this is a big area, but it feels like home to us. The scenery in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Springs, and many other places we didn’t visit on this trip compare to the “Great” national parks. We are still considering a retirement home here.

I’m sure we left out many other fantastic locations that are wonderful in their own right. We simply can’t choose a favorite. We wouldn’t trade our experience in any one place for another. This trip touched on so many of the places we had dreamed of visiting. We hope our blog will help you find places for you to dream of. I don’t know if and when we will re-visit any of these again because we still have a long list of places to visit both in North America and abroad. We don’t know how many new places we will have time or money to visit and that isn’t the point. For us the point is to enjoy the memories we have been blessed with and then add experiences when the opportunities present themselves.

We are excited about being home but also anxious to be resuming home responsibilities like fixing broken vehicles, house maintenance, etc. We still love Texas and McKinney and it will be wonderful to visit our favorite places for the first time in a while. The coach performed great despite a few maintenance issues along the way. Now that we are home we have a pretty long list of major and minor things to take care of on the motorhome. Some of the major items include:

• Rear air conditioner quit functioning on the way to Alaska. Front A/C not as cold as it should be. Number one priority before we hit the road in warm temperatures again.
• Toilet electronic flush slow on A/C and non-functional when unplugged from shore power
• Air Pressure sensor for parking brake needs repair
• Right Rear Axle Seal repaired last year needs repair again
• Complete filters and lubricant service for coach and generator

Ok, that sounds like a lot if you aren’t familiar with big Motorhomes. Between the forums I follow and people I’ve met, our list isn’t that unusual. As a mater of fact, brand new motorhomes have substantial lists like this also. Two or three of these items I can handle myself but some of these will require professional help.

The Jeep also needs some attention. The Jeep lost its built-in GPS/phone when returning through Dawson Creek. We also have what is probably a noisy wheel bearing. Towing the Jeep worked extremely well and we wouldn’t consider our adventure without a capable set of wheels. We didn’t often use the Jeep off-road capability but we did use it some and we were glad to have it.

What now? Well, we definitely will hang out at home for a while. There will be quite a few things to take care of and we will be busy for months. In the future we definitely would like to spend a month in, or near, the Florida Keys. We also want to experience the far North East US, probably in the fall season. As for this blog, I doubt I will continue it in the future. Even though the blog is simple for this kind of thing it still takes a lot of time and effort to maintain. I do enjoy looking back to see where and what we’ve experienced so maybe I’ll try something simple in the future.

Finally, I would like to thank you all for reading this blog and following along with us.   It means a lot to us to know you have been cheering us on.   We miss our friends and family while on the road and it helps to know you are there for us.  I hope this inspires you to follow your dreams no matter what they are.  We are incredibly blessed to have the time and resources to realize this dream of ours.

Exactly 7 months after leaving McKinney we are now headed home. Home is about 6 to 6 ½ hours drive time not counting lunch break. I drove to Claude where we filled up with diesel and Donna drove from there to Childress. In Childress we ate fast food lunch and I took over. It was already quite warm in the coach and was quickly getting hotter. We decided it was time to try and run the one roof top A/C in addition to the chassis A/C to keep temps better in check. The roof top A/C definitely helped but only kept the temperatures at about 88 deg for the rest of the drive. Not miserable, but not super comfortable either. Guess what is at the top of our maintenance list once we get home, new a/c!   We arrived home at about 5pm.                  The Great Adventure is finally complete,  what a ride

We are finally back in Texas! It has been a long road and many months before making back to our home state. Boy is it hot! We were assigned a very nice site in the Juniper Campground in the State Park. The site is a large pull through with a nice picnic area with a shade structure. The temps here are hovering near 100 deg F and the coach A/C isn’t keeping up. We drove into nearby Canyon TX and ate at Feldmans Wrong Way Diner. What a great find. The food was great. After a few errands we ended back at the coach. The coach was hovering about 88 deg F with the A/C running full time. It finally got kind of comfortable about 11pm but didn’t really cool off until 3am. About bed time we decided with the coach A/C issues we should simply head for home tomorrow.

Today we explored the area around Raton Pass.   First we drove into nearby Trinidad and checked out the downtown area.  It has a nice old downtown with a few restaurants.   From Trinidad we drove a few miles to the Trinidad Lake State Park.  It didn’t look like much to us.    We shopped Walmart and ate again a Tequilas for lunch.

After lunch we headed over the pass and into Raton NM.   First we checked out Climax Canyon park.  Maverick enjoyed a quick run off-leash.  We only walked a very short loop and not the main trail.   The main trail would probably be a pleasant hike.  Next we checked out the main street through town and spied out a good place to get diesel fuel in the morning.   We headed out of town to Sugarite Canyon New Mexico State Park.  This park was really nice and the drive through the park enjoyable.   The park had several nice dry-camping options and some pretty, though small, lakes.

 

Raton Pass is on I-25 and is one of the main routes between Colorado and Texas.  Raton is a beautiful area though not very populated. We decided to stay two nights at Raton Pass Cafe and Campground. We are trying to get back to staying at least two nights at every stop and keep our daily drive less than 200 miles. The park is at the peak of the pass at 7800 feet. After setup we drove into Trinidad Colorado to eat a late lunch at Tequila’s Mexican restaurant. On the way to the restaurant it started raining some and cooled the temperatures from the mid-80’s to the mid-70’s.

We headed out first thing this morning for Garden of the Gods. Garden of the Gods is a park with many large rock formations and easy trails. It is a favorite place to teach rock climbing. We stopped at the main parking lot and quickly found a good parking spot. We walked several of the loop trails enjoying the rock formations and even saw a deer right next tot the trail. It was all very nice. The weather is beautiful and we got a little hot walking. We left the parking lot and then stopped at Balanced Rock. It was a favorite spot of our kids when we visited here before. After balanced rock we thought we would check out the “Trading Post” gift shop. We totally missed the turn and ended up driving back through the entire park to get there. We noticed the crowds were much greater and parking was getting difficult to find. After the gift shop the exit road directed us back through the park again. By this time the crowds were really getting crazy and the parking looked impossible. If you go, get there by 9am. After leaving Garden of the Gods (for the third time) we ate at Texas Roadhouse.

With our hunger satisfied we headed to the Air Force Academy. I was worried the Academy would no longer allow civilians on base but was pleasantly surprised to find there was no problem. We drove to the main campus and walked to the iconic Chapel. The Chapel is one of my favorite architectural buildings. I think it is amazing. We enjoyed walking around and taking pictures. Maybe I like it so much because of the impression it made on my as a young teenager. The campus and the chapel are all very neat to see. Afterwards we stopped in the visitor center. The visitor center provided some additional history but was mainly a gift shop.

Next we headed to the Broadmoor Hotel. This old hotel is a famous high-end resort. It boasts several acclaimed restaurants. At the main entrance gate we were told parking was free valet so we proceeded to the main hotel entrance. We valet parked the car and Maverick. The young man who parked the car was taken with Maverick as usual. We spent 30 mins walking around taking in the opulent surroundings. We would have eaten there but it was too early and pretty expensive. After checking out the hotel we went to the Penrose Heritage Museum. This museum was very interesting. The museum had many examples of totally original horse carriages of all sorts in one half and a collection or Pikes Peak race cars in the other half. It was all nicely presented and very interesting. When we first arrived we were the only patrons and the museum staff were eager to direct us or provide any information. I should mention, the museum was free.

We set out this morning directly to Pikes Peak. At the entrance gate we were allowed a summit pass mainly because of Maverick. Everyone else were being told they must park either at the lodge or parking a couple of miles from the summit and take the shuttle the remaining distance. We really lucked out. The weather is really pretty this morning and the scenery was really great. When we arrived at the summit we discovered the reason for severely limited parking. The summit was all under construction and there was limited space for parking. We enjoyed the views and the gift shop but didn’t stay outside very long. At the summit it was 39 deg F and 40-50 MPH winds. Pretty miserable to be outside even with the pretty good coats we were wearing. Donna and I had both been to the peak multiple times but it is still a beautiful drive and view. After Pikes Peak we headed into Colorado Springs and to On The Border Mexican restaurant.  On The Border was our favorite for a long time in Allen and we had not had good fajitas in a long time. Even though it wasn’t the best service or food we’ve had at an On The Border we really enjoyed lunch all the same. We sat outside on the patio and the temperature was not quite 80 deg F. With views of the mountains lunch was super nice. Next we did a little shopping before heading to the local dog park. Maverick had a great romp around the park with the local hounds.

Today we retraced our steps back out to I-25 and then South to Colorado Springs. We arrived about 3pm at the Lone Duck RV Campground in Cascade Colorado about 7 miles outside of Manitou Springs and 10 or so outside of Colorado Springs. We booked this place for three nights. While it is pretty nice we don’t have sewer and the site is not very level. One of the big attractions of this park is the giant, sweet Bernese Mountain Dog that hangs out in the office. He is adorable. After settling in we drove into Manitou Springs and walked the downtown shops. The temperature was nice but it started raining. After Manitou Springs we drove back toward the RV park and decided to continue on into the nearby community of Green Mountain Falls. Green Mountain Falls is a cute little bedroom community nestled in the mountains. We ate at the Blue Moose Tavern. The pizza was OK but nothing special.  The outside dining with the nearby mountains and beautiful city park was great. The patio was dog friendly and Maverick enjoyed sharing our dinner experience. By this time the sun had come back out and the temperatures were about 70 deg F. After we ate we walked small city park and pond. This park has a large musical swing-set that doubles as an art piece. The swings were really unique and created very pleasing but random music when people were swinging. We joined two or three other adult couples in experiencing music and swings. How fun. Maverick was not impressed and couldn’t understand why we couldn’t chase ducks and geese instead.

We headed straight out to the Fall River Pass Road where we left off yesterday. The one-way portion is dirt road in pretty good condition. Only a mile down the road is the lower part of the Chasm Falls. We stopped here and explored all around the river. The falls are not too impressive here but the trails around the river were really nice and fun. Maverick really enjoyed the river even though he had to stay on leash due to the other 10 or so people around. Next stop was the upper part of the Chasm Falls. Here the falls were much more pronounced and quite beautiful. The trail along the falls was short and wide but pretty steep. I climbed boulders down beyond the prepared trail to get better view. I really winded in the high altitude air by the time I climbed back up the boulders and trail. A few miles up the road we stopped again at a nice pull out near the river. There were many trails around the river and near the road. Maverick had a great time on-leash again. As we were getting back in the car two other people said there were two Elk just 20 yards down one path we hadn’t taken.  I put Maverick up and literally only went 10 or 20 yards before I saw a huge, majestic, Stag Elk with a huge rack laying down nearby. He was amazing! Our next stop was a beautiful alpine meadow that had a few elk wandering around. Finally the road joined the Trail Ridge Road at the Alpine Visitor Center. We had a nice lunch at the Visitor Center and then headed back down the Trail Ridge Road.

I’ve got to admit, even though we’ve seen the most amazing and exotic locations, the Colorado Rockies still call to me in a way more special than most anywhere else. Today we headed into the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) to sample the Bear Lake Road and the Trail Ridge Road. Right off the bat, we discovered the Bear Lake Road was still closed to private vehicles and was only available by shuttle bus from downtown Estes. Oh well, we saw Bear Lake Road a few years ago when we came through on the way to Steamboat Springs. On to Trail Ridge Road. The Trail Ridge Road winds its way to the top of a pass at 12,500 feet and back down to the Colorado River on the other side. The scenery is spectacular and changes dramatically as you wind your way through beautiful Ponderosa Pine forests to granite and tundra scenery above the tree line. The total drive is about 55 miles to the other side of RMNP and Grand Lake just outside the park. We had packed our lunch and ate it at an overlook at the old Grand Lake Lodge. The Lodge overlooks Grand Lake from an elevated viewpoint and the views are great. After lunch we returned the same way over the Trail Ridge Road. We then drove to the Fall River Pass road and stopped at the Alluvial Fan. The Alluvial Fan is a really cool waterfall accessible from a relatively short trail. The falls are surrounded by boulders that were very popular for climbing. We really enjoyed the falls even though the thin air makes climbing trails and boulders more challenging. We continued down this road to the Endovalley Picnic Area. This area was not very crowded and we were able to let Maverick explore the river and small falls off leash. We had a great time following the trail up the river and exploring without anyone else on the trail. We chose not to go further down the road because it becomes one-way and ends high on the Trail Ridge Road we just travelled earlier. We decided to save that for tomorrow. We headed back into Estes Park and walked the downtown strip and had french fries at Penelopes that were really tasty.  Later we had dinner at Bird and Jim Restaurant.   We ate outside with beautiful views but got a little too cold.    The food was good.