We arrived at Clerbrook Golf and RV Resort, in Clermont, FL on November 15th, 2005 and had pre-paid for 4 months at the resort. The first thing that hit us was, we were tired. Bone tired. We had traveled close to 10,000 miles in the MH, and about another 10,000 miles in the car. We managed to visit 31 States plus New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. We were tired, and we don't want to "hit it" that hard again.

OK, Florida. We didn't do much there. Mostly hung out at the resort, played golf a bit, visited with new friends, and slept late. We made 3 trips to Cape Kennedy, a trip to Homosassa Springs to see the Manatee's, and a day at Epcot Center, but we can say, we didn't like Florida. Maybe it was the area we were committed to, or the weather, or just us, but we didn't like Florida. We had lots of rain, wind, a spat of cold that left frost on the car, and bugs, but we've done our trip to the East Coast, and we're happy with what we did, so spare us the lectures. (a big grin goes here.)

March 15, '06
On March 15th we left Clerbrook headed for Yellow Jacket Campground just outside of Old Town, FL. It was a 132 mile drive, and it was good to be back on the road again. When we turned down the road to head to the park, I was a bit skeptical. Narrow, dusty, dirt road and things didn't look promising. Boy, was I wrong. Yellow Jacket is a nice park, clean with big level sites, and it sits right on the bank of the Suwannee River. Yes, it's the same one in the song by Stephen Foster, and it's the State Song of Florida. It was a nice park, Passport America and only $11.00 per night.

We left Yellow Jacket on the 16th and drove 143 miles to Carabelle, FL and spent 2 nights at the Ho-Hum RV Park. Wow, what a place. It sits right on a beach on the Gulf of Mexico. For $29.00 per night we had a site that we pulled into with the front window facing the Gulf. We had 2 of the most awesome sunrises we've seen in several years. The beaches all along this part of Florida are white. White as sugar, and seem to be pretty clean. A good stay, some good memories, and a bag of white sand to take back to Arizona.
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March 18, '06
On the 18th we drove 232 miles to Summerdale, AL. We're Escapees members, and had heard that the Escapees Plantation RV Park here was really nice. It is. We're here for 8 or 9 days and are looking forward to seeing the area, visiting the Battleship Alabama, and watching the Blue Angels do practice sessions.

Well, 8 or 9 days turned into 20. We decided to hang around the Summerdale/Foley area longer than originally planned. We did all the things we wanted to do and more. We managed to get out to the Naval Air Station twice for the Blue Angels, and visited the Naval Air Museum. Met lots of really great people and really enjoyed our time at the Rainbow Plantation.
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April 8, '06
We left Summerdale on April 8th headed for Fairview-Riverside State Park just North of New Orleans. This is a set in stone 4 day stay. Why set in stone, well, in order to take advantage of the RPI, (Resort Parks International), rates, we had to make some reservations, so I got on the phone and computer and planned stays and routes through May 1st. No stay less than 2 days, with most 4 days to one week. Anyway, we wanted to visit New Orleans, and had planned to do it on this leg of our East Coast trip. When we were in Vicksburg, MS in May of '05 we discussed making a visit to N.O., and both of us said, "Let's wait, it'll be there next year". Big mistake. :-(

Fairview-Riverside is a nice LA, State Park, with water and electric hookups. It's located at the North end of the Lake Paunchartrain Causeway, and makes a nice place to stay for a visit to New Orleans. As of April 12, 2006, NO is still a mess. Oh, things are better in the city center, the French Quarter, and some areas, but the Ninth Ward and other areas are a mess. Like the Mississippi coast, progress here will be measured in years, not months. We did take some time at the National D Day Museum, and drove through one of the cemeteries. An interesting area, but 4 days was enough.
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April 12, '06
We left the New Orleans area on April 12 and drove to Meridian, MS. This was our first night in a Twiltly Branch COE (Corps of Engineers) Park. We were pleasantly surprised, and have found that the Corps Parks are nothing less than outstanding. Lots of trees, but if you need open sky for satellite reception, there will usually be some spaces available.

Our next stop was Demopolis, AL on April 14th. for 2 days. We stayed at the Foscue Creek COE. WOW, now this was a "really nice" park. Extremely large sites with full hookups, 50 amp service, and flat level concrete pads. Darn, I'm falling in love with COE parks. :-) This was a 2 day stop, not much to see, but Demopolis was a neat little town. We did have an interesting thing happen while here. We had called to have our mail sent General Delivery to the Demopolis PO. We checked twice, and it wasn't there. On the second day one of the ladies in the PO recognized our name, and said that the envelope was sent to the Marina. What? It's supposed to be held at the PO until we pick it up, but it wasn't at the PO. We drove out to the Marina, and there it was. Darn

April 16, '06
From Demopolis we drove to Arley, AL. Spent 4 days at the Hidden Cove Resort. Very nice RPI park, clean, FHU with 50 amp service, and like all RPI's, $8.00 per night. While at Hidden Cove we found some new friends, Carl and Nadine. Great couple with a cute dog. They took the time to introduce us to Geo-Caching. We're thinking about it Carl. :-)

Oh, forgot to mention, we had a serious tire problem on the way to Arley. Hit a piece of concrete shaped like a curb with the right front tire, didn't realize that we had damaged the tire until we heard it going "flop, flop, flop". Stopped by the road in Adamsville, AL. The tire was toast, ruined, and it only had 9,000 miles on it. Called the Good Sam Road Service and we were told that they would be there in 1 1/2 hours. About 1 1/2 hours later we got a call from Good Sam. They said that the original provider would not be there, they were calling another service. About 1/2 hour later we got a call saying that the new provider would be there in about 1 1/2 hours. What? That mean's over 4 hours beside the road. By this time we had an Adamsville Police Officer sitting with us, so I said POOOOO. I pulled out my tools, got the spare out from under the back of the MH, lifted the front of the rig with the HWH leveling jacks, pulled the tire off, put the spare on and used my new Craftsman Torque Wrench to torque the lug nuts to spec. Poooo and double poooo. I need to rethink Good Sam Road Service.
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April 24, '06
We finally put Kentucky on the map. We've now been in 46 of the lower 48. Fun never ends. We're here in the Diamond Caverns Resort, just outside of Park City, KY for a week. This is another RPI Resort, so $56.00 for the week. FHU, with 50 amp electric. We plan on spending some time at Mammoth Caves, the Corvette Museum, and other interesting places.

Gas prices are changing the way we live/travel. Last year our average RV Park fee was close to $28.00 per night, this year, by having the RPI membership and using COE parks, it's closer to $10.00 per night. I'm going to try to cut that price by at least another dollar or two. I may even spend a night in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

The Corvette Museum was great, Mammoth Caves was, in our opinions, underwhelming. After three visits to Carlsbad Caverns, Mammoth, in comparison, seemed small and confined. I know that Mammoth is the longest cave in the world, but the only area we saw was like a small tube, and it was down 500 stair steps, and up another 300. Going down there were times we had to walk sideways and lean back to the rail to get by the wall. Oh well, now we can say "we've been there, done that".

While we were at Diamond Cavern Resort, we met a really great couple who were parked just next to us. Seemed like we clicked, and did several things together, one of them being going to see the movie "RV", with Robin Williams. We all laughed so hard it was nearly embarrassing. True, the movie, like most slapstick stuff, goes too far on some of the gags, but being a full time RV're, it was truly funny. After a week it was time to move on, the destination is Croydon, IN, just West of Louisville, KY. Driving North on I-65, I noticed those brown Historic Place signs saying, "Lincoln Birthplace, next exit", so I did. An interesting stop, and by chance, met one of the Heroes of Iraq. Gil Zepada. While in Iraq, Gil saw too many children with no shoes, walking through rubble. He said, somebodys gotta do something about that, and then he did. He started a movement called Soles for Souls, to get shoes for the kids. The movement grew, and over the time he was there he collected, and distributed over 4000 pairs of sandals, and shoes. A hero by any definition.
More information here.

A picture of Gil putting sandals on a child.
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May 1, '06
Corydon, IN. We've now covered 47 of the lower 48 states. Oklahoma is the only blank spot left on the map, and we won't get there until sometime in mid to late June. This stop was an interesting one, for several reasons. First, was the visit to the Louisville Slugger Bat Company. All Louisville wooden bats are still made right here in the US, at that factory. It's the same factory they've used for years, but the technology has changed, a lot. The bats used to be turned on a lathe, each one done individually by a real person. The factory used to employee 300 people. Today all the production, except the stamping of the logos, is done by machine. A standard, sold in the store bat, is turned in 30 seconds. A bat turned for one of the pros takes more time, it's a 60 second process. The tour of the factory took us back to the production floor, and we got to see the entire process. While there we ordered a bat for one of the grandson's still doing baseball. Got his name engraved on the bat, so it's a really special thing for him.

The second was the 1968 Winnebago I got to see. The darn thing was in pristine condition. I took pictures and sent some of them to Winnebago. See them here, then hit the "back" button on your browser to return here.

Finally we got to see some really interesting country, and did some sight seeing along the Ohio River. We took a trip out of Corydon and over to Levenworth where there's a really great overlook at the bend in the river. All in all a good stop in our trip.

May 5, '06
Boonville, IN for a Chapter Rally of an Escapees Chapter. We spent 4 days here in the County Park. Full hookups, and lots of great company. A group of us took the drive over to Hodgenville, IN, to visit the boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln. This was a fun stop, got to spend time with some really great friends, Lon and Carolyn, make some new friends, and touch base with other great folks we've met along the way. This was a x day stay, and one that in the end, cost a lot more than we had planned for. The last couple of legs we've traveled, the "Check Engine" light in the MH stayed on, so I made an appointment at one of the Ford dealers in Evansville, IN. Got the rig there at about 9:00 AM, the tech came out and ran the diagnostics on the V-10. 5 minutes later he says it looks like a bad oxygen sensor on the passenger side of the engine. He pulled it out, got a replacement, then did a re-test and said that now the sides don't match, so we replaced the drivers side as well. One hour and $399.00 we were out the door, and on our way to Land Between the Lakes, KY for a few days at the Canal CG at Grand Rivers, KY

May 8, '06
We spent 9 days here at the Canal COE Campground in Grand Rivers, KY. There are few sites in the entire park that have any kind of view to the SW sky for satellite reception, and we got one. There is an area in the park that is the group camping area. If they have no group there, then it is on a first come basis. We pulled into the group area just as one rig was pulling out at the very front of the East side of the camping area. Best of both worlds for us. An absolutely stunning view of Lake Barkely out the front window of the MH, and an unobstructed view to the SW. We had great satellite reception for DirecTV and HughesNet. We did some site seeing while here, made a couple of trips down the road in the Land Between the Lakes area, and some time in Grand Rivers. If you ever get to visit this area, make sure you go to dinner at Patty's. Well worth the wait in line to get a seat.

This campground was 50 amp electric and water hookups, and cost $9.00 per night. We did have to dump the tanks once, but it's no big deal.

May 17, '06
We left Grand Rivers headed for Cherokee Landing RPI park, and planned a one night stay at the L.B.L. Big Pine Campground in Dover, TN. Problem was when we got to the park, there was no one in the office, the park was tree covered and looked like it would be hard to negotiate. So, out on the highway to Springville, TN at Buchannan's Resort. We spent one night in this park, located on the bank of Kentucky Lake. Nice, quiet park with good neighbors, water and electric at $24.00 per night. The next day we finished the drive to Cherokee Landing, and got into the park at 2:30 PM. Cherokee Landing is a large, old campground. Built in the 60's when rigs were smaller, with no slides, and there are only about 12 sites in the park that are FHU. We found a spot that had a clear view to the SW sky, but shade for part of the day. 30 amp with water/electric only. The park was located clear out in the middle of No Damn Place, TN, but it was quiet, almost vacant, and had lots of places to walk with the dogs, and was the $8.00 per night RPI charge.

While we were there we drove over to the Shilo Battlefield. Another of those places where thousands of guys met in battle for a cause they believed in. It was only a 3 day event in a many year war, but one of so many lost by the South. When I looked at the main plaque and saw the casualties for the North vs. the South, I commented to Mary, "It was a slaughter". Damn these places are sad.

May 22, '06
Back in Robinsonville, MS after about a year. We were here last year on May, 5th. Last year we stayed at the Hollywood Casino, but they have raised their prices from $10.00 to $15.00 per night, so we decided to stay at Sam's Town, where the rates were a little bit cheaper at $12.50. We were into rationing travel days, because we had to be in Hot Spring, AR on June 6th, and we didn't want to get there too early. While we were here at Sam's we did a couple of trips up to Memphis for shopping at Costco, but this was mostly a do nothing stop for us.

We left Robinsonville on June first, and drove a back breaking distance of 42 miles to West Memphis, AR, where we stayed at Tom Sawyers Mississippi River Campground. This place is a favorite of mine. It is right on the West Bank of the Mississippi. There are park benches placed along the river, so a person can sit and watch water, and barges move. The park is clean, well kept, has an unobstructed view to the SW for sat reception, and is very close to Memphis, TN. While we were there, 2 days, we took one trip into Memphis, for a stop at Mud Island and then down to Beale Street and a visit to E. Schanks Hardware Store. Mud Island was well worth the stop, and the walk. They have built a model of the Mississippi River, showing where all the water comes from, and built to scale from Cairo, IL.

June 3 to July 6, '06
I'm doing a big skip on a lot of detail here, that I may, or may not fill in later. From Memphis we went to Hot Springs, AR. A few days as Salisaw, then to the Casino at Shawnee, OK where we visited friends in Oklahoma City, the Cowboy Museum and the Murrah Building site. We waited in this area until July 2nd because we had purchased tickets to a workshop with Ceasar Millan, The Dog Whisperer. We left Shawnee on July, 2nd and drove to Fort Supply, OK where we stayed for 2 nights.

From there to Garden City, KS for the 4th of July. While in Garden City we took a drive to Dodge City for another tour of an old west town, museum, and a great beef brisket dinner at the Occidental dining hall at the Old Dodge City Main Street.

July 6, '06
On this date, at about 12:15 PM we saw the Rocky Mountains for the first time in many months. Our drive was from Lamar, CO to Cañon City, CO. We had reservations for a week at the Fort Gorge RV Park. It's an RPI park, 30 amp service, full hookups, large site with a pretty good view. We had a total clear view to the Southern sky for TV and internet reception.

We had a great time here in Cañon City, and learned a lot about the area. One of the things I learned, while looking up the history of the area, was that I had been pronouncing the name wrong. I had been saying Canon City, like the camera. Found out that the proper pronunciation is Canyon City. Seems that when the settlers met to decide on the name, they voted on Canyon City as the name, but the person taking the notes wrote it down with the Spanish Spelling, so when you see it written either way, Canon, or Cañon, say Canyon.

This area is full of history and beauty. While we were here we took several day trips. One up Phantom Canyon Road to Victor, and then to Cripple Creek. What a drive. We did it in the Honda Accord, and don't see why most cars couldn't take the trip. It's a slow, but absolutely beautiful drive, every curve in the road a new chance to say, "Wow, look at that!". There were places in the road where there was only one lane, and places where a significant portion of the road had washed out. Still a great, and recommended trip.

Another trip to Pikes Peak. This was an all day trip. East on US-50 to CO 115, then up to Colorado Springs, and finally to Pikes Peak. 14,110 feet.

We had been fighting the TIVO for weeks at this point. Called DirecTV, and they had shipped a rebuilt DVR R-15 to us while we were in Eufaula. It wouldn't cool, and kept shutting down, so we called them, and they sent a second rebuilt R-15 to us in Shawnee. It wouldn't cool, wouldn't pause, wouldn't record, and wouldn't retain settings, so they agreed to send a new one to us while we were at Fort Gorge. I checked the office every day, it never showed. Finally on the day we were scheduled to leave, it was supposed to be delivered that day. Some darn fool called FedEx and had the shipment held at the Pueblo office. We had to drive over 300 miles round trip to pick up a new TIVO, and that's what they sent us, finally, a TIVO. It works, and works well. I would not advice a DTV DVR-15 to anyone, even an enemy. :-)
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July 13-20, '06 and July 27 - August 14, '06
We finally got out of Canon City at about 3:15 PM. The elevation at Fort Gorge RV Park is 6417 feet, and from there we went up hill, then down hill, then up hill and finally up hill in low gear to the top of Monarch Pass, elevation 11,312 feet. Monarch Pass is on the Continental Divide, so we are finally in the West. Another beautiful drive and we stayed off the super slab.

I had made a weeks reservations through RPI to stay at Blue Mesa RV Ranch, a Western Horizons Park west of Gunnison. The reservations were made 2 months in advance, so I didn't think there would be a problem. Boy was I wrong. The first problem was at the entry gate. Mary was driving, and as we pulled up to the guard shack, the lady told Mary to pull off to the left, and she started to do just what she was told. Only problem was that she didn't see the great big boulders just to the left of the MH, and she turned to sharp, and got the left rear of the MH kind of hung up on one of the rocks. We had to get the maintenance guy to come and pull the rock away from the rig so we wouldn't tear the crap out of the fender. OK, minor damage, small scrapes on the paint, but nothing broken. We get assigned to our site, and wow, were we in for a surprise. The site was a water and electric only, right next to the horse corals. Horse poop and dust. The site was so un-level that by the time I got the rig at an acceptable point, the rear wheels were off the ground. I plugged in the cord (30 amp only), the SurgeGuard let the electric turn on, the AC turned on, then the SurgeGuard cut the power off. OK, make sure everything is off, turn the power back on, wait for the SurgeGuard to allow power, and my Good Governor says I've got 105 volts. Not good. I drive back to the guard shack and ask if I can move. Nope, the policy is that once you're assigned a site, it's the site you stay in, no changes. Wanna bet! I tell them I'll leave in the AM, and I do. Up the road 1.03 miles to the Gunnison Lakeside RV Resort. Nice place, nice people, clean level sites with FHU, and 50 amp power. We here for 3 days, and enjoyed every day. We met more people, made more friends, and had a blast. OK, zero cell service unless you find exactly the right spot on the hillside. One or two bars of service, but we could make calls without driving to Gunnison.

Our next stop was 12 miles West, to the Lake Fork RV Park. A 10 site RV park that sat on a bluff about 100 feet above Blue Mesa Reservoir. It's a Passport America Park, and they didn't care how long we stayed at the 1/2 price rate, but we only stayed for 3 days, then came back for another 10 days in August. The view from our site was worth several times what we paid for the site, and is in the picture album for Gunnison. We fell in love with this area. We took the time to drive to Crested Butte, Lake City and several other places of interest in the area. We stayed here for seven days, then moved to Montrose for 2 weeks, then back over to the Gunnison area for 17 more days. A week at Blue Mesa Ranch, and 10 more days at Lake Fork. I decided to give Blue Mesa one more chance, and it will be the last time I stay there. I liked the area around Gunnison so much I started looking for property for the RV, so we could spend summers here. Didn't find it, and maybe I wasn't supposed to, but I will be back to this area.

July 20-27, '06 and August 14-28, '06
We left the Gunnison area for the first time on July, 20, and made the long, 48.5 mile drive to Montrose. We had planned a week here, and then had planned on going to Silverton, and from there to Durango, but our plans are etched in Jello. We liked the Gunnison area so much we wanted to go back, and it was too early to head to lower elevations. So, we arrived at the Country Village RV Resort, an RPI affiliate. $8.00 per night for 7 days, nice wide site, 50 amp electric, and closer to town. We took one day and did a day trip to Silverton, and then to Molas Pass, and after that drive in the car, changed our plans. I did not want to drive the MH over that road. It's steep, narrow, and part of the drive is a shelf road. Not for me, but we did get to see Ouray, Silverton, all the old mining areas, and a part of the Rockies that screams "I'm beautiful". After our second stay in the Gunnison area, we returned to Montrose for a week at Centennial RV Park, and then a second week back at Country Village. We did a lot of sitting, and resting, and a bit of sight seeing. We took a day at the South Rim of Black Canyon, then a boat trip on the Gunnison into the Black Canyon. A day trip up to Grand Mesa, and some short drives just to see what was there. We liked the area around Montrose, but not as much as we liked Gunnison.

August 28, '06
OK, we're on the move again. We left Centennial RV Park on the 28th, headed for Cortez, CO. Like I said, not over Red Mountain Pass. We took the route over Lizard Head Pass, and were happy we did. Not a bad drive, and only 119 miles. We had reservations at the Mesa Verde RV Park, a Passport America Park that allowed 2 days on PA, then one day on Good Sam, then 2 days on PA. It was an OK park, quiet at night, and clean. New owners who are really working hard to make it the best park in the area, and they're getting close.

We enjoyed this area, the ruggedness of the canyons, the different lay of the land compared to Gunnison. We did several trips into Mesa Verde NP. Lots of stopping and looking at the Cliff Dwellings. We did a tour of Spruce Tree House, and I did the tour of Balcony House. Spruce Tree was an easy walk for me, and a struggle for Mary. Her asthma and arthritis has cut down on so much of what she can do, but she does every bit she can. I'm proud of her. :-)

It's really amazing when you look at all that was done in the area, all of the construction of the living areas, and realize that some of these places were occupied for hundreds of years, and then the people left. Some of the things I'm still wondering about. Where did they go? Why no burial sites, or burial grounds? Almost no human remains of any kind have been found. It was quite a culture, and Mesa Verde was very much worth the visit. We did take part of a day, and drove to Four Corners. Stood on the monument with parts of our feet in the different States, and had a bystander take a picture of use with the Pups. Lots of pictures in the album.

September 2, '06
After driving South from Montrose, it's time to head back North. We're beginning to feel like a super ball, bouncing from here to there. From Cortez, drive NE on US 491 to US 191, at Monticello, and then North to Moab. We've made a reservation to stay at the O. K. RV Park, another Passport America Park. What can I say, it's OK. :-) 50 amp service, full hookups, but narrow sites, all gravel roads, with a small amount of grass at each site. We're scheduled to be here for a week, and as it turns out, it will be a busy week. Too much to see, too many places to go. We took 2 or 3 drives into Arches, 2 drives into Canyonlands, and a drive down the Colorado River to Potash with a stop along the way to see the Pictographs.

Pictures, wow, did we take pictures. I got some truly great images of lightning in Canyon Lands, a set of images that are, in my opinion, amazing. We also took a drive out through Castle Valley, and then up Lasal Mountain Loop Road and over Gayer Pass, back to the RV Park. It's a drive I'd recommend to anyone visiting the area, lots of interesting rock formations, and at the top the view is worth every gallon of gas burnt. It was an interesting week, and we were able to add one more thing to our BTDT (Been There, Done That), list.

I want to go back to the area, and spend more time in Canyonlands. That whole area is so big, and we got to see such a small part of it. I want to see the Southern part of Canyonlands, and the Glenn Canyon area. I know I will run out of energy and life before I run out of things to see, but I'm gonna see as much as I can.

September 9, '06
Well, we're moving South again. We left Moab for Mexican Hat, UT, a drive of 127 miles. Why Mexican Hat? Because I liked the name when I saw it on a map, and from there we could proceed South on US-163 through Monument Valley. US-163 is probably one of the most photographed roads in America, and I added my few to the total. Wow, Mexican Hat, 2 or 3 motels, a couple of restaurants, a service station, and an RV Park. We had one of, I think, 5, 30 amp FHU sites in the park. Another one of those parks where there was nothing in front of the MH, so we had a good view every throughout the day. While here we did a trip up the Mokee Dugway, a shelf road that runs up the side of a cliff, climbing 1,000 feet in 3 miles, and then out to Muley Point. If you're in the area, make sure you take this trip. Muley point (Lat, 37.23630 Long, 109.99219), overlooks the Glenn Canyon Area. Pictures here. We took a trip out to Goosenecks State Park, and a drive across Valley of the Gods. The road through Valley of the Gods is not the best for a Honda Accord. And finally a trip down through Monument Valley out to the Monument Valley Center located on the Navajo Reservation. At this point, we're starting to wear out. Getting tired of being a tourist, tired of looking at stunningly beautiful things, but we've still got the Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater, and Winslow in front of us, so, off we go.

September 12, '06
We left Mexican Hat at 10:00 AM, South on US-163, through Kayenta, and finally to a place that had cell service. Stopped in a parking lot and called all the family, and then headed SW on US-160 to AZ-98 up to Page, AZ. An interesting drive, good roads all the way, and lots to look at. We spent one night in Page, took some time to look at the Dam and overlooks, made a drive down to Horseshoe Bend and tried to get there before sundown. No luck, too far, too much hill for Mary, so I went out the next morning while she got the MH ready to move. Got a really good picture by laying down on my stomach, inching my head and shoulders out over the edge, and then taking 8 pictures that I stitched together. There's a picture here.

Only one night in Page, and then off to Jacob Lake, AZ for a visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It's a really pretty drive from Page to Jacob Lake, and another many I'd like to do again. We stayed at Kaibab Camper RV Village, a commercial park at Jacob Lake. Expensive. $81.00 for 3 nights, but we had FHU, 30 amp service, and a good view to the SW sky, so I guess it was worth it. Our first drive to the North Rim was wet. It rained, then hailed, then poured and hailed hard. We got a good look at the canyon, and when we started back to the car, the sky dumped on us. By the time we got back to the car, we were soaked. Our first run was focused on the area around the lodge, and our next trip was a longer drive, with better views of the Canyon.

On the second drive we went out to Point Imperial, and then to Cape Royal. There are some really awesome views along this drive, and it's well worth the time to drive it slow, and stop at every overlook. On our way out to Cape Royal there was a heck of a wind storm, on our way back we got delayed because a tree had blown down, right across the road. Darn!

We stayed at this park for the three days, then moved to the South Rim. From where we were at, to South Rim Village is 45 miles, as the crow flies, but if you have to drive there, it's 168 miles. We left Jacob Lake at 9:30 AM, and finally found a place to park the rig at 3:30 PM. It was a comedy of errors, places that were full, places that wouldn't let us in because our rig was too long, or we couldn't fill the fresh water tank, or the cost of a space was beyond what we were willing to pay. We finally settled on the Flintstones RV Park, about 30 miles South of Grand Canyon Village. It was an OK park, 30 amp service and water hookup. Another 3 day stay. We drove into the park twice, and didn't get to all of the overlooks. It's another "Go Back To", place. Our thoughts and opinions on the Grand Canyon are that it's a wonderful, awesome place. Big beyond the imagination. If we had seen the South Rim first, we would have been disappointed in the North Rim. The South Rim has more developed overlooks, and you are looking into areas that are illuminated by sunshine. The North Rim has fewer overlooks, is less developed, and you are almost always looking into shaded and shadowed. We had planned a sunset trip, but we ran out of steam. At this point we were ready to stop for a few weeks, or more accurately a few months, so, off we go.

September 19, '06
From Valle, took US-160 SE to Flagstaff, with one stop for gas. Then I-40 East to Meteor Crater and pay the fare to get a look at one more hole in the ground, this is one more BTDT, that doesn't need to be repeated. Then East on I-40 to Winslow for a drive by that "corner in Winslow, Arizona." We even got a picture of the spot. :-) We did a one night stop at a RPI park outside of Show Low, and then left, what is for us, early the next day and finished our trip to Florence. We're here for most of the Winter, with a few side trips. Getting things done on our lot, finished the patio, then built a storage shed.

We arrived in Florence on September 20, 2006 at about 1:15 PM. We were met by friends, old and new. It was good to be back West, in warm, dry country.

Stats for this years travels.
22 States and 4563.6 miles on the MH
720.45 gallons of gas.
Total gas cost for MH = $1,952.39
Average mpg, = 6.710
Average cost per gallon = $2.71

All in all, a fun trip with lots of memories.