Here it is December 3 and I am just getting down my thoughts of the trip. We got back to Lakeland Road at 3:00 p.m. and immediately got busy unpacking. We met Jason, Kara and the boys at Monical's Pizza in South Shores for supper at 5:00 p.m. When we got back home, we decided to finish up tomorrow. There were just a few things left to unpack.
Up early to finish unpacking clean. I don't like to close up the camper until I have cleaned it good. We had an appointment in Moroa to get it winterized on Tuesday. I got everything done except cleaning the carpet. I will do that on a warmer day after it comes back.
We were gone 61 days and drove the motorhome 6,000 miles and the towed car 5,500. It was a wonderful trip. We saw so much that I can't even put it down into words. When we left on September 12, I really didn't know if we could be gone that long but we had reservations for every night so I knew we would be gone that long. The days went so fast, We were so busy and many days were worn out but it was a good feeling when we thought back over the day and all the things we saw and experienced.
Here are some random thoughts about the trip.
This trip began in our minds because we wanted to attend the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. The Balloon Fiesta was not a disappointment. It was fantastic. We had no idea what we would experience, but it was above and beyond anything we might have imagined. In reality the trip was a four-week road trip, the Balloon Fiesta, followed by another four-week road trip. We saw the most beautiful places this country has to offer. When we can no longer travel, we will have the memories of this trip.
We met sooooo many nice people who were positive, kind, and friendly. In Santa Fe we camped by a couple of newby campers who were on their first camping trip. They had a Class C motorhome and were just learning the ins and outs of camping. Every evening we would gather on our patio and talk about our day and try to answer their questions about camping. I hope we gave them good advise. They were down home like us despite the fact that they had paid cash for their brand new motorhome.
We met people who were newly retired and trying to make the decision of whether to go full-time RV'er. We couldn't answer that question because that is something we are not going to do.
Through photography we met people who took our picture and we in turn took theirs. One couple from Alabama took our picture in Bryce Canyon and then we met then again in Zion and they took our picture again. We met another couple in Canyon in the Ancients and again in Hovenweep. They took our picture and we took theirs in both parks. They said we were the first people to offer to take their picture after they had taken their picture. In Canyonlands we met a young woman who was camping alone, driving from a job in Colorado to a new job in Washington. She was newly divorced and looking for a new start in Washington. I took a picture of her rig. I think she is brave to take this big step in her life.
I hope this new start in her life is successful. She said she has discovered the love of camping and seeing the beauty of this country. We told her not to settle for a husband because she doesn't want to be alone but to find one that shares her interests like camping and dogs (one was waiting for her in the vehicle.
Not everyone was a pleasure to talk to. We camped by a lady who had a notebook filled with places you should avoid because of high crime. One of those places was the campground in Albuquerque in which we were going to camp. We believe in being aware of your surroundings and being cautious but we also believe that we can't let fear control our decisions. When we got to the Albuquerque campground, we found it was very safe and we did not at any time feel fearful.
Meeting these people enhanced the memories of our trip. We don't listen to the radio (other than XM) or listen to the news when we travel We are traveling in a cocoon. Ninety-nine percent of the people we met were so nice, that it made us feel that the evil, rudeness, and negativity of this country didn't exist. For nine weeks, we felt a peace about our world.
We visited nearly 25 national parks/monuments. Some of those we had visited before but there were some new ones like Capulin Volcano, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks, Chirrachua, Gila Bend, Aztec, Cabrillo, Florissant Fossil, Canyons of the Ancients, Hovenweep, Navajo, and Bisti National Monuments/Parks were new to us. They are smaller monuments/parks but definitely were worth the visit. Some we enjoyed so much that we would visit again. One thing our government does well is the national park system. They preserve some of the most beautiful places and historic sites in this country.
We camped mostly in KOA's because we get a 10% discount on camping and earn points which we cashed in for $100 in savings. The KOA card is a freeby which comes with our motor club so we look at it as a win win. We also camped in three state and one national park. We enjoyed them more than the private campgrounds because these parks focus on making the campground a part of the countryside as to opposed to be slotted in spaces set up for a maximum number of campers. A first for us was camping in a casino campground. It was a good experience and we would definitely camp in one again.
Getting gas for the motorhome is a biggy for us You don't just pull a 34-foot vehicle with additional 10 feet attached into a gas station. Because of the route that was taken, we visited two stations twice, once going west and once going east. We also traveled over some highways twice, once going east and once going west.
Keeping my travel journal on line as a blog is a very modern way to do it. Also new to us was the use of the GPS to get us to and from places. If we hadn't had GPS, I am not sure we would have made it into San Diego and Las Vegas. We would probably still be trying to navigate the traffic. Carol is the driver and I am the navigator. That has always been the way we take trips. Carol did a magnificent job of driving and thanks to the GPS, I was able to navigate successfully.
There were some disappointments I want to mention. I had spent several months planning this trip. We had planned to go to Sedona in Arizona but the weather didn't allow us to visit. We had wanted to visit Four Corners but time did not allow that. As we had been to Four Corners twice before, when time was limited, we chose to visit other places. We wanted to visit Torrey Pines State Park in San Diego but heavy traffic and lack of parking did not allow that. We did drive on the singing highway but only the first two measures of America the Beautiful was played. It was so brief that we almost missed it. I would not recommend taking the time to drive that section of road. We were disappointed in Mesa Verde National Park. We had visited there several times before but this trip we were not able to physically visit the large pueblo ruins. Some of the ruins were closed because of the time of year. They were doing routine maintenance of the ruins. We chose the wrong time of the year to visit. Final disappointment was Las Vegas. Again, we had been there before, but this time we didn't enjoy it at all. There was so many people who mostly were drinking and using vulgar language. Not a pleasant atmosphere for an old Christian couple from the Midwest.
As I look back over the trip, despite the disappointments, it was a wonderful trip. I would call it a trip of a lifetime. We have always loved heading west. This trip we spent nearly nine weeks exploring and experiencing the very best scenery and places of the southwest and Southern California. If we never go that direction again, we can feel content with the memories we made and the images that remain in our minds.
