Welcome! Join us as we cross the US in search of sunshine! Click “Latest News” above for the latest or click on a red marker for info on that area. Click “More Information” below for more.
We only stopped in Sedona because we had to kill 3 days waiting on our travel trailer axles to be re-aligned close to Phoenix. What a great surprise!
Who knew there were TWO Saguaro National Parks – East and West. With limited time, which to visit?
Amazing! New Mexico fun at White Sands National Monument and the Gila Wilderness Cave Dwellings!
Playing at the Beach? In Landlocked New Mexico? White Sands National Monument
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument … How did parents keep kids from falling off the cliff? Your guess is as good as mine! 🙂
It’s rare to visit a place that’s every bit as awe inspiring as all the hype you’ve read leading up to it. But Big Bend National Park’s 3 totally different ecosystems, the Chihuahuan Desert, Chisos Mountains and Rio Grande River Oasis ecosystems, offer the chance to explore and enjoy the dry hot desert, the cool lofty mountains and the lush green river basins all in one day. Or preferably more!
12 Essentials Before Visiting Big Bend National Park – Know Before You Go is even more critical in such an extreme remote environment!
Who knew Carlsbad Caverns and Guadaloupe Mountains National Parks were so close together – one in New Mexico, the other just across the border in Texas!
7 Things to Know Before Visiting Carlsbad Caverns and Guadaloupe Mountains National Parks
An afterthought, Texas Hill Country and San Antonio proved to be more than worthwhile stops as Winter Texans!
Escaping Illinois frozen tundra as “Winter Texans” saw us enjoying our first rodeo, kite flying, discovering where the Rio Grande meets the Gulf & more…
Only one day to spend in Yellowstone National Park? Here’s our recommended loop to ensure seeing the don’t miss highlights.
Road Trip! Click “More Information” below to see posts from SD. I love it when we “accidentally find” somewhere that turns out to rank right up there with the best road trips ever! Custer State Park wasn’t in our original plans, but David wanted to stop by Mt Rushmore – after all, it’s iconic and every American should see it, right? 🙂
The Route West and What We’ll Do Differently Next Time … join us on our monthlong 5,300 mile loop from Illinois to Glacier National Park and points in between!
Custer State Park Campground, South Dakota … the perfect location to explore the Mt Rushmore area.
12 Tips to Spot More Wildlife … after all, isn’t wildlife one of the primary reasons we wandered to South Dakota?
Campground FULL! What to know to avoid disappointment after a long day’s drive.
Is Theodore Roosevelt National Park the USA’s premier place to view wildlife?
The Northern Georgia Waterfall Loop is just waiting for you to take the plunge … or just take photographs, whatever you choose!
No waterfalls in Northern Illinois? I found SIX in one day … and more the next!
Exploring forbidden paradise legally as US citizens! Camping on water in our sailboat in Cuba!
Tips on how to find the best campsite in a first come first serve national park. And our Top 10 Experiences at Capitol Reef!
Garden of the Gods is not just in Colorado! Lots of hiking & fun in the Shawnee National Forest!
Did we mention that home base is central Illinois, USA? Cornfields, soybeans, a 2006 Toyota 4 Runner and Lance 1685 travel trailer.
Why We Love Our Lance 1685 Travel Trailer! Click here to find the top 10 reasons we love our Lance!
How To Calculate Amp Usage in an RV Click here to find an easy way to figure out how many amps you use daily, how many amps your batteries provide and how much alternative energy you’ll need to be self-sufficient!
Towing A Travel Trailer with a 6 Cylinder Toyota 4 Runner It seems this subject raises a lot of controversy. Here’s our experience after 10,000 miles from Central Illinois down the East Coast to south Florida, then from S FL out to the Southwestern US and back to Illinois… Keep in mind, our 4 Runner is a 2006 model rated for 5,000 lbs by Toyota, newer models have lower tow ratings.
Hoping to hike & camp in Banff National Park, Jasper National Park & Glacier National Park (Canadian, not US) …
Maybe next summer? Hang in there 2006 Toyota 4 Runner! We’ve got some exploring to do along with our Lance travel trailer!
Being flatlanders with our #Lance 1685 at the dealer, we decided to visit #Lance friends in Montana … specifically, Glacier National Park. Unfortunately, there are many wildfires burning in the Northwestern US.
So what to do? Do we sit at “home” with our friends in Whitefish, MT and moan and groan about the wildfires and smoke that cause less than ideal air quality and scenic beauty? Or do we jump in the truck, head for wherever seemed likely to be less impacted? Guess which we chose! 🙂 Join us!
Despite Wildfires: Glacier National Park Overview
Lance 1885: Camping with CLOSE Friends! (under construction)
Iceberg Lake Hike – where’d the icebergs go?
Grinnell Glacier Hike – did you know glaciers are an endangered species?
Idyllic Hidden Lake Hike … don’t mistake the “tourist” trail behind the Logan Visitor Center as a hike not worth your time, even if you’re a “serious” hiker!
Piegan Pass to Many Glacier Hike — a “geezerheikin’ adventure” – an endurance hike for those of us flatlanders, but the views of the famous Garden Wall and Morning Eagle Falls are not to be missed … and stuffing myself with huckleberries seemed like a good idea at the time … coming soon!
We found paradise in Southwest Utah … even if it was supposed to be springtime and David had to wear more than shorts most days (of course, I heard about it daily). But it was SO worth it! We enjoyed Snow Canyon State Park, Zion National Park (separate listing), Bryce National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Toadstools and most especially one of our Top 3 Hikes EVER — The Wave. Complete information at the links below! Enjoy!
Local Knowledge: Snow Canyon State Park Lava tubes and miles of “petrified” sand dunes, set in a colorful Navajo sandstone canyon, make for a perfect backdrop for camping. Locals try to keep it secret, but the word is getting out!
Hiking the Wave. One of the top 3 hikes we’ve ever done. Inaccessible not only due to no trail, but also because the US Forest Service limits permits to only 20 people a day to try and conserve this national treasure. Everything you need to know to add this hike to your bucket list. Our lucky day!
“Helluva Place to Lose a Cow” …. Ebenezer Bryce: Bryce Canyon National Park. Can you imagine the frustration the original settlers must have felt trying to keep their livestock corraled in Bryce Canyon?
What’s Wrong With Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument? I had never heard of it … plus it’s HUGE and much of it is inaccessible. But the parts that are accessible are in a class by themselves, even here in the paradise which is southwest Utah.
Toadstools: Grand Staircase-Escalante … Photos. A great little late afternoon hike to introduce ourselves to the Blanding, UT area.
“Unplugged” in Utah! Internet and even cell service are very intermittent in Utah … which can be both a good thing and a bad thing!
Sometimes places you have no interest to see turn out to be the most interesting! Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.
On The Road Again! FL through AL, MS & LA, then never-ending TX and on to NM …. join our adventures. Our old Toyota 4 Runner and a 2014 Lance 1685 travel trailer … so many said it couldn’t be done …
Cedar Mesa, Utah … Ancient cliff dwellings, spectacular canyons, natural bridges, history, hiking … all waiting to be discovered. Did I mention few people? One of our favorite stops so far!
An experience like no other … Chaco Canyon … two hours or more from anywhere. Camp there? We did.
Who knew there was so much to do near Albuquerque, New Mexico? We should have planned more time here…
Jazz, Jambalaya and People Watching. Plus fascinating history and the wide meandering Mississippi River. NOLA has it all!
Star gazing … Abandoned Cuban refugee boats … New refugees washing ashore …
After 7 weeks and 4,000 miles breaking in our new Lance 1685 travel trailer, we’re back aboard our sailboat for the winter. Follow along at commuterCRUISER.com
One of many first order springs, over 50 millions+ gallons of clear Caribbean aqua fresh water a day, 72 degrees year round, flowing into the beautiful Suwanee River… we’ve seen more wildlife here than anywhere … including manatees, of course.
The forgotten Florida coast … maybe the perfect utopia? Wander the deserted beaches with squeaky sugar white sand, discover your own shells, climb a 1850’s lighthouse, enjoy real Florida seafood, fresh as it can be, right off the boat, ride your bike the length of the island, along a separate bike path…. wow, just wow…..
Gulf State Park, located directly on the Gulf of Mexico, is a refreshing break from the high rise beachfront condominium parade. Beachfront in the park features dunes and wide white sandy beaches that rival any beaches we’ve seen anywhere. Plus there’s a great state park campground with full hookups, miles of biking and hiking trails, swimming in both the pool or lake, tennis courts – overall a first class state park!
For more, click these links …
Updated Gulf State Park Campground
Gulf State Park/Gulf Shores, AL
Top 10 Things to do in Gulf Shores
As we get older, FIRSTS are more rare, so all the more reason to celebrate our very FIRST campsite in our new Lance 1685 travel trailer!
SW Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon”, Providence Canyon State Park, begs to be explored with a hike to the canyon floor!
After spending time at the Grand Canyon, it was fun to see Zion National Park’s canyons primarily from the bottom up as opposed to from the top down. Both are amazing, but we really enjoyed Zion’s mix of top down scenic drives and hiking in the canyonlands. Photos & more details in these posts:
The Best Campsite in Zion National Park, Watchman Campground
Good Morning Zion. While in Zion, get up early, take the bus and watch the sunrise light the peaks behind the museum. We were even treated to a bunch (herd?) of wild turkeys primping in the glass wall of the museum.
Off the Beaten Path: Hike to Checkerboard Mesa Arch, Zion National Park. When you’re tired of single files eager hikers lining the most popular trail, ask the park rangers for somewhere to escape the crowds! Checkerboard Mesa Arch was our choice, although there’s no marked trail so be prepared to hike backcountry.
10 Tips on Reserving the Best Campsites in the Most Popular National Parks. Crucial tips on how to get the best campsites in popular national parks.
Zion Virgin River Emerald Waters. One of the best hikes in Zion Nat’l Park is “The Narrows” where you wade up the Virgin River in the emerald waters enjoying the slot canyon and magnificent scenery. Unfortunately when we were there it was early spring, the water was freezing and we were wimps. But we did the hike along the river up to the canyon narrows.
Sesquicentennial State Park just north of Columbia, South Carolina was a perfect night’s stop – convenient to the interstate for quick in & out, but an amazingly quiet oasis despite being in the middle of US1 strip center heaven.
Website: Sesquicentennial State Park
Campground/Park Map: Park Map/Campground Information Here
Reservations: For 2 nights or more only, for one night call the local park number below: Sesqui Reservations
Local Park Telephone Number: 803-788-2706
Showers: ****** Six stars on the 12 star rating system, hot water, water pressure good, bench outside shower, one hook, wet floor gets negative points, overall, not bad for a state park shower – hot water is always a plus.
Laundry: No laundry
Scenic Value: *** Average. Small park, but pretty, nestled in the hills and towering pine trees by a little lake. An surprising oasis in the city.
Mosquitos/Bugs: **** None for the night we camped.
Noise Levels: **** Better than Average. Very quiet, no noticeable road noise when we were there, but it poured rain all night, so the white noise could have literally drowned it out!
Campsite: *** Average. Our site was #69. 84 sites total, a few pull throughs. All with electricity and water. Some sites were very narrow to back into, ours was fine. Fairly level, didn’t need leveling blocks. Shade.
Claustrophobia Quotient **** Better than Average. Sites were spread out and nicely spaced, a usual advantage of a state park campground.
Access to Essentials: **** Better than Average. No time to explore, but literally this state park is an oasis right in the middle of a strip mall US highway.
Campsite Price: $18 (Oct 2014) no state park entry fee.
Have you camped at Sesquicentennial State Park? Did I miss anything? Please leave a comment and share! Cheers! Jan
Three miles offshore, accessible only by boat or ferry, lies Cape Lookout National Seashore. Relaxing, climbing the famous lighthouse, enjoying the beaches of Shackleford Banks along with the wild horses and visiting Portsmouth historical village.
Driving from the Outer Banks to Atlanta, we stopped at Fort Yargo State Park, Winder, GA. I’ve developed a new rating scale for campgrounds, which, of course, features SHOWERS, as well as Scenery, Campsite Info, Mosquito/Bug report, Local Essentials and more! Let me know what you think!
Sixteen miles of pristine windswept beaches on this barrier island famous for sun, sand and serenity. Ocracoke village, a fishing village at the southern end of the island features diverse variety: the national park visitors center, a museum, good local restaurants & bars (no chains allowed), artsy shops as well as t-shirt shops, the Outer Banks oldest lighthouse and the point where Blackbeard the pirate was beheaded. What’s your favorite?
Hot Showers! 11 Stars on my 12 Star Rating Shower Rating System! After two weeks in the national park campgrounds with their luxurious cold showers, we were ready! Plus it’s close to the Cedar Island ferry terminal. All good!
Gallantly standing guard over one of the most ominous coastlines in the world … four iconic lighthouses…
Sweeping, deserted beaches, towering sand dunes, some of the coolest lighthouses I’ve ever seen … yes, you could say I love Cape Hatteras National Seashore!
With stunning vistas, whitewater rafting, miles of hiking trails, deserted railroad towns, historic coal mines, history … and more… New River Gorge National River deserves more than an overnight stop. The National Park/River we almost missed!
The Park We Almost Missed: New River Gorge National Park (click here)
It’s off season for commuter cruisers, as we anxiously wait out hurricane season closely watching every “Invest” or more. But we don’t just sit around worrying, oh no! Too much to do in life to waste a day sitting around. We just returned from a long weekend in Denver to visit our son, Billy. If you have 4 days to spend in Denver, we have some ideas you may want to incorporate into your trip.
Hiking the Trading Post Trail at Red Rocks. “Only 1.4 miles” at 6.400 altitude was challenging. The hot hot temps didn’t help.
Day 1: Head out of town to (1) Red Rocks State Park and Amphitheatre. Denver is at roughly 5,200 feet and Red Rocks adds another 1,000 feet which makes it a perfect “acclimatizing” first day. Be sure to visit early in the day as concert crowds start early … or if you’re lucky enough to have concert tickets, be sure to go early and enjoy the park. After enjoying a quick tour of the museum to acquaint ourselves with the history and geology of the area, we hiked the Trading Post Trail, which at 1.4 miles winds through some amazing red rock formations. When everyone recommended Red Rocks as a must see during our short weekend to Denver, my thought was why should I waste time going to some amphitheatre, even if it is scenic, when the Rocky Mountain National Park is so close…. trust me, spend a few hours at Red Rocks.
We had a late lunch at (2) Snarf’s Capitol Hill – close to Billy & Laura’s apartment in Capitol Hill. Literally the best sandwich I ever ate, try it, you won’t be sorry. Then a mandatory trip to (3) REI’s flagship store located downtown on the Platte River in Denver where we spent too much money, but did get several needed items on clearance (is that rationalizing or what???). 🙂
A late dinner was take out at (4)Wokano Asian Bistro – I can recommend the Pad Thai and David loved the Sesame Chicken – followed by a highly competitive card game of Monopoly Deal rounded out our first evening in Denver. (Be careful, Monopoly Deal is a blast, Monopoly Millionaire, not so much, in our opinion…)
Day 2: White water rafting? ME? Not just NO, but HELL NO! I am NEVER going white water rafting. Never say never, I blew that one too & I am SO glad. It was an amazing experience. We chose the (5) Colorado Adventure Center’s beginner trip on Clear Creek. Only 45 minutes-ish from Denver in Idaho Springs, the rafting company was located in a really cool old gold mine (with a free self-guided tour) and featured beginning rafting — some level 2 rapids and a couple 3 minus rapids, created especially not to scare scaredy cats like me.
Lucky for me, Laura had never been white water rafting either and it wasn’t high on her bucket list, but we all had a good time. We deliberately chose an 11 AM time slot, because August is “monsoon season” – afternoon thunderstorms starting as early as 2 PM which can be wicked … or non-existent, but even the weather forecasters never seem to know. The time on the creek was only a bit over an hour and was appropriate for little kids as well as me. Next time, we’ll try something a bit more adventurous. The down side was that since it’s so close to Denver, the rafting isn’t through pure wilderness, but the up side is that it wasn’t scarey and it was a perfect introduction.
After rafting, we were ravenous, so we stopped and devoured BBQ and the local micro-brew. (6) Smokin’ Yards BBQ and Tommyknocker brew were both winners. On the way back to Denver, David spotted the (7) “Buffalo Bill Overlook and Grave Site” — Laura & Billy both recommended it, so we made a quick side stop. Great view & interesting history. I didn’t know Buffalo Bill won a Medal of Honor which was later taken away and then restored!
Later we stopped at the (8) Boulder Running Company to get David some new tennies – his were drenched from white water rafting and worn out anyway. So he had no dry shoes for hiking in the Rocky Mountain Nat’l Park scheduled the next day. Not good. We followed up by a 2 1/2 mile loop walk around (9) Washington Park to make sure the new shoes worked before hiking. Billy made dinner! A special treat!
Day 3: After much debate about where to spend our one day hiking in (10) Rocky Mountain National Park, Emerald Lake in the Bear Lake area, close to Estes Park was our choice. It was close to Denver – thunderstorms were forecast for the afternoon & we had to get an early start to make sure we got in some hiking before the storms. Turned out they held off, but we enjoyed 5 1/2 miles+ hiking at the highest altitutes yet – Emerald Lake is over 10,000 feet and we also hiked down to Glacier Gorge and enjoyed the Alberta Falls. Wow. Words do it no justice, and neither do my photos, but trust me, it’s well worth a day. We stopped in Estes Park at the Safeway Supermarket and picked up fruit and snacks for the morning’s hike.
After a late lunch at (11) Mountain Sun Brewing Company in Boulder we retired to our own apartments for the evening – everyone was too exhausted to think about going out for dinner. BTW, we booked an apartment near Billy’s apartment in the Capitol Hill region of Denver via AirBnb. Never heard of AirBnb? Here’s a description from their website – check it out, it’s vastly superior to a hotel room! “Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries. And with world-class customer service and a growing community of users, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions.” We definitely appreciated our one bedroom apartment and cozy couch with big screen TV after hiking.
Day 4: David and I explored by taking the (12) 16th Street Mall free bus down the mall and then walked through the parks and over the pedestrian bridge over the Platte River right downtown. Then Billy picked us up and we drove out to Mount Evans/Echo Lake hoping to drive to the top – at 10,600 feet, it might have been the highest place I’ve ever been (even higher than Macho Picchu in the Peruvian Andes). But when we got to Echo Lake at 10,600 feet, we had light rain and clouds and opted for a hike around the lake and enjoying the views rather that attempt the drive to the top (with no guard rails on a reportedly twisty mountain road).
After a snack at (13) Illegal Pete’s downtown, we made a quick stop at the renowned (14) Tattered Cover Bookstore.
If you don’t know about the Tattered Cover Bookstore, it’s everything a bookstore should be – and some were before Amazon and the internet took over books. A real old fashioned bookstore with nooks to browse and coffee and everything I could want to spend an entire day — but it wasn’t to be since we didn’t have an entire day.
Then a surprise for my birthday! Billy treated us to a visit to the (16) Denver Botanic Gardens. If you’re saying WHAT?, just go and see for yourself. While we were there, the Chihuly blown glass exhibit was incorporated into the extensive gardens (through November 30, 2014). It defies words, so I hope you enjoy a few photos. GO!
After resting a bit (again, grateful for our own little apartment through AirBnb), we walked to (16 – OK, I like, it’s not 15, but sixteen great ideas) Odyssey Italian Restaurant on 6th Street in Capitol Hill, Denver. This little local family owned restaurant in an old house has a feeling of the old country … plus the owner and family will be by your table and make sure your food is amazing. We loved it. Go three times and they’ll greet you by name, as they did our son & Laura. Laura wanted a certain cocktail and they were out of one of the liquors, so they ran down the street to a liquor street to get the missing ingredient. Did I mention that all our food was an experience not to be missed. GO! You can sit outside or inside and enjoy. Be sure to save room for dessert — good thing we walked everywhere in Capitol Hill – averaging over 11,000, sometimes 13,000 steps a day according to Billy’s FitBit.
Bummer, our long weekend visit with Billy & Laura is over … but our appetites, both for adventure and amazing food, have only tasted the tip of what’s available in this amazing city. ENJOY!
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