Quite a bit to catch up on, it’s cold and rainy here and Gary is working on the taxes. I have our lodging planned through March. We bought a Jetpack from Verizon so we don’t use all our data using hotspots with our phones. You will be seeing more posts…hope you enjoy our travels as much as we do.
We have been spending time south of I-10 to keep out of the winter weather that everyone has been experiencing. Here we are in Palm Springs on Thanksgiving Day.
We have been busy seeing a lot of the country. One of the ways people RV on a full time basis is to boomdock, which is dry camping on BLM land or National Forest, it’s free or a minimal fee but you need to be self sufficient – no water or electricity. We checked out one of these areas once we left Palm Springs, the price might be right but I want to have something to do where I’m staying. I like trees, water and some green around me…..none was around Quartsite, Arizona, where we boomdocked.
We left the desert and made our way to Sedona, Arizona. So beautiful and actually looked at houses there, however the many spiritual vortexes (or vortices) in the area tend to make the real estate a bit pricey. Plus we wondered how well we would fit in over time. Just doesn’t seem like Gary’s thing. 😉
The weather was a bit chilly and very few people this time of year in Sedona. Dead Horse Ranch State Park was a great campground. A little bit of Christmas cheer with lights strung in our campsite:)
The beginning of December we longed for a little warmer weather so we made our way to Lost Dutchman State Park, not far from Scottsdale, Arizona, the Northeastern part of Phoenix. The state parks in Arizona have been such a treat. Nice campsites and most have electricity and water.
Not only was the weather nice but the scenery was gorgeous – just don’t walk barefoot anytime!
From the cowboy church
We’ve seen a lot of bars with bills tacked to the ceiling but never cowboy boots….
We left the Phoenix area and camped at Kartchner Caverns State Park, Southeast of Tucson. This is a snapshot from our campsite.Christmas Eve at our campsiteMy first foil tree EVER!Christmas Eve HikeShannon and Matthew decorating their first Christmas tree in their house in TucsonOpening presentsChristmas Breakfast in TucsonLove visiting with Ron and Phyllis, Gary’s sister and brother-in law in PhoenixChristmas sisters, Jodi and Janell, Ron and Phyllis’s daughtersThe family…
Thought I’d do a quick gallery of Christmas Pictures. It was so much fun having family to spend time with for the holidays, we love being able to visit so much with Shannon and Matt and Phyllis and Ron.
Hiking down from our vista point at Roosevelt National Park
One of our favorite Parks!
The Grand Tetons
Enjoying a September dinner at Jackson Lake Lodge, Yellowstone
Fall in the Rockies
Sunrise at St. Vrain State Park, CO
Stormy weather on a hike at RMNP
Hiking with Dustin at RMNP
Trailridge Road hike
How quickly the weather changes
Beautiful but windy, cold reward
beautiful day for a hike, thankfully Dustin had a hat for me!
Breakfast in Telluride, CO
Sedona, Arizona
Shannon and Gary on a Tucson hike
Judy and Shannon hiking in Tucson
Shannon, Jake and Gary at Patagonia Lake State Park, Arizona
Patagonia Lake State Park
Gary and Shannon
Kayaking in Arizona
Patagonia Lake kayaking
Touring the biosphere
Hiking in Catalina State Park, Arizona
Shannon and Gary- Patagonia State Park
Our campsite at Catalina State Park, Arizona
Taos, New Mexico
Driving from Taos to Durango, CO
Lone Rock campsite on Lake Powell
Lone Rock Sunrise
Glenn Canyon Dam on Lake Powell
Grand Canyon
Sunrise at the Grand Canyon
Sunrise at the Grand Canyon
Sunrise at the Grand Canyon
Spectacular sunrise with a spectacular daughter
London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona
London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Joshua Tree National Park
Climbing in the rocks, Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
The Pacific Ocean
So much fun traveling and staying away from the cold weather for right now. We have been touring and house hunting for the past few months and just haven’t quite found anything that makes us want to stay in one place yet…
We are spending Thanksgiving in Palm Springs, relaxing and enjoying the weather here for now. Plan on Christmas in Tucson and then perhaps travel to Big Bend in Texas and the Gulf Coast.
Leaving Theodore Roosevelt National Park we traveled south through Montana to the Northern entrance of Yellowstone. The plaques on the side of the arches – Yellowstone National Park and Created by an Act of Congress March 1, 1872
Mammoth Hot Springs Area
Yellowstone Falls
Beautiful vista driving through the park.
Lone bison strolling through the park on a beautiful day.
Close up of a pronghorn antelope. We didn’t get this close, just a good lens. And, of course, the best photographer! (getting better as we travel)
Beautiful park, the fires have destroyed so much of the forests. We all just keep hoping for a wet, snowy winter.
Walking the dog in the park, just a little stroll.
Dinner at the Jackson Lake Lodge My favorite salad!
One of the best state welcome signs we have seen on our journeys.
Duluth, located on the west shore of Lake Superior and is neighbored to the southeast by Superior, Wisconsin. Quite the industrial city but clean and at least in the summer looks like an inviting place to visit.
Headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi – Jake testing the waters!
The Mississippi river, the largest river system in North America, 2340 miles in defined length. Just a bit of trivia!
Mississippi River Headwaters
The mighty Mississippi River begins its winding journey to the Gulf of Mexico as a mere 18-foot wide knee-deep river in Itasca State Park. From here the river flows north to Bemidji, where it turns east, and then south near Grand Rapids. It will flow a total of 694 miles before working its way out of Minnesota. Not quite knee deep this fall.
Learned a bit about harvesting crops, never realized their was a group of professionals called custom harvesters that serve the needs of American Farmers. A custom harvester is someone who harvests crops for an individual farmer or business. USCHI is proud to have both grain and forage harvesters as part of our organization. When a farmer does not have the time or is unable to invest in such large equipment, he/she uses the services of a custom harvester. Being a custom harvester takes a lot of hard work and stamina, as there are many late nights and hard labor required. Since crews travel almost year-round, they live in recreational vehicles during harvest. I suppose we could do this if we needed a job! HA, I think not. Check out their website Custom harvesters
Salem Sue (or The World’s Largest Holstein Cow) is a large fiberglass Holstein cow sculpture located in New Salem, North Dakota. Salem Sue was built in 1974 for $40,000. Always interesting the sights you see as you travel. Three vehicles are needed to move each blade set, one specialized trailer moves the nacelle housing (the part of the wind turbine with the generator, gearbox, drive train and brake assembly) , and up to four specialized trailers transport tower sections.
One of our goals is to visit each National Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, North Dakota. The colors of the rocks in the Badlands of North Dakota were quite a treat and of course, the wildlife. The only time we have ever seen wild mustangs.
I have been a bit behind with my posts. We spent late August and early September in Ottawa, Canada. Visited the city and took many bike rides. One of the coolest things we did was visit the MosaicCulture exhibit which is a horticultural exhibit of 45 plus sculptures created out of live plants.
Mosaic Culture – Sculpture of Mother Earth!
Mosaic Culture
Mosaic Culture – very cool artistic structure, notice the people at the bottom of the piano.
Living large even though I may be small!
Mosaic Culture…Ottawa, Canada – I think this was the tree planter.
Driving through northern Minnesota outside of Bemidji heading to North Dakota. The trees are beginning to change colors and the temperatures is very comfortable. We should be seeing more wildlife too! Jake had to test the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi
New York was such a treat, especially this time of year. What a nice treat to be in the Adirondacks near Lake Placid. Checked out the ski jumps and bobsled runs. They still do training there. Campgrounds were great, hiking was outstanding, scenery was spectacular and I feel like we barely touched the surface. Highly recommend this area for everyone to experience.
100 meters from here to ski down
Ski jump from the roadway
Bobsled run from the 1980 Olympics
Ausable Chasm or High Falls Gorge in Lake Placid
We left the Adirondack to travel a short distance to 1000 Islands. It was a historical flashback to the Gilded Age of the rich and famous in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The Boldt Castle built in the late 1800’s by the owner of the Waldorf and Astoria Hotels in New York City is by far the most luxurious and grandiose. There was a home built by William Browning, he owned a textile mill and was awarded THE contract to provide uniforms for the Union soldiers during the Civil War. My mother’s maiden name was Browning, wonder if he may be related?
Boldt Castle
A total of 1800 islands in the St Lawrence River, straddling the border of the US and Canada
Location is everything…..
Wishing this was his bottle – we would just need a few friends to help us consume the vino ’cause you can never recork it!
The plaques on the side of the arches – Yellowstone National Park and Created by an Act of Congress March 1, 1872
Always interesting the sights you see as you travel. Three vehicles are needed to move each blade set, one specialized trailer moves the nacelle housing (the part of the wind turbine with the generator, gearbox, drive train and brake assembly) , and up to four specialized trailers transport tower sections.
One of our goals is to visit each National Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, North Dakota. The colors of the rocks in the Badlands of North Dakota were quite a treat and of course, the wildlife. The only time we have ever seen wild mustangs.
Wandering Judy 