Thanks for following us along during our trip through the Southwestern United States. Now that we’re home and unpacked… it’s time to reflect on our Southwest adventure. Here are some tidbits about our trip.

• We travelled over 3367 miles through 6 states.
• We burned 275.5 gallons of gas at a cost of $1107.15.
• We got an average of 12.2 MPG.
• Highest elevation: Tioga Pass 9945 feet.
• Lowest elevation: Badwater Basin -282 feet (also the hottest @ 103 degrees).
• Andrea got adopted by a dog in Joshua Tree. We named her J.T. (the dog, not Andrea).
• Kirk got to visit a great old friend in Alamorgordo and catch up after 12 years.
• Sand will be in the trailer and truck forever.
• In Death Valley, we just happened to be looking up at the stars… and the International Space Station just happened to fly directly overhead. Best sighting ever!
• And at the Zion NP visitor center we got to see Venus crossing in front of the Sun!

Parks we visited

• Musical Highway, Lancaster CA
• Joshua Tree National Park, CA
• Saguaro National Park, AZ
• White Sands National Monument, NM
• Three Rivers Petroglyphs, NM
• Valley of Fires, NM
• Aztec Ruins National Monument, NM
• Mesa Verde National Park, CO
• Four Corners Monument, UT CO AZ NM
• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, AZ
• Grand Canyon National Park – North Rim, AZ
• Zion National Park, UT
• Death Valley National Park, CA
• Yosemite National Park, CA

Yosemite National Park

After two weeks, it’s day 14, and the last day of our trip. Today we awake in Lee Vining and make our start up Tioga Pass. The pass usually isn’t open this early, but due to low snowfall we’re able to cross over the Sierras at the best place imaginable… Yosemite National Park

Right at the peak of Tioga Pass at 9945 feet is the entrance to the park. Over a day ago we were 294 feet below sea level. That’s pulling our little trailer almost 2 miles up at 10227 feet. Yikes!

Soon after entering the park we are driving through the most beautiful valley one might ever see, Tuolumne Meadows. It’s green with winding streams surrounded by granite snow-capped peaks, trees and clean air. Amazing. It was so impressive that out little puppy friend was so overwhelmed with the beauty, she barfed all over Andrea… which resulted in a full change of clothes. Yes, Yosemite is impressive.

It’s lunch time and what better place to eat than Olmsted Point. Here you get the most extraordinary view of granite topped off by Half Dome. Here we met up with a pair of marmots. Cute little guys who aren’t so little. They were making their way through the rocks under our feet which was fun to watch. After a few paparazzi photos of the pair, we took a short stroll down the trail to see even better views of the valley below.

After lunch we make our way down to the valley floor. Some oncoming cars and (large) RVs got a few choice words out my windows as they made their way (speeding like crazy) in to our lane trying to clean the dirt off the side of my truck. But we made it safely down and were pleasantly greeted by Yosemite Valley. Green meadows and beautiful trees surrounded by the largest granite formations in the world… only to be topped by amazing waterfalls around every other corner.

It’s hard to describer Yosemite with words. That’s why Ansel Adams used photography to show the world it’s beauty. It was his photos that helped preserve the park into a National Park. It’s also why we took the photos you see below. But even the best photos can’t compare to visiting Yosemite in person. If it’s not on your travel list, we highly recommend you put it on there and go check out Yosemite for yourself.

14 days went fast, and this was the last stop of our trip. As the sun starts to fall to the west it’s time for us to head west on Highway 120. Next stop… home.

I’m NOT paying $5.50 for gas

Leaving Death Valley National Park this morning has its ups and downs … Starting at Stovepipe Wells at sea level the up comes first, as Hwy 190 West climbs to Towne Pass at 4,956 ft elevation, just to drop back down at a 9% grade to about 2,000 ft. Then? Back up again to well over 4,000 ft with a soft descent into the Eastern Sierra – Owens River valley at 3,700 ft above sea level!

After getting gas (yup, the tank was pretty empty after we refused to filled up for almost $6 a gallon in the park), we head north on Hwy 395, enjoying the views of the Sierra mountains on our left. Lunch is served trailer-side at a rest area near Independence, CA before we continue on through Big Pine (the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest will have to wait until next time), Bishop and Mammoth.

Soon we get to the Mono Basin, where we take a detour to stop at the South Tufa Area at Mono Lake. This salty-alkaline lake shows off the tufa (where fresh water springs have built up towers and other formations from the surrounding salty material) at about 6,500 ft elevation. We stroll to the water’s edge (Kirk tastes it to confirm its salty bitterness), and enjoy the sunshine and the views.

Then we head into Lee Vining, CA, a small town at Mono Lake, where we decide to stay for the night. This will be our last night camping on this trip, so we want to enjoy full hook ups once more! The Mono Vista RV Park is just the place for that and after enjoying dinner at Bodie Mike’s (It’s as good as gold!), we just relax!

Minus another foot

We’re taking our time getting started today, knowing that we’ll win an hour back once we cross a couple more state lines. Yep, today, we’ll cover 4 states in 1 day! Not as impressive as the 4 Corners, but hitting Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California in just 1 day still is a lot!

We’re soon on I-15, and cross from Utah into Arizona. Here, the freeway snakes through the Virgin River Canyon, before dropping us into Nevada. After about an hour of nothing, we get the camera ready: Vegas, baby! Although we’re only scratching the northern edge of sin city, we still get to see the majestic skyline with all the glitzy hotels, with their fancy shapes from Luxor to Stratosphere Tower.

While I get some business done after lunch, Kirk decides on gambling with the remaining vacation funds … and lucky he is – he actually wins more than he spends! The next campsite is on him!

Then we’re headed north, towards the big and final stop for today: Death Valley National Park. After crossing one last state line – into California – we soon enter the hot (but dry heat!) desert. And temperatures rise as soon as we pass the National Park entrance! Going from the mid-80s to the high 90s!

We stop at an overlook just south of Furnace Creek (located at Sea Level elevation), before crossing the Badwater Basin to reach the lowest point in the US and the Western Hemisphere: Badwater, Death Valley. At -282 feet (-85.5 m) below sea level, it’s even toastier here and the salt flats show how quickly water dries up here. Looking back at the trailer, we see the vast difference in elevation from where it’s parked to the sign showing sea level way up high on the side of the mountain!

As the sun is setting on Death Valley, we head north once more, to Stonepipe Wells, where our campground for the night awaits. Good night!

On the road

2 nights of dry camping in a row get rewarded with: coin operated showers at the Marble Canyon US Post Office (ok, same building, next door, behind the Laundromat). 50 Cents to get in, plus $2 for 5 minutes of water … but it’s cold! OMG! I spend another $2 before I’m ready to actually to embrace the cool …

Then we’re heading uphill (about 3,000 ft in elevation gain) and against the wind for the next hour and a half, to the entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park – North Rim!

We park near the visitor center and enjoy a walk along the rim, as well as a quick hike to Bright Angel Point, for an even better view of the Grand Canyon (which by the way officially starts at Lee’s Ferry, where we camped last night!).
Lunch is served just outside the trailer, with just a few trees between us and the canyon!

Then we head back out of the park, north and west, to the next National Park on our route: Zion National Park. And as we are entering from the east, we get the grand view version of the park (all along Hwy 9). From Checkerboard Mesa at the start to the Tunnel and serpentines downhill with the spectacular views of the bridge (in the rock wall) and the ever changing rock formations … We are impressed!

With another very impressive day coming to an end, we decide it’s time to find a camping spot – and just about halfway between the Zion NP west exit and I-15, we stop at WillowWind RV Park in Hurricane, UT for the night.

Andrea & Kirk in the Valley of the Gods

Just when we thought we had had an impressive day yesterday, we get today started! It is completely quiet as we wake up at the Natural Bridges National Monument campground, and that’s an unbelievably nice experience! Ahhh ….

But soon enough we’re up and get ready for yet another fun filled day! Leaving the trailer (with dog) at the site, Kirk and I head out to the 9-mile loop drive through the park. Already at the first pullout we’re mighty impressed: what a canyon! What an overlook! We crawl around the edge of the cliff in pursuit of the best views.

On to the first bridge overlook: Siapu. Quite impressive, and my very first natural bridge! During winter and spring, this bridge continues to get carved out by the water.

Our next stop is for a 0.6-mile loop walk to the Horse Collar Ruin overlook, from where we can see the small cliff dwellings on the other side of the canyon.

And then we’re off to bridge #2: Kachina. Just as impressive as the first one, we certainly do not mind the short walk to the overlook.

And last but certainly not least, we stop at the 3rd and final bridge of the park: Owachomo. Here we hike down the steep wall of the canyon until we stand completely under the bridge, and then on its other side and back! Stunningly beautiful , certainly a highlight if the trip! The hike back up to the truck is impressive as well, and despite the light breeze it’s getting to be toasty again.

Back at the campsite, we pack up the dog & the trailer and head out of the park. A quick brake check however reveals that we’re not yet ready for the next portion of our trip … some under-trailer work needs to get done as the brake cables have been chewed up once again! So Kirk spends the next 30-45 minutes and fixes it!

Now we’re off for real, and on Hwy 261 south … where after about 22 miles the “Moki Dugway” awaits – a steep dirt (gravel) portion (4 mi) of the highway, with a series of tight switchbacks that drop over 1,000 ft from Cedar Mesa to Mexican Hat. Slowly but surely we make our way down and enjoy the fantastic view over the Valley of the Gods and Monument Valley.
Once at the bottom, we park the trailer on the side of a side road and head to the 17-mile dirt road through the Valley of the Gods. This is the “real” Monument Valley, with grand close ups and a true backcountry experience!

All dusty and filthy, we pick up the trailer again about 1 ½ hrs later, and now drive through the actual Monument Valley. Back in Arizona, we stop for gas, late lunch and groceries, before heading further west once more.

We stop for the night near the tiny town of Marble Canyon, at Lee’s Ferry campground in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. This is the official beginning of the Grand Canyon, and a great place for us to get ready for a new day tomorrow …

Kirk & Andrea occupy four states

Mesa Verde National Park is impressive – once past the ranger/entrance station, it’s a 15-mile drive to the Far View Visitor Center, covering approx. 1,500 feet in elevation gains, but not without taking us up and down and up and down and up again, thru, along and over the green plateaus.

We decide on the self-guided tour of Spruce Tree House in the Chamin Mesa part of the park. It’s a another beautiful ride to get there, and once out of the truck, we’re ready to hike down the canyon to get a close up view of the Spruce Tree House dwelling, including stepping down into the kiva. Nestled under the overhang of the rock, it’s protected from the hot sun and the fierce winds, as well as rain and snow in the winter.

After returning to the top, we explore the exhibit at the museum before getting on the Cliff Palace loop-road tour. The Cliff Palace is the world’s largest cliff dwelling, and quite a sight to see, even if just from the observation point (tickets required to hike down). We see a few more cliff dwellings as we continue the loop tour, before heading back out of the park around lunch time.

Then it’s time to head a bit further west and south – to get to The Four Corners! The only place in the US where 4 states meet (Arizona Utah, Colorado and New Mexico), the Navajo tribe has built a monument for everyone to enjoy, and now it’s our turn! With 2 hands and 2 feet, we each manage to stand in all 4 states at the same time … or just stay really tight on the very center spot! It’s a fun place to be, regardless of the hot sun beating down on us.

We backtrack to Colorado for a few miles, before crossing over into Utah and travel west for a couple more hours, to our final destination for today: Natural Bridges National Monument! Here we set up camp at the park campground (site #7 of 13 total), with no hook ups, no water, just a vault toilet. And a pretty sunset!

Aztec Ruins

Got some chores done first thing this morning. A load of laundry: check. Flea stuff and de-worming meds shared with dog: check (ok, just her). Brushed hair: check (both hers and mine). Forgot to have Kirk sign the postcards before dropping them into the mailbox: check. It’s time to get going!

We’re leaving the KOA and with it the “urban area” of Albuquerque behind us and are headed through the high desert for the next 3 hours, following Hwy 550 north the whole time. We stop in Aztec, NM and visit the Aztec Ruins National Monument … and what perfect timing! National Geographic’s is having a grand set up as they are presenting their new “Four Corners” map of the area including all the Native tribes and ancient locations! For us this means a great new map, and even more important, local native American tribes performing their dances in the park – while we are following along the ranger-led tour! The heat is not the only thing that’s impressive here. The historic value and the learnings from these pueblos is immense.

By now it’s late afternoon and we decide to have our lunch on the go, so the sandwiches are eaten while we continue on north on Hwy 550 towards the Colorado border. And before you know it it’s here! We park the trailer right between the “Leaving New Mexico” and “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” signs as we take our photos.

And on we go, just a bit further up before we follow Hwy 16 west, towards the Mesa Verde National Park. Just a half mile before the park entrance, we find the Mesa Verde RV Resort, and take up the last full hook up site for the night … and that’s what we call it now: a night!

World’s largest Pistachio

Steve recommended that we head up north on 54 to check out the  Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, head east on 380 through the Valley of Fires, and stop for lunch for one of the world best burgers in San Antonio, NM. Instead of decided which ones to do, we just hit them all.

But first we had to make a stop across the street from out campground. Yep, the world’s largest pistachio. Andrea has a knack for finding superlatives of the US. But this one found us. So a stop for a photo, bag of pistachios, and a shot glass was a must.

Three Rivers Petroglyphs was a half mile hike up the trail. With our National Park Pass in hand, entry was free. It’s pretty amazing to see the old artwork. Ancient graffiti anyone? Check out the photos below to see what petroglyphs we discovered.

Turning left on 380 and a few mile later… we hit the Valley of Fires. Steve said it was pretty cool and he wan’t lying. Amazing contrast of a black lava field in the middle of the New Mexican desert. Turns out that the campground is quite nice. With the beautiful lava landscape it’s a perfect place to call it a night. Unfortunately we were just starting our day and had to push on. But if you are ever camping in the area, we highly recommend staying here. They have a dump station, power, and I believe water hookups at well.

An hour later we reach the end of the highway in San Antonio. It’s lunchtime we just had to stop for one of the world’s best hamburgers at Buckhorn Tavern. The Green Chile Cheese Burger was rated #7 on Food Networks top 20 best burgers in the US list. Chalk up an order of green chile cheese fries and we’re set (with indigestion) for the next couple hours up to Albuquerque.

In Albuquerque we make a not-so-quick detour to Camping World for a new gas line. Gas leak… Ugh! Why not-so-quick? Well this is a location that is not correct in Google Maps. Wrong way, a couple miles off, and the wrong side of the freeway. After 15 minutes we finally find the place. Great thing is that they had the right hose for only 10 bucks! I with all trailer problems were that cheap. A pack of toilet paper and replacement hose cap thingy and we walked out spending under $20. Woo hoo!

We’re both exhausted and finally decide to call it an evening. It just so happens at our next turn north of town is a KOA and a Walmart. We stock up on food, setup the trailer, and call it a night.

Old friends… Kirk & Steve

Welcome to the very windy high desert of southern New Mexico! It’s almost strong enough to blow our little trailer out of the site!!

Another beautiful day and it will be hot again, too.

But first things first – the dog needs to get cleaned up! (We still have not settled on a name, but J.T. is what she goes by in official documents, such as the vet’s –> J.T. as in Joshua Tree. .“Waggin’ Tails” is a boarding & grooming place in Alamogordo, just a few miles from the campground, and we’re headed here right away. And although they usually don’t do drop ins, they make an exception and squeeze us in!

While the dog is getting beautified, Kirk and I are headed back to the White Sands National Monument, where we check out the Visitor Center and watch the introductory video (these 17 minutes are worth it – especially before you drive in the park!), then head towards the sand dunes.

We stop at the Dune Life Nature Trail and follow the 1-mile loop trail through the white sand, hills, inter-dunes areas and more sand. It’s not only sandy, and pristine and soft and silky and super fine, it’s also very white, glaringly bright and takes your breath away in every sense of the word! (good thing we brought water).

And to prove the trail’s name right, we do find life in the dunes! First in the tracks that cross our path, and soon also the “real thing” – 2 snakes, a white lizard, a bird, a dragon fly and plenty of bright red ants!

Once we get back to the truck, we drive on a bit further into the park, and stop at the “boardwalk”, where we walk into the dunes once more, to find blooming flowers and 2 more lizards in the white sand. At the furthest point inside the park, the road loops around and we find visitors on their sleds, sledding down the white hills as if it was snow! Then it’s time to get back to town to pick up the dog … and look at her! All cleaned up, smelling like soap and with silky soft fur, she’s finally ready to cuddle!

After lunch back at the trailer it’s time to relax a bit (violently interrupted by a short but powerful gust of wind that almost takes out the awning and the trailer with it), before we head towards the south of town to meet up with Steve Bell and his family.

Steve and Kirk met in the Air Force when they were both stationed in Germany, and after 12 years, it was about time to meet again! And with some fresh Bitburger Beer in hand, they had a blast catching up and talking about old times. We also get to meet Steve’s wife Lucy and their kids Kimberly, Jordan and Sarah, who are eager to at least find the top name choices for the dog (if they can’t keep her completely!). We walk away hours later with some great memories and a long list of naming options (still no final decision made).