Click photos below to see the location gallery (25 stops, 58 days)
After our trip to Missoula earlier in the year we still had some trip time available and some states to check off our list. The timing was right for perfect Fall weather and our new Starlink internet access was working perfectly, so why not? It was time to hit the road again.
We contemplated another attempt to Nova Scotia, our 2020 goal. That 2020 trip got wiped due to Covid and turned into our “Social Distancing RV Trip“. The issue was time; we just didn’t have enough. The weather would have been a factor, so we decided to shorten the trip and focus on those states that would accommodate fair weather.
The Mid-West is a fascinating region. People call them flyover states, but if you ever want to check out of “virtual life”, and into real life, visit a flyover state. The screens we stare at for hours a day present made-up stories of clown people who are filled with narcissistic self-importance. This Mid-West trip offered us the opportunity to have real experiences with real hard working people who help make this country amazing.
We always set a far-end trip destination, then a route, then stops, then itinerary. In this case we decided on some KC BBQ at Slaps. One can argue that Franklins or Terry’s in Austin Texas is better, and they are for sure more famous, but when it comes to food, it’s all subjective. Being the dedicated foodies that we are, finding good food, beer, and craft cocktails all over the world is a trip priority.
The following photo journal allows a brief location description and photo gallery, it’s a memory jogger for us and a quick glimpse into one of our RV road trips. Just click the photo to see more videos and photos of that location. We use Google Photos, so feel free to comment and share.
Mesa RV Pad, Mesa, Arizona
We left SLO mid-September after the Jack’s Helping Hand Golf Tournament and headed South to see the boys in San Diego. After a few days we headed out to Mesa to see Spen and Mel. They have a nice campsite in the backyard.
Luckily we discovered a couple issues while we were visiting. The valve for the poop tank failed in San Diego (didn’t close all the way). By the time we reached Mesa, the pipe between the tank and the sewer cap had filled with nasty water. Yes, I had to clean that up and replace it.
I also suspected some brake issues on the left front wheel due to the sound it was making. I pulled that wheel off and found the problem. I ended up replacing the brakes and drum on that side. The other wheels were acceptable for our short KC trip. Not good mind you, but good enough.
I finished the work and we said our goodbye’s. Off we went to visit the heartland of America. First stop, Show Low, Arizona.
Show Low Lake Campground – Pinetop Lakeside, Arizona
Not many people outside Phoenix valley actually know where this is but the Show Low area is a popular summer spot for people looking to escape the heat. It’s like Pismo Beach for people suffering the heat in Bakersfield, CA.
Cheryl was working this trip. In fact, she had some heavy duty projects on her plate so the fact that we got any photos at all during this trip was testament to her crazy determination to do it all. She was able to maintain 40 to 60 hours a week on this trip thanks to Elon Musk. Starlink is a game changer. Buy stock when it’s available. It’s amazing.
El Malpais National Monument – Albuquerque, New Mexico
Unless you’re a geologist working in North America, chances are El Malpais National Monument isn’t a place you would know about. It’s a cool spot and since we decided to stay off the interstates this trip, it jumped right into our route on the way to some BBQ.
We left Pinetop-Lakeside for Albuquerque early and stopped at Sunrise Park Resort to check out the area. It’s very near Greer, Arizona, which is a small retirement community in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forrest. It’s a beautiful area that is secluded and has very few people living in the area. We’re going to camp Sunrise next summer for some downhill mountain biking.
We took the 117 highway through El Malpais on the way to Albuquerque. It runs through an ancient lava flow, so cool scenery. Cheryl had a video meeting, so we parked at the monument so she could do her meeting. After that we did a short hike up to the monument.
In Albuquerque we spent a day wandering through Old Town and did some shopping. Of course we found some cool spots for eating and drinking. Bombs Away was an impressive brewery, the local hang for service people on the base.
Taos New Mexico – Ballooning
In keeping with our desire to travel off the main highways, we headed North after leaving Albuquerque and stayed in Taos. I had made reservations to go ballooning with Rio Grande Balloons. Sol is an expert with a passion for his craft, a true professional.
Besides the beer, ballooning through the Rio Grande canyon was a highlight of our Taos stop. We had been to the festival in Albuquerque ten years prior, but we had never been up in a hot air balloon. It’s definitely a bucket list item and experiencing it on a great weather day, with a professional pilot, through the canyon is magical. They navigate deep through the canyon like a kayak flows through a rushing river. It’s amazing, as the photos will tell.
Zapata Falls Campground – Great Sand Dunes NP – Colorado
With 960 watts of solar, a 2000 watt inverter, and 880 amp hours of lithium battery life on board, we can camp just about anywhere wheels can roll. Just as important, we can work just about anywhere now that we have Starlink. On average we operate with about 50 megs down and 10 up. From video calls to hot showers and an ice maker, we’re not settling for many comforts.
By eliminating the interstates on our route, we ended up finding some cool spots. Zapata Falls was one of them. It’s on the 150, just South of Great Sand Dunes National Park. We stayed two nights so that we would have time to hike the falls, and visit the National Park.
Hasty Campground – John Martin Reservoir State Park Colorado
This was an overnighter spot off state highway 50 in Southeast Colorado. We spent the day driving through tiny little towns admiring the old store fronts and the seemingly laid back pace of the people going about their day.
The wind picked up on the way, gusting up to 50 mph. Our fender trim on the driver’s side of the trailer broke loose on the front an was flapping in the wind. I was able to find a spot to pull over and back into a ranch road to remove it before it caused more issues. That night we were treated to a ferocious storm with an awesome lightening show and winds that felt like they would tip over our rig. I expected a 50/50 chance that the trees above our rig in our campsite would come down at some point through the night. Luck was on our side; the trees stayed put. The next day was calm and fair; the perfect travel day.
Welcome to Dodge City KOA, Kansas
We stayed at a lot of KOA’s on this last minute trip for BBQ. Mainly two reasons. The first is that they’re easy to book and the second is that they tend to be good overnight campgrounds in places where we don’t plan to spend much time. This was one of them.
There are many RV travel guidelines people follow, such as the 3-30 rule: Arrive before 3:30pm and less than 330 miles in a day. Or, the 3 3 3 rule: Arrive before 3pm, less than 300 miles, and stay 3 days. Our general goal for long trips like this is to arrive by 3 or 4pm, keep it under 4 hours of drive time, and stay 3 days. On this trip, we had limited time miles to travel.
At this stop we arrived around 3pm and had time to visit the Boot Hill museum, the Dodge City brewery, and take a walk around Wright Park next to the KOA. Not bad for a one night stay.
Cheney Lake – Wichita, Kansas
Wichita was a wonderful surprise. We were super happy we added this to the list. Cheney Lake State Park is located just outside Wichita and has just about everything in the way of recreation. We stayed two nights, did some great biking around the lake, enjoyed some fantastic sunsets, and had a great day exploring the town.
We found a cool spot on the way into the heart of Wichita for a pedicure/foot massage. I’m getting more and more fond of those. It rained that morning and cleared that afternoon, so it was perfect timing. We toured the city center near the aquarium and found Norton’s Brewing in the old town area. Cheryl had a conference call that day, so while she did her call I worked hard on my beer tasting on the patio.
Blue Springs Lake – Kansas City, Missouri
With fresh pedicures afoot, we reached our goal, KC BBQ. Slap’s was deliciously fantastic. The lady in line ahead of us said it was her go-to BBQ and she visits weekly. While BBQ is great to do occasionally, we could not do this weekly. It’s heart attack on a plate and by the look of 80% of their customers, that was exactly what was in store.
Another hotspot we visited for Cheryl’s birthday was a favorite of Travis and Taylor’s, Prime Social in downtown. It was pretty damn nice. Great views, food, drink, and in my case company as you can see by the photos.
We got to tour downtown a bit, visit the Royals and Chief’s stadiums. We also visited the WWI Memorial where the local high school held their homecoming formal. It was nice to see the kids so excited and dressed up.
The really cool think about this trip was our ability to travel and set up anywhere in our RV, a space that contains our LAN and WiFi, as well as our kitchen and bedroom. Our ability to work with fast and reliable internet from Starlink is a game changer for RV’ers. I snapped a couple photos of the satellites streaming across the night sky. I predict we’ll start seeing a lot more of our workforce working from the road in the coming years. Why not?
Bob Shetler Recreation Area – Des Moines, Iowa
If you look really closely, across the river, you can see a 5th wheel at a riverside campsite. That’s the Des Moines river leaving Saylorville Lake just North of the city of Des Moines, IA. The campground is just below the dam and was a real gem.
Des Moines has a bike path that runs the length of the river, through community parks and neighborhoods all the way into downtown. Armed with ebikes, we decided to take that challenge and trek through the forest and parks, stopping for a beer at Triangle Tap while Cheryl attended a conference call for work.
One of the things we noticed at all of our stops throughout the Midwest, was the diversity in the communities. It’s refreshing to see, and completely opposite of what politicians and the media portray. Maybe we’re naive, but our people experience in every city has been educational, fun, and uplifting.
Quincy, Illinois – Driftwood RV Park
We had a great time in Quincy, Illinois. They have a vibrant downtown with hip eateries and shops. It sits on the Mississippi River and though it’s population is down to around 40,000 from a peak of 115,000, they’ve done a great job of rehabilitating their downtown area.
While visiting Quincy we were able to do some great biking on their miles long trails, tasted some great beer at Quincy Brewing, experience a massive car show downtown, and dined at Boodalu Steakhouse overlooking the river for Cheryl’s birthday. Little did we know, Quincy was the hometown of Brandon’s friend and neighbor Nate in Poway. It’s a small world after all!
Babler State Park – St. Louis, Missouri
It’s about a 30 minute drive to the Gateway Arch from Babler State Park and like most cities, a state park nearby means a country club is likely your neighbor. The prime real estate tends to be owned by wealthy family’s who settled the area and helped build the city. What better legacy than to donate your estate to the state. It’s just one of many reasons to seek out the state parks for camping on a trip like this.
Fresh off the birthday dinner in Quincy, we decided to have dinner at Carmine’s Steak House after visiting the Arch. It was Cheryl’s second birthday. We saw a little bat on the walk from Busch Stadium parking to the Arch, and the restaurant was right in between.
Our campground was very nice, as was the entire area with huge homes and manicured property leading to the park entrance. We had lots of biking opportunities, yet amenities nearby. We found the old cemetery on one bike ride. We seem to run across those a lot in old towns with a long history.
Another noteworthy point about this spot was the hitchhikers we picked up. The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is from Asia, but has now made it’s home in over 40 states. They excrete a pheromone when they find a home suitable for the Winter that attracts others. They apparently found our trailer suitable, called the entire family, thousands, and breached the walls. We woke one morning to thousands of them covering our rig. We would find them months later, alive, living in the attic and basement of our trailer. Creepy.
Davidsonville State Park – Pocahontas, Arkansas
This stop wasn’t supposed to be at Davidsonville State Park, it was supposed to be Craighead Forest Park. I messed up though because of my naive assumption that a small, no reservation county park campground in Jonesboro, Arkansas would be wide open in October. Not so. We called the host and she said, “don’t even try with a 35′ 5th wheel.” Bummer.
We found a spot at Davidsonville SP about 30 miles away. It was a good second choice, but still had to take an afternoon and check out the campground in Jonesboro. Why so popular? Could it be that it’s a huge park with a lot of spacious campsites nestled in the woods overlooking a lake? After all, they had full hook ups. Maybe it’s the by bike and running trails that wrap around the lake. Whatever the reason, it’s definitely a gem, right in the middle of the city. Our consolation, their brewery, Native Brew Works. We contemplated our miss over a beer.
Meanwhile at our campground, after we cleaned out a few hundred stink bugs that traveled with us in our RV basement, we had time to bike around and check the extensive history. There were cool trails, old cemetery, and a ton of stuff to explore. The state park system set up metal frames where old buildings once stood; the courthouse, school, church, etc. The townspeople moved due to the constant flooding of the roads. After awhile, the town was abandoned and left to be devoured by the forest.
We discovered Hot Springs, AR on our way back from Michigan in 2019. The point of that stop was boating on Lake Quachita. We had stayed at a park about 20 minutes outside Hot Springs and took an afternoon to visit the town. This time, we hit Hot Springs on purpose and stayed in a KOA near downtown.
This is definitely a destination location. There is so much to do given the recreation and the historical town, so cool they made it a National Park! We did a spa day, did some hiking, biking, and of course made the rounds downtown to the Ohio Club and Superior Bathhouse Brewery. Yes, we’ll be visiting again. It’s that high on the list.
Eufaula State Park – Oklahoma
Eufaula Lake is huge. The state park property is huge as well. We came through at an off time so there were very few campers. With full hook ups and a lakeside spot, we were pretty happy with our home for 3 days. Between 5 bars and 5G internet and the view from Cheryl’s office, it was a good stay.
We always seem to do two things at every stop; bike/hike and find a cool spot nearby for food and/or drinks. In this case, we biked the trails around the park which ran through the campgrounds and lakeside. We then went into town for some fried catfish and beer at Captain John’s in town.
Willow Grove Campground – Lake Dallas, Texas
Willow Grove Campground is a city park campground on the shore of Lewisville Lake just outside of Dallas, TX. It was a cool find. The views were great, just one of the amenities I tried to provide for Cheryl’s office. This particular time of year was when the White Pelican migrates through and stays at the lake a few days.
As usual, we explored a few bike trails around Lake Dallas, did a ride out to Lake Park across the expressway over the lake, and found a cool loop at Copperas Point. The next day we went into downtown Dallas and visited some points of interest, then had dinner at The Old Warsaw, an old school restaurant that had been around forever. We were the only ones there. It was great food and drink. The owner shared his stories about coming to America from Iran, finishing school, working in restaurants, and eventually owning The Old Warsaw putting his own kids through school. It was a great evening.
Airport Park Campground – Waco, Texas
Waco was one of the stops Cheryl wanted to make. I didn’t know much about the town beforehand, but after some research found that it was more than just the place where David Koresh hosted devoted guests at his compound.
Magnolia Market, Chip and Joanna Gaines, and the entire enterprise is a fantastic story of success. I enjoyed learning about it far more than I thought I would. We spent the day exploring the town and shopping at the silos. We bought some amazing cookies for the road that lasted just a short time. Ugh.
Our campground was awesome, just outside of town and right on the shores of Lake Waco. We had fun exploring that area, the dam, the abandoned houseboats, and other areas of the park that seemed to be off limits for everyone else but us. The views were killer and sunsets even better. I had a bit of a time backing into this spot due to the low trees, but I figured out an “off-road” route into our campsite that maneuvered around the low oaks blocking my path. I only had to trim one night’s worth of dead limb firewood to make it into our spot. Again, killer views for Cheryl’s office. Yes, she worked a lot during our trip. Thank you Starlink.
Abilene Texas – KOA
At this point in the trip, we had accomplished most of our goals. Cheryl’s workload continued to grow along with the stress level. It was time to get back. We had a few more places we wanted to explore, but it was mostly about getting back home. Abilene was just a stop over. We did manage to find a deal on beer though!
Buffalo Springs Lake – Lubbock, Texas
When possible, we always try to book a state park, or a regional park. The private parks tend to stack guests on top of each other to maximize profit. It’s okay for a night, but if you have the option to book a state park, do that. The sites are way bigger and spread out. For public parks, it’s more about the experience, not the profit. They’re harder to get into, but worth it if you can get a reservation.
Buffalo Springs was a cool little community of vacation homes and the campground was just part of the development. We didn’t know if it was a partnership with the city, or a deal made to allow the development. Either way, we scored on this location. It’s a great spot for ATV’s with many trails. The lakes are beautiful and the entire area oozes seasonal homes and recreation.
Cheryl had quite a bit of work to do, so I went into town and had the tires rotated and did some shopping. We didn’t get a chance to drink too much beer at this location, or dine. But we did get some bike riding sunset viewing in after work.
Ruidoso, New Mexico – Slow Play RV Park
Ruidoso, New Mexico is a resort town in the mountains above White Sands National Park. We wanted to travel through Roswell on the way back and found Ruidoso on Google Maps. After checking into it a bit, we thought we’d stay for a couple nights.
We didn’t get to do too much because of time limitations and the fact that it was off-season. It’s a ski resort town with a horse race track in the “downs” area. Hence the Ruidoso Downs name.
We did make it to the race track and some other interesting points. Checked out the real estate deals, and found Downshift Brewing. It was good food and beer. Loved their motto too. It seemed to fit well one of our own perspectives on life; if not now, when? So many people work so hard for “retirement”. What does that even mean?
White Sands National Park – Rockhound State Park Campground, New Mexico
After we left Ruidoso we stopped for a conference call and a bike ride at White Sands National Park. Having Starlink is so key to lowering the stress levels. Knowing you have good internet in a mobile office environment is key to RV work travel from the road. If you don’t have it, you’re looking for it in the form of a 5G tower. We were able to stop and let Cheryl do her Zoom call while I hiked a few dunes.
After her call we did a 10 mile ride on our bikes. It was awesome to see so much of the park from a bike. Love these eBikes. You can get whatever level of cardio in that you need or want. At the same time, you can extend your ride to dozens of miles. It’s really a cool option for an RV’er.
The plan was to spend the night boondocking around Baylor Canyon outside of Las Cruces, NM. The problem was that all of the cool spots were taken, so we kept driving to Rockhound, SP. It was a bit out of the way, but it turned out good. They had a spot for the night with power and a storm came in. It was nice to have the shelter of the mountains surrounding that campground.
The City of Rocks State Park – New Mexico
The City of Rocks is a really unique spot in New Mexico. It’s got some powered campsites, but most of them are remote spots in the middle of the rocks. I had researched this particular spot and reserved it in 2020 but Covid killed that trip. We tried again in 2021 but couldn’t get in. 2023 was our year. I got the spot: Remote, private, and perfect for a night.
We got there early enough to explore and hike. Cheryl got some work in. We had a great dinner and a campfire that night followed by some Netflix. The next morning we did a bike ride on the surrounding trails. After that we made lunch and headed down the road to Benson to visit Kartchner Caverns. It was a place we missed in 2020 due to Covid.
Kartchner Caverns State Park, Benson Arizona
March 13, 2020 was a memorable weekend. Loads of people were going camping and taking a long weekend off. We took a trip to Glamis that weekend. The plan was to leave the kids there and say goodbye for a few month for our trip to Nova Scotia. Kartchner Caverns was to be our first stop but they closed the Caverns due to Covid concerns.
So, a few years later we managed to make it to Kartchner and tour the Caverns. They are magnificent caverns and we’ve toured quite few. This ranks at the top. We also got to bike the trails that run throughout the park. We got off course a bit on one trail, but that’s usually how we roll. After checking this one off the list, it was off to Gilbert Ray in Tucson, then up to Mesa to visit the kids.
Gilbert Ray Campground – Tucson, Arizona
One of our favorite campgrounds, Gilbert Ray near Saguaro National Park (West). Something about the desert just draws us in. The sunsets of course, but also the crisp air at night and pleasant days of Fall, Winter, and Spring are energizing. The open sky lends a feeling of freedom and possibility. It’s beautiful.
This campground was a find during Covid times, 2020 when we were trying to figure out what to do; go home or stay on the road. Our renters offered to give up the house and move into their small home they were renovating. We let them stay and we stayed on the road. March, 2020 was a scary time and had a lot of unknowns. We spent time there hiking, riding bikes and exploring the desert. Gilbert Ray was the perfect spot to spend time.
On this trip, we had our eBikes. Cheryl had an older one that wasn’t quite a mountain bike and was modified to have the handle bars further up and back so it didn’t hurt her back to reach for them. Mine was new and I was just figuring out how far I could push it. We both ended up taking a dive. Mine left a nice scar on my leg. Cheryl went over the bars as she dropped into wash. She landed on her head and shoulder. She did some long term damage that would take months to mend. After that fall, I got her a new eBike. Her new bike has a lower center of gravity, is much heavier, and has fat tires with full suspension.
Mesa RV Pad – Home for Thanksgiving!
We timed it perfectly! Thanksgiving, 2023 was a good one in Mesa. Melissa’s family came out. Scott and Jenn came out, and Bonnie was able to make it our too. It wasn’t the entire fam, but it was a good size gathering and we had a blast. So much to be thankful for.
