Exploring Tomorrows Blog
When we planned our trip south to Florida, we didn’t want to go south too quickly and risk needing to leave due to a hurricane. Unfortunately, fall seems to be the time of year that some pretty severe ones come through the south. So we decided to spend a few weeks in North Carolina and hopefully enjoy some beautiful fall weather.
Read MoreIt is hard to believe that it has been a little over 5 years since we started full time RVing. To be honest, I am not sure what date to use for this anniversary. We officially moved into the RV on Labor Day, 9/2/19 but I worked remotely for a couple more weeks and didn’t officially retire until 9/20/19. We stayed at the campground for another couple of weeks finalizing work on the RV before we started traveling on 10/8/19. So, am I a month late in celebrating or do I use the October date? Either way, in a way it seems like yesterday and in another way, it feels like we have always lived this way.
Read MoreWe managed to have a little fun as summer came to an end even though we were still busy with way too many medical appointments. The good news is that all turned out well with the appointments. Tim had cataract surgery in both eyes and had a good recovery. He still has issues with bright lights and will probably need to keep using sun glasses for awhile. Also, his hand was bothering him again so he ended up getting shots that seemed to have helped. Hopefully that will last all winter.
Read MoreUsually we aren’t anywhere close to a National Park during National Park week but this year we really hit the bonanza. I got to visit Zion and Bryce the week before and then as we left Utah, we headed back to Arizona to visit two more parks during National Park Week. After a quick overnight stop in Vegas, we headed south and east to Williams, AZ for a 3 night stay.
Read MoreAfter our time in Nevada, we headed further north to Utah to spend a week visiting our friends, Gerry and Mari. We initially met them during our first year traveling in the RV in Berea, KY. We spent a week as neighbors and have kept in touch over the years even though we were in different parts of the country. They settled in St. George, UT two years ago and we were excited that we could finally visit them since it wasn’t too far from Las Vegas.
Read MoreWhile in Verde Valley, we considered a visit to the Grand Canyon by taking the train from Williams, AZ. I realized that it would be a very long day to do that from where we were staying, so we discussed leaving a couple days early and staying in Williams for the train ride. I kept watching the weather since it had been cold and snowing at times up in that area. As we approached our last week in Verde Valley, the weather forecast looked great. Sunny and low 60s for Williams for a couple days in a row. We quickly booked a park in Williams for 2 nights.
Read MoreWhen we purchased our Thousand Trails membership, it included a free week at a Getaway Cabin once a year for five years. Since we are always traveling in the RV, this was a perk that we didn’t anticipate using. Our daughter Katie has taken advantage of our free cabin the past 2 years. This year, she booked the cabin at Verde Valley for the first week we were there.
Read MoreWe have been moving around the beautiful state of Arizona and have stayed at some great RV Parks as well as seen some very beautiful areas. Right now we are staying in the Verde Valley area which is close to Cottonwood and Sedona. This is one of the most scenic areas that we have visited. Every where that you drive, there is absolutely stunning scenery. The best part is that the road approaching our RV park has a fantastic view of the red rocks of Sedona in the distance and is is exceptionally stunning in the afternoon sunshine; and our 3 week stay is free with our Thousand Trails membership!
Read MoreWe did it! We have completed a full cross country trip. In the past year, we saw the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico while staying in Florida and now we saw the Pacific Ocean in California. I love that our lifestyle is able to take us to so many beautiful places. When we initially planned our winter travels, we were going to spend the winter in Arizona, with 3 months in Tucson and we didn’t think we would make it to California on this trip.
Read MoreWe headed a bit further west last week to Yuma, AZ and have now been here for a week. Unfortunately, I started getting a head cold the day we got here and after having it for a week, I am feeling better but Tim now has it. I had to share, right? With both of us being sick, we haven’t done very much yet in Yuma, but we did enjoy our last couple of weeks in Tucson and had a nice stop in Why, AZ on our way here.
Read MoreIt is hard to believe that a 2 month visit to Tucson, AZ is not enough to see and do everything that this area has to offer but it is true. We have found many great places to visit in the area and in the city. I suppose that most cities provide many things to do and areas to explore although I feel that often what we find is similar to other cities. So I don’t always feel that we need to do everything that I have read or heard about in the area. This time, my list of what I don’t want to miss keeps growing and I suppose it is because of the abundance of nature and beautiful settings in this area as well as the abundance of history in the area.
Read MoreIts Christmas Eve and we are enjoying desert views and much appreciated sunshine. While we miss being with family, we are able to enjoy the holidays, especially being able to spend it in such a beautiful place. Today I felt privileged to be able to attend morning Mass in one of the most beautiful missions I have seen.
Read MoreMerry Christmas! I went to the Lighted Christmas Parade in Deming, NM on Saturday evening. It was a very cute parade with lots of homemade lighted floats and Christmas music that just put me in the mood for the holidays. I love this Season of Joy especially seeing the children’s eyes light up at the parade. Tim had mentioned that we need to get our Christmas letter written and the parade put me in the mood to do just that so here goes!
Read MoreAfter leaving Santa Fe, we headed south on I25 towards Elephant Butte. It was a spectacular drive, especially leaving the Santa Fe area and descending over the buttes; at least that is what I think these rocky ridges are called. It seemed at one point like the earth was opening up to my right with these rocky drop offs to the valley below and mountains in the distance. I couldn’t get any pictures because I was driving the RV but I can still visualize it.
Read MoreWhen we first arrived in Santa Fe, we noticed a sign for Madrid as we took our exit for the RV Park. I remembered that town from “Wild Hogs”, a movie that we always enjoy and wondered if it was the same place the movie was filmed. Another sign indicated that the route towards Madrid was the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway. Of course, both of those sounded good to me.
Read MoreWe have now been in New Mexico for about a month and we can officially say that we arrived in the Desert Southwest. So I decided to start a new series of blog posts instead of continuing the westward journey series. After Tucumcari, we headed a little further west and north to Santa Fe. I have to say that this town has been on my bucket list for quite awhile and it certainly met my expectations.
Read MoreOur westward journey has taken us near Rt 66 for a good bit of our travels from Missouri, through Oklahoma, Texas and into New Mexico. For the most part, we stayed on the interstate driving the motorhome and ventured along Rt. 66 when we stopped for the night. Much of the old stops along Rt. 66 seem to be gone or if they are there, they are pretty run down. It is a shame to see this historic travel route disappearing.
Read MoreAfter 5 days of traveling, we stopped in Oklahoma City for 3 nights. I am really glad that we stopped here for a few days. Not only did we need a break from driving, we also needed time to relax and enjoy our surroundings. We discovered that there is quite a bit to do in Oklahoma City so we explored different sections of the city each day.
Read MoreOver the past 1.5 weeks, we traveled from Batesville, IN to Tucumcari, NM. That is pretty fast traveling for us. We normally stay in each stop for a few days to a week with sometimes a one night stop in between our longer stops. Since we got a later start that we originally planned, we decided to move quickly through a few states so we could spend the time we had planned for New Mexico. We ended up with 5 days in a row of travel, with 4 one night stops before we had a 3 night stop.
Read MoreWhile staying in Batesville, IN, I felt like we got to experience all types of American life: small towns, rural areas and city life. Batesville is a small city centrally located between Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Louisville. We like to stay there at a Thousand Trails campground to visit our daughter Kim and son in law Greg who live in Cincinnati. It is a nice area and we always find plenty to do while Kim and Greg are busy working.
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My name is Deb, I’m the one behind the keyboard. Follow us on social to stay up-to-date.
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