So yesterday I accidentally posted the maps of the main routes we followed. As I mentioned, we put almost 10,000 kms on the odometer. About 5100 kms of that is getting from one RV Park to the next (pretty much what shows on the maps). The rest is touring in the areas where we stayed. I feel very tired when I look at those numbers, and Robin did virtually all of the driving, so you would think he would be comatose. We figure I owe him about 9500 kms of driving.
It didn't feel like we were gone for 2.5 months, probably because we moved around so much. We could have easily stayed longer, but once we reached Las Vegas we kind of felt that we were heading north and should just keep going. There were also insurance issues to consider.
Did we enjoy the trip? YES!! Would we do it again? YES!! Although, the next time we would pick one or two places to set up base camp, for a month or more at each place, and sight-see from there. We did find that by the last couple of weeks, the last thing we wanted to do was be on the road each day checking out the local scenery and attractions. If we stay put in one place with the RV, it's more like just being at your "summer home" and you can make those day trips here and there when the mood hits. Or even trips that may take two or three days, and just hotel along the way. Plus, if we are settled somewhere for any length of time, people can come and visit us.
Where would we return to? We enjoyed our time in Mesa and we have a few places north of there that we wanted to see (Sedona and Grand Canyon in particular, and spots in between). Tucson was nice in that it wasn't as big as Phoenix, but we saw a lot of the attractions there, so not much to draw us back. And it's only a couple of hours from Phoenix/Mesa, so could always make day or overnight trips if there was something we really wanted to do in that area.
We also enjoyed the Desert Hot Springs area, and of course, it's only a couple of hours to LA and Disneyland, or 3 hours to San Diego. Phoenix is only 4-5 hours away for overnight trips. The other advantage to this area is that it's not as long of a drive from home.
If we go back to Arizona, we want to be sure to be around in early April when the cacti bloom. It would also make the weather in the Grand Canyon area more hospitable. Whether we leave in mid to late January again and stay longer, or leave in February and stay only a couple of months remains to be seen.
Our favourite sights/attractions (in no particular order): In the Tucson area I would say Tubac and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. In the Phoenix area - Apache Trail and the burros at Lake Pleasant. In the Las Vegas area - definitely the Valley of Fire and Death Valley. The best thing was discovering that we could, in fact, spend all that time in a small living space, only sharing each other's company for a lot of the time, and we're still planning to stay married. At least I am, and Robin hasn't been dropping any hints otherwise.
So, I will sign off on this big adventure. I hope you have enjoyed following along with us, and that, perhaps, some of my pictures and descriptions have inspired you to visit some of the places we've been. Not sure at this point when our next trip will be. The RV will be going up for sale soon, and the hunt will be on for a motor home, so RV trips will be totally reliant on the timing of sale and purchase.
Hope spring is finally starting to make an appearance for many of you still dealing with snow. Our crocuses bloomed beautifully while we were gone (for the enjoyment of our neighbours), the daffodils and narcissus are in flower now, and the tulips are budding and will burst forth soon.
Until next time, dear followers.
It didn't feel like we were gone for 2.5 months, probably because we moved around so much. We could have easily stayed longer, but once we reached Las Vegas we kind of felt that we were heading north and should just keep going. There were also insurance issues to consider.
Did we enjoy the trip? YES!! Would we do it again? YES!! Although, the next time we would pick one or two places to set up base camp, for a month or more at each place, and sight-see from there. We did find that by the last couple of weeks, the last thing we wanted to do was be on the road each day checking out the local scenery and attractions. If we stay put in one place with the RV, it's more like just being at your "summer home" and you can make those day trips here and there when the mood hits. Or even trips that may take two or three days, and just hotel along the way. Plus, if we are settled somewhere for any length of time, people can come and visit us.
Where would we return to? We enjoyed our time in Mesa and we have a few places north of there that we wanted to see (Sedona and Grand Canyon in particular, and spots in between). Tucson was nice in that it wasn't as big as Phoenix, but we saw a lot of the attractions there, so not much to draw us back. And it's only a couple of hours from Phoenix/Mesa, so could always make day or overnight trips if there was something we really wanted to do in that area.
We also enjoyed the Desert Hot Springs area, and of course, it's only a couple of hours to LA and Disneyland, or 3 hours to San Diego. Phoenix is only 4-5 hours away for overnight trips. The other advantage to this area is that it's not as long of a drive from home.
If we go back to Arizona, we want to be sure to be around in early April when the cacti bloom. It would also make the weather in the Grand Canyon area more hospitable. Whether we leave in mid to late January again and stay longer, or leave in February and stay only a couple of months remains to be seen.
Our favourite sights/attractions (in no particular order): In the Tucson area I would say Tubac and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. In the Phoenix area - Apache Trail and the burros at Lake Pleasant. In the Las Vegas area - definitely the Valley of Fire and Death Valley. The best thing was discovering that we could, in fact, spend all that time in a small living space, only sharing each other's company for a lot of the time, and we're still planning to stay married. At least I am, and Robin hasn't been dropping any hints otherwise.
So, I will sign off on this big adventure. I hope you have enjoyed following along with us, and that, perhaps, some of my pictures and descriptions have inspired you to visit some of the places we've been. Not sure at this point when our next trip will be. The RV will be going up for sale soon, and the hunt will be on for a motor home, so RV trips will be totally reliant on the timing of sale and purchase.
Hope spring is finally starting to make an appearance for many of you still dealing with snow. Our crocuses bloomed beautifully while we were gone (for the enjoyment of our neighbours), the daffodils and narcissus are in flower now, and the tulips are budding and will burst forth soon.
Until next time, dear followers.