Canyons Trip 2020

Trip planned

Masks made

Freezer stocked

Onward Ho!

Tupelo Mississippi

Tombigbee State Park, August 2-4 2020

This was a really nice, small campground. The hiking trails were pretty with moderate terrain. Watch out for frisbees! Several disc golf courses crossed the hiking trails. Site 10 was close to the bathhouse.

Natchez Trace Parkway

Tupelo

Elvis Birthplace

Veterans Memorial Park

Mountain Pine, Arkansas

Lake Ouachita State Park, Aug 4-9

Our second stay and in site 45 both times. Internet only in the office, no TV and no phones. The hiking trail was more difficult than we thought it could be within the park.

Hot Springs Arkansas

Denison, Texas and nearby Oklahoma

Eisenhower State Park, Aug 9-11 site 34

We didn't really care for this park. The lake was busy. The park's main purpose seemed to be the marina. The lake couldn't be seen from the campground.

Crystal Creek Winery in Mead, OK. This is Crystal with Spock.

Canyon, Texas

Palo Duro Canyon State Park  Aug 11-15 Site 112

This is the Second largest canyon in North America! It was the first place that we felt a reduced number of people due to the pandemic. Normally, this campground is full as soon as reservations are opened. I think we saw, at most, four other campers in our section at any one time. Great hiking but temperatures over 100!

Newer bathhouse

We don't seem to be very good at Bocce Ball!

And this is what happens when you decide to hike alone and you aren't in good shape and you don't take a quart of water for each mile.... The park must bring in emergency vehicles from everywhere....They did bring a young lady out and she was checked by the paramedics before being released. This happened just after we warned a couple with a teenage son not to hike with only their one store-bought bottle of water to share. 

Amarillo, Texas

RV Museum

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Just before we leave for Albuquerque.....

Then we pull in to the welcome center and there's no one to welcome us. The place is dead. Sitting in the middle of the drive for truck/RV parking is a burned trailer full of now rotten eggs. We felt like we were in a zombie movie!

High Desert RV Park Aug 15-17

Petroglyph National Monument wasn't a planned stop but was a happy find! We hiked in three sections. At first we couldn't find the petroglyphs but after finding one the others were obvious. Notice all the snake drawings.

We walked past this new friend and didn't see him. He crossed the trail just after us. I believe him to be a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake though the Mojave Rattlesnake looks much the same. I didn't get close enough to check the scales between the eyes! Yes, I stupidly went back to get some closer pictures. These pictures are for you, Ty!

St Johns, Arizona

Lyman Lake State Park Aug 17-19

This was another unplanned stop due to our original campground closing (stupid Covid!). We had planned a gas stop before exiting after leaving Albuquerque but the gas station on the interstate was closed. We would have enjoyed the drive much better had we had a full tank instead of fearing we would never make it!

We did learn that you can see a long way in the desert! We thought the lake was small until we went kayaking. It was really a long trip across the water.  

Petroglyphs on Lyman Lake. Notice all the snakes and maybe the man falling off the cliff?

Holbrook, Arizona

OK RV Park Aug 19-21

This was a planned stop to see the petrified forest and the painted desert. One day is enough for both.

First the trucks make mud for the jeeps then they spray wash your jeep!

An entire book of petroglyphs!

Grand Canyon

Trailer Village RV Park, inside Grand Canyon National Park Aug 21-25

Normally, you can't get in here to camp unless you make reservations a year in advance. We were beginning to see that a pandemic can be a good thing. The campground was only half full, maybe. The shuttle buses were not running and the museums were closed but no problem for us since we came to hike. We went to see the sunset on our first night just minutes before sunset and were able to sit on the edge of the canyon. 

This was one of the hardest hikes I've ever done! It was difficult to gage since we walked down first then had to walk back up. We are used to walking up a mountain first then walking down. We hiked the South Kaibab Trail We walked down through Cedar Ridge to Skeleton Point or about six miles total and 2,000 feet in elevation change. 

Finally we can see the river!

My favorite Grand Canyon picture

Our campsite and one of the many elk

We did find a place to see the river from the top.

The parking lots and sidewalks felt like Disneyworld!

Sedona, Arizona

Rancho Sedona RV Park Aug 25-28 

This was a fun stop for jeep driving but we didn't have much interest in the city. The campground was one of our favorites. We were in a forested area and next to a creek. After a month of heat we enjoyed sitting in our chairs in the water.

This might have been the first time I said, "I want to go up there!" so Sam took me up there. Eleven miles, four hours, and I don't know how many Uh Oh's and we made it out the other side. We were disappointed that we didn't seem to have any of the big rocks in our pictures. 

Really, much of the road was like this! I guess we were too busy getting across to take pictures. Sam's watch kept telling him he had met another exercise goal. I think the watch thought he must be exercising with as high as he heart rate was!

This is how most people travel this road

 

Tucson, Arizona 

Cactus Country RV Aug 28- Sept 2

This was another favorite. They had a pool and it was open! The park was very pretty and well kept. Gardens were all around us. Some bird feeders were kept close to our site so we saw birds and rabbits there every afternoon. The location outside Tucson was quiet but had stores close enough for restocking. We really wanted to visit an aviation boneyard but it was closed. It was at another unexpected national park, Saguaro National Park.

Pima Air and Space

Tombstone

Saguaro National Park

 Alamogordo, New Mexico

Alamogordo/White Sands KOA Sept 2-4

The campground loaned us sleds for the day at White Sands National Park

Pistachios ready to be harvested.

White Sands National Park

 Carlsbad, New Mexico

Carlsbad RV Park Sept 4-7

Our State Park camping was closed to out-of-state people and we were only given a partial refund. We had to choose another campground at the last minute. There aren't many choices in the area and it turns out this wasn't the best! We kayaked the Pecos River which was a lot of fun.

Carlsbad Caverns, we just made the daily cutoff number of those allowed in 

Lajitas, Texas

Maverick Ranch RV Resort (part of Lajitas Golf Resort). Do not pay extra for cable. There are only a few fuzzy stations.

Big Bend National Park was on one side of us and Big Bend Ranch State Park was on the other side.

Big Bend Ranch State Park

Climbing Lajitas Mesa

When we first pulled into the park we both stated, "I want to go up there!" This was in the back of the RV Resort.

Millipedes everywhere!

Rough walking and very few trail markers

Petrified wood on the trail

The trail didn't go up this hill like I thought!

The top of the mesa was covered with geodes and quartz crystals

The perfect ending to a six hour, ten mile hike!

Big Bend National Park

Big Bend was a disappointment. Three roads (two were opposite ends of the same road) were open. All three were entrances. All roads to Santa Elena Canyon were closed. It was a rainy day. The fossil exhibit was open but mostly we saw the park from the jeep on the main road, TX 118S, which runs through the park. I'm glad we purchased our National Parks pass. I'd have hated to have spent $25 for this! 

The roads really flood here

The road to Santa Elena Canyon

Ghost Town of Terlingua

Del Rio, Texas

Broke Mill RV Park Sept 14-17

Almost paddled to Mexico for an illegal border crossing!

 

San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio Alamo KOA Sept 17-20

Happy 37th!

The Alamo

 

Waco, Texas

Speegleville Park RV Sept 20-23

Who's ever heard of a cat who goes for walks?

As James would say, a happy accident finding Waco Mammoth National Park!

Mayborn Museum at Baylor University

Time for cupcakes!

Found a World Market for a great dinner!

Leftovers of Tropical Storm Beta

Natchitoches, Louisiana

Grand Ecore RV Park Sept 23-25

A perfect campground for an OCD person. Everything was clean and exact.

 Quitman, Mississippi

Clarkco State Park Sept 25-27

We saw Pearl's on TV and had to eat there!

Montgomery, Alabama

Gunter Hill COE Sept 27-28

This was our second or third stop at Gunter Hill. It's a great COE park. It's just outside Montgomery, AL and works well for Montgomery Biscuits games!

Places in literature guiding our Trip

Deep South, Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi

Daisies in the Canyon, Palo Duro Canyon, Texas

People of the Canyons, Grand Canyon (and others), Arizona

Blind Descent, Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

 

While at Carlsbad Caverns we could see the Guadalupe Mountains so I included Track of the Cat

even though we didn't actually walk in the National Park. We tried to get there but assigned entry times at Carlsbad made it impossible.

Borderline, Big Bend National Park, Texas

We had planned to kayak on the Rio Grande and visit the Santa Elena Canyon but the park was mostly closed during our visit and no river trips were allowed or travel except the main road and three entrances. We did stay at the "Golf Resort" near the National Park, possibly the one referred to in the book!