Posts Tagged With: hiking

On The Rocks

California’s Joshua Tree National Park encompasses nearly 800,000 acres, including parts of two deserts; the lower elevation Colorado Desert and the higher Mojave Desert. Reg and I were here about 40 years ago, tent camping with friends Tom and Joan during a blazing hot spring weekend. Neither of us had much memory of the park, so we were up early to reacquaint ourselves and beat the crowds.

In addition to the Joshua trees, the massive rock formations draw crowds to the park.

While the park is large, the most popular sights are located in relatively small areas. We began our day with a short walk along an unmarked path through a spectacular maze of boulders. We turned back before too long, not wanting to lose our way. I’m sort of a chicken about that.

In 1994, Joshua Tree National Monument officially became Joshua Tree National Park, adding 234,000 acres. Much of the park is designated wilderness. There are no facilities beyond vault toilets, so bring a full tank of gas, your water and a picnic lunch.

In addition to Skull Rock, we couldn’t leave the park without visiting Arch Rock and Heart Rock, two more “must see” stops. It was a challenge to snap photos of the three iconic rock formations without the crowds. Even on a Tuesday with the cool weather and gray skies, parking was tight and visitors were scrambling all over the rocks…so don’t expect to have the place to yourself!

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Cactus With Charisma

Saguaro cactus welcome us to the trail with happy waves.

Tucson Mountain Park was our choice for a day hike during our short stay. The park has a network of trails and an abundance of saguaro cactus scattered throughout the mountains and valleys.
Unique to Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, these slow-growing giants can reach 40-60 feet and live 150-200 years.

Saguaros have the classic cactus look, and are easily identifiable . Standing tall, arms pointing upwards, waving at all who pass by. They are the charming, charismatic hosts of the Sonoran Desert.

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The Trail West

We had just two nights outside of Las Cruces at this New Mexico State Park.

We literally blew through Las Cruces, New Mexico on our way to Leasburg Dam State Park. The wind had been gathering strength as we traveled west and we were looking forward to getting off the road.

The distant mountains put on a colorful show as sunset.

Our campsite was pretty impressive for $14.00/ night. We had a concrete parking pad, electric and water hookups and a covered concrete patio with picnic table. In addition, the park had bathrooms with showers just a short walk away. The view wasn’t so bad either.

Although it was tempting to climb back in the truck and find a nearby mountain trail, we just had one day so decided to wander without driving. We managed a 3-mile walk throughout the park, eventually arriving at the Rio Grande River that flows alongside the park boundaries.

The small-scale Leasburg Dam.

The Leasburg Diversion Dam was completed in 1907 and measures 10 feet high and 600 feet long. It holds a place in history as the first dam completed by the Bureau of Reclamation’s Rio Grande Project, built to channel irrigation water to the dry lands of west Texas and southeastern New Mexico.

But that was not the only historic site within walking distance. We took an afternoon stroll to visit nearby Fort Selden.

The fort was a short walk from our campground.

The U.S. Army established the fort in 1865 in an effort promote peace and protect westward bound settlers. Several of the troops serving the fort were the African American regiments known as the Buffalo Soldiers, whose main duty was to protect those settlers and build infrastructure. Officers soon brought their wives and children as the community grew. At age four, Douglas McArthur, who would later become a five-star general and American war hero, lived at Fort Selden during his father’s brief time as post commander.

The fort was decommissioned in 1891 and left abandoned, its adobe buildings surrendering to the wind and rain and snow. In 1970, Fort Selden was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 1974 it was named a New Mexico State Monument.

The small museum tells the stories of life at Fort Selden with photos, storyboards and collectibles.

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We’re Thrown A Curve Before Big Bend

We had just one day to explore Big Bend National Park. Our original plan of a 2-day stay was foiled by leaking water lines and not one, but two visits from a mobile RV repairman. Them’s the breaks…but we arrived to our rescheduled campsite just outside the park and pulled in between a couple whose father/father-in-law lives just down the road from our old Mariposa, California home, and a young couple who are living and traveling (since 2020) in their giant 5th wheel…along with their 5 children.

With just one day, we were advised to walk the Lost Mine Trail for a taste of what the park had to offer.
This was how early we had to get up to start our day, and to be assured of getting a parking space.

This has been our favorite hike of the trip…so far. Just under 5 miles with enough elevation gain to test us. Watching the massive rock formations catch the morning sun as it rose was spectacular. I’m afraid the photos don’t do it justice.

With the afternoon ahead of us, we drove the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive stopping along the way at points of interest. Our goal was to reach the Rio Grande River, signaling the end of the road and the border between the United States and Mexico.

And now it’s time to leave Texas behind. We’ll be hitching up Minnie and heading west tomorrow. See you in a few days.

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Texas – Yesterday And Today

The Alamo was established in 1718 as Mission San Antonio de Valero.

We arrived in San Antonio, Texas on February 23, the first day of the historic Battle of the Alamo that took place in 1836. It was also the first day of the annual commemoration honoring the battle. A sea of chairs were set up on the front plaza, filled with history buffs who listened to speakers commemorate the famous battle.
I’ll leave you to do your own research regarding the winners and losers of the battle.

We took a 7-mile stroll along the San Antonio River Walk, then joined the crowds for a waterside lunch.

The following day we left the city behind and found a place to stretch our legs and enjoy a quiet picnic lunch. The 12,000-acre Government Canyon State Natural Area fit the bill. With 40 miles of trails, we chose a combination that took up and around on a loop through changing vegetation. We even found a bench with a bit of a view for our lunch.

Next stop: Big Bend National Park.

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Civilian Conservation Corps Does It Again – Bastrop State Park

One of the benefits of traveling this time of year has been the ability to reserve and enjoy a variety of state parks in multiple states…without the crowds of high season.
We pulled into Bastrop State Park, southeast of Austin, Texas for a three-night stay, and were pleased to see that the forest was making a recovery after a devastating fire in 2011.

As with so many state parks, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided the manpower in the 1930s, constructing much of what remains today. Because of their craftsmanship and landscape work, the park was awarded National Historical Landmark status in 1997.

The park pool wasn’t yet open for the season. Just for a moment we considered hopping the fence
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Keeping Track Of Our Tracks


Our AllTrails app has become our go-to tool for finding hikes when traveling. Once downloaded, the app works offline and can be a big help sorting out confusing trail signs and terrain.

It will also record miles, elevation and length of time walked, so if one of us remembers, we allow AllTrails to record our progress. This also keeps Reg honest as he tallies our hiking mileage on this trip.

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, in Florida, has over 15 miles of trails, so we packed our lunches and set off to explore. As you can see, we only walked half of them, but I like to think we walked the pretty half.


Often we choose to do some Urban hiking and again, AllTrails led us to a unique Gulf Coast neighborhood not far from our RV site. We began our walk in the beautiful Watercolor neighborhood, a pristine resort community of large, and very expensive homes built surprisingly close together.
A raised boardwalk took us around a couple small ponds and out to the banks of Western Lake. We looped around, crossing the water a couple times, eventually arriving at Seaside where we found tables and chairs scattered around a grassy amphitheater. Perfect for lunch and people-watching.

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Maine or Bust 2022: Around The Country Roundup

The state of Nevada stretches out ahead of us on our marathon drive home.

It’s been nearly a week since we arrived home, enough time to feel as though we never left. Funny how that works. Although we’ve made two other trailer trips across the country, this was by far our most ambitious, spreading from as far south as Sedona, Arizona and north into the state of Maine.

For years Reg and I discussed the wisdom of a truck and trailer purchase. It’s nearly impossible to justify the cost, so when we finally decided to take the plunge, we promised each other we would use it…a lot.
In the 6 years we’ve been trailer owners, we’ve done a pretty good job of keeping that promise. Thinking back through all our trips we figure we’ve spent the equivalent of 14 months worth of nights snuggling in a bed that is really just a little too small to be truly comfortable.

So, how did we fare on our 2022 road trip? Not bad considering all the doom and gloom reports of high gas prices (they were) and limited campground availability (they weren’t).

March 9 – First day on the road.


● Number of days on the road – 107

● Number of nights spent in campgrounds – 84

● Average cost per night – $58.00

● Miles traveled – 13,000

● Number of gas fill-ups – 45

● Total gallons purchased – 925+/-


Our cheapest gas was in Amarillo, Texas where we filled up for $3.40 per gallon on April 5.
Our most expensive gas was at Stove Pipe Wells in Death Valley where we paid a whopping $6.09 per gallon. Needless to say, we added just 6 gallons, enough to get us back to civilization and a somewhat more palatable gallon price of $4.69.

Our most affordable campsite was in Ozark, Arkansas, an Army Corp of Engineers site that set us back $9.00 a night. We spent two nights.
The biggest campsite splurge was in Williamsburg, Virginia where we were promised a lovely, large, quiet campsite for $108.00 (!) per night. When it turned out to be an equally short distance from a busy highway and a train track that ran commuter trains at all hours, Reg complained and got us a bit of a refund. This is all part of the fun…

53 days of hikes or walks for a total of 222 miles.

5 days of bike riding for a total of 79 miles…We had hoped to do more.

In the 6 years we’ve been trailer camping, we’ve visited 44 of our 50 states. It’s not likely we will add Hawaii to our list. Will we ever add North Dakota, Florida, Delaware, Rhode Island and Alaska? It’s hard to say. For now, Minnie is taking a well-earned rest, parked in Ashland, Virginia where she awaits our return to take her on another tour of the eastern seaboard.

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Maine or Bust 2022: Cadillac Mountain Redo

The sun was out and Cadillac Mountain was waiting for us. It was a great day for a hike and since we lost our reservation to drive up, we chose to walk to the top. The Cadillac South Ridge Trail was described as a moderately challenging 6.7 mile out and back trail. We felt we had a pretty good chance of summiting the 1,548 foot peak with enough energy left over to get back down again.

A sticky, muddy, puddle-strewn trail climbed steadily up, finally opening onto a mostly smooth, rock path. There were views in every direction and plenty of rock cairns and blue blazes marking the way. With the exception of several semi-intimidating rock scrambles (which required some booty-scooting on the trip down), we reached the summit right about noon. Perfect timing!

We made it to the top for a windy picnic lunch and a beautiful view.
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Maine or Bust 2022: The Northernmost Point

This little finger of land in Lamoine, Maine is where we’ll spend the next week before heading home.

We’ve reached the northernmost point of our trip and are comfortably settled in a spectacular log cabin overlooking the Mt. Desert Narrows body of water. We have plans to visit Maine’s Acadia National Park and hope to get together once more with friends Jeannie and Jeff…but other than that, we may just sit and enjoy the view from the deck.

Our host assured us there would be space for Minnie, and Reg backed her in like a pro. While he tended to all the details of parking her for the week, our host gave me a tour of our temporary waterside home. What a special place this is. Gorgeous inside and out…we may never leave!

After breakfast we took a short morning walk around the point, returning to enjoy a quiet Sunday watching the tide roll out…and then back in.

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