Apalachicola, FL

We got home Tuesday afternoon and are happy to be here, although we came home to broken sprinkler lines, two malfunctioning toilets, and a few burned out light bulbs that had been left on by the cleaning crew while we were gone. Oh well, that is behind us.

We expected a good deal of traffic on our way to Apalachicola since it was Memorial Day Weekend, but it was not too bad really. We arrived at our reserved campground at Indian Pass, FL and found it to be unacceptable. We were lucky to have been able to find a space so late on a holiday weekend. It was a great setting at the end of a small point of land. There was a small beach and a boat ramp, but the space that was available was just too unlevel and difficult to get a Class A motor home in and out of. We elected to leave, but had nowhere else to go. Our friends were already docked in Apalachicola, and we were afraid we would have no choice but to continue home to Orlando.

We had to unhook the jeep to turn around and leave, so before doing that I called and left a message at Coastline RV Resort to see if they had a cancellation. By the time we were turned around Coastline had called back to say that they had an early departure and a site was available! Yea! It was our first choice, but they were full when we tried a few days earlier.

We hurried on over to Eastpoint, FL and as we drove through Apalachicola we waved and honked (aren’t air horns assertive?) to Jim and Phyllis when we saw them on the main drag.

The people at Coastline, and the site itself, could not have been nicer. So much better than the primitive campground at Indian Pass. Once we were set up we drove back to Apalachicola to have cocktails on Jim and Phyllis’ sailboat “Sisu”. Sailing is the common bond that brought us together. We met while cruising the Bahamas.

After rather significant gin and tonics on board we found our way to the Up The Creek Raw Bar (nice, try it) for a rustic old Florida dinner experience. The next morning we met at The Owl Café for Sunday brunch, and it was fabulous. 

 Apalachicola is a great little town that has found its footing in post recession Florida. There are several very nice places to eat and several shops to while away the day.

We drove through Saint George Island State Park and spent time walking the beach. Barbara could spend countless hours walking the beach looking for shells, but we opted to head back to the campground for cocktails and dinner.

Jim and Phyllis have limited space on their 34’ Tartan, so the enjoyed having a chance to do laundry on our motor home as we worked our way through some wine. The wind was still pretty strong. It had blown the flag off the nose of the motor home twice, so I stowed it. The picnic table was in the lee, so we sat outside and grilled dinner.

SPAM on the barbee

Don’t laugh, but we had grilled SPAM as an appetizer. A few years back we stopped at the SPAM museum in Austin, MN. They served Cracked Pepper SPAM on pretzel sticks as an appetizer, and we found it to be pretty good. In honor of that trip we shared this delight with Jim and Phyllis.

We bid Jim and Phyllis adieu at the dock, and the following morning we headed home.

For those of you that plan to visit the panhandle of Florida, Highway 98 offers a good road to transit the beach areas, and you can continue on to Perry, FL and pick up Highway 27/27A to Ocala for a stress-free way to avoid much of I-10 and I-75.

Eagle's Landing Campground, Holt, FL

We are back in Florida! Since Fort Huachuca we have had a wonderful time visiting with John and Jane in Harper, TX. John is the one that got us messed up with jeeps, but we love him anyway. We had such a good time with them we didn’t take any pictures, or take time to do the blog.

We parted company Thursday morning in the misty weather and started our way home. There was a good bit of rain in the morning, but cleared by early afternoon. You could tell that a holiday weekend was coming up. The drivers were nuts, and there were plenty of them. San Antonio and Houston went by without much drama, but that ended at Beaumont. Multiple highways and local commuters converge on a bridge to continue east and, as luck would have it, there was an accident just before that bridge. It took just over TWO hours to cross through Beaumont. That is about three miles! We were two hours late getting to our campsite in Iowa, LA, but we called and told them we were still coming and not to give our site away. This is the campground that I wrote about last year that is a little hard to find the first time since it is behind a Shell station and a McDonalds. Cypress Bend is the name of it, and it is actually a nice little stopover point with paved roads and sites, and plenty of grass. We were beat, so dinner was from McDonalds. I wish I could say it was nice, but it did fill us up.

The drive to Holt, FL today was in nice, clear and warm weather. We continued to fight holiday traffic, and the map apps were showing another major backup getting through the tunnel in Mobile. Luckily when we arrived we found the problem had cleared up a good bit, but there was still a backup. Still, it was nothing like last night and we made it to our present campsite right at five o’clock, just in time for cocktails!

The Eagles Landing Campground is a wonderful find. The large sites are well spread out and accessed from paved roads. There is considerable grass in each site. The actual “pad” where the RV is parked is sand, but not a problem since there is a lot of grass around the RV. This is going on our list of favorite overnight stops heading west.

Tomorrow we head to the big bend area of Florida near Apalachicola. We were fortunate to snag a campsite in that area with short notice on a holiday weekend. It is to meet up with friends Jim and Phyllis as they continue their spring sailing cruise. You may recall that we did the same thing this time last year when we met them in Gulfport, MS. These are wonderful people we met while cruising the Bahamas in our own sailboat, Totem.

Ramsey Canyon Preserve, Sierra Vista, AZ

We have really enjoyed visiting the Fort Huachuca area. The weather has been perfect; the views gorgeous, and there are plenty of opportunities for hiking.

We chose the Ramsey Canyon Preserve this morning for our outing.  While it is known as a hummingbird sanctuary, we only saw one all day. We did see plenty of other unusual birds, though, and several more Coues Deer..

We hiked up to the overlook in Ramsey Canyon. Along the way we saw old settler cabins dating back to 1902, when at its peak there were about one hundred settlers in the canyon. The hike started out pretty tame, but got much steeper and rocky towards the end. It is hard trying to see birds in treetops while at the same time navigating the rocks on a steep path. By the time we reached the overlook at over 6200’ our legs were getting a little rubbery.

We made it!

Ramsey Peak in the background.

Great view of Sierra Vista. Note the Aerostat radar watching the border.

It was a great day!

Fort Huachuca, AZ

Thursday’s drive from Boulder City to Tucson was very long and tiring. The winds were very strong and across our path for most of the drive. Bella had not been feeling too well for the past two days and had the runs, so we made a vet appointment for our arrival in Tucson. Barbara drove her to the vet while I set up camp, and returned with the news that Bella was OK and had some medication for her.

From here we start heading east to Florida.

We laid low and rested Friday. The most ambitious we got was a drive to Trader Joe’s to restock some our favorite stuff, which included their Triple Ginger Cookies! They are becoming our “go to” snack on the road. In a pinch, Oreos!

Today was a short hop over to Fort Huachuca. This is the historical home of the Buffalo Soldiers, and in modern times the site of the Army Intelligence Command. It is a nice and tidy post nestled in mountains near the Mexican border. The campground is not too big, but with wonderful views. Our campsite is situated with our windshield facing north. It is a clear day and from our elevated position we can see mountains that are close to a hundred miles away.

Looking out the windshield.

We drove to the Buffalo Soldier Museum and found both it and the Army Intelligence Museum closed for renovation until late spring. We were disappointed, but enjoyed driving around the base. There are nice walking trails at the campground where we take Bella for exercise. We came across two Coues Deer today on that walk. Coues Deer are a subspecies of White Tailed Deer, and are a bit smaller. Sure had big ears, though!

View from start of the walking trail.

Apache Flats Campground from start of walking trail.

Spring in the desert. Blooming Cholla.

Tomorrow we will visit the Humming Bird Sanctuary at the Ramsey Canyon Preserve.

Boulder City, NV

We had a short but tiring driving day today due to the strong and gusty winds. The good news was that it was mostly down hill. We went from about 4800’ in Virgin, UT to 2400’ here in Boulder City, NV.

I wasn’t going to bother with a post today because we have not really done anything but drive. Then I realized the whole purpose of this stop is to record another state on our states visited map in the right column of this blog. We are now at 27 states after hanging at 26 since the fall of 2013. So, here is to Nevada our first new state in two years! By the way, our criteria for counting a state is that we must sleep over at least one night in a state to take credit for it. Barbara and I have been to nearly every state, but this map records our journey in our RV.

We are staying the night at Canyon Trails RV Park. It is a nicely kept, medium sized park with paved roads and gravel sites. There is a nice pool and clean restrooms, although we have not used either. There is a nice fenced dog area and lots of friendly dogs for Bella to play with. She and Jasper spent a good bit of time wrestling in the road and came away pretty dirty, so…

An interesting feature of this park is the cactus gardens at the end of each row. There are some very old cacti here and they are starting to bloom. Not quite ready for photos, though, but the old desert artifacts with them were worthy of a shot.

We will be leaving early in the morning, well, early for us. It is forecast to be another windy day and we would like to be well down the road before the winds peak in the afternoon. It is expected to be well over six hours of driving to reach Agave Gulch in Tucson.

Bryce National Park

We drove over to Bryce Canyon today. It turned out to be a long way off. We spent more time on the road than we did in the park. It was worth the drive, certainly, but we were real tired by the time we got home to watch DWTS. Can’t miss that just because we are on the road.

We found a bowl of chili at the lodge general store. It was appropriate because it was cool and windy in the park. I am not sure what the elevation was at the general store, but at the overview at the end of the park road we were at 9100’. No wonder the jeep was having a little trouble keeping up.

Overall, we think we enjoyed Zion NP a bit more. Truthfully, we just spent a week in Moab driving through some spectacular country. Perhaps we are gaded and were not as receptive to the grandeur as someone arriving from Las Vegas, only a few hours away. We noted that at both parks the majority of visitors seemed to be international with German and Japanese the most noted groups. Hoped they has a great time!

Zion River RV Resort, Virgin, UT

Another great day! We were off to Zion National Park this morning and, like everyone predicted, parking in the park was full by 10:00. We managed to get a place along the highway just outside the entrance and just a short walk to the pedestrian entrance. We love our Golden Age Pass. Just show the pass with an ID and in you go without paying the $25 entry fee. How cool is that?

The park is actually fairly small; at least the portion in the canyon, and it was very busy. Personal vehicles are restricted, and visitors are required to use the free shuttle to get around in the park. They come often, so it is not a problem.

We hiked a few trails and checked out the museum. It was a great time. Next time we will come prepared to hike The Narrows, the trail that follows the river upstream through the narrow canyon. I say follow, actually, it requires walking in the river since the cliffs come right down to the waters edge.

Narrows Trail entrance

The desert is starting to bloom

We are enjoying our stay at the Zion River RV Resort. It is a well-run park with paved sites and access roads. NO DUST! YEA! We got back to the campground in time for the complimentary wine and cheese gathering at the social hall. It gave us a chance to mingle with our neighbors. If you are traveling through this area Zion River RV Resort is worth checking out. We are very happy with them.

The Virgin River runs along the RV park