Ahhh, spring break!! The annual celebration of fresh air, shirked responsibilities, and family bonding. The perfect time to leave our cares behind and spend some time with our busy teens — namely, son Max and his girlfriend Lili. We extolled all of the RV’s luxurious virtues, only to get the reply, “But we want to camp in a tent.” Whaaat...
In the past, we’ve driven thousands of miles to get to beautiful RV camping spots, but for three days around New Years Eve 2015, we stayed close to home at Usery Mountain Regional Park in Mesa, AZ. Our favorite travel companions, the Weed Family, joined us for the occasion. It was really nice to forgo a longggg drive and park our rig just 27 miles away...
Some RV trips are all attractions and sightseeing and going and doing, and some are just the opposite … downtime, relaxation, lots of sighing and oohing and aahing over nature’s bounty. A visit to Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction, AZ, is just that … an oasis of desert beauty just 30 minutes from Phoenix, where visitors can kick back...
Our 3,116-mile journey had to come to an end, partially because we planned it that way, but mostly because we were getting a little tired of the single-ply toilet paper that RV septic systems demand. Bring on the two-ply Charmin! But we had two fun stops planned along the return road from Colorado: the revived-ghost-town-artists’-hamlet known as...
Our last Colorado destination, Canon City, had us dangling highhhh over the Arkansas River, sipping wine on the grounds of a Catholic abbey, and going to prison. (Not really = a prison museum. Gotcha!) Also, the Lucky Charm had her first-ever rendezvous with roadside assistance … it had to happen eventually! A goodbye toast for our final stop...
Manitou Springs is just outside Colorado Springs, and their crown jewel is Pikes Peak, often called “America’s Mountain.” It was named for failed explorer Zebulon Pike, who failed to reach the summit, making this the ultimate celebration of failure, like the Focker’s wall of 12th place ribbons. We were joined by Phoenix friend...
We knew we were “down” to enjoy Breckenridge and surrounding towns, but didn’t realize how much “DOWN” we were in for, at this destination! Not our mood — that was very “UP” thanks to the arrival of daughter Sarah and her boyfriend Sean for a few days. But we endured multiple sudden and unexpected DOWNpours...
News Flash: the search party for the missing Millers should begin in Estes Park, because we may stay here forever! It has everything you’d imagine Colorado to be: cool temperatures, soaring snow-capped mountain peaks, tall ultra-green trees, wildlife galore, friendly relaxed people, extensive recreational opportunities, and gasp-worthy scenes like this...
The Lucky Charm took a spin through the Rapid City, SD Airport and grabbed daughter Kelsey for the Mt. Rushmore and Custer portion of our trip. Custer is home to around 1,500 bison (American buffalo) and I was excited to see them up close and personal … but didn’t expect them to be this ferocious! The town of Custer is extremely proud of their bison...
My road-biker husband was super-excited to learn I had planned a visit to a biker bar, until he realized it wasn’t for bicyclists. But Sturgis, SD is famous for its annual Biker Rally, as well as a reality show centered around the place AND the culture, so how could we miss seeing it in person, even if we don’t wear leather (at least not in public)...