In part 1 we ended with our visit to Tucumcari, NM before heading into the top part of Texas. We immediately noticed the change in landscape as we crossed the state border. We were certainly in cattle country as the land became flat and scrub brushes more abundant.

There wasn't much to see, other than the appearance of giant windmills, until just west of Groom, TX we began to see the giant 190 foot cross in the distance.  It is part of The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ Ministries.

We didn't stop, but it was a sight to behold and received over 500 likes when I posted the photo of it on Facebook.

Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, TX was on our list of stops because we'd read they have a great pie selection. Unfortunately, the day we arrived was the one day of the week they're closed. Fortunately, Brenda, the owner, was there, took pity on us and sold us a couple slices of her apple pie before heading out to see her husband who had had an operation recently. We quickly paid for the pie, gave her a hug, and said our goodbyes. We have heard about Texas hospitality. Now we’ve experienced it.

The next few days was for traveling purposes in order to get to our friends as scheduled. During this time we just made stops at RV Parks in Amarillo, TX and Oklahoma City.

Kansas

As we finally worked our way into Kansas, we had our first stay at an RV Overnights (more on that below) location in Haysville. RV Overnights is a membership affiliation of wineries, museums, farms, and more that let you stay overnight for free, though it is highly recommended that you make a purchase of some kind.

Our stay was actually at Dog Inn Dog Out, a kennel set in the country. We had a sound nights sleep, which was good because the RV Park that we had stayed at in Oklahoma City was right next to Highway 40.

The next day we finally made it to Topeka, where we set up base-camp at the Lake Shawnee Campgrounds. A nice lake with fishing, boating, a golf course and disc-golf course. Our site was newly renovated with a level concrete slab and full hook ups right near the park's entrance/exit. The campground was recommended by our friends, Terry and Alice. Terry retired as the city's Parks Director a few years before. After retiring, he decided he still wanted to work, so he applied for a supervisor position with the California State Parks Service and ended up as a Supervisor on the Northern California coast. He retired in 2023 and returned to his family in Kansas.

After catching up, Alice and Terry took us on a tour of Topeka, the state's capitol city. The capitol building was recently renovated, so we had to visit it, along with the city's fabulous library building, and, of course, some of the city parks.

After spending several days with our friends it was time to return home. We made it as far as Tonkawa, OK on our first day, where we spent the night at the Tonkawa Indian Casino Campground. Although it was located behind the Casino's gas station, the set up was very nice with a large, level concrete slab and full hook ups.

The next day, we visited the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, OK, but the real treasure for us was the old town museum buildings located at the museum complex. 

Although our campground in Elk City was fine, we liked the retro feel of their recreational building.

While heading back through Tucumcari, NM, we were able have an early dinner at the La Cita Mexican restaurant where many Route 66 travelers over the years got their first taste of Mexican cuisine. The sombrero over the entrance was added in 1961. After several weeks away from home, the rest of our trip was pretty much just driving and one-night stops for sleeping.

In all, our Route 66 experience took us one month of travel time. We tried to keep our daily drive to around 300-miles. Several of our stops were for only a few minutes, but most were for a few hours with time to explore and just enjoy the surroundings.

We're sure pulling a travel trailer behind you is a completely different experience than traveling in a car and staying in the many hotels still available from the 1950s and 60s era. If we were in a car we would have spent more time on the original highway without the worry of being able to turn around if necessary.

Thank you for reading about our journey. Be sure to visit us in the future and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

I turned 66 this year and I've always wanted to travel the Mother Road, Route 66, so I figured this would be as good a year as any to do it. The wife agreed and plans were made. 
​
We have friends who live in Kansas, and we didn't have a desire to travel to the more populated areas of R66, so Topeka became our point of return.

Our homebase is in California so we'd be heading east hauling our trailer, Guthrie, behind us. We knew that portions of the old highway are no longer operational and sense we're not purists, we decided to use the newer Highway 40 for much of the traveling with stop offs at prime locations along the older route.

Having been to southern California many times battling the traffic that goes with it was out for us, so we began our journey in Barstow, the home of one of the few remaining Harvey Houses, built by Fred Harvey next to the Atchesin, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Much of the old highway was built near the railway. Originally known as the Casa del Desierto, the station and hotel replaced an earlier one built in 1885 that burned in 1908. Like many of Fred Harvey's hotels, it was designed by architect Mary Colter in a synthesis of Spanish Renaissance and Classical Revival architectural style. Colter went on to design and complete 21 landmark hotels, lodges and public spaces for the Fred Harvey Company, including the La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona.

The Harvey Girls were a signature component of Harvey’s success and one of his most enduring legacies. He hired women between the ages of 18 and 30 to travel west and work as waitresses in his restaurants. Other qualifications included being unmarried and “of good character.” These young women lived next to or in the Harvey Houses, under the close supervision of a Harvey Girl with the longest tenure.

The Barstow/Calico KOA Holiday was a short drive from Barstow where we stayed the night before heading through the Mohave Desert the next day. It had the pull-through sites and full-hook ups that we desired for this trip. Though it was just off of Highway 15, we had a restful night. (You can read all of our reviews of the places we stayed by clicking on the RV Life Campgrounds link on the upper right corner of this page.)

Going east on Route 66 to Seligman is very windy, so if you have a larger RV it isn't recommended. We chose to go N on Az 95 and then over to 68 to Kingman and then the more direct route on I-40. Due to time constraints, we skipped visiting Kingman. We had a nice lunch at the Roadkill Cafe located on the north side of the old highway next to the Historic Route 66 Motel. The cafe has a unique menu selection, but don't let the names of the items scare you.

Further down the highway, in Williams, AZ, you'll find Cruisers Cafe 66 Bar & Grill. Housed in a renovated 1940's Gulf Station and the adjacent 1910 Telegraph  building, Cruisers Cafe is a great place for a meal and live music.

As we continued our journey, we bypassed Route 66 in Flagstaff as we had visited here before.

A few miles east of Winslow, Arizona and about six mile south of the old highway is the site of the Barringer Meteor Crater. Created around 50,000 years ago by an iron-nickel meteorite that was about 150 feet across and weighing several hundred thousand tons, it struck the earth at about 26,000 miles per hour with the explosive force of a 20 megaton bomb.

There are two sites worth seeing in Winslow, AZ. The Standin' on the Corner Park that honors the famous Eagles song and La Posada Hotel. Be sure to visit the Soda Shop across the street from the park and The art museum on the second floor of the hotel.

Arizona is well known for its many great state parks. Just two miles outside of Winslow is the Homolovi Ruins State Park with water and electric hook-ups at each campsite. Because the park is far from the highway it's very quiet at night, though you may hear the wild burros in the park. Be sure to visit the ancient ruins while you're there.

Before crossing into New Mexico, we visited one of the few remaining Wigwam Motels open to the public - though, I believe we missed a nicer one in San Bernardino, California. 

Our first destination in New Mexico was in Gallup. (Fun fact: Gallup is statistically the most violent city in the US.) It is known for its Native American Art and Jewelry. Our campsite was at The USA RV Park. It has a great store filled with all your RVing needs, snacks, art and clothing. They also serve a good BBQ Dinner near their woodwork display honoring those who serve(d) in the military.

Albuquerque is famous for its annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Unfortunately, we were there the week before the event, but there was still a lot to see and do. Our homebase was at the Enchanted Trails RV Park & Trading Post, which is a historic Route 66 site. The park has a display of old cars with travel trailers from the 1940s and 50s. It was also conveniently located next to the only Camping World in New Mexico, as well as a variety of other RV Dealers and a Loves was just over the highway.

The few days we were there we had to acclimate to its altitude of 5,000 feet. We visited the Petroglyph National Monument, The ABQ Biopark, and the Albuquerque Museum, as well as a variety of restaurants.

This was just one site of several, but it was a steep climb for us 65+ year olds.

Below: A view showing how close Albuquerque was encroaching upon the petroglyphs before the national monument was put in place.

After adjusting to the altitude, we climbed another 2,000 feet to visit Santa Fe, New Mexico's capitol city. Santa Fe has the third most art galleries in the country, after New York and Los Angeles. We opted for a bicycle tour of the old downtown area and then spent the rest of the afternoon eating and visiting galleries.

As we continued on our way to Kansas, we did a quick stop in Tucumcari and got a quick tour of the Blue Swallow Motel, which has served travelers since 1939. Each room has its own garage for guests to park their cars in. We were fortunate to meet the new owners who have kept the motel with its "good old days" feel.

We recently took a trip to visit Nancy's cousins near Flagstaff. Although we've visited them before, we've only stopped by for a few hours before moving on to visit other relatives. This time we moochdocked for a few days in our travel trailer, Guthrie. Moochdocking is when you stay at someone's home and maybe connect to their water and electricity while sleeping in your RV. After tripping their breaker several times, we decided to just disconnect. Surprisingly, our 150 watts of solar panels kept us powered for about 3-4 days on the batteries.

Our first stop was at the Sun & Fun RV Park in Tulare, CA. Using our Passport America membership, the fee was only $35 per night, a 50% savings. (You can read our review on the park by clicking the RV LIFE Campgrounds icon on the upper right.) The second night was at the Fender River Road Resort in Needles, CA with 100 degree weather and wind. (Tip: If you need gas, but can wait until you cross into Arizona you will save about $3 per gallon.)

We live on the California coast at about 45 feet above sea level. Flagstaff is nearly 7,000 feet above sea level, so I admit I was breathing a little harder than usual. Also, in May it can still get down into the 30s at night, so extra blankets were required. Getting to Flagstaff required two days of 6-8 hours of driving while pulling Guthrie behind because we don't like going over 60 mph while towing. 

Flagstaff, and its surrounding area, has a lot to offer. It is the home of Northern Arizona University and is close to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Winslow, and State and National Parks.

The wife and I visited Sedona on our own. Although the area is beautiful, we found it to be too crowded and the downtown to be like an outdoor mall. There was, however, the Church of the Holy Cross, which sits on a cliff overlooking the valley. It was worth seeing, if only for a few minutes.

Winslow, AZ is probably most famous for the Eagles song "Take It Easy," with its second verse being...

Well, I'm a-standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona
Such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford
Slowin' down to take a look at me
Come on, baby, don't say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me
We may lose and we may win
Though we will never be here again
So open up, I'm climbin' in
So take it easy

About 44 miles north of Flagstaff off of Highway 89 is the Wupatki National Monument, home of the largest free standing pueblo in northern Arizona dating from around 1100 AD. One of three pueblo sites in the monument, the Wupatki Pueblo has 104 rooms.

A few miles away is the three story Wukoki Pueblo, shown below.

We were blessed to have visited so many sites in such a short time. Many thanks to Ron and Karen Epperly, for spending their time with us and showing us the sites of Northern Arizona.

Are you thinking of buying an RV?  That's great because taking journeys in an RV is one of the best ways of discovering the beauty of our nation.  But before you take it off the lot, be sure you have the other basic gear that you'll need. Although some dealers may supply you with a beginners kit, they're usually the cheapest items to have and may not have all you'll truly need. With that in mind, below is a list of what we consider the top five basic RV needs.
​Before we begin though we think its fair to tell you that if you purchase these items from the links below, we earn a commission from those items. At the time of this writing, we've earned a total of $12 after a year of "influencing." Yes, we're rolling in the dough!!! All of the items mentioned are available through our Amazon shop. Just click on the link at the top of our page. ^

1. STINKY TANK STUFF - A decent, well made sewer hose that is smooth inside and can hold its shape, yet still collapse to easily fit in your RV bumper is a definite must have. We recommend the Camco RV Sanitation Kit. The kit has everything you'll need: a 15' hose, gloves, a hose support, caps, black tank treatment drops. It even has a rinse cap to flush out the effluent from your hose. You can purchase these items separately, but it's nice to know you have everything you'll need while camping. You may want to consider an extra sewer hose for those rare occasions when your connection is more than 15'.

2. H2O - Clean water is essential for everything from washing dishes, showering, and drinking. However, unless you are sure of the cleanliness of your fresh water tank or the campground water, we don't recommend drinking from your RV's tap. That said, we do use our tap for showering and washing our utensils. For those reasons you'll need a drinking hose, filter, a water pressure regulator, and a hose elbow to take the pressure off of your RV's city water connection. Once again, Camco's RV Water Filtration Kit will have everything you'll need, except for the hose elbow (you'll have to get that separately).

​3. ELECTRIFICATION - When it comes to powering your RV, a surge protector is a must, and for that we rely on a Progressive Industries Portable Surge Protector. Their EMS version can protect against over/under voltage, open ground/neutral, reverse polarity, mis-wired pedestal, accidental 240V, and surge failure; as well as A/C frequency protection. They also have a version without EMS. 
You may also want an adapter that converts a male 15amp plug into a female 30amp so that you can power your RV at home while preparing for your camping adventures.

4. LEVELING & STABILIZATION - If you've ever tried sleeping in an unlevel and shaky environment then you'll understand the importance of having a means of leveling and stabilizing your RV. We use several items for this purpose: a Camco Curved Leveler, Lynx levelers, and rubber chocks.
The curved levelers are easy to use to roll your RV's tire onto for side to side leveling. It works for anywhere between 1 to 4 inches.  Remember, if you have a dual axle travel trailer you'll need two of these levelers.
Although you can also use the Lynx levelers for side to side leveling, we use them to put underneath our stabilizing jacks so that they don't need to be fully extended. This reduces the amount of shaking inside your RV.
The rubber chocks are good, heavy chocks that keep your tires from rolling and they last a long time.
Some people use plastic chocks, but they are light-weight, slide around easily and have an expiration date on them.

These four areas of Sewer, Water, Electric, and Leveling/Stabilization are necessary items for a safe, enjoyable time while camping in your new RV. We hope this information is helpful to you as you begin your RVing Journeys!

In late October we took a week long trip San Diego in Guthrie, our travel trailer. It took us 3 days to get there from NorCal because we don't drive for more than 5-hours per day, that's about all our 65+ years can handle in a day. Our Tundra pulled Guthrie over the "Grapevine" with no problems, but gosh that part of I-5 sure is bad. For a review of the various campgrounds we used during our trip, check out our reviews on RV Life Campgrounds.

Using Campland on the Bay as our homebase in San Diego, we had 3 full-days to visit the sites of Balboa Park, the USS Midway Museum.

Balboa Park in San Diego is the site of one of two World Fairs held in California in 1915. The other location was the more famous Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco which celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal. Though the PPIE was larger than San Diego's Panama-California Exposition, the American Historical Association's website says, "Balboa Park and the two San Diego World’s Fairs, held in 1915–16 and 1935–36, are no exception. Both the park and the legacies of the two expositions establish the heart of public institutions dedicated to the fine and creative arts, and culture and history in San Diego." Balboa Park features over 16 different museums and a variety of gardens. Plan to spend several days here.

The USS Midway was commissioned towards the end of World War II. In the course of 47 years of service, the USS Midway carried aviators, sailors, marines and a powerful idea: that freedom is worth defending and preserving at home and far out at sea. Click here to hear stories from those who served on this carrier.

We recently had the urge to hit the highway with Guthrie in tow, so we headed north to Humboldt County. Our destination was just north of Arcata, CA along the section of the state known as the "Lost Coast" where the small village of Trinidad lies.

Our camp park was located about 10-miles outside of the village at the Elk Country RV Resort & Campground on the east side of Highway 101.  Because it is so close to the Pacific, the temperatures in August are a mild 65 degrees, while about 30-miles inland it averaging 106. Elk Country has two areas of campsites - Meadow and Forest. Ours was in the forest section next to an old barn, but it had a sunny south side and a view of the old school house sitting in the middle of the meadow where the elk tend to gather in the morning. For more information read our RV Life Campgrounds review.

Using the park as our basecamp, we ventured south to the town of Trinidad for sightseeing and lunch. This seaside village is home to galleries, restaurants, the harbor, a lighthouse, and The Heights Casino.

Further south, about a 30-minute drive from the RV park, is the city of Arcata, CA - home of California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. The city has a lovely town plaza (Arcata Plaza) surrounded by shops, galleries, and restaurants with a college vibe. We had a great lunch and dessert at Cafe Brio across from the plaza. All of these areas have hiking and biking trails near beaches and mountains because this is redwood country

Another 60-minutes south of Arcata on Highway 101 takes you to the start of the Avenue of the Giants, named after the coastal redwoods that tower over the route. The road is a former alignment of U.S. Route 101, and continues to be maintained as a state highway as State Route 254.

Courtesy: Forget Someday

In early May, 2023, we took a week-long trip to Oroville, CA, about 40 miles north of Sacramento.  We stayed at the Berry Creek Rancheria RV Park on the edge of the city.  It is a Good Sam member park with a 10/10/10 rating.  Located at the Gold Country Casino Resort, the park has over 70 sites, with full hook ups, in various sizes for back in, pull through, and upgrades like an expanded patio area with table, chairs, umbrella, and a gas fire pit. Sites are on level concrete pads. A store with gasoline is on site, a drive thru coffee kiosk is also on site. A shuttle will take you to the casino for gambling, restaurants or to see a show.  Although we didn't attend, Larry the Cable Guy was the featured show the weekend we were there. The park provided discount cards for the restaurants and coffee kiosk.  Our total for the week stay with our GS discount was around $350.

Our intention for the trip was to visit nearby Table Mountain in search of super blooms.  Unfortunately, it rained off-and-on most of the time we were there.  Our quest for super blooms failed, as pictured in the series below.  The yellow and white flowers in the series are about 1/4" in size.

Our Saturday journey, however, was more successful.  Oroville was finishing their annual Feather Fiesta Days, so they were celebrating with a parade and faire booths.  Our trailer, Guthrie, is a Cherokee Wolf Pup, so when we saw this carving in one of the booths, we felt it was worth a purchase.

From Oroville, we headed north to Paradise to see how their rebuilding was going.  Paradise and its surrounding area was burned to the ground in 2018 in a devastating fire that killed 85 people. Very few structures survived, so most of the buildings are new.

​In nearby Durham is the Barry R Kirshner Wildlife Sanctuary, which provides rehabilitation and long-term care for exotic and native species.  Each animal at the sanctuary has some kind of special need that would prevent them from survival in their natural habitat.

From the wildlife sanctuary, we headed to the Chico Air Museum where they were having a "fly-in and open house. The museum is currently housed in a WWII Army Air Corp hangar and ​spans nearly 100 years of aviation history. The planes featured below came to the "fly-in".

One of the displays at the open house was about the Tuskegee Airmen, also known as the Red Tails because they painted the tails of their planes with red paint. These airmen were the United States first African-American fighter pilots in WWII which escorted our bombers in Europe.  Though they endured bigotry and other hardships, they became some of our best pilots. Below is a picture of the Roberts sisters whose father, 2nd Lt. George S. Roberts, was among the first graduating class of pilots. (Roberts is in the middle of the second row in the photograph they are holding.)

The next day, we visited the Oroville Dam, part of the California Department of Water Resources.  ​Oroville Dam is the tallest earth-fill dam, at 770-feet, in the United States. Construction first began in 1957 on relocating what is now Highway 70 and the Western Pacific Railroad. Work on the dam site began in 1961. The embankment was topped out in 1967.

Due to record rainfall and snow this year, DWR is maintaining releases from Lake Oroville to the Feather River at 35,000 cfs. These releases are being made in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and downstream water operators for flood control protection. Oro Dam Blvd. E. between Rusty Dusty Road and Canyon Drive in Butte County remains closed. Higher releases from the main spillway cause excessive water spray across the road and reduce driver visibility, requiring a closure for public safety.

A few years back the Oroville Spillway sustained extensive damage and had to be reconstructed. The video below shows how it was done.

Although the super blooms were a disappointment, our week spent at Oroville and the surrounding area was a nice getaway. We have never explored that area of California, but we're glad we did.

Like you may have done, we've been making plans for a long trip to the midwestern states of South Dakota and Wyoming. Unfortunately, we've had to change those plans. With the winter storms that have been pummeling California, we've had to replace a roof on our garage and install a new driveway, so no long trip this year. We're not giving up on that trip, just pushing it back a year.

Washington Post Video

The winter storms that California has been seeing are affecting people living in the mountain regions all the way to the coastlines of the state. Saturation levels are high. We may have a late spring and summer this year, so stay safe during your travels.

For those of us who aren't full-time RVers, November - February is a time of the "winter blues" as we wait for the snow and rain to decrease so that we can get back to camping in our rigs. In order to alleviate our blues, we were planning a short trip this month to go and visit some of our friends in our old digs in the Central Valley of CA.

​Well, if you've been following the weather forecasts, you know that we've had a bit of a wet winter in the Golden State.  We've gotten so use to having hardly any snow and rain that we've forgotten what a regular winter is like.  Most of the state this winter has received an excessive amount of rain in a short period of time resulting in blizzards, flooding, fallen trees and mudslides virtually everywhere. 90% of the state's population has been affected. To top things off, parts of the North Coast received a few earthquakes as well. Needless to say, our trip is being postponed until (hopefully) sometime in early February.

If you're so inclined, please pray for California.  Safe travels!