DESTINATION - RENO, NV - A grand reunion of a 50+ year friendship

MAY 2013

Over the years, Jim introduced Pam to a long list of junior high and high school buddies he has stayed in contact with; and I and along with their spouses were inducted into this tight knit group ... amazing friendships have grown even stronger over the years.

Last winter when we started planning our 2013 Spring RV Trip 6,000+ mile route; we had to include a visit to Reno, NV where Jim's junior high school friend Jimmy and his wife Sue reside.

McTraveler made the drive from Elko, NV to Reno, NV which unveiled greener scenery and climbing altitude as we approached the Sierra Nevadas traveling along the Humboldt River and then over the Truckee River. We settled into the Gold Ranch Casino and RV Resort* on 350 Gold Ranch Rd., Verdi, NV 89439.  We really liked this campground that's nestled into the foothills of the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  It's located on the western outskirts of Reno which was a short drive to see Jimmy and Sue.

Jimmy is also retired and graciously played the grand tour guide as Sue had to work the first couple of days of our visit.  Day one tour starts with Incline Village and Lake Tahoe where there is so much to see and do. Jim, growing up as a California boy, had been here several times; but it was my first and found the area just breath taking with it's alpine mountain views and was amazed at the size and depth of the pristine lake. For lunch, we drove down to South Lake Tahoe where you can stand on the street corner with one foot in Nevada and the other in California; but California claims this city.

I so enjoyed listening to Jim and Jimmy laugh and reminiscence about the good old days and catch up on where and what their classmates are doing now.  At times the conversation was deep as the lake, so I chose Duke Ellington and John Coltrane playing In a Sentimental Mood for day one video tour.

  

Day 2, with Jimmy still in tour guide mode, put us on a paddle boat cruise of Lake Tahoe. He took us to Zephyr Cove along the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe to board the MS Dixie II.  We left the Zephyr Cove dock and meandered across the lake to Emerald Bay on the California side. Emerald Bay provided the setting for one of the first summer homes at Lake Tahoe in 1863. Vikingsholm is a magnificent castle built at Emerald Bay in 1929 and can be toured. We so enjoyed the day on the water ... a little cool, but still a perfect day to take in the picturesque scenery and enjoy an old friend's company.

After the cruise we stopped at a famous local landmark in the state capital of Carson City, Red's Old 395 Grill, reknown for their BBQ.  You walk into this fine establishment and you're immediately slapped in the face with sensory overload ... you don't know where to look first! It's a fun, quirky BBQ hangout with 101 beers on tap ... I had a smile plastered to my face and lickin' my lips with this stop.

 

Finally we got to spend time with Sue too; so we all take off for Virginia City, NV which is about 30 miles south of Reno.  Virginia City was a stopover for eastern emigrants traveling onto California. It developed into an overnight boomtown when the first major silver deposit, the Comstock Lode, discovery was made public in 1859. President Lincoln pushed through statehood for Nevada (even though the population was legally too low to do so) to help fund the Civil War. There's a history lesson on every corner in this town ... even Mark Twain wrote from here.  After a morning of touring the town, we HAD to stop in the old ice cream parlor for a cold treat. Those who know Jim, knows he's an ice cream addict. What a fun day we had together in the old pioneer mining town.  

Sue and Jimmy

Jim and I both have been blessed with long term friendships, and we cherish this one too.  So we thank Jimmy and Sue for taking time to make this reunion so special. Having a personal tour guide sure spoiled us!  We loved our time with you and hope you will join us for a ride along in McTraveler very soon.

And we thank you, our readers, for following our adventures.  Stay tuned for the next destination; and until then we wish you safe travels!

Pam, Jim, Maxx and Mollie



*Note: Our campground has since changed their name to Gold Ranch Verdi Casino which we recommend if you're in the area.

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK - Utah Rocks !!!

MAY 2013

Arches National Park is open year round, as well as the Devil's Garden Campground there. Unfortunately, at 40' plus toad, McTraveler is too large for their sites.  Even though we're at the Moab KOA (see our RV Park Review), there are plenty of other area campgrounds to choose from.  So we take the toad (our Jeep Liberty) to spend the day at Arches which is located on US 191 just 5 miles north of Moab.

Arches is another star in Utah's lineup in the NPS system. Throughout the 73,000+ acre park you'll find close to 2,000 geological formations of windowed arches, towering spires that dwarfed us, comical hoodoos, impressive colossal sandstone fins, canyon slots that were sometimes a tight squeeze to hike through, and massive balancing rocks that blow your mind.  Some of the rock star attractions include Balanced Rock, the Delicate, Landscape and Skyline Arches, Devil's Garden, and the Park Avenue Trail. Arches National Park is known as having the world's largest concentration of natural sandstone arches.

To learn more about the history, landscape, flora and fauna, and climate of Arches National Park, please click here.

After checking out the displays and watching the film, we picked up the road guide and hiking brochure at the Visitor Center; then took the scenic driving tour that lead us though stunning landscape.  The road had numerous turn outs for scenic overlook photo ops; plus we found parking at the best hiking trails where we found ourselves up close and personal to amazing rock formations.

To get a closer look at the Landscape Arch; take the Primitive Loop which is the longest maintained trail in the park.  The trail head is located in the Devil's Garden section.

    Location: Northern area in Arches National Park
    Difficulty: Easy to Landscape Arch; moderate to complete the primitive loop
    Length: 7.2 miles (round trip) to complete the primitive loop
    Elevation gain: About 400 feet

A sampling of photos from our video

So now it's time to put your hiking boots on and hit the virtual trails with us.

We'd love to hear if you enjoyed our hike together, plus your actual experiences if you have been here, or if our journey has inspired you to add Arches National Park to your personal travel bucket list.  Thanks for joining us and hope to see you back soon for the next McTraveler's RV Adventure.

Until then, wishing you safe travels,
Pam, Jim, Maxx and Mollie

A RIDE ALONG: McTraveler takes you from St George, Utah to Cannonville, Utah

Leaving the St George, Utah area

Maxx and Mollie are NOT spoiled sitting in mamma's lap!
By the way, thepups are always tethered when
traveling.  We attach their leashes to the seat belt
so they can roam at will; but NOT run out of
the coach should there be an accident.  More pets
are injured or killed when first responders open
the door and they run out into traffic, than the
actual accident itself.  Keep your pets safe.

Another beautiful drive through southern Utah's canyon lands, national forests and parks, red rocks, mountains, and deserts ... all in one day! What a diverse ride.  Be sure to watch out for the tunnels too.

We're headed to Bryce/Cannonville KOA which is conveniently located between Bryce Canyon National Park and Kodachrome Basin State Park. Both are a must do if you're in southern Utah.

Entering Dixie National Forest

Sit back and enjoy the video. And thanks for riding along and hope to see you back soon!
Wishing you safe travels,
Pam, Jim, Maxx and Mollie

Love the red rocks ... heading into hoodoo country

Don't think you'd have a problem with TSA at this airport

Near the exit to Bryce National Park

   

Cannonville is just around the corner

Bryce/Cannonville KOA, a family owned and run park

Maiden Voyage - You Just Gotta Laugh

Now it seems so far, far long ago; in another time in space. And from our rear view mirror our maiden voyage was over 20,000 miles back.

Talk about being a newbie! and inexperienced! Jim and I had never camped together during our marriage (21 years at that time). A few months prior we took a car road trip with our Yorkies, Maxx and Mollie. One of our stops was to see his brother and sister-in-law's new campground they had purchased.  Bob and Donna put us up in one of their rental RVs during our visit at their Eureka Springs KOA in Arkansas. But in our book that doesn't count as camping; plus that's a different story about what triggered us to embrace the RV lifestyle. We really had no idea what we were in for ... but excited with the possibilities.

Jim's sister and brother-in-law, Katie and Terry, had about 7 years of RVing under their belts and agreed to go with us to Prado Regional State Park in Southern California on our maiden voyage.  We were grateful they had taken us under their experienced wings.  Even though we took how-to-video and copious notes during McMahon RV Dealership in Palm Desert's  new owner walk through, we were still unsure and little nervous how we would do on our first outing. At that time we felt a little overwhelmed by McTraveler's (Class A 40 foot diesel  pusher) complicated operating systems.

Following Katie and Terry through check-in. 
The name PRADO is derived from California's early Spanish days when 
the countryside was known as 'prado' or meadow.

We set up a rendezvous point and then headed to the campground together.  Prado is a great park for big rigs.  The campsites were HUGE concrete easy pull-thru pads with full hook-ups plus a large concrete patio area with picnic tables and a fire ring. Since then we have never had so much space between campsites (unless boon docking). Prado is located in the Chino Valley basin where San Bernadino, Riverside, Orange and Los Angeles Counties connect. So much to do here with the fishing, hiking, biking, and nature trails, disc golf, and picnicing; but our mission was to learn how to set up camp and how to prep McTraveler for a life on the road.

Passed a nice stocked lake on the way to our sites

While hooking up utilities, Jim decides to fill our water holding tank.  At that moment, we notice Terry climbing out his coach's window and then Katie handing their dog Maggie out the window to be walked after our drive in. We go over to their site to find out their door locking mechanism was stuck and couldn't be opened. After attempting several fixes, it was decided the lock had to be removed and the lock pin drilled out.

Jim goes back to our coach to get his drill to find our water holding tank was overflowing and had flooded our campsite. Guess you'd say we're a little wet behind the ears. With the water now turned off to the holding tank, Jim finds his drill is not charged.  Terry decides it's time to head out to buy a new drill.  Katie is still trapped in her coach.

Terry returns and the boys spend hours working on the door.  After several calls and emailing photos to a local RV parts supplier, it was determined they would have to make an appointment the next week to get a new lock installed when the parts came in.  So for the rest of our maiden voyage's long weekend, they had a door with a huge gap where the locking mechanism was removed.  And Katie finally got out of the coach. Did I mention this was a late November trip with howling Santa Ana winds pushing in a cold front?  So the gaping door hole was stuffed with rags and a bungee cord to "lock" it for the night.

During the door fiasco, our friends Bill and Connie from Dove Canyon, dropped by with a very thoughtful house warming gift as we all gathered to christen McTraveler.  Bill had a good laugh about our flooded campsite and predicted we would have many more fun stories to add to our collection of adventures. Katie and Terry gave us our first copies of The Next Exit and Mountain Directory West. Since then, both books have become invaluable and sit next to the co-pilot's chair.

Katie and Terry share the basics of RV 101

Finally Katie and I put together a feast and then we all enjoyed an evening by their campfire.  Katie and Terry are wagon masters for a couple of southern California RV Clubs and proceeded to share stories of their many solo and club trips.

Having a good laugh about today's misadventures

We learned a new trick for freezing overnight temperatures from Terry... leave an interior faucet on with just a trickle of water running ... that kept our water pipes/hoses from freezing.
Unfortunately, our first night's christening wasn't the "if you see it rockin' don't come a knockin'", it was the Santa Ana winds that rocked McTraveler all night long. At one point Pam thought we were going to blow over.  That morning we awoke to a calm, cold, clear blue sky and a flock of ravens prancing click, click, click across the top of the roof.

Jim sorting through our shopping spree.  Katie and Terry's coach as seen in the background; and like I said, 
Prado Park has HUGE campsites. No passing the sugar from window to window here.

The next day we all took off for our first shopping trip to Camping World.   Once again, Katie and Terry shared from their experience what items were necessary (outdoor rug, extra water filters for coach and water hose, awning deflappers, back up electric space heater, cleaning tools and supplies), which ones made RV life more convenient or helped conserved storage space (collapsible storage bowls, cabinet storage racks, bike rack), and pointed out the items just for fun (states visited map, outdoor lighting for the awning, and small container games like Farkle).  We had fun, just like opening Christmas presents and putting everything in place.  We knew we could only get a little at a time to start prepping for a life on the road; and have since made many more shopping trips to outfit McTraveler.  Well, more meals and campfires finished out a successful and fun weekend together. We learned so much!

Maxx and Mollie enjoyed their first outing too.  We since learned long 
hair is not conducive to the life of an RVer.  Both now keep much shorter hair. 

We now laugh and fondly think about the good times we had with family and friends on our maiden voyage.  And because of Katie and Terry's generous spirit in showing us the ropes; we now pass on what we've learned to newbies we meet along the way.  Shouldn't we all pay it forward?

Also, our maiden voyage proved to us that even seasoned RVers encounter misadventures and it's not the end of the world.  Issues that come up might be inconvenient, but can be fixed and still be able to laugh about it.  For decades Jim's motto has been It is what it Is and applies to RVing too; you just keep on rolling down the highway or as we said back in the 70's Keep on Truckin'.

Our maiden voyage opened a whole new exciting world to us.  We never expected this to be the wonderful adventure it has turned out to be due to the beauty, wonderment, and excitement in all that we have seen and done.  After fast-paced careers, we've learned to relax and throw out rigid schedules, how to have fun for the sake of fun.  To take life one day at a time ... every day is SATURDAY!  RVing has given us opportunities to learn about our history and cultures that make America great. Plus the chance to meet and make so many new friends along the way.

Thanks again for riding along on the first step of our journey.  Hope to see you back and follow our quest of wanderlust.

Wishing you happy and safe travels,

Pam, Jim, Maxx and Mollie

WE BELONG . . . RV Affiliations and Discount Memberships

A sampling of our memberships

Early on we learned to take advantage of discount clubs. During our multiple cross country travels, we found that one particular organization may have a stronger regional presence than others. For example, as members we stay for free at Thousand Trails campgrounds which are found throughout the US; except they are totally absent in the north central states. So that's one reason we chose to join multiple clubs to ensure we can get discount site rates at every stop.  Just in our  2013 Spring Trip (8 weeks May-June), we saved $714.21 off campsite rates. The savings on a one to two night stay typically covers the minimal cost of the annual membership fees. Who doesn't like to save money?

Speaking of saving money, we also do occasional overnight boon docking or dry camping (depending on whom you're speaking with) ... and BLM land or Walmart's are wonderful for that.

As a courtesy, we introduce ourselves to the Walmart store manager with a smile and a basket of provisions, then ask permission to park overnight.  We've never been turned down; but there are some towns with municipal codes that prohibit overnight parking. It's best to ask in lieu of taking the risk of being fined or towed.  The manager always thanks us for being a loyal customer and says "I'll let security know so they will patrol your motor home during their rounds".  We appreciate that and we try to park under a security camera.  Also, we don't put our jacks down or set up an outside camp site; but slides out are okay.

Besides the discounts on campsites, most of these organizations offer product and services discounts.  Many also offer educational seminars, rallies, mail forward service, and regional chapters for traveling with groups.


PROUD MEMBERS OF ...
FMCA - Family Motor Coach Association
Escapees RV Club
Good Sam Club
KOA - Kampgrounds of America
National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass Series (Senior Pass)
Passport America
Thousand Trails / Encore
RPI Plus - Resort Parks International
RVGC - RV Golf Club 


Thanks again for riding along with us on our journey.
Hope to see you back soon!

Pam, Jim, Maxx and Mollie

With so much time and so many miles in McTraveler, Where Do We Begin?

First, welcome and thank you for joining us on a ride along of our full-time McTraveler Adventures ... the good, the bad, and the ugly ... some fun, wacky, and educational thrown in too.  A special thank you to our fellow RVers who have encouraged us to write our travelogue about our quest to quench a bad case of wanderlust.  This is the inaugural blog ... so please sit back and enjoy.

We follow the sun ...
winter snowbirds at the Indian Wells Carefree RV Resort, Indio, CA (2012-13)

Secondly, Jim and I are not a professional blogger, photographer, writer, travel expert, product  or campground ratings analyst, etc ... just an ordinary retired couple who has been bitten by the wanderlust bug. So we will  express opinions based on our own experiences of life on the road.  If you find something that is helpful, great.  Take it to apply to your situation; if not, please leave it where you found it.

Jim and I after white water rafting in Big Sky, Montana

Our desire is to share what we learn along the way ... while living in a rolling 400 sq.ft. home with our furry four legged kids Maxx and Mollie ...  what works and doesn't work.  We also plan to cover our travels ... routes, destinations, campgrounds and day trip excursions from base camps.

Mollie is our Co-Pilot

 and Maxx is the Navigator

Whew, we have a year and a half of travel postings to catch up on ... so watch for these upcoming posts.  In the meantime, check out the link to Wanderlust with McTraveler to view our map of destinations and excursions. Scroll through the two page list to see if we've been to the same place or see if there's something to add to your bucket list.  Feel free to ask questions if you find something of interest.

Lastly, please bear with us as we learn how to use the software to create this blog ... enjoying everything about blogging except trying to translate the HTML codes. I'm sure it will become easier and evolve over time. Thanks again for visiting our first blog and we look forward to your return soon.  Hope you enjoy the ride!

Wishing you safe travels!
Pam, Jim, Maxx and Mollie

Smiling through the rain,
on the Oregon Coast
May 2013