Hey friends and fam! It has been sooooo long since we posted any blogs about our travel adventures, and I am sure you all are really having withdrawals …. 😊😊! Yes, I am several blogs behind but in my defense, we have just been extremely busy lately with work – yes that dirty four-letter word. But, rest assured, we managed to throw in some fun despite the work commitments. And then came the holidays and birthdays and so on….. like a whirlwind! So, with the holidays behind us and feeling a new perspective with the New Year, I decided this may be a good time to blog about our last RV trip.
In May of last year, we decided to put Forrest on the road again…..Forrest is the name of our RV, “Roll Forrest Roll “ 😊. We were somewhat undecided because of the price of diesel fuel. Neither one of us really wanted to take out a bank loan or sell a kidney…. but then we poured a little wine, put the financial numbers together and hey….after a few glasses, we decided to give it a go 😊. Yes, this would be one of the more expensive RV adventures we have taken so we had to make it worth every gallon of liquid gold we put into our tank….…...
Not to brag too, too much but we sure planned a great trip! We don’t regret a second of it! We named it the “The Big Loop” and as we made the loop; we were able to visit a several national parks. We just really packed so much into our three weeks! So read on for more super intriguing highlights or you can just look at the pictures…. that works too! Happy Reading!
Why you ask is this called the “The Big Loop?” Simple…. if you take a map and draw out the places we went, it looks like….. well, a big loop. Ok, maybe there was some alcohol influence here, there were worse names……But it wasn’t an “out and back” straight line, like most trips 😊On the One Big Loop, we visited 4 states in 3 weeks!
Our first stop was a hidden gem called Villanueva State Park in New Mexico. What a beautiful place and to our amazement, there were very few people in the park. Hindsight - it was likely because there were two major wildfires burning directly to the west of us! (A word of advice, always check out weather conditions and in this case…fire conditions before venturing off!) When we pulled into Las Vegas, New Mexico to fuel up, ashes were falling from the sky and the air was hazy. We were concerned so we decided to check things out. Turns out the fire was pretty large and northwest of us. Fortunately for us, it was not headed in the direction we were going. As we continued to drive south, the air cleared up and it was sunny. We were grateful and we made sure to say a few prayers for those impacted by the fire!
Villanueva State Park just outside of a little village (same name.) The park is in a beautiful canyon on the banks of the Pecos River. This is a historical area, rich in history of the Spanish and for the Native Americans that lived in these parts. The canyon was the route of the Spanish Conquistadores which I thought was a group of bull fighters but soon found out I was misinformed. Check it out: The Spanish Conquistadors (thoughtco.com)
We camped right on the river. There are a few scenic hikes in the area. On one hike we saw historical remnants of the Native Americans that lived in the area and the foundations/rocks that outlined their modest homes and farms. The river is supposed to be a good place to catch catfish, but we didn’t have time to do much of that. If you find yourself in central New Mexico, Villanueva State Park is well worth the visit.
Our next stop was Alamogordo, New Mexico. We chose this area because we wanted to visit the White Sands National Park/Monument. We have the “Great” Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado…. But this is the “White” Sand Dunes National Park……. very different – (tan vs white, big vs little, etc.) Let me say that this park did not disappoint. The dunes are gypsum sands that make up over 275 square miles of dessert. The sand is so white it glistens like diamonds. It was surprisingly very cool to the touch. This is also a missile testing sight. While we didn’t experience it, we heard that they do close the park road from time to time for missile testing. For a small fee you can rent a “sand board” and do some serious sand sledding (say that three times fast.) We were not feeling that energetic and were content with watching the kids (and some crazy adults) try the sand board sledding. Overall, we had great time visiting the park. In the evening we grabbed a blanket and a bottle of wine and went back into the park to watch the sunset over the dunes. Ahem… no that was grape juice (in case park ranger is reading this blog) Alcohol is no-no in the park. The sunset was amazing as it set over the dunes. They changed from white, to orange to pink…. Just beautiful! One thing to mention…. this park is a “dark sky” park so if you go, consider visiting at night so you can see the stars and the Milky Way! We were tired and decided not to stay up past our bedtime 😊. Check it out: White Sands National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
While in Alamogordo we found out that there are many fun and interesting things to do besides White Sands National Park. First, Ned had to have his picture taken with the world’s largest pistachio! I was a little disappointed - it’s not real, but still fun to see and the pistachio store had a huge selection of nuts in all types of flavors! (there's probably a joke here somewhere...) We tried a few different flavors and decided that cinnamon sugar was by far our favorite. It was a tough and exhausting decision, so we bought ice cream cones, sat under a tree next to the giant pistachio and spent an hour or so pondering the meaning of life 😊. Check it out: World's Largest Pistachio (pistachioland.com)
Later that day we visited the Museum of Space History. It was fun to watch Ned geek out over all the space flight gadgets, rockets, and cool astronaut stuff. Overall, we thought the museum was interesting and we would highly recommend. Check it out: Home - New Mexico Museum of Space History (nmspacemuseum.org) At the end of the day, we both agreed that it would have been nice to have an extra day in Alamogordo because it really is an interesting town.
From Alamogordo we went over to Catalina State Park outside of Tucson. This beautiful state park was surprisingly really close to town. It was very hot there, so we did most of our activities in the early morning. We hiked the state park which was full of beautiful trails, views, and saguaro cactus. The cacti were just starting to bloom. We also saw our first Road Runner. While they don’t go “beep beep” they are certainly fast and very elusive. I did not get a pic! Check it out: Catalina State Park | Arizona (azstateparks.com).
One day we made our way over to Saguaro National Forest. These incredible cacti are hundreds of years old. It takes over 12 years for the cactus to grow one arm and we saw many that were at least 20 feet high with multiple arms. The cacti are protected in Arizona therefore you see cacti everywhere. They were all so unique, so you never tire of looking at them. Check it out: Saguaro National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov). We loved this area, but if we go back, we will find a time when the weather is a little cooler…. If that is even possible!
We said goodbye to Tucson and headed up to the Verde Valley and over to Camp Verde Arizona. This is a laid-back, little town on the banks of the Verde River. We kayaked along the river and had a great time. We did not see any other kayakers and I think it was because we were there on a week day and in May before family vacations started.
In Verde River, we also saw the world’s tallest Kokopelli. Yep, don’t see that every day! Check it out: Camp Verde, AZ - World's Largest Kokopelli (roadsideamerica.com).
We made a trip over to Montezuma Castle National Monument. This monument was established in 1906 to preserve the Native American culture in this area. The castle is a 20-room apartment built into a limestone cliff. You cannot access the castle anymore because it is fragile, but the story is amazing, and it was so interesting to see how people survived in this desert landscape. Not far from the castle is Montezuma Well. A unique geological feature that is thousands of years old. The well was used for irrigation and water supply. Exploration of the well has never found a “bottom.” The natives consider it a sacred site. thought to have spiritual healing abilities. However, they also said not to try and swim in it because it is full of leaches and water scorpions…… 😊. It is a beautiful site. The Hopi’s made homes in the cliffs at the well. Here is a link to an interesting article on Montezuma Well. Check it out: Exploring Montezuma Well - Montezuma Castle National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
After our fun time in Camp Verde, we headed up to the Grand Canyon. Ned had been there before as a boy scout, but I had not. When we got to the RV park just outside of the national park, the wind was blowing 40 mph gusts. Needless to say, we hunkered down that day and waited until later in the evening to venture into the park. One thing I must advise on…. buy a national park pass! So worth it. We saved so much money having the pass. Ned gets to buy the senior pass which is lifetime for something like $80. So worth it. Plus, you get to zip through the express lines if the park has them! Check it out: Changes to the Senior Pass (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
If you have never been to the Grand Canyon you HAVE TO GO!. On my…. it is so amazing. On the first glimpse, you are just speechless. And it is also little frightening. It is just so big and vast, and you can’t see the bottom! Ned kept wanting to take my picture and wanted me to get closer to the edge, but I am afraid of heights so sorry….. no can-do buckaroo!! By the end of the trip, I was feeling a little more comfortable with looking over the edge and I actually rode my bike next to it…..but I consider that to be a very brave thing to do!! We saw the canyon from various lookout points and after a day or so, it was like…. OK we have seen it. Ned even had time for a pic with a local celebrity! Time to move on! Check it out: Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Our next destination was Zion National Park in Utah. Here is a bit of advice for our fellow RVers…… check the regulations for entering the park on the east side before you go. We drove for 6 hours only to find out that our camper was too long to enter the park from the east side due to a very narrow tunnel with tight switchbacks at the entrance and the exit! The ranger turned us around and we had to drive another 3 hours to get to the south entrance of the park. That made for a super exhausting day!
Zion is just like the name sounds….. so heavenly. Beauty beyond compare. It was hot there too, but we didn’t care. The park was so amazing you didn’t really notice the heat. What you did notice was all the people. For the month of May when most kids are still in school, this place was a zoo! With all that aside, we loved the visit in the park. There is a shuttle that takes you to different spots in the park where you can get out and hike, bike, picnic, whatever your heart desires. There are hikes of all abilities. There is slot canyon hiking in The Narrows where you actually hike through the North Fork of the Virgin River. For those that love heights.... Check out Angels Landing. Note: You must have a permit to hike. It is the most popular hike in the park. There are so many Instagram opportunities in this park because it is beauty beyond compare…. But ok I think I said that enough…. I’ll move on! The town of Springdale is cute too with lots of shops and restaurants, breweries and such. Typical little tourist town but we enjoyed ourselves and would go back! Check it out: Zion National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Our last stop on our big loop was Green River Utah. Now why Green River you might ask…… Well, because we wanted to go to Moab but, Moab was ridiculously expensive and there was limited availability in the RV parks. We found a KOA in Green River that is about 35 minutes from Moab. So, we decided to make that work and it was great! Quiet and nice park. We visited Goblin Valley State Park on our first day. The “hoo-doo’s” are the rock formations that are the attraction for the park. They were way cool and there were thousands of them, each unique. If you go to Goblin State Park, know that it is another “dark sky” park so be sure to plan a visit at night to see incredible night sky. Check it out: Goblin Valley State Park | Utah State Parks
While in the area we decided to hike Little Wild Horse canyon. This is a slot canyon located about 10 minutes from the park. It was a great hike and very interesting. I did ok until the walls started getting really close – 2 to 3 feet apart. Did I mention I am also claustrophobic? Yep, fear of heights and claustrophobic! Winning combination! Ned wanted to go further but I needed to turn around. We made it about 1.5 miles and the hike is only a little over 2 miles, so I think we did good! If you do this hike be sure to watch the weather! Do not go if rain is in the forecast as these canyons will fill up with fast moving water very quickly and there is little or no areas to climb to safety! Check it out: Little Wild Horse Trailhead | Bureau of Land Management (blm.gov)
While in Utah, we went on several other hikes. Most memorable were Corona and Bowtie Arches. Fairly easy hikes with beautiful scenery. If you go – go early as it gets very hot during the day! Check it out: Corona and Bowtie Arch Trail | Map, Guide - Utah | AllTrails
On the way back, we stopped at a spot where you can see the petroglyphs. It is pretty amazing to think that you are standing in the same spot as someone did millions of years ago. The petroglyphs are definitely worth checking out!
We also visited Arches National Park. The rock formations in this park are so interesting. You must have a permit to enter and ours was for 1pm. It was hot and crowded so we did not do much hiking, therefore no pics of arches....but we got some really cool pics of other rocks and enjoyed seeing all of the interesting places in the park. Check it out: Arches National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
The next day we visited Canyonlands National Park. This park again is so unique. It is amazing how many places there are in Utah that are so unique, each one not like the other. This park has beautiful canyons, and several hiking trails. There are photo opportunities at every turn. In some areas, you can see the Colorado River running thought the canyon. Dogs are not allowed in any of the national parks, so we did not hike much but we really enjoyed our visit just the same. Check it out: Canyonlands National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Later that day we made it over to Deadhorse State Park which is just down the road. Here they do allow dogs to hike so we did a quick 5-mile loop and saw amazing views. I call this hiking for dummies because they literally paint yellow arrows on the rocks for you to follow! We had to carry a lot of water with us because it was really hot, and the dogs needed a lot of water. I don’t think they were very impressed by the views, but they did get to see some fat little ground squirrels so that made their trip tolerable! There are some great views of the Colorado River in this park. Check it out to find out where the name comes from: Dead Horse Ranch State Park | Arizona (azstateparks.com)
After Green River, we decided to make our way home. There were many places we were not able to fit in due to time constraints. So, a return trip is definitely in our future. But this trip turned out to be quite an adventure and each place we went was so unique, beautiful, and different in its own way. Ned asked me if I had to recommend one National Park or one place to visit from the trip, which one would I pick…..Well, I can’t pick just one. Each one has its own beauty and personality…… I guess you will just have to make your own Big Loop and decide for yourself!! If you do, be sure to share some pics!
Happy Travels!
Ned, LeAnne, Louie and Lola
I really enjoyed reading, and the pics are so exciting to see. Have fun, enjoy life, and keep on trucking, be safe. Sis
I enjoyed your blog! We did the Mighty 5 in October and it was a fabulous trip! Maybe will will meet up on the road sometime. Happy RVing!!