The End

We knew that we wanted to travel when we retired.  Since longevity is not something in either of our families, we retired early,  We saw many wonderful sights, met great people, went to very good restaurants, and totally enjoyed our retirement.  We have been blessed to be able to do that.

Both of us now have health issues that prevent us from traveling.  Today we put Koko, our home away from home, up for sale.  I have shed a few tears over this.  Those of you that know me, know what a difficult decision this has been..  As much as it hurts, it is the right decision.

Our Adventures in KoKo

Highlights of Our Adventures in KoKo

Noster Adventuresto

Draft Work In Progress - January 30, 2023

  Updated 02/08/23 - scroll to Memories

Dorothy Taking Delivery September 2007

We have crossed the country 15 times from Alabama to west of the 100th meridian. We have spent at least one contagious month in each of the eleven western states. We have spent enough time in Oregon and Utah to claim citizenship - more than once.  We don't make reservations. We don’t have a schedule. Our trips last 6-8 months.

We spent two months touring Alberta and BC. Got as far NW as Prince Rupert. We would have stayed longer, but it was in the 90’s and there were forest fires. The CG’s in their parks are super. I think every time we parked someone immediately came over to welcome us.

Boasting here. National Parks, Monuments, Presidential Libraries, and State Capitals we have visited.

National Parks - 82

Arcadia NP

Arkansas Post NM

Armistad NRA

Arches NP

Aztec Ruins NM

Bandelier NM

Badlands NP

Big Bend NP

Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Hole National Battlefield

Big South Fork NRA

Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP

Bryce Canyon NP

Buffalo National River 

California Trail NHT

Canyonlands NP

Island in the Sky

The Maze

The Needles

Canyon de Chelly NM

Capitol Reef NP

Cedar Breaks NM

Chiricahua NM

Choco Culture NHP

Colorado National Monument 

Crater Lake NP

Craters of the Moon NM

Curecanti NRA

Death Valley NP

Devils Tower NM

Dinosaur NM

El  Malpais NM

Everglades NP

Fort Davis NHS

Fort Laramie NHS

Gila Cliff Dwellings NM

Grand Canyon NRA

Grand Portage NP

Grand Teton NP

Grant Kohrs Ranch NHS

Great Basin NP

Great Sand Dunes NM

Guadalupe Mountains NP

Hovenweep NM

Joshua Tree NP

John Day Fossil Beds NM

Lake Roosevelt NRA

Land Between the Lakes

Lewis & Clark Trail NHT

Manzanar NHS

Mesa Verde NP

Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot NM

Mount Ranier NP

Natchez Trace

Natural Bridges NM

Navajo NM

Niobrara National Scenic River

North Cascades NP

Olympic NP

Organ Pipe NM

Ozark River - National Scenic River

Petrified Forest NP

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Pony Express National Historic Trai

Pipe Spring NM

Pony Express Trail

Fort Ruby National Wildlife Refuge Redrock Canyon National Conservation Area

Rocky Mountain NP

Salinas NM

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP

Tent Rocks NM

Theodore Roosevelt NP

Valles Caldera National Preserve

Voyageurs NP

Walnut Canyon NM

Waterton - Glacier NP

White Sands NM

Wind Cave NP

Whiskeytown NRA

Wupatki Sunset Crater Volcano NM

Yellowstone NP 

Yosemite NP

Zion NP

Presidential Libraries - 9

George HW Bush Library

George Bush Library

Dwight Eisenhower Library

Gerald Ford Library

Herbert Hoover Library NHS 

Lyndon Johnson Library

Richard Nixon Library

Ronald Regan Library

Harry Truman Library

State Capitals - 17

Alabama

Arkansas

Colorado

Idaho

Iowa

Kentucky

Louisiana

Montana

New Mexico

Nebraska

Nevada

North Dakota

Oregon

South Dakota

Texas

Utah

Washington

Wyoming

We joined 16 other Lazy Daze on a month-long trip to Cabo. Most nights we parked on the beach.

  

 

More images from the Baja and Back trip: 

Heck, if you just want to look at pictures, there are a few hundred on Flickr arranged by state.

Boring prose:

We put over 140,000 miles on KoKo and half that much that in the Jeeps. Over 2,200 nights in KoKo.

We found many cherished places where we had nothing but a horizon for a view. Sadly, most of these places are now closed or overrun with people. When we "discovered' The Alabama Hills, we had it to ourselves. The last time we were there we had to share “our place” with several others.

We’ve kayaked in Florida, Utah, Oregon, Washington, California, and other states.

We have driven roads that terrify others. The Caliente-Bodfish Road stands out. The Million Dollar Highway and the Moki Dugway pale next to it. Crossing the coast range in northern CA with oncoming log trucks will make one pay close attention.

We have been to all the state capitals in the eleven western states and most capitols in the midwestern and southern states. We toured the Truman, Regan, Nixon, LBJ, and Bushes libraries. We have visited all the western national parks and monuments.

We have enjoyed fresh caught trout and salmon dinners several times compliments of kind fishermen.

Good Eating

Some restaurants stand out – one in the Oregon high desert that has no electricity - everything is cooked on a wood fire.

When you make your reservations, your choices are steak or chicken. The steak will be at least 16 ounces. If you choose chicken, you get the whole bird. You start with a family-size bowl of salad, an equally large bowl of cowboy soup, and a pan of homemade rolls. The entree comes with a baked potato. The dessert is strawberry shortcake.

Cooking on a wood stove

 

Steak, potato, homemade rolls, and a Mason jar of tea

Difficult to eat it all, so they give you takeaway containers. We learned to overnight park across the street from the restaurant next to the old outhouse. We just waddle out to the rig. Where? Get on the road and find it.

 

Parked next to the old unused outhouse

The best BBQ in Texas. The best can be endlessly argued. Our pick is Coopers in Llano. (Not to be confused with any Coopers) We eat at Cooper's for three days: Ribs, Prime Rib and Cabrito. There is always a meal or two to go. 

 

If it's meat, it will be in the pit. You buy it by the pound.

 

Fine Dining

Texas - This is a place you decide to go for no other reason than to eat the best steak anywhere. The ranch was not making much money, so in 1983 they decided to sell their beef cooked rather than on the hoof. It's in Buffalo Gap. No AC, so summertime might not be the best time. I like the Zucchini Perini with my strip steak.

ZUCCHINI PERINI

Only the food is fancy.

Nevada - There is more to Nevada than Reno and Las Vegas. There are over a dozen mountain ranges. The highest mountain in the state is NW of Vegas, a cool place to hang out. The scenic mountains around Lamoille are well worth a few days.  We enjoyed the springs and mineral hunting in the Sheldon Wildlife Refuge. An out-of-the-way place. 

Memories At Cedar Breaks

Have you ever seen a hawk on the wing? The time we most vividly remember watching hawks was on the dirt road in Montana (seems most roads in Montana are dirt) leading to Cedar Breaks. (The Missouri River) It's pretty close to nowhere with miles and miles of fallow fields teaming with hawk food. When we would see a pair, we would pull over and watch them hunt. They were Red-Tails as I recall.

Hawk Hunting Country

Where Your Canola Oil Comes From

Memories In the San Juans

We "discovered" the San Juan Mountains by accident on our first western trip in 1994. They remain our favorite mountains. We have returned four times, spending up to a month parked in a fantastic location along Mineral Creek. There are hundreds of miles of Jeep trails, all maintained by the county. Nothing technical, just views for 10's of miles from several 12,000-foot passes.

The town of Silverton as seen from the top of Kendall Mountain. The road headed to the top of the picture goes to Ouray, the northern limit of the San Juans. Silverton is the only incorporated municipality in the county.

 US550, from Silverton to Ouray

The picture postcard Silverton with train service to Durango

Our usual parking spot

In our first years on Mineral Creek everyone there was into wheeling. So there was that common interest. Every night someone would have a large fire and 20-30 people would bundle up and sit around the fire telling lies and watching the stars.

South Fork of Mineral Creek

It's common to find sheep grazing in the mountains.We chatted with one herder who was brought from Chile to care for the herd for the summer. The dogs were not aggressive but preferred that you remain at a distance from his flock. This dog is saying "you are good where you are".

We met Keith (and Sandy) on our first trip and have remained friends over the years.

One of the half dozen passes

We are suckers to feed Hummingbirds. If they see red, either a feeder or a cap on your head, they will come.  It gives me pause when one of them will hover in front of me beak-to-beak while I am adding sugar to the feeder. They amuse us.

The grub is always good at Dorothy's Dinner. Olathe corn is the best.

Red Mountains, #1, #2 and #3

Representative Scenes

There are hundreds of mines in mountains. Some just a dog hole. Others go deep into the mountain. Some are active today.

That is one cobalt blue sky

The camera is level to the road

 

Health Issues

I termed our 2021 trip The Last Hurrah. I felt it might well be our last. Our health was OK for most of the trip, but I went downhill in September and we limped home. 

I was "down" for most of October and some of November. I did little but lay in bed and my recliner. The RV has yet to be cleaned.

In the last three years, I have developed two maladies, Leukemia and Crohns. Neither is fatal - unless the Leukemia morphs into the acute form. It slows me down, fatigue and shortness of breath. Sometimes I don’t feel like doing more than laying in bed and sitting in my recliner. Happily most days I am near-normal – just needing to hit the mattress by 7pm.

At the end of February, I had surgery to correct one eyelid not opening all the way after having surgery for Melanoma the second time. I looked really bad for two weeks. Now only a partially black eye.

They found a stone in my bladder, so of course, he wants to remove it. That's the end of March. He is also thinking about surgery on my prostate. I am not on that page.

We hope to be able to get away for a few weeks to eat Cajun in Louisiana. Fingers crossed.

Dorothy

Back, shoulder and knee pain

I have had back pain for many months but thought it was “old age”.  It became so severe that I was unable to do much more than walk from bed to recliner.  Cooking was a challenge because it requires standing up.  Finally, I went to the pain clinic and after an MRI I found out that I have three bulging disks which are sitting on nerves.  I have had pain in my leg also but attributed that to post-polio syndrome.  I had a cortisone injection to relieve the pain and also started physical therapy.  The PT has been a big help and I hope I am on the road to recovery.

Before we left on our trip last year, my knee was hurting but had to see an orthopedic surgeon about my shoulder pain.  I was not able to make right-hand turns, so driving was a problem.  I had arthritis in my shoulder.  Physical therapy helped with that a lot, so I ignored the knee pain.  I still have some pain, but I can live with it. 

The knee pain has gotten a lot worse and it’s hard to walk.  Finally, after encouragement from Don and the physical therapist, I have an appointment to get the knee checked out.

Chapter 14 - Homeward Bound

Tuesday, October 12 - We woke up to snow and 27 degrees in Flagstaff this morning.

We drove about three hours to Gallup. The rigs were quickly trashed with snowmelt.

Wednesday, October 13 - 32 in Gallup this morning.

Thursday, October 14 - 37 in Albuquerque this morning. We went SE to Fort Sumner to Sumner Lake SP. The office was closed, so we registered with the iron ranger. Then we found every site was a reservation site. So I called the number and was told site 9 was cool. We parked, had a Dorothy burger for lunch and a nap. Then the park host came to tell us we had to move as the site was reserved. He put us in the group site which was OK but came with cockleburs. 

@$%&#$& reservations. We want to go back to 2017 when not everyone had an RV, most people had to show up at an office weekdays and the campgrounds were empty.

We wanted to eat a steak at Perini's in Buffalo Gap. But, being a Saturday night they had no reservations before 4pm.

Friday, October 15 - Making progress, only 41 this morning in Ft. Sumner.

I am more sensitive to heat and cold in the last year. Especially heat. Dorothy is cooking and I am in the back and a heatwave encompassed me. I cut on the exhaust fan and had her open the front escape hatch to allow the heat an exit path.

We got gas for $2.85 in Muleshoe, TX. It was $3.09+ in the towns east and west there. That's a dollar less than we were paying in SW Utah.

We parked in the Waylon Jennings city RV park in Littletown. Free, but donations are accepted. I donated.

Saturday, October 16 - 44 this morning. We drove SE on US84, a fairly smooth road. All Texas roads are superior to those in New Mexico. Two states with best and worst cases. We stopped at a city park which is actually in the country. It and the adjacent golf course are owned by Sweetwater. W&E for $15 and a place I could wash the vehicles of the snowmelt from five days ago. Just us and one other RV in a large campground.

We stayed here a decade back. They were having a BBQ cookout and since we did not know anyone, we served as judges. Some good stuff and some that needed a lot of beverage to get the taste out of your mouth. They supplied all drinks, including beer.

It is certainly welcome to see trees and green grass. The campground has Cedar trees. I can not recall the type. I will call them enchanted.

Sunday, October 17 - It was 50 this morning. We got away at 7:30 so we could get to Coopers BBQ by 11:30. We had never taken this route through Texas. We had taken routes 50 miles away, but this one was more scenic. Lots of trees and green grasslands. We had prime rib. It was delicious.

I woke up from my nap warm. It was 82 inside. So I cut on the AC. That's way different from buttoning up the rig with Reflectic and running two gas heaters as we have done the last two weeks.

We have passed numerous rural car dealerships and noted their lots are almost empty. Dealers in cities have more stock.

Monday, October 18 - 54 this morning. Did laundry for the last time. Had ribs at Cooper's. Dorothy was under the weather all day from the BBQ sauce she had yesterday. Delicious, but deadly.

There may be more deer in the Texas Hill country than flies. It's big business. I liked the juxtaposition of Propane and Deer.

Tuesday, October 19 - We drove under overcast skies through some of the best-looking ranch land we have seen in Texas. West of Rockland. Parked at Lake Bryan which seems to be a part of Texas A&M. I lay down in the pavilion and enjoyed the breeze. I watched eight teams sail Vanguards. They did not do any drills or races. Just milled about.

I don't think we saw water in a single river bed until we got to Texas. There is water in the river beds here. Utah, Arizona, New Mexico are dry folks.

Wednesday, October 20 - 60 degrees today. A high of 88 is predicted. We are at Magnolia Ridge, a COE park on B. A. Steinhagen Lake near Jasper, Texas. It's a large property. The sites are anywhere from 50 yards to a 1/4 mile apart. The lake is swampy, with lots of cypress on the shoreline. Comes with alligators.

Morning temps the last seven days. The low was in Flagstaff. 27, 32, 37, 41, 44, 50, 54, 60.  I stored the space heater two days back. With the warming temps, we have been gaining something else, DEW. And today HUMIDITY.

Thursday, October 21 - Louisiana today. We used to drive from Birmingham to Baton Rouge in a day. About 8 hours. We will take three days.

We landed in a city park in Opelousas the center of zydeco music. RV's on both sides of us, but no one home. One is abandoned. The security guy said they are going to have it towed. Oh well, it's fine with us. The cost $11, if anyone comes by to collect.

We had a divine meal at Cafe Sydnie Mae in Breaux Bridge, LA. Shrimp and lobster in a sherry cream sauce. We drove back in the dark. So what? Well, we don't see for shit in the dark. It was an exciting ride.

Outside Cafe Sydnie Mae, who is a state senator

Yummy!

Friday, October 22 - We drove east an hour to take an hour off tomorrow's drive to Mobile. We parked at the LSU Equestrienne center. Our last day out and it was the highest - $40. Ate at an old standby Mike Anderson's. We both had a fried platter. Too much fried.

Saturday, October 23 - We visited with old friends, Nancy and Ken, in Mobile.

Sunday, October 24 - Home. 

Recap: Five months and a week. 9,650 miles. The weather we experienced just after we were in Cedar City made our decision to start home. It would take us three weeks. We started back with a two-day stay in Cathedral Valley on October 1.  We eased down the road to Torry where we stayed for four days. We had one of the best boondock sites of our lives there.

Then we moved faster, single nights at Hole-In-The-Rock and Red Rock Canyon. Then Hancock Road (Kanab), Paria, Flagstaff, Gallup, Albuquerque, Sumner Lake, Littlefield, Sweetwater, Llano, Lake Bryan, Jasper, Opelousa, Baton Rouge, and finally Mobile. That’s 18 stops.

The camera is stored until the next trip.

Chapter 13 - Utah and Heading Home (Sadly)

Monday, October 4 - I tried to find the road into Cathedral Valley. I did not go east far enough. Why did I not look at my maps before leaving or take one with me? Stupid! By the time, I discovered my mistake it was too late in the day to do the drive. It is supposed to rain tomorrow and that may render the roads impassable for a day or more.

Cap Reef has always been our fav park. Each time it seems more impressive. It's always been the least visited park in Utah. That may still be true, but like everywhere else this year there are a lot of folks here. Fortunately, Covid prevents a lot of foreigners from coming reducing the number of Cruise America RV's that always seem to park blocking roads.

Tuesday, October 5 - A rainy and chilly day. We did laundry. The sun peeked out in the late afternoon. There may not have been enough rain to trash the dirt roads. The trails are to be highly respected as there is Bentonite in the soil. Which is as slick as owl poop. I may try the trail in mid-morning and hope to see tire tracks.

Wednesday, October 6 - The weather report was way off base. Instead of 80% rain, the day dawned sunny with no clouds. We headed 20 miles east and took the Caineville Road towards Cathedral Valley. The road was smooth and dry. The rock formations were quite different from those to the west. Some were quite dark in color. We went about 10 miles without seeing a soul, then two oncoming Jeeps met us. It was another scenic drive.

Stay another day and drive down to the water pocket fold one more time or head south and do the end trip drive I have been waiting to do for a year? Fall is here. Snow is forecast for next Tuesday. Hard to believe when it's 73 outside right now. The forecast low is 25. I am thinking it's time to head east. Stop in Llano and eat BBQ for two days, then Louisiana to eat some Cajun.  We have now spent 2200 nights in Koko!

Thursday, October 7 - Decision made. We will start our trek for Alabama today. So we will head down UT12 once again this morning. The sunrises in our campsite have been glorious each morning. A home right in this place would be delightful.

All below were taken from our campsite

We have driven UT12 several times. Each time it seems more extraordinary than I recall. Today was no exception, even with overcast skies. You start by climbing Boulder Mountain to 9,600 feet through endless groves of Aspens which remain in full color. The descent into Escalante country is always amazing to my eye. 

Surprisingly, there was little traffic this morning which allowed my 35mph looky-loo speed not to hinder others.

At noon, we parked on the Hole-In-the-Rock road. No scenic views, but after being in transit for 3.5 hours we were tired. It's a very large parking area with cedar trees providing privacy. The rigs are spread out at some distance from each other.

I had kinda thought we might drive Hole-In-the-Rock to the end this year, just for kicks. But with the impending rain tomorrow there is no way I will chance it. Ditto, for accessing the White Wave. Reasons to live another year.

Four months ago, I was bitching about it being daylight at 5am. Now I am bitching as first light is not until 7:30. It never ends.

Dorothy is remarkable. At home, she fills a kitchen garbage can each and every day. In KoKo she fills a much smaller can every day. 

Friday, October 8 - A very light drizzle started at 8:30 when we got away. It drizzled off and on as we drove south. Neither of us remembered the terrain from Hole-In-the-Rock to Tropic, which is just outside Bryce - where the caramel-colored formations start. The picture at the top of this blog was taken there many years ago. We have never explored the area we covered this morning and we should.

On a long shot, I told Dorothy to turn into Red Rock Canyon FS CG. I thought we might snag a site being 10:30 in the morning. Surprise, we are one of four in the CG. This place is usually full. So we have a paved spot to park - no red mud on the rig. Plus they have water and dump. Life is good.

Dorothy sees Sheep on the right

It's been 11 days since we got groceries so we can get a few things in Panguitch and more in Page in a few days.

If the rain is not enough to trash the roads, we can try to get to the Pinnacles tomorrow.

Saturday, October 9 - We stopped just north of Kanab, found a parking place on Hancock Road, and got lost trying to find Red Canyon. There are several staging areas for the numerous trails in Hog Canyon where Red Canyon. After ten miles on the worst roads ever - caused by ATVs - we got to Red Canyon about 3. Too late for much light to enter the narrow slot. We walked about halfway as it's Dorothy's fav slot.

We call these cow patty rocks

Red Canyon Slot

I asked a few people and studied several maps, but I still have no idea where the Pinnacles are located in Hog Canyon.

Dorothy was too tired to fix dinner and suggested we eat in Kanab. Escobar's is a fav of ours and so we went there to find it's closed on Saturdays! We wound up at Subway, with three very disinterested workers. They were out of most breads and did not even have any oil and vinegar.

Most people use the interstates to get between Arches, Capitol Reef, Bryce and Zion. In doing so they miss the wonders of UT12. Fine with me as I like to drive about 15mph on sections of the highway. We left Capitol Reef, parked just outside of Bryce [in the rain - grumble] and are now near Zion wheeling the sand roads adjacent to the park. We get the scenery without the crowds. Besides the CG's are full with reservations only.

Our camping fees so far this month are $15.50.

Sunday, October 10 - The roads dried out fast, at least in Kanab. But cold weather is coming. Snow Tuesday and temps in the mid '20s for several days after. We don't want to, but it's time to head south and east. First heat, now cold weather, and smoke for pretty much of the five months we have been on the road.

We decided to have another go in Hog Canyon to the White Throne. On the way, I hooked into the deep sand and we had fun playing in it for a half-hour. 

We got back to KoKo at noon and headed to Kanab for lunch at Escobar's. In another half-hour, we were at the Contact Station. We thought we would park in the "premium" spots on the mesa, but the road was washed out.

Monday, October 11 - We left Utah. Sadly. Down the sorry road of US89. We parked in the forest just north of Flagstaff. Dorothy is making pork chops and sweet potatoes for dinner. Big front moving through - high winds.

Tuesday, October 12 - High winds and some rain continued through the night. It was 27 this morning.