This page contains pictures and information about camping trips and other travel within the US. It also includes visits that family members and others made to our area and home. It is arranged chronologically starting with the most recent trip/visit. Scroll down to see all the entries. One of my lifetime goals has been to visit all the national parks in the US. When Donna & I travel, we also go out of our way to visit national monuments, seashores, memorials, battlefields, preserves, parkways, recreation areas, rivers, scenic trails, lakeshores and national historic sites. So, you may wonder ‐ why have I chosen this as a goal? The answer is simple – as a citizen of this great country, I, like you, am one of the many owners of these national treasures. As such, I consider it a priority to go visit what I own and enjoy the scenic wonders, the incredible memorials, and the cherished wilderness that so many have fought and died to give us this privilege. Having said that, I dedicate this section of my website to my parents, my kids and grandkids; and the rest of my family, especially my wife, who have honored my traveling addiction over the last several decades.
We took the camper and drove through Arizona to Nevada to attend the wedding of Brittany (my sister LuAnn’s granddaughter). We stopped at several unique places on the way. We found several places to hike with the dogs during the trip.
We loaded the camper and travel 5,700 miles (roundtrip) to the northeast to visit family and do some sightseeing in New York and Vermont. We stayed at several Harvest Host campgrounds during our travel and visited several museums. Great trip with plenty of time for campfires and hiking.
We packed a lunch, took the dogs and drove 60 miles to Leasburg Dam State Park for a morning hike. We had some trouble getting into the park because of the COVID-19 restrictions but we did get in. First half of the hike was cool and shady, while the 2nd part was hot and getting hotter by the minute. We had lunch at the end of the 2 mile loop trail, then headed home.
We took our 2 dogs and loaded them into the truck then hauled our 5th wheel camper through several western states with the plan to reach Big Sky, MT. We camped and did sightseeing in Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico over a two-week period. During the trip we hiked trails at each stop and visited several national monuments. We had a great trip and really enjoyed the cooler weather along the way. We even had a tour of a gold mine and saw numerous spectacular waterfalls in each state.
Donna & I took our dogs and spent the day at Lake Roberts. We hiked from the boat dock/fishing area to the dam and back again. This was another of our day trips, since most of our travel is still limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Another great day for a hike. We packed our lunch; took the dogs and drove to Ruidoso to hike the 2.2-mile Eagle Creek loop trail at the Alto reservoir. It was an easy hike on a well-marked, wide trail. There were a lot of families and fisherman at the lake. It was good to see people relaxing and enjoying themselves again.
Cloud Climbing Rail Trail is a 2.9 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Cloudcroft, New Mexico that features a great forest setting and is good for all skill levels. Donna & I took our dogs – DME & Bella on their first long distance hike. This was our first real adventure since the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic in early March. Great trip, and the weather was perfect.
Various members of Donna’s family joined us here in Santa Teresa following our return from Morocco and during the Thanksgiving holiday. Her brothers Steve & Carl and her sister Jan were here for Barb’s (Donna’s mother) birthday, then Chris came to visit during Thanksgiving. We all had a good time; took Chris horseback riding and had dinner together.
Donna & I spent two weeks in Las Cruces, camped out at the Mesilla Valley Habitat for Humanity campground and office location. We worked with 14 other people who were part of the Care-A-Vanners team to build homes for partner families in Las Cruces. We also had time to visit a few parks in the area and enjoyed Happy Hour with our fellow RVer’s.
We flew to PA to spend some time with our kids and grandkids. Donna left a few days early to visit her sister Jan in Dallas and attend a baby shower for Jan’s daughter Rachelle. Carey met Donna in the airport in Dallas and we flew to PA. The grand event was to have a birthday party for Kevin (Donna’s oldest son), but it also provided us the first opportunity in 20+ years to have all of our kids and grandkids in one place at the same time.
