Category: USA

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.

Rotary Trip (Aurora, Colorado) – October 2015

I made this trip to Aurora, CO to learn more about a Rotary Project known as Ambulance Gateway. On the way there I stopped at several places to do some sightseeing, including the Enchanted Trails RV Park, which is a Route 66 icon; Tent Rocks National Monument – where I hiked; then onto Capulin Volcano National Monument. After leaving Aurora, I went to Valley of the Fires National Monument, where I stayed for 2 days doing more sightseeing in the area. I toured Three Rivers Petroglyph National Monument; Smokey Bear Historical Site; Fort Stanton, and Lincoln State Monument in New Mexico. It was a great trip.

RYLA Camp – July 2015

This is the 7th year I’ve attended RYLA camp as a counselor. RYLA stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Award and you can learn more by clicking on the following link: https://ryla5520.shutterfly.com/

Gatlinburg Family Trip – July 2015

We drove with Donna’s parents to Gatlinburg, TN to meet the rest of Barb & Charlie’s family including several from Cincinnati, Ohio. We rented a cabin in the mountains, next to Great Smokey Mountain National Park, which had 8 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. It was the perfect place for a large family gathering. We did some hiking, touring, and mostly having fun with the family.

Donna with Kevin & Stephs family on one of the hiking trails in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park

Same trail – with Keith, Lindsay and their kids

Anthony, NM Mud Run – June 2015

This was a fun event – a 5K marathon and obstacle course, affectionately known as the Mud Run. It was sponsored by the Anthony Rotary Club and several local Rotary Clubs had teams, including my club – West El Paso. Also, 15 Rotary Youth Exchange students from Rotary District 5520 participated in the event. My role of photographer was simple compared to the event participants. It was fun to watch.

RVF Rally – Estes Park – June 2015

This was a trip Donna & I took to the Rotary RVF Rally. Her parents – Charlie & Barb Mannino joined us. Our first stop was at Tetilla Peak campground near Santa Fe, NM so we could visit several places in Santa Fe. We continued to Colorado Springs where we visited the Garden of the Gods and drove to the top of Pikes Peak. On our way to Estes Park we stopped at the Air Force Academy Visitor’s Center, then drove to Mary’s Lake Campground in Estes Park where the RVF Rally started. We toured Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as the famous Stanley hotel. Charlie & I went fishing a couple times and we all enjoyed the fellowship with the RVF group.

Lunch time in our campground at Colorado Springs

Brad Fitch – John Denver Impersonator – He was great!

Clovis, NM Rotary Conference – May 2015

Donna & I traveled to the Rotary District 5520 Conference in Clovis, NM. During the conference we toured Canon Air Force Base and visited the old post office/library where we walked through the spy tunnel of the old postmaster. The conference was two days where we enjoyed the Youth Exchange breakfast: a performance of the award winning Clovis high school band, and the legendary Fireballs.

White Sands Family Trip – April 2015

Donna’s aunt Jonny and cousins Joanne & Vicki came to visit us. We took them to White Sands, San Elizario Mission and the Rose Garden as part of their tour of the El Paso/Southern New Mexico area. The final day we hiked up the mountain to Crista Rey, then stopped for a margarita at Rosa’s Cantina.

Lunch at the San Elizario Mission grounds

Very Large Array – March 2015

I visited the VLA on the way home from a Rotary conference in Albuquerque, NM. The Very Large Array, one of the world’s premier astronomical radio observatories, consists of 27 radio antennas in a Y-shaped configuration on the Plains of San Agustin fifty miles west of Socorro, New Mexico. Each antenna is 25 meters (82 feet) in diameter. The data from the antennas is combined electronically to give the resolution of an antenna 36km (22 miles) across, with the sensitivity of a dish 130 meters (422 feet) in diameter. Click on their website to learn more about it. http://www.vla.nrao.edu/

There are many exhibits at the Very Large Array site

National Park Trip #2 – Aug/Sept 2014

We took this trip with our camper to 17 National Park areas and two Rotary RVF Rallys, in the west and northwest parts of the USA, traveling over 6,300 miles. This was our second National Park trip in 2014.

Click here to read the complete Trip Report

Plaikni Falls – On a hiking trail in Crater Lake National Park

Hiking with the ranger in North Cascades National Park

National Parks Trip #1 – May/June 2014

This is the first of two National Park trips in 2014. We started at home and drove to Big Bend NP, then to Seminole Canyon State Park in Texas on our way to South Padre Island National Seashore. From there we drove through several states, visiting the home/library of Confederate President – Jefferson Davis (in Beluxi, Mississippi) on our way to the Everglades, Biscayne and Dry Tortugas NP’s in Florida. We spent a couple days in Key West then headed toward Pennsylvania, stopping at the Kennedy Space Center, Congaree NP in South Carolina and Shenandoah NP in Virginia where we saw our first bear. From there we headed to PA for a little more than 3 weeks. On the way home we stopped for an RVF Rally in Bowling Green, KY. From there we visited the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and then on to Branson, MS for a show, before heading home.

Click here to read the complete Trip Report