Arizona

 15 Oct     Las Vegas RV Resort, NV - Wickenburg, AZ     234 miles     4 hours 45 mins

We're on our way to Casa Grande for a Tiffin Rally but we spent a night at a Harvest Host location. It's dry camping in the parking lot at Wickenburg Country Club. It's pretty nice. We had lunch at the restaurant and it was very, very good. 

View from my kitchen window

We wanted to hit some balls at the driving range but it was closed. Looks like they're rebuilding part of it. It's going to be pretty nice when its done. It was very quiet at night. We would stay here again if we're passing through. 

16 Oct     Wickenburg - Casa Grande, AZ     114 miles     5 hours 50 mins

We made a stop at Phoenix Premium Outlets to do some shopping before checking in at Palm Creek RV Resort in Casa Grande. We'll be here for 8 nights, mainly for the Tiffin Rally. This is our first Tiffin Rally so looking forward to learning a lot and enjoying socializing with other Tiffin owners. 

Winky, Goody, Joe, Mark

We met up with some old friends. Mark and Julia who lives in Tennessee drove all the way to Casa Grande to attend the rally. They own a Tiffin similar to ours. Winky and Leslie who lives in Las Vegas drove over and will spend a few days with us. Goody and Donna retired and moved to Phoenix. They rented a cabin on property and will spend the week with us. 

So nice to see everyone. These four guys worked together over 30 years ago! We spent every evening eating, drinking, and talking story. We had lots of local food to eat every night....so ono.

Tanga's rig & ours

Winky, Mark, Julia

Joe & Mark

 

Saying goodbye to Mark & Julia

The rally was good. They had some seminars that Joe and Mark took advantage of. There was entertainment every night but we missed most of it because we were busy visiting and eating with our friends. 

The next Tiffin Rally will be in Wyoming next June, we're planning on going to that one too. 

Palm Creek RV Resort is real nice. It's a 55+ park with so much to do. They have 4 pools with hot tubs, 32 pickleball courts, a nice fitness center, par 3 nine hole golf course, and lots of activities going on. 

We met up with our friends that we met in Pahrump earlier on this trip. Dani and Robert live at Palm Creek and just love it. The monthly maintenance fee is pretty high but when you live in a resort like this, you're paying for a lifestyle. I think it's worth it.

Robert & Dani

24 Oct     Casa Grande, AZ - Laughlin, NV    293 miles     6 hours 40 mins

We parked at the Riverside Casino in Laughlin, Nevada for 3 nights. We've been here before and we like it. Dry camping in the parking lot and the TV catches a lot of channels with the antenna. 

Our spot in the parking lot

We did a lot of walking at the Colorado River Heritage Greenway Park and Trails. Very nice walking trail alongside the river all the way to Davis Dam. We had a very nice time here boondocking in the parking lot. Next time we'll stay here longer. 

27 Oct     Laughlin, NV - Bullhead City, AZ     11 miles     25 mins

We drove over to Bullhead City, Arizona which is right across the river from Laughlin. We stayed at Vista Del Sol for 3 nights, kind of expensive, $182 total. We've stayed here before and we really liked it. They got pickleball courts, 2 nice pools, and a very nice fitness center. 

When we got here on Wednesday afternoon it was very windy so we didn't go to the pool. Thursday was very, very windy so again, we didn't do anything. What a waste of money! We should have stayed in the casino parking lot for free. 

On Friday morning Joe wanted to check out a truck that was listed at Swantys car dealership in Bullhead City. We found the truck he saw online but it wasn't what we wanted. We've been looking for another tow car for a while now. The salesman showed us another truck that had the towing package already installed. The truck was filthy! Not ready to be shown but he showed it to us anyway. We could see under all the filth that the truck was pretty much what we were looking for. Besides the tow equipment it had running boards and a nice hardcover that locked. 

We went to lunch at Meoni's Italian Kitchen to think about it. I'm so glad we went there, the food was excellent! Later that afternoon, we ended up going back to Swanty's to work out a deal. Needless to say, we have a new vehicle to tow behind our RV. A 2020 Dodge Ram which we just love. 

30 Oct     Bullhead City, AZ - Las Vegas, NV     102 miles     1 hour 40 mins

We picked up the truck this morning and I must say, it cleaned up pretty nicely. It doesn't have the complete towing installed so I had to drive it and follow Joe back to Las Vegas. So I guess on our next trip that will be a priority. We spent 3 night at Las Vegas RV Resort. 

02 Nov   Las Vegas RV Resort - Henderson     5 miles

We put the truck and RV in storage this morning. We're ending another awesome 7 week trip and travelled almost 1,800 miles in the RV. We're always missing the kids so we're anxious to go home to see them. We'll spend 1 night at the Park MGM and fly out tomorrow morning. 

 

3 National Parks in 10 Days

 01 Oct     Las Vegas - Grand Canyon South Rim     69 miles     7 hours 30  mins

We had a long drive today from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon South Rim. We made a stop in Kingman, AZ to fill gas and have a meal at Big Bear Diner. We love this diner, always good home cooked food and big servings. 

We finally arrived at Trailer Village RV Park at 3:30pm where we have reservations for 3 nights. Kind of pricey here, $65-75 per night. Nothing really special but it's full hook ups in a national park so we pay for the convenience of staying right in the park. There's a lot of elk cruising through the park at all hours so that's fun to watch. 

We're watching this elk drink water at our neighbors

We took the shuttle to Hermits Rest on the west side of the park then on the way back we got off and hiked along the rim to Grand Canyon Village. It's so beautiful here, everywhere you look the views are incredible. No matter how many times we've come here, its always spectacular. 

The five of us at Hermits Rest

         

Michael & Dana enjoying the views

Sunset at the South Rim with sis

04 Oct     Grand Canyon - Page, AZ     148 miles     4 hours 40 mins

On our drive to Page, Arizona we drove along Desert View Drive on the eastern side of Grand Canyon. It's a scenic 23 miles, less crowded with breathtaking overlooks and pullouts that gave us panoramic views of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. 

We stopped to check out the Watchtower but we couldn't go to the top because of covid. 

Next stop, Lone Rock Beach campground which is actually located in Utah but we're here to visit some sites in Page, Arizona. Lone Rock Beach is dry camping and we'll be here for 2 nights. We used our national park pass to enter and its $14 per night to dry camp. 

The main attraction here is the Antelope Slot Canyon Tour which we had reservations for on Tuesday, Oct 5th. Tour got cancelled due to the weather. Heavy rain was predicted for the day so there was a possibility of flash floods in the canyon. So bummed!!! This was the reason for coming to Page. 

But we made the best of it. We took a drive to the Glen Powell Dam overlook and did a short hike to the scenic view. 

Then we drove out to Horseshoe Bend. Horseshoe Bend is a horseshoe-shaped incised meander of the Colorado river and has become one of the most recognized and visited places in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The hike to the overlook is a little over 1/2 mile on a paved path. A breathtaking 1000' drop into the canyon lends a beautiful view of the Colorado river .

Storm coming in

In the late afternoon, it stormed. The winds picked up and it stormed pretty much all night. 

  

When we woke up the next day, it was nice and sunny. Just right for our drive to Bryce.

06 Oct     Page, AZ - Bryce, UT      142 miles     3 hours

Our drive to Bryce, Utah was so nice. The views were really something to see. We're spending 3 nights at Ruby's Inn & RV Campground, $56 per night. Our visit here was nice but it was very cold and rainy. 

At Bryce Canyon we drove out to Rainbow Point and on our way back, we made stops at several scenic points. 

      

    

When we got to Sunset Point, Joe, David, and I hiked the Navajo Loop Trail. It's a hard hike for us because you go down into the canyon. And we all know, if you go down, you gotta come up!!  We just take a lot of breaks on the switchbacks going up. But it's so worth it...the views are amazing!

         

               

 

We spent a whole day inside...the weather was terrible....cold and windy. This happens and you just need to be flexible. 

On our way to our next stop.....Zion!

09 Oct     Bryce Canyon - Zion National Park     146 miles     4 hours

Nothing fancy

We're at Zion Canyon Campground for 2 nights, $78 per night for full hook ups. They really cram you in but we got decent sites and its very close to the entrance of Zion National Park. 

River walk hike

Entrance to Narrows

We did some hiking. First was the River Walk. The trail follows the Virgin River at the bottom of a narrow canyon for a little over a mile. We all enjoyed this hike, very scenic . At the end of this hike, the Narrows hike starts. We already decided not to do this hike because of the weather. It was very cold and most of the Narrows hike is done in the water. 

     

After lunch we did the Lower Emerald Pools hike. Short hike, less than a mile each way. A little elevation so minor drop-offs. 

We enjoyed our time at Zion, I wish we could a few more days to do more hikes here. Dana said this was her favorite park. The weather was a little chilly but not as cold and windy as Bryce. At least we could sit and have dinner outside. 

11 Oct     Zion National Park, UT - Las Vegas, NV     173 miles     3 hours 15 mins

We were up in the air about the last few days of the trip. Do we go to Valley of Fire? or St George? or Mesquite? or even Pahrump? All good choices but in the end, we decided to head back to Las Vegas a couple of days early. The weather forecast is not good, lots of wind. It's going to be pretty bad for the next few days so its just safer to go back to Vegas and stay put. 

Pool time with Dave & Joe

We're back at Las Vegas RV Resort for a few days. Dana and Michael will be getting their RV ready to be put back in storage. Then David, Dana, and Michael will be at Orleans for a couple of nights before flying back to Honolulu. 

We had a very nice trip with the family. Dana and Michael seems to like RVing and we hope that we'll be taking more trips in the future. 

Fall 2021

 We're excited to start our Fall trip. This trip is a little different. Normally it's just the two of us doing our thing. On the first part of the trip we have my sister Dana and her boyfriend Michael joining us. They bought our old RV so this is their first trip in the rig. My brother David will also be joining us. We plan to spend a couple of weeks visiting some national parks. 

Then on the second part of the trip we're going to Casa Grande, Arizona for our first Tiffin Rally. We're meeting friends there so pretty excited to have people traveling with us.

We flew from Honolulu - Las Vegas on September 16 and stayed at New York, New York for 1 night. Upon arrival in Las Vegas, at 4:50 pm, we got a Lyft to the hotel. This ride cost us over $50 for only 2.5 miles!!! What a rip off! Next time, we're taking a cab.

We're spending a few days at Las Vegas RV Resort. We always stay here. Not the best part of town, off  Boulder on Nellis Boulevard but its adults only, with security and a nice pool. The price here is about $35 a night with a Good Sam discount. 

First things first, Joe is always making sure our rv looks nice and polished.

20 Sep          Las Vegas RV Resort - Pahrump, NV     74 miles     1 hour 45 mins

We're trying out a new RV park in Pahrump. Wine Ridge RV Park is really nice. For 4 nights we paid $180.50, that's including a Good Sam discount. There are 2 pools on property, 2 pickleball courts, a fitness room, and very nice bathrooms with showers. 

 

We played pickleball every morning. Only 2 courts, very nice pickleball crowd. We met a couple, Danni and Robert who lives in Casa Grande, Arizona. That's where we're headed in a few weeks. 

There's a winery right next door with a nice restaurant. We didn't have a chance to try it but it has pretty good reviews. We enjoyed our stay here. We will definitely be back. 

24 Sep      Pahrump - Las Vegas RV Resort     69 miles     1 hour 45 mins

       

We're back in Las Vegas for a week. Sister Dana and Michael comes in and will spend some time getting their RV ready for their first road trip.