Our 2021 Summer Trip is Underway

Greetings to all of our friends and family, or at least those of you who still remember us. We not only remember you, but care about and miss you, and that is why I am sitting here slaving over my computer instead of out exploring.

We are three weeks into our 2021 journey and have already discovered many changes to the pre-covid camping and RVing lifestyle that we once knew. Campgrounds are packed with people tired of being shut-in, and travel restrictions to many overseas locations have been the impetus for exploring the United States and the National Park System. Needless to say, the demand for campgrounds and RV Resorts that can accommodate larger sized motorhomes has gone through the roof, and so have the prices. Fortunately for us, many of our locations were secured some time back. We have also been fortunate enough to locate fuel and food at most of our stops, though paying for everything might result in most of you seeing our smiling faces at your dinner table and church dinners after we return.

This year we are modifying a western trip similar to one that we took many years ago with our good friends Curt and Cathy. How we miss them. This year we are traveling with Hazel and Wes Teal, Anna’s sister and brother-in-law. Now don’t misunderstand the term “traveling with.” In the motorhome community, everyone understands that a motorhome is meant for a party of eight, dinner for four, and sleeping for two. Wes and Hazel are quick learners, so they bought their own motorhome and tow vehicle. Funny thing is, everything is just like ours. Our vehicle caravan is like a couple of “Twinkies” traveling down the highways. Hazel took this photo of our motor coach and tow vehicle (CRV) westbound in Colorado.

 

 

We had a great sendoff from Clemson with several of our friends coming to see our home away from home as we prepared for our trip. I think a few of them just wanted to bear witness to the fact that we were really leaving for a while :).  Our first stops were in Sevierville and Nashville, Tennessee. We were able to visit our Daughter Sarah and her family for a couple days in Nashville. They treated us to an intimate country music concert in the backyard of their neighbor (a country music promoter) who invited talent from the industry to perform. One of the performers was 2016 American Idol winner Trent Harmon. In addition to visiting our family, we took Hazel and Wes on a backstage tour of the Grand Ole Opry, and toured Ryman Auditorium, the “Mother Church of Country Music.”

We had a one-night stop in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and then headed west to Oklahoma City. There were a few bad sections of road on this leg of our trip. Our windshield shattered due to vibration, and then a mowing crew pelted the side of our motor home with gravel as we passed them on the Interstate. The crack in the windshield is not affecting our travels, so we will take care of it when necessary or convenient. While in Oklahoma City, we visited the Oklahoma City bombing memorial, Toby Keith’s “I Love this Bar and Grill,” and then rested while the Teals visited the Cowboy Museum. We experienced  some tremendous thunderstorms in Oklahoma City, but were spared damage as several tornados struck the area our last night there.

 

Our next stop was in Durango, Colorado. We had great memories of this stop from our previous trip to the area. There are many things to see and do in this area of Colorado. One of the first attractions was the Bar-D Dinner Show just north of Durango. We drove the Red Mountain Pass to Silverton, and Ouray, Colorado and returned along the Million Dollar Highway, part of the San Juan Skyway. This area is dedicated as a scenic highway, and it doesn’t disappoint. In Ouray, we toured Box Canyon and lower Cascade Falls. The food and service at the Gold Belt restaurant in Ouray was outstanding. We visited Mesa Verde National Park near Cortez, Colorado, but were not able to experience the ruins due to National Park Service and tribal Covid restrictions.

 

We had two more destinations ahead before we turned northwest, and the first was Zion National Park. This is a National Park neither Anna or I have ever visited. Zion is beautiful, but also continues to have Covid restrictions in place. We parked the motorhome at the Zion River Resort in Virgin, Utah. Driving to the park each day was a pleasant drive. Directly outside the park is the town of Springdale. Springdale and Zion are packed with humans and we referred to it as the Disney World of the southwest. We met two couples at this stop with Clemson connections. The first couple was Molly and Tommy Cousins. Although we had not previously met them, they attend our church in Clemson and were working the summer in the National Park as campground hosts. We enjoyed visiting with them and appreciate the help they gave us with parking inside the NP. The next couple was Stephen and Millie West. They were also staying at Zion River Resort. What a great couple. Millie was a Greenville and Berea, SC girl who eventually ended up in Utah where she met and married Stephen who shares a similar background with me. The Teals, Anna and I, managed a couple of the easier hikes in Zion, but my legs still gave out with fatigue from carrying my camera gear.

 

 

Our last stop to cover on this blog is Page, Arizona. Page is a major boating mecca for this region of the country due to the size and location of Lake Powell. The marinas on Lake Powell are akin to airport terminals, with people lined up carrying numerous bags of luggage ready to spend weeks out on the lake. While at the marina we ate lunch at the Antelope Point marina restaurant, the world’s largest floating restaurant. As a photographer, I have wanted to come to Page for some time – not to see Lake Powell, but to photograph the Antelope Canyons and Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River. I did manage to photograph Horseshoe Bend, but the Antelope Canyons are closed due to Covid restrictions in place on the Navajo Indian reservation. We never knew what time it was in Page because Page, and our campground were right on the border with Utah, the Navajo reservation and Arizona. They each had their own time zones. Crazy!

As I sit to write this blog and send some photos, we are at Bryce Canyon City, Utah. We have already witnessed some beautiful scenery here. I will send additional info and photos of our stay here in our next blog.

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As you travel down the road of life, keep it between the mustard and the mayonnaise. Our prayer is that the Lord watches over you and your loved ones and keeps you safe.

As always, we hope to see you down the road!