Woke up this morning to freezing temperatures. Thank God for our Diesel heater. We ran it for like 2 hours.
While we sat in the van all morning, we checked our email and saw another bunch of Blue Chip offers from Celebrity Cruises. They added some really amazing cruises leaving from San Juan Puerto Rico and going to 10 different Ports in the Caribbean and offering them to us for free. We immediately called because these ports will sell out super fast. Greg and I both had the same offers so we were able to book back to back cruises for December when we hit the road again. This was exactly what he have been waiting for and couldn’t believe they even offered it to us.
Spent the day in Moab, did our laundry and had some lunch at the Food Truck Square. So many choices. I feel like every touristy town should have one of these Food Truck Areas.
We walked around town a little bit and then headed to our free BLM land. The road going in was Horrendous. But we kept going and found a great spot with spectacular views. To the South was a view of the snowcapped LaSal Mountain and to the east were the red rock cliffs of Arches National Park. If you zoom in to the two pictures below, you will see both of those features.
Next day, after checking the weather we decided to head to higher elevations. A heat spell is coming and it’s a perfect time to head to the mountains of Utah. We decided not to go to Bryce a few weeks back because it was super cold there but this week it will be in the 70’s. So we headed north towards 70 and then west kind of backtracking. We decided to stay overnight at Green River Statepark. It was $45 a night which is kind of steep for this area but it was worth it as the showers were amazing and the camp spot was very nice. I was able to wash the van. It really needed it after all the red dust and dirt.
Next day we headed down a beautiful scenic road to Capital Reef National Park. We made it in time before they sold out of pies at the historic house.
From there about a half an hour later to Scenic Route 12 which is an All American Road. We decided to spend the night at the Fishlake National Forest. Got a nice spot among the pine trees. We found a skinned deer by our spot. Weird
We are at 8000 feet and in the 70’s. Perfect weather. A little chilly in the morning but not too overwhelming. Once that sun comes out, all is well.
In the morning we headed back on Route 12,the all American Highway and not for the faint of heart. Lots of hairpin turns with no guardrails. A lot of elevation going over mountain passes. The white knuckle driving is definitely worth it because the views were spectacular. We arrived at Bryce and decided to go in to explore the Rim Trail and Lodge. We stopped at the visitor center and it was a mob scene.
Bryce really is so spectacular. We stayed on BLM land that night about 10 minutes away.
The next day we were planning on doing the hike into the Bryce Canyon but then found this other hike that was further down the road where you can camp right by the trailhead. We found a nice spot.
We headed to the trailhead and did the Arches Hike where we hiked past about a dozen natural arches. It was amazing.
In the morning while Greg was sleeping, I did the Losee Canyon Trail which was nice and flat with great views. I often hike or walk alone while Greg is still sleeping. Usually I have the trails all to myself. On the way back, this couple with an unleashed dog was heading toward me on the trail. When they saw me, they “tried” calling their dog back to them but the dog had already spotted me and came at me like a lunatic. Growling and blocking my path and fake charging me over and over. The couple was screaming his name and whistling and the dog couldn’t care less. It was TERRIFYING!! The dog did finally go back to them. It seemed like an eternity but it was probably like 15 or 20 seconds of frozen fear! Once the dog was on leash, I walked up off the trail away from them. They apologized twice but really that didn’t make the situation OK. I understand how nice it must be to have your dog off leash but it’s also very selfish of them and very dangerous for people like me who are just trying to enjoy a hike. I’m still shaken by the entire ordeal.
Later that day we headed back towards Lake Powell area and decided to stay at a paid RV Resort. We stayed at the Wahweap RV Resort and Lodge. it was $30 for a dry camping spot with Picnic table. A little pricey for us but they had some beautiful bike trails and the views were outstanding. Plus we took the bikes to the Lodge which was a really nice place to relax.
Next day I went to Mass in Page, Arizona. First time I’ve ever seen dogs up by the altar during a Mass. The priest was like a hundred years old and I guess he really loved his two dogs. It was pretty funny. So I guess that was Gods way of reminding me that not all dogs are lunatics.
From there we did a little shopping at Walmart and then headed a couple of hours to an American Indian Navajo Casino for the night called Twin Arrows. We got our players card, had a great buffet dinner and did a little gambling. They gave us a spin on the wheel for new members. I won 40 bucks to play with and Greg won 20. I wound up gambling all night with my free money. Never took a penny out of my wallet. That’s a good night. Greg didn’t do as well as I did but he still had fun.
Next day, I went in to use the bathroom and on the way out I saw this cute bumble bee slot machine so I threw 20 bucks in and the second spin got me the bonus in which I won over 50 bucks. I cashed out and went back to the van smiling. After that we headed another two hours down the road to their sister casino called Fire Rock. We went in and had some dinner in their cafeteria style restaurant. I had the lamb stew with Fry bread and Greg had the double burger ON fry bread. Both our meals were great. We did some slot playing. And again I broke even or maybe won a few bucks. This casino wasn’t as nice, but it was still a lot of fun. We slept next to the railroad tracks in the casino parking lot and those trains went by all night long. I’ve never seen so many freight trains in my life. Lots and lots of Amazon storage containers being brought to the east by way of railroad all night long. Good thing we sleep well with noise like that. Most people would never be able to sleep through that. Thank you Sunrise Highway and all those years of traffic.
Next Stop, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Along the way, we stopped for lunch at a National Monument. Some kind of lava flow monument. We watched the movie in the visitor center and then walked around a bit before heading back on the road. We spent the night at the Cracker Barrel in Albuquerque. We had a nice dinner there first.
We headed further east to a beautiful state park overlooking a lake. The San Jose State Park. We got site number 26 in honor of my son’s birthday tomorrow, March 26. Happy Birthday Kenny.
The temperature was above 90° here. Super hot. We went on a bike ride to cool off a little. Once the sun went down it wasn’t too bad but will definitely be a night with the 12 volt fans going. It’s a scorcher!
Next day we drove another two hours or so to Fritch Texas. The car thermometer read 102° which is really unheard of this time of year for northern Texas. We were happy that there was a breeze and places nearby that had air conditioning. We had pizza for dinner and really ate slow to enjoy the air conditioning in the place. Our spot overlooking Lake Meredith was awesome and we decided to stay for three nights as the temps went from 100° to 40° the next two days with winds that forced us to stay indoors for the most part.
The sites around Lake Meredith are all free except for if you want electricity. I have no idea how much those sites are as we haven’t really needed electric because our solar system has been fully charged. They even have showers here for free. I’m surprised this place isn’t packed out. It could be the 50 mph winds are keeping everyone home.
Next day we headed to Oklahoma to the Lucky Star Casino in Clinton. We heard this place had a separate lot for RV,s and that they offered free electric which is unheard of so we stopped and signed in with security and hooked up to their electric so that Greg could charge the bike batteries and any and all other batteries that needed charging. We had the place to ourselves for a few hours until two other RV,s showed up and crowded us in.
We did a little gambling. I lost like 20 bucks and Greg finally won some money. He had had sad casino face the last couple of casinos we have been to so it was awesome when he finally won!!!
We made an appointment for the next day to have the oil changed at the Mercedes Benz dealer in Pklahoma City. Our service person tried their best to pill the wool over our eyes by telling us they have a special oil change deal going on for Eleven hundred dollars which includes new windshield blades. I had to do everything in my power not to laugh in her face. She must have thought this was my first rodeo. Anyway, we decided on the oil change which was expensive enough in itself and then we also decided to get the fuel filter changed as well as the whole check eveything service. All in all, it came to $835. Its CRAZY how expensive it is to service the van. We tried to make up for the cost by eating and pocketing as many snacks as we could from their free snack bar.
After that we kind of stayed in the area. Did some shopping but mostlt just walked around lots of different stores. we decided to stay in the Cabelas parking lot that night which was a nice spot to stay.
So thats it for this month, even though we still have today. We have no idea where we are staying tonite. I can tell you that the Fuel prices have been kicking our butt. Almost 600 dollars in Diesel this month. Thats nuts. Our lodging has only been $207 for the month so thats nothing compared to what any of my friends or family pays on Long Island.
March is a good month regardless of the wind, the heat or the fuel prices. See you in April.
The Van Stops Here 