“For every traveler who has any taste of his own, the only useful guidebook will be the one which he himself has written” – Aldous Huxley
Our summer 2017 road trip traveling for 98 days from Portland, OR to Portland, ME and back in our 25″ trailer. We crossed 32 states, visited 18 National Parks & Monuments & 2 Hall’s of Fame, at least a dozen state parks, drove over 11000 miles, and used 900 over gallons of gas. Most of the photos and videos were taken with my iPhone and posted on FaceBook as the trip unfolded.
Riverside County Park and Open Space District.
July 8 · Riverside ·
3rd day of our 100+ day road trip. Now at Rancho Jurupa Park, CA. 106 degrees…not used to this heat. Now I remember why we moved to OR/WA. Thank goodness the air conditioner is working. We’re heading for Cedar City, UT tomorrow.
Cedar Breaks National Monument.
July 11 · Brian Head, UT ·
Six states in four days. Now relaxing with family, hiking, and fun for a couple of weeks in Utah.
Spent a week at the Cedar Breaks RV Park, Cedar City with Debbie & Kenny, son Shane & Jennifer, grandson Ben and his friend. Really nice park being remodeled. Within driving distance to Cedar Breaks, Zion, and Bryce Canyon National Parks, and Parowan Gap Petroglyphs. Would use that RV park again.
July 12 ·
Kanarraville, Utah slot canyon hike with son Shane, grandson Ben and his friend Andrew.
July 13 · Summit, UT ·
Petroglyphs and dinosaur footprints at Parowan Gap, UT
July 14 · Bryce Canyon City, UT ·
Day 9 – Perfect day in Bryce Canyon
Arches Nation Park Moab UT.
July 16 ·
Stayed 2 nights at AOK RV Park, Green River, Utah. Not much of an RV park really, but it was very hot outside and we had electricity for AC. It looked like it was a work in progress. The KOA across the street with gold course seemed much nicer and was pretty full. Reasonably close to Arches NP, and Canyonlands NP, and Moab.
Canyonlands National Park.
July 16 · Moab, UT ·
July 17
Stopped overnight an Salt Lake City, UT KOA. Right in the middle of town and noisy. We ate dinner a a local taco house, where a terrific windstorm appeared out of nowhere, then disappeared as quickly.
Flaming Gorge Nat’l Recreation Area.
July 18 ·
Day 12 of our 100+ day road trip. A few lazy days to look forward to, then we leave Utah for Colorado.
Stayed 4 nights at Flaming Gorge/Manila KOA. Not much around except a couple of small restaurant/cafes on the highway. Walked into town a couple of miles and backtracked through residential area. Close to Flaming Gorge, Dinosaur NM and petroglyphs.
Dinosaur National Monument/Green River Campground.
July 19 · Jensen, UT ·
July 19 ·
More Flaming Gorge pictures
July 20 · Manila, UT ·
Big Horn Owl we saw at Parowan, Utah. Credit to Jennifer Francis for photo and Shane Francis for spotting it.
Riverview RV Park.
July 22 · Loveland, CO ·
Listening to some Blues at our riverside campground near Estes Park, CO.
One of the nicest private parks we stayed at. Right on the river with entertainment and close to Estes Park, Loveland, and Rocky Mountain NP. Spent a whole day walking around Estes Park with Kia. Lots of Elk and Big Horn sheep.
United States Air Force Academy.
July 25 · Colorado Springs, CO ·
A short visit with Mayflower cousin Bill Colwell (also a descendant of George Soule) and a visit to the USAF Academy Cadet’s Cathedral in Colorado Springs. Bill gave me a lot of his research material on our family history and has since sent me a lot more.
Rocky Mountain National Park.
July 26 · Estes Park, CO ·
Day 20
July 26 · Longmont, CO ·
Lunch in Longmont, CO with a couple more genealogical cousins, Phil & Gary Christon. We have same 2G grandparents, Herman & Caddie Iburg (photo below).
Scotts Bluff National Monument.
July 28 · Gering, NE ·
On our way to Badlands and the Black Hills, SD. Nice free bus ride to the top. We were able to take Kia and it was a great view from up there. We followed Google maps but it took us on over 20 miles of washboard dirt roads. We didn’t realize it until we got to the badlands that I had lost my truck’s rear license plate… the one with the stickers. I had to order new plates and had them delivered to RV Park in Maine. I was planning on ordering ham radio license plates when I got back anyway. In the meantime I switched my front plate (without the stickers) to the rear and hoped we wouldn’t get stopped. We never did.
Badlands National Park.
July 28 · Interior, SD ·
Badlands NP with a quick stop at Wall Drug.
We stayed 12 days at the KOA Badlands, Interior, SD. Nice campground right next to the muddy White River and close to Badlands NP. Weather was still pretty hot. We were lucky to get it as everything closer was full due to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally the second week. Cicada’s and Harley motorcycles were noisy. Took day trips to Wall Drug, Mt. Rushmore, Wind Caves NP, Crazy Horse monument, a missile silo, and a nice hike in the Badlands.
July 28 ·
White River, SD
July 28 · Interior, SD ·
Haven’t seen one of these in a while. Never did make them tall enough.
Badlands National Park.
July 29 · Interior, SD ·
Day 23
Wind Cave National Park.
July 31 · Hot Springs, SD ·
Wind Cave NP tour, Crazy Horse, and Mt. Rushmore – a full day 25
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.
August 2 ·
Missile silos and Mountain Goats this morning
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
August 7 · Sturgis, SD ·
Day 31 – Sturgis 2017
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
August 7 · Sturgis, SD ·
Our next car
Prairie Dog State Park.
August 13 · Norton, KS ·
Isolated and relaxing in the vast grasslands of Kansas doing family research. Lake Sebelius in the background. Found the Homestead Patent for my 4th GGM, Sarah Jane (Anthony) Aplington. Below is picture of the original home in Almena, KS, circa 1890.
Spent 8 days at Prairie Dog State Park, pretty much isolated from the other RVs. They have several RV parks and having not seen them, we reserved the least used of them all. Clean and quiet near the lake. Nice bathrooms and showers provided you could put up with the spiders. Lot’s of rabbits Kia wanted to chase. They also had a Prairie Dog Town. Huge park with lots of walking roads. Adobe home built in 1800s was still standing in the park. Some restoration on exterior, but interior almost untouched. One of the last nights we have a really windy storm with hail that we though would blow the trailer over, but we survived. Did a lot of genealogy work where found lots of land records and gravesites. I visited Norton County Genealogical Society at the Norton Library, Norton Museum, Norton Courthouse, Almena, Philipsburg Courthouse, Long Island Cemetery, and Fairview Cemetery near Almena where I spent an hour spinning the wheels of the truck to get off of a muddy road just a few yards from the cemetery. It was very remote and I didn’t think I’d find a road dry and clear enough to get back to the main road.
August 14 · Norton, KS
August 14 ·
Not sure what kind of virus they’re talking about (but there is a computer store around the corner).
August 16 · Norton, KS ·
I saw this at the Norton County museum. Does anyone know what it is used for? ???
Vintage Roadside
August 14 · Norton, KS ·
Restored station – Norton, KS
Fort Kearney State Recreation Area.
August 18-20 · Kearney, NE ·
Day 45 (day before the eclipse) – 3 days at Fort Kearney State Park, NE. This wonderful camp host has hundreds of bicycles they fix up for campers to use. Also, check out the cool tent. Don’t have to worry about it blowing away in a windstorm.
We also stayed a couple of days at the Arnold State Recreation Area in Arnold, NE where we visited my Aunt & Uncle Gail and Gary Zoerb.
Buffalo, Nebraska.
August 21 ·
Total eclipse traffic jam in central Nebraska
August 21 · Litchfield, NE
Eclipse party with family and friends at Cousin Dale’s farm. Later stopped by Broken Bow, NE where I was born to get photos of my dad’s High School athletic Hall of Fane plaques and had dinner and a beer at the new Kinkaider microbrewery in Broken Bow.
Town of Shipshewana.
August 24 · Shipshewana, IN ·
Camping near little Amish town in Indiana. Lots of little white farm houses. Bicycles and wagons, but few cars.
Stayed 1 night at Shipshewana North Park Campground, IN. Spent next day at touristy Shipshewana, IN, an Amish town. Had a great conversation with an old proprietor who still made leather shoes by hand.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland.
August 26 · Akron, OH ·
Day 52 – checked one off our bucket list today… an amazing experience.
Stayed 3 nights at Pier-Lon RV Park, Medina, OH which ended up being a Christian, family oriented RV park. It was ok but they didn’t tolerate alcohol even in our trailer. We felt we were being watched the whole time. Glad to get out of there and have a beer. Day trip to R&R Hall of Fame.
Aug 28-31 Stayed 3 nights at Watkins Glen State Park, NY. No water or sewer hookups, but had electric. I didn’t realize they didn’t have water on-site until we were setup. Rather than hook back up to go get water, a fellow RVer loaned me a couple of long hoses and along with our hoses, we were able to get to a water spigot 200 feet away. Beautiful campground. Required to show rabies shot for Kia. Long day trip to Niagara Falls and fantastic day hike from campground on Watkins Glen Gorge trail. Everyone should see Watkins Glen Gorge, listed on some sites as one of top ten places to visit in US. Watkins Glen is a great little town with Awesome restaurants and microbreweries. Almost 100 microbreweries in Finger Lake area. Best Pizza I ever ate.
Niagara Falls State Park, USA.
August 30 · Niagara Falls, NY ·
Really out of the way, but worth the trip. I❤️NY.
Rooster Fish Brewing.
August 30 · Watkins Glen, NY ·
Finger Lakes, NY – 86 brew pubs, so little time. Worlds smallest diner was closed.
Watkins Glen State Park.
August 30 · Watkins Glen, NY ·
Day 56 – Watkins Glen Gorge Trail
Aug 31-Sept 7 Spent 7 days at Northern Catskills Country Roads Campground, Gilboa, NY. Launching point for NY genealogy, and Baseball Hall of Fame. Campground was very active with hayrides, bonfires, bingo, and concerts. The campground really cleared out after Labor Day and the office was pretty much closed except for the little used game room which had a log of talking video games and pinball machines. Kind of freaked Lynn out as you had to go by these machines to get to the showers.
For genealogy went to New York State Library, Albany, Doonan’s Corner Cemetery, Deposit Museum, Deposit Historical Society and Museum, Delaware County Historical Society and Court house. Found this covered bridge in Hamden, NY.
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
September 4 · Cooperstown, NY ·
Day 61 – Cooperstown, NY
Deposit NY Historical Society.
September 5 · Deposit, NY ·
We found 18th century portraits of my 6th Great Grandparents in the Deposit, NY Museum. Nathan Dean was a Captain in the Revolutionary War. Lois (Snow) Dean is a descendant of Mayflower passengers Stephen Hopkins and William Brewster.
Sep 7-13 Spent 6 days at Ellis Haven Campground right outside of Plymouth, MA. Attended Soule Kindred Reunion and Mayflower Congress events. Side tours to Plymouth Cemetery, evening ghost tour, and some research at the Mayflower Society headquarters. Lynn purchased an acoustical Guitar from Plymouth antique dealer. Private campground was nice with breakfast cafe, arts & craft building, petting zoo, lakes with beaches. A lot of year-round residents. Only 4 miles from Plymouth. Took day bus trip to New England Historical and Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in Boston, but I didn’t find anything new. It was a little discouraging as they were of little help without making an appointment and paying for research.
Plymouth, Massachusetts.
September 8 ·
Beautiful day in Plymouth attending 50th anniversary reunion for descendants of George Soule, Mayflower passenger and my 10th great grandfather.
Plymouth, Massachusetts.
September 11 ·
GSMD Pilgrim procession
Sept 13-17 Stayed at Wild Duck Campground & RV Park, Scarborough, ME. New license plates for truck were delivered here. Very well run park with lots of wildlife among the lakes and salt marshes. Would definitely stay here again. Day trips to Portland, a couple of lighthouses, Old Orchard beach, and Saco.
Scarborough, Maine.
September 14 ·
Made it all the way to Maine without any problems until this. Looks like we lost a cap and wheel bearing dust cover is loose. Oh well, I can’t think of a better place to spend an extra day or two. Had mobile RV service come out and tighten up bearing and reinstall the dust cover.
Barreled Souls Brewing Company with Lynn Francis.
September 14 · Saco, ME ·
Great little microbrewery in the basement of a law office, Saco, Maine.
Old Orchard.
September 14 · Merrimac, MA ·
Salt marshes and Old Orchard Beach Pier, Maine.
Wild Duck Adult Campground & RV Park.
September 14 · Scarborough, ME ·
I don’t think our 25′ trailer will fit there ?
The Old Port.
September 15 · Portland, ME ·
Spent the morning in Portland, Maine, visiting lighthouses, beautiful homes and Gritty McDuffs brewpub.
September 15 · Saco, ME
Went to an old style Drive-in to see Steven King’s “IT”. Would have been great except for the mosquitos and fog that showed up about 1/2 way through the movie.
Wild Duck Adult Campground & RV Park.
September 16 · Scarborough, ME ·
Ducks and Cranes
Len Libby Candies.
September 18 · Scarborough, ME ·
Real chocolate moose
The Run of The Mill Public House and Brewery with Lynn Francis.
September 18 · Saco, ME ·
Tour and beer – great Hopicana Double IPA and Bug Lager
Sept 19-22 Stayed at the KOA Holiday/Newburgh, NY. They even had a wine store (just a dig at Pier-lon). By timing it just right got one night at 1/2 price and a free night! A really nice RV park about 45 mins from downtown NYC. They offer a great daylong bus trip package to downtown New York City which includes Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Top of Empire State building, and new World Trade Center memorial and buildings. Highly recommended.
Sept 20 – Orange County Cycles and walk along the Hudson river.
Sept 23 – last Friday (day 79) in New York City
New York City North / Newburgh KOA Holiday, Wallkill, NY ·
After 76 days and 20 states, we’re finally turning around. We’ll spend a few more days in NY, then work our way home via the southern route. Don’t have any special pictures so I thought I’d post a couple of more duck pictures from our stay at the Wild Duck Campground.
Sept 23-25 Caledonia State Campground, Fayetteville, PA. Right along the Appalachian Trail. A really great campground with lots of trails and attractions. Definitely would like to come back. Close to Gettysburg.
Gettysburg National Military Park.
September 25 · Gettysburg, PA ·
Sept 25-26 KOA Harrisburg/Shenandoah Valley. Typical of what you would expect from a KOA. Close to Luray Caverns which were awesome, the Luray Car and Carriage Museum, and Shenandoah NP.
Luray Caverns.
September 26 at 11:39am · Luray, VA ·
Virginia – Best caverns yet, but still heading to see Carlsbad Caverns, NM
Shenandoah National Park.
September 26 at 3:25pm · Luray, VA ·
Skyline Drive – many miles of these beautiful Virginia hills, and trees are starting to change.
September 26 at 3:39pm · Luray, VA ·
Car and Carriage Museum – Luray, VA. Manufactured from 1727-1927. The car in the last photo of the 1925 Rolls Royce belonged to Rudolph Valentino.
Sept 27-28 Stayed at Smokey Mountains KOA, Newport, TN. Close to Smokey Mountains, Bush’s Baked Bean Factory, and Dollywood. We didn’t actually stop at Dollywood as it’s not my thing, but I had to take a photograph.
Great Smoky Mountains North Carolina\Tennessee Border.
September 28 at 2:46pm · Newport, TN ·
Day 85, 26 States – Attractions are a little different in Tennessee. Started off the morning visiting the Bush’s Baked Bean plant & visitor center, then the beautiful Great Smokey Mountains National Park. The last photo is for my redneck friends (you know who you are).
Sep 29 Stopped for the night at KOA Little Rock, AR. This certainly didn’t stand out as I don’t even remember it. Typical KOA amenities.
September 30 at 2:18pm · Sallisaw, OK ·
Why do I have this inferiority complex when I pull into a truck stop?
Sept 30 Stopped for the night at El Reno Lake RV Park. A nice park just east of Oklahoma City. Near the Federal Prison Camp and Walmart.
Oasis State Park.
October 1 at 6:18pm · Portales, NM ·
Nice little state park near Clovis, NM. But the wasps were very aggressive.
Oct 2-3 Passed through Roswell, NM then Stayed at Carlsbad KOA. Nicer than some KOAs and fairly close to Carlsbad Caverns. We also took Kia with us to Sitting Bull Falls which was quite a drive, but worth it.
October 3 at 4:44pm · Carlsbad, NM ·
Strange creatures seen near Roswell, NM
October 3 at 4:49pm · Carlsbad, NM ·
We’ve seen several of these Walking Stick insects in NM. They’re about 6” long and eat rabbits and chickens. How’s that for fake news?
Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
October 3 at 5:04pm · Carlsbad, NM ·
Photos can’t do justice to these amazing Caverns, but I’ll post a few anyway.
October 3 at 5:12pm · Carlsbad, NM ·
Sitting Bull Falls near nowhere, New Mexico
Oct 4-5 Stayed at KOA Albuquerque, NM. Not in a good area of Albuquerque. They lock the gates at night and had full-time security. I had dinner with an old friend from San Dimas, Joel. The next day, Joel took us to the Acoma Pueblo and bought us a pair of tribal pottery coffee cups. Then we had dinner with Joel and his wife, Nancy.
October 5 at 1:15pm ·
Acoma Pueblo (Sky City), NM – one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States.
October 5 at 7:38pm · Albuquerque, NM ·
Fun dinner with friends Joel & Nancy in Albuquerque, NM. Moving on to Flagstaff, AZ tomorrow.
Oct 6 Stayed overnight at the Woody Mountain RV Park, Flagstaff, AZ. A nice wooded RV park off the main drag. I would stay there again. Had a nice store that had everything we needed.
Oct 7 Stayed overnight at the Barstow/Calico KOA, Barstow, CA. Nice enough KOA with a caboose at the entrance and Peggy Sue’s Diner and Calico Ghost Town nearby.
Oct 8-9 Stayed at the Tapo Canyon RV Park. Nice RV park with very friendly host. Full hookups and level concrete pads. A little expensive at $41/night, but only 4 miles from my mother’s apartment. Visited my mom, then had dinner with my niece, Amanda, and her husband Peter. Lynn started feeling really bad, so she didn’t go to dinner with us. Appeared to be some sort of food poisoning as she was sick for several days. We were going to stay a 3rd day, but we had a wind storm in the morning that would have made it impossible to pull the trailer. It died out in the afternoon, but was supposed to come back in the morning. Lynn was still feeling bad so we hurriedly packed up and headed north over the Grapevine hoping to find a truck stop or something where we could park for the night. We gave up about midnight and stayed in a Jack In The Box parking lot to get a few hours sleep. Only unplanned, unconnected stop on our trip.
October 10 at 6:01pm · KOA Mount Shasta, CA ·
Day 97 – fall colors at Mt. Shasta. We should be home in a couple of days.
October 12 at 5:48pm ·
Back home to a rainbow after 98 days travel, 32 states, 18 National Parks & Monuments, 2 Hall’s of Fame, a dozen state parks, 11000 miles, 900 gallons of gas, 4 new trailer tires = the domestic trip of a lifetime!