These are a few photos that did not make the main post for this trip, but were too good not to share.
Your Random Rover, Gordon
2024 Photos On The Way North
2024 Northbound Trek
This year we took a different route. Only 90 miles of freeway on the entire trip! There were maybe a few other freeway miles in a couple of cities, but they really shouldn’t count, as they were accidental.
Show Low, Arizona
It was May 11th, and we were finally off on our summer adventure. We drove 198 scenic miles from our home up AZ60 and US77 to the Show Low Elks RV Park. Steep grades and “twisty” mountain roads with stunning views. I will have to back out of my pull-thru RV-site, as there was no way that I could wiggle our rig through the trees going forward. This is a nice location with blue sky and moderate temperature. We will spend 2 nights before moving on.
Church Rock, New Mexico
After a couple of days of relaxing and getting used to being on the road again, we took an easy 153-mile drive to Red Rock Park near Church Rock, NM via US60, AZ61, I40, US66, and NM566. When we arrived, we found that our site was a mix of soft and hard packed dirt, which was not level in any direction and therefore difficult to utilize. We also had to dodge horse pollution in our site. In other respects, the park was pleasant enough. I don’t believe I would want to be here if it was rainy, as I’m sure that the whole park would become a gigantic mudhole.
Cortez, Colorado
After a single night at Red Rock, we drove 144 miles to Cortez, Colorado via US491, where we stayed at La Mesa RV Park in site 33 for 1 night. The sites were nice, and the park was clean. This stop was a real milestone for us, as even though we have visited Colorado before, we had never actually camped there. Though we enjoyed a number of shops as we sauntered up and down the main streets, the only real high-light was the Notah Dineh Trading Company & Museum, which we both enjoyed. With both an awesome free museum and quality merchandise, it is a “must-see”.
Moab, Utah
May 15th and on the road again. We traveled 110 miles through open desert and many beautiful rock formations on US491 and US191. It has been a long time since our first visit to Spanish Trail RV in Moab, UT, but now we are back. This time in site 312. Yes, this is a large well maintained park with many amenities including Wi-Fi, cable, laundry, and a pool. The only downsides are that the sites are crowded together and far from level. Moab, which is actually about 4 miles north of the park, is a very tourist oriented town where we spent a few hours sightseeing. The park is very well located within a few miles of 2 national parks and numerous other worthy sites. This trip, we elected to take Utah Hwy 128 14 miles up the Colorado River to a film heritage museum located in the Red Cliffs Lodge, which was well worth our time. Though we only traveled a small portion of it, by all reports, the entire highway is definitely worth your time with jaw dropping scenery and parks, pull-outs and other places to enjoy the river.
Duchesne, Utah
After a couple of days in Moab, UT, we were ready to move on. Another mostly back-roads day of 179 miles on US191 with a 23-mile stretch of I70 took us to Starvation Lake SP, which is near Duchesne, UT. We spent 2 days at this very nice campground with great views of the lake and snow covered mountains. The sites have water and electric. The dump station was spacious and convenient. The park was clean with lake swimming areas, picnic areas, and a boat launch with ample parking. Unfortunately, it was very windy while we were here, but we wouldn’t hesitate to return if fortune allows. Duchesne, though small, seems to have everything that you might need, including a medium-sized grocery store with some general merchandise.
Rock Springs, Wyoming
It was May 19th, and we were off to Rock Springs, WY, 187 miles up US191. The drive provided many scenic views and was not tiring, in spite of being anything but straight. Why Rock Springs? Well, it was convenient. We have stayed here before and the sites are all pretty level and easy to use. Rock Springs has lots of shopping and everything one might need. We thought we would do some exploring, but it was cold and wet all the time we were here, so we shopped a little and stayed snug, dry, and warm.
Riverton, Wyoming
Riverton, Wyoming, 139 more miles on US191, WY28, US287, US789. We stopped here not for the casino, but because we were unwilling to make the 280-mile run to Cody, WY from Rock Springs. We arrived here with plenty of time to spare, so we were able to check out a few shops in town, fuel up unencumbered by Bertha, our 5th wheel, and dine out at the casino.
Cody, Wyoming
Wednesday, May 22nd and we traveled 142 miles on US26, US20, and WY120 to Parkway RV Campground in Cody, WY. Parkway, though not auspicious, was a great place to call home while visiting the bustling tourist town founded by Buffalo Bill Cody of wild west show fame. As it was cold, windy, and even snowy while we were there, we did not have the normal crowded experience that most visitors have. The chamber of commerce visitors center was very nice, with its own museum of local art. That along with some “tourist” shopping were all we needed to entertain us as we had visited Cody in the past. Well, that and a “dairy” good lunch at the Bigg Chill Ice Cream emporium.
Lewistown, Montana
May 24th was the second-longest travel leg of our northbound odyssey. 237 miles to the Fergus County Event Center, just outside Lewistown, MT. The scenery driving up along WY120, MT72, US310, US212 and US87 was awesome. The 18 miles on I90 through Billings, MT was just driving through a city on the Interstate. We unhitched and went back into town for a few necessities, a little fun shopping, and fuel before returning to Bertha for dinner and a night’s sleep. Lewistown is an old-fashioned main-street town with a few quaint shops, that we enjoyed, and all the amenities needed for a farming community. The RV park was a bit on the rustic side but quite nice for an overnight stay. Only one more day heading north, and then we will be westbound through northern Montana.
Havre, Montana
5/25/24: 208 miles from Lewistown, MT on US191, MT81, MT80, MT223, and US2 to Hansen Family Campground near Havre, MT. We spent 3 nights before moving on. While here, we visited the Blaine County Museum and learned much about the treatment of the native people by the invading white settlers. We also shopped at “North 40”, a local yarn and quilting store, and lunched at Gram’s Ice Cream in Havre.
Shelby, Montana
05/28/24: 114 miles US2 from Havre, MT to Trails West RV in Shelby, MT. We stopped along the way at the Rudyard Depot Museum. Sorry folks, I just wandered and looked and failed to take pictures, but it was well worth the stop. The museum had a very informative dinosaur fossil collection and many exhibits depicting artifacts from early settlers, including farm implements. All of which made for an enjoyable and rewarding pause from the highway. We found very little to cause us to recommend Shelby to other travelers, the very windy weather, road construction, and poor traffic signage enforced a rest-up day. The next day, we headed for our trip’s last intermediate stop.
Libby, Montana
May 30th: 244 miles westbound on US2 took us to Two Bit Outfit, a very nice, well-run, and friendly RV park. As soon as we got settled, we headed back to town to a farmers’ market, where we found fresh produce and bakery items to purchase and numerous craft items to look at. The next morning, we hiked to the Kootenai Suspension Bridge and viewpoints for the Kootenai Falls. The swinging foot-bridge is 210 feet across and sits 100 feet above the river. Yes, it does move around a lot, creating an eerie, unsettling feeling. Some people will just want to look at it, while others will have to cross. The main falls are 30 feet high and are part of a section of river called The China Rapids, which drops 90 feet in less than a mile. Beautiful and awe-inspiring scenery on a relatively short hike. After driving back to Libby, we did some necessary shopping. Lunch back in camp was next, followed by shopping of the frivolous sort, and finally a fine dinner and great beer at the Cabinet Mountain Brewery.
Spokane, Washington
June 1st, Our final 158 miles on US2 to The Bowl & Pitcher Campground on the Spokane river. We made one stop on the way at the farmers market in Newport, Washington, where we purchased some focaccia bread. We parked, set up and settled in for our 2-month tour of duty as park hosts. If you would like more photos and or comments regarding Riverside Bowl & Pitcher, please check my earlier posts from the park.
As always, travel safe, travel happy, and please keep the shiny side up. Your Random Rover, Gordon
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You are certainly a very diverse group of very talented and knowledgeable woodworkers. As a longtime woodworker myself I am looking forward to new posts.
Randomrover
2023 Traveling North
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Cities From My Bucket List
Panama City, Panama: And also cruise the canal.
Duluth, Minnesota: Where my father grew up.
Mykonos, Greece: I’m too old for the infamous nightlife, but I would enjoy its beauty and history.
Providence, Rhode Island: Just to say I’ve been there.
Havana, Cuba: Primarily to visit Finca la Viglía.
I haven’t posted in a while and this “Daily Question” caught my attention.
Your Random Rover, Gordon
Summer in Spokane
Summer hosting at Riverside, Spokane, Washington.
The featured image is our 5th wheel’s moment of fame, appearing on KXLY Channel 4 Morning News in a story about 4th of July camping, it was a delightful surprise during morning coffee when we saw our campsite on TV.
Flowers
The following is an incomplete gallery of the wildflowers we found during our stay in the Bowl & Pitcher Campground at Riverside State Park, Spokane, WA. The unusually wet spring and early summer created quite a show.
Critters
We saw chipmunks, squirrels, marmots, quail, geese, ducks, osprey, and deer. We were able to capture photos of a few of them. Flower photography is much easier, as the flowers placidly sit and wait for you while you get the camera out and compose the picture.
The Campground and River
The Bowl & Pitcher campground and day use areas are part of the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps, circa 1933 to 1942, which in turn was part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal Program. The CCC’s work included the park’s suspension bridge, kitchen shelter, restroom, park residence, office, and maintenance shop. All of which are still in use. CCC workers also constructed the rock walls and much of the roadway of Aubrey White Parkway which is the main road along the river that leads to the park. The gem of the park is the Spokane river and gorge.
Our Site
This was our campsite for the two months we hosted for the park.
As I finish writing this issue of “Random Rovers” we are nearing the end of our stay and will soon have to begin packing things up so we can head on to our August adventure. We have enjoyed being close to family and camping in this beautiful park and plan to come back next year.
Keeping the shiny side up as always, your random rovers, Elaine & Gordon.
2022 Heading North
It is May 22nd 2022 and we are finally headed north for our summer in the Pacific Northwest. We traveled 256 miles today, starting out westward across Tucson, AZ, and then north on I10 to the I202 bypass route around southwest Phoenix, rejoining I10 to head west a few miles to the I101 northwest bypass route, then heading out of the city on US60 to Wickenburg, AZ and from there North on US93 to the tiny town of Wikieup, AZ.
We decided to try a different park this time and were glad we did. It was a very pleasant place for a night.
On day 2 we rejoined US93 northbound to I40 where headed westbound to Kingman, Az. From there it was north on US93 and then a very short distance on I11 to Lakeshore Rd through the Lake Mead National Recreation Area continuing on Nevada 167 (Northshore Highway) and 169 (Moapa Valley Highway) to I15. Today’s total was 266 miles.
The drive up Lake Mead to I15 is a very beautiful and relaxing way to avoid driving through Las Vegas. On I15 we went through the Virgin River Gorge on the way the way to St George, Utah where we spent 2 nights.
Day 4 and we are headed due north up I15 to Willard Bay State Park. We had hoped to stay a night with the fine folks at the Provo Elks Lodge but we were a little to late. All the hookup sites were full so we opted for plan B which was to have a leisurely lunch and take a short walk before proceeding north through Salt Lake City to a nice rural camp site for night. 342 miles towing but tomorrow will be easy as we are now ahead of schedule.
It made the day a bit long with 60 or so miles of big city traffic but we arrived with plenty of time to get set up, fill up the truck, and come back for dinner.
It was day 5 and we were still headed north on I15 with a little more of Utah and then on to southern Idaho. We made our planned stop at North Bingham County Park after only 149 miles.
The park was nice and its location just a few miles south of Idaho Falls made it convenient for us to do some shopping and relaxing. It rained for both of our 2 nights there but we managed to stay dry in the daytime.
Hard to believe that we had been on the road for a week but here we were heading for the last layover, 236 miles to Deer Lodge, MT, on the way to Spokane, WA. After an hour or so on I15 we left Idaho behind and entered the big sky country of Montana. At Butte, MT we took the interchange onto I90 which will take us to our destination, Riverside State Park,
We stayed for 2 nights and visited historic Phillipsburg. It rained both nights, but the again the days were nice.
The last 273 miles took us through Montana, across the Idaho panhandle, and into eastern Washington. We stopped for lunch at Coeur d’ Alene before tackling the Spokane traffic.
Our vacation is over. We will be starting our host duties in a couple of days. I will post some photos and maybe some tales from Spokane and the park soon.
Your Random Rover, Gordon
A Trip To Southern New Mexico
We are nearly done with the house. We only want to move the TV and remodel the fireplace. Everything else inside is complete including, the master suite, living room, kitchen, utility, sewing room, guest bath, guest bedroom, and our office space. We even have docking for the RV now. We have built an extended patio and some raised bed gardens, plumbing included. Outdoors we still lack pavers for the added patio area as there is a cement shortage currently. We hope to be able to purchase them in February and possibly get that project done before we leave to go to Spokane for the summer.
We needed a break so we put some food, clothes, and a few personal items into Betha, our 5th wheel, and headed ESE to Columbus, NM, and specifically Pancho Villa State Park, for a short respite. We have spent numerous short vacations in this area and always enjoy the quiet desert beauty. So, on the 6th of January, we headed out.
We decided to stay at a campsite where we had camped before and found it to be quite comfortable. The 70-degree weather certainly didn’t bother us.
That evening we enjoyed this almost unbelievable, brilliant sunset. In itself, it was worth packing the essentials and taking the drive.
One simply must walk across the border and visit the Pink Store when one stays in Columbus, NM. The selection of Mexican arts and crafts is amazing and their restaurant is very good. Their margaritas? Well, I am writing home about them. We always go when we pass through the area. Google “The Pink Store” for more information or check out my earlier post “Poncho Villa”. On our last day here we drove up to Demming and did a little shopping.
We hitched up and went 86 miles north to Silver City for the last 2 nights of our little getaway. Just like the first stop, we have been here many times before. We had planned to spend our day here shopping in the old part of town where art, craft, and antique stores abound. Unfortunately, the covid outbreak has taken its toll. Only 3 or 4 stores were open.
However, one was a real gem. These segmented wood turnings were among many other very nicely crafted artwork to be found at the Grant County Art Guild in the Silver City Arts & Cultural District. Most of the stores are only open 4 days a week right now. So with cold and windy weather, we headed back to Bertha to relax and prepare for our drive back home tomorrow.
May you always have a clear conscience, and enough coin to buy a pint.
’til the next go-round, Your Random Rover, Gordon
Homeward Bound
It is September 1st and we are heading home for the winter. We drove about 230 miles to our first stop, Canyon Pines RV Resort on the Little Salmon river just south of Pollock, ID. We traveled 2 very steep and long downgrades, White Bird Pass and The Lewiston Grade. Engine braking made it much less harrowing than on trips past. Our site is very pretty and the sounds of the rapids are quite nice.
We spent 2 nights here which afforded us the chance to drive up Hells Canyon. We only went a few miles up the Salmon River from Riggins and the scenery was excellent.
Back to the task at hand, a few more miles south down the road took us to the Mountain Home Elks Lodge where we spent Labor Day Weekend.
Right out our front door, I found many Agaricus Campestris mushrooms. Unfortunately, most of them were past their prime. Sad, because this close relative of the common grocery store white button mushrooms, Agaricus Bisporus, is quite tasty.
Rolling on, we were off to Tremonton, Utah where we spent one night.
The next day we were headed to Deer Creek State Park near Heber, Utah where we stayed 3 nights. Because we eschewed the Interstate as much as possible, we were able to purchase ripe local peaches and delicious sweet corn which we found at roadside stands along Utah highway38. About halfway between Tremonton and Heber on Utah highway 6, we stopped at the Tie Fork rest area. It is certainly a unique and enjoyable place even if you don’t need a break.
A few more miles and we arrived at DeerCreek.
While here we explored the towns of Heber City and Midway. Bought cheese and ice cream at an artisan creamery and relaxed.
It is now September 10th and we are off to Hillview RV which is about 6 miles south of Price, Utah. We have time here to do some exploring.
With 2 full days here we did a little exploring The first day took us back up the road to Price where we viewed the Utah State University Prehistoric Museum and then on to Helper where we saw antiques, crafts and the Big John statue..
Our next stop was the Circleville RV Park in Circleville, UT. We wished we had planned more than one night. As it was a very pleasant park with many things to see and do nearby. And on the way we found a great spot for lunch.
Kanab was our last stop in Utah. We stayed at J&J RV which was on the edge of town giving us the opportunity to check out some of the area attractions.
Simply because we felt that Kanab to Prescott would be more of a drive than we cared to do and because it has been many years since we have been in Page we decided to spend a night. We checked out a couple of trading posts and went out for dinner.
Site 8 At The Elks Lodge in Page, AZ
Our very last stop on this adventure, Prescott Valley, AZ.
We enjoyed a day wandering around historic Jerome, AZ an old mining town and now a tourist attraction with many places to spend time and money.
On our last day we traipsed Whiskey Gulch which is the historic district of Prescott, AZ and ate ice cream for lunch. A fitting end to this years odyssey.
I will leave with a picture of the sunrise as we were hitching up to head to Tucson.
Until we hit the rode again, Your Random Rover, Gordon
Riverside August 2021
We returned to the Bowl and Pitcher Campground at Riverside State Park to be camp hosts in the lower section.
We had impressive views from our campsite.
And many more from park trails along the Spokane river.
There were many flowers and lots of critters to watch even in the heat of summer. We saw squirrels, marmots, ducks, geese, osprey, deer, and numerous wildflowers in the park.
We enjoyed a few evenings with family at their homes and here in the park and were able to do a few little things for them. We plan to head back here next summer so that we can spend more time enjoying the “inland empire.
Now that we have completed our hosting duties we will be spending about 3 weeks heading home via a route that we have not taken before and are looking forward to many new sights along the way.
All that glitters is not gold (Shakespeare) — Your Random Rovers
Random Rovers 