Sept. 17, 2010 - 320 miles to Livingston, TX.

We have come a long way from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington in a few weeks. We are nearing the end of this summer’s journey.

Larry had good test results from his kidney doctor in Antioch, CA, so we started the 2,000 mile journey back to Livingston, TX, Sept. 9th. We planned on a easy run by going north to I-40 rather than through all the heat in Arizona and New Mexico on I-10. We stopped at the Bakersfield, CA, Elks the first night ($10) and at a little RV park just east of Barstow, CA for the second night.

Newberry Mountain RV Park ($31) has two lakes and an inviting swimming pool to add some interest to the dry, dry desert surrounding it. I sat under the little tree on the left and read for an hour.

The next day we went back to the Zuni Valley RV Park (C2C $19) in Kingman, AZ, to use as a jumping off spot to visit Laughlin, NV. I paid for two nights so we could drive 28 miles west to Laughlin.

When we last drove the route, back in the horse and buggy days, it was a narrow two-lane road. Now it is four lanes over the big hill. The scenery was breathtaking.

And heart stopping! The signs counted down the miles. See the bottom line—at the end of a 12-mile, 6% downgrade and then……

Yes, after 12 miles of downhill, there is a stoplight at the bottom! It was an easy run in the car, but if we had been driving the truck and camper, we might have found the ride a bit more “thrilling!”

Laughlin had changed quite a bit since our last visit in about 1992. There are more casinos…more casinos offering to take your money.

However, the food is still delicious at the Laughlin Riverside Buffet. We met my sister Diane and her husband Roger for lunch at the Riverside. Larry said that was the best meal he had eaten in a long, long time. And I may add, it was the most food he has eaten in a long time; he did fill his plate—several times. We can recommend the Sunday Champagne Brunch.

We talked as much as we ate; we hadn’t seen them since we met up in Hermiston, OR in July. While enjoying the conversation and food, I snapped this view from our table. The Riverside Buffet overlooks the Colorado River just below Davis Dam. Doesn’t it look like fun? If it had been cooler, we might have gone for a ride too.

It was hot in Laughlin and even hotter down in Lake Havasu City (107 degrees), so we stayed north.

We moved on to Williams, AZ to spend two nights at Canyon RV Park (Passport America $22) so we could go back to Sunset Crater National Monument and the Wupatki Ruins; it has been almost 23 years since we had been there (1987). We visited the Grand Canyon in 2008 so we didn’t go back this trip.

Williams, AZ is an interesting town. Neat little shops on Main Street to explore and, it boosts some of the highest fuel prices we have seen all year. We had been paying about $3 a gallon for diesel in CA and AZ:

We discovered two of our favorite type of campgrounds--Forest Service campgrounds--just outside of Williams—with trees. First was Cataract Lake with a small campground of about 16 sites for $9 for seniors:

Next, was Kaibab Lake, a real gem just off the Highway to Grand Canyon—a Forest Service campground with a sewer dump—Life is good. (Again $9 for seniors.)

Kaibab Lake was so peaceful that we just sat with the car doors open and relaxed in the quiet. If we ever get back to Williams, this is where I will stay.

The next day we packed our lunch and headed toward Flagstaff, AZ and Sunset Crater. We stopped at the new Visitor Center and learned a bit about the volcanic area.

Hikers are not allowed up on the crater to prevent erosion and degradation of the National Monument. I wasn’t disappointed; starting at 6,000 feet plus, I wasn’t planning on a hike anyway.

Further down the 34-mile loop road is the Wupatki National Monument. The first is Wukoki:

It looked like a proud ship adrift in the sage brush. As I walked up, it took my breath away…both from the 6000+ ft elevation and the beauty of the building:

Built by hands! How did they do it and how long did it take to build? And it has lasted 800 years!

This is Wupatki which grew from one to about 100 homes built during the 1100s. By about 1190, as many as 2,000 people lived within walking distance—out this plateau with limited rainfall. We were so glad we made the trip as it humbles one to see what people have built without computers and heavy equipment. Add a day to visit the Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments to your travel list when you go to the Grand Canyon.

We noticed that Larry’s blood pressure had been climbing since we moved above the 5,000 ft. elevation level so we decided to cut out any further exploration and head for lower altitudes. Rather than drop down into Phoenix and 107 degree weather, we headed east to Albuquerque, NM to drop down to El Paso, TX on I-25. The next night in Albuquerque at the Enchanted Trails RV Park (Passport America rate: $16), we decided to head for Lubbock as it would save a day of travel and get us down below the 5,000 ft. level. We pulled into Lubbock RV Park, TX (Escapees rate of $26) in time to do some laundry and cleaning chores—including covering the windshields of both vehicles.

As soon as we plugged in and I turned on the TV, the news reported grapefruit-sized hail and 70 mph winds north of us in Palo Duro Canyon as well as other storm cells, with various sized hail, circling Lubbock and headed our way. The storm hit us after 10 p.m. with rain and then lots of wind, but luckily, no hail. I was up early saying a prayer of thanks while uncovering the vehicles, and drying the heavy towel I used on the Honda windshield. Yes, we are back in Texas with the weather-alert radio on the table.

Tonight we are in Ranger, TX at RL RV Park (Escapees 50% discount for $15). We have electricity for the air conditioner and I could have used the free clothes washer and dryer, except I did all the laundry yesterday in Lubbock. Isn’t that how life works?

This is tonight’s sunset. With good luck and tail winds, we will be home in Livingston, TX tomorrow, four months and 6,300 miles driven in the Truck and camper since May. And we are still talking to each other!