 Since we’ve been living in close quarters for the past six years and fixing issues as they arise, you might think we’re great at doing projects together. Oftentimes, that’s true. But there have been plenty of times to the contrary. Bob and I both like a good project. Since transitioning to full-time RVing, we’ve helped others paint, renovate a bathroom, replace ceramic tiles with laminate flooring, and more — and enjoyed each experience. But when it comes to our own projects, let’s just say they’re not always enjoyable.  Each of us holds expertise in different areas and, for that reason, we each like to lead. Add to that the fact that we both have our Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications, and you have a recipe for potential disaster. After nearly 35 years of marriage, however, we think we finally figured out the key to doing projects together successfully: having a designated project leader. One chief too many When each of us is fighting to lead a project, it produces contention. One of us wants to do things a certain way, and the other wants to do them a different way. Both ways may work just fine and bring about the same results, but not agreeing on the method results in conflicting views, frustration, irritation, and arguments. Connecting the truck to the trailer is one example. Bob sits in the driver’s seat of Gulliver to steer him into place under the fifth-wheel kingpin while I stand on the driver’s side of the rig at the leveling controls to help align the height of the kingpin with the truck hitch.  I think Bob should back up a certain way, and he thinks he should do it a different way. Fortunately, he can’t see or hear me talking to him behind the open door to the leveling controls. I don’t think he’d like what I have to say in that case. Our PMP training taught us that a project leader needs to be a servant leader. Many times when we work on projects together, we forget that mindset. Neither of us tries to serve the other because we’re too busy trying to lead and get our point across. Project leader vs. apprentice It finally dawned on us that we need to identify who’s going to lead a project from the start. The leader doesn’t always have to be the same person for every project, but there needs to be a specified manager and subordinate, or apprentice, much like the relationship and hierarchy between an executive chef and a sous chef. The apprentice isn’t precluded from sharing their opinions and thoughts, and the leader doesn’t dictate. Otherwise, we just have a different form of conflict. We can enjoy working together on a peaceful project when the designated apprentice feels free to make suggestions, knowing that the leader has the responsibility to make the final decision and face any consequences from it. A successful project example We tested this approach on a recent project to add sunscreens to our RV to protect it from the intense Arizona sun and heat, identifying Bob as the leader. Having a designated project leader immediately put us both at ease. As the apprentice, I felt free to share my thoughts and opinions but knew that Bob ultimately had the final say. Some of my suggestions he took. Others he didn’t. But overall, we were calmer, had positive attitudes, and worked well together. And we got the job done — and felt good about the experience.  Sometimes we forget that we’re on the same team. There’s no need to fight each other. We’re both striving for the same result. We need to empower one of us to lead while the other supports that person, knowing they have to make the final decisions. When we do, it’s easier to enjoy the project journey. And we get better results.
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 My feet vibrated under my desk in our fifth wheel, and a grinding metal sound assaulted my ears. I went outside and found Bob under the trailer, sparks flying. He was using a borrowed angle grinder to try to remove screws sealing the underside of our rig. Most RVs manufactured today include a corrugated plastic covering over the underbelly to protect its contents from dirt, dust, debris, and rodents. We’re grateful our 2018 fifth wheel came with that. Despite that protection, for years, Bob has wanted to pull off the corrugated plastic to see if we had any issues and to get a better idea of where things are under our rig, such as slideout motors. He finally made his wish come true this year — and managed to catch dust directly through his nostril and into his sinus cavity in the process, thanks to previous sinus surgery that removed his upper and mid turbinates. Gratefully, he recovered after a day or two and didn’t develop an infection. Here’s what we discovered after removing our RV underbelly. Loose leveler We’ve had challenges leveling our 42-foot coach for a number of years, even though it came equipped with a Lippert auto-leveling system. Multiple times, we’ve had to retrain the system on what constitutes level. And we’ve learned to put plenty of leveling blocks under our mid and rear stabilizers before attempting the autolevel function to give the system the best chance at success. It never dawned on us that the issue could be something inherent to our rig — until we removed Tagalong’s underbelly protection and discovered a dangling leveling sensor, as well as an empty shelf made specifically to hold it. Now we know.  We’ll secure the loose leveler to the rig before resealing the underbelly and will retrain the Lippert system for, hopefully, the last time on the true state of levelness. Chewed wiring Although the corrugated plastic is designed to help keep out rodents, some have been able to find their way into the underbelly of our rig, and even into the interior. We managed to trap those that made their way inside, so we were surprised to find a wide swath of chewed wires in the belly of our rig. To our amazement, the culprit didn’t chew all the way through the conduit and into the wires. That could have been a bit exciting for all parties. Not wanting to leave bare wires exposed, Bob already wrapped them with electrical tape.  Dried mushrooms Speaking of rodents, remember the squirrel Twitchy that managed to get inside our rig while we were in Alberta on our way back to the contiguous states after a summer in Alaska? He hadn’t stashed nuts in our fifth wheel like we had thought. We found dried mushrooms instead.  Shocked, I did a Google search to see if squirrels eat mushrooms. Sure enough, they do. I learned they can even eat mushrooms that are poisonous to humans. And they do indeed store mushrooms for the winter. Who knew?
Ignorance is bliss. Discovery is a reason to act. In addition to addressing the issues we found, Bob took advantage of the exposed underbelly to add aftermarket sensors to our graywater tanks, as the sensors that come with a rig from the factory quickly lose accuracy. He had successfully added aftermarket sensors to our fresh and blackwater tanks years ago by cutting openings in the corrugated plastic. When resealing Tagalong’s underbelly, Bob will also mark the locations of key items, such as slideout motors, to aid in any needed maintenance in the future. You might also like Removing an RV TV antenna.  We started our sixth year of full-time RV living slowly, traveling only 8 miles to our first destination. We kept our drives relatively short throughout the summer, averaging 173 miles (2.5 hours or so) and topping out at 436 miles between Medora, North Dakota, and Bozeman, Montana. We added three states to our map: Kansas, Nebraska, and North Dakota (leaving only four to spend a night in Tagalong in). And we snuck in a few flights — to Phoenix after the tragic death of our son DJ, to Barcelona for a transatlantic cruise, and to Scotland and Ireland. Highlights of our travels included:
Of our 40 stops in nearly 7,000 miles, these were our favorite RV stays in our sixth year of travel. Favorite boondocking spot  We really got into our groove with boondocking this year, doing so at 16 locations across Arizona, Colorado, North Dakota, Montana, and Utah. With plentiful Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest land, the western states offer abundant options for camping off the grid. We relished the quiet solitude in each location, which helped prolong our slow pace. Our favorite boondocking spot was a peninsula in Sweet Briar Lake, North Dakota, west of Bismarck. The location featured picnic tables, fire rings, and magnificent views of the water out practically every window. We enjoyed watching pelicans, Canadian geese, and occasional kayakers -- despite a scary thunderstorm passing through while we were there. Favorite Boondockers Welcome stay  In addition to our 16 boondocking stops, we camped on the property of six Boondockers Welcome hosts. These are people who allow RVers in the program to sojourn on their property for up to five nights, depending on the host. Some hosts offer electric hookups for a fee, which we find especially beneficial when the weather is warmer than we’d like. We took advantage of this camping option in Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, and Northern Arizona. We really appreciated our sweet host in Colby, Kansas, where we spent Mother’s Day not quite a week after our son’s passing. We told her we were grieving, and she went out of her way to make our visit pleasant and enjoyable, even offering to let us stay longer than we had booked. However, our favorite Boondockers Welcome location for the year goes to Cortez, Colorado. The former farm was set up like a campground for six RVers. We were the only ones there for most of our stopover and savored the tranquility and expansive views, which included snowcapped mountains in the distance. Favorite moochdocking stop  After boondocking, our next-favorite type of camping is moochdocking, where we stay on friends’ or family’s property and mooch their water and electricity. We did that in Arizona, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Michigan, Iowa, and Montana, catching up with dear friends and family members. We appreciated the warm hospitality at each location. If we had to choose a favorite, it would have to be our friends Norm and Susan’s, situated at the end of a dirt road in Idabel, Oklahoma, providing a wonderfully peaceful respite. They were gracious hosts who welcomed us with open arms, made us feel right at home, and provided us with unique memories, including a flight on a powered parachute. Favorite campground  Campgrounds are our least-favorite places to sojourn, but sometimes they’re a must so that we can see the things we want to see. That was the case this year in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Dakota, and Northern Arizona. We liked our time at Two Rivers Campground in Nashville, but our favorite was Fool Hollow Lake Campground in Show Low, Arizona. It holds special meaning to us as we spent many nights there as a family while raising our kids. Our youngest daughter, Becky, and her husband and daughter joined us to make more memories. Favorite state  We spent a month traversing Southern Colorado, a month with family in Michigan, two weeks in Utah, and a week and a half in North Dakota. Although we lived in the Denver area when we were first married, this was our first time in Southern Colorado outside of Colorado Springs. It was also our first time in North Dakota, and we thoroughly enjoyed both.
If we had to pick our favorite between the two, it would be Colorado for its magnificent snow-covered mountains, wide-reaching prairies, tall evergreens, and extraordinary experiences. Although we got snowed on in Alamosa on Easter weekend, we spent time in the forests, really getting a feel for the land. And visiting my college, Colorado Christian University, and a couple of friends from my college days made it that much better. You might also like 5 favorite RV destinations in 5 years on the road.  A 737 whisked us to Houston while Gulliver stood watch over Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport’s East Economy parking lot. Upon landing, a shuttle ushered us to the Enterprise rental car lot, where a Chevy truck awaited. We loaded into it and set out on a two-hour journey to visit the property we had purchased unseen (other than pictures) after five years of full-time RVing. Since it was our first time in the state of Texas after buying land there, we had to make some stops at the county seat to take care of paperwork. That done, we pressed on, eager to see the property with our own eyes. We entered the small fishing community, navigated a narrow dirt road, pulled over, and opened our doors to tall grass in need of mowing. The mower we pay hadn’t gotten to it before our arrival. Thankful I had worn blue jeans and my cowgirl boots, I set foot on our land for the first time. Bob did so in shorts and sneakers, the overgrowth tickling his legs. After a cursory review of our two plots and a meeting with the general manager of the property owners association, we discovered a few surprises. A broken pipe While inspecting our property, we successfully found the RV sewer dump, but it was in need of repair. It appeared to have been hit by a lawnmower, with plastic pieces scattered in the grass.  We like to do projects, and fixing the broken PVC pipe was definitely in our wheelhouse. Although we didn’t have any tools with us, our friends in the community, John and Kristi, whom we had met on a transatlantic cruise, did. We borrowed a shovel and a saw and found the parts we needed at the Fishville Trading Post — a one-stop shop for dining, groceries, hardware, fishing supplies, and miscellaneous finds. Bob dug around the pipe with the spade, and we quickly learned about Texas black clay. It’s soft, sticky stuff that makes up the foundation of our property and is difficult to work with and clean off. We didn’t know we’d be back to playing in the mud so soon after getting stuck in it in Northern Arizona. After clearing enough of the earth from around the sewer pipe, Bob sawed off the elbow connector for the dump, steering clear of the electrical conduit that ran diagonally from the electric pole on the property to the sewer main. This instigated emptying of the pipe’s liquid contents into the newly created hole. We couldn’t proceed with our project with all that water there.  Bob used the replacement elbow joint to bail out the water. Then he discovered a crack in the straight pipe. Not wanting to revisit this project later, he sawed off the pipe to remove the crack. We cleaned the parts, and Bob painted the connecting edges with PVC pipe primer and cement. Then he stuck them together. He repeated the process for the elbow and the top pipe, which forms the threaded section the RV hose connects to. The only thing missing was a cap for the pipe. We created a makeshift one, filled in the hole, and headed into a nearby town for a more permanent solution. There we bought a pipe cap and spray paint to help prevent another mower incident. Returning to the property, we attached the pipe cap and inserted three metal poles in the ground around the sewer dump to help our mower see it amid the tall grass. Bob sprayed the poles and cap with orange paint as an added measure.  Pests and wildlife After spending 24 consecutive years in the Phoenix area and wintering there for the past five, we got accustomed to not having to deal with many insects and pests. Texas has a whole different climate, which bugs and creepy-crawlies like. With our property being near a bay off the Gulf of America, mosquitos are common, as are mice and snakes, which can easily hide in tall grasses. I have a much better appreciation for Texans wearing boots. When we finally found our water connection on the property, seemingly hidden under tall grass, we opened the lid cautiously, not wanting to experience another snake encounter. Fortunately, no creepy-crawlies emerged. Upon examination of our electric box, we discovered two wasp nests in it. Fortunately, they were accompanied by a number of dead wasps. Bob removed the nests and cleaned out the box. In the process, we heard some creature scurrying around in the incredibly overgrown plot next to our land. We never saw exactly what it was.  A cluster of trees What appeared to be a large bush at the end of our second plot turned out to be something entirely different upon closer inspection. Surrounded by tall, prickly weeds, the “bush” comprised five distinct trees.  As I studied the cluster trying to identify the types using Google Lens, I started to notice small insects flying around my head. Then a mosquito landed on my arm. I quickly captured some pictures and moved away. As best as we can tell, four trees are hackberry, and one is mesquite. Since trees are a rarity in the community surrounding our property, we plan to clear out the underbrush when we return to make the trees clearly identifiable and remove places for creatures to hide. Attractive community From the general manager of the property owners association to fellow community residents to store workers, everyone we met welcomed us with congeniality. We found the area quiet and peaceful, just our pace. Small towns within a half hour east and west offered easy drives to get supplies. We investigated both and sampled Mexican food and fresh seafood, two staples in the area. With plentiful water views a short distance from our property, we also visited two beaches — one covered in shells and another with more sand. And our VRBO rental house for this trip, 20 minutes away from the property, stood one block from Tres Palacios Bay. The quaint, one-bedroom cottage on stilts even featured a deck that offered beautiful sunrise views for coffee enjoyment. The weather was wonderful, with daytime temperatures in the 70s. And we experienced a thunderstorm while there.
The entire weekend left us feeling extremely happy with our property purchase. We look forward to returning to spend a little more time there and do more projects. You might also like 6 biggest surprises of full-time RV living.  The RV life is one full of adventure, uniqueness, and surprise. As we’ve traveled this great country, a few unusual encounters stand out. Here are the seven strangest things we’ve experienced in six years of RV life. 1. Squirrel situation On our way back to the contiguous United States after spending a summer in Alaska, we stayed at a beautiful campground in Alberta, Canada. We enjoyed taking long walks, viewing color-changing foliage, and playing in fallen leaves.  What we didn’t enjoy was the intrusion of a squirrel that had made its way into the underbelly of our rig and even climbed up inside the back. Twitchy, as we called him, put us on our toes and gave us an incentive to seal any obvious holes in the corrugated plastic stretching across the underside of our rig. Thankfully, he didn’t stay too long. 2. Cat encounter While parked on the farm property of a Boondockers Welcome host in Yellow Jacket, Colorado, we had the place to ourselves — other than a horse keeping watch in a nearby pen. One morning, while sitting on the couch at the back of our rig, I heard “Meow.”  I had seen a cat outside, so I didn’t think much of it. But then the sound grew louder, followed by rumbling noises. I went outside but didn’t see the cat anywhere. Returning inside, I heard another “Meow.” Then I figured it out: The cat had found a way to climb up into the underbelly of our rig. Maybe it was after the nuts the squirrel had stored there. Or maybe it just wanted a respite from the cold April morning. I hit the underbelly with a broom and was able to scare the cat out. Then I had Bob reseal the corrugated plastic to prevent it from entering again. 3. Package vanishing Another day at the Yellow Jacket, Colorado, farm, we had waited hours for an expensive package to arrive so that we could go into town for dinner. Hunger overpowered us, and we decided to head out, even though the parcel hadn’t shown up. On our way to the restaurant, we received a call from a UPS driver trying to find the right place to deliver the package. Because of the cost of the item (a tuner for our truck), we turned around to retrieve the shipment. But when we arrived at our trailer — five minutes after the driver had delivered the package — there was no sign of a box. We went down the street to check with some neighbors, who confirmed that a UPS truck had been by, so we called the UPS driver. He offered to come back to show us where he put it. When the driver returned, he was flabbergasted not to see the package. But he told us he had seen a kid on an ATV. We called our host, who found the situation funny. She said that her grandson had picked up the package thinking it was for her, since it also had her name on it, and assured us he’d be right back with it. About 10 minutes later — but an hour after we had first left — we finally had the package in hand and were able to go to dinner. 4. Narrowest bridge Near Traverse City, Michigan, we encountered the narrowest bridge we’ve ever seen, as a result of construction. Approaching the structure, we saw a sign that said “9-FT BRIDGE.” Knowing that our rig is 8.5 feet wide, that gave us cause for concern, leaving only 3 inches of wiggle room on either side. White-knuckled, Bob tightly held the steering wheel, and we practically held our breath as we slowly made our way across the bridge to the other side, thankfully without incident. 5. Ladder ascent While parked at a Love’s RV Stop in Oklahoma, a van pulled up next to us one morning. It seemed odd, as the spot next to us was a designated RV site — and the vehicle was not a camper van.  The next thing we knew, a man was climbing the ladder on the back of our rig to our roof. I bolted out the door and yelled at him to get down. He obliged and apologized. As it turned out, he was a mobile RV tech answering a call for another camper three spots away.
6. Raccoon visit In Oklahoma, while we were moochdocking at our friends Norm and Susan’s place, we had a very strange occurrence in the middle of the night. It sounded like someone or something was trying to get inside our rig. I heard the doorlatch move. The next morning, we discovered three muddy prints on our door the size of raccoon fingers. If I had forgotten to lock the door the night before, we very well could have had an unwelcome visitor. 7. Noise disturbance One night, while camped near a baseball diamond in the small town of Dell Rapids, South Dakota, (population around 3,800), we heard sirens around 9 p.m. Having heard plenty of sirens in our travels, we didn’t think much of it. But then the sounds grew louder. I peered out a window and saw a brightly lit firetruck pulling into our campground, followed by a number of cars with beeping horns. The truck proceeded to the baseball diamond, as did the other vehicles. Then another firetruck and an ambulance, both with lights flashing and sirens blaring, joined. There didn’t appear to be any emergency, as this noise disturbance was followed by bass-pounding music at the diamond. Before long, the emergency vehicles turned off their flashing lights and left, followed by the cars. We never did find out what that was all about. You might also like Our most unusual experiences in 4 years of RV life.  Rain is a good thing, as a Luke Bryan country song says. It makes the beautiful greenery we enjoy in places such as Northern Arizona. It also creates mud, something we try to avoid as the owners of a truck without four-wheel drive. (We intentionally ordered our dually that way from the factory to save on gas mileage and gears to maintain.) After three-and-a-half wonderful sunny days boondocking at a Boondockers Welcome site in Northern Arizona, light rain and drizzle turned into something more substantial, thanks to the remnants of Cyclone Priscilla. We were parked near a gravel drive, so we didn’t think much of the situation — until we loaded into Gulliver in an attempt to go visit our friends Neil and Leanna and got stuck in the mud.  Gulliver needs a tow … again Rain continued to pour as we tried to determine a way out of the muddy mess. Our host heard us revving the truck engine and came over to say hi, as we hadn’t met him yet. He offered to pull us out with his Ford F-350 4x4 truck. Lew went to get his truck, and we retrieved the tow strap we had invested in after another time of getting both Gulliver and Tagalong stuck. Bob attached it to both trucks, and Lew climbed into his vehicle to take out the slack. With that done, Bob crawled into Gulliver.  I stood in the rain to communicate between the two drivers, a difficult chore given the revving engines and the sound of the precipitation. Lew’s truck successfully pulled ours, but our highway tires slipped in the mud, drawing Gulliver closer to the trailer and making Bob and me nervous. The three of us reassessed the situation. We relocated where the tow strap attached on each vehicle, and Bob closed his side mirrors. The second tow drew the truck even closer to Tagalong. Something had to change. We had Lew back up and reposition his truck in another location to tow Gulliver toward the gravel drive and away from the trailer. This time, it worked. With Gulliver out of the mud and on gravel, we thanked Lew and loaded up to visit our friends, an hour later than planned. I peeled off my saturated raincoat only to find my shirt sleeves wet. Apparently, the jacket wasn’t designed for an hour of downpour. After a wonderful time with our friends, we returned in the dark, with hopes of getting the trailer out the next day. Getting the RV out of a sticky situation Not wanting to get the truck stuck again, we took serious measures to prevent that. Bob cut and laid dead Juniper branches in the anticipated path of the truck tires for grip in the sloppy mud mess. He sent me on a hunt to find lava rocks on the property that we could use to provide traction under the truck when starting to tow the trailer. I dragged my bucket around like Igor in “Frankenstein,” watching for young prickly pear cactus along the way and discovering wild mushrooms in the process. After two bucket loads of rocks, we had accumulated enough to provide a good grip for the truck tires. Convinced we were prepared to move the trailer from its dirt perch to the gravel drive, we connected it to Gulliver. Then we went over our plan, wondering aloud if we’d be able to clear a small Juniper tree en route. Our original plan, before the rain had turned dry ground into peanut butter, was to pull forward and then back Gulliver onto the gravel drive to line us up to leave. That was no longer an option.  I was convinced Bob could clear the tree. He wasn’t so sure. We knew momentum would be key and discussed being willing to scratch the side of the trailer to keep from getting stuck. Arizona racing stripes never hurt anything. Equipped with walkie-talkies, Bob climbed into Gulliver and I tried to find a decent place to stand. From my vantage point, I could see the tree — until the trailer blocked my view. Bob pulled out. Everything looked good, so I told him to keep going. He stepped on the gas and succeeded in getting Tagalong onto the gravel driveway. But he heard a loud crunch in the process. I thought we had made it just fine. But as I approached the rear of the trailer, I noticed a tire mark awfully close to the tree. I moved nearer to investigate and found our plastic trailer fender lying on the ground in pieces, along with a light cover that had been ripped off the side of the rig.  Examining the trailer revealed remnants of the tree jammed into every crevice they could fit. The bottom right corner of the entry door had been bent up, as had the bottom right of where the fender had been attached.
As we inspected the damage, we found ourselves grateful that it was mostly cosmetic. It hurt our pride more than anything. The situation could have been much worse. An important debriefing After leaving the property, we conversed about what we did wrong and what we would have done differently. The problem came down to being in a hurry. As full-time RVers, we know that most mistakes happen when we’re either tired or rushing. Our kids were coming up to meet us at our next destination about an hour away, and we wanted to get there before them. We could have waited longer for the ground to dry out, as the sun had cleared the clouds and was working its magic. Or we could have called our Coach-Net roadside assistance service to tow us out, even though it could have taken an hour or longer for a tech to arrive. It doesn’t pay to rush as RVers. We learned that lesson early on when we first marred the same side of our rig on our very first venture out. It hit home harder after this. Regardless, we had a wonderful time with our kids and granddaughter. Bob was able to clean the mud streaks off the side of the trailer, making the damage less noticeable. He also banged out some dents and fixed the door frame so that we could open the door. We’ll get a new fender and fix the light. And we’ll take our time in the future — and not stay on dirt in Northern Arizona if any rain is in the forecast. You might also like Our top RV lessons in 5 years of RV travel.  Utah is home to five of the 63 U.S. national parks, according to the National Park Service. The state also has eight designations as national monuments, recreation areas, historical parks, and historic trails. These areas present magnificent rock formations, alluring landscapes, and breathtaking views. We visited Zion National Park a number of years ago while staying in St. George, and we toured Arches National Park in Moab in 2023 as full-time RVers. This year, while boondocking in the eastern part of the state, we decided to explore CanyonLands National Park and had no idea what we were in for. 3 parks in 1 Canyonlands is the largest national park in Utah, but it seems to be much less popular than Arches, Bryce, and Zion, perhaps because it’s not as easily accessible. A 20-plus-mile drive from U.S. Route 191 took us to the Island in the Sky Visitor Center one afternoon in September, with only one vehicle in front of us at the entrance station. Wanting to get a stamp in our National Park Passport Book, we dipped into the visitor center. It paled in offerings compared to the visitor center we had investigated at Yellowstone National Park. Despite that, we watched a documentary there and learned that Canyonlands National Park is divided into three main sections, or districts: Island in the Sky, The Needles, and The Maze. Park officials consider the Colorado and Green rivers, which formed the park, another district, but visitors can get glimpses of them from various vantage points in the other sections. To get to The Needles, so named for its spire rocks, and The Maze, the most remote portion, requires entering from completely different locations. The entrance to The Needles is one hour away from the highway turnoff we took, and getting to The Maze is a five-hour drive in the other direction. Canyon sighting After leaving the Island of the Sky Visitor Center, we crossed the street to get a better view of the incredible Shafer Canyon Overlook. A canyon stretched out in front of us, seemingly all the way to the La Sal Mountains on the horizon.  We carefully watched our steps as we took in the panoramic vistas, not wanting to slip over the edge into the gorge. Seeing a winding dirt road deep in the ravine gave us a healthy respect for the distance between our stance and the bottom. Although Canyonlands doesn’t reach the abysmal depths of the Grand Canyon, it’s at least twice as expansive. In fact, Canyonlands National Park spans nearly 340,000 acres, offering varied scenes of red rocks, deep canyons, and weaving rivers. Awesome overlooks From Shafer Canyon Overlook, we journeyed on, stopping at Buck Canyon Overlook, which left us even more in awe, as it spread as far as we could see into the distance. Light sandstone dotted with short green plants gave way to red rocks and brown chasms set against a bright blue sky with puffy white clouds hanging in midair, giving us great appreciation for God’s amazing artistry.  After taking in the view for a bit, we hopped back into Gulliver and moved on to Orange Cliffs Overlook, the farthest we could go before we had to turn around. Although the scenery there wasn’t quite as far-reaching, it gave us a glimpse of the Green River, but just barely. We headed back the way we came, this time going the other direction when we hit the fork in the road. This gave us an opportunity to explore Green River Overlook, where a couple was getting married against a gorgeous backdrop. We caught sight of the river, but the sun was starting to set, making visibility less than optimum.  On our circuitous way back to the park entrance, we passed a gigantic rock that looked like a whale and visited a small campground, spotting stunning rock structures and sheer cliffs along the way.
Unlike Arches National Park, where most of the scenery is visible from the road, Canyonlands — at least the part we saw — offers mystery and intrigue, with most of the sights hidden below the surface. You might also like Visiting America’s highest suspension bridge.  When we learned that our friends Jim and Jenny had booked a trip to Scotland and Ireland, we jokingly asked if we could tag along, having always wanted to visit those places. To our pleasant surprise, they said yes. They were going with a few other friends who did most of the planning and welcomed us. All we had to do was pay, book our flights and lodging, and enjoy. We spent four days based in Edinburgh and five days based in Dublin. Here’s a rundown of our adventures in Scotland and Ireland, where speakers’ accents tickled our ears, cars drove on the left side of the road, and rain made a regular appearance. Castles When you think of Scotland and Ireland, you may picture towering castles, and rightfully so. With a lengthy history of conflicts that required places of defense, castles abound: more than 2,000 in Scotland, according to Juniper Tours, and 30,000 in Ireland, according to IrishCentral. With that many to choose from, exploring a few castles is high on most visitors’ to-do lists, including ours. Full of history and intrigue, these fortresses take guests back in time. Stirling Castle, for example, was the childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots, who lived in the 16th century, long before electricity and automobiles. Strategically located at the junction of Scotland’s Highlands and Lowlands, the castle played a key role in numerous battles, as depicted in exhibits taking space in some of its rooms. In Craigmillar Castle, narrow stone staircases beckoned us upward, leading to assorted areas, including a large dining hall where jesters performed and a suite where Mary Queen of Scots was believed to have recuperated during an illness after the birth of her son.  Standing majestically at the top of the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, the largest in Scotland and one of the easiest to get to, gives guests a glimpse into early military prisons and prisons of war, as well as weaponry of that time period and a dungeon. But the most alluring sight there is the oldest crown jewels in Britain: a crown, a scepter, and a sword.  Attracting about half the number annually as Edinburgh Castle, Ireland’s popular Blarney Castle popular draws more than 400,000 a year for a chance to kiss the storied Blarney Stone and gain the gift of gab. Not wanting that gift or to wait more than 1.5 hours to see inside the castle, we enjoyed touring the expansive grounds, which were incredibly beautiful.  Cathedrals Both Scotland and Ireland are also home to numerous cathedrals, in recognition of their religious heritage — both Protestant and Catholic. The Gothic architecture of Protestant St. Giles’ Cathedral in the center of old-town Edinburgh lures visitors to explore its inner beauty. Entering made our jaws drop in awe. Gorgeous stained glass windows illustrated history and culture. And huge archways stretched to the ceiling, designed to encourage viewers to look upward, toward Christ.  In Dublin, Protestant Christ Church Cathedral stands only about one-third of a mile from Catholic St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which appears to be more of a museum than a working church, even requiring an entry fee. But services still take place there. The massive building is divided into various areas that house interesting artifacts and together form a cross shape. It’s an amazing sight to behold. Countryside and critters Getting out of the city to view the lush, green countryside is essential for a true appreciation of Scotland and Ireland. A tour to the edge of the world-famous Scottish Highlands greeted us with bright green grass, bushy trees, and expansive bodies of water that gave us a breath of fresh air after a few days in the heart of the city. No trip to the Highlands would be complete without a sighting of the legendary Highland cows, or coos, as the locals call them. Covered with long hair, these cattle are well equipped to handle the harsh cold, wind, and rain that are common to the area. Outside Dublin, we saw grassy panoramas dotted by sheep and cattle in every direction. Dry rock walls separated fields, and houses dwarfed in the expanse. One of our favorite experiences was watching a working sheepdog (a border collie) demonstration. After the dog’s handler explained the process, he put his eager dog to work. She took off running to the far end of the field. The next thing we knew, sheep were running toward us, herded by the small dog based on her handler’s whistle signals. Depending on what the dog did, the sheep would speed up and slow down.  A spectacular excursion in the Irish countryside is a trip through the Burren, or “rocky place,” to the Cliffs of Moher, which drastically drop 700 feet into the Atlantic Ocean. A rare sunny day gave us stunning views of the cliffs against the contrasting blues of the sky and sea as we navigated the far-reaching paved walkways and stairs for different perspectives of the magnificent wonder that’s a UNESCO Global Geopark.  Cuisine Because cows and sheep are the main livestock in both Scotland and Ireland, they’re also major food sources. We found lots of options of beef, lamb, and potatoes — and very few nonroot vegetables. Wanting to immerse ourselves in the culture, we bravely sampled unfamiliar cuisine. A full Scottish breakfast introduced us to black pudding (blood sausage), tattie (potato) scones, and the infamous haggis. We didn’t love the black pudding, but we did like the other options. Because of the spices and grains cooked into haggis, it has an appealing flavor. While in Scotland, we also tasted:
In Ireland, corned beef was nowhere to be found, although I did see a reuben sandwich on one menu. We didn’t find shepherd’s pie like we had hoped to. What we found instead was lamb stew, beef and Guinness stew (delectable!), bangers and mash, fish and chips, and seafood chowder — all of which we enjoyed. You might also like From open roads to the open seas.  For more than a year, we had succeeded in not acquiring any stowaways while boondocking. Then one night near Salt Lake City, Utah, while Bob was up late playing a computer game, he saw a little mouse run across our kitchen counter. Bob quickly got up to follow the rodent and observed it underneath our TV televator eating tortilla chips that had dropped there, out of reach. Not wanting to be pestered by the nuisance, or encourage it to invite friends, Bob moved things off the counter to where (hopefully) the mouse couldn’t get to them and set a trap. We were getting ready to leave the country for nearly two weeks and didn’t want to return to a mess of destruction. The next morning, we awoke to a dead fieldmouse. The greedy little thing had died trying to get to a big piece of cheese. Snake alert The next day, Bob returned from a laundromat trip and told me I needed to see the truck. “Oh no!” I thought. “What now?” Bob pointed to my sandals, wanting me to put them on to go look at the truck, but something caught my eye. “Why is there a snake in here?” I asked. Knowing that Bob is a prankster, I thought he had intentionally put the small tan snake there to trick me. He hadn’t. He grabbed a towel to try to capture the creature to throw outside, but it slithered into the mechanism that allows us to stow our RV stairs for travel and disappeared out of sight. We lifted the stairs into the trailer, hoping that would knock the snake loose. No such luck. So, we put the stairs back down, and Bob grabbed a flashlight. From my vantage point outside the rig, I could see a tiny part of the snake’s body, but there appeared to be no easy way to knock it loose. Bob got a brilliant idea to fetch a lighter. With it, he literally lit a fire right under the snake, and it eagerly left its perch. Bob was able to throw the snake out of the trailer, but it landed on our top step. That was still too close for comfort. Finally, it dropped from the stairs and slithered toward our tires. I didn’t want it anywhere near our living quarters. Bob handed me our fly swatter, and I used that to move the snake farther away from our home. Then Bob came out, scooped up the ready-to-strike (but not rattling) reptile, and flung it over the ridge next to our trailer. Free at last. Safety nets Despite those unpleasant encounters, we had a lovely time at our stop in Utah. Every morning and evening, paragliders and hang gliders graced us with alluring views as they flew into the wind over a ridge. We set up our chairs and watched in amazement while relishing the temperate air and the panorama of the Rocky Mountains and Utah Lake.  Fellow RVers Joe and Andrea joined us, and we all agreed we lead an extraordinary life full of incredible experiences, even if some are less desirable than others.
You might also like Close coon encounter in critter country.  Spanning 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone National Park is the second largest national park in the contiguous United States after Death Valley, which covers 3.4 million acres. Like Death Valley, Yellowstone transgresses state boundaries, stretching from Montana to Wyoming to Idaho. Yellowstone is also the oldest national park, having opened in 1872, according to the National Park Service. That likely explains its popularity, which kept us from visiting for many years. Yellowstone attracts more than 4 million guests annually. When we found ourselves in striking distance of the park after Labor Day and peak tourist season, we decided to take advantage of the proximity, urged on by our wonderful hosts Mike and Barbara in Bozeman, Montana. Like us, you may be wondering, “Is Yellowstone worth visiting?” Find out about our experience to decide for yourself. Wildlife Having recently toured Theodore Roosevelt National Park, where bison surrounded us as we crept along Scenic Loop Drive, we weren’t too sure about venturing into Yellowstone. We did see bison there, but from a much greater distance. We were even closer to the animals on a drive through Ted Turner’s ranch in Bozeman. Despite that, the animals were nice to see. And for many people, Yellowstone is their only experience with bison and other wildlife. We also observed some elk partaking of their evening meal in the Madison River, and we spotted a lone elk midday in the middle of a meadow. We appreciated those sightings, as we hadn’t seen elk or deer at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  We saw no other wildlife at Yellowstone except for swans, geese, and birds. That doesn’t mean other mammals aren’t there. They definitely are, as are fish and reptiles. Many guests have spotted bears, wolves, pronghorns, coyotes, and moose there. Vastness That leads to my second point. Covering millions of acres, Yellowstone is enormous. There’s no way to see it all in one day. Even going two days, like we did, you may not get through it all. There’s a lot to take in. By not hitting every area, you may miss some opportunities to view certain wildlife, as we can attest to. The time of day of your visit can make a difference too. Along with that enormity comes something we found quite unique and fascinating. Yellowstone features a great variety of landscapes:
Everywhere we turned offered something different to look at, making the park an amazing place to explore. Geysers Speaking of geysers, they’re the draw for most of Yellowstone’s guests, who’ve heard stories about Old Faithful, which erupts as a natural fountain regularly throughout the day. When we arrived at the geyser’s location, we had to wait an hour to witness the wonder for ourselves, but we didn’t mind. That gave us time to watch a couple of educational videos and peruse the displays and gift shop in the visitor center there.  Despite its renowned allure, Old Faithful is only one of about 500 geysers at Yellowstone, according to the National Park Service. Because the park is a supervolcano, it’s home to other hydrothermal features as well, including hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles — or openings that let sulfurous gases escape. As we drove through the park, plumes of steam caught our eyes and captured our attention, presenting unfamiliar sights. Although we’ve walked through an active volcano crater in Hawaii, the steam escaping it paled in comparison to the scenes we beheld at Yellowstone.  Conclusion After watching Old Faithful and observing bison far in the distance on our first visit to Yellowstone, we left with a meh feeling about recommending the park. Old Faithful was impressive, but our experience with bison at Theodore Roosevelt National Park and on the Alaska Highway made this park feel ho-hum. Since we were camped in the area for a few days, we decided to make another trip to investigate more and give Yellowstone a fair shot. On our second expedition, we navigated the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, worked our way up a mountain pass, and then turned around and drove through meadows and mud volcanoes to see Lake Village and expansive Yellowstone Lake. That drive changed our minds about the park. The diverse topography, incredible views, herds of bison, and more convinced us that Yellowstone is indeed worth visiting — especially for those who will never make it to other sights we’ve seen. Just be sure you allow more than one day to explore the natural beauty.
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AuthorThis is the travel blog of full-time RVers Bob and Lana Gates and our truck, Gulliver, and fifth wheel, Tagalong. Categories
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