Hiker Happy's RV Trip
Hiker Happy's visit to our home has been a highlight for us, making for a great RV trip. Hike, as we like to call him, has been doing a great job keeping up his travel blogs.
(Want to know more about Hiker Happy?)
If you are already familiar with how Hike came to visit our place, then enjoy the tales of his RV travels:
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip in Thermopolis Wyoming:
So here I am checking out the hot mineral pool at the Fountain of Youth RV Park in Thermopolis Wyoming. As part of our stay at this campground, we had free use of the mineral pool that is on the RV Park property. Very relaxing!
We spent a couple nights here in Thermopolis. It's main claim to fame are the large mineral hot springs. Be sure to visit the Hot Springs State Park where you can walk around the hot springs and/or use the State Bath House to try out the healing water. Or for more fun, go to the Star Plunge which is located in the State Park and has an indoor and outdoor pool, water slide, vapor room and more.
Also in Thermopolis is the Dinosaur Center, with some extensive exhibits and lots of dinosaurs on display. And they also have tours to the nearby dig sites during good weather.
Just south of Thermopolis is the scenic and geologically significant Wind River Canyon. We made this beautiful drive through the Canyon on our way into Thermopolis.
There are other things to do in and around this area, so it's worth checking out if your RV trip will take you through this part of the Wyoming.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that we also had a great visit to Salt Lake City - more about that RV trip here.
Until next time, Hike
Hiker Happy, reporting about Apache Junction Arizona:
A few days ago, we left Tucson and traveled to Apache Junction, Arizona. The mountains around here are spectacular. Jill and Jose took me on a short hike to see some California Poppies that were growing behind the house of some line dance instructors they met. There were acres of poppies!
The first day we got to Apache Junction, we line danced from 8:00 to 9:00 am at our RV Park, called Countryside. Then we went to another community in Mesa called Valle del Oro where we danced from 9:45 to 11:30 am. After we left Valle del Oro, we went to another park called Golden Vista where we danced from 12:30 to 3:00 PM. Boy, do my feet hurt!
The next day we danced again for an hour in the morning. Then we joined the Hiking Club from Countryside and hiked in the Tonto National Forest. It was a good hike along the Salt River. We had hoped to see some wild horses, but none were in view. After the hike, the group had a wiener roast...yum.
This afternoon Jose and I rode his motorcycle from Apache Junction to the little town of Tortilla Flat. The ride was very exciting, with a lot of curves and a couple single lane bridges.
We made several stops along the way - including the Superstition Museum and Goldfield Ghost Town. And of course, we stopped at the most popular - Tortilla Flat. One of the neat things here is that you can sit at the bar on a real saddle... check it out!
We soon realized that the scenery was so pretty we would have to come back with Jill and do the entire Apache Trail - read more about that adventure here! See you down the road.
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip and some RV shows:
Beaudry RV is a large RV dealer in the Southwest. They host these shows regularly for the benefit of their customers - free food and entertainment, vendor booths and the opportunity to look at marvelous new and used RVs that are for sale.
Here I am with Flat Sarina, "hamming" it up at the Western BBQ.
The other two shows were held in convention centers. The one in Las Vegas was a Sportsmen's Outdoor Show that included boats and ATVs along with RVs. The Phoenix show featured a lot of RVs, including a variety of toy haulers - really interesting to see all the latest floorplans.
Jill and Jose’ asked me to help man the booth they were working at. It was so exciting talking to all the people and telling them how a campground membership could be a valuable asset to them.
Hey, did I tell you what happened on the way to Tucson?
Well, our first adventure was on our trip through New Mexico where we experienced very high winds with gusts of up to 60 miles per hour. The winds were so high that it ripped one of our awnings. I had to help Jill and Jose secure the awning once we were able to find a safe place to stop. Thank you Wal-Mart for a safe haven for the night!
The next day, we were traveling in snow on our way to Tucson. I have never seen it snow in the desert. It was beautiful, although a bit unnerving to be driving in snow in the motorhome. Who would have figured we'd cross into Arizona in snow!
Once we got to Tucson, we stayed at Beaudry's RV Resort. A full service park, convenient to Tucson with an onsite Camping World.
The park has all paved roads, level sites, free WiFi. You have a choice of 50, 30, or 20 AMP service. Jose' tells me that 50 AMP service is really like 100 AMPS because there are 50 AMPS available on each of the two legs of the circuit.
Jill and Jose were able to enjoy the exercise room almost every day. I did not go since I am in such good shape. I have not gained or lost an ounce since I can't remember when.
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
Great news - we have a visitor for a few weeks. Flat Sarina has come all the way from Pennsylvania to spend a few weeks with me, Jose and Jill. We decided to show her some of the local cactus as one of her first sightseeing adventures.
We all went over to the Escapees Saguaro Coop in Benson Arizona so she could learn a little bit about desert plants and the RV lifestyle... (plus Jose and Jill wanted to go to the line dance class!).
You can read more about her visit with us. She kept right up on our fantastic hike in Chiricauhua National Monument in southern Arizona. I am really on a roll here. It wasn't that long ago we were hiking in El Paso, now the Chiricahuas...I am indeed Hiker Happy!
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
We finally we got out to do some hiking. On our way headed out of Texas, we made a stop in El Paso. We were lucky to have a friend who showed us around town, and got us out hiking! Yea! Finally!
We went hiking in Franklin Mountain State Park, the largest urban park in the nation. It is the southernmost tip of the Rockies. We started our climb off Transmountain Rd. at the "Smuggler's Pass" parking area on the east side of the pass.
El Paso is at an elevation of about 3700 feet. The mountain we climbed is shown on maps as 6700 feet. We climbed almost to the top, to a formation that is sometimes referred to as the "thumb", although we found it more fitting to call it the "elephant" or "mammoth".
In the Tom May's section of Franklin State Park, there is camping available and many different hikes and bike trails. The entrance to that part of the park is on the west side of the mountain.
Jose, Jill and I were all thrilled to be back climbing and enjoying ridge top views!
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
Did I mention that there were lots of deer at the Medina Lake RV Park? Well as you can see, they were quite friendly and stepped right up to greet us at our front door ...okay, so they may have been looking for a handout...
Whatever their motivation, we enjoyed their company.
We stayed at Medina Lake Thousand Trails Park while we were visiting San Antonio and the Hill Country of Texas. It is a large and very pretty park and we enjoyed our stay.
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
So here I am at the Alamo. With such a historical legacy, it seems a little weird to come upon this place right in the middle of downtown San Antonio. But of course back at the time, it was a much more isolated fortress.
We caught the ranger's talk about the history of the Alamo, and also a brief film and a number of interesting exhibits. We also visited some other San Antonio sights.
And we went to Bandera, which claims it is is the Cowboy Capital of the World. From my perspective, it definitely has that cowboy feel going on, and is a worthwhile stop on a Texas RV trip.
See you soon. Hike
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
So how do you think I'd look as a Country Music star? I thought I'd check it out over at the Country Music Museum and Hall of Fame. This museum was excellent...and part of our trip to Nashville. We have put together our thoughts on things to do and see in the Nashville area. And don't miss my picture over at the Wildhorse Saloon.
While we were on our RV trip in Tennessee, we also had a great time at Dollyworld and Pigeon Forge. And best of all...we finally got out for some great hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Read all about it.
Until later,
Hike
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
Hi. Here I am with "Iron Mike". He is a life-size bronze statue representing a young man of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). We met up with him over on Skyline Drive in Virginia. When “Iron Mike” was dedicated at Byrd Visitor Center in Shenandoah National Park on September 30, 2006, Virginia became the 32nd state to have a statue.
In our travels, we have seen a lot of the great work done by the CCC program proposed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. The program lasted for nine years. In Shenandoah National Park, the "CCC boys" landscaped Skyline Drive, planting hundreds of thousands of bushes and trees; built overlooks and picnic grounds; installed facilities and water/sewage systems; constructed campgrounds, buildings, and trails.
We took the Skyline Drive in the motorhome, a scenic drive along the ridge or the Blue Ridge Mountains. We stopped at the overlooks and learned about the Big Meadows, a surprising change of scenery amidst the forests.
We took this drive on our way to the Lynchburg Thousand Trails park, where we spent a week. While there, we spent a great day over at Monticello - well worth it!
I am loving the mountains and fall foliage this time of year.
Until later,
Hike
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
I am having a grand time in Pennsylvania. We have been spending time at the Hershey Thousand Trails Park, which is near Chocolate Town. And it really does smell like chocolate!
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The Louisiana State Memorial, completed in1966, is one of three southern state monuments designed and sculpted by Donald DeLue. It consists of a bronze statue of two figures. The first, a nine- foot long, reclining artilleryman represents a fallen member of the Washington Artillery of New Orleans, his chest covered with a Confederate battle flag. The second figure, a ten-foot tall female representing the "Spirit of the Confederacy", includes a dove of peace, and in her right hand held aloft is the flaming cannonball symbolic of ordnance and artillery.
The Virginia Memorial was the first of the southern states memorials to be placed at Gettysburg. Designed and sculpted by Frank Sievers, the equestrian statue of the south's great General Robert E. Lee ranks among the finest anywhere in the world. At the base of the monument are seven figures representing the diversity of the Army of Northern Virginia. The artillery bugler and the cavalry color bearer are both boys, a reminder that many who served on both sides were young. The other five represent individuals from many walks of life: a professional man, mechanic, an artist-turned-soldier, a businessman and a farmer.
The North Carolina Memorial honors twenty-three regiments, three cavalry regiments, three artillery batteries and one infantry battalion that participated in the battle. The statue was sculpted by Gutzon Borglum, whose works include the carving on Mt. Rushmore, and is considered one of the most artistic monuments on the field.
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
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I also saw the historic Bristol Fourth of July parade and great fireworks.
We've been enjoying the beaches, taking the motorcycle on country roads, and doing some pedaling on several very nice bike paths. We also did a few short hikes in the western part of the state. All in all, I've been getting a fair amount of exercise, to balance my summer consumption of ice cream and seafood. More on our Rhode Island RV trip here.
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
Did I mention that Jose bought a motorcycle? Well, he is quite pleased with it -- and as you can see, I got a chance to check it out myself. I think it might be a little big for me, but a guy can dream, right?
Anyway, Jose takes Jill and I out for a ride every now and again. It is a great way to see the sights. When we are in a travel mode, the motorcycle goes up on a lift that is attached to the back of the motorhome.
Until next time, Hike
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
Since I last checked in, we have been spending time in North Carolina. Jose and Jill have friends in three different places in this state: Pinehurst, Holden Beach and Havelock. I was happy to be along for these RV trip visits, even though we didn't do any hiking.
Instead, we enjoyed being guests, seeing the sights, doing a little golfing and enjoying the North Carolina coast. On our last stop, the friends had a variety of boats - so we had the chance to get out on the water. One day, we boated from Beaufort NC over to the beach at Cape Lookout Lighthouse. They even let me drive the boat for a while!
Another day, we went kayaking...what a blast!! I am trying to convince Jose and Jill to get some kayaks to carry along with us. They keep saying, "We'll see..."
I'm not holding my breath, but you can't blame a guy for trying...
More on our North Carolina RV travel
Until next time,
Hike
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
While we were in Hilton Head, we took a drive to see a little bit of Tybee Island and Savannah, Georgia. Our quick day trip was mostly just an exploratory visit, to check things out for future travels. We spent only a few hours in Savannah - it really deserves at least a day to do the walking tour or take one of the narrated tour trolleys and explore the shops and restaurants along the pretty waterfront.
Tybee Island is located 18 miles east of Savannah. It is a small barrier island with a wide 3-mile long beach, with a pier and pavilion at its south end. In addition to the laid-back beach scene, Tybee also offers Fort Screven and the Tybee Island Lighthose (circa 1773) for sightseeing. Fort Pulaski is just west of the island on Highway 80.
We enjoyed a seafood platter, low-country boil style, at the Crab Shack restaurant. It included shrimp, crab, crawfish, mussels, sausage, potatoes and corn.
And I had a chance to pose with some of the colorful turtles that are part of a townwide collection of artwork on display.
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
I know I have been remiss in my blogging...but here is an update to my RV trip with Jose and Jill. When I last wrote we were in Florida visiting Jose's mom and getting some RV service work done. Well, we left Florida in early March and headed off to a couple rallies.
First was the Country Coach East Coast Reunion/Pre-rally. It was held in Jekyll Island, Georgia... and we had a front row parking spot overlooking the ocean. This event included delicious meals and entertainment for four nights (Prince Pele's Polynesian review, the Gurl and Girl Variety show, Swinging Medallions sock hop and Tommy Cash's tribute to Johnny Cash). Plus there were seminars and some vendors and a bunch of new coaches on display. Jose and Jill played golf one day in a "scramble", where each group plays the best ball. Another day, Jose won the Texas Hold-Em poker game.
We enjoyed the pretty community of Jekyll Island and took a drive over to St Simon Island too. On St. Simon, we toured the remains of Fort Frederica, had some excellent crabcakes and she-crab soup at Barbara Jean's restaurant and did some shopping in town.
Then we were off to Perry Georgia for the FMCA Convention. This was the first time Jill and Jose attended the Perry convention and it seems they picked the right year to go. The weather was perfect (compared to some past years when there was a lot of rain). There were a lot of great seminars here, plus an early morning exercise class, a ton of display coaches and vendors.
The fee to attend the rally is quite reasonable (about $100) , but Jose remarked that it always seems to be a lot more expensive since he ends up buying some new "necessity" for the coach. This time around it was an upgraded Smart Tire system, which monitors the temperature and pressure of all the tires on the coach and the tow car.
Shopping temptations aside, we had a grand time. The evening entertainment included line/square dancing, a sock hop, the talented Lowe family, the fascinating Zyngara New World Cirque and the Oak Ridge Boys. As part of the daytime entertainment we saw the Perry High School and Middle School bands, some cloggers and a couple FMCA traditions - Flakey the clown and the Frustrated Maestro's. All in all, there was more to do and see than we could fit in! Oh well, there's always next time....
we always have a great time at the FMCA rallies!
After these rally days spent dry camping, we are now treating ourselves to a little RV trip luxury at the Hilton Head Motorcoach Resort. Here we are enjoying a beautiful full hook-up site with 50-amp service, in a lovely park that is associated with the Outdoor Resort network.
The weather continues to cooperatefor this leg of our RV trip. Yesterday we did some bicycling and ate some excellent seafood at the Sea Shack, a little "paper plate" sort of place that has clients lined up to place their order.
Today we spent a relaxing day at the beach and then sampled chicken wings at the Wing Fest, where local restaurants compete to garner the "best wings" award.
No complaints here!
Hike
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
Hi Ya'll,
Just wanted to let you know that I reached Florida in good order. I was delivered to a nice retirement community in Florida where Mama Rosa and Charlie the Chihuahua live. Rosa was nice enough to let me stay with her until Jill and Jose' were able to pick me up. Charlie is full of energy, he likes to play and run around. When he first sees you he goes nuts, runs around in circles and jumps all over you.
While I was with Rosa, she took me to dinner at the dining room -- you get to eat as much as you want and get as many desserts as you want. I'm sure glad Jill and Jose came to pick me up the next day... or my diet would have been a wreck.
Rosa also she took me on a walk around the place and I got to see the lake, the dock and the swimming pool. At the edge of the lake, near the docks, there was a sign warning about gators. I took Rosa's hand, stayed close to her, and was ready to protect her against any of those scary gators.
The place is so huge it took quite a while to walk all they way around. That walk reminded me of how little exercise I've had in a while. I can't wait to hit the trail again, once Jill and Jose' get on the road.
Jill tells me that all the places we will be staying at in Florida have swimming pools so until then, I guess I'll just have to take in the Florida sunshine and swim a few extra laps at the pool.
We are going to be in Florida for several months - partly to get some RV service work done, and partly to visit with Rosa. I plan on enjoying my time here.
MORE - I created a whole separate page about my Florida adventures: Hiker Happy's Florida RV Trip:
Later, Hike
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
Well, back in Louisiana at the Shiloh RV Travel Resort - headquarters of
Happy Campers.
They really needed my help for the holidays and for a special project for Escapees CARE program. So it was time to take a reprieve from my RV trip travels - but don't worry, I'll be back - stay tuned with RV Days!
Jose and Jill asked me what I liked best about my RV trip with them. I told them that the best part was that every day was a new adventure. One day you might be hiking a mountain in solitude, another day is spent in a major city. Things can go like clockwork, or not so great (like the day the motorhome was towed!). Sunny hot desert one week, cool forests the next. From famous places like the National Parks and Branson, to relaxing times in small towns and friendly campgrounds. The variety is great. The one constant of my RV trip is that people are so nice everywhere. I couldn't pick a favorite time or place. Be sure to read about all of my travels below - and keep Smiling!
Hike
Hiker Happy, reporting on my RV Trip:
I guess I need to catch you up on my RV trip since our New Mexico adventures. After the Balloon Fiesta, we crossed Texas and Oklahoma. We made a stop in Amarillo. Then we visited some pals of Jose and Jill who live outside of St. Louis.
And then we were off to Branson, where I got some neat pictures, saw a bunch of shows and even got to see Roy Rogers, Jr.
Then we had a nice time in the Ozarks near Shirley, Arkansas at the Golden Pond RV Park. We got to see some square dancing (there was a square dancing club staying at the park) and took advantage of the free WiFi at this
Happy Camper park.
Then we were off to Hot Springs. Here is a picture of me enjoying the pleasures of "taking the baths"!!
Read all about things to do in Hot Springs.
We are glad we timed our RV trip so that we caught some nice autumn days and fall foliage. Gotta run, there are only so many days left to crunch those leaves while I am hiking!
Read more about my RV trip travels below.
Until next time,
Hike
Hiker Happy in New Mexico: After a shaky start with motorhome repairs, we journeyed down historic Route 66 from Gallup to Acoma Pueblo to Albuquerque. Hiking on Sandia Crest... and more on our RV trip.
Hiker Happy in Colorado: Grand Junction proved to be a convenient place to shop. Then we were off to Montrose and the "mushroom hike", Gunnison, Black Canyon, Telluride, Mesa Verde and more in our Colorado RV trip.
Hiker Happy in Utah:
Arches and Canyonlands National Parks were the first places we visited on our RV trip, back when Hike first arrived at our place in Moab, Utah.
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