Highlights from Five Months on the Road

February 29, 2024 / marniesteve / Leave a comment

We are about to arrive home after a five month road trip that has taken us over 10,000 miles through 14 states. There have been highs and some lows (thanks, COVID), and we continue to focus on the highs and the tremendous opportunity we have to explore our country while towing our home behind us.

Camping in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Canyon, Texas

When we travel towards home, we always reflect on our journey and discuss our personal highlights. Here’s what we came up with this time around. Details about each can be found in earlier blog posts and we’ve linked to those where possible.

Marnie’s highlights

Kentucky’s Horse Experiences – From a semi-private, backstretch tour of Churchill Downs to meeting some of the world’s most famous (and expensive) stallions at Claiborne Farms, our time in and around Louisville and Lexington was unforgettable.

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta – Attending the world famous event is a bucket list experience for most RVers. From early morning launches of hundreds of balloons to evening glows, we took it all in from every angle.

Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour Movie with Brynn and other kid activities – Spending time with our nieces and nephews is always fun. We went to soccer games, basketball games, tumbling practice, to the golf course, Top Golf, and the shopping mall. Thanks to Lydia, Nate, Brynn, and Hudson for letting us hang out! The most memorable for me was seeing Taylor Swift’s concert movie with Brynn and sharing the excitement with her.

Steve’s highlights

Kayaking Fishing in the Florida Keys – Most mornings while we were in the Keys, Steve took his fishing kayak out around the bridges of the Overseas Highway. On most mornings he’d snag (and release) at least a dozen or more fish. Being on the open water, under the sunshine is a paradise for him.

Completing Four More Marathons – Races often determine our itinerary. This year we spent the fall passing through Indianapolis, Louisville, Huntsville, and Jackson to explore each city and for Steve to run 26.2 miles. Including this trip’s races he has now completed a marathon in 34 states and 44 total marathons. Races are always a highlight!

Bourbon Tasting – The first thing we did when we got into Kentucky was to buy the Bourbon Trail Passport book and begin to check the distilleries off page by page. We visited 15 distilleries and tasted at least four bourbons at each facility. You do the math. Steve says his favorite bourbon is the one in his hand!

A five-month trip, of course, has many memorable moments. The big events and the little moments all make this lifestyle so rewarding. Between seeing great RV friends in Tampa, discovering wonderful restaurants in the Keys, watching sunset over Mobile Bay, and visiting with family, this has been a great journey.

We’ve been RVing almost full time for almost four years. A lot people ask us about the details of our travels. Just for fun, here are some stats about this winter’s cross-country adventure.

Nights in the RV: 153

Nights parked in the family’s driveways: 10 (thanks Brian, Heidi, Gary, and Kristy!)

Number of KOA campgrounds visited: 6
(Grants, NM; Nashville, TN; Orlando, FL; Sugarloaf Key, FL; St. Petersburg/Madiera Beach, FL; Shreveport/Bossier City, LA)

Number of Harvest Host overnights: 6
(Fireside Winery, Marengo, IA; Epiphany Farms, Downs, IL; Corbin Farms Winery, Calera, AL; Lane Southern Orchards, Fort Valley, GA, NRS Ranch, Decatur, TX; Sierra Blanca Brewing Co., Moriarity, NM)

Nights camping on a landfill: 7 (during the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta)

Number of state parks visited: 10
(My Old Kentucky Home, Bardstown, KY; Gulf State Park, Gulf Shores, AL; Paynes Prairie Preserve, Micanopy, FL; Jonathan Dickinson, Jupiter, FL; John Pennekamp Coral Reef, Key Largo, FL; Little Manatee River, Wimauma, FL; Fort Desoto, Tierra Verde, FL; Meaher, Mobile, AL; Palo Duro Canyon, Canyon, TX; Homolovi, Winslow, AZ)

Number of books read by Marnie: 24 (favorite titles include Between Two Kingdoms by Sulieka Jaouad, Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult, Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe, America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray, and Horse by Geraldine Brooks)

The first photo in this post is from our stop at Palo Duro Canyon, where we stopped on our way home. Here’s roughly the same photo from the next morning. We experienced ash and smoke in Amarillo two days ago from the massive Texas fires. Now it’s snowing just 30 miles south of Amarillo. RV travel never ceases to surprie!

We’ll be at home in Arizona for awhile to repair, refresh, and renew ourselves and the RV. Stay tuned as we have some pretty incredible travel plans ahead.

Going to the Dogs in Anchorage

June 24, 2022June 24, 2022 / marniesteve / Leave a comment

We just spent a week in and around the Anchorage area as part of our Alaska summer fun. There’s a lot to do here! Besides haircuts for all of us, several trips to Costco, and some down time, we had some big fun.

We spent one weekend camping at the Alaska Raceway Park in Palmer. The racetrack is part of the Harvest Host program which allowed us to camp right in the pits so we could enjoy a full weekend of racing.

With our trackside campsite we were able to watch the cars line up to enter the oval, freely walk through the pits, and make friends along the way. On Sunday we watched the drag races from all angles. This was a unique experience — another great Harvest Host stay in a beautiful setting.

Nearby is a MuskOx Farm, a non-profit that is dedicated to the domestication of these arctic creatures and the production of qiviut, the extra warm, luxury wool that comes from the muskox. We enjoyed our tour where we met the muskox and learned about their lives. They’re cute, huh?

In Anchorage we biked the coastal trail, took in the scenery, and picked up our dear friend Sam up at the airport. Sam will be with us for the next six weeks as we explore Alaska’s coastal and mountain areas.

The big excursion this week, however, was our glacier dog-sledding adventure outside of Girdwood. We boarded a four-seat helicopter and took a short but scenic flight to the Punchbowl Glacier.

Once we landed, we were introduced to Mitch Seavey’s kennel of champion sled dogs. The Seavey name is synonymous with the Iditarod, having won the legendary race numerous times.

We learned about the race and the grueling conditions dogs and drivers endure to reach the finish line. In fact, one of the guides at Dog Camp raced this year but broke his ankle with just three days to go. He had some great stories about life on the trail!

Once our team of eight dogs were hooked up to the sled, we were off! The dogs were smaller than we expected at about 40-50 pounds each. It was incredible how much power these small but mighty animals could generate. We traveled at about eight miles per hour, which is about how fast the racers go as well.

Sledding around on a massive glacier, well removed from civilization, with only dogs and their handlers to guide us, was a surreal experience. Occasionally we’d stop along the way and take in the views. We had a beautifully warm day with crystal clear skies, which just made the day even more special.

We finished our time at Dog Camp with the puppies! Three future sled dogs enthusiastically greeted us and were ready to play (and chew on whatever they could find!) We wondered if a puppy was included in our fare, but unfortunately they had to stay atop the glacier.

Before we knew it the helicopter returned, and it was time to fly back down the glacier to the Girdwood airport. Again, the scenic beauty was overwhelming. Needless to say we’d highly recommend this unique adventure.

Steve continues to snap shots of the beautiful flowers that have sprouted up everywhere in the past few weeks. Summer is certainly here, as evidenced by the very long daylight hours. With over 19 hours of light, and unseasonable warm days, everything is growing like crazy.

Another reason we were in Anchorage at this time was for Steve to rack up another marathon in another state. He completed the Anchorage Mayor’s Marathon in just over four hours and placed second in his age group. This race in Alaska is his 26th state in his quest to hit all 50.

We finished our time in Anchorage with a wonderful dinner at the home of our friends TJ and Jon. It had been a few years since I’d seen them, and it was great to catch up! Thanks TJ and Jon (and Jon’s Mom Peggy) for an incredible evening!

As always, we are grateful for the opportunity to travel to these special places with special people and we love sharing it with you! Your comments are much appreciated.

Heading North

May 8, 2022 / marniesteve / 1 Comment

Our summer adventures have begun, and we’re looking forward to sharing them with you. After about a month at home in Prescott we are ready to roll again.

Soon we’ll be crossing the Canadian border with our dear friends Russ and Susan Shoemaker. Together we’ll set out to see Banff and Jasper National Parks in the Canadian Rockies before hitting the Alaska-Canada (ALCAN) Highway. We’ve been planning this trip for over two years. We were booked and ready to go when the pandemic hit in 2020. Now that the Canadian border is open for recreational travel, we’re finally on our way. We hope you’ll follow along!

On our way north we used our Harvest Hosts membership to spend the night at two fun locations. First we stopped at Rowley’s Red Barn in Santaquin, UT. At the base of the Wasatch, it’s a beautiful location, even in the rain.

Next we stopped in Pocatello, ID at the Museum of Clean. It was a clean, level place to park for the night and we enjoyed the four-level museum that’s chock full of everything related to being clean.

One floor is filled with vacuum cleaners that date all the way back to the 1800s. We also enjoyed the nearby Pontneuf Brewery, which was within walking distance of the museum.

We met up with the Shoemakers in Butte and spent two nights in the old mining town. Our big activity was a visit and tour of the World Museum of Mining.

Our underground tour of the Orphan Girl Mine helped us understand the process of mining over the years and how it impacted, and continues, to impact the Butte area.

The city of Butte really reflects its history in the landscape. We drove around a bit and took in the sights.

Soon we’ll begin our trek across three Canadian Provinces and through some of the most remote territory we’ve ever explored. Stay tuned…it’s going to be good!

Marnie and Steve Travel

We're retired! Let's go!

Harvest Host

Highlights from Five Months on the Road

Going to the Dogs in Anchorage

Heading North