RV Adventures

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

/ marniesteve / 1 Comment

We’re on the road again and our first destination was California’s Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. It’s two parks for one on this leg of the trip as the parks are jointly managed by the National Park Service.

On the way we stopped for a night at Yermo, California’s Peggy Sue’s Diner, where we parked for free. Well, it’s not entirely free. We did buy dinner and strolled the grounds of this funky place.

Steve is living out his trucker fantasy by stopping at truck stops to fill up with diesel using our TDS Fleet card. The card allows us to get a fleet discount on gas and we get to fill up at the trucker’s pumps. We’ve even used the CAT scale to weigh our rig. It’s a new world for us.
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After two solid days of driving through the hot, June desert we made it to our camp for the next three days. We made the Sequoia Resort in Badger our home base and enjoyed the close access to the national parks.

On our first full day in the area we explored Kings Canyon National Park. Using a very cool app called Just Ahead, we listened to interesting narration as we drove the 30 mile Kings Canyon Scenic Byway past giant sequoias, sweeping vistas, and roaring rivers all the way to Roads End. Along the way we stopped at the General Grant Grove to catch our first up close look at the incredible sequoias.

Further down the road we soaked in the sweeping views of one of the deepest canyons in the U.S.

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Before reaching Roads End we stopped for lunch at Grizzly Falls and the dogs enjoyed exploring the banks of the South Fork of the Kings River.

On our second day we explored the highlights of Sequoia National Park, which is adjacent to Kings Canyon but has a separate entrance. We hit all of the highlights…

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The General Sherman Tree is the world’s largest tree, measured by volume. It stands 275 feet tall, and is over 36 feet in diameter at the base. Sixty feet above the base, the Sherman Tree is 17.5 feet in diameter.

We did the easy walk through Big Trees Meadow, following along with the great interpretive signs. Here we learned how these giants grow so big and can live up to 2700 years.

While in Sequoia NP you can’t miss the Tunnel Log, which allows you to drive through a carved out sequoia.

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We skipped climbing the iconic Moro Rock on account of my still tender foot, but Steve did a little hike and got a great panoramic shot of the famous landmark.

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One of our favorite photos from the day was this shot of the root ball of a downed sequoia.  It almost looks like abstract art, huh?

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We could have spent many days in this area if hiking were on the agenda. It just means we need to return to continue to explore one of America’s oldest National Parks.  Here are more photos of our short time in this beautiful place.

On the Road with our Grand Design

/ marniesteve / 2 Comments

The past few months have been a challenge for everyone. For us, being forced to abandon our travel plans and come home due to the coronavirus was disappointing. We know, however, that we are supremely lucky to have such minuscule problems. We are also overly grateful to have been able to use this time to 1) fix my foot and 2) shop for and buy a new home away from home.  Our next adventure begins now.

When we bought our trailer last year we really liked it and thought it was just what we needed.  It didn’t take long, however, to find out that we just needed more space. And, since we are planning to travel for months at a time, a little more elbow room was really appealing.  So, without further ado, meet our new fifth-wheel…a Grand Design Reflection 150 295RL!IMG_8047

The trailer has a lot of the same features we had before including a fireplace, TV, recliners, and separate bath. And then it has more…a convection microwave, a kitchen island, auto leveling, and a huge pantry! We know this is a bit “over the top” but we justified it by planning months-long trips over the next years.

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Here’s a gallery of photos to give you an idea of the extravagance we’ve just gotten into.

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So what’s next? Well, we’re headed to the northern California coast and then north to Oregon.  We plan to spend July in Oregon and August in Washington State. From there we aren’t sure where we’ll head. Our goal is to socially distance, use the bath and kitchen in our rig, and get a lot of fresh air.

And the foot? It’s all good news. The doctor cleared me to slowly begin transitioning out of the boot. I’ll wear it when I’m up and active but can walk around the house without it.  Continuing physical therapy on my own, I’m supposed to return to the see the doctor in September/October.  That will likely determine our travel plans.

So, we’re off! We hope you’ll follow along with the blog and our Track My Tour map. As always, we love your comments.

Six Weeks Already?

/ marniesteve / 1 Comment

Tomorrow I’ll visit my doctor for my 6-week check up and hopefully be cleared to begin transitioning out of the boot. I can’t believe it’s already been six weeks since my lapiplasty surgery!

So how’s it been going? I think the best way to describe it is…slow. While the six weeks have seemed to fly by, the days have sometimes been long and difficult. Little by little, however, my incision has turned into a pretty good looking scar and the bruising on my toes has faded. All good signs, right?

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In the past few weeks I’ve focused on going to physical therapy twice a week and doing my exercises faithfully. We’ve been working on range of motion and strengthening of my foot while being careful not to interfere with the healing process. Some days I have quite a bit of pain on the top of my foot near the incision, but hopefully that’s normal nerve pain that will eventually disappear. There’s still some numbness here and there but it seems to be lessening with time. All of these sensations and daily variations have been fascinating and encourage me to follow the doctor’s orders to remain non-weight bearing and focus on PT, elevation, and ice. And, I’m trying to pace myself and not run around too much, which is a real challenge! Oh, and I got a pedicure (which makes everything better 🙂 )

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We also took in a new family member during this “down time.” My sister Mickie had been keeping my father’s two dogs since Dad passed away last year. Sadly, last month she had to put down Bebe which left her with Bobby. We had lost our Nica last year and were looking to add to our little family. Gratefully Mickie allowed us to take Bobby into our home. We are happy to once again be a family of four. Bobby seems to be settling in and is a real hit around our dog-centric neighborhood. Even Mia is getting used to him!

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We also celebrated my birthday with a family dinner. Having Mickie and Jay over was a real treat and the red velvet cake, decorated lovingly by my sister, was a nice touch.

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With lots of time on the couch while healing we’ve had time to dream about our next adventures. And, if you know us, you know we don’t dream too much without action. During this time of isolation and recuperation we began to assess our needs for a bigger RV for our future explorations. After a number of stops to “just look” at our local RV dealer we’ve settled on a new home on wheels! Here’s a sneak peak.

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If the doctor approves my transition out of the boot and the stars align with the delivery of the new unit, we should be back on the road by next week. We are searching for remote areas, which will allow us to enjoy the great outdoors while social distancing. Our larger rig will also allow us to be even more fully self-contained, meaning we won’t need to use public restrooms or restaurants along the way.  Stay tuned for the big reveal and a complete look at the new RV in the coming days!