Day 8 Historic Route 66

I think I slept for about 11 hours last night! It was amazing! We hit the road at 8 AM and 44 degrees and breezy. It warmed up to the mid 70s but stayed refreshing most of the day. We drove north to Flagstaff, where we got gas, used the bathrooms, dumped our gray water, washed the van, and vacuumed it out all in one stop!

Then we drove 40W and eventually got on historic Route 66 at the very quaint and touristy town of Seligman AZ. Here, we walked the streets enjoying the nostalgia and sharing a large vanilla milkshake.

Then we continued on Route 66 to Peach Springs and the Grand Canyon Cavern Inn where we checked in to the Havasupai office and got our passes for our upcoming 4-day, 3-night backpacking trip to Havasu Falls on the Havasupai Indian Reservation. 

Day 7 Sedona

We went to bed early last night and had a fairly quiet night on Schnebly Hill Road in the Coconino National Forest. Wake-up call at 6:30 so we could drive to Sedona and the trailhead for our hike. 

The Boynton Canyon trailhead parking was already full so we had to park on the side of the road about a tenth of a mile away. Here, Jessica made us some delicious pancakes for breakfast with our homemade maple syrup, we washed up and slathered on some sunscreen, and filled our day packs. We didn’t begin on the trail itself until 8:30 AM. It was not too hot and the trail was part shade anyway but we fifty-somethings struggled nonetheless. My blood pressure has been up and down and hard to control lately which made me feel like I had to pass out. Jessica was bothered by the hike too and felt a little sick to her stomach. The first mile and a half parallels the road and you can see the roofs and backyards of residential buildings. About 2 miles in there is a junction and you would continue straight to the mystical vortex or turn right as we did to go to the Subway Cave. The trail rose steeply here gaining most of the 727 ft of elevation change in this last section. About a mile on, you come to a giant slot in the red rocks known as Subway Cave. You can either climb straight up the steep and slippery middle or…

you could go left up the rock scramble to an alcove high above. From this alcove to the left lay some Indian ruins and to the right you go around a corner with a steep drop off to enter the back of subway Cave.

The view from the back of the cave looking out is incredible. It looks as if you are standing inside a keyhole. This is me on the right as viewed from the back of the cave.

We then retraced our steps back down to the van. Four hours total and about 6 miles. We were beat by the end. Late lunch at Nick’s on the West Side before doing some shopping. Then we drove to the Chapel of the Holy Cross which is built right into the rocks and has commanding views out its glass windows behind an amazing statue of Jesus on the cross. 

Lastly, we met up with some of Jessica’s Project Athena friends who were finishing up an adventure before finding a boondocking site on Schnebly Hill Road in the Coconino National Forest. And then there was a little mishap with the pee jug. Enough said!

Day 6 Traversing New Mexico

We left camp by 7:30 and drove across the state of New Mexico from east to west and then into Arizona. Our first stop in the morning was in Santa Fe. There, we walked by the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi and into the main plaza where the La Fonda Hotel resides. Here we got some breakfast at a delicious French creperie before checking out the lavish hotel. Then we joined the crowds in the plaza to see the finish of a Girls on the Run 5k race. 

After leaving Santa Fe, we headed west to Albuquerque and Perroglyph National Monument. Here, we hiked one of its three canyons—the Boca Negra Canyon for about 3/4 mile in 82 degree heat to see a large number of petroglyphs that are 400-700 years old carved into the black lava rocks located here. 

Along Rt 40W we saw some more pronghorn and many long trains that seemed to stretch on for at least half a mile each.

We stopped in Flagstaff at the REI where I used my gift certificate from the chem department retirement luncheon to purchase a low temperature lightweight backpacking sleeping bag for next week’s adventure. Then we drove to the Coconino National Forest near Sedona and boondocked on the famous Schnebly Hill Road. 

Day 5 Taos

Another early day up at 7 and on the road by 7:40 AM. We drove west into New Mexico and stopped just outside the town of Cimarron on the Santa Fe Trail at the Philmont Boy Scout Ranch. Here, they have a small museum, library, mess hall, camping area, and trading post. Along the drive we saw pronghorn antelope and prairie dogs.

After a stop in Eagles Nest for lunch, we finally arrived at the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Taos NM. Here we had a Native American whose parents both live here give us a tour. Highlights included the St Jerome Church built in 1850 on its present site. The original church and cemetery date from 1619 and was destroyed in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 in an effort to remove the Spanish from the area. 

The North House is a five story adobe pueblo. About 15 families still live in the Pueblo community. The structures must be replastered twice a year. The Red Willow Creek flows through the plaza and is used for their drinking water. They bake breads in small rounded structures called hornos. They speak the Tiwa language which is so sacred there is no written form of it. It is passed down orally from one generation to the next. 

We then drove south to Santa Fe and camped in the National Forest. 

Day 4 Boondocking Paradise at Lake Meredith NRA

Another long ass drive today starting at 6:30 AM in Hot Springs AR across Arkansas and Oklahoma and into the Texas panhandle 583 miles (ten hours almost non-stop) to this beautiful campsite on Lake Meredith just north of Amarillo TX. There were some severe thunderstorms in the South but we managed to stay just ahead of them and only had some mild rain in the morning on our drive. 

We are camped at the Sanford Yakes campground in Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. There are many campgrounds around the lake and most sites are free and first come first serve. Our site is in a loop of about 50 campsites and maybe a quarter of them are occupied. Flat open site with two picnic tables, trash cans, charcoal grill, and fire ring plus a sunshade. The loop has a dumpster and four unisex hot showers at ther bathrooms as well as water and a nearby dump station. Two bars Verizon service. Absolutely beautiful free site! Totally worth the drive. Found it on YouTube! 

Not a bad sunset either! 

Day 3 A Hot One in Hot Springs

We had a quiet night at the Hendersonville TN Cracker Barrel and supported them letting us stay overnight by getting breakfast there. Then it was a 7 hr drive across Tennessee and south into Arkansas to Hot Springs national park. It was 87 degrees when we arrived at 3 PM. 

We walked along Central Avenue and admired the old bath houses in this spa town, returning on the Grand Promenade behind the bath houses to the central spring with its very hot water! 

After getting our campsite at the Gulpha Gorge campground in the national park, I decided to hike the steep trail to Goat Rock for some views. Then I took a dip in the Gulpha Creek after returning to camp to cool off. It sure was a hot one today! 

Day 2 A Long Drive and a Long Awaited Reunion

We woke up at 5:30 AM to rain on the roof of the van. We always love that sound while lying in bed. After breakfast and washing up, we used the campground bathrooms and dump station and continued driving south down Skyline Drive to the southern terminus at Rockfish Gap VA. It was rainy and foggy and deer were everywhere along the roadsides. We then took 64W and 81S through Virginia and stopped for some gas. Just recently, after hearing about gas siphoning at one of the destinations we plan to go to on this trip, we purchased and installed a locking gas cap. Well, we could unlock it but we couldn’t get it off! It had us baffled and panicked for about 5-10 min before I finally got it loose. Mi or catastrophe avoided and back to the original unlockable has cap! Continuing onward we stopped for a nice salad lunch at the Tennessee welcome center. 

We had previously made plans to have dinner with friends at 4:30 north of Nashville but now they texted that thunderstorms were in the forecast. Having had tornadoes last weekend in he area, they weee concerned for our safety and told us to stay put. But we looked at the forecast and radar and decided to keep driving. So we then made plans to meet another friend in Nashville instead at 7-ish. We drove across TN on 40W and listened to the Phillies game on my iPhone to kill the time. Turns out our other friend had to work late and could not meet us but now that the storms had passed our original plans with the first group of friends were back on! 576 miles and about 10 hrs of driving and we pulled into the cafe 15 min before our 4:30 set time.

So the people we met for dinner were old friends we first met in 2013? While cruising. Waiting to board the ship I noticed a woman with a guitar case and asked if she was performing on board the ship. Turns out she was not but her daughter was the star singer in the cruise. So we hung out with them on that cruise and became Facebook friends afterwards. Then in 2015 my dad and I booked a Panama Canal cruise with the daughter singer on board.she is now pictured here with her parents and her two kids. So that was the highlight of our day catching up with these old friends who we only met briefly a decade ago. Then we Crackerdocked overnight at a nearby Cracker Barrel north of Nashville, rain beating down on the metal roof of our van. Ah, vanlife at its finest!

 

Day 1 Shenandoah NP

 Only two days after Brian’s retirement as a college professor, Vanna White the conversion van is off on a 6-8 week trip across the country and into Canada. We started out this morning at 7:20 am in PA and drove three hours south to Front Royal VA and the northern entrance to Skyline Drive in Shenandoah national park. Stopping at many of the overlooks on the ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, we stopped for lunch at Elkwallow picnic area near Skylab’s, the highest point in the parkway. Then we did a 1.7 mile round trip hike to Hawksbill Overlook, breaking our legs in on this trip for the first time (750 ft steep elevation gain). Continuing south we camped at Loft Mountain near mile 80 of skyline Drive. We cooked some tin foil meals over charcoal and had a campfire on a rather cool night. It was a beautiful day. We saw a bear cub and several deer. Good start to the vacation!