California Bound

White Sands National Monument

In March 2018 we loaded up our new Winnebago Travato van and headed west. We decided to travel on I10 and didn’t make any reservations. 
 
The van was wonderful and it was so easy to stop for the night or stop and visit a museum such as the USS Kidd in Baton Rouge LA.  We had a “first for us” overnight at a casino in CA, a Holiday Inn parking lot in TX and of course many Cracker Barrel’s along the way We learned to boondock in the forest for free or as little as $5.00 with our senior card.
 
We made it through Texas and into New Mexico and stopped at White Sands National Monument. It was amazing and free with our senior pass. 
 
We reached Tucson AZ and spent a few days with Mike’s school friend, Seth, camping on his driveway. Now it’s on to Quartzsite AZ.
 
We made it through Los Angeles and reached the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Coast Highway and views of the ocean were beautiful. We were able to camp directly on the beach and feel the ocean breeze.
 
We decided to take I40 out of California and headed to Flagstaff Arizona. We visited the Walnut Canyon National Monument and camped for free on a forest road just outside of the park. Then it was on to Tasayan AZ to see the Grand Canyon. Words cannot describe the feeling when you first see the beauty and depth of the Grand Canyon. 
 
The scenery and mountains were so beautiful and we’ll never forget the red rocks of Sedona. We boondocked in the Coconino National Forest on Red Canyon Road BLM land. On to Winslow AZ to “Stand on the Corner” and followed Route 66 along I40. We drove through the Painted Desert National Park and were speechless. The colors were magnificent. We saw a few weird sites on Route 66 and enjoyed lunch at the Road Kill Cafe in Seligman, AZ  
 
We traveled back through New Mexico and made a wonderful stop in Albuquerque to have lunch with Mike’s niece, Sara, and her sweet family. We passed through Amarillo TX and on to Oklahoma and Arkansas. It was nice to see the green trees in Arkansas. 
 
The weather began to get a little rough in Arkansas and a huge storm was heading our way so we decided to head down to I20 and made our way home. What a wonderful trip.  We traveled a little over 6000 miles and visited 9 different states. 

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