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Our Cross Country Trip
  • Our Cross Country Trip

Our Cross Country Trip

A 50-day adventure by Our Cross Country Trip Read more
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  • Trip start
    June 25, 2017
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    And we're off... (Newport, Vt)

    June 24, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    At 5:30 a.m. we officially began our cross country trip. Our first stop was in Rouses Point, NY to see our good friends Sonya, Norman, Kayla and Peyton Lague. The look on their faces when we pulled into their driveway was priceless. We certainly surprised them like we had hoped. After coffee, the Lague family gave us a warm send off and we headed for our first official stop...Niagara Falls, NY. We enjoyed seeing the falls from the various lookouts. After the falls, we decided to travel a little further so, we spent the night in a truck stop outside of Buffalo, NY so we'd be ready for an early start the next morning for Nashville, Tennessee.Read more

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    Next stop....Nashville, Tennessee

    June 25, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Today was a long travel day. We made it to Nashville Tennessee and were able to spend the evening at the KOA campground with our niece Morgan Pare and her boyfriend. Although it was only a few hours, it was so nice to see her and to spend some time together. They gave us some places to explore tomorrow before we continue on to St. Louis.Read more

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    Exploring Nashville

    June 26, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We decided to spend an extra day in Nashville at the KOA campground. They had a shuttle that took us downtown to where the "action" was and we had a great time. We did a backstage tour of the Ryman Auditorium, home of the "Grand Ole Opry". It was a great tour with a tour guide who had story after story. We have a new appreciation for the country music legends. We enjoyed walking on Broadway St. going into the bars and listening to some great talent...those who are trying to "make it" here in Nashville I suppose. We especially liked the Jimmy Buffet Margarita Ville bar. They had a great female singer. We also enjoyed the famous "Tootsies". This has a back alley entrance from the Ryman Auditorium where performers would slip out to while waiting to go on stage. The story goes that several never made it back to the Ryman to perform. We had dinner at Pucketts, a recommendation by the campground staff as well as Betsy. We met some nice people and enjoyed the southern ribs.Read more

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    Betsy and Lydia (St. Louis, Missouri)

    June 27, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Our first inconvenience has happened....leaky shower. So before leaving Nashville today Robert first had to fix the shower drain in the RV. Thankfully there was an RV store next to the campground so we could get parts. We left Nashville and traveled to St. Louis to spend the evening with Betsy and Lydia. We missed Buck who was away on a business trip though we enjoyed a conference call with him. It was great to see Betsy and Lydia again as it's been several years.Read more

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    Our day with Ashley (Kansas)

    June 28, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today was a windy travel day to Junction City Kansas to visit our niece and great nieces, Ashley, Rita and Ruby (Pare) Rice. (Ashley's husband Steven is currently deployed in Romania.) This was our first time meeting Ruby and we hadn't seen 4 year old Rita in over 2 years. They loved playing with their Mon Oncle even though they had a tough time keep all of the French terms straight. Everyone is a pepere or a memere in their world. The girls had a blast spraying their Mon Oncle with their water guns as he was trying to grill dinner. It's going to be tough saying good-bye to them in the morning.Read more

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    Colorado bound

    June 29, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We said good bye to Ashley and the girls this morning and then drove to Fraser, Colorado to spend the next few days with Meghan and Randy. The landscape was so varied on this drive. Kansas was flat, farm fields were in abundance with lots of wind towers. Then the majestic Rocky Mountains popped up in front of us in all of their beauty. The are simply spectacular though I will admit, I'm not a fan of traveling over the Berthoud Pass in an RV. The views are outstanding but the hairpin turns were not my idea of a fun time. Robert had to remind me to breathe. It's off to Rocky Mountain National Park tomorrow. We're hoping to see lots of wildlife.Read more

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    Rocky Mountain National Park

    June 30, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    Today we went to Rocky Mountain National Park with Meghan. Though I was not fond of the steep narrow road, (thank goodness we were in Meghan's car and not the RV) and I had to close my eyes a couple of times, this has to be some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. The views were simply amazing. My pictures do not do it justice. We entered the park by the west, Grand Lake entrance and drove on the Trail Ridge Road up and over to Estes Park. Along the way we pulled off at the various pull offs to see the views and the various wildlife. At the Alpine Visitors Center we climbed the extra steps to reach the 12,000 ft elevation point. Meghan was basically running up while Robert and I were doing our fair share of huffing and puffing as well as stopping to catch our breaths. It was differently worth it to see the 360 degree views. Robert was in heaven with all of the elk we saw and how close they were to us....something that never seems to happen when he's out here hunting. We also saw moose, big horned sheep and marmots. It was certainly a day we won't forget. We ended the day with a delicious dinner at Tabernash Tavern with Randy and Meghan and were more than ready for bed when we arrived back at Meghan's.Read more

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    Visiting Meghan and Randy (Fraser,Co)

    July 1, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 40 °C

    We're still in Fraser, Colorado with Meghan and Randy. We went on a 5 mile hike with the dogs today not far from their apartment. It was a nice trail through the woods shared with mountain bikers facing the mountain range. Of course once again the scenery was beautiful. Although we didn't see any wildlife this time, the wild flowers were beautiful, my favorite being the Colorado Columbine. It was also nice to walk through the woods with no bugs.Read more

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    Mike and Tina's (Cheyenne, Wyoming)

    July 2, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We're now in Cheyenne, Wyoming with Michael and Tina Pare. It's been way too long since we have seen everyone. Our great nieces Keara and KeAhna have grown so much. Another first... we met our new 8 month old niece KaMare. And tonight we have 2 guests with us in the RV.Read more

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    Reconnecting with nieces and nephews

    July 3, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌫 27 °C

    We're still in Cheyenne at Mike and Tina Pare's house. It's been great seeing everyone and spending time with our great nieces and nephews. We got to meet Xhandyre who's almost 3. They kept us very busy. Meghan and Randy also came up to spend time with all of us. We had a great 4th of July cookout with lots of great food. As is the norm, Tina out did herself for all of us. We're going to miss everyone when we leave for Utah in the morning.Read more

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    Pare Cousins....Utah Bound

    July 5, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We left Cheyenne this morning and made a pit stop in Lafayette,Colorado to have brunch with Robert's cousins Rick and Tammy Pare who were in Colorado visiting Rick's sister Dawn Pare. Robert hadn't seen Dawn in a very long time so it was another time of reconnecting with family. After breakfast we journeyed to Moab, Utah. Travelling through western Colorado and eastern Utah gave us more spectacular scenery. A highlight was the road through the Glenmont Canyons. It was very cool. When we crossed into Utah, the plateaus were different from anything we have every experienced. We're looking forward to spending the next couple of days visiting some of the national parks here.Read more

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    Arches National Park

    July 6, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    What a day! We explored Arches National Park today and were in awe yet again. Upon the recommendation of our campsite neighbor from New York, we arrived at the entrance gate before the park opened at 7 a.m. and headed to the trail-head for the Delicate Arch which is is the famous arch that the park is most known for. It was a 3 1/4 mile hike to get there in 90 degree heat but worth every step. I was pretty proud of myself for conquering some steep and rocky terrain and even going out to the arch on the open slickrock. We were very glad we did this hike early. We also did several small walk/hikes to see the Sand Dune Arch and the Double Arch. Both were very cool. In between our hikes we were glad to have the RV's air conditioning and refrigerator so we could regroup. After our day at the park, we traveled to Bryce Canyon Natural Park which turned out to be a 5 1/2 hour trip through a very remote but beautiful part of the state. We found a campground in a small little town called Tropic which is 8 miles from the entrance to Bryce National Park, tomorrow's adventure.Read more

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    Bryce Canyon National Park

    July 7, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We decided to take a bus tour of Bryce Canyon National Park since RV parking isn't allowed at many of the view points so that the shuttle buses can get into the parking lots. The tour had a good bus driver guide and we were able to see many of the "hoodoos"....the spiral rock towers. We decided not to do the park ranger's recommended hike down the canyon until tomorrow because the bus tour ended at noon. It gave us an opportunity to do laundry, get some groceries and have dinner at the campground restaurant. It worked out well because a thunder storm came during the afternoon which would not have been good if we were in the canyon. The highlight of the day for us was coming back into the park for sunset. It was spectacular and made us excited for our hike tomorrow.Read more

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    More Exploring Bryce Canyon

    July 8, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Today we did a 3 mile hike that brought us down into the Bryce Canyon. Though it was hot, there was a breeze much of the time and plenty of places to get into the shade. It was great being able to be so close to the rock formations as we walked through the tunnels and saw the hoodoos up close. We got several pictures of the famous "Thor's Hammer" hoodoo.
    After lunch and a rest, we left for Zion National Park which was only a 2 hour drive. We entered through the east entrance and drove through to exit the south entrance to get to our campground. The road was windy and narrow (I had to close my eyes a couple of times) but the rock cliffs were beautiful. We also had to drive through two tunnels that literally went through the rock mountains. For one of them, the park rangers have to stop traffic and turn the tunnel into one lane for RVs. The last vehicle through passes off a wooden baton to the park ranger as a sign that it's okay to let the next line of traffic go. We found a nice RV campground just outside of the south entrance that also has a shuttle stop to the park. We'll be exploring the park tomorrow.    Read more

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    Zion National Park

    July 9, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    People have told us that Zion National Park is like no other place in the world. Though our worldly travels are somewhat limited, it certainly doesn't compare to any of the places we have visited. We are amazed at how unique each of the National Parks have been and Zion is no exception. At Bryce Canyon, we were constantly looking down at the beautiful views while here were are looking up. The biggest difference here is that there is water and therefore green vegetation. Because cars are not allowed to drive through the park except to get from the east entrance to the south entrance, everyone takes shuttle buses. We decided to take the shuttle to it's last stop where we did the Riverside Walk which brought us to the beginning to the Narrows trail. This trail is literally a hike up in the river up through the narrow mountain passes. We didn't actually do this hike as it's long and very intense. Our next stop on the shuttle was the Weeping Rock Trail. Because the moisture travels down the rocks, at this spot the rocks have a steady stream of water drizzling down which felt good in the heat. We took the shuttle back to our campground at this point to make lunch, do laundry and to use the pool. The scenery at the pool and our campsite makes us feel like we are in the middle of Zion and not outside of it. Tomorrow we're planning on another hike to the Emerald Falls and then packing up for the trip to the Grand Canyon.Read more

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    More Zion

    July 10, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We began the day finishing our adventures at Zion National Park in Utah. Robert decided to hike the Angel's Landing Trail which was a very steep 5.4 mile hike, lots of switchbacks and parts which had chains for hikers to pull themselves up with. This wasn't my idea of fun so I hiked a 3 mile loop to the Emerald's pools. It was a little challenging at the top but the pools were worth it. After meeting back at the RV we left Utah for our next destination....The Grand Canyon. We arrived just at sunset and were able to see some fabulous views. We even got lucky and were able to stay at the RV campground in the park due to a cancellation. Robert was in heaven when were saw 3 huge bull elk on the side of the road.Read more

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    A familiar face at the Grand Canyon

    July 11, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Unfortunately we had to leave the Grand Canyon Trailer Village campground because they were all booked for the night. We ventured to Tusayan which is a little town just outside the park. After deciding the helicopter rides were too expensive and the tours were not what we were looking for, we went back to the RV parking at the visitors center of the Grand Canyon so we could take the shuttle to the lookout point. Just as we got there it started raining and cancelled our exploring for the rest of the day. Since this was our first bad day of weather, we really couldn't complain. Our next job was to find a place to park for the night. The park rangers told us we could dry camp in the Kaibab National Forest just outside the park. To find exactly where, we pulled into the rangers base to ask for their recommendations. While Robert was inside with the rangers, a young park ranger walked past me in the RV, she started to wave and then did a double take....it was Erica Fortin, the daughter of good friends of ours. It truly is a very small world. She gave us directions to a campground run by her National Forest Unit and we spent the night there. It was great especially because once again there were more elk. This time they were right at the entrance to the campsites.Read more

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    Exploring the Grand Canyon

    July 12, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We arrived at the Grand Canyon at 7 am for a 3 mile hike below the rim on the Bright Angel Trail. Equipped with lots of water, salty snacks and enthusiasm we began our descent. The views were spectacular and we hiked with some really nice people many who were going further down the canyon to camp at the Indian Garden campsite and then on to Phantom Ranch. We turned around at the 3 mile mark and made our way back up. I will say that the 3 miles back up felt more like 10 and the last mile felt like 20. But I made it....6 miles total!!! After we recouped in an air-conditioned RV we decided to take a shuttle tour of the western side of the canyon. There were several stops, each with a different vantage point of the canyon. We got many pictures and at about half way we decided to call it a day and to finish tomorrow. The campground Erica Fortin works at was full for tonight, but she gave us directions to a camping area in the Kaibob National Forest. There were many doing the same as us. It was peaceful and very quiet until I woke in the middle of the night to the sound of howling coyotes. I was very glad we were not in a tent.Read more

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    More of the Grand Canyon

    July 13, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Today we spend the day seeing even more of the Grand Canyon. We finished with all of the lookouts on the shuttle tour that we had started yesterday. Then we did a mile walk along the rim on the east of the southern rim. More beautiful views but also more people on this rim walk probably because it was closest to the tour bus parking lot. We certainly enjoyed our days at the canyon and feel so happy that we could experience one of the world's seven wonders. Next stop is Phoenix, Arizona to see Mark and Sandra Fortin.Read more

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    Phoenix, Sedona and Good Friends

    July 14, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    We have had 2 great days with Mark and Sandra Fortin in Waddell (basically Phoenix) Arizona. Sandra brought us to Montezuma's Castle which we all learned wasn't a castle and Montezuma, King of the Aztecs was never there. Instead it was a cool cliff dwelling that the Europeans named after Montezuma because they felt it seemed like they were in Aztec territory. After that we explored Sedona Arizona for the afternoon. We did a short hike to Bell Rock and then we visited the Chapel in the Rock. The views were beautiful and the rocks were a deep red. Before pizza at Oregano's Pizza, we ended the day at a swimming hole located in a state park near Sedona. Mark and Robert had a great time pretending they were teenagers again, swimming in the Fortin Farm pond. Visiting friends you've had all your life is always a special event. Hopefully it won't be another 3 years before we are able to get together again.Read more

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    Joshua Tree National Park (California)

    July 16, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Today was a big travel day from Phoenix to Sequoia National Park. Along the way we took a detour to Joshua National Park and drove through the park. It wasn't really our favorite but we did see the cholla cactus garden which will literally shoot off its thorns to any predictor who touches them. We also saw mountains of rocks and lots of joshua trees. By shear luck we were able to get a campsite at the Sequoia RV Ranch which is a cute little campground along the river at the base of the Sequoia National Park. We're planning a short visit here tomorrow before we head towards Yosemite which we have been warned is very very busy this time of year. We anticipate that it may be a "go with the flow" kind of thing for the next few days.Read more

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    The Grand Sequoias (King's Canyon)

    July 17, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Today we visited King's Canyon National Park which is a part of Sequoia. Because Sequoia Park doesn't allow RVs they rerouted us to the King's Canyon. We were able to see the second largest Sequoia tree they called the Grant Tree after President Grant. My pictures don't do it justice. We also did a small hike to the stump of a tree the call the Mark Twain stump. It was cut down in the in the late 1800s and a round slab was sent to NYC but nobody believed it was real. It's still in a museum there. The stump is humongous. One can only imagine how big it would have been today had it not been cut down which is also one of the reasons the trees have now been preserved. We found a campground outside of Yosemite so we'll brave the crowds tomorrow.Read more

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    Yosemite National Park

    July 18, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    Robert had us up at 5 am so we could get to Yosemite early. It took longer than we expected and I did not like the steep winding road but we didn't have any trouble getting through the gate or finding a parking spot. But, that's where the lack of a crowd ended. By midday there were lots of people. We did a 7 mile hike to the Vernal Falls, then continued to the base of the Nevada falls and continued on a loop to get back to the shuttle stop. Towards the end of the hike we even saw a bobcat. Kind of exciting through it didn't get real close. I think the Grand Canyon hike was actually easier because this hike was steep and very rocky. My whole body ached by the time we finished. Bed will feel good tonight but being able to move tomorrow may be an issue.Read more

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    Hiking In Yosemite

    July 19, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Today it was back to Yosemite for more hiking and exploring. Robert hiked the 7 mile loop to the Yosemite upper falls and I did a shorter 2 mile loop around Yosemite village to the view point of the upper and lower falls. They are spectacular and absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately there is a bad forest fire just west of the park that is causing a smokey haze to settle in the park. It was worse today than yesterday and has caused road closures to the park from the west. We had to use an alternative route when we left the park. We spent the night at a nice rv park in Lodi California so that the trip into San Francisco tomorrow will be shorter. Kristen arrives late Thursday night and Meghan on Friday morning. Can't wait to see them.Read more

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    On to San Francisco

    July 20, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    After a much needed car wash to wash the camper, we had an easy drive to our campground in Marin just north of San Francisco today. They really pack them in here but we are able to walk to the ferry so we have easy access into the city which is great. We went took the ferry in so that we could figure things out before the girls arrived. The temperatures are much cooler here but there's still lots of people. We had fun watching the street performers on the wharf and we had a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant. Kristen arrived by Uber at midnight and Meghan will be here tomorrow morning. Fun times.Read more

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