I have no idea what I am doing but It’ll be fun.
So, guess I am going on a road trip. A road trip around the country. I’m taking my son back to his mother’s before school starts again. I’ll make my 1st stop somewhere along the way. Devils Den, Florida sounds fun. But how the heck am I going to do this? So, I bought a small travel trailer my jeep can pull. My route is planned, the camper is stocked with all the minimal essentials to keep it light. Planned stops to rest and pick up any supplies if needed. Here is the list, in order of my planned destinations. Stops along the way will just depend on gas and how I feel.
- Devils Den, Florida
- The Grand Canyon and Sedona, Arizona
- Zion National Park, Utah
- Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
- Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Warren Dunes Lake Michigan, Michigan
- Niagara Falls, Canada
- My Parents in Dracut, Massachusetts
- Forest Hills Memorial Park, Pennsylvania
- Home, Columbus GA.
And this is what that looks like
I’m not going to say too much in this blog and let the pictures do all the talking. Here we go, here’s the plan. Campers all packed. Jeep is ready too. Luna, my Husky, has the back all to herself. 1st stop Devils Den for some camping and snorkeling. It’s going to be a great way to end the summer with my son and begin my trip around the country. What a way to start!! Had so much fun snorkeling at the natural Florida springs of Devils Den.
3:30 in the morning and it’s time to hit the road but not before coffee and gassing up. Thank you, WAWA, for your hospitality. On my way to Arizona, had a great conversation with my little brother. Who use to be a truck driver and new the US highways like the back of his hand. Mentioned I should stop at the Antique Car Museum just entering New Mexico.
Arriving just prior to noon, time to set up, lunch before exploring. 
Well, I was supposed to go directly north to Utah. Guess my GPS had different plans and took me the long way. Though, I have never been to Las Vegas Nevada, I got to see it light up the sky. NO WAY was I going to stop. I wouldn’t be able to afford the rest if my trip. JAJAJA!! I will visit in the future though. Now, arriving to the camp ground in the middle of the night, it did cut my Zion Park trip a little short. I did get to hike what I wanted to the most though. THE NARROWS, one of the best hikes of my life.
Next stop, Yellowstone National Park Wyoming. Wanted to get some good hikes, check out some of the amazing wildlife and of course OLD FAITHFUL GEYSER.
Checked in late night into the campground in Dubois but as planned. 2 full days and a late-night departure was what I had in mind. Didn’t quite work out that way though. On the way back from visiting Old Faithful and exploring the canyons, my oil light came on. Just by luck that I was in Dubois (population 971) during the weekend and everything was closed. Lucky and the coolest thing happened. As I was asking the campground owners about the closest mechanic, little old lady (The Mayor of Dubois) gives me directions. “80 Miles east young man. There’s a Jiffy Lube open”. Well, since it was 80 miles east, I wasn’t going to come back. Packed it up and hit road. Off to Mount Rushmore South Dakota. Happy Mount Rushmore has RV parking, I only planned on seeing the ceremony and it light up at night.
Again, not everything goes perfectly planned. The Manitou Incline had just closed. But, it gave us opportunity to do other fun stuff and meet up with some old friends.
Not much to say about Warren Dunes except, I wanna go back. Think even Luna was at peace there.
Niagara Falls next. Liz drove up and met me in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Arrived at the Kampgrounds Of America (KOA) of Niagara Falls, Canada. We ran into another minor mechanical difficulty but still wasn’t going to let it ruin the trip.
Time to visit my parent and stay there for a few days…
It’s been great but it’s time to start heading back to Columbus, Georgia. With one more stop along the way and visit one of my best friends at his memorial.
A quick synopsis of all the in between. The route took about a month to plan, meanwhile I was still looking for a camper that was suitable for Luna. I took my time everywhere I was going. I knew at some point something will go wrong. Only hoped it wasn’t at the wrong time. In other words if something went wrong, I wanted it to at least be at a destination and I wasn’t going to get discouraged. What went wrong, I needed an oil change but the town I was in didn’t have any mechanics opened so I had to shorten the trip to head to the next town, 80 miles east, to get it done. My battery quit taking a charge. Thank god for great full-time RVers in Canada that helped me out. Since Advance Auto misdiagnosed the jeep and there was a real mechanic right behind my site. My transmission started to overheat on the way to my parents. Drove at 50 MPH for approximately 150 miles. PAINFUL!! I Boondocked/Dry Camped it at 7 different Walmarts. Perfect time to resupply. I met soooooo many different types of RVer and travelers. From people who popped out tents from the back of their cars to the massive 5th wheel RVs and motorhomes. All with amazing journeys and lifestyles. One thing they all had in common though. They were in their happy place. Always willing to help a stranger. From being broke down to help set up and invite you over for a beer. By the time I got back to Columbus, I knew that I wanted to be an RVer. Fulltime or Part time, only time will tell. I would do it all over again. Life is short, time is precious, enjoy life the best way you can. Seize moments as they come. An opportunity gone is an opportunity lost. Live your best life.