The hills are alive….. This tune was ringing in my mind (and in the minivan headphones) during our first big road trip after moving to Europe! We decided to pack up and drive the six and a half hours south to beautiful Bavaria in early June for our own Sound of Music experience. We based our trip out of two fabulous locations — Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany and Salzburg, Austria. Our daughter, Emelia, has been on a classic movie kick for several…
Our return to Page, Arizona on our 2016 cross-country road trip did not disappoint! Page offers so much for outdoor enthusiasts, and once again we left with the urge to see more. We will be back! Sadly, on our last morning in Page we had to say goodbye to Daddy and the camper. At this point in our trip, he needed to get to our new home in New Mexico and check in with work. He also needed to get…
The fog on our last morning at Monument Valley cleared as we continued our 2016 road trip into Arizona. Page, Arizona is on our list as one of the best places to visit in the West! It’s such a fantastic place for all things outdoors. Page is located in Northern Arizona along the Utah border where the Glen Canyon Dam moderates the flow of the Colorado River to create Lake Powell. From hiking and biking to boating and rafting, Page…
After three absolutely gorgeous nights at Mesa Verde National Park (Part 1 and Part 2), we continued our 2016 road trip west. Our drive through Colorado toward Monument Valley, Utah led us by Four Corners National Monument, so we had to stop! Four Corners National Monument Four Corners Monument marks the only spot in the United States where 4 states meet. The corners of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah meet at this point. The Navajo Nation owns Four Corners…
Wetherill Mesa On our second day visiting Mesa Verde National Park on our 2016 road trip, we decided to visit the Wetherill Mesa. After a busy first day at Chapin Mesa, we were excited for more exploring on day 2! Wetherill Mesa Road is a 12-mile, winding road that splits from the main road near the Far View Area. The road is only open from May through October, weather dependent, and there are some vehicle restrictions. The view from the…
History of Mesa Verde National Park I have visited Mesa Verde National Park many times and it is one of my favorite places to visit. Mesa Verde, meaning “Green Table” in Spanish, is located in the four corners region of southwest Colorado. It is home to close to 5,000 known archaeological sites of the Ancestral Pueblo people including 600 cliff dwellings. The Ancestral Pueblo people called this area home from approximately AD 600 to 1300. The history, culture and artifacts…
Breaking Road Trip Rules After our overnight stay in Oklahoma City, we began the longest day of driving on our 2016 cross-county US road trip. The drive from Oklahoma City to Albuquerque is about 8 hours. We broke 2 of our road trip rules on this trip. We only stayed 1 night in both Oklahoma City and Albuquerque and we drove longer than 5 hours in one day! Sometimes you have to make exceptions to get where you’re going! We…
After a foggy morning at our campground in Hot Springs, Arkansas, we started the 5 hour and 20 minute drive to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City was our next stop on the 2016 cross-country road trip! This stop also included another surprise visitor! My sister drove up from Texas to meet us for the day and evening in Oklahoma City. Usually our rule for road trips, especially road trips with the camper, is that we always stay in each location for…
After our 2 nights in Nashville, we continued our drive across Tennessee, over the Mississippi River and into Arkansas on our 2016 road trip! We were trying to keep our driving days down to 5-6 hours maximum so that we had time to explore a little bit each day. The drive from Nashville to Hot Springs, Arkansas was about 6 hours. We checked into Catherine’s Landing, our campground for the next 2 nights. This was one of our favorite campgrounds…
After a fantastic few days in the Great Smoky Mountains, we continued our 2016 road trip drive west toward Nashville, Tennessee. The route from Gatlinburg through Pigeon Forge and along I-40 to Nashville is about 4 hours. Tennessee is a long state! Because we had two cars, I went ahead of Todd with the camper on this drive. Special Visitors The day we drove to Nashville happened to be my birthday, and some special guests were joining us for the…