For the sixth consecutive weekend, rain fell in North Texas. But we didn’t let it stop us from heading to our favorite local campground. We took a half-day of vacation so we could get a jump start, which enabled us to arrive at Loyd Park in the early afternoon. Rain started falling in the early…
We must have checked the Loyd Park reservation system a hundred times. Cliff called the office daily. Finally, our persistence paid off as we were able to get the only open site on “Texas/OU” weekend. Officially known as the “Red River Showdown,” the football game has been played annually since 1900 between the University of…
We left for Loyd Park immediately after ending our work day on Friday, and quickly made our way to campsite 34 and two glasses of Cabernet. It wasn’t long before Chef Cliff’s expertly grilled Eisenhower rib eyes, baked potatoes, asparagus and shisito peppers not only capped our long work week but also ushered in a…
After traveling more than 2,800 miles on our Mighty 5 adventure, we headed to Loyd Park for a weekender to clean Cloud 9 and return to our routine. We arrived at our site shortly after 6 p.m., which enabled us to get set up and enjoy a proper cocktail hour before turning our attention to…
We began our journey home with a change in plans. Fellow Airstreamers at Zion River RV Resort advised us against overnighting in Albuquerque because of an uptick in gang-related crime at RV parks, so we opted instead to make Gallup our destination. Doing so allowed us to have a long, leisurely morning at the park…
When we first arrived at Arches National Park, we asked a ranger at the entrance about a park pass that would give us access to all of the Mighty 5. She asked how much time we had set aside to visit the five parks, and we said five days. She responded, “Well, that’s going to…
After a leisurely morning, we departed for our fourth national park: Bryce Canyon. The trip took about two hours, and brought us through a large agricultural area adjacent to the Fish Lake Plateau. All was going well until we came upon an area of Utah State Route 62 where road signs declared an end to…
At this point in our trip, we’ve completely run out of superlatives to describe the wonders we’ve seen. We’re unsure what we’ll say about the wonders that await, but we may need to try another language. Interestingly, when we planned this trip, we didn’t consult any of the guidebooks or websites for the “ideal” itinerary.…
Canyonlands National Park was the second destination in our national park quintet. Established by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, Canyonlands is known for its dramatic desert landscape carved by the Colorado River. The park features towering rock pinnacles, remote canyons, whitewater rapids, and Native American rock paintings. The first formations we encountered were the Monitor…
The trip from Grand Junction to Moab took about two hours, allowing us to arrive at the Moab KOA, get checked in and completely set up by early afternoon. We then made our way to the first of our Mighty 5: Arches National Park, home to the densest concentration of natural stone arches on Earth.…
The longest leg of our trip started an hour late and extended another hour because of delays, turning a nine-hour drive into an 11-hour marathon. But we enjoyed spectacular views along the way, as well as long periods of silence thanks to spotty cell service (which affected our Amazon Music stream) and losing ourselves in…
We began our Mighty 5 adventure with an overnight stay at Amarillo Ranch RV Park, a stone’s throw from The Big Texan Steak Ranch and Brewery, a kitschy Route 66 landmark saloon-style steakhouse that offers patrons a 72-ounce steak challenge. If you consume an entire meal in one hour, the $72 meal is on the…
