We decided to start our second full day in Flagstaff with a hardy breakfast at Mary’s Cafe, a fixture on Route 66 since 1961. As we’ve come to expect from these old-time roadside diners, the food was great, the service was better, and the coffee kept flowing. After a brief return to Cloud 9 to…
Having left Joshua Tree National Park to bake in the triple-digits, we decided to explore Walnut Canyon National Monument, 10 miles east of Flagstaff. The 20-mile long, 400-foot-deep canyon is home to hundreds of cliff dwellings built in shallow caves between 1125 and 1250 by the Sinagua people. Sinagua is a Spanish word for “without…
In an attempt to escape the searing southwest heat, we headed north to Flagstaff, postponing our visit to Joshua Tree National Park for another time. When we planned this trip earlier this year, we started by checking the average daily temperatures for September at each park. We could not have anticipated the record heat at…
Before setting off for Saguaro National Park, we shared our concerns about the rapid rise in the outside temperature. By 10 a.m., it was already 90 degrees and climbing. Cloud 9 was situated in a site without shade, adjacent to a concrete-block wall, meaning the air-conditioner would struggle to keep the inside temperature in the…
Day 4 was a travel day, as we made our way from New Mexico to Arizona and our next destination: Saguaro National Park. After a relaxing morning, we finally left town and headed farther south and west via US Highway 70 toward Las Cruces, where we merged onto Interstate 10. As we drove within 30…
We began the day with a hardy breakfast at the Waffle & Pancake Shoppe, a 36-year-old Alamogordo institution. The Brockett-family diner specializes in great home cooking and excellent customer service. We were not disappointed! Cliff enjoyed the huevos rancheros, while Jon had a traditional bacon and egg breakfast. The hash browns were perfect! Five stars!…
We departed on our Desert Southwest Adventure eight minutes beyond our target time of 10 a.m., a time we set to avoid the metroplex morning traffic. Despite our efforts, the first 45 minutes of driving proved daunting, as Jon white-knuckled us beyond Weatherford. We eventually settled into our 5-hour journey to the Lubbock KOA, a…
We spent some time this weekend preparing for our Desert Southwest adventure, which starts at the end of the week when we head to Lubbock for an overnight stay en route to our first destination, New Mexico’s White Sands National Park. From there, we’ll travel to Saguaro National Park in Arizona, and then we’ll visit…
To help mitigate the oppressive heat, we opted for the Lakeview Camping Area of Cedar Hill State Park. The road that intersects the G loop has a number of campsites that are situated beneath tall trees, offering a shady respite from the summer sun. We were unaware that it was also the only camping loop…
When Jon began his journalism career at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he wrote a headline for a wire story from Afghanistan that prompted a summons to the editor’s office. As a copy editor, he had studied the story carefully so he could craft a compelling headline that would use unconventional language to convince the reader…
While out walking with the dogs this weekend, we passed an Avion travel trailer, considered a “second cousin” to the Airstream in terms of its design. The owners had displayed a U.S. flag alongside an “All Aboard the Trump Train” flag. Of course, the Trump flag prompted conversation in our “circle of trust” about former…
We headed out for our weekender on the hottest day of the year, fully aware that the summer swelter would likely keep us inside most of the time. But there’s something to be said for getting away from the place where we live and work, even if the heat prevents us from outdoor pursuits. Now…
We’ve met all types of people while camping. Some are folks we wouldn’t associate with under any other circumstances, but love of the outdoors and the desire for adventure can create strange bedfellows. In these politically polarized times, when our differences are even more pronounced, many campers go to great lengths to make sure everyone…
A sure sign that Jon works too much is his accumulation of vacation time. With more than 40 days available, he decided to take Fridays and Mondays off through September. That meant we could arrive at the campsite earlier on Friday and stay into the evening on Monday, allowing us to enjoy an extra meal…
This weekend’s campsite was new to us, although we had scouted it several weeks before. We selected it because we appreciated its seclusion, with heavy forestation that reminded us of Loyd Park. We arrived at the site around 4 p.m., but it took nearly a half-hour and three attempts before we were able to get…
