Across Wyoming

30 07 2026

After departing Bozeman, we’ve arrived at Buffalo Bill State Park outside of Cody, WY.  This park has been on our radar for years, but it’s extremely difficult to get reservations here, probably due to its proximity to Yellowstone National Park.  We’re in the Lake Shore Campground, site #2, one of the few that offer both electric and water.  This is a nice pull-through site, right at the entrance to the campground with a lake view.

Buffalo Bill State Park, Cody, WY

Cody is a fun place, with plenty to do and see.  On Friday evening we had a great dinner with friends at the Blanca Tatanka and enjoyed music by Bo Depena. Bo tours all around the western US, is based in Colorado and if you get a chance, make sure you stop and see him and his band! https://bodepenamusic.com/  On Saturday we joined friends at the Cody Cattle Company for a great chuckwagon meal and their live music show starring Ryan Martin and the Triple C Cowboys.  We’d recommend both the Tatanka and the Cattle Company for a great time while in Cody! Next time, we’d like to check out the Ponderosa Campground for a bit closer-in downtown access.

Cody Cattle Company. Cody, WY

Ponderosa Campground, Cody, WY

After Cody we spent one night in Thermopolis at the Eagle RV Park (review here) and then the Douglas KOA before our arrival in Cheyenne at the newly renamed Cheyenne Sky RV Park (formerly AB Camping).  In our annual tradition, we’re in Cheyenne for Frontier Days. This year we’ll see Riley Green & Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton & Avery Anna and Zack Top & Jo Dee Messina.  As always, wonderful times at the rodeo and concerts, and spending time with friends.

The “Daddy of em All”, Cheyenne Frontier Days, 2026

Frontier Nights 2026 – Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani

Following our busy week in Cheyenne, we joined good friends at Deer Haven RV Park in Saratoga, WY for some relaxation and sightseeing.  We enjoyed dinner at both the Snowy Mountain Brewery & Pub located in the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort and Cantina 2.0 Mexican Cafe on Bridge Street.  We also took a drive over Snowy Range Pass towards Centennial, WY through the beautiful Snowy Range Mountains.  At the top of the pass, we stopped to admire the view and learn about the tragic accident of United flight 409 which crashed into Medicine Bow Peak in 1955, at the time the worse air disaster in US history.

Deer Haven RV Park, Saratoga, WY

Snowy Range Pass, Wyoming

From Saratoga we’re at Boyd Lake State Park in Loveland, CO to visit family, followed by a quick stop in Colorado Springs at Garden of the Gods RV Resort, where this trip started 62 day ago!  In all, we’ve traveled nearly 4000 miles and stayed at 25 RV parks on our Montana Owners Group Western Rally trip.  It’s been a great trip, but we’re ready for some downtime until mid-September when we are planning a “best of Pueblo” trip.  More in September…


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Categories : Summer Camping 2026

Coeur d’Alene to Bozeman

11 07 2026

Welcome to Coeur d’Alene, the stunning resort town on the shores of sparking Lake Coeur d’Alene.  The name, translated from French, means the “heart of the awl”, a name apparently given to the shrewd and possibly ruthless trading habits of the native Iroquois. We were in Coeur d’Alene way back in 2012, just 1 day after picking up our first 5th wheel, the 2012 Wildcat.  However, we stayed outside of town and never explored this beautiful city.

Lake Coeur d’Alene, ID

Veterans Memorial Centennial Bridge at Lake Coeur d’Alene, ID

Today, we’re parked on the shores of the Spokane River, literally sounded by the river at Blackwell Island RV Resort.  From the headwaters of Lake Coeur d’Alene, the Spokane River travels east to meet the Columbia at Roosevelt Lake, created by Grand Coulee Dam. Blackwell Island is a beautiful resort, offering nearly 200 sites, a huge beach area, a rally room, laundry facilities, a boat launch and moorage, all overlooking the river and beyond, the city beaches and parks.

Blackwell Island RV Resort, Lake Coeur d’Alene, ID

On Saturday after arriving, we explored a bit of downtown Coeur d’Alene, ending up at the Buoy Bar & Grill.  The Buoy is outside, right on the edge of the beautiful McEuen Park.  The outdoor seating offers great views of the nearby marina and lake, along with a tasty menu of fish tacos, burgers and snacks along with cold beer and wine. The perfect place to catch a sunset!

The Buoy Bar & Grill, Coeur d’Alene, ID

On Monday we jumped on the bikes, crossed the highway 95 bridge and joined the North Idaho Centennial Trail that runs along the beach at Cheamkwet Park  and south along the shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene.  We biked about 10 miles out to Higgins Point, all the time enjoying great views of the surrounding mountains and lake shore.  That afternoon we joined Lake Coeur d’Alene Cruises for a 90 minute scenic sailing around the lake.  It was a great cruise, we learned a little about the lake history  including the steamers ships that provided the first crossings, saw some of the massive homes of resident celebrities (Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Wayne Gretzky, John Elway)  and enjoyed a few onboard cocktails.  For dinner we selected Crafted Tap House & Kitchen – great food and excellent service.

Lake Coeur d’Alene Cruises

Crafted Tap House & Kitchen, Coeur d’Alene, ID

We departed Coeur d’Alene on Tuesday and made our way to Jim & Mary’s RV park in Missoula, MT.  We’ve visited Jim & Mary’s before – review here.    After just a quick overnight in this beautiful oasis in Missoula, we’re off to Bozeman at the Hot Springs Campground.  This is a nice park, but their rules are a bit stringent.  Arriving around 2PM, we’re told no check-ins can happen until 3PM and we can’t park here, we’ll have to go somewhere else.  Talk about starting a visit off on the wrong foot!  The park is OK, but we’d probably find another spot next time.  After 2 quick overnights, we’re headed to Cody, WY where we’ll spend 3 nights at Buffalo Bill State Park on the shores of Buffalo Bill Reservoir.  More from Cody…

 


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Onboard a Washington State Ferry and Leavenworth, WA

9 07 2026

After departing from Salt Creek near Port Angeles, WA around 9AM, it’s about  80 miles to Kingston, WA where we’ll (hopefully) catch the 11:05 ferry to Edmonds, WA.  By 10:45  we’ve passed through the ticket booth and are parked in the holding line for the ferry that has just arrived.  After unloading the inbound vehicles and passengers, loading happens quickly and by 11:10 we’re upstairs enjoying the view from the open decks as we sail across Puget Sound.

So, how did it all work…

Washington State Ferry

Kingston has implemented a remote parking and ticketing system.  This prevents back-ups in town and ensures that no one “cuts” in line as you approach the ticket booths. When we arrived, a staff member was handing out these parking passes, but there’s also a dispenser for use during off hours.  You’ll need this pass when arriving at the ticket booth.   At the booth, using some type of length sensors, the price is exactly what we expected for our 56’ 5” rig, $157.00, less the senior discount of $5.70.  From the ticket booth, we’re directed to lane #2 to wait for boarding.

Nearly all other lanes are full of cars and trucks, and these vehicles are loaded first.  Onboard, cars are directed to a 2nd story parking area, while large trucks, 18-wheelers and RV are directed down the tall center lanes.  These lanes are narrow, but there no need for any maneuvering, it’s just a straight-on approach.  In what seems like only about 15 minutes, all cars, trucks and walk-on passengers are loaded, the boarding ramps are raised and we’ll sailing for Edmonds.

In Edmonds, the procedure is the same in reverse.  Boarding ramps are lowered, cars from the 2nd story area are directed out first, and then the trucks, 18-wheelers and RV’s are unloaded.  These people that are loading and unloading traffic are pros, it was like clockwork and very simple.

Washington State Ferry, loading ramp

Washington State Ferry, inside parking area

Google maps calls this crossing 6 miles.  The alternative is via the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (with a east bound axle toll) and over 100 miles!  Not only did the ferry save us nearly 2 hours, but also about $60 in fuel.  So, not quite a break-even on fuel & tolls, but it was an enjoyable ride and the 2 hours savings was great!

Ferry or not-to-Ferry?

Continuing through Edmonds, we joined highway 2 across the Cascades to Leavenworth, WA.  We’re parked at Icicle River RV Park, just south of Leavenworth along the banks of the Icicle River.  This is a lovely park.  Upon arrival, camp hosts were outside greeting everyone and assisting with logistics around a water pipe break in the middle of the park.  The water isn’t the parks – instead it’s a huge old clay pipe that supplies water to the next-door fish hatchery.  Construction aside, this is a lovely park offering over 100 sites, clean laundry facilities, nice walking trails, group facilities and even a hot tub pavilion!

Icicle River RV Park, Leavenworth, WA

Icicle River RV Park, Leavenworth, WA

Icicle River RV Park, Leavenworth, WA

Front St, Leavenworth, WA

Gustav’s, Leavenworth, WA

Leavenworth is a lovely Bavarian-styled village of about 3,500 residents.  The Alpine-style buildings along Front Street include German beer gardens, wonderful brat houses, wine tasting rooms, an interesting Nutcracker museum and other fun tourist shops.  After arrival, we enjoyed a snack and a few cocktails on the rooftop at Rhein Haus overlooking the busy Front Street.  Service and the cocktails were excellent, but the food selection of brats, pretzels and other snacks was a bit too “quick” for us.

On Friday after wandering through the shops, we ended up on the rooftop at Gustav’s.  The menu was much more complete at Gustav’s, service was excellent and we’d highly recommend it.  We’d also recommend the Cheesemonger Shop on Front Street for some of the most unique and delicious cheeses outside of Europe.  Along with an enormous selection of German and European beers – you could easily spend hours here tasting and sampling (and buying) everything they offer.  After 3 nights in Leavenworth, we’re off to Coeur d’Alene, ID.  More from there…


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The Olympic Peninsula

4 07 2026

It’s about 40 miles “as the crow files” from Angel of the Winds to John Wayne Marina in Sequim, WA.  However the driving distance is nearly 180 miles and over 3 hours including a transit of Seattle, Tacoma and across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.  After the narrows, it’s a beautiful drive past Gig Harbor, the massive naval base at Bremerton, over the Hood Canal floating bridge and along Discovery Bay to the picturesque marina on Sequim Bay.  We last visited John Wayne Marina RV in 2024, and have returned for another fun filled July 4th weekend.  We’re in site #42, which is a full hookup, 50A back-in site in the top row.  In addition to Independence Days celebrations, Dungeness Crab season opened on July 2nd, and nearly every site has steamer pots set-up anticipating the daily catch.

John Wayne Marina, Sequim, WA

Most of the time in Sequim is about relaxing after the busy rally schedule last week.  However, we did manage an afternoon trip to Port Townsend and nice dinner at Siren’s Pub.  The weather wasn’t optimal for outdoor dining, but we enjoyed selections from their bar menu that included handmade burgers, wild salmon, fish and chips and a few local brews and excellent cocktails.

Port Townsend, WA

From Sequim, we’re off to Salt Creek Recreation Area.  This sprawling county park provides about 90 camp sites.  40 of these provide power and electric, and only half of those reservable.  Sites 35-38 are nice pull-through sites, 26-32 offer the best “out the back window view” and 16-24 are the closest to the water.  Which, in this case is a tall cliff overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca with Victoria, Canada in the distance.  The water is accessible from a few paths, but there’s not much in the way of beach.  For a better beach experience, Crescent Beach & RV Park is optimal with back-in sites directly across from a large sandy beach.

Salt Creek Recreation Area, Sites 35-39, Port Angeles, WA

Salt Creek Recreation Area, Sites 21-24, Port Angeles, WA

Salt Creek Recreation Area campground map

Salt Creek Recreation Area tide pools

Marymere Falls, Olympic National Park, Port Angeles, WA

While at Salt Creek we drove around Lake Crescent and took a short hike to see the beautiful Marymere Falls.  After 4 nights of wonderful coastal views, dark, quiet nights and a few wildlife visits, we’re headed east.  And, instead of going around the long way again, we’ve opted to travel aboard the Washington State Ferry from Kingston to Edmonds – a first for us!  More about the ferry ride when we get to Leavenworth, WA, our next stop.


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Montana Owners Club Rallies

21 06 2026

We’ve attended a few gatherings of the Montana Owners Club (MOC) rallies in the past, one in Dolores, CO in 2022, the 2023 gathering in Heber City, UT and the last in 2025 in Hermosa, SD.  This year we’ll attend two rallies, the Rocky Mountain Regional in Colorado Springs, CO and the Western Regional in Arlington, WA.  These rallies are great ways to catch-up with RVing friends, meet new, learn about our RV’s and explore the local areas.  On June 2nd, we packed up and headed north for a 2-month trip through Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

Rally Trip Map

The Rocky Mountain Rally is being held at Garden of the Gods RV Resort near Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs.  Located just south of Garden of the Gods, the park offers convenience to a lot of activities in the area.  Our group activities included a trip to the top of Pikes Peak, dinner &  show at the Iron Springs Chateau Theatre, “Yo Ho Ho and a Barrel of Fun” melodrama, and a chuckwagon dinner and western music show at the Flying W Ranch.

Flying W Wrangers

From Colorado Springs we spent 2 nights in Montrose visiting friends.  We stayed at Riverbend RV Park – a nice, fairly quiet park on the banks of the Uncompahgre River.  In Ouray we enjoyed the comfortable patio, cocktails, and lunch at Mi Mexico restaurant.  For dinner we returned to a favorite, Colorado Boy Pizzeria and Brewery, for delicious pizza and a few cold brews.  After Montrose we’re headed to Helper, UT at Castle Gate RV Park.  This park is nice and inherits unique characteristics from the town of Helper which is named for the railroad engines that would be added to “help” trains up the steep, 15-mile grade through Price Canyon.  Most of the town is between highway 191 and the busy railroad yard where you hear (and feel) the operations of the rails here.

Riverbend RV Park, Montrose, CO

Helper Balanced Rock, Helper, UT

Our next stop is in Brigham City, UT at the Golden Spike RV Park, where we did indeed visit the Golden Spike National Historic Park.  This is the location where the first transcontinental railroad connected the Central Pacific Railroad that built eastward from Sacramento and the Union Pacific that built westward from Omaha, NE. Located at Promontory Summit, Utah, the park provides a great interpretive center and operating replicas of the original engines that celebrated this milestone.

Jupiter & No. 119, Promontory Summit, Utah

Golden Spike Champagne Celebration , Promontory Summit, Utah

Following our day at Golden Spike, we made a fairly quick transit of Idaho and Oregon staying at Abundant Life RV Park in Caldwell, ID; Boardman Marina Park in Boardman, OR; and Reeder Beach Resort in Portland, OR.  The drive along the Columbia River was spectacular, and we want to return to this area.

Boardman Marina RV Park

Boardman Marina RV Park, Columbia River

On June 21st after transiting Tacoma and Seattle, we arrived at Angel of the Winds RV Resort in Arlington, WA. This is a beautiful resort – associated with the Angel of the Winds Casino, the 180 cement pads are spaciously laid out between manicured landscaping.  Amenities include several picnic pavilions, a miniature golf course, a beautiful clubhouse, indoor pool and a covered firepit area.  With the proximity to I-5, the resort experiences some road noise, but the amenities well outweigh this nuisance. Our week with other Montana Owners included several vendor presentations, a Whale Watching trip, and a tour of nearby Boeing Everitt factory, home of the 777.  We also visited a self-pick berry farm and took a Washington State Ferry to the beautiful town of Friday Harbor.  It was a busy, fun-packed week!

Boeing Factory Tour, Everett, WA

Friday Harbor, WA

After Arlington, we’re headed to Sequim, WA on the Olympic Peninsula.  More from Sequim…


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Categories : Summer Camping 2025

It’s a Wrap for the Spring Road Trip

1 06 2026

After a very long hiatus from blogging, it’s time to get it caught up!  Sorry about the delay…

After AJ we moved to Rincon Country West RV Resort in Tucson.  This is the 3rd year we’ve stayed at Rincon West.  We have friends that spend the winter in the park and this along with the proximity to the miles of bike trails in Tucson really make it ideal.  Officially the Chuck Huckelberry Loop trail (known as The Loop) is a 138 paved car-free trail around the greater Tucson area.  The portion of the loop near Rincon is along the mostly dry Santa Cruz river which flows intermittently through central Tucson.  But, not just biking, Tucson is a favorite for the foodie scene – we always find new, interesting restaurants to explore.  And, it’s close to Mexico, with the border town of Nogales just about an hour south where we spent an afternoon.  This year, Tucson recorded record high temperatures for March, so outdoor activities were somewhat curtained as temps pushed into the upper 90’s and even low 100’s for much of our our visit.

Epic Rides at Stone And 6th Street in Tucson AZ

100 years of Tucson Rodeo Mural

Unlike past spring trips, we’re headed home from Tucson instead of South Padre Island.  We’ve decided that the salt air of South Padre is just too destructive to the RV and, this year the park that we normally stay in is closed for refurbishment.  On our trip back north our first stop is Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area near Show Low, AZ.  This is a very nice park!  Located in the tall pines around Fool Hollow Lake, the full-hookup sites are large and very spread out.  We also enjoyed the town of Show Low – we’ll be back!

Fools Hollow Lake Recreation Area

The famous poker game – “Show Low”

After Fools Hollow, we spent a quick overnight at USA RV in Gallup New Mexico.  This is a very basic park, we’ve been here before and it works well for an overnight. Situated next to I-40, a busy rail line and the metropolitan airport, it can be a bit noisy.  From Gallup, we’re back to Colorado, with a 2 night stop at Outdoorsy Bayfield.  We enjoyed a dinner out with a friend from Bayfield and a lunch in Durango with another friend from Mancos.  From Bayfield it’s a relatedly short drive back across Wolf Creek Pass across the San Luis Valley, over La Veta pass and home.

We were at home for 4 days before starting our road trip (sans RV) to South Padre Island. Our accommodation on the island is a nice 3 bedroom condo on the Gulf beach – very pleasant.  On the way south we spent a night in Amarillo, San Angelo and San Antonio where we met family for 2 days of fun on the riverwalk.  On the way back from South Padre we spend a night in Kerrville, one night at the Gage Hotel in Marathon and then a quick overnight in Roswell before returning home.   Our next trip is in early June when we’ll meet other Montana RV owners at a rally in Colorado Springs.  More from there…


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Campground USA, Apache Junction, AZ

10 03 2026

We’re back in Apache Junction, at the base of the beautiful Superstition Mountains at Campground USA.  This is one of the newest parks in AJ with nice big sites, a beautiful pool/hot tub area and a very nice clubhouse.  We were last here a few years ago and ended up with a park credit after cancelling our reservation last year.  This year we’re in a premium spot, a private back-in along the north wall of the park.  Apache Junction is a great “home base” for excursions into the desert to the east, or the Gilbert entertainment district, or even downtown Phoenix and many of the east side ballparks.

Campground USA, Apache Junction, AZ

On Wednesday we met friends at Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix.  We started our evening at Gertrude’s by Tarbell’s, from PBS television host and James Beard-nominated chef Mark Tarbell.  Focused on ingredients directly from growers in Arizona, Gertrudes offers a wonderful menu including southwest favorites of elevated tacos, pastas, green chili pork, ribs, seafood, and other tasty options. After a delicious dinner, we wandered through the presentation of Framerate:Desert Pulse.  This multi-sensory art exhibit is scattered throughout the 135 acres of the garden and is appreciated best after dark.  Huge screens show time lapse scenes of various Arizona desert ecosystems such as cactus reacting to rain and dry and hot conditions, expansion of a housing development at the edge of the desert and the night sky over Phoenix.  This was a great evening!

ScanLAB Projects, FRAMERATE: Desert Pulse, artist installation rendering, Desert Botanical Garden, 2025. Courtesy the artists.

Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix, AZ

Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix metro area

On Saturday we joined friends on an ATV ride into the desert north of Apache Junction.  We viewed the Phoenix area from high atop a peak near Snail Rock and drove out towards Bulldog Canyon – a fun afternoon, thanks D&J!    On Monday we returned to Salt River Fields for an additional spring baseball game with the Diamondback and Seattle Mariners.  After only 11 nights in AJ, we’re headed to Tucson.  More from there…


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Eagle View RV, Ft. McDowell, AZ

20 02 2026

We’ve arrived in the valley of the sun and are parked at one of our new favorite parks, Eagle View near Fountain Hills, AZ.  We spent time here last year and had initially booked another month this year.  With schedule changes, we’ll end up only spending 11 nights here in Fountain Hills. But, somehow we managed one of the premium sites,  back-ins along the Verde River.  These sites are very nice, wide and deep with full hookups.  The river is off-limits here, but there is plenty of room to roam throughout the park and along the bike trails in Fountain Hills.

Eagle View RV Resort, Fountain HIlls, AZ

On Friday we attended our first spring baseball game of 2026, the season opener between the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The Rockies and D-backs share Salt River Fields at Talking Stick; a beautiful facility located within the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community in the NE corner of the Phoenix metro area.  The park is about 30 minutes from Fountain Hills just inside the 101 loop.

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Scottsdale, AZ

After a short bike ride into Fountain Hills on Saturday, we enjoyed an early dinner at El Encanto de la Fuente, for very tasty Mexican food on their nice outdoor patio.  El Encanto first opened in Cave Creek and has been recognized many times as best valley Mexican food, most romantic, top outdoor eatery and other awards.  Our dinners were delicious, the service was great and the patio was beautiful – we’ll be back.

El Encanto de la Fuente, Fountain Hills, AZ

This weekend is the annual Spring Fountain Festival of Fine Arts & Crafts in Fountain Hills. After biking into town, we enjoyed wandering through the booths that lined the entire length of the Avenue of the Fountains and Saguaro Blvd.  This is an impressive art show of over 500 artists and thousands of beautiful art pieces.  During our visit we checked out the menu at Alexanders Greek Kitchen.  On Tuesday we joined friends for delicious Greek food, on Alexanders very comfortable outdoor patio overlooking the famous fountain.  Delicious, another one for our recommendation list!

Spring Fountain Festival of Fine Arts & Crafts, Fountain Hills, AZ

Before departing Fountain Hills, we also visited Saguaro Lake Marina.  Even though the grill was closed, we enjoyed a cold beer from the upper deck of the gift shop.  We also visited the We-Ko-Pa casino for a tasty beverage or two.  From Fountain Hills, we’re headed to Apache Junction, more from AJ…


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Thousand Trails , Cottonwood, AZ

11 02 2026

We’re on our way to Cottonwood, AZ, just south of Sedona and north of Camp Verde.  But, along they way, we’re going to spend 2 nights in Williams, AZ.  We were last at Grand Canyon Railway RV Park here in 2022.  This is a very nice park, but both train and highway noise it can get loud.  And, in early February, high temps were in the 50’s and 60’s with lows in the 20’s keeping us indoors for much of the time.  We did revisit the Grand Canyon Brewing & Distillery but were less impressed with their offering than during our last visit.  We know prices have gone up, but their Charcuterie Board went from $25 to $32.  And, personal pizzas went from $18 to $23.  It’s certainly not the value it was 4 years ago!

From Williams, we’re headed to the Camp Verde area.  We’ve always stayed at Verde Ranch, a beautiful park right at the intersection of I-17 and highway 260.  This time we opted for Thousand Trails Verde Valley in Cottonwood, about 9 miles north of Verde Ranch.  This is a very unique park with about 350 sites along the bluffs overlooking the river and several loops of sites right along the river.  And, just as unique, when you arrive, you’re given a sheet of available sites and told to go pick one.  While this offers ultimate flexibility, it’s kind of a challenge to maneuver the RV through a bunch of unfamiliar sites.  It’d be much nicer if they offered a golf cart to go select your site with!

Thousand Trails, Verde Valley, Cottonwood, AZ

The river-side loops A, B, C, and H offer both pull-through and back-in sites.  However, most of the back-in sites are considered premium and not available for our reservation.  Most pull-through sites are oriented in a back-to-back configuration, where you and your neighbor share the utility space.   These can produce tight spaces once slides are extended.  And it means that you share a patio area with another neighbor.  In the end, we opted for site A-15, at the far loop along the river.  Power options are also unique here – standard reservations are for 30A service.  So, even while your pedestal has both 30 and 50 amp service, you are prohibited from using the 50A without paying additional surcharges.  Bluff sites, in loops I, J K and M are all Premium and Deluxe sites, offering some of the most spacious sites, all 50A and many offering great views out over the river valley.  TT Verde Valley feels like two separate parks, one with small, rather cramped spaces with minimal services and another with huge spaces, views and full services.    In the end, we opted for Site A-15, at the far end of the park along the river.  We shared our patio area with nice neighbors and never had a back-to-back neighbor during our stay.

Thousand Trails, Verde Valley, Cottonwood, AZ

Thousand Trails, Verde Valley, Cottonwood, AZ

On Saturday we’re headed to the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff.  Opting to take the “scenic” route, we visit Sedona and on through Oak Creek Canyon.  This is a beautiful drive, but allow plenty of time.  It took nearly an hour to transit the short 1 or 2 miles through Sedona.  At the Oak Creek Vista, you can clearly see the edge of the Mogollon Rim stretching out below.  The total elevation change from Cottonwood to Flagstaff is nearly 4000 feet!  Established in 1894, the Lowell Observatory is among the oldest in the nation and credited with the discovery of Pluto in 1930.  This is a fantastic facility, with exhibits and presentations for the entire family.  At dusk, we joined about 40 others on the rooftop of the building for a laser pointer tour of constellations in the night sky.  It was chilly that evening, about 30 degrees – but the recliners are heated, making for much more pleasant experience.  We’d recommend this observatory to anyone that wants to understand more about our solar system and the planets and stars of the Milky Way.

Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, AZ

While in Cottonwood, we explored a few new restaurants including a wonderful Indian restaurant, Babu Tikka Masala.  On Sunday we had brunch at Brewha, a unique Social Eatery and Market in Cornville.  Following Cottonwood, we’ll move to two parks in the Phoenix area, Eagle View RV Resort, a favorite in Fountain Hills and Campground USA in Apache Junction.  More from there…


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Lake Mead RV Village, Boulder City, NV

5 02 2026

After only a week in Havasu, we’re headed to Nevada, to the Lake Mead RV Village near Boulder City.  This is an older park, with plenty of permanent structures, but the reservable RV sites are the best – backing up to what was once the “beach” at Lake Mead.  With a 165 foot bathtub ring around the lake, the water is a long way from the campsites, but the view is still great!  These sites are huge – initially built to accommodate park models, each site has a large concrete slab with dual hookups to accommodate either a trailer or a motor coach.  At a weekly rate of about $60/night, this is a pretty good value.

“Out the Back Window”, Lake Mead RV Village, Boulder City, NV

There’s a lot to do from this location, with the Hoover Dam about 5 miles away, Boulder City about 10 miles and Las Vegas only 30 miles.  Just as in Havasu, there’s a bike trail very near the RV park – the River Mountains Loop.  This 34 mile trail circles around the area west of Lake Mead, with connections to Boulder City, Henderson and Lake Las Vegas, as well as the interesting Historic Railroad Hiking Trail.  This former railroad was built to haul workers and supplies from Boulder City to the construction site for what was then Boulder Dam.  The 7.5 mile (round trip) gravel trail picks up from the Lake Mead visitors center and travels through 5 tunnels before arriving near Hoover Dam.

Historic Railroad Hiking Trail, Boulder City, NV

Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, NV

The Sphere, Las Vegas
On Wednesday we’ve secure tickets to Wizard of Oz at the famous Sphere.  Upon entry, it feels a lot like a normal stadium with lots of escalators ascending to concourse levels above.  Each concourse has plenty of food, drinks, and souvenir outlets. Seating is organized by level, the 200’s, 300’s and 400’s.  200 level pricing runs from about $250 to $350 per seat while 400 level pricing is between $100 and $200.

Passing through the portals, sensory perceptions are altered.  No longer are you standing on level floor with a flat ceiling above.  Instead, steep stairs run up and down in front of you.  Overhead the curved ceiling looks like an art deco band shell.  Once seated, you see a very small stage at the bottom of the auditorium with what appears to be classic stacks of loudspeakers hanging from the ceiling.  However, this stage, the speakers, and walls are just projections used to orient the audience for what is about to come.  As soon as the movie starts, the small screen on the stage expands outward until the trees, clouds and even buildings completely engulf the audience.  Along with great sound and visuals, immersive technology lets you feel the wind and catch blowing leaves during the tornado, experience the room quake as the Wizard speaks and be hit by an apple from the enchanted forest.  Overall, this is an amazing facility!

The Sphere, Las Vegas, NV

Wizard of Oz, The Sphere, Las Vegas, NV

Hoover Dam Tour
After biking over to Hoover Dam on our first day at Lake Mead, we decided we wanted to see more of this enormous structure and purchased tickets for the full Guided Dam Tour.  These tours include a self-guided tour of the Visitors Center, a guided tour of the Nevada power plant with access to the original elevators and inspection tunnels.  From a viewing platform high above the 8 generators, the Bureau of Reclamation guide explained the operation of the power plant including the installation of new turbines designed for low water pressure.  These new turbines are necessary since the level of Lake Mead has dropped over 150 feet since the original designs were completed.  We also walked along the narrow inspection tunnels containing block numbers for crack documentation and earthquake monitors.  On one side of these tunnels is the lake, nearly 300 feet above, and on the other side is the remaining river channel nearly 300 feet below.  The view out one of the ventilation tunnels was amazing!

Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, NV

Hoover Dam, Nevada Power Plant

Hoover Dam, Ventilation Tunnel

Hoover Dam, Inspection Tunnels

Lake Mead, NV

Along with our Sphere experience and dam tour, we explored a few restaurants in the area.  After the show at the Sphere, we enjoyed great Mexican fare at Juan’s Flaming Fajitas & Cantina in Henderson.  Great service, fun atmosphere, excellent food – we’ll be back!  We also enjoyed the “vibe” of Boulder City and checked out two restaurants. The Dillinger, set in the historic Bank of Nevada building, takes its design from the infamous bank robber John Dillinger.  This casual diner serves up great American food in a comfortable environment with perfect service.  Just down the block, we also checked out Hanger 502.  This military, search & rescue themed restaurant offers great sandwiches, burgers and appetizers.  Try the 3 meatballs appetizer – hand made, huge, and so, so good!

After our stay in Nevada, we’re moving back to Arizona with stops in Williams and Cottonwood.  More from Arizona!


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Categories : Spring Road Trip 2026

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