While snorkeling, we saw a Moray Eel at Phil Foster
It’s amazing when we look back at our own videos and see ourselves doing adventures that we might never had tried in our 30s. I had never dreamt about shark diving in my life. But it was on my husband’s bucket list. Now, I love shark diving! To see sharks and other marine life swimming below and around you in the ocean fascinates us. We become mesmirized and forget many of our fears!
The funny thing is that we don’t really think about the risks as much as we did when we were younger. Oh, sure, I am still afraid of heights and know that to walk a cliff I need a certain width on the path. But, when we research our adventures and get caught up in lifelong dreams, we forget most of our fears.
For example, we want to snorkel with whales, orcas, and sharks. It is our bucket list goal to see as many of these amazing creatures as we can. However, although we know we must be strong swimmers and some waters will be very cold, we just know we have to try it.
During my “career” I was more hesitant, trying to weigh all the risks before jumping in. And, I hated screwing up in public, where everyone could see my mistakes.
But in my adventures, I screw up all the time! While hiking back with the river flow on the Narrows, I fell in three times! Everyone was asking “Are you okay? “We thought we lost you!” I was thinking, “Wow, what a hike!”
We are not the crazy adventurists who get permits for extreme trips. I don’t think I will ever hike Half-Dome in Yosemite. I could be wrong, but it is not on my bucket list right now. We are simply an average, middle-aged couple who want to share our experiences with each other.
Having said that, though, once we find an adventure we want to try, we try not to let our fears get into the way. Oh sure, I didn’t want to do Angels Landing the first time I visited Zion National Park. I thought I might need a few more height adventures under my belt first! But, I haven’t marked it off my list yet.
And, we don’t complete every adventure we attempt. We did not feel comfortable hiking up the loose rock to Andrews Glacier in the Rocky Mountains National Park. However, although we didn’t complete the hike, we enjoyed it immensely. We still believe the journey is the most important part of an adventure.
Also, the more we adventure, the more comfortable we become with other adventures. After full-time rving for several years, we want to start traveling to other countries! We haven’t seen the entire U.S. Maybe we will and maybe we won’t. We simply enjoy dreaming about the next adventure we want to attempt!
Again, we don’t want to be too afraid of crime, customs, and language barriers to not experience some amazing places and adventures in other countries. We have met some marvelous people while traveling through the U.S. They have opened our eyes to oversea travel by explaining it simply to us, “Just buy the ticket!”.
We can’t wait to experience other cultures, festivals, and landscapes! Working and meeting people from other countries and U.S. global travelers has increased our hunger for more adventures.
Oh sure, we try to be a little prepared before we jump in. We want to know at least a few polite words in languages. We want our luggage to be a little secure. And we want to research the country a little. However, you never really know what to expect until actually experience it.
We still have a lot more in life to see and do! Overcoming fears enables you to life the life you want. Afterall, life itself is just an adventure where we grow, become more confident and make errors along the way. And, if I can snorkel with a whale while doing this, all I can say is “Wow, what an adventure!”
Hiking Skyline Trail to Panorama Point Mount Rainier National Park
It’s been awhile since I could think of anything to write. We completed the Beet Harvest and have not been adventuring for several months now. We started our blog to give ideas and tips to others for adventuring. But, what happens when you aren’t adventuring? What do you write about?
We haven’t been adventuring for months so I just let this blog sit. However, although we aren’t adventuring, we are always planning new adventures and adding to our Google Map. So, why not write about about some of our dreams?
We are currently dreaming about overseas travel. This is something completely new for us. Just like when we started thinking about full-time RVing, we had to learn more about overseas traveling.
Because we want to start traveling overseas before sickness or death, we read some books, blogs, and watched YouTube videos for ideas on oversea travel. We learnt and retained some tips and tricks for traveling overeas.
Our research suggested that we should download the Going app. So we did. The Going App (formerly known as Scott’s Cheap Flights) is well worth the annual subscription membership. Although there is a free version, it is not as indepth or easy to use as the subscription version. We are so happy we downloaded and used this app!
Although we use the app to be alerted for cheap flights and set up price alerts for specific places, we don’t book our flights through the app. We research through Google Flights to find the best dates for the deals. Then, we can book the flights directly on the airline’s website through Google Flights.
We have already saved more on airfare than the annual cost of the app for Going. It is an amazing app that we thoroughly enjoy. In fact, all the hours of dreaming of diffferent places to go was worth the annual subscription fee!
We have also added to our pile of toys to prepare for overseas travel. Because we don’t want to check bags, we purchased traveling backpacks. And, of course, we needed a luggage scale; plug in adapters for other countries; new beachy, relaxed clothing; and some other new toys.
A lot of the fun of adventuring is the planning itself. We are not so strict as to schedule every hour of the day or even every day itself. However, we love researching a place and checking out the cool things to see and do. The place can be a national park, state, or even a country.
Most of the fun of traveling and adventuring has been, for us, knowing ourselves and planning our adventures. Even if the trip itself has a few bumps, like a truck breaking down in the summer heat in Arizona, planning and adventuring is still amazing and fun. We hope our overseas traveling will be just as much fun as our RVing.
Traveling from Colorado to Minnesota to work the Sugar Beet Harvest is a long travel in a short period of time. At least it is for us. We are not fast travelers. We enjoy our downtime and our goal in traveling is not to see how quickly we can get there.
On the way up to our beet workamping this year, we stayed in three Walmart parking lots and one Flying J Truck stop. They were not too bad, for parking lots. Our best night sleep was actually the Flying J Truck stop, tucked away in between two tractor trailers.
But our best decision was to book an RPI campground for six days before the beet harvest campground. At first we questioned our decision to book another campground as we were already over budget on campsites for the year.
However, we quit questioning our decision when we arrived at the quiet, maintained Forest Hills Golf & RV Resort in Detroit Lakes, MN. Wow! After parking lot boondocking for four days, this campground was the answer.
We assume the campground for the Sugar Beet Harvest, although full-hookups, will not be as nice as the Forest Hills Resort. I have plenty of walking area around the campground. However, I could also work out in the gym, if I were so inclined.
We have plenty of downtime to catch up on shows and reading before working the long twelve-hour shifts of the Beet Harvest. And, we cooked and froze a lot of food for the two continuous working weeks that we anticipate.
The $10 a night with an RPI membership is worth the relaxation and preparation we enjoyed while sitting at this campground. We also met a couple who sat for a few days before they head to their Beet Harvest in North Dakota. Windell also gained new adventuring ideas from them.
The older we become, the more we realize that we require downtime and relaxation. I know many couples, both young and old, who push themselves. They travel faster than we enjoy traveling. We met one older couple in a Florida rest stop. They drove sixteen hours and were continuing to their campground in Florida. Of course, they couldn’t sleep in their bed as they could not access it in travel mode. So, they just kept driving.
That is not us. I am not sure if we are lazy or just cautionary. But pushing ourselves to get to a destination is just not our ideal way of traveling. We enjoy relaxation and yes, even anticipation. Although sometimes we do get bored sitting at campgrounds, we become really frustrated and grumpy if don’t take some downtime for a little while.
So, here we are at this beautiful campground, preparing for our Sugar Beet Harvest workamping. We are thankful for our RV memberships and our relaxation. If you, like us, also need some downtime, be sure and take it. No one receives a prize for getting to the destination faster. Know thyself and what makes you truly happy.
As for us, we have already decided to book this campground again next year if we work the Sugar Beet Harvest. After six days of resting, cooking, and cleaning, we are ready to face those twelve-hour long shifts!
Unfortunately, on our wat to work the Sugar Beet Harvest every year in Crookston, Minnesota, we have to travel for a few days without our Thousand Trails or RPI campgrounds. Because staying at campgrounds can become expensive, we always end up boondocking in parking lots for a few days. I will be honest, we are not great boondockers. We can handle a couple of days hunting for a spot to land for the night, leaving the slide in, and running the generator. But, we start to get grumpy after a couple of days.
Boondocking In Parking Lots – Our Experience
When we talk about boondocking, we include dispersed camping in the definition. However, dispersed camping, to us, signifies finding a designated campground on public land or a park where we can sit for a few days in our own spot. We can run the generator and put the slide out when we disperse camp. Although we still prefer campgrounds with full-hookups, we have dispersed camped in one area for a week or two.
But boondocking in parking lots is completely different. Yes, you can boondock in lots of different parking lots! We have stayed at Casinos, Walmarts, Cabelas, Cracker Barrels, Truck Stops, and Rest Stops. After four years of RVing full-time we definitely have our favorite parking lots for crashing for a night.
Some of Our Favorite Parking Lots are Casinos!
The only parking lots we stay longer than one night in is Casinos. The couple of casinos we boondocked at were awesome. One even provided free electric! Casinos are usually the best parking lots to stay in. However, we did bypass The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Sioux City, IA. It was downtown. We didn’t like the parking lot and area. So, we continued on to the Flying J Truck Center in Sioux Falls.
Most casinos have a designated area for RVs to park for the night. Some charge a low fee. Sometimes you get free electricity. Usually the casinos have large parking lots where you can have a bit of privacy from the customer parking lots. Before parking our vehicle, we always enter the casino and speak to an employee. We ask if overnight parking is okay and where we need to park. We also do this for other parking lots.
If you are traveling and need to crash for an evening, we recommend trying a casino. Again, the only casino we didn’t stay at was the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Sioux City, IA.
Boondocking Overnight in Stores and Restaurants Parking Lots
Let’s be honest, Walmart parking lots are our most frequented parking lots. Not all Walmarts allow overnight parking and we don’t like all Walmart parking lots for boondocking. If we arrive before the store closes and do not see any other RVs, we will go inside and ask if overnight parking is allowed. Sometimes, you don’t even have to go inside. They will have signs posted all over the parking lot saying no overnight parking!
Before we arrived at the Flying J Travel Center, we visited the Walmart Parking Lot in Sioux Falls. Per Campendium, it allowed overnight parking. However, when we arrived, the parking lot was filled with “No Overnight Parking” signs. And, we wouldn’t have boondocked there anyway. The parking lot was small! It was way, way too small for all the traffic to the Walmart and Sam’s Club right beside it.
We have sat overnight in some really nice Walmart parking lots. They were away from the highway and much quieter than you would expect. We always try to park the farthest away from the store entrance and sometimes you will see RVs sitting in a back parking lot.
However, we have also left Walmart parking lots. Once we were traveling through a city and had decided to stay at a Walmart overnight. I don’t remember the exact location of this city, but I believe it was in Montana. We pulled into the parking lot, parking as far away from the building as possible. When we looked around more closely, we noticed a lot of older RVs that appeared to be living there.
The final large warning light to us that we didn’t want to stay at this Walmart occurred while we were fixing supper. A car with a couple and some children pulled in near us. The children left the vehicle to stand on the corner of the street right above us, panhandling. That was enough for us. We packed up the camper and headed to the Cracker Barrel.
The Cracker Barrels that we have stayed at have a few nice, long RV spots. They are usually around the back. However, you should always go in and ask if overnight parking is allowed. You will not have as much room to put stairs down and work out in a Cracker Barrel parking lot. However, they are usually pretty quiet except for street noise.
Cabelas is a fabulous parking lot to sit for a night. Usually you have a lot of room, with no other RVs near you. We have seen a huge bus with a long trailer pull into a Cabelas to set up. Although we usually only sit for one night (who wants to sit in a parking lot longer?), we did sit at one Cabelas for three days. We were traveling west at the time. For some reason, we needed to sit for a couple of days. We went inside and talked to the staff in Cabelas. They were very friendly and told us no problem to stay a couple of nights.
We were not the only RV staying for a few days in that particular Cabelas parking lot. However, usually, Cabelas allows one night overnight parking. They are usually very quiet spots, away from the downtown area, and are perfect for a good nights rest.
Because our stairs are the heavy type that you have to drop down, we usually try to park on the last passenger side slot. We don’t want to block anyone else from parking. Also, we don’t want someone to take out our stairs. Whether it be in store parking lots, truck stops, or rest stops, we always try to park early enough to grab the last parking space on the right hand side.
Boondocking in Truck Stop Parking Lots – Always An Option
My husband drove for the oil field and over the road. He has more experience with truck stops than I do. When he first suggested that we pull over for the night in a truck stop from Texas to Missouri , I was hesitant. That first experience was not our most comfortabl in a truck stop.
We had to pull the truck and camper into a middle spot. Because we had no experience with our camper or stairs at that point, we didn’t park early to grab the far most parking spot on the right.
So, we were in a middle spot. The first truck that pulled in beside us was super nice. They gave us plenty of room to put our stairs down. However, when he left, the next truck pulled in right beside us. Jumping out of the camper, over the stairs, is not the most fun way to wake up.
We have learned a lot since that first experience at a truck stop. On our way up to the beet harvest this year, we decided to stay overnight at a Flying J Travel Center. We backed up the truck and camper into a truck spot way in the back. Windell parked the camper perfectly next to an unhooked trailer. When we pulled the stairs down, they landed right on the line. It was the best night sleep we had in two days, parked between two tractor trailers!
If you do not arrive too late and you plan how you are going to park, truck stops are a fabulous overnight parking option. We loved the Flying J back parking area. The tractor trailers were still running. But the camper was behind most of the noise and we slept like logs. It was way better than the Walmart parking lots we popped a squat on for the previous two nights.
Be Careful of Boondocking Overnight at Rest Stops
We have stayed at lots of rest stops. You can’t beat Florida for the quality of its rest stops. Usually they have water to fill your tank and sewer dumps. Some are away from highway noise. You can stay overnight at rest stops in Florida, with no issues.
We know when we travel through Florida, we will be staying at rest stops. They are easy pulloffs from the main highways and interstates. They usually have 24 hour security and we have never had any issues at Florida rest stops. In fact, Florida rest stops are our favorite overnight boondocking parking lot!.
However, not all states allow overnight parking in their rest stops. Some states allow twelve hour parking. Some limit it to ten hour and others may only allow you to sit at a rest stop for four hours.
When we travel to a state and are looking for a parking lot for a night, we mainly use our Campendium app. If you click on a rest stop parking and scroll to the bottom of the description, the app tells you how many hours you can legally stay at the rest stop.
We know some people break the rules. While traveling on Interstate 29 North, we saw a Class C with two flat tires sitting at a rest stop that only allows ten hours. If you read the comments in Campendium, people will say they stayed longer in a rest stop parking lot than what was allowed with no issues.
However, we don’t want to be those people. We don’t want to risk having a knock in the middle of the night, startling us. So, we avoid rest stops that do not allow overnight parking.
If they have signs of “No Camping”, we don’t stop for the night. If the rest area states ten hours maximum, we don’t stop for the night. When we travel and look for boondocking parking lots, we want to sleep and sit for at least twelve hours. We are not speedy travelers.
So, if you are thinking about boondocking at rest stops, know the rules and beaware that they change from state to state. No matter where we do pull into a parking lot for the night, whether a store, restaurant, truck stop, or rest stop, we do not run our generator overnight. Although it probably would not bother tractor trailer drivers, it is just a habit we have to shut the generator off.
The Campendium App is a great resource to find parking lot and other boondocking sites. Be aware, though, that you should scroll down the screen to see how many hours you can legally stay in the parking lot. Also, ordinances change. So, we always try to go into the store or restaurant or call ahead to ensure it is okay to park overnight. Some of the spots we have found in previous years are no longer available for overnight parking.
Are We There Yet?
The hunting and pecking for boondocking parking lots is our least favorite way of traveling. We enjoy knowing we have a campsite at our next location. However, we have boondocked at various parking lots. Casinos and rest stops are our favorite overnight parking spots. Yet we have had some peaceful nights at Walmarts, and yes, even at truck stops. But we miss our campgrounds when we boondock. We love full-hookups and programmed coffee.
Although our full-time RV memberships provide us many options for campsites, some areas just are too expensive for us to stay in campgrounds. So, we boondock in parking lots in these areas simply to travel through them quickly. Sometimes you are just trying to get to greener grass.
Because we don’t want to be awaken or visited by the law, we try to make sure we know the stay limits in parking lots and talk with store staff to ensure overnight parking is allowed. When we finally reach our next campground, we both let out a sigh of relief. No more parking lot boondocking, no more driving around with a camper to find a spot for the night, and no more walking Walmart for exercise. Finally, full-hookups and regularly scheduled programs!
We finally accomplished our childhood dreams of riding on a steam locomotive train, or choo-choo, to us, for short! Months in advance we booked the Durango-Silverton Steam Train Ride in Colorado. Originally, we booked the tickets for May. However, after arriving in Colorado in late April, we were afraid the weather would be too cold in the open gondola car.
Although it states expressly on your tickets when you purchase that no refunds or exchanges are allowed, we called the customer service number and asked if we could change our ticket days to later in the year. The very nice lady in customer service moved our tickets to September 9 on our desired seats with no issues. Although we had a little rain on the return journey, otherwise the weather was perfect.
Of course, when the day of our train finally arrived, we had already changed our traveling plans many times throughout the year. It was a little more difficult than we initially thought to travel to the train depot in Durango. When we originally booked our tickets, we thought we would still be truck camping and staying in the area. But the middle of the summer we decided to quit truck camping and hook the camper back up.
Which meant, we were sitting at the Thousand Trails campground in Gunnison, CO for our train ride. This was a long nine-hour roundtrip drive with the West Highway 50 Bridge closed. We also did not realize that the train ride was from 9:00 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Wow! It was a long day, but so worth it.
A Steam Train Ride through the San Juan National Forest
The Durango-Silverton Train provides you with so many options to experience this gorgeous train ride. You can choose a diesel engine or a steam engine train from the Durango Depot to Silverton. If you want a shorter ride, you can take the Cascade Canyon Express that lasts only 5.25 hours roundtrip. The Cascade Canyon Express does not travel all the way to Silverton, but instead turns around halfway.
If you do not want to ride the train roundtrip, you can choose a bus one way and ride the train for the other. You can take the train to Silverton and catch the bus back. Or you can take the bus from Durango to Silverton and catch the train back to Durango. There are lots of options and season specials to experience this exciting adventure.
We decided to take the long way and booked the steam engine for both ways. When we booked this train ride, we did not realize that it takes 3.5 hours each way and you stop in Silverton for two hours. Of course, the website clearly states this. We tried to be really smart before our trip and we brought tuna fish and snacks. However, not realizing how long the day was going to be, we left them in the truck. The only regret we have on this trip was not bringing our snacks with us.
But, riding a train through the San Juan Forest! Wow! We will never forget this amazing train ride through the gorgeous national forest. The views of the Animas River and the gorgeous Canyons of the Rocky Mountains will have you standing up on the train for better views and photographic moments. We oohed and ahhed once we reached the national forest on our steam train.
We booked the open car, or gondola, on the 9:00 a.m. Steam Train from Durango. After riding the train, we would again book the gondola and the steam train! You can see so much of the scenery and everyone on the gondola has a first-class seat facing the open windows. We brought sock caps and I brought gloves, just in case. And, on the return ride from Silverton, we used them!
The Steam Engine provided the childhood glee of the chugga chugga. Every time the engineer blew the whistle, we giggled and tried to capture it on our recording. Seeing the steam rise above the engine and sometimes, from the sides of the locomotive, made our faces light up. We were our childhood selves again, riding a choo choo train!
The San Juan Mountains and the Animas River
Durango-Silverton Steam Engine Train trip through the San Juan National Forest in Colorado
Although the right side of the train from Durango to Silverton has the best views, if you ride the train both ways, you will see all the views. Most websites that we searched recommended booking the right side. And, we did for our morning ride. However, in the morning the sun was right in front of us on the way to Silverton. And on the return ride to Durango, the afternoon sun was also right in front of us! If we booked again, we might take the bus to Silverton and ride on the right side back. Or sit on the left in the morning and the right in the afternoon, depending on the time of year.
For the first part of the trip leaving Durango, the views are not spectacular. You ride a little ways through the town of Durango, which is more fun on the way back, as I will explain later. The Missionary Ridge that you can see after leaving Durango is nice, but not epic. You also follow the highway for a long while and can hear the noise in the open gondola. But, you are riding a steam engine and that in itself is so much fun.
After you pass the Missionary Ridge, you start the climb. Just when we thought, well at least we experienced a steam train, we begin to see the Needle Mountains. The views become amazing. As you travel further along towards Silverton, the Animas River makes its appearance. The colors of this river in places remind you of a glacier lake. You cannot get over the beauty of the river with the Grenadier Range in the backdrop.
The most exhilarating part of the journey for me was the river below, the mountains in the background, and the train taking corners around the rock. You can witness the Engineer on the Locomotive with the steam and whistles, maneuvering around rocks with the river below and the mountains in front. Oh, my goodness, what a sight! Sometimes you will also see the Conductor waving his hat on the side of the train, which adds to ambiance. I had to stand up to take in the entire magical scene. I would have done a happy dance on this amazing ride, but the train rocks along on the tracks and the cars sway from side to side. What an adventure!
One gentleman living in the area was explaining to his family beside me the different scenes along the route. He kayaks the river and frequently catches the train. Of course, I had to eavesdrop to learn about the underground cave where the river flows and different scenes along the journey. I enjoy listening to the knowledge of others when they have more experience than I do.
Another fun tip while traveling on the train is that along the journey, the train passes inches by large rocks. Windell and I both let out a couple of deep breaths on some of the turns around these rocks. We tried to record these close encounters with our GoPros without bruising our knuckles, and it is a memorable experience.
As the train continues towards Silverton, you gasp with delight on the views. Waterfalls make their appearance and the gorgeous river below with the amazing canyon views wll make you gasp. Eventually, you reach the town of Silverton for a two hour exploration and lunch.
Arriving at Silverton, Colorado on the Durango-Silverton Steam Train
Everyone disembarks the train in Silverton for a couple of hours to eat and explore. Silverton is a very small touristy town with mainly dirt roads. Because we had forgotten our tuna fish, against our usual adventuring style, we bought some lunch in Silverton. Although many tourists were waiting in line to enter one restaurant, we choose to go cheap and eat fried food.
The main enterprise of Silverton seems to be tourist shops and restaurants for those arriving for the train. To stretch our legs after the long train ride, we walked the town for a while after eating. There are public bathrooms that are clean with plenty of stalls. It was fun to walk around after the train ride, but the town is very small. Silverton is not a place we would visit if it was not our train stop.
If we were to take the train again to Silverton, we would remember to bring our tuna fish and snacks and sit in the public area, recalling our amazing train trip thus far. If you like the touristy things, there are many shops in Silverton, although some were closed on the day we arrived. We did buy our postcards here, knowing that we would be late getting back to the Durango Depot.
Ending Our Memorable Steam Train Experience
In addition to the beautiful train ride and the delightful steam engine, riding back through the town of Durango is another enjoyable experience. On the way back, during the afternoon, people wave at the train. It is so much fun to see the children and adults alike, waving as you pass them by. People wave from parking lots, balconies, and even at the railroad crossing when you travel past them. You cannot help but wave back. Some bystanders even asked how our trip was as the train slowed through the town.
This friendliness of the town at the end just enhanced the entire experience. We had such a warm, fuzzy feeling taking a steam engine train with views of mountains, a river, and waving at the friendly people as we returned. If you like train rides, or have a childhood dream of riding a train, we recommend the Durango-Silverton line. We highly recommend the Steam Locomotive and the open gondola car. Bring your cameras so you never forget the amazing beauty. Or better yet, record yourself giggling with delight when the engine whistles!
We love snorkeling at Phil Foster Park, Riviera Beach, Florida
We have been dreaming of overseas travel for most of our life. Traveling through the states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Wyoming in the Summer of 2024 really enforced the idea of taking our adventures to the next level. Now we know we are ready for more adventuring outside the continental U.S. 48 states.
What really cemented our idea of traveling overseas was our chance meeting of Chris from Switzerland. Luckily, we were all traveling through Utah at the same time. He ended up boondocking with us for the night. We were all staying only one night. However, we started chatting and continued visiting the entire next day into the evening.
Our gentleman, in his thirties, had already visited more of the U.S. than we had. In addition, he had traveled to a lot of countries that we have only been dreaming of visiting. His encouragement of “Just buy the ticket” really put a fire under our butts for more adventurous travel.
So, now we are planning our 2025 trips and we are focusing on traveling overseas. We still have adventures in the continental U.S. on our bucket list and plan to visit them a month or two each year. However, our main plans involve airlines, hotel or condo accommodations, and rental cars overseas or in Hawaii and Alaska.
With this new found bravery in traveling, we also had to revamp our budget. In addition to lodging and plane tickets, we want to dine out more and try the local cuisine, visit markets, and tour more historical buildings.
Learning About Overseas Travel
Traveling outside the United States is a whole new concept to us. Neither of us has been outside the U.S. in all of our many years. We know many friends who book a resort for a week vacation and never leave the resort. But this sounds completely boring and is not our type of travel.
Part of our fascination with traveling to other countries is interacting with the local culture, learning new languages, and visiting historical buildings and places. And, of course, in many places, snorkeling is at the top of our list.
Because worldwide traveling is new to us, we are trying to learn more about how to travel efficiently and safely. We are reading books by travelers and watching YouTube Videos. Also, we are trying to learn more about the confusing credit card points and using them efficiently. Forget expert hacking tips yet; we are still trying to earn our promotional points!
Because we are newbies at the overseas travel gig, we are only planning a week or two in different countries to get our feet wet. Luckily, many of our bucket list places are considered safe for traveling, speak english, and we do not yet have to get a Visa.
However, as we gain more knowledge and feel more comfortable, we expect to travel to less safe areas. Especially as many of our snorkeling bucket lists are in more dangerous countries. But some of bucket lists are once in a lifetime experiences that we don’t want to pass up.
Some ideas we have gathered so far from reading the accounts of full-time travelers are:
Don’t try to see everything – book a week or two and see your highlights
Don’t check in baggage – carry-ons are the way to go
Be flexible
Plan for fraud and theft
Learn a few polite words in every country you visit
Research the country you will be visiting
Don’t Try to See Everything in Overseas Travel
When we plan our RV adventure for a year, we try to include a lot of sights and hikes that we want to do. Usually, they are on our bucket list. However, sometimes it is because we get bored sitting at a campground.
During our truck camping adventures of 2024, we missed a lot of our hikes and sights on our list. We were sometimes too antsy to get to the next spot or the weather was miserable. As we were traveling through the desert for most of the summer, the weather was often miserable. Especially for sleeping in the back of the truck. And we didn’t expect the price of ice to kill our budget.
Initally, while considering overseas travel, many times we thought we would have to book a month in a country to see everything. We discussed finding public transportation or renting a car, booking two or more hotels/condos, and how to travel to different areas. Our friend from Switzerland simplified overseas traveling for us. He told us to pick a few bucket list items that we must see or do and then leave. It sounds simple, but it was an “Ah-ha” moment for us.
What a relief this was! It is way easier to book a week or two for the main places we want to see rather than planning luggage, clothes, and travel for a month! And, we can include a couple of days for rest and just walking the town. Because we are not go, go, go travelers, having a few days of downtime is very important for us.
So, now in our planning for 2025, instead of booking a month in one country and traveling all over it, we are planning a week or two visit in one area. We hope to see our main attractions in the one area and interact with the local culture. If we have time, we might venture out a little further. However, we can always book another trip to a different area later.
The planning of only a week or two in one area makes the overseas traveling a whole lot simpler. We only must book one hotel or condo and do not have to travel throughout the entire country. We expect to stay in one location, see the sights, and learn a little of the local culture and food.
Simplifying the travel to another country has made our trip planning more fun and relaxing. We may have to plan more than one visit to a country to see everything we want in the country, but we don’t have to try to cram everything into one trip. Whew!
Don’t Check in Baggage
We are not baggage checking travelers anyway. I have this fear of my luggage being lost and I like to keep it all near me when I fly. I am like Scrooge with his money. And reading books by full-time travelers supported this decision. Full-time travelers we have read and watched recommend not checking baggage. Instead, they suggest following the one carry-on and one personal item for airport check-ins.
Since studying the recommendations of frequent flyers, we have purchased one small suitcase that meets the requirements for under the seat luggage. We also plan to purchase two small traveling backpacks for our overhead compartment. We plan to pack light. As we don’t wear jeans anyway, we will pack some nice pants and shirts for both of us and maybe a couple of light dresses for me. As one YouTube traveler recommended, “pack your bag, take half out, and then go.”
One recommendation given by another YouTuber is to make sure your bags stand out. You do not want someone else to take your luggage without you noticing. So, make sure your luggage cannot be mistaken for another. I am still looking for the most goofy, colorful way to decorate my luggage. Also, we will put locks on everything, including our day backpack, to deter theft. From what we have read, pickpocketing is the most frequent crime in overseas travel.
Because we will be traveling to other countries and, sometimes, visiting churches and other historical buildings, we will pack nice, presentable clothing. After all, we do not want to offend citizens of these countries or be denied access to something we really want to see. And, let’s face it, no one wants to see two fifty-years old walking down the street with their private wrinkles showing anyway.
As for shoes, we love our hiking sandals. In addition to hiking in them, I can also wear mine with dresses or skirts. The only other pair of shoes we plan to pack are our tennis shoes To make our packing lighter and our decision of what to wear easier, we plan to purchase neutral colored pants, shorts, and skirts. We can then choose more colorful tops to accessorize our plain jane bottoms.
Hopefully, our packing plan works for us. We don’t want to do laundry or have sweat stains under our armpits. The more we travel overseas, the more we will learn what clothes and personal items we really need to be comfortable and presentable.
Be Flexible
In addition to traveling overseas, this is sound advice for RVing Full-Time. You don’t know what will happen that could potentially change your plans and even make you slap your forehead. Sometimes, crap just hits the fan.
During the Summer of 2024, we took our travel trailer to Arizona during the hot month of July. We expected to stay only a week or two and then head back to the cooler weather in Colorado. We really didn’t like the heat, but we wanted to do a couple of bucket list hikes in the area.
Unexpectedly, our truck broke down. It just wouldn’t start one morning before a hike. So, we had it towed to the nearest dealership. For a month we sat in our travel trailer in the over one hundred degree heat while our truck was fixed. This was not in our plans and took us by surprise. We had to reschedule campgrounds and change our plans. This was our first major mishap in four years of RVing Full-Time, but we handled it.
We assume overseas traveling will also hold some surprises for us. Our planning in some countries involves using pubic transportation. We know this will take us some time to learn and we will have some hiccups. So, we want to add a few days to our trip to find our way back to the hotel, just in case.
However, we also know that things we never even considered will probably occur. Our best action is to have a few backup plans and to search for other opportunities, if necessary. Some of our best learnings have been from life’s curveballs.
Expecting Theft in Overseas Travel
I did not even really consider this until I read a book written by a full-time traveler. Both she and her husband have had their credit cards frauded while traveling overseas. And their bank closed the account. If the bank closes the account due to fraud, they will only reissue the new credit card to your physical address back in the states.
Another YouTuber traveler we watch was pickpocketed while touring a country. She also had her luggage taken from the overhead compartment on the airplane. It seems there are many ways to be targeted for theft and fraud in our travel overseas.
We are still researching ways to make our travels safer. Our first plan of action is to carry most of our important items in cut proof day backpacks with locks. We each plan to carry one so we can divide credit cards, money and important documents. Hopefully, we also remember to keep records of the customer service numbers of our banks, just in case.
A couple of worldwide travelers that I have read also recommend carrying backup copies of important documents, including passports, in other suitcases. One author recommends three copies of ids carried in different suitcases. Because we are only part-time travelers, we are still researching how much actual paper backup we should carry with us. We don’t want to set ourselves up for more identity theft for only a week of travel overseas.
Also, to make it easier on us, we are not carrying laptops or other electronics on our trips. Of course, we will have our cellphones and a backup for our photo storage. But we really do not want to worry about how to carry or where to store other devices while we are having fun.
Luckily, our bank allows us to exchange dollars for euros in the U.S. before traveling. To get our feet wet, we decided our first country for overseas travel will be in Europe. We love the idea of leaving our Debit Cards at home and not using foreign ATMs. Hopefully, this removes some exposure to fraud and theft.
As newbies, we are still learning. We continue to read and watch videos on scams others have been exposed to and recommended safety precautions by full-time travelers. Our first line of defense now, before visiting a country, is to check out the travel.state.gov website and learn more about the crime, restrictions and locations of U.S. embassies in each country. And, of course, once we begin overseas traveling, we will have a better idea on protecting ourselves.
Although we realize no one is immune to theft and fraud (and every day company hacking proves it), we plan on limiting our exposure by simply not carrying too many items that can be stolen, dividing the necessary credit cards and cash, having copies of our passports and ids, making sure we are always aware of our surroundings and our personal effects, and anticipating what our backup plan is if something does happen.
Learning Polite Words and Behaving Respectfully
Oh, yes, we have met them, the travelers that everyone warns you about. We met them at the pool while RVing in Virginia. Originally, we thought it was going to be a great conversation. After all, the man was originally from Missouri, and we usually love meeting fellow Missourians.
However, the conversation soon took a wrong turn. We began discussing the subject of overseas traveling. We were so jealous as they had traveled to loads of countries. Of course, us being us, we started asking a lot of questions, trying to learn more. We really thought they would teach us tips on overseas traveling and ideas for some adventures.
What we really learned from them was: (1) they did not like the food, (2) the weather was not ideal, and (3) their favorite part of one trip was staying in a hotel with a view of the Eiffel Tower. They were arrogant and always comparing the country they visited to the United States.
Words cannot begin to describe how disappointed we were. I am surprised our faces did not give us away as we grimaced on every detail of their travels. We still have no idea if they ever truly enjoyed any of the countries they visited.
We know enough about ourselves to realize we will have to make some adjustments in our normal behavior while in other cultures. For example, I am loud. It is not that I do it on purpose, my voice is just loud and carries. Especially if I am excited about a new sight or adventure. I am working on it. But it may take me a little bit to change a habit of fifty years. I know I must soften my voice because not everyone in my vicinity wants to hear, “Wow, baby, check that out!”
However, we hope we are open to meeting various people from lots of different areas without prejudging them. We love meeting, talking, and learning from others. Sometimes it is difficult not to make comparisons between other countries and the United States. However, there is really no reason to compare unless you are deciding whether to move to another country. Afterall, we are just temporary visitors right now.
We want to travel overseas to learn and see amazing sights. Duolingo is teaching us a few languages. More importantly, we are trying to learn a few simple phrases such as “hello,” “please,” “thank you,” “good morning,” and “where are the bathrooms.” in all of the countries we will visit. Afterall, it is very important for us to know where the bathrooms are.
We know that English is spoken in many countries, especially in the touristy areas. However, we do not want to assume that everyone will understand us. Also, we hate to miss amazing opportunities to learn new languages, even if it is just simple phrases! We would kick ourselves if we did not take advantage of hearing the local language and learning a bit of the culture while we are visiting.
Even though native speakers may laugh at our attempts of pronunciation, everyone we have met to date has been so friendly. I have been laughed at while trying to roll my Rs and other speakers have explained conversations in English to us. But, everyone we have met was happy that we were trying to learn their language and very nice about our faults. It is a joy to us to talk with friendly, amazing people from all different walks of life.
Research Your Desired Location
This is how naïve we are about traveling. We did not realize that the U.S. federal government maintains the website travel.state.gov to research different countries you will be traveling to. I learned it recently while reading a book written by a full-time traveler. You can aslo register with the website to let the U.S. government know when you will be in another country.
While planning our overseas travel, we try to read up on and watch a lot of YouTube videos about the specific country we are visiting. And we will continue to learn more about traveling in general. Windell loves watching YouTube and I love reading. So, you can guess who does the research in each area.
When we travel to a country, we want to do our best not to offend anyone. Also, we realize the laws in that country can differ from what we are used to in the United States. So, we do a little research. Although we know we will make mistakes, our research makes us feel more prepared for our travels. We are probably overthinking it. We sometimes do.
Yet, because we want to learn and experience some of the culture as well as see some sights, we expect to put ourselves in more uncomfortable settings than just relaxing in a pool at a resort. Who wants to relax in a resort pool? Especially if there is an ocean nearby to snorkel! So, we research to teach us some basics of how to visit a country politely.
The most fun research is determing the bucket list items to do! We make a list of the sights we want to see, any markets we want to visit, recommended authentic restaurants, and the main areas we want to tour. It is also interesting to research festivals and cultural events that may occur while you are there. I will never forget jumping up to dance in Colorado with Hopi family members when permitted!
Preparing Ourselves for Traveling Overseas
We are so excited. When we started RVing, we made a strict budget to retire early. Our initial budget was so strict that it required us to stay on Thousand Trails campgrounds for two to three weeks without much adventuring. However, we have expanded our interests since then, our budget, and our work experiences. The more exploring we do, the more we hunger for new and more exciting adventures.
Although we have not seen all the continental 48 states yet, we have decided to start exploring via overseas travel in the upcoming years. We still plan on traveling in the U.S. a few months out of the year. But we will be limiting this adventuring and travel to fewer, more specific areas.
Luckily, we can start exploring together while we are still physically able. We are grateful for this chance to meet people, learn cultures, and try things we never dreamt of while working full-time. And we expect our overseas travel in 2025 to further expand our interests and memories. Thanks to our friend from Switzerland and some research, we will soon be able to start this new journey.
Sunrise at Dream Lake, Bear Lake Corridor, Rocky Mountain National Park
We really enjoyed our visit to the Rocky Mountain National Park. Although we only stayed three days, we completed two amazing hikes and tented for the first time in a national park campground.
How We Managed Our Visit to Rocky Mountain National Park:
Book a campground
Get there early
See the sunrise while hiking and avoid the crowds
Our Hikes:
Nymph, Dream, & Emerald Lakes and Lake Haiyaha
Andrews Glacier & Tarn that we didn’t complete
Timed Entry Pass
2024 was our first year we had to book timed entry passes for some national parks. Arches and Rocky Mountain National Parks both required timed entry passes to enter the park during certain times of the day.
Arches National Park was pretty straightforward. If you were entering the park between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. between April 1 – October 31, 2024, you had to purchase a timed entry pass for $2.
We would wait until the day before we wanted to visit, get on the Recreation.gov app at 7 p.m. and book a pass for the next day. Easy peasy. Although you have an hour from the initial time of the pass to enter the park, we always showed up right at the beginning of our time.
However, Rocky Mountain NP is a little more confusing. Firstly, it has two different areas with different entry pass times. If you are visiting any area besides Bear Lake Road, you must have a timed entry pass to enter the Park between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. You can enter the park before these hours or after these hours without a timed entry pass.
Our hikes were, unfortunately, on the Bear Lake Road, and has its own timed entry system. Bear Lake Road reservations are required to enter the Bear Lake Road Corridor between the hours of 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The timed entry passes for the Rocky Mountain National Park are also valid for 2 hours. So, if you purchase a timed entry pass for 8 a.m., you have from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. to enter the park with your pass. However, I will say, if you are entering at the Bear Lake Road, 8 a.m. is probably too late to find a parking spot at the trailheads. You will probably have to catch the shuttle.
Glacier Basin Campground
Because our planned hikes were in the Bear Lake Area, and we knew the trailheads would be very busy, we decided to book four nights at the Glacier Basin Campground. Your timed entry pass is included with the booking of the campsite. So, we could avoid purchasing timed entry passes separately. Also, it was easier for us to wake up early to park at the trailheads.
We have the America the Beautiful Annual Pass and we should have been able to book the campsite for half price. However, I was trying to book it on my Recreation.gov app and, for some reason, it wouldn’t accept the numbers on the back of the card. If you intend on booking this campground, please make sure you receive the half-price discount from your card.
The campground is very noisy. I believe quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. We went to bed around 8 p.m. every evening because we knew we were getting up at 4 a.m. However, our neighbors banged around until 9:30 p.m. every evening. The campground is the quietest during the day when everyone is out exploring.
If you are staying at the campground, like us, to arise early for hiking, be aware it is not quiet. We realize we are an anomaly as we go to bed really early for our morning hikes. But, we also know we are not the only ones!
Generators can be run between the hours of 7:30-10 a.m. and 4-8:30 p.m. However, some sites do not allow generators. When we arrived, we spoke with the ranger on duty checking us in. We asked a lot of questions as this was our first national park campground.
There is a solar shower in the D Loop at this campground. After smelling ourselves, we probably should have checked it out after hiking. But, we didn’t.
Our Hikes
The two hikes we wanted to try were the Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake and Lake Haiyaha trail and the Andrew Glacier and Tarn Trail.
Our first hike of the four lakes we began at the Bear Lake Parking Area & Trailhead. We knew both of our hikes were in popular destinations and the parking lots would fill up fast. Although there is a shuttle stop right across from the Glacier Basin Campground, we decided to get up early to find a spot.
We arrived at both parking lots around 4:30 a.m. and there were already vehicles in the lots. I don’t know if you will be able to find a spot after 7 a.m. Because of the timed entry system, we expected a lot of traffic before the 5 a.m. timed entry requirement and we were not disappointed.
Our Four Lake Hike
Our hike to the four lakes was gorgeous. We didn’t start out on the trail until after the sun had risen. However, I imagine watching the sunrise at one of the lakes would be amazing. Although we enjoyed Dream Lake and Emerald Lake, our favorite was Lake Haiyaha.
You must do some rock scrambling when you arrive at Lake Haiyaha. I am not going to lie, rock scrambling is not my favorite type of hiking. But the absolute blue glacier water of the lake is worth climbing over the big boulders.
Give yourself some time to sit and really take in this lake. We could not get over how gloriously blue it was. A couple of young men, braver than we were, jumped in for their cold plunge. Although one said, “how refreshing,” the other young man did not say too much but tried to put on his clothes quickly!
We took our epic lunch spot for the day at this beautiful lake. We just enjoyed sitting, enjoying the lake, and taking in the surrounding views. However the lake itself is the real reason to visit this area.
If you don’t want to hike the other lakes, but only see Lake Hiayaha, you can also reach the lake via the Glacier Gorge Trailhead. Our second hike to Andrews Glacier and Tarn also begins at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead. You can also hike to Alberta Falls, Timberline Falls, and Sky Pond from this trailhead.
Andrew’s Glacier and Tarn
So, you can imagine, this parking lot also gets full quickly. For our second hike, we decided to begin the trail in the dark and hike during the sunrise.
Wow! We began hiking around 5:30 a.m. or a little before. Before we reached Alberta Falls, we were already experiencing some of the amazing effects of the sunrise over the trees and on the rocks. The sun rise was still occurring when we reached Alberta Falls.
I would not change that moment for all the world. To witness Alberta Falls in the glowing pink of the sunrise while the rocks around you reflect that color was one of the prettiest sights we can remember.
If you are hiking this trail, and if possible, begin the hike in the dark and see the sunrise. It will be a forever memory that you will not want to forget. Also, there is not a crowd at this time of day. We were by ourselves for most of the hike. The hikers who had started before us were hiking to other areas to view the sunrise.
Alberta Falls is in and of itself gorgeous. We were taken aback by the amount of water that flows at this waterfall. And the large, surrounding rock makes it stunning. We recorded it on the way back, as it was too dark for the GoPros during the sunrise. However, by then, there were crowds everywhere.
While hiking to Andrews Glacier, you also get to hike around The Loch. Oh, my goodness, this lake took our breath away. When you arrive at the lake, you can see the waterfall on the far distant rock wall, with snow or ice above it. On the day we hiked, a mist was gently rolling down the mountains towards the lake. We had to sit and take in its beauty before continuing.
For most of our hike, we followed the same trail as the Sky Pond Trail. In fact, we were the only ones hiking to Andrews Glacier. Although we did meet one young woman hiking back who had watched the sunrise from there.
The trail for Andrews Glacier separates from the Sky Pond Trail after The Loch. We had to make a right at the fork towards the Andrew Glacier Campground. The next sign we saw on the trail only officially marked the campground. However, someone had carved an arrow pointing to the left that said Tarn. There is another blue arrow on the rock when you turn to the left for the Tarn.
We did not make it to the Glacier and Tarn, which is the small lake below it. However, we hiked with views of a glorious meadow up the hill. We had to climb over some large boulders. But we had talked with the young lady hiking down earlier, and she had told us to stay to the right.
We followed her advice, staying to the right while climbing over the boulders up the hill. We climbed over a beautiful stream that led down into the valley, with blooming wildflowers on the hill. It was gorgeous.
Finally, we reached the real rock-scrambling portion of the hike. We could see the top of the mountain where the glacier and tarn were located, but we could not see them ourselves. The climb to the top required hiking over loose rock. Windell was already feeling the effects of the altitude.
Although I wanted to see the Glacier, I did not want us to hurt ourselves or hike on all fours just to reach a glacier and lake. Besides, the hike was already amazing. We saw Alberta Falls in the sunrise, The Lock with a waterfall, and the hill and valley with a stream and wild flowers. We were extremely content with our amazing adventure.
Rocky Mountain National Park
We really enjoyed our two hikes in the Rocky Mountain National Park, and we are glad we visited it. Booking the Glacier Basin Campground for a few nights made it easy for us to arrive early and park for our hikes. Be aware that the park fills up fast!
Arriving early, hiking during the sunrise, and seeing some of the amazing features made this trip worth the cost of the campground and the drive. Although it was not our favorite national park, we really enjoyed this short side trip.
Kayaking Lake Michigan at Cave Point County Park in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
During 2023, we spent our summer touring Michigan and Wisconsin. It was the first time for both of us to see the Great Lakes. Although the Great Lakes do not contain the ocean life we love (sharks, whales, manta rays, etc.), the vastness of them took us by surprise. The Great Lakes are amazing to kayak and explore. There are many shipwrecks and cool geological features that you must check out when visiting.
Kayaking to Turnip Rock in Lake Heron
When my husband said he wanted to kayak seven miles to a rock in Lake Heron in Port Austin, Michigan, I was skeptical. After all, I am not the strongest kayaker and lakes are not my favorite places to kayak. I prefer springs and salt water. But you hate to miss an adventure. So, I said I would try.
You cannot reach Turnip Rock in Michigan by land. It is all privately owned. So, you must kayak Lake Heron to see this unique rock feature. However, Lake Heron is a beautiful lake to kayak.
We launched our kayaks at Bird Creek County Park GPS 44.04798, -82.99296. We had no issues finding parking at this cool little park where we could launch for free. And we appreciate the public bathrooms before the seven-mile kayak trip. Once we left the sand beach, we turned right and headed to the rock.
It was a rough kayak trip for me, with the wind and currents. But it was worth it. Turnip Rock is a neat rock to see in Lake Heron. And we had a lot of fun kayaking around the rock, playing, and filming each other.
It took us several hours to kayak there and back from the Bird Creek County Park and I was worn out. The trip took longer because Windell had to wait on me a lot while kayaking back to the beach. But Lake Heron is gorgeous and turnip rock is a fun feature to kayak.
Our favorite kayaking in the Great Lakes was with a Pictured Rocks kayaking charter. The Pictured Rocks in Upper Michigan are gorgeous! When we visited, we booked the boat ride with Pictured Rock Cruises, LLC and the kayak tour with Pictured Rocks Kayaking. Afterwards, we hiked the Lakeshore-North Country Trail to see Lovers Leap and the other rock features from the shore. FYI, though, when we hiked a fog rolled in and we couldn’t see some of the amazing features we wanted to see.
We booked the Pictured Rocks Kayaking charter because the boat takes you out into Lake Superior near Pictured Rocks. Supposedly, you can kayak Pictured Rocks without a guide. You can carry your kayak from parking lots to Lake Superior at the following locations: Sand Point Beach, Miners Beach, Twelvemile Beach Campground and Day-Use Area, and Lower Hurricane River Campground and Day-Use Area. However, this is recommended for expert kayakers only.
Because we wanted a boat to take us closer to pictured rocks and we wanted a guide, we booked the charter. We really enjoyed our tour with Pictured Rocks Kayaking. They ferry you out to near Lovers Leap and then put you into tandem sea kayaks with a guide to follow. We went through and in caves, under Lovers Leap, and so much more. You really get to see Pictured Rocks from the water level with this tour.
Windell’s favorite was Rainbow Cave. The colors inside the cave with the water dripping mesmerized him. My favorite was kayaking all the caves. It is a blast to go underneath the rock formations and see the colors of the rock and the water from this perspective. Our video of this experience doesn’t do it justice. Firstly, we didn’t record everything we saw. And, secondly, we were mesmerized by the ceilings of the caves, so we took a lot of shots overhead instead of around the entire rock.
You do not have to be an expert kayaker to enjoy this tour. Many of our fellow kayakers were beginners, and the tandem sea kayaks are easy to steer and paddle quickly. We were not sure about kayaking together in one kayak. After establishing who was steering and who was paddling, we finally got the hang of it. At the end of the tour, on the way back to the boat, we were having fun going as fast as we could and playing around.
We had so much fun with this tour. To really experience Pictured Rocks, you must book the boat tour for the history and a different view of the rocks. However, the kayaking tour will enhance your visit to this marvelous place.
Apostle Islands Main Shore in Lake Superior
Unfortunately, we did not kayak the mainland Apostle Shores in Wisconsin. Instead, we hiked the Lakeshore Trail to see the amazing rock formations. Although we do recommend the hike to see the upper level of the caves and rocks; we wished we had kayaked them also.
We saw many kayakers on our hike. There are a lot of amazing caves and geological features that you can explore both on the shoreline hiking and in the kayak. The kayakers were entering the caves and seeing the rock features that created many of the sounds of the water that we could only see from above. If we return to this area again, we will be kayaking it.
You can launch your kayak at Meyers Beach at GPS 46.88376, -91.04874. The parking lot for Meyers Beach is the same one we parked on for the Lakeshore Trail. The parking was $7 when we visited. From Meyers Beach, you make a right and kayak the gorgeous rock features. We also saw many kayak tours in the parking lot. If you wanted, you could book a tour for the Apostle Island mainland kayaking.
Initially we visited this state park and hiked around. However, we knew we had to kayak this area when we saw kayakers playing in the caves and rock formations that we could only see from above.
So, we launched our kayaks at the Schauer Park Beach & Boat Launch GPS 44.94512, -87.18556. I believe it is $5 per kayak to launch. However, it is an easy launch and kayaking to Cave Point is gorgeous in the clear, beautiful Lake Michigan. After we launched our kayaks, we turned right to head south to Cave Point and Whitefish Dunes Parks.
When we reached the Cave Point Park, we kayaked into the fascinating rock formations that we had seen from above the day before. To hear the sound of the water entering the underwater caverns is something that still thrills us! We also found another cave that we entered that you could not see from the shoreline.
From there, we continued our journey towards Whitefish Dunes State Park. This is a lovely place to easily visit and explore with kayaks. Take your time and enjoy the amazing rock features at these parks.
Also, while in Wisconsin, we decided to kayak the bluffs near the Door Bluff Headlands County Park and check out the Fleetwing shipwreck.
We launched our kayaks at the Garrett Bay Park kayak launch, GPS 45.2857, -87.05127. There is a small parking lot and we had no issues finding a spot.
There are tours that will take you out, tell you the history and point out the main points of interest. However, if we are comfortable kayaking the area ourselves, we like to save that money for other adventuring.
We decided to head left from the sandy beach to kayak the bluffs before the shipwreck. Although Windell was fascinated by the clarity of the water and the rocks below, I really enjoyed the gorgeous bluffs. We didn’t have to kayak very far to see the amazing shoreline.
On the way back, we bypassed the boat launch to see the Fleetwing shipwreck. Only the bottom boards of the boat remain. A local swimmer told us he could stand on the shipwreck. However, it was our first shipwreck that we kayaked and we spent a lot of time going over and over it again.
This is another great, easy spot to kayak while you are in Wisconsin. After kayaking the area, you can hike the Door Bluff Headlands County Park for a different perspective.
Kayaking the Great Lakes
You have so many fun opportunities to kayak the Great Lakes in Michigan and Wisconsin. If you enjoy kayaking, check out unique places to launch and explore the Great Lakes. Also, don’t forget about all the shipwrecks and cool boat tours that are accessible in these lakes. The Great Lakes, although still not salt water, wowed us with their beauty and amazing features.
Sometimes we find the most awesome, quirky things to do. The House on the Rock in Wisconsin is one of those places. This place amazed us beyond belief, and we recommend everyone who has an imagination to visit and enjoy it as we did.
The House on the Rock started in the 1940s when Alex Jordan began building a house in Spring Green, Wisconsin on Deer Shelter Rock. He purchased 240 acres to build his dream house, after his tent blew away while camping there.
He built much of the house himself from his imagination. People came to visit the curiosity and the frustrated Alex decided to start charging admission. The money he earned from admissions was reinvested in the house. In 1960, he opened the house up to the public.
In 1988 Alex sold the House on the Rock to Art Donaldson. The family of Donaldson still operates the house as a privately held business and charges admission fees to tour the original house and add-ons.
We were not sure we wanted to pay the admission fees, which are pretty steep for our budget. We decided to go ahead and buy the tickets based on the webpage for the House on the Rock and comments on the Internet. After touring all three levels on the Ultimate Tour, we would gladly pay this admission fee again in a hearbeat!
Touring the House on the Rock
We knew we were going to love this museum when we stopped at the entrance to record our introduction for our YouTube channel. The entrance has two gigantic urns covered with dragons and filled with flowers. As you continue to drive down the driveway, you will see more gigantic urns with many different types of dragons and all filled with flowers. The beauty and uniqueness of these urns piqued our interest immediately.
There are two things you must bring when you visit the House on the Rock. Number one is your imagination. You will be blown away by the creativity that defines every room and corner of this house. The second item you must bring is one-dollar bills for tokens. We wished we had brought more one-dollar bills to for all the music machines. I don’t know if $10 will even be enough. We wanted to put tokens in every music machine we saw, enjoying the variety and the mechanics. You will not be disappointed spending your tokens!
No outside food or alcohol are allowed in the House on the Rock. You can bring sealable bottles for nonalcoholic drinks while you tour, and we recommend you do. The House on the Rock does have food areas on the tour. However, we didn’t purchase any food or drinks but simply brought our own bottles. It is best to remember that you will be exploring for several hours. It took us over three hours to tour all three sections, and we could have stayed longer if we had purchased more tokens. So, you will need to bring something to drink.
3 Different Tour Sections
There are three sections to the House of the Rock and you can purchase tickets for different self-tours. We recommend purchasing the Ultimate Tour. You must purchase this tour online. When you purchase this ticket, make sure to give yourself at least three hours for all three sections. Tickets are almost $34 per person plus tax. Yes, it is expensive. However, for the approximate $90 we spent on the tickets and tokens, we toured the house for several hours. And we could have stayed longer.
The House on the Rock is not a quick walk through a house. Instead, it is an exploration. You cannot possibly take it all in. The details, artistic creation, and the entire wowness of the tour will have you gently strolling from one area to another. And, of course, you must stop and take in the musical shows as you spend your tokens.
Section 1
Section one of the tour is the Asian Garden, the Alex Jordan Center, the Original House, and the Gate House. Included in Section one is also the Infinity Room. Before entering the house, you will pass through the Asian Garden. The garden contains a water spouting dragon with more sculptures, shrubs, and flowers. The garden is small but gorgeous.
After the Asian Garden, you will begin your tour of the house. You are overwhelmed by the artistic decorative touches and collections everywhere. I cannot really remember exact details from the tour of the house as we were just beginning our tour and it kept getting better. In this level of the self-guided tour, the Infinity Room was our favorite part. It is really cool to see the 3264 windowed room decrease in size the further it extends away from the rock.
The Original House and the Gate House spurred our imagination. However, the second and third levels blew us away.
Section 2
The Whale and Kraken, Section 2 of the House on the Rock TourOctopus Orhestra, Section Two, Heritage of the Sea Room, House on the Rock
The second section of the tour includes the Tribute to Nostalgia, the Spirit of Aviation, the Music of Yesterday, the Streets of Yesterday, the Carousel, and the Heritage of the Sea. We really slowed down beginning on this section of the tour. We were overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude and creative genius of this section.
You will not believe your eyes when you enter the Carousel Room. Initially, your eyes are diverted to the largest, most glorious carousel you have ever seen. The lighting, the music, and the detail of the carousel will hold your attention for several minutes. Eventually you can tear your eyes away to behold the other amazing features of this room, including the orchestra and the carousel rides on the ceiling. Unfortunately, you cannot ride this work of art. However, the beauty and magnitude of this carousel will entertain you to no end.
After gazing with your mouth agape for several minutes, trying to take it all in, you are ready to leave the Carousel Room. To exit the room, you must enter the mouth of a monster. I love so many of the zany features of this tour, including this monster.
The Heritage of the Sea is another room you will enter where you will be blown away. The centerpiece is the whale and kraken that is several stories tall! You cannot see all of this huge display until you eventually walk the ramp up all the way to the top! However, when you first enter this room, you must check out the octupus orchestra! We loved this musical machine and every time a token was played, we stopped, listened and watched.
In this room, you will walk up several stories with displays of miniature ships, sailing memorabilia, etc. all the while taking in the immensity of the whale and kraken. At the top story, you can see the boat in the whale’s mouth and take a picture of yourself standing in front of the mouth of this gigantic whale. There are also more displays at the top for you to take in.
Our favorite part of the entire tour of the House on the Rock was all the music machines. We did not bring enough one-dollar bills for tokens, and we soon ran out. However, luckily, the couple in front of us had more knowledge of touring the House on the Rock. They bought a lot of tokens and played many of the orchestras for us. We really appreciate their patience and sharing their money with us!
The musical machines are so much fun! You can’t help but want to play every machine with your tokens. The different orchestras play everything from country to classical and the mechanics will astound you. However, remember to save some tokens for Section three and the circus orchestra, which was by far the best to us!
The Tribute to Nostalgia in Section Two is also an amazing walking tour. You will see unique classic cars, an imaginative factory, hearses, etc. We had a lot of fun visiting this portion of section two although we went through it more quickly. In fact, there really is not a section you will not enjoy on this tour.
Section 3
Jessica in front of the Elephant Pyramid in the Circus Room at the House on the Rock
Section three of the Ultimate Tour includes The Organ Room, The Dollhouse Room, The Galleries, and The Circus Room. I could not get over how much effort went into setting up these displays, especially the miniature dollhouses and circus performers. As you wander through them, you will return to your childhood. However, you cannot play with them although you really, really want to.
The Organ Room has many paths that makes exploring fun. Although amazing, we really loved the dollhouse and circus displays. We couldn’t believe how lucky someone had been to set up the acrobats, lions, and audiences for the big show. The quality of the dollhouses, furniture, and features made me wish I was a little girl again. Thank goodness they were behind glass! Otherwise, I don’t know if we could have stopped ourselves from playing with all the figurines and toys.
But what is really going to blow you away in this section is the Circus display with the huge, I mean huge, orchestra. Passing by the pyramid of elephants, where we had to stop for a photo, you enter into another area that will carry your imagination away. You need tokens here! When you first start climbing, you will see part of the orchestra in the circus trailers stacked in the center. Yes, you need to stop and take it in. However, you must continue to walk up in order to play your tokens and see the entire orchestra!
We could not seem to leave this area for an amazingly long time. Every time someone would play a token for the orchestra, we just stared with our mouths hanging open trying to take it all in like children, watching the figures and instruments as the circus theme played. I cannot describe the sheer joy of watching this display over and over. You must see this for yourself!
Included in Section 3 is the doll carousels and a small Japanese garden with a waterfall. The large carousel in Section 2 was our favorite. However, the small Japanese garden was a nice, small place to sit quietly for a few minutes and reflect on what we had seen.
We Would Visit Again
Usually, after we have visited a place, we mark it off on our Google Map. Been there, done that. However, the House on the Rock is one place that we will always visit if we are in the area. The sheer joy and childlike indulgence of this place made it very special to us. We will, though, bring more dollars for tokens so we can play repeatedly! We learnt our lesson the first time.
If you are ever in this area, visit this amazing place. You will not be disappointed if you love quirkiness, imagination, and sheer childlike wonderment. You will not remember everything you see – there is just too much. But you will remember your favorite parts and, as you recall these, it will be difficult to remove that smile on your face!
No one ever said we were the sharpest knives in the drawer. And traveling through Arizona in July and August supported this fact. While planning our truck camping adventure for this year, we originally planned to visit Arizona, Utah, and Colorado while sleeping in the back of our truck. We thought we would be more flexible in our travels and adventuring without the camper.
However, our plans did not work out. Although we loved all the cool things we did in Utah and Wyoming, we hated truck camping. So, we decided to pick up our travel trailer in Colorado and head to Arizona for some of our planned adventures. Traveling through Arizona in July and August was a whole experience unto itself that we hope to never repeat.
Although it was blazingly hot, we did see some bucket list things and have some fun in Arizona.
Our Traveling through Arizona:
North Rim Grand Canyon
Bright Angel Point Trail, .5 miles
Uncle Jim Trail, 4.7 miles, 730 feet elevation
Navajo National Monument
Tuba City Dinosaur Track
Antelope Canyon
Upper Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Sedona
Devil’s Bridge Hike via Dry Creek Road, 3.9 miles, 521 feet elevation
Kaibob National Forest – Lots of free camping per our Campendium App
Navajo National Monument – free paved campsites, maximum stay at one time 7 days
NavajoLand Tuba City R.V. Park – less than $40 a night with full-hookups, AARP discount
Thousand Trails Verde Valley, Cottonwood, AZ – super friendly staff who helped us out a lot
Why We visited Arizona in the Heat of Summer
Although we knew it was hot, we started traveling through Arizona in July. We had already booked tours for both the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon and we didn’t want to cancel them. So, after our tours we decided to continue traveling in Arizona to the Thousand Trails in Cottonwood. There are a couple of hikes that we really wanted to do in Sedona. Originaly, we planned to stay only a week in the heat and then book it back to Colorado.
Our plans took a nose-dive when our truck wouldn’t start at the campground. Luckily, the Ford Dealership is only five miles away from the TT campground and we easily had it towed. Lucky enough (or maybe unlucky as our truck is not that old), the repairs were all covered by warranty.
However, this unexpected curve-ball meant we had to stay in the heat for three more weeks, a month in total at the campground. We are not used to this level of heat during the day! When you Full-Time RV, you have more choice about climates. So, we had become accustomed to milder climates. Needless to say, we had to adjust our daily routine while sitting in Arizona.
For the entire month we sat at Cottonwood, we hiked early in the mornings. Then, we sat in the camper with the Air Conditioner on all afternoon. After 6 p.m., it cools down enough again to enjoy being outside.
The Stunning Places We Saw in Arizona
The North Rim Grand Canyon
Arizona has some amazing geological features and remnants of ancient life. We finally saw the Grand Canyon at an age when we could both remember it! We did not travel to the South Rim, but we did visit the North Rim. A few people we met recommended the North Rim as it is less busy. We completed two hikes that we enjoyed immensely at the Grand Canyon.
Bright Angel Point Trail
Our favorite hike on the North Rim was the Bright Angel Point Trail. It is accessible right past the Lodge. The views on this trail took our breath away. Returning from the Bright Angel Point Trail, we also took the Transept Trail a little ways to walk out to some more amazing overlooks. I believe the Bright Angel Point Trail is currently closed for some repairs.
Uncle Jim Trail
While at the North Rim, we also hiked Ken Patrick Trail to the Uncle Jim Loop Trail. The parking lot for the Ken Patrick Trail is also the parking lot for the North Kaibob Trail. Vehicles longer than 20 feet are not allowed in the parking lot, so we had to find some side parking around this area.
We walked clockwise on the Uncle Jim Trail. The best views of the Canyon are towards the end of this trail if you also hike clockwise. We stopped for our epic lunch spot while taking in the view. This trail surprised us with the views at the end.
One thing you do need to be aware of on this trail is the horses and mules. You will be walking through the wastes left behind. Although not ideal, we didn’t let it spoil our fun.
We did have on our list to also hike the North Kaibob Trail to the Supai Tunnel. However, our boondocking site was forty minutes away in the Kaibob National Forest and we decided to save this trail for another trip. I believe there is dispersed camping closer to the park but we really like our cell service.
While visiting the North Rim, we did see buffalo. They crossed the road right in front of the truck. This made the adventure even more incredible. Can you ever get tired of seeing buffalo or bison?
Navajo National Monument
We knew nothing about the Navajo National Monument. We actually discovered this little gem by accident while traveling through Arizona. When we pulled up our Campendium app to find a place for the night, and this national monument campground popped up.
The Navajo National Monument has a paved, free campground that you can stay in for seven days. Although the sites are not level, they do provide heated restrooms and trash receptacles. We ended up staying at this campground for three nights, relaxing and exploring the park.
On our second day we visited the Visitor Center, bought some postcards and chatted with the employee for a while. We hiked the three self-guided trails in the Monument. The Sandal Trail is 1.3 miles roundtrip. At the end of the trail, you can see the Betatakin Cliff Dwelling. It is better to see these cliff dwelling in the afternoon, as later in the day, the sun exposes the cliff dwelling. Whereas in the morning, the dwelling is in the shadows.
The Aspen Trail is .8 miles, but it is a little steeper. We really enjoyed this trail and the views of the canyon. The Canyon View Trail, also .8 miles, would have better views if they allowed you to walk across the rock to really see the Canyon. However, debris was placed to disallow walking on the rock. So, we behaved ourselves and hiked back.
If you are traveling through Arizona, Monument Valley, you might want to stop in at the Navajo National Monument. Check out the cliff dwelling, talk to the friendly employees, and stay the night in the campground.
Antelope Canyon
W&J at Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona
Originally, we were apprehensive about the tours we booked for Antelope Canyon. Because we did not know if we would ever return to the area, we booked both the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon Tours. We heard horror stories of being crowded like cattle into the back of trucks to visit the Slot Canyon and walking through the canyon squished like sardines.
I am not going to lie. We were herded into the back of the truck for the Upper Antelope Canyon Tour. The ride to the slot canyon was very bumpy, and I did say “moo” at one time as we laughed at our predicament. However, once we arrived, our guide was amazing.
She made sure we had plenty of time to see the Slot Canyon, while not running into any other groups. She took pictures and explained different features of the Canyon. We were pleasantly surprised by the tour.
There is only one thing that bothers me about slot canyon tours; guides always point out rocks saying they look like something else. All the slot canyons we visited are gorgeous and you are excited just to be in them. I don’t need to see a giraffe in the rock. But I assume other people like that kind of thing.
The Upper Antelope Slot Canyon is beautiful. It was worth being packed into the back of a truck. However, the Lower Antelope Canyon blew us away.
We booked our tower for the Lower Slot Canyon with Dixie’s Lower Antelope Canyon Tours. We were still led by a guide. However, you walk straight from the tour building down to the Canyon trail with no bumpy ride.
We both thought the Lower Antelope Canyon was prettier and more of a slot canyon than the Upper Antelope Canyon. We believe that the amazing pictures we associate with Antelope Canyon must have been taken in the lower Slot Canyon. This canyon tour is also cheaper than the Upper tour.
If you do visit Lower Antelope Canyon, though, be careful! As usual, I bumped my head on a rock because I was talking and not paying attention. If you can only do one tour, book the Lower Antelope Canyon tour. You will not regret it.
Sedona
Cottonwood, Arizona is only a half an hour away from Sedona, Arizona. If you research amazing things to do in Arizona, you probably will run across a lot of unforgettable hikes in this area.
Because our truck breakdown was a major one, the Ford Dealership kindly lent us a car for over a week. So, instead of lamenting our situation, we decided to go hiking. Now, there are a few things I must warn you about hiking in Sedona.
Firstly, it gets hot quick. If you are not used to heat, go early in the morning. By ten a.m., the heat is miserable. We started our hikes around 6:30 a.m.
Secondly, hiking in Sedona includes some climbing over slick rocks. For me, it meant crawling up some of the rocks on all four or scooting down on my butt. Just be aware. On every hike we did, I climbed on all fours in at least one portion of the hike.
The Devil’s Bridge Hike
W&J at Devil’s Bridge in Sedona, AZ
To access the Devil’s Bridge Trail, you must park at the Dry Creek Parking lot located at GPS 34.89042, -111.82074. If you have a 4×4 or UHV, you can drive all the way to the trailhead. If not, you can park in a parking lot and hike the Dry Creek Road to the Devil’s Bridge Trailhead. You will need to buy a day pass or display your America the Beautiful Pass at the parking lot.
You can easily find your way to Devil’s Bridge with all the signs and other hikers enroute. The most difficult part of the hike to the Devil’s Bridge is climbing the rocks towards the end. However, it is well worth a little rock scrambling to walk out onto the arch and feel that sense of accomplishment. While you are there, take the short hike to the bottom of the bridge for a different perspective. You will enjoy it!
The Subway Cave
W&J at the Subway Cave in Sedona AZ
The Subway Cave has been on our bucket list for a few years now. Being inside the cave and looking out at the splendid scenery is exactly how it looks in the internet pictures.
To access the Subway Cave trail, we parked at the Boyton Canyon Trail Parking Lot, GPS 34.90767, -111.84904. The parking lot is located in the Cocino National Forest. You must purchase a day pass or use your America the Beautiful Pass.
You hike the Boyton Canyon Trail for two miles until you turn right at a large Alligator Juniper tree. The side hike to the cave is easy to find and chances are, you will meet other hikers also hiking to the cave. The most difficult part of this hike is definitely the entrance of the cave. If you do not want to hike around the edge of the cliff, be prepared to do some crawling up the cave entrance.
To crawl up the entrance of the cave, we started on the left side with the crevice. You can find a few footholds on this side. However, the crevice narrows and you have to switch to the right side of the entrance. Windell had to push me up by my butt a few times. To come back down, we schooched on our butts down the original right side without the crevice.
Other hikers are super helpful and will pull you and push you to get into the cave. Or, you can walk along the cliff side to enter it. Either way, you must get up into that cave because you will be amazed.
Cathedral Rock Hike
Okay, open disclaimer here. We did not complete the Cathedral Rock Hike. Firstly, I incorrectly thought we were hiking to the Church of the Holy Cross. But we were not. It was actually located across the valley.
There are some amazing views from this rock, and we decided to attempt it. However, when we reached the point of scaling through the crevice with small footholds, we both quickly gave up. Remembering our difficulties in scaling the Subway Cave entrance, we decided only the most epic view would be worth trying to come down that small crevice.
So, we hiked around the rock on a different trail to see some views and headed back to the parking lot. Sometimes it is good to know your limits.
Soldier Pass Trail
After our failure of trying to hike Cathedral Rock, it was still only seven in the morning. So, I thought, heck let’s try the Soldier Pass Trail to the Hidden Cave. We had heard from other hikers that the trail and the cave were both worth seeing, although the sacred pools were dry.
We headed to the small parking lot at GPS 34.8843, -111.78377. However, the parking lot is closed Thursday thru Sunday, and you must take the shuttle. On the rest of the days, the gates do not open unil 8 a.m. When we arrived, there was already one car waiting for the gates to open. If you want to hike early, your best option is probably the Sedona Shuttle from the Possee Grounds Park and Ride. The first shuttle is at 7:00 a.m. and arrives at the trailhead is 7:08 a.m.
However, as we sat at the closed gates at the trailhead, we looked across at each other. We didn’t want to start a Sedona hike at 8 a.m. in the heat. And we had already finished our two bucket list hikes. So, we headed back to the campground to sit in some AC.
Thousand Trails Campground at Cottonwood, Arizona
Because our truck required major repair, we had to buy an extra week while staying at this Thousand Trails Campground. We had no idea when we would be able to leave Arizona. The employees at the Campground were very friendly to us and worked with us to ensure we had a place to stay. We appreciate all of their help.
Luckily, the campground has a lot of hiking paths that kept me busy early in the mornings. I could continue exercising and we had plenty of cell service with our signal booster. So, we sat tight until our truck was fixed, taking some time out to make videos, do online classes, and write blogs.
Heading North to Cool Off
After traveling and sitting in Arizona for over a month, our truck is finally fixed. We appreciate the amazing sights, canyons, and hikes we have enjoyed. But we are ready for cooler weather!
We learned a lot about ourselves this year. Firstly, we don’t like truck camping. We are not those people who want to shower and poop outside for any extended period of time. We are a little too spoiled by programmed coffee and a bidet. However, we are glad we found this out about ourselves before we tried it in Alaska or Canada, where our little camper was not nearby to give us relief.
The second item we discovered is that we are not nearly as fond of the desert scene as we are of oceans and snow covered-mountains. Yes, there are lots of geological features and landscapes in the desert that you will not find other places. And if you enjoy seeing dinosaur tracks and ancient pueblo cliff dwellings, this area of the U.S. is perfect. However, after a summer in the desert, we are ready for cooler temperatures and some ocean adventures. Our plans for the next several years do not include any red rocks or cactuses.
