Rocks and Friends

We are in Seneca, Kansas where we planned on watching the eclipse.  (C on map below)

A few days ago, friends invited us to view the eclipse with them from their cabin just north and west of us.

Our drive from our nice campground near Henderson Nebraska (A) was eventful.  We took a rock in the window as we went around Grand Island Nebraska.  A four lane highway was undergoing repairs and narrowed down to a two lane highway.  An oncoming big truck went by us when we heard a very loud Bang!  I looked for a mark on the windshield and my side window but couldn't see any damage.

About 5 minutes after that, there was a very loud Pop! And my driver's side window had cracked into a thousand pieces.  Nothing had fallen out and thankfully we were able to pull into a Walmart with lots of room so we could assess things.

We decided to tape it.  It was the outside of a double paned window, so there is no problem driving it.

I used clear duct tape and went up and down and back and forth to cover the entire window.  I also used Gorilla tape to tape the duct tape to the outside window frame.  We continued our drive from the Walmart to the Prairie Oasis RV Campground near Henderson, NE.  It was about a 40 mile drive and the broken window held up fine.

Once at the campground, we made some calls and assessed our options.  We determined the best one is to stop in at Red Bay in a few weeks on our way to the Knoxville, TN area.  We called and made a reservation at Deaton's Custom Auto Body and Paint for the day after Labor Day.

I'm guessing that it will be about an $800 job unless we can get that single double paned window replaced.  We'll see about it when we get to Albuquerque the end of the week.  We will be there for about a week.

After taking a rock unexpectedly, things got much better.  We continued to our campground - Prairie Oasis Campground and Cabins in Henderson.  It got good reviews on RVparkreviews.com.  We were not disappointed.  It was great.

Patty in the office was great and so was Todd.  We followed him to our campsite which is always nice.  We wanted a site where our satellite dish DirecTV would work and got one.  It was a very pleasant, flat, level and well maintained campground.  Later, Todd came around and made sure we had enough firewood for a little campfire later.  This was free -- it is usually $5 for firewood so this just added to our great impression of the place.  We highly recommend it.

Next stop was here is Seneca, KS.  We snagged a site at the Stallbaumer RV Campground and Cabins.  It looked like a good site and ended up being OK.  We ended up having to park in the drive-through site backwards in order to get a satellite DirecTV connection.  With the Solheim Cup going on, we wanted to see that.

Our satellite dish is on top in the front of the Roadrunner and the tree is just close enough to be in the way.  My electric cord is about a foot short when the coach was pointed in the correct position.  We just could not make it work.  If the pedestal was in the normal position of the campsite, we would have had no problem.  Instead, we turned the Roadrunner around.  Now the hookups were in the wrong position, and we ran them under the belly of the motor home.  It's nice to have options.

We connected with our friends Mark and Alisanne and got together for lunch in Marysville.  That was a fun time and we spent a couple of leisurely hours catching up.  We had camped with their family and ours when we both lived in Fairfax VA in the 1990's.  The joys of this lifestyle and meeting up with friends continues...

And so does some random possibilities.  Bruce emailed me a few days ago and said, "I saw on your blog that you are going to be in our town...maybe we can get together..."  I followed up and we did get to meet them at a local restaurant.  What a nice couple.

She is local bank president and he is a retired and now part time High School teacher.  They have had a number of RVs over the years and will be traveling in their recently purchased 2011 Itasca 42' motor home.   They are NOMADS and look forward to incorporating volunteering into their travels in a couple of years when the have more time for travel.  For now, they take trips, get in touch with random RVing bloggers and let us get to meet them.  Their blog is here.

It was a full, adventurous day and one filled with getting together with new friends and old friends.  Can't beat that!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Roadrunner Reflections: 7 Years on the Road

Last year I don't think I ever got around to jotting down some thoughts of what was going on in my mind and soul and heart during year 6.  I decided I'd give it a shot this year to try and quantify how great of a year it has been. 

Sometimes the words and thoughts just flow out like a stream of consciousness, other times it is a bit disjointed.  Hopefully you can get the just of how we feel about being on the road the last seven years.

In a few words:  wonderful, exciting, interesting, gratifying, expensive, fun, educational.

A day doesn't go by that Pam and I don't comment on how very grateful we are for our health, this time or our lives and being able to do this together.  It is special in many ways and being able to do this with Pam makes it even more so.

At this stage of the proceedings, e.g. passing through 63 years old, we are well aware of the finiteness of things -- of our own mortality.  We have seen too many pass from this life and some who now are not in good health.  We are also understand our life on the road will not last forever.  How long?  Don't know but we are going to continue to try to enjoy it as much as we can for as long as we can.  

It always is a bit sobering to us when we hear of folks who have 'hung up the keys' and are now off the road.  And every one is different, all have different motivations and situations.  But at some point all had that wonder and fire and big eyed look and quick smile as they told stories about their RV life.  Even if only for a few months or a few years doing this is special.  When we think about when our days ending 'on the road', we get a bit sad and know we are not read to stop; this is where we need to be.  

We do not tire of seeing family in different parts of the country.  We don't tire of moving on and moving down the road to meet up with old friends and new friends.  Sometimes we've stayed only a day or a few days in a place.  Other times it's been a week or a few weeks. During other periods in the last seven years.  So far the long stays have been near our kids depending on what was going on in their lives.  

There are still parts of the country we haven't seen much of and others that we keep going back to.  We'll get to see some of the new places hopefully in the coming months as we continue on to California and see more of the Sierras and then up the Oregon Coast again.  And we want to spend a little time in the Midwest seeing more of the RV country visiting factories and such before we head back to Virginia for a few weeks in the fall.  

Finances are something everyone deals with.  Everyone's finances are different.  Some workamp, some stay in one location for five or six months to reduce costs -- all of us have to manage our finances and see what works for us.

        For us, year seven has been the most expensive so far.  I think one of the challenges for us is how to manage our finances and not make any 'unforced errors' as in bad financial decisions.  Somethings are unforeseen and we just have to work our way through them.  This past year - the last 12 months - has been the most costly for US dollar wise.  We budgeted $6000 for RV and Car Maintenance and spent over $15,000.  Yikes!  Obviously we can't keep that up.  Hopefully that was an anomaly and we look forward to meeting or being under our budget this next year.

Social media has really been a big part of our experience in this journey, especially blogging.

During this last year I came to the conclusion that our reasons for blogging are changing and now I am doing it predominantly to keep a record of some of the thoughts and places we have been.  Don't get me wrong, we am very thankful for those that offer comments and a word or two.  And I really look forward to them.  

        Another big deal and huge benefit of 'putting myself out there' is that we get emails from people we never met.  And they actually have asked about things, about my opinion of this or that.  To me, that is very rewarding and a real bonus to the effort.  If we can help folks along the way that just makes it all a little more worthwhile and I look forward to that.

Blogging is an interesting hobby and I don't know too many people who are regular at it and don't play catch up.  Most people who blog don't feel as if they are current and caught up.  I just goes with the territory.  

We ask ourselves the same question as we did when we contemplated full-timing:  Why do we want to do this? There are many reasons. We love camping and seeing new places and people.  Traveling is not the same as traveling.  Seeing new hotels is not the same in our mind as seeing new campgrounds. But beyond the camping and friendly people we meet is the sheer wonder of this country.

        Seeing America has been an education.  Or at least the start of one.  Being an observer of life across the country in big and little communities has been an eye opener. We like seeing new sights and learning about history.  Little museums are the best!  The tidbits we learn are better than books.  It takes us back to the old days and we can imagine what it was like to live like our parents and their parents.  That is fun!

        This lifestyle IS an adventure; you never know what you will find.  You never know what challenges you will face.  Although there are a lot of predictable and plenty of things that we find as familiar in new places. We think it is a privilege renewing friendships with folks and family and meeting new people.

        Going to a new place doesn't phase us.  We like to learn about each new location, and sometimes we like seeing a lot in a short amount of time.  Our rythmn changes sometimes and that's ok.  Others may want to 'Slow Down'. Each to their own.  There are so many ways to do this.

        Another aspect of this adventure is the simple notion of being on a road trip.  And the fact that we love driving that bus!  It's a nice thing to drive, has very comfortable seats and a big windshield.  Pam loves to drive it too so another benefit is that we can change drivers and get a quick nap and go 5-6 hours each day.  After that, it gets pretty tiring.  I know others don't drive that long but each to their own.

      

An unexpected benefit of this is that sometimes we have a chance for redos.  By that I mean we may get to see some place once but then followup and get to see it a second time in more detail. I feel like we did that this last year in a couple places:  Utah, Colorado and Florida.

        For example, our goal last summer was to see St. George, Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Arches and a couple of other places in Utah that we've wanted to spend a little more time in.  The Arches and Moab, UT we have seen before, but we got to see them again and stay at a different campground which added to the experience.

        We also got to see the old pueblo ruins of Mesa Verde and the Rocky Mountains and Estes Park and the Garden of the Gods.  And Pikes Peak.

        We've been to Florida quite a few times but this winter we were able to see new places and meander around through the Central part of Florida more and also become familiar with campgrounds in the Palm Beach, Ft Lauderdale eastern part of Florida. For us to be able to go to these places and to live this lifestyle -- it is invigorating!

        Seeing new things and meeting people continues to be interesting and exciting.  A few days ago we learned where the name Ozarks came from -- the French.  Aux Arc meant 'bend in the river'.  Over time, those along the banks of the Arkansas River turned 'Aux Arc into Ozark'.  It is not life changing but intriguing to learn more about different parts of the country.

This lifestyle has a certain quality of life that fits us.  Unpretentious, humble, interesting, different, challenging at times.  It used to be a bit overwhelming with all the systems and stuff to learn and getting used to the constant variety of change going on.  Every day is different.  But we have hit a rhythm and look forward to what tomorrow brings.

So that's a recap and some thoughts on our 7th year.  I know I'm a bit 'all over the map' but we love doing this, plan to continue, and hopefully meet you down the road somewhere and be able to hear about your experiences.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chroncles!

New Spot in Rocky Mountain National Park area

We are currently at the foot of Rocky Mountain National Park and plan to be here for the next seven days.

Our site backs up to the fast flowing Big Thompson River

We drove 300 miles earlier today from our spot in Fruita, Colorado just outside of Grand Junction.  The good news is, the Roadrunner made it over the mountain without any issues.  It was slow at times and I hate all those miles cresting the mountain up and down from Eisenhower Tunnel but we did it and we are here.

The other good news is that it is a bit cloudy here and we have some relief from the 100+degree weather we have been having in Moab, UT and over in Fruita, CO.

I have started and not completed a number of posts from our travels in the last few months. Over the past few weeks we have seen a lot and taken loads of pictures.  We've found that our wifi/internet has been spotty often out in Utah 'off the beaten path'.  That is usually OK, but it just means I have more to catch up on when I have a good signal.

Other times, when we return to the Roadrunner after a day trip somewhere, I have not been as timely as I'd like to post pictures and a write up on what we did - so I am a little behind.  Which is a common blogger predicament?  That's my story on that and I'm sticking with it...

However, I do have a number of blog posts 'in the queque' that I am working on:

1. Zion National Park Thoughts
2. Seeing Bryce Canyon National Park
3. Petroglyphs National Park Outside of Albuquerque
4. Pickin' and Grinin' - OKC Banjo Museum
5. Roadrunner Reflections - 6 Years on the Road!
6. Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell
7. Gouldings Museum in Monument Valley
8. Roadrunner iPad Holder Prototype 
9. Roadrunner Front Dash/Tray Console

In fact I have 134 blog posts in 'draft' that I have yet to finish or have started and not completed.  I may never finish all of them off, but I am thinking I will get to these at least these nine (in no particular order), so stay tuned!

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Blog Reasons

Sometimes I like to spend a while reading other people's blogs and see what is going on.  I am a regular reader of Rv Travels with Karen and Al and related completely with some of the points that she was making with why she does what she does on her blog.

It got me thinking about The Roadrunner Chronicles and I thought I'd relate some motivations I have behind mine.

The header.
I have had a few photos that I like and for a while I put together a collage with a couple of scenes.  But I like to change it up a bit.  So I try to just use one photo that is fairly recent.
Don't you all get tired of seeing the same photo? 
I like to keep it updated/well maintained and that is one of the ways I do it.

Title.
I try to keep each title I chose fairly short.  I just prefer short title.  And I try to avoid stringing-together-more-than-one-thought-in-the-title.

Pictures.
Back in the day when I was a briefer in my military life, one of the things the boss drilled into us was that the staff (audience) wants to see a picture or colorful graphics...not just hear us drone on...
I have tried to remember that in my posts.  But I admire those that keep my attention with very few pictures.  So I mix it up.

Paragraphs.
I like to keep it short.  I find it very hard to read a long page of information with no paragraphs and/or long sentences.  I can run through short paragraphs much easier and quicker so I suppose my audience feels the same way.

Maps.
I like to know where people are when I am reading their post.  Sometimes it is easy to picture where they are other times it is a mystery.  I don't mind looking around a bit but if it take more than a quick glance, I may or may not read on.  So I often create a map of where we have traveled for the month, or for the last destination of the journey.

Content.
I wish I had taken 'Creative Writing' in high school (and Spanish).  When I started this blog I didn't realize it would become the hobby it is.  I hoped I could learn to write better.  I admire those that write well.  Like my kids - they write very well.  So I figured I would get better at it by 'going for it' and just writing about whatever comes to mind.

Content two.
There may be an unwritten rule regarding politics, sex and religion in the blogging world.  I can find blogs on those subjects.  In the blogging world some rant now and then on those things.  I try to limit that stuff and yet I do broach the subject from time to time.  I am who I am and make no apologies.  But I can learn a lot from those who don't see things from the same prism as I do.  I have lots of friends who don't think like I do.  I have lots of friends who are on a different page.  And thats the way I like it.  I value their friendship.  But I don't like to 'go at it' or 'get in a dig' --not my style.

Content three.
Sometimes it is a stretch coming up with something to say.  Sometimes it gets a little long (and maybe too academic with history and background) --but then I rationalize that I am writing in part for my own education and knowledge.  Sometimes I run out of ideas (as in "this is what we had for dinner") and don't have anything really profound to say.  But I want to try to figure out something that I can post...because I want to keep in touch with my audience.

Readers.
I love the fact that you all stop by and want to continue to engage at some level with you all.  Writing a regular blog and posting something 3-4 times a week does that.  I know there are far more readers that read this than I see at the comment line, and I appreciate that.  I am astounded that 744 individual readers stopped by last week to check in.  That makes it fun for me.  I feel some sense of obligation to post something worthwhile for you all too.

Comments.
I obviously the payoff is having the privilege of your comments.  I have seen a couple of blogger friends who routinely get 20+ comments each day!  But then I look at the commitment on their part.  They blog every single day and have done so for years.  They work hard at it.  If I get half that, it is a real bonus.  I appreciate it when you all offer a comment. Looking back, I have gotten the most during our tough times/tragedy and you have been there.  And when we get into trouble, you offer some encouragement.  It really is just that - encouragement.

Friendships.
We have made a whole host of new friends because of this blog and because of their blogs.  What a great thing!  Its part of the adventure and we look forward to more of both.

Its about time to wrap this up and get on with the day.  There's a little background on where I am coming from on my blog and why I do some of the things I do.  Some of you have had questions over the last few years and those are always welcome.

Hope you all are enjoying the week and this time of the year.  And are warm. I appreciate you and value our connection.  Thanks for stopping by today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...

Kelly is 31

Those of you with kids probably are very proud of them.  We are blessed to have Adam (32) and Kelly (31).  I always love reading what they write.

Today Kelly is 31 and I wanted to share what she wrote in her blog today:  13 on 31  (or you can click on the House of Gold on the right panel under "Blogs I Follow".

Hope you enjoy it.

Tomorrow's post:

What I learned from going to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to renew my Driver's License.  

Hope you'll you'll join me for that.

Until then...

Comments That Look Like Spam - What to Do?

I hate the idea that I keep getting spammed with 'Anonymous' comments.  It bugs me and not sure what to do.  I figured out the easiest way for me to 'clean it up' is going to my Google Blog dashboard where 'Comments' are listed on the left column.

Next, I can readily see the legitimate comments and those that are 'Anonymous'.

Then I can just check the box of the offenders

And then go back to the top of the page and click on'Delete' .  That removes them pretty quickly.  

I tried using the Spam button, but it seems I got even more 'Anonymous' comments.  

If it keeps up I may have to go back to having each person who leaves a comment verify that they are not a robot.  But I was wondering:

How many of you were going to leave a comment, but did not because you had to go through the hassle of that?

Not sure what I am going to do about it but would be interested in how you handle it?  Or what do you suggest?

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...

New Friends

Yesterday was the day we scheduled to meet Jim and Linda for lunch.  Bubbas Seafood Restaurant in Virginia Beach is near one of our favorite Starbucks and we were a bit early, so we stopped in to say 'hi' to our friend Nikos.

Nik was not at Starbucks but we got into a conversation with Amber.  Turns out Amber is the store manager and very nice.  She talked with us for about 15 minutes and we had a great time.  In those few minutes, she tried to buy us a cup of coffee saying, "Are you sure I can't get you a cup of coffee?"…

We didn't want to spoil our lunch so we politely declined.  Amber has been with Starbucks for years and loves the one she is at now.  We found out that her husband is an accomplished jeweler and she was wearing a ring and a necklace he made.

She took off the necklace and we got a better look at the Owl design.  Very different and nice.  I think the stones are black diamonds.  You can see more of his work at EngraveLifeOnMetal.com

After talking with Amber for a few minutes we went over to Bubbas for our 11:30 lunch date.  Jim and Linda were there and we had a nice visit.

They have been full-timing for 12 years now and are about ready to transition to getting off the road and settling into a place in DeBary Florida.

We selected fish and chowder and crab and a hamburger for lunch and all agreed it was good.  We have been to the restaurant for dinner but this was far less crowded and quite nice.

We talked and talked and asked Jim and Linda about their experiences over the years.  They have been to Alaska, owned 3 or 4 motorhomes and their favorite place is:  "Their next stop".  So they have enjoyed it.  They downsized to a Class B and are spending the summer/fall on the road before they head to their new (to them) home in Florida in November.

We asked when and why they made the decision to 'hang up their keys' and they said to each other, when the time came and one of them was ready to do something else - the other would agree.  So a few months ago, Jim felt it was about that time and he was ready, so that is what they did.

We also found out we are both big fans of RV-Dreams.com and have been to some of their rallies.  Pam and I attended one in Kerrville TX.  Jim and Linda have been to quite a few more although they missed that one.  And they may attend the one in Franklin, TN October 3-8, 2013.

It was fun unexpectedly meeting Amber and then gettting together with Jim and Linda.  Their blog is 'Blaines Barks'.  You can find more about them there.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Hope you have a great weekend.  Until next time...

More Okefenokee NWR (In Pictures)

Judy was on duty at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, so we returned.  And are glad we did.  We got to spend some time with her and she took us on a tour out to the Chesser Homestead. We also took a guided boat tour of the old Suwanee Canal and Chesser Prairie.

It was a great day to be in the swamp!  Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Roadrunner Reflections - Thanks to Our Readers

One thing I don't do often enough is thank YOU --- our faithful and/or curious readers! So THANK YOU!  I had no idea when I started this years ago that it would be something that is so important to us.

As RVer's, one thing that is of great benefit to us is to know that we are not alone.  We know that you are out there and it is encouraging to get a note or some response from friends 'out there'.

It is almost like that 'letter in the mail' -- someone IS out there!  In a way, we feel connected and a part of your interest group.  We have some things in common…

It is also great to meet new people who happen by and stop long enough to say something.  Even those that take a look and become one of the 'stats' are if fact interesting to us.

Google Analytics indicates on this blog there have been:

• 709 posts 
• Over 130,000 page views
• 2865 comments 
• 274 followers

So for whatever reason it is that you stop by and view the Roadrunner Chronicles -- we appreciate it!  And keep adding those comments and notes!

That is all from the Roadrunner Chronicles this time!  Thanks for joining us!  Until next time...

Random Roadrunner Photos

We are here in Pacific Beach, Washington.  We made the three hour drive from Tacoma and it was an easy travel day on Tuesday after the 4th of July.

Over the last couple of months we have seen some random and interesting things I thought I share with you.

Before we left the Fort Lewis/McChord Field area we saw this Chinook Army helicopter do some training a couple hundred yards away from our campsite.  The crazy thing landed in the water, hovered for a while and took off as fast as it arrived.  It blew a lot of water around and stirred things up.  Needless to say it surprised us and we got front row seats!

A couple of days ago we had some excitement with the awful sound of ripping metal.  It leaves you sick in your stomach when you hear it, even if it is not your rig.

We were in the Roadrunner and watched a 5th wheel depart the campground in front of our campsite. Only he made a turn that was too tight.  Ugh!  He stopped pretty quickly but then misjudged things more and tried to drive straight on and get by the corner of the roof he just snagged with his 5th wheel.

After ripping a bigger hole in the side and knocking off a facia sideboard at the corner, he stopped.  A couple of us went outside and gawked a minute but there was not much we could do.  After he got out and looked at the damage, he back up, drove around and maneuvered by it.

This douglas fir near Mt Rainier is pegged at starting to grow in 1293.  That is a lot of years ago.

It was pretty fascinating to see something that old.

During our day trip to Seattle, we saw a lot of street vendors, including one that was selling these two paintings:

Cute.

Recently, sometimes neighbors we hardly know were very generous.  Dave drove in the campsite next to us and he asked if we liked crab.  I almost said 'no' because my experience has been it usually is a lot of work for little satisfaction.  But I said yes and he gave us two large halves to work with.

Turns out he had been crabbing earlier in the day, caught his limit of 'indigenous' crab, and let us have two large halves.

Like always, it was a little bit of work, but this was delicious!  It may have been the best crab I have ever had!

I have often said there are many ways to do this RV thing.  In Idaho we saw a couple in a campsite next to us who had a unique arrangement. They pulled a little trailer that was the size of a pickup.  It had two side walls that folded out for beds on each side.

It looked like a sturdy chassis and a good size tent for their pop up.  The weather was a little cool, but the hardy couple didn't seem to mind it.  They had a screened in gazebo for all their cooking and lounge chairs.

Back in New Mexico, we took a day trip to Bandelier National Monument near where the recent forest fires have been in Los Alamos.

The weather was nice then and we took advantage of it with a day trip there to see the cliff dwellings.  This reminds me of how much we have seen in the two short months since we were there.

Now we are here

on the Pacific coast in the great Northwest and enjoying a different kind of beauty.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Hope you are having a great summer!

Up the Mountain

I want to say 'thank you' to fellow RVers Sue and Mo of the MoHo and Other Traveling Tales fame.  Sue and Mo stayed a few days at the Agave Gulch RV FamCamp here at Davis-Monthan AFB and hunted us down.  It was very nice of them to say hi and introduce themselves.

They were in the midst of doing laundry and hanging out and we chatted for a while.  If you get a chance, I know you'll enjoy their blog.  Sue really does a nice job with it.

Wednesday has been our usual golf day but I picked up a bug and wasn't sure I was up to it.  Instead we decided to go for a drive up to Mt Lemmon.  Wow!  That was way more than we expected and totally worth the time to see.  The panoramic views were spectacular and the change of scenery up the mountain and around the back side of it were drastic.

We started on the outskirts of Tucson and found ourselves on the Mt Lemmon Scenic Byway.  It has been described as the equivalent of driving from the deserts of Mexico to the forests of Canada in a short span of 27 miles.

We saw a number of cyclists the way from the edge of town and up the mountain.  In fact there must have been 25 or 30 people climbing the mountain.  One thing about this area ~ it very accommodating to bicyclists.

 We had to stop a lot to take some pictures of the saguaros and the vista over the city.

 Up the mountain, the climb was quite steep.  The rock formations were beautiful.

 At a number of scenic view stops, there were parking areas and quite a few had toilet facilities.

The photo below is of Jeff, whom we met while he was coming up the steep hill. He was glad to stop for a couple of minutes and chat.  He's a newcomer from Chicago and recently relocated to Phoenix.  Out for his first accent of the mountain with his friend who was a few hundred yards back.

 More spectacularness...

 Nice facilities along the way.

 We went all the way up to the Ski Valley at Mt Lemmon and then drove a little farther.

Pam taking in the views.

On the back side of the mountain, across the Santa Catalina range, you could see the San Pedro River Valley below.

Near the top of the road we saw some snow.  Pam had to get out and jump in just to say she did it.  And for a photo to send to the kids.  Yes it was COLD!  Temperature on the mountain was 57 degrees.  Back in Tucson, 23 miles away, it was 88 degrees.

It was a great drive and I recommend it.  The way down the mountain went a lot quicker although I tried not to use my brakes too much.  It was very steep at times but the highway was in great condition.  

Still, I would not be tempted to take the RV up the mountain and stay at one of the mountain campgrounds we saw along the way.  We saw a 5th wheel parked at one and I imagine it took some doing to get it there.  Seems as if the area is more conducive to pop up trailer and tent camping.

Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles today!  We appreciate you taking the time to do so.  Until next time...