Flagstaff, Sedona, Bullhead City, Southern California and finally... HOME!

Even though Flagstaff is at 7,000 feet elevation we decided it would be fun to stay in the mountains and pine trees of Arizona.  We wanted to stay in Sedona but the RV parks we contacted we full so we chose the next best place, Flagstaff.

Stop # 18 - Flagstaff, AZ (10/11 - 10/13) J & H RV Park

When we comes to finding our next camping spot, we have several sources at our disposal.  First, we have the Woodall's RV Guide that lists most, but not all, campgrounds and RV parks by City and State.  In addition to that massive guide book and the campground's website,  we also use the on-line website RV Park Reviews http://www.rvparkreviews.com/.  This site is extremely user friendly and allows us to pick a RV park and see what other RVers say about their experience.  These users rate their experience from 1-5 stars and often times go into detail regarding road noise, easy access to their site, quality of the internet and the helpfulness of the staff.  We chose J & H RV Park based on the ratings off the RV Park Review website.  This park was unique in that it was a no-smoking park and catered to those over the age of 55.  Families were welcome but their rules were quite strict regarding noise and pet issues.  Flagstaff was a great home base for us to explore Sedona, Jerome and Prescott.

 Our knowledge of Sedona was that it began as an artist colony and was also known as a mecca for the new age movement.  We've had friends that have visited Sedona specifically to experience the "cosmic energy" of the area.  The new age movement beliefs are reflected in one of the signs shown below.  What surprised us was the beauty of the pink rock formations but also the commercialization of downtown Sedona.  The place was packed with bus loads of people flowing in and out of boutiques and tourist shops up and down the main drag.  We did find beautiful pieces of artwork all along main street.  We were later told that the new art colony was in a small town called Jerome which is nestled into the mountains about 30 miles away.

We were feeling a little overwhelmed by the crowds along main street.  We decided to  search for a quiet place to sit and sip a cup of coffee and a nice pastry.  We wandered off the main street onto a quiet side street and discovered this little place called Theia, which had opened the day before.  We wish them good luck in their new venture!

Next we drove up to Jerome.  This place was truly nestled off the mountainside.  We could find no where to park so unfortunately we could only drive through.  There were galleries and shops and, of course, cute places to eat all filled with tourists.  It all went by so fast, we forgot to capture the town in pictures.  If you visit this website, you'll get information and pictures of the town  http://www.azjerome.com/jerome/.

 A view from the road leaving Jerome on our way to Prescott.

Boji used to be so good at obeying rules.  Now that he's retired...who cares!

Prescott was a lovely city and as we made our way to the downtown area we were fortunate (for Sherry) enough to discover a crafts fair!  Needless to say, she did a little Christmas shopping!

This flatware had been beautifully hand-wrapped with decorative metal and beads that made these serving pieces very unique.  Here's their website if you would like more information.  http://www.gypsyspoonco.com/

Here was another wonderful Christmas gift idea.  Unfortunately this photo doesn't do the ornament justice.  This artist works with miniatures and makes these ornament "bags" filled with items for many different interests and occupations (the one shown is "travel").  The list shows interests from  "Actor" to "Yoga"  She doesn't have a website but her email address is:  sandibags1@aol.com  Sherry was so impressed with the detail and quality that she purchased several as Christmas gifts.  Each ornament was $20 and the artist may offer a discount if you purchase over a certain quantity.

Stop # 19 - Bullhead City, AZ (10/13 - 10/16)  Colorado River Oasis RV Park

In order to get home, we had to travel through the desert.  We decided on Bullhead City/Laughlin for a two night stay.  The RV park we stayed in was home-away-from-home to many Snow-birds (people searching for warmer weather).  Since we aren't gamblers the casinos didn't interest us.  But...the Riverside Casino had a movie theater so we used this time to catch three movies..."Captain Phillips," "Gravity," and "Rush."  We also used this time to simply relax and begin thinking about home and evaluating our RV trip.

We discovered a free water taxi that took us from the Bullhead City side of the Colorado river over to the Riverside Hotel and Casino in Laughlin.

Stop # 20 - Hesperia, CA  (10/16 - 10/18) Desert Rose RV Park

We instantly knew we were back in California in two ways.  First, the roads were in poorer shape than the other states we had visited and second, the price of diesel gas went up over a dollar a gallon.

We would have loved to have stayed in the Palm Springs area but elected to stay someplace new.  Another reason for our stay was to visit the Roy Rogers - Dale Evans Museum in Apple Valley.  Well...once we got checked into our RV park, we learned that after their deaths, their son moved the museum to Branson, MO.  Mark had a first cousin he hadn't seen since childhood who lived in Hesperia.  So we looked him up and Karl and his wife Josette treated us to a tour of the area.  Since we couldn't visit the Roy Rogers - Dale Evans museum, Karl and Josette took us to the cemetery (Sunset Hill Memorial Park) they designed and built before their deaths.  This was such a unique place, selected because it represented the beauty of Apple Valley that they both loved so much.  They use the boulders as headstones and burial crypts.  A word of warning...for those climbing around the boulders and rocks on the hillside - beware of rattle snakes.

First cousins Karl Lewis and Mark

Graves of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

The former home of Roy Rogers - it still had the RR on the gate

Our last stop, #21 - Playa del Rey,  CA - Dockweiler State Beach RV Park

There are not a lot of RV parks along the Southern California coast.  We found one in the Newport Beach another in Long Beach, there is a very expensive RV park in Malibu and this one in Playa del Rey.  This particular park was only a mile from one of our daughters and right on the beach.  Considering we had no Wifi or cable, this park was our most expensive, simply because of the proximity to the beach.  We had a great time riding our bikes on the strand.  The strand is a 22 mile sidewalk for bikes that begins in Santa Monica and ends at the Torrance beach http://file.lacounty.gov/dbh/cms1_149605.pdf.  This is a reasonably flat paved trail used by cyclists, walkers and even folks on roller blades.  We accessed the bike path only a few yards from our campsite. 

Hermosa Beach off the bike path.  Lots of places to eat and drink in this area.

In the Venice Beach area is a wonderful Italian restaurant we love to visit.  It is called C & O Trattoria.  It is located near the Venice Beach pier on Washington Blvd.  If you love delicious pasta, large servings, and a lively atmosphere, you'll love this place.  http://www.cotrattoria.com/  On this particular evening we were invited to join our son-in-law's Italian family at C & O.

Time for the entire restaurant, and our group, to join in singing "That's Amore," as we raise our empty chianti glasses in a toast!

Stop # 22 - ( 10/21) HOME

We took almost two years in research before deciding to become RVers.  We loved our eight weeks on the road and look forward to future adventures.  Most of our previous trips revolved around destinations in other countries which focused on the beauty and achievements of civilization and mankind.  This trip was quite different - we focused on people and God's creation as seen through nature, specifically our National Parks.  We witnessed and marveled at our surroundings and the people we were fortunate enough to meet along the way.  We learned that we can comfortably live with less stuff and in a smaller space and discovered that being physically active is not only fun but necessary in retirement.  To our friends and family - thank you for allowing us to share this adventure with all of you - it's nice to come home.

 

One final tip we'd like to share - for those of you who use apps on your phones...we would like to recommend the "Gas Buddy" app.  It is a free app that locates gas stations and lists their most recent price per gallon.  This was an invaluable tool for us since we use diesel gas in our truck and not all stations carry diesel.  You simply select the type of gas you are looking for and it's right there at your fingertips.  It will also give you directions to the gas station you want to find.