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The Great RVenture 2026

Nov 29 2025 - Mar 03 2026

@Rventure

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5674A Dry Run Rd, Milford, OH 45150, USA

Nov 29 2025

The Great RVenture 2026!

Rob and Kristen Brown

January 2 - March 12, 2026

@Rventure

Jan 01 2026

Leaving soon! Here’s a brief outline of our trip!

January

February

March

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Jan 01 2026

Our very own Logo, by Brown Bag Swag Creative Consultant, Syndy Casey!

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Jan 02 2026

On the road! Pulled out 9 minutes earlier than planned (miracle)!

First destination: Crossville, Tennessee

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Jan 02 2026

Command Center!

We needed a way to mount all necessary devises. We order a mounting system from Bulletpoint.

Pictured from left to right:

Cell phone, Garmin RV GPS, Dadh Cam, Tire Pressure Monitor.

High Tech!

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Jan 02 2026

We made it to Crossville TN around 2:30 CT after about a half hour stop at Buccees where we purchased Beaver Chips, chicken and Fries, Briaket Mac and Cheese, Beaver Nuggets, Glazed Pecans, peanut butter and chocolate fudge and Chocolate Carmel Sea Salt Fudge. Because when at Buccees, this is what you do!

Our Crossville/I-40 KOA Holiday is spacious and our pull-through, full hook-up site has a nice view!

For dinner we made salads and heated up White Chicken Chili, made ahead for us by Diane Brown, Robs mom.

The next 2 days we will be hiking and chasing waterfalls!

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Jan 03 2026

Day2/70

The inspiration for today and tomorrow came from a random Facebook post about a waterfall loop near Crossville/Cookville Tennessee, without any verification before last night-Ha!

I like to hike, and Rob likes to photograph waterfalls, so here we are.

Rob grabbed a sunrise photo before we headed out.

We left the camper around 8am with packed lunches, cooler, and layers.

First stop was Ozone Falls. Ozone Falls is a stunning, 110ft waterfall in Cumberland County, with an impressive rock amphitheater. Apparently it has “Jungle Book” filming fame. We were also able to walk behind the falls-cool! This was a short but rugged hike!

Next up was Stinging Fork Falls. This was a 1.9 mile moderate to challenging hike with beautiful waterfall! We had lunch sitting by the waterfall.

The 3rd Waterfall of the day was Piney Creek Upper Falls. This was another 1.8 challenging waterfall loop, including a hiking cable to help navigate the steep and rocky terrain.

We ran out of daylight and headed back to the campground. Rob grabbed a sunset photo before heading in for dinner.

We hardly saw any other hikers most of the day and had these waterfalls all to ourselves!

Packed lunch

Packed cooler

Creating a vibe with a Tennessee playlist!

Hiking sticks are really helpful!

Heading to Stinging Fork Falls

Trail ends at waterfall!

Stinging Fork Selfie!

Hiking poles are a must!

Piney Upper Falls Selfie!

Piney Upper Falls video

Piney Upper Falls video from behind the falls!

It was a very full, active day!

Trying hard!

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Jan 05 2026

Day 3/70

How to title today?

3 state parks + 9 waterfalls?

The Last 1/2 mile is always the worst?

Am I Skinny Yet?

Last night we had to unhook the RV from water because the temps overnight were below freezing.

We were up and out this morning by 7 with our packed lunches and cooler, ready to tackle more of the waterfall loop from the random fb post.

We drive about an hour up to Burgess Falls State Park. We were a little confused with the waterfall labeling, but got 3 waterfalls instead of one!

First Falls

Second Falls? Nope. Middle Falls.

Third Falls? Last Falls? Final Falls? Nope! Burgess Falls!

Pic back at Middle Falls because we forgot at Burgess Falls!

The we headed to Rock Island State Park. Very cool and unique place with waterfalls everywhere!

Rob behind waterfalls

Great Falls

We did a lot of hiking like this today…

Twin Falls

Swinging Bridge

Proof that beavers exist

US!

Then we headed to Fall Creek Falls State Park!

More hiking on rocks…

Along the trail

Finally made it to Fall Creek Falls!

Just before starting the last 1/2 mile back to the car

Taco Chicken ready in the crockpot when we got back!

Fall Creek Falls video.

Found another Tennessee playlist for today! Will Arkansas have such a thing??

Hiking was generally easier today, but we still had a very full day!

Tomorrow is travel day. Arkansas, here we come!

@Rventure

Jan 06 2026

Day 4/70

Today was a travel day! We pulled out around 8am, travelled 345 miles including a stop at (another) Buccees and 2 rest areas, and pulled into the Memphis KOA Journey around 3pm (I even drove from Nashville to Memphis!)

To pass the time while driving we listened to a Mobituary podcast about Vaughn Meader, a JFK impersonator, listened to Nashville Hits playlist, Memphis playlist, Hamilton soundtrack, and Suessical soundtrack.

This KOA is…adequate. It’s right near the highway and railroad tracks with frequent trains. When we checked in they gave us ear plugs and asked us not to give them a bad rating because we chose this and there’s nothing they can do about the noise. So, you be the judge!

But it’s a pull through site with full hookups, so we’re happy.

We headed to the grocery to pick up a few items, and then went to check out the Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge which is only a 10 minute drive from our campground. We were surprised with a gorgeous sunset and millions of migrating birds on the Mississippi Flyway Stopover.

We are excited to spend some time there tomorrow!

Look closely on the water and in the sky for all of the birds!

Gorgeous Nature Preserve!

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Jan 07 2026

Day 5/70

We had originally planned to explore Dale Bumpers White River National Refuge, but it was a long drive from our campground and the Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge was just 10 minutes away, so we got there early for sunrise (cloudy, not so much sunrise as “first light”), and spent the morning exploring the property looking for birds and critters.

This morning we saw American Coot, Bald Cyprus Tree, Woody Pond, Eagles Nest and Juvenile Eagles, and of course thousands of Snow Geese migrating through the Mississippi Flyway (right where we are!)

American Coot

Bald Cyprus tree

Woody Pond

Eagle Nest

Snow Geese!!

We came back to camper for lunch, laundry, and leisure. Then headed back to the Wapanocca refuge for sunset where we saw a hawk, beaver, kingfisher, heron, snow geese, and another awesome sunset!

Hawk

Beaver swimming

Kingfisher (look closely…bright blue in middle of photo)

Heron

Snow Geese

Beaver

(Volume on) Snow Geese!!!

Sunset @ Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge

Finished the day with BBQ pork nachos, BBQ Pok contesy of Caleb Kennedy who sent it with us on our trip!

Tomorrow is travel and adventure, as we head to Hot Springs National Park!

@Rventure

Jan 08 2026

Day 6/70

We got up early and drove back to Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge for sunrise. The videos hardly do it justice, but the snow geese migration is truly impressive! Sound on if you watch the videos!

Sunrise @ Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas

Snow Geese Migration stopover

Sunrise @ Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas

Snow Geese Migration stopover

Sunrise @ Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas

Bald Cyprus Trees

After sunrise, we packed up the camper and jeep and headed 183 miles to Hot Springs KOA and National Park.

Drivetime entertainment consisted of:

MUWE June 10, 2023 One For the Road concert recording

Sycamore Community Band Fall 2025 recording

Fun Facts about Hot Springs National Park Podcast (I’m not sure Im a podcast person but I keep trying!)

We arrived at the campground and had a whole loop to ourselves!

We headed out about 1pm to check out all things Hot Springs. Started at the visitor center.

Walked the Grand Promenade…

…to the Hot Water Cascade

We filled up gallon jugs with thermal spring water, just like the locals do

We drove the Hot Springs Mountain and North Mountain Loop scenic drive and hiked our own Goat Rock Trail Loop.

We finished the Hit Springs adventure with the West Mountain Scenic Drive stopping at the summit for sunset.

Tomorrow is one of our longer travel days. 427 miles to Breckenridge, Texas!

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Jan 09 2026

Day 7, 1/8/2026

Today was a LONG travel day! We got up and left before sunrise to drive 427 miles from Hot Springs, AR to Breckenridge, TX, with a lot of strong winds, but thankfully no rain or storms.

We made it to Texas via Texarkana

And stopped at our 3rd Buc-ee’s of our trip in Royce City

Apparently for Texans, planning ahead is a way of life… even when it comes to bomb shelters!

When one flag is simply not enough…

We traveled through Dallas…

Dallas

…and Fort Worth…

Fort Worth

…and The Home of Crazy…

Mineral Wells

…passing exits for Friendship, Fate, and Hope…

…and finally arriving in Breckenridge!

Our KOA Campground comes with a pet bison named Boudreaux!

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Jan 10 2026

Day 8/70

1/9/2026

We’ve been “on the road” for a week now! We’ve driven 1605 miles, been in 4 states and 3 time zones!

Today we traveled 341 miles from Breckenridge, TX to Carlsbad, NM.

Seen along our route today…calling all conspiracy theorists, what is this??

We made it to New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment!

We made it to our campground, Carlsbad KOA

And were greeted by this guy from Roswell:

After getting settled at the campground, we headed out in the jeep to find Sitting Bull Falls in the Lincoln National Forest in the Chihauhuan Desert.

Open Range Cow

Close Range Cow

(Video) Sitting Bull Falls, Lincoln National Forest, Chihuahua Desert

Sitting Bull Falls, Lincoln National Forest, Chihuahua Desert

On the drive back to the campground we spotted a rainbow!

And caught the sunset!

We ordered burgers from the KOA kitchen for dinner. It’s chilly here at 7:00pm MT at 43 degrees, and will get below freezing overnight.

We are here until Wednesday, 1/14, and plan to explore Carlsbad Caverns NP, Guadalupe Mountains NP, and any alien activity happening around here LOL

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Jan 11 2026

Day 9

1/10/2026

Cave Hiking Day!

Left camper in the jeep around 8:30am MT and drive 50 minutes to Carlsbad Caverns. Had to get a Timed-Entry slot online prior for $2 for both of us, our timed-entry was 9:30am.

We had listened to a podcast by Dear Bob and Sue, and they recommended hiking the Natural Entrance route to the Big Room, \240so that’s what we did. The Natural Entrance route is a self-guiding tour for 1.25 miles, descending 750 feet, the Big Room route is another 1.25 miles self-guided, and took us about 2.5 hours to complete both.

We liked self guiding, and it was a very quiet hike. The timed-entry and time of year, made it not crowded at all and a very nice experience. It’s very “other worldly” down there. We were impressed with how much work and effort had been made over the years to make it accessible to everyone! This includes the elevator ride back up 750 feet in just under a minute!

This was not another Mammoth Cave, a different experience entirely, and totally worth it!

We have many photos, and photos don’t do it justice, but we’ll share just a few!

Whales Mouth

Fairyland

Mirror Lake

After the cave hike and gift shop, we hiked 2 short hikes up top:

The Chihauhuan Desert Nature Trail, we didn’t see any rattle snakes or scorpions.

Chihauhuan Nature Trail

But we did see this!

White Crowned Sparrow

And the Walnut Canyon Vista Trail, where we did in fact see a vista

Back at the camper around 3:30 and we finally got the Blackstone out to meal prep:

Bacon for breakfast tomorrow

Chicken for future meals

Pizza for dinner tonight!

Is supposed to be really cold tonight, lows in the 20s, so we unhooked our water hose and will just use water from our fresh water tank overnight. We plan to look for a heated hose when we find a Walmart!

Tomorrow we are truly planning a day of rest, a day without leaving the campground or high adventure!

@Rventure

Jan 12 2026

Day 10/70

1/11/26

Not all things go as expected!

Below freezing temps last night and we woke up to no water in the camper (frozen) -not expected! But things thawed out by noon and water was back. Phew!

We had French toast and bacon for breakfast-yum!

We watched church on tv inside the camper at our time 8:30am MT, Cinti time 10:30am. Great sermon, Noah!

How did we do that? We have a roku for the tv, and we have Starlink for internet:

When we arrived on Friday and put out the bedroom slide, I found this on the floor:

-not expected! But today Rob figured out where it goes and figured out how to put it back so the slide will continue to work! Phew! He’s so handy!

We drive into town for groceries and tried to stop at a wildlife refuge on the way. Not much wildlife seeking refuge at this time.

Carlsbad National Wildlife Refuge

We picked up necessary items at the grocery, and also stopped to buy a heated hose to get us through anymore below freezing nights on our travels.

Spotted at the grocery:

Spotted in the grocery parking lot

We grilled up potatoes and peppers and made chicken rice bowls, plenty for several meals. Yum!

Sunset at the campground:

Guadalupe Mountains National Park tomorrow!

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Jan 13 2026

Day 11/70

1/12/2026

Roswell Welcome sign

Aliens and Nature day!

After sunrise…

…and laundry…

…we decided to head to Roswell, NM to search for aliens! Of course we needed a playlist!

The town has embraced its 1946 claim to fame!

Finding no actual Aliens, we headed to Bottomless Lakes State Park, a series of sinkholes, and apparently “bottomless” is only 90 feet!

Greater Yellowlegs

After the state park, we headed to Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, where we saw so many birds!

Bufflehead

Loggerhead Shrike

Northern Shovelers

Northern Pintail

Pied Billed Grebe

Cinnamon Teal

Rock Wren

Sandhill Cranes flying in (sound on)

Sandhill Cranes watching the sunset

Sunset

Bitter Lakes National Wildlife Refuge

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Jan 14 2026

Day 12/70

1/13/2026

Back into Texas for Guadalupe Mountains National Park Day!

We started at McKittrick Canyon Natire Trail.

The trail

Western Bluebird

Cedar Waxwing

Then went to Frijole Ranch and the Manzanuta Spring Trail with all of these birds!

Sage Thrasher

Acorn Woodpecker

Stellar’s Jay

Lesser Goldfinch

Then we went to the Pine Springs Visitor Center and the Pinery Trail.

Then to Guadalupe Point Viewpoint for sunset

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Jan 15 2026

Day 13/70

1/14/2026

Today was a travel day from Carlsbad, NM to Alamogordo, NM.

The shortest route was 127 miles, but through the mountains with incline issues. So we went 261 miles instead to take the flattest overall route through El Paso.

So we started our day in New Mexico, drove into Texas, and then back into New Mexico.

And even had to go through Border Patrol

We made it to Alamogordo by 2:30 or so, with plenty of time to head into White Sands NP for sledding…

(Sound on)

So fun!!

…and Sunset!

My favorite pic of the night!

We have 2 full days here and then we travel again on Saturday.

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Jan 16 2026

Day 14/70

1/15/26

Sunrise Hike, PistachioLand, Sunset and Stargazing!

Alkali Flat Trail, White Sands NP, NM

We started out early this morning for a Sunrise Hike on the Alkali Flat Trail at White Sands NP. Apparently “flat” is a geographical term and does not in fact mean “flat.” It was gorgeous, challenging, and we loved it!

Also, it’s not normal sand, it’s gypsum, so it’s cool to the touch and doesn’t absorb heat from the sun.

Yea us! 4.4 miles!

Late afternoon we headed out to McGinn’s PistachioLand, a quirky but fun stop!

McGinn’s PistachioLand

Pistachio Orchard

Then Sunset back at White Sands

Wrapped up our day stargazing at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park. (Better star pics to come!)

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Jan 17 2026

Day 15/70

1/16/2026

But first, a couple of amazing photos that Rob took yesterday!

White Sands NP Sunset 1/15/2026

Milky Way @ Oliver Lee State Park, NM 1/15/2026

Today (Friday 1/16/26), we did 2 more hikes at White Sands National Park:

Then headed to Oliver Lee State Park and did the Riparian Nature Trail and the Lawson Springs Trail, caught the sunset and some stargazing (pics to come later)

Riparian Nature Trail

Lawson Springs Trail

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Sunset at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, NM

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Jan 18 2026

Day 16/70

1/17/2026

Travel day! 345 miles from Alamogordo, NM to Tucson, AZ. Approximately 7 hours on the road, but we made it!

For those of you thinking we are roughing it camping, we just pulled in to the Tucson/Lazy Days KOA RESORT!

We have our own orange tree and can pick our own fruit for breakfast!

We had dinner onsite at the Steak Rush Grill

Steak Rush Grill

Pool and hot tub (74 degrees here!)

Lighted pickleball courts

Chipping and putting greens

But wait, there’s more!

Nature Pond

More chipping/putting greens

Power parasols

Sunset and palm trees

Hot tub!!

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Jan 19 2026

Day 17/70

1/18/2026

Saguaro National Park

Sunrise Hike to Valley View Overlook

Sunrise @ Valley View Overlook

(Sound on) Desert Wren singing

Sunrise @ Valley View Overlook

Late morning hiked the King Canyon Short Loop

King Canyon Short Loop

Spent the afternoon with Kristen’s High School Band Director and his wife, BUDD and Elenor Malchus and lunch at Teresa’s Mosaic Cafe.

Elenor and Budd Malchus, Kristen and Rob

Mr. Malchus and Kristen

Counting Saguaro Arms!

Late afternoon hike at Desert Discovery Nature Trail

Sunset @ Red Hills Visitor Center

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Jan 20 2026

Day 18/70

1/19/2026

Got up early and headed out to Saguaro National Park Rincon Mountain District for Sunrise at Javalina Rocks.

A Javalina is a 60-pound mammal that looks like a pig but is more like a rat, or a R.O.U.S.! We looked all day, but never saw one…thankfully!

To get to Javalina Rocks, we had to take the Cactus Forest Drive, an 8-mile one way loop. Javalina Rocks is around mile 6 or so.

Sunrise @ Javalina Rocks, Saguaro NP Rincon Mountain District

We were done with sunset before the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center opened, so we did the whole loop again (2nd time) in the daylight, since the first time was before sunrise.

While every Saguaro cactus is unique, today we tried to capture the ones that were “more unique” thank others!

We also found 2 “crested” saguaros. A crested saguaro develops a unique fan-shaped pattern at the growing tip.

We took the afternoon off from adventure and relaxed back at the camper. Then we headed back to Javalina Rocks for sunset, via the Cactus Forest Drive Loop (for the 3rd time!). Still no Javalina spottings.

Sunset @ Javalina Rocks, Saguaro NP Rincon Mountain District

360 sunset views

(Sound on) Sunset Deser Sounds

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Jan 21 2026

Day 19/70

1/20/2026

Our last day in Tucson!

We slept in and planned a bike ride for the late morning. After uncovering the bikes, we discovered they were covered in gravel dust, as was the jeep, so we went in search of a self wash.

Before

After

Then we headed to part of “The Loop,” Tucson’s 131 mile car free bike path. Tucson is one of the top US Cycling cities. We did 9.1 miles of the Santa Cruz River Park section.

Along the way we found this brightly colored bird!

Vermilion Flycatcher

And also this Burrowing Owl area! We didn’t find any actual owls, but a fascinating project nonetheless!

In the afternoon we did boring stuff like pay bills and do laundry.

Then we decided to go back to Teresa’s Mosaic Cafe for carry out because it was so good when we went on Sunday. Teresa’s Mosaic Cafe serves traditional Mexican dishes. It gained national attention after its huevos rancheros were featured on the Food Network’s Throwdown with Bobby Flay. We give it a 10/10 and highly recommend! Thank you again to Budd and Eleanor Malchus for introducing us to it!

For those following, we head to Apache Junction, AZ tomorrow. We are living Arizona so far!

@Rventure

Jan 22 2026

Day 20/70

1/21/2026

Today was a short travel day 114 miles from Tucson to Apache Junction, just east of Phoenix.

That gave us time to get the bus settled at the Mesa/Apache Junction KOA and still head 45 minutes in to Phoenix for the Musical Instrument Museum!

The Musical Instrument Museum has a collection of more that 7500 instruments from more than 209 world countries and territories.

Their motto is Music is the language of the soul, and we couldn’t agree more!

Coolest museum ever! We had 2.5 hours to explore before they closed, but we could have spent all day there!

They give you headphones to wear and each exhibit has a tv, when you are near the tv you get to hear 2-4 examples of music from the exhibit. It’s like a walking concert!

Of course we went in search of trumpets

And horns

But found so much more!

Hurdy-Gurdy

They gave a demo of the largest instrument in the museum,

Video (sound on)

Apollonia dance organ

Video (sound on)

Apollonia dance organ

There was also a “hands on” room

I trained my whole life for this LOL

Live at the KOA The Massengale Brothers from Branson, Missouri we’re giving a concert with Classic Country and Western Swing hits with masterful Fiddle and Instrumental “Pickin.” Literally 50 feet from our camper! Enjoy!

Video (sound on)

The Massengale Brothers

Video (sound on)

The Massengale Brothers

Video (sound on)

The Massengale Brothers

(Devil went down to Georgia)

@Rventure

Jan 23 2026

Day 21/70

1/22/2026

We are keeping tabs on the upcoming snow storm back home while enjoying 70 degree winter desert here in Arizona!

Today we headed out to Saguaro Lake.

Saguaro Lake

Saguaro Lake is a popular reservoir in Arizona's Tonto National Forest, formed by the Stewart Mountain Dam on the Salt River, located northeast of Phoenix. It's a desert oasis known for scenic views of canyon walls and saguaro cacti.

We headed to Butcher Jones Recreation Site for our morning hike.

Nice and very popular hike along the lake. Many people doing this trail!

Butcher Jones Trail

We found a couple of ducks on the hike

Ruddy Duck

Common Goldeneye

Western Grebe

Eared Grebe

Rock Wren

We had our picnic lunch back at the marina.

Saguaro Lake Lunch View

On the way to our afternoon hike, we stopped for a Canyon Lake Vista view.

Canyon Lake Vista

We drove on the Historic Apache Trail to get to our afternoon hike at the Salt River Viewpoint.

Salt River Viewpoint Hike

Salt River Viewpoint

On the way back to the campground we stopped for the Weavers Needle View.

Weavers Needle

And the Goldfield Ghost Town

Goldfield Ghost Town

And one more stop for the Apache Junction sign!

Apache Junction sign

We head to Palm Springs, CA tomorrow but have loved our AZ time!

Apache Junction KOA

Closed all of my rings today!

Salt River Viewpoint

@Rventure

Jan 24 2026

Day 22/70

1/23/2026

We made it to California!

Today we drove 301 miles from Apache Junction, AZ to Desert Hot Springs, CA!

Since we were headed to Joshua Tree National Park, the morning playlist was, of course, U2 Joshua Tree!

Followed by a California playlist

And an occasional podcast

After getting the bus settled at the KOA, we took off in the jeep to Joshua Tree National Park for sunset (at 5:07)!

The Joshua Trees are located in the northern part of the park, so we entered the West entrance, hit the Visitor Center, and went in search of the famous trees.

We found them!

Sunset at Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree/Hidden Valley

Rob’s photo

We’ve gotten word from home that Jax is doing just fine in Ohio with his grandparents!

We are looking forward to having 3 full days to explore this awesome national park!

@Rventure

Jan 25 2026

Day 23/70

1/24/2026

Sooo much scrolling to get here! If you’re here reading this, thanks for the scrolling! Journo is no perfect, but it was the only app (we looked in to several) that would share our travel journal with only a link, without people needing to get an app. Maybe it’s worth the scroll? Up to you. But thanks for getting this far!

Today started at 4:27 (yep you read that right) as we headed into Joshua Tree National park trying to catch some stargazing and sunrise before our daily exploring.

That’s Rob on the right, Joshua tree on the left, stars in the sky, 5:55am

We headed to Cap Rock for sunrise

Sunrise Desert Cottontail

Sunrise @ Cap Rock with Joshua Trees

Sunrise @ Cap Rock with a Joshua Tree

Hmmm. Why do they call is Cap Rock?

Rob and Kristen @ Cap Rock

Then we headed to Keys View

Gamble’s Quail

Keys View - where we could view the San Andreas fault

Then we drove by the Hal of Horrors, a popular rock climbing spot (we didn’t rock climb)

Hall of Horrors

Then we headed to Skull Rock

Joshua Tree

Skull Rock. See it?

White Crowned Sparrow

Then to Live Oaks

Live Oak

The nose knows…

Then to Split Rock

Split Rock

Rob…in Split Rock

Rob crawling in rocks

Then to Heart Rock

Heart Rock

Then to Arch Rock

Arch Rock

Kristen in Arch Rock

Arch Rock selfie

More rocks

We came back to the camper after 8 hours in the park (4:30am-12:30pm) and took advantage of the natural mineral well hot tubs at our KOA!

Camper and mountains

Palm Springs/Joshua Tree KOA

Sunset @ the KOA

@Rventure

Jan 26 2026

Day 24/70

1/25/26

Last day in Joshua Tree NP!

We started this morning with French toast and bacon an watching church online…along with everyone else due to the snow at home!

We left the campground shortly after 10am and found a line to get in to Joshua Tree NP!

Our first trail of the day was the Barker Dam Loop Trail. It wanders among boulder piles and Joshua trees to a historic dam built by early cattle ranchers. This was our favorite trail in the park!

Barker Dam

Joshua Tree (Mickey mouse?)

Joshua Tree

Boulder pile

Boulder Pile

Phainopepla

Western Dark-Eyed Junko

Next hike was the Hidden Valley Loop Trail, a rock enclosed valley. We loved this hike as well!

Rob did some boulder climbing!

Made it to the top!

Looks like a library!

X marks the spot!

We headed back to Keys Point for sunset.

Joshua Tree, Keys Point

@Rventure

Jan 27 2026

Day 25/70

1/26/26

Today we traveled 253 miles from Palm Sorings/Joshua KOA to Lost Hills KOA. It’s amazing we found it! Haha

According to our itinerary we weren’t supposed to be traveling today, but when we saw how far it was to our next destination (Santa Cruz/Monterey KOA), chat gpt helped us find a place to break up the trip.

Travel today was challenging as we were driving around LA and apparently over a mountain (surprise!). We ended up unhooking the jeep and we both drove separately to complete the journey.

The highlight for today’s travel was our morning playlist!

Since nothing about today was “Instagram Worthy,” we present: Desert Blooms!

Joshua Tree blooms

Mojave Yucca

Desert Filaree

Deerweed

Desert Bluebells

Joshua Tree bloom (close up)

Sweet Acacia

Desert Globemallow

California Barrel Cactus

Brittlebrush

Bush Muhly

Ocotillo

Palmer’s Penstemon

Purple Rock Mallow

It’s a little foggy in Lost Hills tonight!

@Rventure

Jan 28 2026

Day 26/70

1/27/3026

We made it to the Pacific Ocean!!!

We travelled 187 miles from Lost Hills KOA to Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay KOA.

Kristen’s Uncle Rob and Aunt Sindy live 5 minutes from our KOA. We joined them for an evening beach hike on Zils Beach with their dog, Ella.

Ella living her best life!

Pacific Ocean

Snowy Plovers

Northern California Brown Sandpiper

Sunset from their front porch

@Rventure

Jan 29 2026

Day 27/70

1/28/2026

Pinnacles National Park!

We went to pinnacles National Park with Uncle Rob and Aunt Syndy!

Pinnacle Peaks

Old Pinnacles

Moses Spring Trail

Moses Spring

Beach Hike!

Zils beach

Zils Beach

Zils \240Beach

Emma living her best life!

Zils Beach

Zils beach

Sunset

@Rventure

Jan 30 2026

Day 28/70

1/29/2026

It was a big day in the Bay of Monterey!

Our first stop was Moss Landing in search of Sea Otters!

Found some!

Sea Otters!

Also found surfers!

Surfer

Surfer video

And some birds!

Sandpiper

Pacific Loon

Red Breasted Merganser

Sharpshined Hawk (from yesterday)

Our next stop was Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Where we took the North Shore Trail along the seashore and coves.

North Shore Trail

We found another sea otter

Sea Otter

Sea Otter video

And a seal

And Sea Lions at Sea Lion Point

Sea Lions @ Sea Lion Point

We loved watching the big waves crash!

Point Lobos waves crashing video

Point Lobos waves crashing

Thanks Uncle Rob!

Our third adventure today was sunset at Zils Beach once again!

Zils Beach

Sunset @ Zils Beach video

From the drone looking down!

We’ve had such a great time hanging out with Rob and Sindy Long! They were amazing hosts! Packed lunches, adventures and sea life, sunsets and DoorDash and dog Ella on their front porch every night were amazing! Thanks for EVERYTHING!!

@Rventure

Jan 31 2026

Day 29/70

1/30/2026

Today we drove approximately 200 miles from Watsonville to Granite Bay, California.

We are here to spend time with Rob’s brother Nate and sister-n-law, Leah and nephews Silas and Nelson.

@Rventure

Feb 01 2026

Day 30/70

1/31/2026

Started the day with a fabulous breakfast by Nate and Leah!

Grapefruit

From this grapefruit tree in their yard!

With scones

And bread pudding!

Rob and Nate got haircuts…

…while I got a chai latte

The bus is looking great in the culdesac!

We spent some time at Folsom Lake

@Rventure

Feb 02 2026

Day 31/70

2/1/2026

Today we headed out to Auburn, CA with the California Brown family.

Auburn, California, is a historic Gold Rush-era city in Placer County, known as the "Endurance Capital of the World" for its role in endurance sports, particularly the Western States 100-mile race.

It also has the highest bridge in California at 730 feet above the river, and is beautiful!

Nelson

Silas

The California Browns

Sisters-n-law Leah and Kristen

We had a special delivery of “Nancy Bread,” sourdough made by a neighbor. Delicious!

“Nancy Bread”

Rob and Nate fixed a fence panel.

Home Improvement project

Out to dinner!

@Rventure

Feb 03 2026

Day 32/70

2/2/2026

We drove north today and spent much of our day in a Bob Ross painting!

South Yuba River

And we were missing the weather in Ohio (not) and went looking for some snow…

Donner Lake from Donner Summit

Nate, Kristen, Rob @ Donner Summit

West End Beach Donner Lake

We drive through Palisades

Home of the 1960 Winter Olympics

This was our view for lunch @ Gar Woods, Lake Tahoe

Gar Woods, Lake Tahoe

Nate, Kristen & Rob at Lake Tahoe

Little Truckee River

“Happy Little Trees” looking over Sierraville

Got Yak? @ Calpine

Spending the night here!

The Bunkhouse @ Whitehawk Ranch, Graeagle

The Brown Brothers

@Rventure

Feb 04 2026

Day 33/70

2/3/2026

Another day of adventure!

A bobcat hanging out on the golf course

Bobcat

We were in Tahoe National Forest and Plumas National Park today!

Big Boulder Creek Falls

Big Boulder Creek Falls video

Rob, Kristen & Nate @ Big Boulder Creek Falls

Train Trestle…perfect timing!

Video

One of the tallest trestles \240in California!

Video

Johnsville water fall, Jamison creek

Sugar Pine pinecones

A perfect day complete with a sunset on the way back to Sacramento!

@Rventure

Feb 05 2026

Day 34/70

2/4/2026

We’ve had such a great time with the California Browns in Sacramento, California!

Roxy and Charlie

We got to watch some of Nelson’s Water Polo practice…the pools in California are OUTSIDE!!

Nelson has the ball

Future water Polo STAR!!

The California Browns!

Nate, Nelson, Leah, and Silas

Roxy and Charlie

@Rventure

Feb 06 2026

Day 35/70

2/5/2026

We are halfway through our 70 day adventure!

We’ve now traveled 3462 miles.

Been in 6 states:

Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

National parks: hot springs, Carlsbad caverns, Guadalupe mountains, white sands, saguaro east and west, Joshua tree, and now headed to sequoia NP and Kings canyon NP. Total 8!

Just recently added a bobcat and Yak to our list of new critters to us!

Today was a travel day. We traveled 236 miles from Granite Bay to our KOA Visalia.

Today was a travel day without much excitement.

Sunset at the KOA

sunset at the KOA

It was 74 when we arrived , currently 62 and having OUR FIRST FIRE id the entire trip! We’ve been carrying firewood since Tennessee and happy to have a chance to burn it!!

They have a Feral Cat problem here…haha

@Rventure

Feb 07 2026

Day 36/70

2/6/2026

Sequoia National Park!

We hiked two trails, the Congress Traill and the Big Trees Trail. Both awesome trails with great sights!

Tunnel Rock

Hospital Rock

Petroglyphs

Morrow Rock

Castle Rocks

Mount Eisen

Milk Ranch Peak

THE LARGEST TREE ON EARTH!

General Sherman Sequoia

The General Sherman Tree is not only the largest living tree in the world, but the largest living organism, by volume, on the planet. A giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), General Sherman is:

~ 2,100 years old

~ 2.7 million pounds

~ 275 feet tall

~ 100 feet wide at its trunk

General Sherman Sequoia

Giant Sequoia

Just an “average” sequoia!

The Sentinel

The Three Graces

Perspective…

The Four Guardsmen

Clara Barton Tree

Oak Titmouse

Wild Turkey

Eleven Range

Kaweah River

Sunset at the Kaweah River

@Rventure

Feb 08 2026

Day 37/70

2/7/2026

Kings Canyon NP!

Our morning hike was the General Grant Loop Trail.

Tunnel Tree

General Grant

General Grant is the Second Largest Giant Sequoia in the world! It is 268 feet tall, 107.5 feet circumference, and 46,608 cubic feet trunk volume!

General Grant

We had a visitor!

Just another pretty giant!

The ranger at the entry station suggested the Hume Lake trail to us. It did not disappoint!!

Hume Lake

Our afternoon hike was 2.8 miles around Hume Lake. Gorgeous! We loved it!

Hume Lake

Video (sound on)

We ended our time in Kings Canyon NP with an amazing sunset!

Sunset @ Redwood Mountain Overlook

@Rventure

Feb 09 2026

Day 38/70

2/8/2026

A Day Of Rest!

Not high adventure today, just hung out at the camper for the day.

Watched church online…great message, Nick!

Made breakfast…French toast and bacon.

Watched the Super Bowl with cheese dip and brisket.

Without much adventure today to share, here are a few photos from yesterday!

Common Merganser, Lake Hume

Black Phoebe, Lake Hume

Mallard, Lake Hume

Ruby Crowned Kinglet, Lake Hume

Red Naped Sapsucker, Lake Hume

Red Tailed Hawk, Kings Canyon

Heading to Barstow, CA tomorrow. Stay tuned!

@Rventure

Feb 10 2026

Day 39/70

2/9/2026

Today we travelled 215 miles from Visalia, CA to Barstow, California.

We spent our afternoon prepping for our next few days in Death Valley National Park (more on that later), and then went to find Rainbow Basin for Sunset. Very cloudy for sunset, but Rainbow Basin was SO COOL! We will have to go again in better light later this week!!

Take a quick drive with us:

(Video) Rainbow Basin Scenic Loop

Sunset (cloudy) @ Rainbow Basin

We plan to hang around Barstow tomorrow (Tuesday 2/10) then head into DVNP on Wednesday 2/11. The Journo entries might not happen daily while we’re in DVNP due to no cell service, so take a break and check back in Saturday 2/14!

Caboose at our Barstow KOA

@Rventure

Feb 11 2026

Day 40/70

2/10/2026

Sunrise at the KOA

Nice view at this KOA!

It was a cloudy day here, so we went exploring. Barstow, CA was not on our original itinerary. We changed reservations from Lake Isabella, CA to Barstow for a better route and base camp for the Bus while we head into Death Valley NP in the jeep (tomorrow).

We had no idea that Barstow, CA was part of historic Route 66 so we went exploring!

First stop was the Route 66 Mother Road Museum

Around the corner was a NASA exhibit/museum (apparently Barstow is 45 minutes from Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, which one cannot visit, but you can learn about it here)

The NASA exhibit was housed in a historic Harvey House

And a Train Museum!

Then we went in search of Barstow’s Main Street Murals, a series of 30 murals up and down historic Old Town reflecting the history of the area. I’ll just share a few:

And we had to find a few Route 66 signs and relics!

We wrapped up our day with another trip out to Rainbow Basin for afternoon and sunset

Rainbow Basin

The Jeep @ Rainbow Basin

Sunset @ Rainbow Basin

@Rventure

Feb 15 2026

Day 41/70

2/11/2026

Today we left the bus in Barstow and drove 2.5 hours to Death Valley National Park.

Deaths Valley National Park is the lowest, hottest and largest national park in the lower 48. It is massive and once you get there, you are still driving miles and miles to all of the great sites.

We entered the park at the Furnace Creek (east) entrance.

First up was 20 Mule Canyon drive.

20-mule teams, comprising 18 mules and 2 horses, were iconic, heavy-duty wagons used to transport borax 165 miles from Death Valley to Mojave, California, between 1883 and 1889. The drive was beautiful!

20-Mule Canyon

Take a short drive with us!

(Video) 20-Mule Canyon

Next we headed to Badwater Basin. It is the lowest point in the lower 48 at 282 feet BELOW Sea Level.

Badwater Basin

A spring-fed pool of water filled with accumulated salts, stories suggest a traveler's mule refused to drink from the pool, leading to the designation of the water as "bad", giving it the name Badwater.

Badwater Basin

(Video) 360 degrees of Badwater Basin

Next up was Devils Golf Course. a vast, jagged salt pan renowned for its incredibly rough surface of spiky, eroded salt crystal formations.

Devils Golf Course

(Video) 360 degrees of Devils Golf Course

Next was a 5-Mile drive through Artist’s Palette

Artist’s Palette

A rare super bloom has begun in DVNP, and we found some examples of first blooms on our way to our next destination, Dante’s View.

2026 superbloom

We headed to Dante’s View for sunset.

Sunset @ Dante’s View

Our priority for visiting Death Valley was for Rob and Astrophotography as DVNP is an International Dark Sky Park, which means more stars and absence of light pollution. So more like a planetarium than your backyard in greater Cincinnati.

However, it’s really hard to find a place to stay overnight to drive back to after night photography, so we decided to get a “dispersed back country camping permit.” Yep, we car camped!

Prepping the jeep for car camping

Dispersed Camping Area

Our camping spot!

So worth it, for Rob to get these amazing photos!

@Rventure

Feb 15 2026

Day 42/70

2/12/2026

Since we dispersed back country car camped last night (2/11) we woke up to a beautiful sunrise and camping spot!

Sunrise @ Greenwater Valley

Camping spot @ \240Greenwater Valley

Successful Car Campers @ Greenwater Valley

We’re were camping close to Dante’s View, so we headed back up for morning views.

Dante’s View-morning

Next up was Ubehebe Crater, formed by a volcanic event, it is about a half mile wide and 770 feet deep, and beautiful!

Ubehebe Crater

After Ubehebe Crater, we headed to the Stovepipe Wells side of DVNP, stopping at the Mesquite Sand Dunes.

Mesquite Sand Dunes

We found these tracks in the sand…

…made by this little guy

Zebra-tailed Lizard

We found other tracks as well…

But fortunately did not find their makers!

Mesquite Sand Dunes

(Video) Mesquite Sand Dunes

We have no photos of Stovepipe Wells, but we loved it! Gas was a dollar cheaper and we had a fabulous lunch.

We then headed out of the park on our way to Lone Pine and found more beginnings of the 2026 suoerbloom

2026 Superbloom

2926 Superbloom

We stopped at Padre Crowley Point overlook, also a place to view air force fighter jets training in the valley below. We were able to drive out to the point, and if we ever need to sell the jeep, we are using this photo!

Keep @ Padre Crowley Point

Then we arrived at Lone Pine and Alabama Hills just in time for sunset!

Anna’s Hummingbird

Sunset at Alabama Hills

Sunset looking through Mobius Arch, Alabama Hills

We decided one night of backcountry dispersed car camping was enough to fill our cup, so we checked into The Quality Inn in greater greater Lone Pine, got settled and then headed back out to Alabama Hills for night sky astrophotograohy and it did not disappoint!!

Night sky, Alabama Hills, Sierra Nevada Mountains

@Rventure

Feb 15 2026

Day 43/70

2/13/2026

Sunrise at Alabama Hills

Sunrise: Lone Pine Peak 12,949 \240(left) Mt. Whitney 14,505 \240(right)

Sunrise: Lone Pine Peak (left) Mt. Whitney (right) through Mobius Arch

Lone Pine Peak @ Sunrise

Alabama Hills Starburst

What is Lone Pine, you ask?

Home of Alabama Hills

The city of Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills have a history in film-making going back to the early 1900s including the early silent movie era westerns and many westerns and more contemporary movies including Tremors (which we rented and watched the next night), Star Wars, Star Trek and even Ironman. Virtually every well known western actor/actress spent time in Alabama Hills making movies.

We spent the morning on Movie Road searching for popular movie set locations and awesome rock formations.

Tremors (the entire area is the backdrop for the movie)

Bowling Ball and Pins (rock formation)

Corridors (popular rock climbing spot)

(Video) Seven Men From Now movie

Rob is pointing to Mt. Whitney

We brought O-H-I-O just a little bit closer to Mt. Whitney

A little 4-wheeling through the Gunga Din bridge site

We had lunch in town at The Pizza Factory

Then headed to the not to be missed Western Film Museum

Sadly, we had to leave behind Lone Pine and Alabama Hills to head back to the bus in Barstow. But one more stop at Owens Lake yielded this photo

Owens Lake

@Rventure

Feb 15 2026

Day 44/70

2/14/2026

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Flashback to the Heart Rock @ Joshua Tree NP

Heart rock @ Alabama Hills

Today was a recovery/prep day for our next adventures.

Rob made breakfast: bacon, egg and cheese bagels with hashbrowns

I did laundry. We found a place to wash the jeep and get some groceries.

Sunset at the campground

Sunset @ Barstow/Calico KOA

Some sky art

Sundaes at DQ

We’ve been in California for 22 days. We leave tomorrow for Flagstaff AZ.

@Rventure

Feb 16 2026

Day 45/70

2/15/2026

Today we drove 301 miles from Barstow CA to Flagstaff AZ, elevation 7000ft. This will be the highest elevation we have slept in so far on the trip. It was high of 50 today, but tonight a low of 28, yikes! Good thing we got that heated hose back in New Mexico!

We rolled in around 4:15 and got set up at the campground. We hopped in the jeep at 5:15 and headed 15 minutes down the road to Sunset Crater Volcano

National Monument for sunset.

Lots of clouds, but a sunset at a volcano works regardless!

(Video) 360 view of the area

Last night I posted this photo of the sky after our DQ run:

Photo taken in Barstow, CA

6:11pm PST 2/14/2026

Today we found out it was this:

So cool!

We have a short travel day tomorrow to Page, Az. Stay tuned for some unique adventures from Page!

@Rventure

Feb 17 2026

Day 46/70

2/16/2026

Today we drove 122 miles from Flagstaff to Page, AZ.

Our original itinerary had us staying in Flagstaff this week, but a few weeks ago we decided to cancel the rest of our Flagstaff time and go to Page instead.

The drive to Page was absolutely beautiful. We chose to drive the bus and the jeep separately due to steep inclines and windy roads. Rob drove the bus and Kristen drove the jeep. That gave Kristen a chance to grab some pics of the bus and the scenery!

Marble Canyon

Bitter Springs

Rob’s perspective

Bitter Springs

And a video

Driving through a slot canyon!

This is our first non-KOA campground, called ROAM America Horseshoe Bend and it is really nice with some great views!

ROAM America Horseshoe Bend

Once settled at the campground we headed out to the Glen Canyon Dam. It is the second largest man made reservoir in the US (second to Lake Mead/Hoover Dam)

Glen Canyon Dam

Glen Canyon Dam-Navajo Bridge

Colorado River (at the dam)

Then we headed to the Wahweap Overlook.

Wahweap Overlook

Then we headed to the Glen Canyon National Recreational Area

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Wrapped up the day with sunset at the famous Horseshoe Bend. We battled a sandstorm/windstorm for these photos! Very windy today in Page!

Horseshoe Bend

Tomorrow…Slot Canyons!

11:15 Upper Antelope Canyon Tour

3:00 Canyon X Tour

@Rventure

Feb 18 2026

Day 47/70

2/17/2026

Slot Canyon Day!

The Lady

What is a slot canyon, you ask? A slot canyon is a narrow and deep canyon carved into rock by water, wind and erosion, and know for their smooth wavy walls.

And Antelope Canyon in Page, AZ is the most photographed and visited slot canyon in the American Southwest!

The only way to visit Antelope Canyon is by booking a tour with a Navajo guide. We had our Upper Antelope tour booked for 11:15am today. You ride out to the entrance in this truck with a small group, our group had 7 total including Rob and I.

Upper Antelope transportation

Upper Antelope Canyon entrance

The Navajo guide shows you settings on your iPhone for the best photos, and sometimes even just takes the picture for you with your phone so you get great photos!

Upper Antelope Canyon

The Bear @ Upper Antelope Canyon

The Heart @ Upper Antelope Canyon

Upper Antelope Canyon

Monument Valley @ Upper Antelope Canyon

Upper Antelope Canyon

Upper Antelope Exit

Our Navajo guide, Tyrone

Upper Antelope exit

Upper Antelope Canyon under this ground!

We had lunch back at the camper, then headed to our next tour, Canyon X, at 3:00pm. We took a short van ride to get to this one also.

Canyon X entrance

The X @ Canyon X

Canyon X

Upside down heart @ Canyon X

My favorite pic I took all by myself @ Canyon X

Another by me @ Canyon X

After our Canyon X tour we headed back to Wahweap Overlook for sunset. These photos all by Rob.

Sunset @ Wahweap Overlook

It’s so windy here we sleep with our big slide in! We have a Lower Antelope tour scheduled for tomorrow at 11:30, but it might rain tomorrow morning which might cancel our tour…we’ll see. We had great light today, so if Lower Antelope gets cancelled, we are good with our experiences today!

We decided to stay in Page an extra day leaving Friday instead of Thursday, and plan to arrive in Sedona a day late and stay a day extra. We are cancelling our camping reservation for Monument Valley later in our trip, because we are so close to Monument Valley while in Page, we are going to make a day trip out of it and run up to Monument Valley in the jeep tomorrow. More edits to our itinerary are in the works, stay tuned!

@Rventure

Feb 19 2026

Day 48/70

2/18/2026

Too cloudy, windy and cold to go anywhere for sunrise, but Rob took this sunrise video outside the camper

Sunrise @ ROAM America Campground, Page, AZ

We went 47 days of this trip with little to no precipitation. Then we were treated to THIS late morning;

SNOW!

The snow didn’t last long, so we headed to Horseshoe Bend again to see if we could get some snow pics. Horseshoe Bend is a 1.5 mile round trip walk, so I’ll call that our morning hike.

Horseshoe Bend, Page, AZ

Then we made lunch and hung out in the camper for the afternoon.

We ran back out to the Glen Canyon Dam Overlook again where Rob braved the wind and cold for amazing sunset pics and I watched the sunset from the heated car.

Glen Canyon Dam Overlook

Tomorrow we are taking a day trip in the jeep to Monument Valley. “Run, Forrest, Run!”

@Rventure

Feb 20 2026

Day 49/70

2/19/2026

Sunrise at the campground:

Sunrise @ ROAM America campground

Today we took a day trip in the jeep 2 hours/119 miles up and back to Monument Valley.

Monument Valley is located on the Arizona-Utah border within the Navajo Nation Reservation. It is known for its sandstone buttes created by erosion, as well as a famous scene in Forrest Gump. More on that later!

Adding another state to our journey!

All/most of the buttes have names

West Mitten Butte

East Mitten Butte

Merrick Butte

All 3 together

Mitchell Butte

Gray Whiskers

Sentinel Mesa

Big Chief

Castle Butte

The Bear and Rabbit

Stagecoach

King On His Throne

Brigham’s Tomb

The Sleeping Bear

Twenty two miles away we drove to find Mexican Hat…in the town of Mexican Hat!

Mexican Hat

Back at Monument Valley we took a short hike up to Hidden Arch

Hidden Arch

We called this the Horse

View from Hidden Arch

The scene in Forrest Gump where he decides he is done running was filmed at Monument Valley.

We watched the movie beforehand, here is the scene from the movie:

Scene in Forrest Gump movie

Here are our views today!

Monument Valley

Sunset @ Monument Valley

RVenture2026!

@Rventure

Feb 21 2026

Day 50/70

2/20/2026

We woke up to more snow in Page, AZ!

Sunrise in Page, AZ with snow!

Today we drove 262 \240miles from Page to Sedona. We had to take the long way around to stay on RV friendly roads without much snow, but we made it!

Rancho Sedona is a very nice campground, and we even have our own Blue Heron Rookery at our site, birds and all!

Blue Heron Rookery at our site!

Look at all the nests!

After getting settled at the campsite, we headed out to Airport Mesa for a Sedona Sunset!

Sedona is known for its red rock formations, and Airport Mesa gave us a view of several!

Capital Butte

Steamboat

Ship Rock

Coffee Pot/Sugar Loaf

Chimney Rock

The Fin

The Spinx/Cibola Mitten

Wilson Mountain

Little Sugar Loaf (front) Boynton Canyon (behind)

Comb

Sunset @ Airport Mesa

@Rventure

Feb 22 2026

Day 51/70

2/21/2026

This morning we changed the rest of our itinerary, cancelling some reservations and adding new reservations. We had to make changes because we already did Monument Valley, but we’re supposed to go there after the Grand Canyon. We also took a look at our route home and changed some things for easier driving days. Stay tuned, but know after the Grand Canyon, everything is different from the calendar at the beginning of this Journo!

We started our day with some recon to seek out future sunrise, sunset and Astro spots in Sedona!

Based on some internet posts and the Dear Bob and Sue podcast, our first stop was Thunder Mountain trailhead. Good location, hope to come back for one of the above!

Thunder Mountain

Then we headed to the Dry Creek Trailhead to scope out ways to get to Devils Bridge. We think we can bike to this on Monday! (No pic available, full parking lot)

The we drove \240Red Rock Loop Road.

Cathedral Rock @ Red Rock Loop Road

Foreshadowing!

Red Rock Loop Road

Then we went to Beaver Flat Scenic Overlook, and ruled it out. No pics, no need to go back.

Then we stopped at the Red Rock Ranger station, got some stamps for my National Parks book, and these Red Rocks

Castle Rock

Bell Rock

Courthouse Butte

Lee Mountain

Red Cliffs

Then we headed to Baldwin Trailhead and decided to hike a bit!

Baldwin Trail, Cathedral Rock in the distance

Another Heart Rock (with our shadows!)

Oak Creek

Male Hooded Merganser @ Oak Creek

Female Hooded Merganser @ Oak Creek

Cathedral Rock @ Baldwin Trail

When in Sedona…one hikes Cathedral Rock!

Cathedral Rock Trail is a steep, 1.2-mile round-trip hike in Sedona, AZ, famous for breathtaking summit views and thrilling, near-vertical rock scrambling.

Before hiking Cathedral Rock…at the bottom

“Thrilling, Near Vertical Rock Scrambling”

Almost there! Almost didn’t go any further…

Made it to End of Trail (summit)

End of Trail (Summit)!!

Breathtaking summit view!

Breathtaking Summit View!

We made it back down for sunset

Sunset @ Baldwin Trail

Cathedral Rock…hey we were up there!

Sunset @ Baldwin Trail

Hiking stats

@Rventure

Feb 23 2026

52/70

2/22/2026

Day trip to Goodyear, AZ!

We left the bus in Sedona and drove 2 hours to Goodyear, AZ for a 1:05 Cactus League Reds vs Mariners Spring Training game!

They even had Skyline Chili

And Queen City Grill!

We had GREAT SEATS, GREAT WEATHER, FREE PARKING and even a GREAT 3 innings!

Our seats were very close to the dugout!

Elly!

(Video)

Tried my hand at sports photography…haha

The Seattle Mariners defeated the Cincinnati Reds 14-8 in Cactus League action on February 22, 2026, at Goodyear Ballpark. Despite an early 5-run lead by the Reds, the Mariners rallied with a high-scoring second and ninth inning, with reliever Ryan Hawks securing a hold.

Elly De La Cruz had two doubles, and Matt McLain recorded two hits.

The Reds fell to 0-2 in Cactus League play following the loss.

Goodyear Ballpark

Nice sunset on the drive back to Sedona

@Rventure

Feb 24 2026

Day 53/70

2/23/2026

This morning the alarm was set for 2:40AM (yikes!) so we could be out of the camper by 3:00AM, so we could drive 25 minutes to the Baldwin Trailhead, then hike 1/2 mile to the perfect spot to see the Milky Way come up right above Cathedral Rock between 4:00AM-6:00AM.

Milky Way above Cathedral Rock

Stayed for sunrise at 7:05

Sunburst @ Cathedral Rock

Then we tried to get a parking place at Devil’s Bridge trailhead…non available, so we headed down to Cottonwood for a haircut for Rob, some Starbucks and a new extension cord for the camper.

Stopped at the Devil’s Bridge Trailhead again and this time scored a parking place!

We biked (e-bikes) the first 2 miles of the trail

Devil’s Bridge Trail

then hiked up the last mile

Devil’s Bridge Trail

How does that stay there?!?

Devil’s Bridge Trail

To finally arrive at Devil’s Bridge!

Devil’s Bridge

Devil’s Bridge is the largest sandstone arch in the area, located in the Coconino National Forest. It is a five-story-tall bridge offering panoramic views of red rocks.

At the top we seriously had to wait in line for about 45 minutes to get this ICONIC photo!

Devil’s Bridge Sedona

We took advantage of all the views up there!

Devil’s Bridge Trail

After this hike/bike adventure, we were done for the day and rested back at the camper, enjoying our blue herons nesting at our site!

@Rventure

Feb 25 2026

Day 54/70

2/24/2026

We started the day off with a sunrise at Red Rock Loop Road

Sunrise @ Red Rock Loop Road

Then we went to SEDONUTS, because…what a great name! Learned about Sedonuts from the Dear Bob and Sue podcast…and it did not disappoint!!

Sedonuts!

Then we visited the Courthouse Rock and Bell Rock Loop trail for closeups of both, and even found Baby Bell!

Bell Rock

Baby Bell!

Courthouse Rock

Then we headed to The Chapel of the Holy Cross, a must see when in Sedona! It is famous for its architectural integration with the red rocks creating a photogenic man-made landmark.

The Chapel of the Holy Cross

And found more PAREIDOLIA!

Pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon where we see meaningful shapes like rock formations that look like recognizable objects, people or animals.

Mother and Baby (Mary and Jesus)

Praying Hands

Eagle (see it?)

Blooming Cactus!

We found Coldstone Creamery with a great view! Fun fact, founder of Cold Stone Creamery is from Mansfield, Ohio!

Cold Stone Creamery

We found another pareidolia: the Snoopy Rock!

The Snoopy Rock

See it??

Compare to Snoopy Rock!

We embarked on a 4-wheeling journey up Schnebly Hill Road for sunset.

We even found a waterfall for Rob!

Schnebly Hill Road

A little bumpy!

(Video) 4-wheeling on Schnebly Hill Road

Sunset @ Schnebly Hill Road

Sedona Sunset @ Schnebly Hill Road

Sunset @ Schnebly Hill Road

@Rventure

Feb 26 2026

Day 55/70

2/25/2026

We set the alarm for 3:45AM to chase the Milky Way again at Red Rock Loop Road.

The Milky Way @ Red Rock Loop Road

The Milky Way and clouds @ Red Rock Loop Road

Then we had to hit SEDONUTS again!

Then, sadly, it was time to leave Sedona. When we arrived in Sedona we didn’t think we would love it. Sedona is very bougie and people-y! Lots of everything in a very small place. But we mastered the round-a-bouts, did the iconic hikes, rode our bikes off road and took the jeep off-road. We captured amazing sunrises, sunsets, and the Milky Way. All in all, we really enjoyed our time in Sedona!

We had a short 57 mile drive from Sedona to Williams, AZ, and got here around noon. We set up the RV, did some laundry, and hit the hot tub!

Then off to the town of Williams, and we found ourselves again on Route 66!

We found a very eclectic store where we left our mark with a signed dollar bill!

Our signed dollar bill

Our signed dollar bill up on the wall

Signed dollar bills on the ceiling!

We found some Frish’s memorabilia

Frish’s

The next two days we will be exploring the Grand Canyon!

@Rventure

Feb 27 2026

Day 56/70

2/26/2026

The alarm went off at 4:10AM so we could be out the camper door (in Williams, AZ) by 4:30AM, so we could arrive at the Grand Canyon at 5:30AM, so we could bike to our spot by 6:00AM for the 7:02AM Grand Canyon Sunrise, and it was soooo worth it!

Sunrise @ Mather Point Grand Canyon

Then we “Biked the Rim!” heading east from the visitor center. It was THE MOST beautiful bike ride ever!

South Rim, Grand Canyon

Elk!

Elk

South Rim, Grand Canyon

Look close, there’s Rob!

There’s Rob!

South Rim, Grand Canyon

Kristen

Rob

South Rim, Grand Canyon

Robert Brown

-Stationary Light-

Photography

Robert Brown

-Stationary Light-

Photography

In the afternoon we drive Desert View Drive, stopping at all of the points.

Duck on a Rock

Horseshoe Mesa

Grandview Point, Grand Canyon

Moran Point, Grand Canyon

Unkar Delta

Navajo Point

Kaibab Plateau 8000 ft

Marble Platform 6000 ft

Desert View-watchtower

And we stayed for sunset!

Sunset, Lipan Point, Grand Canyon

@Rventure

Feb 28 2026

Day 57/70

2/27/2026

Another amazing day at the Grand Canyon! High around 70! We headed into the park around 3:00pm, after recovering from our big day yesterday!

Rim Trail behind The Village

After checking out views of The Village, including the train station, hotels, Verkamps Visitor Center (another stamp for the book!) and the Kolb Studio, we started our biking adventure.

Our goal today was to BIKE from the Bright Angel Trailhead up to Hermits Rest and back. 7 miles each way. Another amazingly beautiful biking adventure!

E-bikes for the win!

We saw amazing sights!

Maricopa Point (video)

Pima Point

We made it!

Hermits Rest

Sunset @ Hermits Rest, Grand Canyon

We found some Elk on the way back down!

Elk

In our two days, we covered the entire South Rim!

@Rventure

Mar 01 2026

Day 58/70

2/28/2026

Today we traveled 121 miles from Williams \240AZ to Holbrook AZ, by way of Winslow Arizona…

Well I'm a-standin' on the corner in winslow, arizona
With such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed ford
Slowin' down to take a look at me

Standing on a corner…

…in Winslow Arizona

Winslow, Arizona

Takin’ it easy

Winslow, Arizona

Takin’ it easy

We had lunch at Flatbed Cafe and customers made origami out of dollars and left them in the wall, so we tried to also!

Origami music notes

Hanging on the wall in the Flatbed Cafe!

Lunch at the Flatbed Cafe!

Flatbed Cafe, Winslow Arizona

Flatbed Ford

Take it easy, eagles

We made it to Holbrook and headed into The Petrified Forest National Park and stayed for sunset!

Petrified Forest National Park

Newspaper Rock Petroglyphs

Petrified Forest National Park

Sunset @ Petrified Forest National Park

@Rventure

Mar 02 2026

Day 59/70

3/1/2026

Petrified Forest/Painted Desert

These 2 parks are really on park u see the umbrella of Petrified Forest. There is one road through both parks that connect 180 to I-40. There are 12 sites to see/pull offs.

We started with #11 Rainbow Forest Museum and Giant Logs Trail.

The Petrified Wood is fascinating!

Petrified Wood

Our morning hike was #10 Crystal Forest, called that due to the petrified logs glimmering with quartz crystals.

Petrified wood @ Crystal Forest

Rock Wren on Petrified Wood

Then we headed to #8 Agate Bridge

Apparently back in the 1920s people could walk across this. They were concerned back then about the bridge breaking, so they reinforced it with concrete. Unfortunate.

Then we drive the 4 mile Blue Mesa Loop and decided we wanted to come back here for sunset.

Video Blue Mesa

Blue Mesa

We found more Petroglyphs at #9 Peurco Pueblo.

Petroglyphs

Then we stopped at #4 Route 66 Alignment to view a 1932 Studebaker where famed Route 66 once cut through the park.

We stopped at #3 Painted Desert Overlooks And #2 Painted Desert Inn.

Video

Painted Deser Overlook

We headed back to the camper for “the heat of the day” ( 82!), then headed back in to Blue Mesa for a late afternoon hike.

Blue Mesa late afternoon

Blue Mesa late aftwrnoon

Blue Mesa late afternoon (video)

Blue Mesa late afternoon

Blue Mesa hike

After the Blue Mesa hike we headed back to #9 Jasper Forest for sunset.

Sunset @ Jasper Forest

Sunset drive out of the oark

Sunset drive out of the park

@Rventure

Mar 03 2026

Day 60/70

3/2/2026

We hung around the camper today taking care of tasks, reading, relaxing, and grilling chicken for lunch.

Petrified Forest is only about a 17 minute drive from our campground, so we ran back into the park for one last sunset before we leave tomorrow.

Sunset @ Blue Mesa

Petrified Forest NP

Sunset @ Blue Mesa

Petrified Forest NP

Sunset @ Blue Mesa

Petrified Forest NP

Sunset @ Blue Mesa

Petrified Forest NP

Sunset @ Blue Mesa

Petrified Forest NP

This was our last National Park on our itinerary, and really the last planned activity. Stay tuned for what we find to do for the next 9 days as we make our way back to Cincinnati! Tomorrow we drive to Albuquerque and stay 2 nights.

Sunset @ Blue Mesa

Petrified Forest NP

@Rventure