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After almost six days boondocking in the desert, I was ready for some full hookups and a long shower, so I checked into an RV park in the Phoenix suburb of Goodyear. Join me for two days of breweries, saloons, butte climbs, and tacos in Tempe, Scottsdale and Apache Junction. We also drive the Apache Trail to Tortilla Flat.
This video, of course, takes place in its entirety in Quartzsite, most of it at the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, or RTR.
This video is going to be slightly different. I’m not going to show you a different place every single day, or hour, or minute, for that matter. It is a true chronological account of my almost six days at the RTR. I did do different things every single day, but some of it is repetitive, as life often is.
The RTR was overall a positive experience. I am just not the kind of traveler to stay put in the same place for days on end. I am restless and every two to three days I get the itch to hitch and move somewhere else. So if I got “bored” by my fourth day at the RTR, it was really me, not you. The rain didn’t help either, since on that day I had plans to leave already, and hangout with the Xcapers in Lake Havasu City. Will I do the RTR, or Quartzsite at all again in the future? Perhaps. Not next year though. For winter 2020 I have other plans. Until next week, I hope you enjoy the video. See you on the road!
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This is one of those where the journey is better than the destination. For this leg of the trip I drove nearly non stop from Fairview Riverside State Park in Louisiana to Gila Bend, Arizona. I tried to make at least one of my overnights, and one of my fuel break as much of a destination as possible. I reality the real destination will be on next weeks video in which I revisit Quartzsite, and attend the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous.
One of the quasi-destinations of this trip was Buc-ee’s. This gas station / convenience store chain epitomizes the “everything is bigger in Texas” stereotype. Besides more fuel pumps than I could count, there is a large market with souvenirs, prepared food, groceries, all in large quantities and great variety.
The other highlight that comes to mind was Schreiner Park in Junction, Texas. It is a very pleasant and quiet park next to a river. The best part is that you can dry camp for free for up to three nights. They do have a playground and bathrooms.
Of course the main attraction of this particular segment of the trip was the landscape. The ever-changing scenery as you depart from the swampy flatland of southern Louisiana and traverse the Texas plains. Still in Texas we go from Hill Country to the Chihuahuan Desert. Even the desert undergoes transformations as we continue west. The soaptree yucca of Texas and New Mexico, gives way to the Saguaro and Cholla cacti of Arizona.
Here’s a map illustrating the route I took. On the next one we’ll spend some time in Quartzsite and Phoenix, before continuing to Lake Havasu and beyond. Continue reading 2019 Year in Review: The Long Road to Arizona – West 2019 Ep. 4
As I continued on my relentless journey to the west, eventually I arrived in Louisiana. I was originally planning to overnight at a friendly Walmart, but as I got to the Welcome Center, I procured some information about the local state parks. It so happens that the state park I chose, Fairview-Riverside, happens to be barely an hour away from New Orleans.
Located on the bank of the Tchefuncte River and dotted with Spanish moss draped cypress and oak trees, Fairview-Riverside was a pleasant surprise. There are two main trails, one along the river, and one on the swamp. Both are accessible by wooden boardwalks.
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, at 22 miles long, is the longest continuous bridge over a body of water in the world. For a long time I had wanted to drive across the lake, so I was very excited that change brought me here. There is a $5 toll one way into New Orleans.
Taking advantage of my limited time, and after paying a whopping $12 for two hours, I decided to begin my day by having coffee and beignets at the famous Cafe du Monde. I spent the rest of my short morning touring some of the main landmarks, mainly Jackson Square, the Saint Louis Cathedral, Bourbon Street and the Mississippi River. As time ran out I made a beeline for the state park, hitched up and continued towards Texas.
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In today’s video we visit the Mobile Bay area. This is the second installment of my 2019 trip to the west.
I decided to stay at the Escapees Rainbow Plantation, which is located in Summerdale, near Fairhope, on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. It is priced right at $23 for members which ends up being about $25 after taxes.
Here’s a link to the video.
After missing the Mobile Bay Ferry the last time I was here, this time I decided to do proper research. The ferry costs $15 for passenger vehicles, and in the winter time runs every 90 minutes. The schedule and more information are available at the website.
On the other side of the bay we encounter Fort Gaines and Dauphin Island. Here I had an early lunch at the Sunset Grill. I had a very substantial and tasty shrimp po’boy. It is a lovely beach town that I hope to visit some day again, in the summer preferably. From here I decided to go a little further north. I stopped briefly by Bayou La Batre, filming location where one Forrest Gump became a shrimp boat captain. Time was passing me by rather quickly, so I decided to make a beeline for Mobile and visit Battleship Park.
The pièce de résistance here was the USS Alabama. The World War II legendary battleship is nowadays a museum. It is exquisitely presented with sound effects, props, somewhat creepy mannequins, and lots of historic information. This self guided tour is a must if you are in the area. I think I would recommend it even if you are not into this sort of thing. The park also features the USS Drum, a submarine, also from the World War II era, also not to be missed. There is an aircraft pavilion and several planes, tanks, and other exhibits on display outdoors.
This is when time ran out, and I decided to drive through the heart of town as day turned in night.
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The much anticipated road trip to the west has begun. Since I live in South Florida, I must first drive north before driving west. It is going to be one of these uneventful tedious drives first on I-95, then on I-10. I am going to try and make it interesting, at least the segment going north.
After I spend a night at the Walmart in Titusville @diztraveler joined me for a quick excursion on the Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, in Merritt Island. We also visited the manatee viewing area at the Haulover Canal, although the manatees where no show. I did see a pelican. After that we said “until next time” and I continued north.
A little over an hour later I arrived at Jacksonville, and meet up with Randall and his family and he did an excellent detailing job on both Minitini the Trailer, and the Colorado. They both needed one badly.
As the day started coming to an end I turned onto I-10 and truly started driving to the west, into the sunset. After a long break at the rest area located in the Osceola National Forest, I continued pushing west, into the dark night. As fatigue started setting in I decided to spend the night at the Walmart parking lot in Tallahassee, Florida capital.
In the morning I continued west, almost non stop until I reached my destination, the Escapees Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, Alabama.
Here’s a map of this road trip
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On the last weekend of December 2018, we decided to spend a weekend in Okeechobee, Florida. Also, this would be a great opportunity to make sure trailer and truck were ready for my seven-week-long trip to the West. This week I finally got around to releasing that video.
For many years I had been intrigued about Florida’s inland sea, Lake Okeechobee. It wasn’t until we bought Minitini, the Trailer in 2014 that we decided one day to go see it, as part of a longer trip to Orlando, Florida.
This time we decided to spend some time in the small town which is the lake’s namesake. We opted for the KOA, as they are usually well maintained and are easy to book with the mobile app. This was one of those types of RV parks, which kind I don’t like anymore, where your sewer hose sits right next to your neighbor’s picnic table. We got to enjoy the crowded pool and the lounge a little bit before deciding to explore the town a little bit. It was very calm and warm in late December, but it is one of those towns where there isn’t much to do if you don’t own a boat or are into fishing. We still managed to have a good time at the relatively close Seminole Brighton Casino, and even came out ahead.
Overall a nice relaxing weekend and a great shakedown trip before the long trans-continental trip.
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The following is a map of the route from Miami to Okeechobee.
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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The “go to” place for information about RVing http://livingthervdream.com Technology products for your RV http://travelingrobert.com/technorv
Apparel https://teespring.com/stores/travelingrobert
Original music soundtrack and other merchandise available at http://freeinmyrv.com