SUMMARY
Starting in May, 2007, our travels have taken us to these places:
2007 - RV: New Mexico, California, Oregon, Washington, Canada, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Arizona
2008 - RV: Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, Kansas, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona
2009 - RV: California, Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas, Arizona, California
Car/hotel: Michigan
RV: Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Arizona
Plane/hotel: SE Caribbean
2010 - Sailboat: California, Mexico's Baja Pacific Coast
2011 - Sailboat: Mexico's Mainland Pacific Coast, Sea of Cortez
RV: Arizona, Utah, Arizona
Sailboat: Sea of Cortez, Mexico's Pacific Coast
2012 - Sailboat: Mexico's Pacific Coast
A complete chronological listing of all our travels (with links) follows:
FIRST YEAR TRAVELS - Western
Loop and Southern Loop
In May, 2007, we left our just-leased home in
Phoenix, Arizona and picked up our new Lynx
travel trailer in Kemp, Texas outside of Dallas.
We arrived at Marshall's RV with everything we
needed for our new lifestyle packed into the
back of our truck. After staying near the
dealership for ten days, just to make sure all the
systems worked okay, we headed west. We
traveled between I-10 and I-40 on small country
roads through west Texas and New Mexico.
We arrived in Flagstaff, Arizona, and installed a
solar panel and finished some personal odds
and ends, wrapping up our old life in Phoenix.
We left Flagstaff in June, 2007 and went to
Mammoth Lakes, California where we enjoyed
snow-capped mountains and crystal clear lakes. From there we went to Yosemite National Park via Tioga Pass on the
eastern side, and then took the tiny roads out of the mountains to the west, skirting Sacramento and landing at the California
coast at Fort Bragg, 150 miles north of San Francisco. We wandered north along the Oregon Coast in July, 2007, awestruck
by the rugged beauty of the craggy cliffs and crashing surf. At the top of Oregon we turned inland, following the Columbia
River along the northern part of Oregon. Next, we ventured into southern Washington, exploring the often-foggy coast
and the steaming cauldron of Mt. St. Helens. Then we made our way up to northern Washington, where we visited Olympic
National Park and Mt. Rainier.
In August, 2007 we took a ferry from Port Angeles, Washington to Vancouver Island and spent most of the month on the
southern half of the island. At the end of our visit we spent several days in Victoria, BC, before boarding a ferry for
Anacortes, Washington. From there we traveled east along the North Cascades in Washington to northern Idaho. In
September, 2007 we traveled further east to visit Glacier National Park in Montana. Then we dropped south to Yellowstone
National Park in Wyoming where we enjoyed both the tamed wild animals and the hot springs and geysers. Just a little
south of Yellowstone we spent a day touring the incomparable mountain and lake scenery of Grand Teton National Park in
Wyoming and then made our way east to Devil's Tower in northeastern Wyoming.
At the end of September, 2007, we reached our turnaround point at Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota in
the southwest corner of the state. We could feel the chill of fall in the air. We headed west through Wyoming along I-80 and
dropped down into northern Utah, wandering from Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area over to Park City outside of Salt
Lake City, Utah. Caught in an early snow storm we quickly dropped south again to Green River, Utah, and the San Rafael
Swell where we were awed by the easy access to ancient petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks. We dipped down from there, in
October, 2007, to Goblin Valley, Utah and then to Zion National Park and Kodachrome Basin, all along the unbelievably
scenic Route 12 which zig-zags across Utah. Chased by cold weather, we went south to the outskirts of Las Vegas, Nevada,
where we found the stunning Valley of Fire State Park. Here we saw sunrises that looked like sunsets and cycled on an
exquisite road through geological formations of every shape and color. As the nights grew cold in November, 2007, we sought
warmth at Death Valley National Park in California and then cruised into southern Arizona in early December, 2007, where
we made our first visit to Quartzsite, Arizona.
We had completed a loop tour of the western states, and we were pooped! We recovered completely during Christmas, 2007,
visiting with family in Phoenix before returning to Quartzsite, Arizona in January, 2008 for their big RV show. While freezing
in howling winds under grey skies, we kept looking at the weather map on the back page of USA Today and seeing that
Florida was toasty warm. It was time to leave. We made our way east through Texas the long way, skimming the Rio Grande
and the Gulf Coast, dashing across Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on I-10 and arriving in Florida in February, 2008. We
spent three months in Florida, criss-crossing northern Florida several times. We visited Daytona just in time to see the
Daytona 200 motorcycle race and Spring Break. Then we cruised along the southern and western coasts of Florida,
swimming at beaches near Miami and Sarasota as we looped around to the Florida panhandle.
At the end of April, 2007 we visited the Gulf coast town of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, amazed at this town's enthusiastic
revival following Katrina. From there we traveled north to Natchez, Mississippi where the great river was cresting higher
than it had since the 1930's and the historic mansions told stories of a different culture in a different era. We drove along the
Natchez Trace Parkway north to Jackson, Mississippi, exploring ancient Indian mounds and cycling this unique commercial-
traffic free road.
SECOND YEAR TRAVELS - Southwestern Loop, Florida Dash & Heartland Detour Back West
In May, 2008, we arrived in Chanute, Kansas, putting our sightseeing on hold for a month as we immersed ourselves in
learning all we could about NuWa fifth wheel trailers. After a lot of thought, we decided to take the plunge. We made a deal at
the factory with local dealer H&K Camper Sales to buy a new Hitchhiker fifth wheel trailer. We moved into the new trailer on
May 20, 2008, the exact same day that we had left Phoenix to begin this new fulltime RV lifestyle a year ago. Thrilled with our
new purchase, we needed to get it set up for solar battery charging, so we returned to Flagstaff, Arizona where we upgraded
the solar system we had had on the Lynx. We felt a little like we were repeating history--but with greater knowledge and
sophistication: we stayed in the same campground and had a similar (though more complex) solar installation project as we
had had during the same time period one year before. We had learned something important during this year of travel,
however: to slow down. Taking a break from our solar installation work on the buggy, we cycled and hiked through the sights
of Sunset Crater National Monument.
In late June, 2008, we left Flagstaff, Arizona and went all the way around the Grand Canyon to its North Rim. We stayed for
three weeks in an idyllic setting about 18 miles from the Rim. From there we wandered north through Kanab, Utah and
discovered one of Utah's great animal sanctuaries. After hugging and petting many non-human friends, we continued north
to Ruby's Inn and Bryce Canyon where we spent a month in a bucolic setting. In a past visit in our former lives, we had
squeezed the North Rim and Bryce into a few days. We were really learning to sloooow waaaay down.
At the end of August, 2008, we wandering among the small communities that dot the mountainous and red rock strewn terrain
of southern Utah. We basked in the small town comfort of Kanab and Alton, meandering along their pretty streets on brilliant
blue-sky filled days. And we enjoyed the hometown fun of a three-day Labor Day county fair in Parowan, Utah. During
September we stopped in at Pioche, Nevada, a once bustling mining town might have been the wildest frontier town in the
heyday of the wild west. From there we revisited our former lives with a stopover at Interbike, the annual bicycle industry
trade-show in Las Vegas. We caught up on the latest bike gear and saw Lance Armstrong in a night-time cyclo-cross race
(but forgot to bring our cameras, so there's no proof!).
Sweltering in the 100 degree Vegas heat, we dashed across the California desert (hot hot hot!) to San Diego's Shelter Island
and Mission Bay where the cool breezes, bright sunshine and salt air seduced us into staying for the entire month of October,
2008. Heading inland, we spent November in Yuma, Arizona, where we enjoyed the last warm days of 2008 before the start
of winter.
We stayed in the Arizona Desert for most of December and January. In Quartzsite we installed a vent-free heater just as the
first freezing winter storm hit. This kept us warm through the holidays in Phoenix, til we hit the San Diego waterfront once
again to attend the sailboat show in January. We were reluctant to leave the unusually warm, sunny coast, but great friends,
good times and the RV show awaited us back in Quartzsite.
Ready for a change of pace, we made a mad dash across country, and spent six weeks on the quiet rivers and sugar-white
sand beaches that fringe the Florida Panhandle's emerald waters. State parks and seaside villages highlighted our visit and
made our photo journal spill onto two pages (Florida Panhandle 2). Heading north, we visited the Natchez Trace in
Mississippi a second time and made some enjoyable stops in central and northern Arkansas. Warranty work on our trailer
took us to Chanute, Kansas next, followed by a long slog back along I-40 to Arizona.
We stopped at Roosevelt Lake in Arizona and had two blissful weeks of cycling, kayaking and photography. Spurred by a
desire to expand our travels onto the seven seas, we went boat shopping around San Francisco & Los Angeles.
THIRD YEAR TRAVELS - IN AND OUT OF THE TRAILER:
Midwest (by car/hotel), West (in trailer), SE Caribbean (by hotel) & Mexico (by sailboat)
An accident in May, 2009 put us in Michigan for seven weeks with friends and family but without our trailer. We looped around
Lake St. Clair, which borders both Detroit and Canada, and then dropped down to N. Ohio & Elkhart, Indiana where we visited
the RV/MH Hall of Fame and toured Amish Country and the Heartland RV factory. Later in June, we traveled up
Michigan's west coast, stopping in the charming waterfront town of South Haven. Continuing north, we traveled along the
scenic coastal roads of Lake Michigan (with a detour through Detroit) to hit Saugatuck, Higgins Lake and Traverse City,
alternating between seeing new sights and having Mark take me on nostalgic trips down memory lane. We continued north
along the Lake Michigan coast, visiting the harborfront villages of Charlevoix and Harbor Springs and driving under the
unique green limbed canopy of the Tunnel of Trees.
In late June we crossed the Macinaw Bridge into the Upper Peninsula and visited the towns of St. Ignace and Hessel, making
a brief stop at the Great Lakes Boat Building School. A trip to the Soo Locks revealed both north and southbound freighters
in the locks simultaneously, one going up and one going down. We ended our Michigan visit with a trip down the Lake Huron
shoreline, marveling at lighthouses, shipwrecks and hydroplane boat races, and finally wrapping it all up with a stroll through
the German immigrant town of Frankenmuth.
We flew back to California and moved back into our trailer just in time for San Diego's 4th of July bash. Taking the long route
north and east, we traveled to Ketchum, Idaho, where we unwound in bliss and rediscovered our inner joy for a month. We
worked our way down much of the Visitors Center's 50 Fun Free Things To Do in Ketchum/Sun Valley list. There was the
symphony's free summer concert series, the Sun Valley Lodge itself, and winter sports memorabilia all over Sun Valley, ID. A
little further north we stopped in Stanley, ID, enjoying several blissful kayak rides in the crystal clear lakes among the
mountains. We got a lesson in salmon lifecycles too. As August, 2009 ended, our lessons shifted from fish biology to cattle
ranching in Stevensville, MT (just south of Missoula) at our good friends' neighbor's ranch. They took us to the annual Labor
Day Weekend Hemville Rodeo to see how ranchers unwind on the weekend. This event was so much fun we had to create a
In September, 2009, we hustled south along I-15, stopping several times between Logan and Cedar City, Utah to take in the
sights and drive the scenic roads through the mountains. A stint in Las Vegas, Nevada split us up between the glitzy annual
Interbike bicycle industry trade show and the soaring peaks at Red Rock Canyon. A brief detour along I-15 finally landed us at
Valley of Fire State Park for a second visit (first was in 2007). Red rocks, petroglyphs, jaw-dropping drives and exhilerating
bike rides. A little further down the Colorado River, we stopped at Laughlin, Nevada where the RV snowbirds were flocking
on their flight south. By the end of October we were back in Arizona for a free stay at Havasu Springs Resort in exchange
for listening to an RV membership program presentation. We returned to our home front, Phoenix, Arizona in November,
2009, and visited two Phoenix area parks.
Looking for new excitement and warmer climes, we jetted to Grenada in the southeastern Caribbean to begin a 10-week
tropical adventure. Going aboard a 75' wooden yacht that Frank Sinatra used to sail on was one of many highlights as we
stayed on Grenada's main island. Paradise Beach on Carriacou Island captivated us, and we enjoyed several walking
adventures. We spent many days in total relaxation and pure joy in Carriacou, Grenada, and eventually took the ferry to
Union Island in the country of St. Vincent & The Grenadines where Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations were in
colorful full swing. Next day, a 15 minute flight landed us on the island of Bequia, at one time a charming oasis of peace and
tranquility where we planned to spend a month. Accosted by scam artists at the airport and finding the locals both sullen and
mean, we searched hard to find the pretty side of this island.
Meanwhile, an online search had turned up our dream boat for sale at a rock bottom price in San Diego. We submitted an
online bid as a lark and suddenly found ourselves thrust into the boat buying process once again. A wild 33 hour walk/ferry/
taxi/jet ride to San Diego put us face to face with Groovy, our new home. After two weeks of non-stop preparations, on
January 31, 2010 we left San Diego and went south to Ensenada, Mexico via ports at Puerto La Salina and Hotel Coral &
Marina. We lived on our new boat Groovy at Hotel Coral & Marina in Ensenada, Mexico for the next six months.
Getting out and about in Ensenada, we found small thrills in the markets and in "Gringo Gulch," the tourist zone. Over
Valentine's weekend we got downtown to witness the amazing spectacle of the Carnaval Parade. Returning to the US a few
times we learned a little about the border and were grateful at last to return home to the boat in Ensenada. Despite an El
Nino year, a tsunami and an earthquake, life in Ensenada was very sweet. In April, 2010, we watched two races back to
back: the Rosarito-Ensenada bike race and the Newport-Ensenada sailboat race. Settling back into our routine, we continued
to prepare the boat for cruising and discovered some colorful neighborhoods in Ensenada.
FOURTH YEAR TRAVELS - Ensenada Mexico, San Diego & Mexican coastline (by sailboat)
As May, 2010 ended, we continued exploring the area around Ensenada, Mexico, including La Bufadora, the famed blow
hole. In back-to-back contrasting adventures, we experienced both the genteel and the raucous at the Riviera Cultural
Center and Baja 500 off-road race. Sticking to the genteel, we took a daytrip a few miles inland to experience the flavor and
beauty of Ensenada's wine country. Back at Marina Coral we met many interesting travelers passing through Ensenada,
and we discovered a vibrant running and racing scene in town. In early August, 2010, we moved Groovy to Ensenada's
Baja Naval boatyard for a few projects that were beyond our skill set, and said farewell to Ensenada.
Towards the end of August, 2010, we sailed up to San Diego and enjoyed the free anchorages that are available to cruisers
there, learning how to boondock on the water. In September we continued visiting the various anchorages around the bay as
our many projects to prepare the boat for cruising kept us in the San Diego.
In addition to the above map, there is more geographical detail on coastal Mexico here: Mexico Maps.
Finishing our major outfitting projects on Groovy in October, 2010, we started sailing down the Baja coast on November 2nd.
Harbor hopping a little and doing a few overnight trips, we continued along the Baja coast further until dawn of November
19th when we motored past the gorgeous cliffside properties on approach to Cabo San Lucas. Following a brief stay there,
we tackled 330 miles of open ocean to cross the Sea of Cortez to Chamela Bay on Mexico's mainland Pacific coast, called the
"Costa Algre" ("Happy Coast") for Thanksgiving. 55 miles further south, we were charmed by Manzanillo. "THIS is why we
went cruising," we agreed, remaining anchored off Manzanillo's Las Hadas Resort for 10 days. New friends persuaded us
to keep moving south another 180 miles, taking us first to mini island paradise Isla Ixtapa where we swam and snorkeled and
enjoyed the tropical air, and then on to charming Zihuatanejo for Christmas and New Year's.
We stayed in Zihuatanejo for most of January, 2011, finding ever more enchantments in its nooks and crannies. At last we
hauled anchor and motored 200 miles back north to Manzanillo where we met my mom and took her to visit lovely Santiago
Bay. We hovered between Santiago and neighboring Las Hadas resort for a few weeks, enjoying a wide variety of scenery
and activities. Wandering just a little north for Valentine's Day, we discovered the unique charm of Barra de Navidad, an
enclosed, serene lagoon anchorage. From Cuastecomate to Tenacatita, once considered paradise, we experienced the
human and ecological challenges facing this area. A tsunami caused by a record earthquake in Japan sent us out to sea and
up the coast where we discovered a hidden island paradise among the islands in Chamela Bay.
At the end of March, 2011, we left the "gold coast" anchorages of the Costa Alegre, rounded Cabo Corrientes to the north, and
found ourselves immersed in the sailing and gringo oriented town of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle outside Puerto Vallarta.
Further north we visited the famed bells of San Blas and Isla Isabel's frigate bird colony and blue footed boobies. An
overnight passage took us to Mazatlan where we found a city in turmoil. So we quickly hustled across the Sea of Cortez on
another overnight passage to the bottom of the Baja peninsula. La Paz & Puerto Balandra were total delights in mid-April
where we got caught up with provisioning and learned firsthand about the potentially horrifying springtime Coromuel winds that
haunt the area.
At the end of April, 2011, we started heading north into the Sea of Cortez, stopping at Isla Partida's Ensenada Grande and
Isla San Francisco. A late season (May) Norther packed a wallop, but we emerged unscathed in the gorgeous, friendly bay
of Agua Verde. Just a few miles up the coast we witnessed both the natural side and the resort side of the Sea of Cortez at
Isla Coronado and Ensenada Blanca, set against the backdrop of reading Steinbeck's Log of the Sea of Cortez.
FIFTH YEAR TRAVELS - Sea of Cortez (boat), US Southwest (RV), Sea of Cortez again (boat),
Mexico's Pacific Mainland (boat)
On May 22, 2011, we toasted the end of our fourth year of travel and beginning of our fifth while anchored off Loreto, a pretty,
laid back town. We stayed in the Loreto area for several weeks, enjoying the civilized pleasures of Puerto Escondido as well
as Loreto, and then we ventured north to San Juanico and Bahía Concepción where we immersed ourselves in nature and
hung out with the local ex-pats. At the end of June, 2011, we left the boat in San Carlos Marina in Mexico and went to Phoenix
to catch up on a long list of chores and re-lease our townhouse.
In August, 2011 we jumped in the fifth wheel and went to Bonito Campground / Wupatki Nat'l Monument in Flagstaff,
Arizona. We explored caves, marveled at 2,000 year old pine trees and hiked red rock canyons in Dixie National Forest,
Utah. Seeking more red rock vistas, we did two hikes at another hidden jewel, Cedar Breaks National Monument where we
were surprised by the abundance of colorful wildflowers. Still not saturated with red rocks, we hiked all over Red Canyon and
visited nearby Panguitch and Tropic for some Mormon pioneer history lessons. We ended our RVing season with a county fair
in Parowan, Utah, the Interbike bicycle trade show in Las Vegas and some Route 66 nostalgia and discovery of Sycamore
Canyon in Williams, Arizona.
We returned to Groovy in San Carlos, Mexico in early October, 2011. After crossing to the Baja side of the Sea of Cortez, we
stopped in at Punta Chivato and Bahía Concepción, where we found a cool wilderness school and met Geary the Cruisers'
Weatherman. Continuing south to the Loreto area, we swam and snorkeled in pretty La Ramada Cove and Isla Coronado
before seeing civilization again at Loreto and Puerto Escondido. Further south, the island anchorages near La Paz reveal a
tiny community, a long distance avian traveler, surprise treasure under water, and tropical beauty. The La Paz area gave us
great tacos and the La Paz Waltz, while nearby Playa Bonanza and Bahía Falsa soothed our souls. At the beginning of
December, 2011 we crossed the Sea of Cortez to La Cruz and then Paradise Village Resort Marina in Puerto Vallarta where
we luxuriated in the gorgeous resort surroundings. Swinging through Manzanillo Bay we were entertained by a whale,
reconnected with old acquaintances and made some incredible new ones. Christmas on Las Gatas beach followed by a tour
of the could-be haunted "Parthenon" of Arturo Durazo in Zihuatanejo wrapped up a fantastic 2011.
We started 2012 in the beautiful, warm and friendly Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa area. Heading south, we found high end yacht races,
soaring cliff divers, a fancy yacht club and several pretty anchorages in Acapulco. After the frightening discovery of a corpse
at sea, we arrived in the lovely Bahías de Huatulco at the end of January ready to soak up their natural beauty.