Just returned from visiting brother Steve in Green Valley, Arizona. Will and I and the two dogs drove there and back, taking our new travel trailer (Coleman Rubicon 1608rb) for a spin. Just over 3000 miles round trip. Here are some thoughts about traveling this adventure.

1. It’s one thing to vacation off-the-grid, and quite another to have no cell phone and no internet when you are traveling. RV “resorts” have variable internet access, free or paid. The surprise was how little Verizon coverage we had through Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. Didn’t realize how spoiled we are with our fiber optic infrastructure in Oregon.
2. Dog Parks with cyclone fences are a god send!! Our dear Frosty likes to run! Our last night in Baker City we had a 14-acre “dog park” that was actually a field with irrigation ditches and out buildings. It was a wonderful dog park for a normal dog, but not our Frosty. He ran the full circle of the 14 acres, then disappeared behind some small trees. I next saw him in the neighboring pasture still headed west at full speed. About 1/2 hour later I decided to drive out to see where he was. 3/4 of a mile away, playing with big, black “dogs” with funny looking faces. Black Angus dogs. By the time I got to him he was tired and came when called. He even crawled under a tight barbed wire line that was only about 6 inches off the ground. I’m lucky he wasn’t shot. The Black Angus dogs seemed unfazed. 
3. The geology of the southwest is absorbing and visually stunning. I need to read more about the Colorado Plateau. So strange to see rock formations that are not volcanic. The wide vistas and eroded cliff walls and the washes showing signs of heavy rainfall. Monument Valley with the towers coming straight out of the earth like a severe bar chart. The vertical walls of Canyon del Muerte at Canyon de Chelly. 
4. It was spring, and every landscape looks its best in spring! Blooming Palo Verde trees everywhere, ocotillo branches with fiery red tips, cottonwood and sycamore just breaking bud, and lots of green. 
5. The US is BIG. 
6. We haven’t added up the gas bill yet. It was already bad before we left when the price of gas jumped. Then there were multiple days driving with STRONG head winds. At one point we registered 5.8 miles per gallon.Total miles 3055 or so. Before we left we decided to go for it despite the higher gas costs. We’ll see how that works out.
7. Really enjoyed seeing Steve and Mary and hanging out. Their house is lovely and they’ve performed magic in their yard. Shopping at Tubac was fun and the visit to Madiera Canyon was a treat. Frosty only busted out of the porch gate once, and was returned quickly. Will and Steve connected over woodworking and I think it was a great visit. The Titan Missile museum was a surprisingly informative place. No tickets for the K. Cavern tour, so we went to Tubac and bought our sun sculpture there. The Tucson Desert Museum was fabulous — hummingbird aviary and the underground exhibits. Better bird watching at Steve and Mary’s though. Missed seeing a roadrunner but the cardinals made up for it!!
8. The Saguaros: Such a variety of shapes and sizes and amazing how some survive the most violent trauma — The Saguaro National Park was an extra bonus. It is so easy to humanize them with their arms and bumps and shapes.  
9. March 31 – First night: Cascade Meadows at Lapine, Oregon. 
   April 1 – Second night: Virgin Valley hot spring campground — free boondocking.
   April 2 – Third night: Wells, Nevada RV park — the water supply completely froze, the site was basically an empty lot North of town, no one managing the site and nothing lovely there. Didn’t stay the second night.
   April 3, 4, 5, 6 – Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh night: Landed in Hurricane, Utah at a full KOA resort that is part of our Resort Parks International membership. Added a 4th night to the 3 night reservation we already had. Internet was sketchy, site was on a hill with a view of the mountains in the morning that was stunning. Really nice staff who managed the extra day in stride. 
   April 7, 8, 9 – Eighth, Ninth and Tenth night: Page Springs outside of Cottonwood, Arizona. Did a short drive to see Sedona, plus visited ArcoSante. Nice campsite, Laundry, creek running thru the site with an irrigation ditch parallel. Lovely white-trunked trees turned out to be sycamores. 
   April 10-16 – 11 thru 17 nights: Voyager RV park south of Tucson. Bad internet and OK phone. Even paid internet was sketchy. Hot open park with one tree that gave us afternoon shade. Quiet, easy access. Morning trips to the dog run fenced in a wash at the edge of the property. Steve’s house was 1/2 hour away, which turned out to be alright when we ran our errands and got gas, etc. 
   April 17 – 18th night: Free RV boondock site at Crystal Forest Gift Shop and Museum. The Crystal forest folks are closed but the gift shop across the road was fine. Nice to have a cement platform outside the RV to walk on. 
   April 18, 19 – 19-20 night: Cottonwood Campground in Chinle. Toured the Canyon d Muerte with Victoria Begay. Very windy and dusty. Full hookups but no internet or phone to speak of. 
   April 20 – 21st night: Shady Acres RV park in Green River Arizona.
   April 21 – 22nd night: Earp and James Hitchin Post RV park — No caretaker, full hookups, honor pay. Got Rained on so now have MUD on everything!! 
   April 22 – 23rd night: A-Frame RV park in Baker City Oregon. Nice spot with view of the mountains. Sadly, a few too many yard lights in the park after dark. 14-acre dog park, big enough for most “normal” dogs! Sweet reservation sign on our site. 
   April 23: Drove Home!