The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

A look back at Arizona

We made it to Las Vegas. And so of course now we are in the state of Nevada.

We spent almost two months touring Arizona. I think that's the longest amount of time that we've ever been in one state...and we still haven't seen it all! Our original plan was to take in parts of Southern California too, but there was too much to see in Arizona.

Oh, of course we did spend some time at Imperial Dam and Pilot Knob which are both technically in California, but right on the border.

Lets have a look at where we were for the two months...

We covered 1,350 miles (2,160 kms) in Arizona.

Arizona is the winter RV destination of North America. That means that there are a LOT of RV's around, and we were a little concerned that we would not be able to find enough out of the way places where Sherman could be on his own. As I've said before, Sherman likes his space! We think we did a pretty good job of finding ways to park the way we like to, and mix that up with some socializing with people we visited with during our travels.

Arizona provided us with a lot of amazing sunsets.

And a few nice sunrises as well!

We enjoyed finding out of the way campsites where there were hardly any people despite the number of RVs in the state. It turns out that you can still find lots of open space to camp for free!

Tonto National Forest.

Tonto National Forest.

And we had some great views right from the motorhome window. Not bad, for $6 a night!

And we found some great hiking spots too!

King of the castle!

Sedona scenery amazed us!

My favorite part? Sedona scenery. Too bad it has to be so touristy and busy. I think we'd like to go back there in the December time of year when they say it is the least busy. Can't imagine what a zoo it must be there in the summer. I also enjoyed the area around Prescott and Payson and we would have liked to have spent more time in those areas. 

Biggest letdown for me? The Quartzsite RV show. And Quartzsite and the area around it in general didn't do anything for me. I need more greenery and trees. And less RV's, but we knew going into it that it would be busy there. Anyhow, been there now and don't need to go back.

Ruth would have liked to spend more time in Tucson area. And her favorite area was the whole Roosevelt Lake, and Apache Lake area in Tonto National Forest.

Saw quite a bit of wildlife along the way...but not that elusive mountain lion yet!

Coyote

Red tailed hawk. (Edit: This is a Harris's Hawk. I stand corrected!)

Burros.

So, while we're going to have to come back some day to see the areas that we didn't see, and perhaps spend more time in the areas we liked...there are a few more states we'd like to see more of as well. And of course other countries too. The world is a big place, and we want to see as much of it as possible!

So for now, we say goodbye to Arizona. Thanks for traveling along with us!

19 comments:

  1. Can't see how Lost Wages (Las Vegas) would be to your liking either. Too busy. But, it is one of those "once in a lifetime" things. At least for some of us. Which was what we said to the guy at the airport the last time we left there. I don't think he "got it".
    Mind you, I suppose I wouldn't mind seeing Hoover Dam once more, and taking in the new bridge they've built. But there's always google maps.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are in Las Vegas for one reason, and one reason only. You'll find out that reason soon!

      Delete
    2. Bob, we did do our one time in Vegas back in March of 2012 for a week and yes being in Vegas itself once is enough!

      Delete
  2. Thank goodness we all like different things. I much prefer the desert to the mountains and trees. Just not a tree person. But if we all like one or the other then we would definitely have a problem with too many people in one spot. I personally like the fact that you explore other areas than AZ so I can see beautiful new areas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, everybody likes different things and you're right, it's a good thing! Looking forward to showing you something new!

      Delete
  3. Just so you know, that's a Harris's Hawk. Nice picture of it too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course, I knew that. (Not!) Just testing to make sure you were paying attention Judy!

      Delete
  4. Arizona is a state everyone should love. There's forests and deserts and the temperature can be from very low to very high.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, just like Mexico, Arizona has something for everyone. Well, except for the ocean... :-)

      Delete
  5. Wow, those two months flew by. You really did cover a lot of area though. Now for some good free spots in California!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. California will have to wait for another year though...

      Delete
  6. I love it all for it's natural beauty. You can have Vegas. Glad you got to see so much of AZ but know what you mean about so much more to see, around the world.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We don't want Vegas!Now the area around Vegas is another story.

      We did enjoy our time in Arizona but there are still so many places that we would love to see there. Good thing they will all still be there when we make our way back to Arizona some other time.

      Delete
  7. I'm just tickled pink that you made it to AZ and enjoyed it so much! I've been looking forward to it ever since I started following your blog. My favorite part was the wonderful day we got to spend together. I hope there will be more like that but out in the middle of nowhere next time! Grace (in Tucson)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Grace! We did enjoy our time there, especially our day with you, Steve and Gretchen. We are looking forward to seeing you both again when our paths cross down the road. Who knows, maybe that will be next winter. :-)

      Delete
  8. Glad you did spend some time there in Arizona, so much to see and do something for everybody and so much space.
    Our favorite place to wander about so far.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, lots of wide open space and some great hiking there for us. Glad that you like it there, you can certainly travel around the state and still see something new with every visit.

      Delete
  9. I just love your meandering path.... soooo wondering what you are doing in Vegas????
    KarenInTheWoods and Steveio
    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    (Blog) RVing: The USA Is Our Big Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com
    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And that pretty much was what is was, a meandering path. Glad that we had a good time wandering around the state. Perhaps next year it will be New Mexico!

      Delete

There are more comments on our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TravelwithKevinAndRuth

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.