M-D Griffs RV Life

After the drive from Moab to Ogden, UT, we ate outside at the Wasatch View Campground. Delicious Mexican beans and rice made for a fine ending to a fine day! We did encounter our first tick of this trip! It was on little Soo Young’s shoulder but a pair of tweezers put the intruder into the black tank! Whadda way to go! Here’s a pic I took from just outside our door:

Canyonlands NP isn’t as popular as its neighbor NP, Arches, but it’s just as spectacular! You look down into a canyon on a plateau and below it is another canyon on another plateau! It’s like you’re seeing 2-3 levels of canyons at the same time. We hiked a couple of 1-2 mile trails so Diana got almost 14,000 steps while I managed a measly 12,700. Those steps ARE harder at 6-7000 feet elevation than they are at a couple of hundred feet elevation! Here are a couple of pics of the canyons and one of us at Mesa Arch: Diana and Mike at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands NP You expect to see a scene like this in a movie! Here is a pic of our campsite in Moab: Tomorrow we’re headed up toward Northern Utah but it will be mainly a driving day. After UT comes ID and MT and AL(berta) and BC and YT! Stay tuned!

It was a short 2 hour drive from Diana’s favorite (casino!) campground to “America’s Vacationland” Moab, UT. Every other vehicle here has bicycles on their bumper or they are driving an RV. People come here to mountain bike, 4X4, kayak, hike, climb, Jeep, and anything outdoors. We spent all afternoon and half the evening hiking and exploring Arches National Park. We saw half a dozen different arches, some otherworldly geologic features, and did it all with a HIGH temp of 72 degrees! Diana and I hiked the same trails and she got over 15,000 steps while I only got 13,000! Here are a couple of pics to help you get an idea of what Arches NP is like: Diana at Balanced Rock in Arches NP Skyline Arch in Arches NP We had plans to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon but we didn’t make reservations in time-the campgrounds were full. We’ve been to the South Rim 4-5 times and even been down to Phantom Ranch twice-once on mules and once hiking. Soooo, it looks like we’ll catch the Nort...

Diana and I rode the Tramway to Sandia Peak. We just barely got on the tram because the winds were too strong to make it safe. After spending an hour or so at the top, we got on the last tram down-again because of heavy winds. Here’s a pic of us on the observation platform with Albuquerque in the background. I was going to post one pic of each place we camped so here is where we stayed in Albuquerque. Also, here is a pic of what happens when you drive your fifth-wheel trailer down I-40 at 70-75 MPH. The guy camping next to us had a blowout going that fast. Here is a pic of the tread on (off?) one of his trailer tires. Yesterday we drove to Towaoc, CO and we’re camped at the Ute Mountain Casino Hotel Sleeping Ute RV Park. What a name huh? We walked over to the casino last night and only walked home a little poorer! I’m not a gambler but you’d better watch out for Diana and the slot machines! Today we took the truck to a Nissan dealer in Durango for an oil and filter(s) chang...

This campground has 4-5 antique RV's and cars of the same era sitting behind the office. They told me in the office that the campground used to rent the RV's out to people looking for a place to stay but they've stopped doing that because they can't find replacement parts. Seeing the antique campers is okay but the old cars are really cool. Here are a couple of pics of them: Today we wandered about Old Town Albuquerque (think like Santa Fe and NOT San Antonio!) and hiked 2.2 miles at the Petroglyph National Monument. I'm no kind of a photographer but I managed to get this one pic that shows what they are like. Take a look Today we're headed up Sandia Peak on the tramway to hike around the mountain. Then we're headed back to the Petroglyphs for more hikes.

It was 53 degrees when we woke up yesterday morning in Amarillo, TX. In and near the campground, we saw these three strange beasts! Actually, the third one is Soo Young but the emu and the llama were in a pasture near the campground. I'll post about Albuquerque later today.

When you think of Amarillo, TX, do you think of snow-capped peaks set against a beautiful mountain sky OR azure waves crashing against white sand beaches. If you think of these things, we need to talk and/or get you back on your meds. Here's the truth: Three things come to mind about this trip through Amarillo, TX: The first is the Big Texan Steak House. It's that crazy place where you get a free 72 oz steak if you can eat it all in one hour. It's this massive steak that look kinda like a very large roast, the large baked potato that comes with it, and all the fixins'. You pay something $70 up front for it. If you finish all of it, they pay you back. We certainly didn't try the challenge but we ate normal meals there about two years ago on the way to Colorado. Here's a picture of the front of the place on I-40 and it's quite the tourist attraction. The second notable thing about Amarillo is Cadillac Ranch. It's another one of those oddities where th...

Several people have asked me questions about the camper in the last few weeks so . . . . . I thought it might be a good idea to provide some pictures and information on our home. The camper is a KZ Durango 1500 281RLT. None of that means anything to you but it tells you that it is a fifth-wheel trailer. This unit doesn't connect to the bumper of the truck-there is a special fifth-wheel hitch in the middle of the bed of the truck to improve stability. Floorplan This first picture is the floorplan and, YES, it is very small! Think of a very small one-bedroom condo and you've about got it. It has all of the necessary components but everything about it is small! The bedroom is on the right and is 2 steps UP from the living area. This is the part of the camper that goes above the bed of the truck. The bedroom is so small I can't get dressed there! I have to go the hallway entrance to the bathroom to even get dressed. The kitchen, dining room, and living room! This p...

Here are two pictures of where we were for six weeks between the time of the closing on our home and when we left Kingwood and the Houston area. The RV park, as you can read, is called Forest Retreat and is in New Caney, TX. This campground may be the quietest campground we've ever been in. The picture of the camper also has our truck in it.

Here is our camper at the campground in Lewisville, TX near our daughter and her family. Before we head North, we're spending a few days here visiting with them. The first disaster happened here-I cut a corner too short and tore the roof on the camper. It took a trip to the RV store and 6-8 hours to get it fixed. Oh well . . . . .