What better way to wind down the camping season than an AltoGather? Close to forty Altos and their owners descended upon Arrowhead Provincial Park, just a tad north of Huntsville, for a few days of chatting, laughter, and the sharing of ideas.
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12 volt doodads
A couple of 12 volt mods are the latest bit of tinkering I have been up to. Inspired by a mod completed a while back by fellow owner Vince, I decided it was time to make a couple of updates.
The 12 volt outlet used to power the television is in a bit of an awkward location....
2019: a couple of little jaunts
Camping continues to be a tad sporadic this summer. We headed out to Perth in August, to check out a municipal park called Last Duel. It got this name as it was the location of an actual duel between two fellows who were vying for the affections of a local woman. Unfortunately...
Service side sun shade
Tucson really kicked this mod into gear. Our site at Gilbert Ray had the service side of the camper facing directly west, fully exposed to the pounding sun. We quickly realized it would be wise to put up the second awning, however, we simply had no room to extend the awning...
2019: Sandbanks...hanging out in The County
Our yearly trip to The County has become part of our DNA. It is a destination we just have to get into the camping schedule, and without a visit, I’m sure we’d feel as if the summer was not complete.
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2019: the summer camping begins
We found that once we got back from the big trip, our summer camping plans have become very loosey goosey. Previously, and mostly through necessity, by mid winter, our summer was planned and all booked out. We do have some trips planned, but for the most part, we will be winging...
2019 SouthWest: Observations and wrap-up
After ten years of Alto camping, we had a pretty good idea of how an extended road trip might play out, and for the most part, that was the case. What we found intriguing though, was when some of those past experiences did not play out as we assumed. We thought a little wrap up might be appropriate.
A few simple stats of our journey to start:
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2019 SouthWest: the last stretch...Savannah to home
Continuing our quest to travel only secondary highways on the way home, we made our way northwards to Lee State Park, near Bishopville SC. We are on our way to Durham NC, to have a quick visit with Dale’s girlfriend Debbie. This park will get us about half the way there.
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2019 SouthWest: Savannah and the beach...awesome!
On our Hwy 84 drive back east, we looked at the map and realized that the 84 continues all the way to the east coast at Savannah Georgia, and by just adding a day to our drive, we could dip our toes in the Atlantic, and see what we have heard to be a beautiful historic city....
2019 SouthWest: Hwy 84 all the way to the coast
Our journey on the 84 took us all the way from Texas to Georgia. We were able to chunk up the distance and stay at state parks all the way...North Toledo Bend LA, Lake Lincoln MS, Frank Jackson AL, and Reed Bingham GA.
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2019 SouthWest: Waco...worth a visit
Before heading to Waco, we scoured our maps for a route to get us a little further south, and into some warmer weather. We have had a fair amount of cool evenings on this trip, in fact, we have used the duvet and electric heaters far more than we have not. The other priority...
2019 SouthWest: Texas Big Sky
Continuing our eastern path, we drove from Santa Fe to Amarillo, down to the I-40 along Hwy 285. The drive along 285 was a steady descent through scrubby ranch land, punctuated by rich looking red soil and rocks. The stretch of I-40 to Amarillo was a good drive, nice and...
2019 SouthWest: the lure of O'Keefe
The lure of Georgia O’Keeffe is strong. Being admirers of her life and art for many years, to visit her home and studio, to be in the area which inspired her so much, was definitely a huge bucket list item for both of us.
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2019 SouthWest: Santa Fe...we finally made it.
On route to Santa Fe along the I-40, we had to make a quick pit stop in Winslow to view the now famous "corner". The town has embraced this bit of history along Route 66, and have done it up real nice. Of course, out came the camera.
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2019 SouthWest: The Red Rocks
The drive into Sedona is fabulous. We crossed the Verde Valley and soon descended into Sedona and the Oak Creek Canyon. The red rocks appeared, and only got more spectacular as we drove into town. They are an impressive red, the massive rock cliffs and formations making a bold...
2019 SouthWest: a few classic towns
Headed to Cottonwood along the I17, and it is quite the scenic drive. It is also the first of probably many extensively long uphill/downhill travels. Throw in a bunch of switchbacks, and it only goes to confirm that I am truly not a fan of the experience. Not only is the drive...
2019 SouthWest: cacti and burros...
On our way to Sedona, we stopped at Lake Pleasant Regional Park, north of Phoenix, just to break up the drive a bit. Like it’s sister park, Usery Mountain, it is a well run park with lots of excellent facilities. Maricopa County sure knows how to run its parks!
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2019 SouthWest: Jumbo Rocks...and they sure do!
We entered the Park from the south entrance off I-10, and headed to the Cottonwood Visitor Centre. We immediately noticed there were a lot of cars and people in the park, and the Visitor Centre was packed. Scooted in just long enough to talk to a Ranger and find out where the...
2019 SouthWest: The Q.
Quartzite was a mining town until the mining stopped, and was the verge of becoming a ghost town, when it became a meet up and trading location for rock swappers and gem collectors.
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2019 SouthWest: Tucson adobe...gotta love them
Wandering around Tucson, we were immediately drawn to the colourful adobe houses. Both the older houses and new builds still maintain the style and liberal use of colourful walls and trim. The older sections of Tucson are a mix of original and revitalized houses, with a number...
2019 SouthWest: Tucson & new friends
We headed towards Tucson and the Gilbert Ray Campground with a bit of anxiousness, as the campground is non-reservable and filled on a ‘first come/first served’ basis. Knowing this, we made the plan to arrive on a Sunday, and around check-out time of 11:00am.
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2019 SouthWest: Scottsdale...lots on the go
Monday morning we headed into Scottsdale to visit our good friends Jamie & Johanne. We have known them a very long time, and a few years back they purchased a condo here, an escape from the crazy winters in Ottawa.
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2019 SouthWest: Hwy 60 to Scottsdale
We had a quick stop over at Roper Lake SP, to break up the drive to Scottsdale. Roper is a nice little park, with good facilities, some hiking trails, and apparently, good fishing. We hiked one of the trails after set up, and it was a great way to shake off the white line...
2019 SouthWest: the amazing White Sands
It was a nice drive along Hwy 70 from Roswell to Alamogordo. The road winds it’s way up the east side of the Sacramento Mountains, through the Hondo Valley, then descends into Tularosa. From there it is only a short distance to Oliver Lee Memorial Park.
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2019 SouthWest: Roswell and the little green men
We headed to Roswell. Why you ask, because of the UFO’s and aliens of course. Being on a tour through New Mexico and not going to Roswell would be akin to visiting Paris and not going to the Louvre. Well, perhaps that is a bit of an extreme comparison.
Dale, not fully understanding...
Insulating Wall Liners
In extreme temps, we have found that the side walls and glass can transmit a fair amount of coolness, as the R value is minimal. There are ideas out there to combat this chill, products like Reflectex, that have been used as sun shields, but we were mostly hoping to improve...
2019 SouthWest: Hwy 285...not the usual scenery
I don’t really rely much on either Google or a GPS, preferring a paper map with some extra details filled in via Google. As it was a short drive, I forged ahead just based on Google’s recommended route.
We followed Hwy 17 north, through some pretty basic flat, one could say...
2019 SouthWest: Marfa Texas
The next day was a field trip to Marfa, a little town south of Fort Davis, deep in the Chihuahuan high desert, this town is steeped in the arts and culture. One quirky art installation we just had to see was the famed Prada shoe store, way out along a highway in the middle of...
2019 SouthWest: Mesas & Buttes
On the I-10 route between San Antonio and the Park, we could see the trees becoming smaller, the cacti plants starting to appear, and the landscape becoming more arid and desert-like. Within 5 hours, it became very classic SouthWest landscape, desert with no trees, butte plateau...
2019 SouthWest: The Riverwalk and Mexican Market
Our final day of our stay in San Antonio was to head downtown in the late morning and walk the Riverwalk loop around the canal system. We were blown away as to how beautiful, organic, creative and whimsical the Riverwalk is. That a city would go to that much effort and so much...
2019 SouthWest: Art & The Pearl
The San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) was originally the site of the Lone Star Brewery, dating back to 1884. In 1977, the Mayor christened the new museum by smashing a bottle of beer against the facade. We are discovering that breweries are playing a large part in present day...
2019 SouthWest: San Antonio - The Missions
We are staying at the Alamo KOA, partly due to wanting full services to de-winterize, and partly due to its convenient location to downtown. We were very fortunate to get in for 4 nights, considering we were arriving when the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo is town, one of...
2019 SouthWest: Gruene Hall
Seeing a write-up about Gruene TX in our local paper struck us that it would be our kind type of place to check out. We are attracted to smaller places, that are quirky and historical, and Gruene ticked all those boxes. Plus, it seemed to be a place that would capture...
