Home Sweet Home!

One thing about this trip was the elevation. We agreed we needed to avoid over 5,000 feet so we had to redo our path home. We did not want to drive back down to Arizona through California so we decided to head to Reno, Nevada and get to Arizona through Nevada. It was a challenge to find stops lower than 5,000. Traveling through the Sierras into Nevada were lots of ups and downs and still snow in parts! Our first stop after saying goodbye to California was Fox Brewery in Reno as part of RV Overnights. They were very welcoming and we stayed in their parking lot and also enjoyed a delicious dinner with beer of course!

Loved the chicken pot pie!

Onward we went through Vegas and saw Lake Mead but no glimpse of Hoover Dam. After a noisy night at Kingman, AZ Cracker Barrel we found a campground in Santa Rosa that allowed night registration - phew. We then the next day decided to check out Old Historic Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico. I know they are trying to preserve the look of Route 66 but I was surprised at the number of old vacant businesses from way back they just left there so it just looked like a run down ghost town with current business filtered in. Weird!

Next stop was Arkalon Park in Liberal, Kansas. This park has an interesting history. The park was a short-lived railroad town that became a ghost town due to sandy soil and frequent flooding from the Cimarron River. This made farming difficult. A major flood in 1914 changed the riverbed dramatically and also damaged the railroad bridge. The railroad moved its operations to Liberal and eventually the residents did too. The river is dried up now and the railroad bridge rebuilt. The land was made into a park with a campground. There are many birds and wildlife that frequent the park. It was an excellent campground. Also they have a cute museum and -gulp- a tornado shelter! Yikes my claustrophobia would get challenged in that!

Driving through Kansas we saw a sign for the Dalton Gang Hideout in Meade, Kansas. What the heck why not? The Dalton family were infamous bank robbers in the 1800’s and for some time worked with Jesse James. Eva Dalton, their sister, and her husband owned the house we visited. A tunnel was constructed between the house and the barn to have a place to hide when the authorities came looking. The tunnel was rebuilt and became a tourist attraction.

Part of our drive home we planned to meet our friends Chris and Carry at Big Lake State Park in Craig, Missouri. This past winter Loess Bluffs Wildlife Refuge nearby drew around 1200 bald eagles! We did manage to see three eagles but also saw many water fowl. So many herons, swans, snow geese, ducks and even some snapping turtles

With some severe weather on our tails and our desire to get home we pounded out some big miles to get home. Our next goal is to set up the 5th wheel at Nickerson Campground and relax by our favorite river! What a trip! Thanks for following us!

Happy Trails!

Tom & Deb