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Loop #3 September 1, 2023 - May 1, 2024 12,321 Miles
Blue Ridge Parkway - It has been many years since I visited the Blue Ridge Parkway so even though my plan was to head NW I decided wonder down the BRP. The Parkway is 469 miles long and filled with amazing views of the mountains and valleys from Virginia to the Great Smokey Mountains in North Carolina. I met some cool people on my drive and took in the beauty of the surrounding area. I took 9 days to cover the 469 miles, an incredible exhausting average of 52 miles/day! If you haven’t experienced the BRP do yourself a favor and do it!
Grandfather Mountain, Linville NC - Located about a mile off the BRP, Grandfather Mountain was another unplanned stop on my journey, thanks again to Google Maps for suggesting it. Towering almost 6,000 feet, the mountain towers over the surrounding area allowing views for miles in all directions. Driving up the mountain was an exciting drive in the RV, navigating the steep roads and hairpin turns kept me on my toes! At the top there is a metal swing bridge that leads you out to the very peak of the mountain, suspended a mile above the valley below. Very cool.
Adventure Zip-lining, North Nashville TN - Neat zip-lining course around the property and former home of Barbara Mandrell. There are zip-lines that traverse the side of the mountain and the longest one is 1000’ and 80’ above the ground. It was a lot of fun but a few of the landings were suspect and rattled this old body.
https://www.adventureworks.com/zipline-nashville/
Gateway Arch, St Louis MO - I usually try to stay away from bigger cities but decided to take a driving break and take a walk around the Gateway Arch. I’ve been to St Louis for work in the past but this was a first in the RV. Scored an awesome parking spot on the levee of the Mississippi River and right in front of the Arch.
Federal Reserve Bank - Kansas City - Not my usual type of place I would stop and visit but since I was driving through KC, I made a detour to tour the FRB. The museum area was very interesting, displays and exhibits on the history of currency in the US. You also get a chance to see the inside of the vault that is the size of a large warehouse. While I was there they were destroying old, damaged currency by the pallet. Interesting.
Porter Sculpture Park, McCook County SD - Saw this place from the highway, and just had to stop and visit this interesting and very unique place. Over 60 creative steel sculptures dot the landscape, the idea of a quirky artist that grew up in the area. Wayne Porter is a self-taught artist with a very interesting imagination. Walking through the park certainly reveals his talent and imagination!
http://portersculpturepark.com/
Dignity of Earth and Sky Statue, Brule County, South Dakota - Made of stainless steel, this statue depicts an indigenous woman wrapped in a quilted blanket. Located high on the bluffs above the Missouri River, the statue is located in a rest stop/visitor center just off I-90. What another beautiful work of art.
https://www.travelsouthdakota.com/trip-ideas/story/dignity-earth-sky
Drinks Campground, Moab UT - I’ve stayed at this small BLM campground several times and it's one of the best! Located on the banks of the Colorado river about 10 outside of Moab and about 20 miles to Arches NP, the views are absolutely amazing! It’s very small so you need to arrive early to get a spot. One evening I was sitting outside reading and a guy from Canada drove through the campground looking for a spot to camp, but every spot was taken. Since we both have small rigs I told him we both could fit on my spot. We ended up having a great couple of hours talking and sharing travel stories. I love these chance encounters as I travel.
https://www.blm.gov/visit/drinks-canyon-camping-area-0
Three of my favorite Harvest Host stays on this loop:
Finney Farm, Hildale UT - The farm is a small family run dairy farm that I stayed at over night. Took a tour of the farm and watched the cows being milked and got the chance to hand-feed a couple of newborn calves. Another camper was staying overnight as well and we had some great conversations around the campfire in the evening. https://wchsutah.org/businesses/finney-farm.php
Little Anthony’s Diner, Tucson AZ - This is one my favorite Harvest Host location in the country. The staff is wonderful, the food is good, and they have a theatre/music hall behind the diner that has great performances. The theatre typically sells out every night but the owner has invited me to be his guest on two occasions. What a great surprise. https://www.littleanthonysdiner.com/
Keepers of the Wild - This is an accredited non-profit organization dedicate to protecting abused, neglected, abandoned, and retired captive wildlife. They have many big cats of all types, several of their rescued cats came from the Joe Exotic/Tiger King location. They do an exceptional job of rehabilitation and allowing the animals to live as they would in the wild. A really great project and neat place to stay overnight, the only crazy thing was hearing the lions and tigers roar overnight a few feet from my RV! https://www.keepersofthewild.org/
Los Algodones MX aka Molar City - Los Algodones Mexico is nicknamed ‘Molar City’ because there are over 300 dental clinics in the city. Located just across the US/Mexico border from Yuma AZ, many people from the western US go there for inexpensive dental services. Most of the dentists are educated in the US and the service is top quality. A very thorough cleaning costs about $35. You park on the US side and walk across the border. Safe and easy! https://www.molarcity.com/
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Yuma/La Paz Counties AZ - My buddies Greg and Tim and I stayed here for a couple nights. It’s only a couple of miles south of Quartzsite and the landscape is very different. The refuge is huge, over 660,000 acres, it’s really beautiful! There are many hiking and ATV trails around the refuge and an abundance of wildlife to spot in the cliffs and on the desert floor. We camped next to the Kofa Spiral Labyrinth, a 60-foot-diameter spiral of gravel that has been scraped from the desert floor, leading to a pile of rocks in the center with a likeness of Kokopelli, along with small beads and trinkets left by people who have walked the labyrinth. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/kofa
Queen Mine, Bisbee AZ - An old copper mine located near Bisbee was very productive from the late 1880’s until it was finally closed in 1985. Today, the mine is open for tours and they have a museum filled with exhibits from mining in the boom days throughout Arizona. For the tour you don safety gear and a headlamp and descend 1500’ on a mining railcar. The original mine goes much deeper but since closing the lower part of the mine has filled with groundwater and is no longer accessible. https://www.copperqueenmine.com/
Prada Marfa, Route 90 near Valentine TX - A permanent sculptural art installation built to resemble a Prada Store. Randomly located along the highway, it has become quite the attraction. Almost everyone that drives by stops and takes a few pictures and then gets back on the road. Definitely a unique stop on my journey.
https://www.ballroommarfa.org/prada-marfa/
Space X Launch Facility, Brownsville TX - One of several launch facilities for Space X, this one located right next to the beach. You can walk across the dunes and get very close to the launch pad. There wasn’t a launch while we were there, but they did move one of their rockets to the launch pad which was cool to see.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starbase
Padre Island National Seashore, TX - Located on the Gulf of Mexico, the park is 65 miles of barrier island beaches. We camped on the beach for a couple of nights and it was great. Getting up early and watching the sunrise over the gulf was a great way to start the day. One night the tide came up a little higher than normal and at 4am my buddy Tim started to bang on my door because the water was coming up and under ours rigs. It was a little dicey but we got out ok. https://www.nps.gov/pais/index.htm
Bills Grave - While in Florida I met with my pal’s sisters and had a nice dinner with a lot of stories about Bill. I was an evening filled with many laughs and just as many tears. When I got up to Jacksonville I stopped by to visit Bill’s grave. He was my best buddy and an amazing person. I sat there for a good long time thinking about our friendship and all the great conversations we had…I miss my buddy! RIP William.
12,321 miles complete! What another great loop around our beautiful country!
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