Part 22 - Home Sweet Home

Part 22 - Home Sweet Home.

After what seemed like a month's worth of driving, we finally began to see the familiar sites of the Rincon Mountains. As we crossed over Davidson Canyon on Interstate 10, we knew our exit was only a few miles down the pavement.

As soon as we got the camper leveled, we went for a walk in the desert. It felt so good to be back in the sunny Sonoran climate and out of the icy Midwest. We aren't even retired yet, and we have become snowbirds.

Cholla cactus just outside the perimeter of the RV park.

An agave plant from our hike.

A tiny fish-hook barrel cactus.

It is hard to believe just how cold the mountaintops can get here in the Southwest. But as we walked through the warm desert, my friend Jered was with a group attempting to summit Rincon Mountain. They made it to Happy Valley Saddle and had to turn around due to SNOW!!!  The Rincon Mountains are the only set surrounding Tucson that we have not peaked yet. When the Summer weather breaks, we are going to give it a shot.

Rincon Mountain at 8,482 feet, as seen from our RV park.

I was invited on that trip to Rincon, but since we were late getting to Tucson, I missed the boat. After our hot hike in the desert, we decided to hit the pool and cool off.

Relaxing by the pool, I took a picture of Rincon, where I would have been hiking.

It was a long trip and we were all tired.

Luna says "It's time for bed".

As I write this article, I am sitting in our new Winnebago 5th wheel. Our personal life has been super busy and chaotic lately, so we apologize skipping last week. We hope to do a review of our new camper on here soon.

Our next article we be posting in the next couple of days to make up for lost time. 

Until then, here is the link to our previous entry:

Part 21 - On the Road Again.

Part 21 - On the Road Again.

Part 21 - On the Road Again.

Sometime in October, when we made the decision to leave Saint Louis, we began planning our Winter destination. We had fallen in love with the South West when we spent last winter in Tucson, and we wanted to go back for more winter hikes in the desert mountains.

Somewhere in New Mexico on I-10 heading West towards Arizona.

I had found an ad for a part-time MLT at Tucson Medical Center, so I applied. After no response, I tried a trick that worked for me in the past...I called the lab and asked to speak to the manager. After a short conversation with the manager, we arranged an interview time for a later date. Interview complete. I got the job offer and was set to start a few days after Christmas.


ARKANSAS


We left Saint Louis on Saturday, November 24th 2018, taking Interstate 55 South. It was beginning to rain/snow and the winds were picking up.  Our first stop was a Love's Truck-stop in Blythesville, Arkansas. We spent a sleepless night parked between two semi trucks while the high winds shook our camper all night. This is what we woke up to in the morning.

Don't turn your back on me. 

Mecca is that way.

The winds were so bad that we didn't want to be on the interstate swaying into semi trucks and off the shoulder. So, we found an RV Park right down the road from our current spot at the truck stop. Shearin's RV park was nothing special, but it kept us off the roads in bad conditions.

Our spot at Shearin's RV Park

No website for us to list. No showers. No bathrooms. No nothing. Shearin's RV park served our purposes for having an electric and water hookups and that was IT. We packed up the next morning and headed for the Interstate 40 interchange that would take us to Texas.


Arkansas was pretty miserable, so much so, that the highlight of our trip was the White River Rest Area. This place was bigger and nicer than most city parks in my hometown. The dogs enjoyed a walk in the shaded groves of trees that lined the roads, and we hung out at a picnic table to rest before climbing back in the truck.

White River Rest Area in Arkansas

Somewhere in Arkadelphia, we pulled into a station to gas up, and heard a scraping noise from the back. Did I hit something? Turns out, there was a large dip from the road to the gas station parking lot. We drug our back stabilizer jacks (that were already about useless) and ruined those and we drug our spare tire holder so much that it bent out away from the vehicle. While we were inspecting our damage, we noticed a lady in the car next to us just texting away on her cellphone oblivious to our presence. She proceeds to pull away from the pump with the nozzle still in her car, it made a loud noise as it ripped out of her car and hit the ground. Luckily there were no explosions, except for the flames we left behind us trying to race TF out of Arkansas.


TEXAS


The trip from Blythesville, Arkansas had taken us down I-40 to I-30, and now we were on I-20 in Weatherford, Texas.  I believe that I drove this all in one trip, and it was one of the longest stretches of the journey.We stayed at a QT right off I-10 in Weatherford, Texas before heading to a KOA in Abilene where we had a site reserved.

Nice, shaded pull-thru site at the Abilene KOA.

We arrived just before dark and the office was still open. The office, like most KOA's, had a nice little store that sold all the camping necessities as well as minimal food and drink (no alcohol).  They had a nice dog run up front by the office, so we let dogs stretch their legs, then we enjoyed some dinner and some much needed sleep.  It was a decent park. Nothing too spectacular for a KOA though, but we did appreciate the shady spots. Website below.


Website: Abilene KOA


Our next destination was the Van Horn RV Park in Van Horn, Texas. We made it in well after dark, but the park was large enough that getting to my site was not a problem. This place looked great on paper. They had a lake, a dog run, a cafe/store, the sites were large with mountain views on all sides. Apparently, they have a sense of humor too.

The Weather Station. Notice the rock, I mean measuring device, on the bottom right.

Willow trees provide some shade. Watch out for the sand-burs tho (goat-heads) they are everywhere.

The lake actually had a small island that you cant see in this pic.

Dogs hanging out on the island. Luna has her usual picnic table perch. 

This was a GREAT park, and we would have loved to stay longer, but we were ready to get to Tucson. We absolutely recommend this place if you need a spot for the night or if you are looking for a longterm stay.

Website: Van Horn RV Park

NEW MEXICO

Texas really was like driving across country, and since I was under the weather for most of the trip, I think it took us about 4 days in total. Finally, we had made it through El Paso, into New Mexico, and were back at the familiar Border Patrol Checkpoint in Las Cruces. Heading West from here, the skies start to open up and the jagged mountains begin to rise from the desert floor. 

A roadside mountain range typical of the New Mexico and the South West.

It was a short drive through New Mexico once we had made it through the Border Patrol Checkpoint. Before long, we could see the familiar sun-rays of the Arizona flag on the Welcome sign ahead.  We were SO excited to be getting close to our goal. 

ARIZONA

It was great to be back in Arizona. The desert scrub, the surrounding mountains, and the wide open skies looked like home already. I was especially relieved to cross the border because if we had any issues now, we could just call a tow truck to get us to our campground.

The Dragoon Rest Area off I-10 in Arizona.

The Dragoon Mountains were the last hurdle the truck would have to leap before making it to Tucson. We were Home-free!!!  We thought.


The wind had been pretty bad most of the trip on I-10, but it was getting worse, and the rest of the trip to Tucson was a nail biter. We made it to our Winter home at Cactus Country RV Park just before dark though, and after taking quite a bit of time to try to get the camper level, we were finally able to settle in.


My friend Jered snapped this picture while driving by Cactus Country, we were still setting up and they couldn't stop in.  He was on his way to what would be a snowy backpacking trip on Rincon Mountain. The credit for this last picture goes to him. Looking forward to getting to see my Tucson friends for the first time since last Spring. Time to shake this flu-bug and get in some hikes.

Home Sweet Home - Photo courtesy of Jered Kopulos.

Stay tuned for our adventures in the mountains of Tucson. We have a lot of places to visit that are still new to us, and I'm sure we will visit some old favorites.

Next article should post on Sunday, August 19th.

Until then, here is a link to the previous entry.

Part 20 - Leaving St Louis.

Part 20 - Leaving Saint Louis

Part 20 - Leaving Saint Louis

Saint Louis had been good to us, we both loved our jobs, but my contract was up at the beginning of November.   

Graffitti right down the street from our RV Park. 

We really had grown to love the city, warts and all. Coming from Peoria, Saint Louis wasn't much of a change for us. Sure it is a dirty, dangerous town, but it is also a vibrant city full of culture and art. We chose to focus on the latter.

We loved taking drives or walks around Forest Park, and we got to see the Summer blossoms and Fall leaves changing color during our time here.

A steamy Summer morning at Forest Park.

Lots of green-space to get away from the city.

Fall colors at Forest Park.

Saint Louis was divided into communities that all had interesting names. Soulard was the old French inspired part of town to the South, just along the Mississippi River. The neighborhood is known for their Mardi Gras parades and celebrations, their love of blues music, and of course the Anheiser-Busch Brewery. The Hill was the Italian neighborhood. We learned that Provel cheese was created here, allegedly to create a pizza cheese that was not stringy like mozzarella. Look it up. We didn't like it, it had a really watery consistency.  The Dogtown area seemed to be predominantly Irish, and we found several Irish bars as we drove around the neighborhood.

Outside our favorite Irish Bar, the Pat Connolly Tavern, just across from the Zoo.

Website: Pat Connolly Tavern


Our favorite local brewery in Midtown by our RV Park was Urban Chestnut Brewery. They had a nice courtyard with bags outside of the brewery where they hosted Octoberfest and other events. But the best thing about them as a company, was that they supported local stray animals and rescue efforts.

Good beer and a good cause. 

You don't know what a wide-mouth can is until you have an Urban Chestnut. 

"Who wants Grandma's Nuts?" was the sales pitch for this old lady at the farmers market we had once a week at work. 

Grandma's nuts tasted old. LOL

There was also a woman who sold home-made dog cookies at the farmers market. The theme changed weekly, I was a regular customer, and the dogs loved them. 

2019 Stanley Cup Champions.

One of my work friends lived very close to us, she would give me rides home occasionally, and we became good friends. As it turns out, she had married into Chuck Berry's family, and still had the last name. They had been separated for some time, she was getting ready to re-marry, and invited us to the celebration. 

Love my STL peeps.

Jenny, Jennifer, and Scott.

Scott and Jenny at Lisa's Wedding reception.

The weather was unseasonably cold in the Fall of 2018, based on that, we had to decline the offer to renew our contract at the hospital. 

The lab group I worked with threw a Friends-giving party in November for current and former employees. They were nice enough to move the date forward to accommodate me leaving in the middle of the month. Kissel, my comrade from the temp agency, was leaving about a month after I was. We were made the guests of honor and got to decide where the winnings from the evenings gaming events would go.

Since animals dont have the ability to take care of themselves, and because Kissel and I both like animals more than most people, we suggested Stray Rescue of Saint Louis.  Jenny and I would see volunteers from Stray Rescue walking dogs daily on our way to work, so we knew the money would be well spent.  It is really sad when you realize how many neglected animals there are in the city, so we added a little of our own money to get the donation total up to $100.00.  If you are reading this, and care to donate, here is a link to their webpage:

Website: Stray Rescue of Saint Louis

We made it through the first cold snap OK, but temps dipped into the single digits for a couple of nights in October. Our tanks were frozen solid. For about 10 days, we had to take the cold walk to the showers...and even had to walk over there to use the bathroom. It was time to fly South for the Winter.

Unreal. I still can't believe that we lived in a camper through this storm. 

We had both really grown to like the people that we worked with, and even the places we worked for...and that was going to be the hardest part about leaving. 

Truckie all packed up with our kayaks and ready to hook up to the camper.

I still miss my STL peeps, but luckily, we stay caught up through Facebook.  

You can keep up with us right here by checking back next Monday for our new article. 

For now, here is a link to our previous entry:

Part 19 - Cache River Kayak Trip

Part 19 - Kayak Trip on the Cache.

Part 19 - Kayak Trip on the Cache.

When Jenny and I first bought our canoe, we took a camping and canoeing trip to Southern Illinois to the Cache River State Natural Area. This swampy land lies at the Southern tip of Illinois, between the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. If you didn't know any better, you would think you were somewhere in the gator country of the Southern US.

State Champ Bald Cypress from our first visit. Anyone else see the face~???

Since Saint Louis was so close to Southern Illinois, we thought we would go back and re-visit our favorite swamps to kayak.  The large Cypress Trees and the duckweed floating on the water gives the swamp it's authentic feel. Birds of prey are everywhere hunting for fish in the shallow waters, but the Asian Carp that plague many of Illinois Rivers have unfortunately made their way into the Cache as well.

Warning: Be careful not to let these invasive species jump in your boat and capsize you!!!

Website: Cache River State Natural Area

Paddling the swamp trails is very similar to paddling on a lake, there were no currents, just easy paddling in any direction. For a longer trip, you can paddle out to the Cache River, but we love the swamps because it does not require a shuttle vehicle.

Lower Cache River Access

It is very remote in this area, so make sure to check the website above for maps. A nice resource to have if you can find it, is the book Paddling Illinois by Mike Svob.

The book above contains better maps than those provided on the IDNR website, and I highly recommend buying it for that reason alone. If you put in at the Lower Cache Access though, the "trails" are fairly well marked.

Signs like these will lead you through the swamp to points of interest.

Lots of open lakes between the swamp trails. 

Just thought this tree was pretty cool, out here by himself. 

We usually tie up to the shady side of a tree to get out of the sun for awhile.

I believe this was our shady lunch spot on the water. 

State Champion Bald Cypress believed to be over 1000 years old. 

Another canoe trail marker.

So peaceful on these lakes.

The stumps you see above the water are this trees 'knees'. This one has 209 total.

Funny story: The first time Jen and I came here, we were so busy taking selfies after, that our boat floated off the ramp and out into the swamp. Scott had to swim out in the swamp to go get it. There are no gators here, but there are poisonous snakes and snapping turtles.  A quick dive off the dock and a short swim to the boat were successful. No harm done except the duckweed in Scott's beard. Man I wish we would have got a picture of THAT!!! 

Made sure to pull the boats WAY up on the ramp this time.

Make the trip to go visit this Illinois wetland, you wont regret it.


Our next article should post on Friday, August 2nd.

Until then, here is a link to our last article:

Part 18 - St Louis Zoo

Part 15 - River Running

Part 15 - River Running.

The good things in life are free!!! That was our Jerry Springer-like final thought at the end of the last article. So I figured this would be a great opportunity to take a break from our current adventures in Illinois, and talk about our favorite past-time there.

I mentioned buying our canoe in one of the first articles. It must have been lined with lead. In fact, it was such a PIA to load onto the truck, that we decided to buy a couple of kayaks too. 

Kayaking took over our free-time like nothing else. We enjoyed other cost-effective activities like hiking, but lets be honest, Central Illinois is not a hikers paradise. It IS surprisingly rich with rivers and small streams that are ideal for canoeing and kayaking though. The Mackinaw was one such river, and it was the closest non-commercial waterway near our home. 

Luna being a good girl and protecting our beer for us. 

The Mackinaw River is one of few navigable rivers in Illinois that has remained in its wild, undammed, state. It runs for 130 miles, from its origins near Sibley, to its mouth at the Illinois River near Pekin. Jenny and I have floated countless miles on this river. We introduced her brother to kayaking at a young age.

Wyatt, in his first kayak, on the Mackinaw River.

His first camping trip ever was on the Mackinaw River. Forget those overpriced campgrounds. Beach camping is THE best.

From L to R: Jen's brother, Wyatt. Her Mom, Jamie...and some drunk Ginger. 

Different day. Same island that we were camped on in the picture above. 

Jenny's work friend, Melissa, was a kindred spirit that we hung out with on several occasions. Her husband Jamie also played guitar and we ended up supporting each others bands at shows whenever we could. So, like any good friend would do, we had to get them hooked on float trips.

Melissa, Jamie, and Scott on the Mackie. 

Party Pirates

Maybe we should have let Melissa try the kayaks b4 we started drinking. 

Another great place that we used to go was Kickapoo State Park, near Danville, Illinois. The area used to be strip mined, but the state purchased the land in the 1930's, and began to restore it as much as possible. The strip mines left numerous lakes in what is now Kickapoo Park, one is even deep enough that they teach SCUBA lessons there.

The Middle Fork of the South Vermillion River runs through Kickapoo State Park, and is the only National Scenic River in Illinois. It is a very seasonal float, and is best done in Spring or after periods of high rain. The park had a shuttle service on-site that would give you a ride up the river. You could float right back to your car. You can also walk your boat a short ways from the river, to a lake, and float over to your campsite.  Here is the DNR website for Kickapoo State Park:

Website: IDNR - Kickapoo State Park

We took family and friends to Kickapoo several times. One of our favorite trips was with Jenny's bestie, Jessica, and her husband Kolton. This was the first time we had talked them into camping or kayaking with us.

Middle Fork of the North Vermillion River. Kolton took his sunglasses off so we would match. 

Many of the small rivers in Illinois are seasonal, and Summers can be tough to find anything to float but a lake. Eventually, we discovered that a unique Illinois historical landmark called the Hennepin Canal was a great Summertime float. The canal was dredged out to connect the Mississippi River with the Illinois River. There are tunnels under roads and even several aquaducts OVER rivers or creeks. I'm not sure you can do this anywhere else in the country.

A spider-web-lined tunnel on the Hennepin. I can only assume the swiss-cheese-effect is from peoples paddles. 

Jonsey, Jenny, and Scott on a Hennepin aquaduct, with a creek running underneath. 

Jonsey in one of the aquaducts of the Hennepin. 

OK. There is our trip down memory lane...or maybe more like memory canal. We wanted to do this so we could include some of our friends, but we also hope this was informative for anyone who is looking for some diverse kayaking trips in Illinois.

Click here to be directed to our next article:

Part 16 - St Louis

Here is a link to our previous article:

Part 14 - Back Home