#11 Coveys Great Adventure – Vista, Simi, Pahrump, Hurricane, Zion, Jacob Lake

May 2015

It was a bit of a shock to deal with that long, rough dirt road after the tranquility and beauty of Burro Mountain, but I have to say it was good to get on the road again. Both of us are ready to travel after sitting in one place for a week, no matter how nice it is. We looked forward to this trip because we were returning to California for Ted Anderson’s 65^th birthday party, and to visit friends in Thousand Oaks and Pasadena. We intended to make it a leisurely 5 day trip, stopping off in Apache Junction AZ and Borrego Springs CA, but it turned into a marathon road trip, instead.

If you are always looking for good roads to ride or drive, add NM78 and US191 to the list. NM78 connects US180 to US191, which then goes on to hook up with US70. NM78 is one of those roads that a 43’ motor home shouldn’t be on (the sign said so), but the scenery was worth the occasional tight corner. I pulled over to check the dolly straps and the first local resident to come by stopped to see if we needed help. He said that he regularly towed a big 5^th wheel trailer on this road and assured me that we’d have no problem getting through to US191. It turned out to be a memorable drive.

We had planned to stop overnight in Apache Junction, but got there so early that we pushed on to North Ranch in Wickenburg for the night, and to pick up some mail that hadn’t reached us before we left after Bead Week. The next day we planned to stop at Leaping Lizards RV Park (really) in Anza-Borrego for a couple of days. We wanted to see that area and the park website showed pictures of a pool and spa. We envisioned ourselves sitting around the pool sipping a glass of wine after a refreshing swim. Well, we should have called. The pool and spa were empty, and the place could have used some sprucing up so we decided to push on to the Stage Coach Trails RV Park in Julian CA. That place also had issues, not the least of which was absolutely no cell or WiFi service whatsoever. It also looked a little seedy, so we decided to go all the way to Vista where we had a reservation starting later in the week.

There were three issues with that plan. First, we don’t like to drive more than 300 miles a day and going to Vista pushed it over 400 miles. Second, we would arrive after dark, which we really try to avoid because maneuvering our coach in some campgrounds can be a challenge. Finally, the only feasible route, CA78, prohibits rigs our size. Unfortunately, we were over 20 miles into it before we saw the sign. Not only was there no place to turn a rig our size around, but the only alternate route added another 100 miles to an already overlong trip. We really had no good options so we decided to press on. It got a little hairy in places because this road really isn’t designed for our size, but all ended well and we pulled into Guajome County Park campground about 8:30 that night after more 12 hours at the wheel.

Guajome County Park (forgot to take pictures, again) campground turned out to be a real find. It is actually in Oceanside, just off route 78. Formerly a large private estate and nature preserve, it has a small lake, extensive marsh land, miles of hiking trails and about 40 campsites, a few of which can accommodate rigs our size. Despite its seeming isolation, it is just minutes to Vista, Carlsbad and Oceanside. The dogs were very interested in the ducks and geese in the pond, and we got several watchable TV stations on the antenna. Everyone was happy.

Kayeanne and Judy: friends over 35 years

Ted and Judy Anderson have been our close friends for 35 years, so there was no way we were going to miss his party. Judy rented a beach house in Oceanside and friends and relatives from all over the country gathered to remind Ted that, yes, he is getting older. We had a great time and even got to bring the dogs, who got nonstop attention from everyone.

The Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum in Vista is one of my favorite places. It had been years since our last visit and we weren’t going to pass it up. Guajome Park is just a couple of miles from the museum, which houses one of the most extensive collection of gas, diesel and steam powered tractors, crawlers, farm implements and stationary engines in the country. It also offers extensive live exhibits on weaving, blacksmithing, machining and other crafts. On the museum website, note the Show dates in June and October. Collectors and aficionados of old iron converge from all over North America to show their engine collections and generally jawbone with anyone who stops by their booth. Much of the equipment is running, which really fascinates me. Don’t miss the daily old tractor parade which includes steam traction engines dating back to the 1890s.

We couldn’t come back to California without going to Thousand Oaks. The short trip from Vista to Simi is “interesting” in our rig. My hat’s off to the truckers who drive those roads every day. We again set up housekeeping at Lost Canyons County Park in Simi, and began a nonstop week of visiting our many friends in the area. I’m sure Judy Powell was especially happy to see us. She had been receiving packages from Amazon for us and got her garage back when we picked them up. It was really great to see everyone.

Liesa moved to Saint George, Utah, at the end of April so we headed there to see her new place and to spend time with her and her boyfriend Luis Orozco. On the way we spent a night at another Escapees co-op park, Pair-A-Dice SKP Park in Pahrump, Nevada. We enjoyed it and will stop again when passing through the area.

We spent several days visiting Liesa, helping with a few household projects and generally getting back in synch after not seeing her since Christmas. This visit also coincided with our 30^th anniversary and we had a nice dinner together at a Japanese restaurant for sushi.

End of the trail

Liesa and Kayeanne

Liesa had not been to Zion National Park, which is 20 miles or so from Hurricane, so one day we packed a lunch and drove over. It was just as spectacular as I remembered. We took the tram ride to the end of the line and then hiked to the end of the trail. I hope the pictures give you some idea of the beauty and scale of this place. If you haven’t been, make plans to go, it is really worth it. Here are better pictures.

One of hundreds of vistas in the park

WillowWind RV Park in Hurricane is one of the better parks we’ve been to, and Hurricane itself is a nice place to be. About the only thing that WillowWind needs is a dog park. We plan to stay here again when we return in July for Liesa’s birthday.

Jacob "Lake"

Visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon had been on our must-see list for some time. Luis is a wild land fire fighter stationed at Jacob Lake, AZ, in the Kaibab National Forest near the North Rim so we made a reservation at Kaibab Camper RV Village, next door to his fire station. This RV park has the nicest, hardest working camp hosts we’ve met, but it needs them because the place itself is a little sketchy. The area, though is just beautiful. We arrived early enough to explore some of the hundreds of miles of NFS roads that crisscross the Forest, noting a few places that we could dry camp if we return.

Hundreds of miles of dirt
roads, so little time

May 23. Really??!!

Jacob Lake (actually a really small pond, see photo) is on the Kaibab plateau at about 8,000’ elevation. We expected to be a little chilly, but we did not expect freezing temperatures and a blizzard. It’s almost 50 miles from Jacob Lake to the North Rim, and the further south we went, the colder it got. 

That is lightening approaching quickly

The drizzle we had starting out turned to hail and then to snow, with slush forming on the road. Slight changes in elevation seemed to dictate whether it rained, hailed or snowed. I felt really sorry for the motorcyclists that we saw. They looked really cold and thoroughly scared of the treacherous road. Having ridden in similar conditions, I know how they felt.

It wasn’t snowing at the North Rim and the rain hadn’t started there yet, so we took advantage of the weather break to walk the path along the top of the long promontory that juts out into the Canyon beside the

Even without sunshine, the views are really incredible

North Rim Lodge. The day was overcast, cloud cover was almost down to the top of the Rim and lightening flashes were visible as the storm moved closer. I remember how awe-inspiring the South Rim view was, but the North Rim is even better, despite the poor visibility. No way these pictures do it justice. Here are much better pictures, and be sure to come here if you haven’t been.

The incoming storm chased us off the promontory. The temperature suddenly dropped, the wind kicked up and the light drizzle turned into serious rain on the way to becoming hail and snow. We hustled back to the Lodge, got cups of hot chocolate and headed back to the coach right into the teeth of a real blizzard. The heavy wet snow was almost more than the wipers could cope with. By the time we got home the temperature had dropped to freezing and snow was accumulating rapidly. We spent the rest of Friday and most of the next day in the coach listening to music (thanks Jay!) and watching the snow fall. Heavy rain fell all night on Saturday and melted all the snow by Sunday morning. Without the pictures you’d never know it had snowed. As I’m typing this, a brief hail storm just blew through, so we may not be finished with this lousy weather yet.

On to Flagstaff, Santa Fe and Taos. More soon.