I was looking at the blog, and noticed that I needed to update our pinned post. So while a day late, hopefully not a dollar short with this!
Above you can see the route planned out for our 2024 road trip. The primary emphasis is a lot of the western National Parks and National Monuments. This trip began 1 April 2024 and we expect to be done in November 2024.
Our previous trip covered the Midwest pretty well, with an emphasis on the Little House on the Prairie historical sites. You can read about that trip in the 2022 Year in Review post.
I’ve mentioned it elsewhere on the blog, but WordPress user management sucks, and with the trip I haven’t had time to fix it so the bots and spammers don’t clobber the site. To that end, I’ve enabled the Patreon linkage. The posts from Patreon will (or should) replicate here as well, if you’d rather read them here and not on Patreon.
Certain things, like videos, I intend to require a user login to view, and for such you will need a Patreon account and to be a free member.
At this time, we don’t anticipate any of the posts being a ‘paid’ thing, but any donations are always welcome.
Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy following along our adventure!
I took Jarek on his first Scouting camp out to be his cross over event. We went out to Mariana, FL to visit the Florida Caverns State Park and tour the cave. Of course, this was also just after the big storm system and cold front came through and brought snow to the south!
We are still getting transitioned from the RV life to typical camping. Previously, we did a camp out in December with the Cub Scouts, and it was also cold then (below freezing). When we got back, I set the tent up to dry it out, but then it rained a little bit and we quickly put it away. What we didn’t do was properly pack it up, but rather hastily threw it into the shed to get it out of the rain. This would become important later.
We arrived at the Lake Seminole Campground ahead of the rest of the convoy and Jarek got to play with the snow/ice on the side of the road while we waited.
Once we got into the campground, we proceeded to setup camp. I got Jarek situated and then went to set up my tent, which was the tent I had used with the Cub Scouts. I unpacked it and quickly discovered that there were no poles or stakes in it.
After a quick discussion, I decided to drive to Mariana, FL and make it to the Walmart there and buy a replacement tent. I missed them by about 15 minutes, they closed at 11 pm, and even with gaining an hour with the EST / CST timezone change.
So, what to do. I went back to the campground and made myself a improvised tent in the truck bed. Being as tall as I am, I don’t do so well inside the truck sleeping. And it was going to be cold anyway.
I used my heavy duty truck tarp, which I used to cover our gear on the trip, and strapped it over the bed of the truck, making a nice little covered area.
My sleeping area set up in the bed of the truck. I woke up with a layer of frost on the outside and on the inside of the tarp!
Jarek enjoys a hot breakfast on a chilly morning.
The kids spent the morning having fun with snowball fights!
After some fun in the snow, it was off to the caverns. The cavers are still ‘alive’ and dripping with water. They even flooded during the heavy rains of the recent hurricanes.
Our guide explains features of the cave to the group.
A shark’s tooth fossil embedded in the ceiling in one of the rooms.
A ‘wedding cake’ formation.
A view of the “enchanted forest” passage.
Relics from the 1930’s and 1940’s – The porcelain bowl was used as a reflector for the lantern light to illuminate the rooms.
The “Rock of Many Names.” This rock was on the cave floor, and was called many names – some of them creative I’m sure – when the early developers and explorers would pass through the room, as the original entrance was near by. They would also tie a rope to it and use it as a reference point while exploring the cave.
This formation was described as two gnomes, among other possibilities.
The Scouts walk by a ‘dead’ column that we were allowed to touch. It was used as a hand hold over the years by many tourists and the early explorers.
Other formations in the cave.
Sunset at Lake Seminole as seen from our campground.
Back at home base, we continue to decompress from the trip. I know there are still a bunch of posts to catch up on from the trip, and I’ll be getting to those. In the mean time, life goes on. Here is a catch up from the beginning of January!
The routine has mostly settled into our daily home school routine along with a number of doctor’s appointments to catch up on various things that were put off while we were on the trip.
Grandma’s car died and was “making a noise.” Turned out the serpentine belt came off.
What was left of the idler pulley.
Ducky was my helper. Here, he is “Fixing Things” as well.
Ducky also likes to help cook. Here, he helps make breakfast while Randal looks on, considering what trouble he can cause while looking cute.
Randal aggressively tries to share his banana with Garrett.
A little family Dungeons & Dragons time with friends!
Jarek got a metal detector for Yule, and is having lots of fun exploring the yard and seeing what ‘treasures’ he can find. So far, it’s mostly been a bunch of construction trash and rusted tools from the builders and previous owners.
Ducky back in the kitchen, stirring the porridge.
The new heat pump unit on the roof.
Back on the trip, our front AC failed – it would not heat/cool. I ordered a replacement unit and finally had a window to do the work when it wasn’t super cold or raining. I got help from a neighbor to hoist it up onto the roof the RV.
Dismounting and disconnecting the old unit.
Getting the new unit in place.
Meanwhile, Meagan and most of the kids went fishing. They didn’t catch anything, but Jarek got some good practice in with his new rod.
The park they went to had a stocked pond for kids to fish at, as well as a playground. Ducky was all about the climber!
All done and op checked!
We are supposed to get a large amount of rain over the next few days, so got it done just in time. Importantly, we get our front AC back so once these few days of ‘winter’ are over in Florida, we can go back to our regularly scheduled summer!
Dometic denied my warranty claim for the failed AC, but said I could take the old unit to a service center to be checked. They want warranty claims to be checked by one of their people, but don’t cover mobile service calls. By the time we paid for the service calls, it would be the cost of a new unit, if not more.
I did a few other odds and ends – replacing security lights on the house and working to replace a failed battery backup unit for the one of our file servers. I have another project in the works to build a new main server since the failed Back up unit caused a problem in my Synology unit on a recent power flicker when a thunderstorm came by. ☹️
I have most of the important data backed up in a couple locations, but it remains to be seen what I will get out of our Synology units with file system issues.
Those parts are on order, and over the next week or two I’ll be doing the server build.
We gave our tenants in the house notice, and we are all looking forward to getting back into the house. I’ve got a couple projects in mind for the house that will keep us busy for a bit. We appreciate our friends and tenants and we’re doing our best to help them get resettled.
It’s been fun in the RV, but we’ve outgrown it, rather literally, and it’s time to get back into a house. We may still do some short trips in it, but I think we need a larger RV for the growing family. We are in need of a tri-axle unit that is configured for more sleeping areas for everyone.
I’ve got the new truck, Huginn, in the shop right now and he should be done getting checked over by the end of the month. He’s getting all new brakes, and some of the components were sized up. I’m going to go visit the shop next week and discuss a transmission cooler modification and see what else they have discovered. I can’t wait!
When I (Alan) stopped for fuel at a truck stop, they had bags of flour at the truck stop. It must be a mid-west thing. This was not common at other trucks stops.
Pulling into the site and setting up, you never quite know what to expect. The bathroom did not fare so well on this trip. The doors should have been latched and locked so they did not slide around. Everything else was all jumbled about.
We met up at Costco for a resupply after the barren (but beautiful) wastes!
Someone stole Daddy’s chair!
Someone else stole Daddy’s shoes!
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Another relaxing day on the Salmon River, taking in the sights.
Garrett and Randal got to play in the river along the shore for a bit until they got too cold. They had loads of fun!
Using the site’s kayaks, Alan, Jarek, and Arya did a float down the river back to the campsite.
I spotted a family of waterfowl out for a swim. I thought they were ducks, but looked like something else when they took flight.
A neat little shack we passed on the riverbank.
All in all, a quite relaxing enjoyable day beside and on the river!
Thanks for reading!
Sign up on Patreon as a free member to get notified of updates on our Journey! You can read about other stops on our adventure here on Patreon, or at our blog at https://www.wolfandraven.blog
Ed. Note: I had hoped to have this all done and completed, after all, being back from the trip, we would (should) have much more free time, right?! Unfortunately, it did not quite work out that way. However, I do have quite a bit for you and I’m going to keep at it.
If you’d like to see the later posts, please sign up as a free member, and you’ll get a notification when a post (back dated to the date of the activity) is posted. Not to mention, the future posts! With over 20,000 images captured in 2024, there is a fair amount of material to sort through to make the posts.
Looking back on 2024, the theme was definitely travel! The early part of the year was spent preparing for the upcoming trip, with our departure in April. Alan did a lot of maintenance on the RV and the vehicles to be ready for the trip and Meagan planned out for all the needs of the kids on the road.
January
New Year’s fireworks!
All tuckered out from the celebration!
“I can’t even right now – go away!”
Ducky tackles a friend in the bounce house!
Round two of fireworks and sparklers. The kids make a firing line of Roman candles!
Testing out the kid carrier. Alan ordered a new carrier for the trip, designed for the bigger kids. It was quite comfortable, a Kelty PerfictFit ELITE.
Why yes, I CAN be cute!
Morning!
Evan helps make breakfast. Pancakes are one of his favorite things to make and eat!
Lowe’s workshop for the kids. They are working on assembling little tool boxes.
All done!
A building activity at Cub Scouts.
WEBLOS den hike for Jarek.
Alan took Ducky on it to test out the carrier on a 4 mile hike. Worked great!
Evan has his 7th birthday!
Randal continues to hit milestone!
Soon…Soon, Mommy, I will walk!
Ducky reads a book while waiting for Arya’s dance lesson to complete.
February
Ducky holds onto Evan, sad, because he doesn’t want him to stop playing with him outside.
Gambit is just sick of it all today.
Jarek cooks dinner over a fire for one of his WEBLOS activities. Not quite the same as on a stove.
Firefly cuddles with Evan.
We left a plate out (shocked face!) and came to find the bees our neighbor keeps were drinking the water the next morning after a rain.
Smiling Duck!
I will not be restrained or contained!
Evan tackles the rock climbing wall at a home school event!
Back at Lowe’s, the kids make a flower holder for February.
All done!
I can’t walk but I’m ready to drive!
Cookie decorating with a home school group!
Sleepy Duck gets Daddy cuddles!
The kids sand their Pinewood Derby cars on a workshop day.
Ducky got Alan’s gloves and put one on. He’s ready to fix things!
Photograph me like one of your French babies!
March
Evan paints his Pinewood Derby car.
Alan helps Evan put a clear coat on his car.
Alan adjusts the weights in the car to bring it up to competition weight.
Where are we going and why am I in this wagon!
Alan helps Garrett assemble his picture frame kit.
The kids hard at work on their projects.
With the never ending maintenance issues, we had both the inverter and transfer switch fail. These serve to back up the refrigerator while travelling (or not on shore power).
Alan replaced both of them, and also installed a battery monitor to monitor the charge state of the batteries.
The beading on the orange lines is hydraulic fluid. The original thermoplastic lines would bleed fluid when they aged.
Alan removed the existing lines and took them down to a local shop and had new steel lines made.
Alan works to reinstall the lines and fix the HVAC ducting in the belly of the RV.
Wash day for the RV!
The clean team helps Uncle Jim polish up the RV.
Powered by lollipops, Ducky takes care of a section.
Fixing All the things – Fixing the slide on departure day, the toilet which broke shortly after arriving in Texas, and replacing the brakes which were messed up.
We traveled to Texas to visit Uncle Brian and see the total solar eclipse
08 April – The eclipse!
The kids successfully conquered Uncle Brian!
13 April – After extending our stay for a few days to recover from the illness that we had picked up, we headed south to San Antonio.
Nothing like a closed Interstate and bumper to bumper traffic to make things better in the Texas heat!
14 April – We met up with a friend in San Antonio.
On the way to Del Rio, on US 90 W, there were a series of large pot holes and that caused the kitchen slide to break, weakened by previous water damage.
When Alan set up the RV at the camp site, it grabbed the flooring cover and ripped it.
We decided to not open the kitchen slide fully until we could it fixed, for fear it might not be able to be closed back up, preventing us from travelling. After calling around to a bunch of places, Alan found a shop that would do the repair, but like the others, they were several weeks out into early May. We made arrangements to have the damage repaired in Tucson.
Alan found an Air BnB for the family to stay in for the duration.
With all the arrangements sorted, we pressed on with the trip!
The kids talk to the Ranger about the Junior Ranger program.
Floor puzzle complete! They had a nice little kid/Junior Ranger area set up.
21 April – Depart to Big Bend National Park / Terlingua, TX
22 April – Big Bend National Park. Santa Elena Canyon Hike along the Rio Grande River and Scenic Drive
On the trail!
The kids hold up the mountains!
Looking back from the Santa Elena slot canyon towards Big Bend NP. Mexico is on the right side of the river.
23 April – Big Bend NP Fossil Discovery
We made it to a ranger talk about the fossils in the area.
Evan holds a sample of petrified wood.
Ducky gets eaten!
Panoramic view at the top of the hill.
Just another cool day!
An old car we saw on a drive through old town Terlingua, TX.
24 April – Big Bend NP Rio Grande Hot Springs
Petroglyphs along the bank of the Rio Grande River.
Playing in the hot springs along the Rio Grande.
Turning in their junior ranger books, the kids get a bit of swag!
25 Apr – Depart to Fort Davis, TX
It’s always a bit disconcerting to have parts of the trailer fly off when your going down the road. I looked in the mirror and saw the jack foot bouncing off down the road behind me. Fortunately, it didn’t hit anyone – Meagan was behind me. I went back and walked the highway for a mile or so on each side and didn’t find it. Somewhere out there is a nice jackpad for someone!
Meagan rides chase as we climb through the Texas hills to Fort Davis. It was a very pretty drive and Meagan saw a Big Horn sheep on the side of the road.
26 April – Fort Davis NHS, TX
Ducky at Fort Davis.
They had a nice little set up of period equipment that the kids could explore.
We did a hike up to the hills overlooking the site. You can see the officer housing and other buildings below us. Fort Davis was part of the chain of forts that allowed mail service to pass between the West Coast and the rest of the country.
27 April – Rest day
Taking shelter behind the camper and the cold wind as we play our weekly Dungeons & Dragons game. The kids get a movie night while we (attempt) to get some time away from the kids.
Ducky came out for some cuddles despite the cold wind that was blowing.
The kids enjoyed a spin on this tire swing contraption. They each got on a tire, and I spun the whole thing around like a merry go round.
Putting our griddle to work! An outdoor kitchen is the way to beat the heat in the desert.
May
01 May – Guadalupe Mountains National Park
This was a bonus site that Jarek found on his atlas that wasn’t too far from Carlsbad, so we went and visited it.
Working on their books in the visitor center.
Ducky was very interested in the walking sticks. He really wanted one, even it was a bit too big!
An overview of the Butterfield Mail route. This served the basis for a number of forts to protect the mail, travelers, and formed the basis for a number of interactions with the Native Americans.
Outside the visitor center there was a short trail to the ruins of the way station.
The kids got their books done and then got their badges.
Evan lost a tooth! The tooth fairy made several visits to us on the trip.
02 May – Rest Day
Experimenting with bread baking. Apparently some of the yeast was a bit tired.
Doing maintenance on the washer. I use Affresh tabs once a month to do a rinse cycle procedure to clean out the lint from the unit so it will dry properly. The black bits are lint that was ‘liberated’ and that I wipe out of the tub. The unit is an all in one washer/dryer with no accessible lint filter, so it is a bit different than your typical home unit.
Our stop at Fort Bowie, AZ. We had planned to stay a few days here, but with the damage to the kitchen slide, we adjusted the schedule to press on to Tucson and get the repairs started.
Arizona Sunset.
Checking out tomorrow’s drive.
08 May – Drive to Tucson, AZ
One of the hazards of travelling is the glass tray jumping out of the microwave onto the floor. This happened a couple of times on the trip, then we changed procedure to put the tray in the oven during transit. The microwave door would still pop open, but the tray would no longer be at risk of breaking.
Meagan and the kids a rest stop found some big boulders to climb on!
Arriving at the Air BnB, Alan unloads the trailer in preparation for taking it into the shop for repairs to the damaged kitchen slide.
The Air BnB was set up to accommodate RVs and had a very nice big driveway, which made this process much easier than it otherwise could have been.
09 May – Logistics
Leaving the trailer behind at the shop. I had some mixed feelings on it.
The Air BnB internet was not great – it was at the end of a wireless ISP. I set up our Starlink kit and then we had great internet!
Sunset from the back porch.
10 May – Logistics / Rest
Gambit found a comfy place to settle in for the day!
Off to our favorite store to restock – Costco!
11 May – Rest
We took another rest day. We captured a large dust devil off the back porch in the late morning.
12 May – Rest
Ducky eats an apple in his own unique way.
Cinnamon rolls for brunch! A rare moment to have a full sized oven!
Jarek opens up a cactus fruit and examines the seeds.
Ducky has successfully worn out Mommy!
We ventured out to town in search of new shoes for the kids that could stand up to the hiking we were doing.
The kids play as the clouds gather.
16 May
Alan visits the repair shop and checks on the progress of the kitchen slide floor replacement.
Work is underway, but it’s not ready yet! The camerman did a crappy job with this photo.
The old floor shows evidence of the water damage over time. Some years ago a rat got into the RV, and chewed up the refrigerator condensate line, unbeknownst to me or the repair shop at the time. It took its toll on the wood below.
Lunch at Costco and groceries. Perhaps the van is getting a bit small with all of us. Everyone got to help hold something on the drive back.
17 May – Rest day
The kids knocked out a puzzle!
18 May – Saguaro NP East
Arya and Evan turned in their Junior Ranger books.
Ducky explored their Saguaro model, discovering a hidden compartment!
Randal claims another victim. He was playing with the cabinet and it broke. It’s a toss up if it was due to the low quality of the materials and construction or Randal. We let the host know about it and got it resolved.
While we were loading the RV back up, we got hit by a dust devil. In the bottom of the pic you can see one our sewer hose caddies and other items that were blown around and away by the whirl winds!
I’m not sure who’s messier – Randal or Jarek.
June
01 June – Departure to Munds Park, AZ
We finally got everything loaded up and punched out. We saw this little saguaro family, much like ours.
Why yes Mommy, I am awake at 3 am! Glad to see you are as well!
Today was a travel day. Here we are all packed up and ready to head out of Munds Park.
Driving North, you got a good view of the smoke from a wildfire. While I (Alan) drove on to our next destination, Holbrook, AZ and the Petrified Forest, Meagan took Jarek, Arya, and Randal on a detour to Walnut Canyon National Monument.
Meanwhile, back at our (new) campsite, I was having fun getting situated. The space was tight with the length of the trailer, as I worked to maneuver it better into its spot. I removed the bikes for extra clearance with maneuvering. The site was angled and I didn’t have a great approach angle to be aligned when I pulled through. The rig in front of me was kind of far back, which also complicated things. This was complicated by the 5′ poles they put in the site, which made things a bit more interesting.
A view from the other side. The rig is pointed too far to the right, and with the bikes I’m too long to properly maneuver.
After removing the bikes, I was able to get the rig aligned much better. All of the utilities are on the driver’s side, and we generally don’t use that space for any activities. Excess space on the driver’s side is generally wasted, where space on the passenger side is what we use for our living/front porch area.
A couple hours after getting set up, the rig is cooling down. Of course, it’s plenty warm outside.
One of the dangers of an unattended phone: the photo bomber!
Thanks for reading!
Sign up on Patreon as a free member to get notified of updates on our Journey! You can read about other stops on our adventure here on Patreon, or at our blog at https://www.wolfandraven.blog
Why yes Mommy, I am awake at 3 am! Glad to see you are as well!
Today was a travel day. Here we are all packed up and ready to head out of Munds Park.
Driving North, you got a good view of the smoke from a wildfire. While I (Alan) drove on to our next destination, Holbrook, AZ and the Petrified Forest, Meagan took Jarek, Arya, and Randal on a detour to Walnut Canyon National Monument.
Meanwhile, back at our (new) campsite, I was having fun getting situated. The space was tight with the length of the trailer, as I worked to maneuver it better into its spot. I removed the bikes for extra clearance with maneuvering. The site was angled and I didn’t have a great approach angle to be aligned when I pulled through. The rig in front of me was kind of far back, which also complicated things. This was complicated by the 5′ poles they put in the site, which made things a bit more interesting.
A view from the other side. The rig is pointed too far to the right, and with the bikes I’m too long to properly maneuver.
After removing the bikes, I was able to get the rig aligned much better. All of the utilities are on the driver’s side, and we generally don’t use that space for any activities. Excess space on the driver’s side is generally wasted, where space on the passenger side is what we use for our living/front porch area.
A couple hours after getting set up, the rig is cooling down. Of course, it’s plenty warm outside.
One of the dangers of an unattended phone: the photo bomber!
Thanks for reading!
Sign up on Patreon as a free member to get notified of updates on our Journey! You can read about other stops on our adventure here on Patreon, or at our blog at https://www.wolfandraven.blog
I (Alan) needed a rest day, and the kids weren’t feeling too hot either. Meagan took Jarek and Randal to see the Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments while the we took a rest day.
Ed note: I had hoped that Meagan would be able to fill in the story and description, but in the interest in getting it published, I’m going to post the pictures and let them tell the story!
A view of the volcano.
Jarek completes his Junior Ranger book.
An artist’s rendition of the structure in its hey day!
“Don’t mind me, just checking in, seeing if you had any snacks and what you’re up to. Keeping the boss informed, and all that.”
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I (Alan) took a rest day today. Meagan took Jarek, Arya, and Evan to see the Colossal Cave. It worked out, because the littles weren’t allowed on the tour.
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For Jarek’s birthday, he wanted his traditional rice krispi cake in the shape of the Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda.
Evan cooks french toast in our outside kitchen setup. The little induction plate is quite handy.
Arya and Randal get some cuddles!
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