Category Archives: Travel Log

Camping, Destination Tips, Destinations, Get Out and Explore!, Hiking, National Parks, Teardrop Travels, Travel Log

Get Yer Kicks in Williams, AZ: Gateway to Grand Canyon’s South Rim

February 13, 2016 Sue J 11 Comments

Need a ROUTE 66 fix? Need a GRAND CANYON fix? Need a CAMPING fix? Need a FOOD fix or a MUSIC fix? Get Yer Kicks in Williams, AZ, just one hour from the GRAND CANYON.

Twice in the past year, we made a stop in Williams, AZ, with our teardrop trailer. We had a great time both times, enough to say that from now on, Williams will remain on our must-do list when heading up from our current home in Phoenix, AZ, to Grand Canyon National Park.

The town of Williams, AZ is a really great place to visit on your way to or from the south entrance of the Grand Canyon. We enjoyed it’s cozy, eclectic, old-town feel . . .

it’s restaurants (Cruiser’s Route 66 Cafe) . . .

it’s music (Vincent Z performing at Cruiser’s Route 66 Cafe) . . .

it’s plentiful gift shops . . .

and even the shoot-em-up cowboy showdown that erupted in the streets (promptly at scheduled show times throughout the day) . . .

We were even entertained by our friend, Dave, while we waited for our food to arrive at Cruiser’s Restaurant . . .

One more great thing in Williams, AZ, is you can wander over to the Grand Canyon Railway railroad station and treat yourself to a comfortable, scenic ride to the Grand Canyon by train. They have all kinds of events going on, including the popular Christmastime “Polar Express” ride (something I think I’ll make a point of doing sometime!). Check out the Grand Canyon Railway event page for more info.

We were in Williams, AZ, on the polar opposite of Christmastime . . . on July 4th, 2015, when we met up with other teardrop trailer and vintage trailer owners at a camping meetup at Kaibab Lake Campground. Kaibab Lake Campground is part of the Kaibab National Forest, which has a rather large footprint at the foothills of the Grand Canyon and beyond.

This campground is quite large and can accommodate anything from tents to large RVs. If you check out my previous blog post about the 4th of July trip, the photos of cool vintage and teardrop trailers give you a feel for the site layouts and terrain at the campground.

You can fish and kayak on Lake Kaibab, but in July, the lake was significantly lower than usual due to a dry summer. There is a boat ramp and a fishing pier, although the fishing pier at Kaibab Lake Campground led you out to a grassy area instead of to actual water. Remember to bring your bicycles, so if the fishing scene is a bust, you can at least enjoy tooling around plenty of roadway within the campground itself.

Downtown Williams held a great, old-fashioned 4th of July parade when we were there (plenty of pictures on my last blog post), exactly the kind of thing we were into with our vintage-inspired trailer.

In October 2015, we were back in Williams again when our friends from England came for a visit. This time, we camped an hour away in Grand Canyon National Park for a night, at Mather Campground at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Honestly, we didn’t care for the campsite itself (#147) at Mather Campground. We were stuck in a parking pad that was really just a slight bulge in the roadway, a pullover really, with a few large rocks around it. Muddy. Muddy. Muddy.

Grand Canyon Nationa Park, South Rim, Mather Campground

We did, however, score a great view of a family of elk passing through the site across the way from us, and also scored some close-up pictures while hiding behind trees and bushes.

And we even saw this . . .

Again in October, we took in the splendor of Grand Canyon National Park, snapping photos, and looking down upon hiking trails in her belly that we planned to tackle some day.

Overall, Williams, AZ, is a great place to situate yourself for a week while you check out some of what you’ve seen here and plenty more–like Flagstaff, AZ, (40 minutes away by car) or Sedona, AZ, (1 hour, 20 minutes away by car) both easy day trips from Williams.

All you have to do now is get out and enjoy it all!

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Lost in Daydreaming at Lost Dutchman State Park, AZ

May 8, 2015 Sue J 7 Comments

This is the view from inside my teardrop trailer. How am I supposed to get any work done with a view like this enticing me to daydream instead of write?

I should’ve known the moment we stopped at the entrance gate to the Lost Dutchman State Park campground in Apache Junction, Arizona, that nature would be ready to play hard ball to win my full attention for the next two days . . .

Lost Dutchman State Park Campground, AZ, Arizona, hiking, teardrop trailers, tiny campers, nature, camping, photography

We chose a spectacular campsite that typically is claimed by the camp host but was available during this trip. This week’s camp host was instead set up next door to the one we were interested in. Good thing, ’cause we fell in love with ours right away . . .

Cactus plants all around. Some very much alive . . .

others providing valuable service as they delicately decayed . . .

I enjoyed the outdoor space, while Mark took his time with setting up the trailer . . .

and a few “features”–like the outdoor shower . . .

and the chili-pepper lights and hummingbird feeder . . .

There’s a hummingbird, now, just to the left of the chili peppers! 🙂

We have new additions to our teardrop trailer this time around; did you notice? . . .

I tried to settle in and stay focused on my writing for the day, but how could I? With Gambel’s quails strutting about the perimeter . . .

Follow the grill’s shadow out into the dirt; it points directly toward two Gambel’s quails–one male, one female.

Male Gambel’s quail, strutting his interesting forward-hanging plumage.

and cottontail rabbits bouncing about, too, it was all I could do to keep my head down and follow my own words. When I wasn’t distracted by the wildlife, I had this view to contend with . . .

The second day, we headed out for an early morning hike. There are many possible trails at Lost Dutchman, from easy to difficult. We chose a moderate one which afforded views like this . . .

after which we gladly ended the day like this . . .

Sadly, on day three, we had to leave. While packing up, we chatted it up with a man walking the road past our campsite. He was telling us about the campground’s wildlife, things to look for and look out for when, mid-sentence, a sizable bristle-haired javelina (a medium-sized, wild boar-like mammal) charged out of the brush and across the road behind us. Our dog barked her objection at the intrusion, inspiring the javelina to race by in a flash. I had no time to take a picture, but here is what one looks like . . .

Anyway, turns out the man we were speaking with was our camp host, and the camp host is a writer, and the writer had written a book.

“Fabulous,” I said. “What about?”

“It has to do with 9/11 and a cross-country bicycle trip I took. It’s about having hope.”

“Funny,” I said. “I’m writing a book right now that relates in part to 9/11. I used to live in New York.”

“So did I,” he said. Conversation followed of towns we both knew and a dozen other things we seemed to have in common, including something to say about 9/11 and the power to heal.

“I’d love to read your book,” I said. “And, hey, maybe some day when I’m done writing it, you could read mine.” We shared that excitement and encouragement commonly found among fellow writers and agreed to exchange business cards before Mark and I headed home.

Within minutes, Ray came back with a copy of his book as a present to us. I was blown away by his generosity.

Inside the front cover read the words, “Mark & Susan, Thank you for your adventuresome spirits & for being rays of hope in this world. Many Blessings”

I can’t wait to read Ray’s book, “Ray of Hope: Inspiring Peace”; something tells me I’m gonna feel good after reading it. As for you, Ray, if you’re reading this blog page, thanks for the thoughtful gift. I plan to pay it forward some day soon.

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Hiking, National Parks, Nature Rocks!, Teardrop Travels, Travel Log

Day 19, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

April 16, 2015 Sue J 13 Comments

When I saw before me an endless valley blanketed in vast colonies of fantastical HooDoos, I knew I would not rest until I ventured deep into that valley for what would surely be a mind-blowing hike.

Ever since I made its acquaintance in early 2014, Bryce Canyon National Park is THE national park I wanted to revisit. When first there, we’d only seen the HooDoos from high places like this, which was STILL pretty spectacular! (See full details of the 2014 trip here: 3 Days, 2 Nat’l Parks, 1 Bum Foot: Miracles and Inspiration) . . .

Bryce Canyon National Park, Farview Point, hoodoo heaven, easy trail, awesome quick hike — Bryce Canyon National Park: Farview Point. An excellent “bang for the buck” hiking trail. Take it as far as you have time for, turn around and head back. You’re immediately submerged in hoodoo heaven!

Four months after the initial visit, I did venture down into that HooDoo valley. It was the second to last day of our three-week-long teardrop trailer trip and my mind was, as expected, officially blown.

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One of the toughest tasks I’ve ever undertaken was to whittle down two hundred twenty-five Bryce Canyon photos into a subset to share with you, my readers. The best I could do is trim my full set of photos down to one hundred twenty. Since I don’t want you to be as saturated with Bryce as I was, without the benefit of actually being there, I’m splitting the photos between two different posts-half here, half on the next. You’ll think it impossible for a place to sustain its beauty and your attention for so long, but, believe me, it does and it will should you go yourself some day.

A narrow walkway leads to this distant spire . . .

a spire which begs for a photo shoot.

Who are we to decline the offer?

But make no mistake . . . it’s a long way down should we slip and fall.

Those specks below on the trail are people! . . .

The trails are completely intriguing. Curved stone doorways beckon you to enter.

Bryce Canyon National Park is one of Utah’s “Mighty Five” national parks. It is, in my opinion, the BEST OF THE BEST in Utah, and that’s saying a lot. Utah is a MUST GO destination for mind-altering, highly accessible, unique scenery.

I did most of my hiking in Utah last year on a bum foot, courtesy of plantar fasciitis. I thought the three-week national park trip would be a bust because of it, but there were enough options (especially in Utah) to enjoy the parks to their fullest.

This particular hike was a huge commitment for me, more than I suspected I could handle with a recently injured foot, but I deeply wanted this HooDoo experience.

We headed out on the Queens Garden Trail with the intention to “see how it goes” and either double back after visiting “the garden” (almost a mile down into the valley) or continue on. The nice thing about Queens Garden is you get a real bang for your buck. With just a two-mile commitment, you’ll be “in the HooDoos” and will feel momentarily satisfied.

You’ll find shady places to hide from the sun and benches spread out along the trail that will be much appreciated on the walk back up to the top.

And, of course, you’ll see the Queen looking out over her garden!

Vistas and passageways abound, calling upon you to stay and explore . . .

and you’ll have to decide, once out of the Queens Garden, whether to backtrack from whence you came or continue on other trails. I felt good at the time and chose to continue on. Should you ever do the same, realize that you are pretty much on the hook for the full round trip. At some point, it seems plain ridiculous to head back.

If you believe in mystical energy, you’ll find fallen tree branches drenched in powerful energy. If you don’t believe, you’ll find instead really cool-looking fallen tree branches . . .

Here are some other sights along the way . . .

All in all, we completed an eight-mile-long round trip, which took a solid four-and-a-half hours to complete. My foot stopped cooperating in the last two miles. Be forewarned that you have to drop down into that valley and, of course, come back up, but you also have to rise and fall many times throughout the hike to navigate the irregular landscape, up and over hills and often through them. Initially, I had this thought that I’d hike down into the valley, hike some more on mostly level ground, and then hike up out–not true.

I had a hiking stick with me, which I strongly suggest you have as well (it gets steep in parts), and PLENTY OF WATER, even just for the Queens Garden trail. If you misjudged and didn’t equip yourself with these necessities, you’ll be happy to see this when you finish your hike.

As for us, it would be five more miles beyond the Queens Garden trail before we would rest our eyes on this happy sight. Instead, we continued on the Peek-a-Boo trail and finished out on the Navajo Trail.

On my next post, I’ll share the rest of our hike. ‘Til then . . . Adios! Au revoir! And Happy Trails!

We’re happy to help!

If you have any questions about where we’ve been, any aspects of the experience we didn’t share here, please use our ‘Contact’ page to send us an email with your question(s). We’ll do our best to provide you the answer if we know it or will at least fabricate something entirely convincing.

If FACEBOOK is your thing, LIKE us on FACEBOOK and see all our latest posts:

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To see our original trip route map, click on the first post of this mini-series:

Teardrop Trailer Summer Road Trip: 9 NW States, 8 Nat’l Parks

Or any of our stops so far on the way . . .

Day 1, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Travel Log: Willits, CA, KOA Campground

Early Day 2, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Toilet Bowls, Vintage New Yorkers, and the Eclectic

Later Day 2, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Drive-Thru Redwoods, Giants, and Castles

Day 3, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Gigantic Marshmallows of Oregon

Day 4, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Captivating Washington Coastline

Day 5, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Olympiad Deer, Bald Eagles, and Chica Birds

Early Day 6, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Port Townsend, WA, See It All and Sea Otters Too!

Later Day 6, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, WA

Day 7, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Goodbye Olympic Peninsula; Hello Seattle!

Day 8, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Hay, Washington! Spuds! Spokane!

Day 9, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: It’s a Dog’s Life for Me

Midway on 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Just Stop; You’re Missing It!

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Wild, Wicked Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone Bison vs. Humans: You Can’t Fix Stupid

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Wildlife IN YOUR FACE in Grand Teton National Park

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Journey to the Center of Utah

Got Gas? Utah Offers an Old-Time Fix

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Arches National Park, Utah–Simply Speechless

Day 17: 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Day 18: 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Hiking, National Parks, Nature Rocks!, Teardrop Travels, Travel Log

Day 18, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

March 1, 2015 Sue J 6 Comments

With barely three days left on our three-week-long teardrop trailer trip, we set our GPS for Capitol Reef National Park–one of Utah’s “Mighty Five” national parks. Utah is simply mind-blowing when it comes to national parks. After traveling from Southern California up through Oregon, further still to Washington, and across to Wyoming, we’d visited quite a few national parks, but were ready for more.

We were ready for our third Utah-based national park. Arches was epic. Canyonlands was vast and memorable. And Capitol Reef? Well, Capitol Reef is a secret treasure.

We hadn’t even gotten there yet, but already the terrain changed. I assumed the position: hanging half out the passenger car window, snapping photos as we drove . . .

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, teardrop trailer travels, vintage trailer travels,

Wicked cool.

And then we arrived . . .

CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK

These posts are such a challenge to complete because the views at our country’s national parks are simply spectacular, especially in Utah. It’s a challenge to snap less than a hundred shots a day. At Capitol Reef, I failed again, miserably.

I mean, seriously . . . isn’t this insanely beautiful?

I’m not a photographer–just a gal with a camera–but Utah’s national parks make me wish I knew more than I do about working a camera. During the course of this trip, I at least migrated from my crappy, old point-and-shoot 35mm camera to my partner’s intimidating, feature-rich Canon camera. Still, besides attempting to zoom in and out, all I did was pretty much point and shoot.

(ASIDE: Does anyone besides me remember the thrill of owning their first point-and-shoot? Prior to that, all we had were disposable Instamatic cameras and, once upon a time, Polaroid cameras. I’m talking ancient here!)

At the risk of boring you all, here is a comprehensive view of my favorite photos from Capitol Reef. Feel free to click on any one of them for a close-up view. I think all the shots are fascinating. I couldn’t get enough of the interesting rock and sediment layers. I zoomed in on several to capture some of the detail, but honestly, this terrain was created for discovery via hand and foot, not just with a camera lens.

All those photos were taken within a two-hour window. That’s how much you can see in a short drive through Capitol Reef. Cool, huh?

We took a break around noon and had lunch at this grassy retreat at the edge of the park . . .

and then headed back to our campground. On our way, we came across more cows (or rather, they came across us!) . . .

and views . . .

over-sized sand art . . .

unnerving, narrow roads that crept high with no shoulders on the side . . .

and offered the prospect of driving off the road into this . . .

and even saw a forest fire:

By late afternoon, we were well on our way out of the area and almost decided to change plans and camp over nite at a gem of a campground where a cold, mountain stream wiggled its way around private campsites. We had to drive over the stream . . .

We stopped, and I put my bare foot out of the car door and into about 4 inches of water!

to see all the sties. We wanted to stay but stuck with our original plans and headed back to our campsite. It had been an amazing day at Capitol Reef, but it was time to call it a day.

My absolute favorite national park was on the agenda for the next day–Bryce Canyon–and I knew I wanted to tackle a significant hike deep in the Hoodoos. More on that soon.

We’re happy to help!

If FACEBOOK is your thing, LIKE us on FACEBOOK and see all our latest posts:

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To see our original trip route map, click on the first post of this mini-series:

Teardrop Trailer Summer Road Trip: 9 NW States, 8 Nat’l Parks

Or any of our stops so far on the way . . .

Day 1, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Travel Log: Willits, CA, KOA Campground

Early Day 2, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Toilet Bowls, Vintage New Yorkers, and the Eclectic

Later Day 2, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Drive-Thru Redwoods, Giants, and Castles

Day 3, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Gigantic Marshmallows of Oregon

Day 4, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Captivating Washington Coastline

Day 5, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Olympiad Deer, Bald Eagles, and Chica Birds

Early Day 6, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Port Townsend, WA, See It All and Sea Otters Too!

Later Day 6, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, WA

Day 7, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Goodbye Olympic Peninsula; Hello Seattle!

Day 8, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Hay, Washington! Spuds! Spokane!

Day 9, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: It’s a Dog’s Life for Me

Midway on 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Just Stop; You’re Missing It!

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Wild, Wicked Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone Bison vs. Humans: You Can’t Fix Stupid

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Wildlife IN YOUR FACE in Grand Teton National Park

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Journey to the Center of Utah

Got Gas? Utah Offers an Old-Time Fix

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Arches National Park, Utah–Simply Speechless

Day 17: 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Hiking, National Parks, Nature Rocks!, Teardrop Travels, Travel Log

Day 17, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Canyonlands National Park, Utah

November 10, 2014 Sue J 6 Comments

Utah has named them “The Mighty Five.” Admittedly, I’d only recognized a couple of names on The Mighty Five list when we mapped out the final days of our three-week-long teardrop trailer trip — a trip meant to include visits to as many national parks in the western U.S. as we could manage.

We charted a route from Southern California up through the state of Washington, across to Wyoming, down through Utah and back across to our home base in Cali. Utah was to be the grand finale, a chance to revisit and further explore Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, which we’d briefly done in Spring 2014, and take in three others that complete what Utah has designated their top five national parks: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Arches.

Lots of folks have some idea of the existence of Arches National Park, especially due to one particular arch which shows up often in TV commercials and tourism promotions . . .

Mostly, though, folks recognize Arches because the name easily reminds them what Arches is all about . . . ARCHES!! (If you’ve never heard of Arches, check out my recent post: 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Arches National Park, Utah–Simply Speechless.)

Zion and Bryce Canyon get a lot of attention as well because they each feature stellar scenery and unique hiking and/or rock climbing experiences.

Canyonlands and Capitol Reef, however, are lesser known, which is a bit of shame. As you’ll see in this and my next post, they’re both worth the visit.

CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK

Funny enough, after an entire day at Arches National Park the day before, one of our first hikes in Canyonlands led us to . . . an arch. 🙂

But there was so much more to Canyonlands–so much that stood apart from Arches. I struggled with the camera to squeeze vast ragged canyons, towering monoliths, and endless sky into tiny frames, one after the other.

I marveled at Canyonlands’ multiple personalities as we drove from one stop to the next–from dark and gritty . . .

to light and breezy . . .

from bold and vivacious . . .

to subdued and timeless . . .

As has been the case all along on this three-week trip, I continue to be amazed by the diversity of our national parks. And though some of my pictures may seem aesthetically pleasing, nothing compares to being at each of these locales in person. The experience is often breathtaking.

Whatever plans you make from this point forward in your life, please, by whatever means possible, include in them a visit to some of this nation’s awe-inspiring parks and monuments. Find a way to arrange it. Find a way to afford it. Whether you have to haul your children on your back . . .

or sell your favorite sneakers and make the trek barefoot . . .

I promise it’ll be worth your while!

As for us, we look forward to another visit to Canyonlands some day. At day’s end, though, we were happy to settle in at our campsite, reuniting with our teardrop trailer and with our dog. As you can see, we didn’t suffer. 🙂

We’re happy to help!

If FACEBOOK is your thing, LIKE us on FACEBOOK and see all our latest posts:

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To see our original trip route map, click on the first post of this mini-series:

Teardrop Trailer Summer Road Trip: 9 NW States, 8 Nat’l Parks

Or any of our stops so far on the way . . .

Day 1, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Travel Log: Willits, CA, KOA Campground

Early Day 2, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Toilet Bowls, Vintage New Yorkers, and the Eclectic

Later Day 2, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Drive-Thru Redwoods, Giants, and Castles

Day 3, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Gigantic Marshmallows of Oregon

Day 4, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Captivating Washington Coastline

Day 5, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Olympiad Deer, Bald Eagles, and Chica Birds

Early Day 6, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Port Townsend, WA, See It All and Sea Otters Too!

Later Day 6, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, WA

Day 7, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Goodbye Olympic Peninsula; Hello Seattle!

Day 8, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Hay, Washington! Spuds! Spokane!

Day 9, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: It’s a Dog’s Life for Me

Midway on 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Just Stop; You’re Missing It!

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Wild, Wicked Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone Bison vs. Humans: You Can’t Fix Stupid

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Wildlife IN YOUR FACE in Grand Teton National Park

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Journey to the Center of Utah

Got Gas? Utah Offers an Old-Time Fix

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Arches National Park, Utah–Simply Speechless

Hiking, National Parks, Nature Rocks!, Teardrop Travels, Travel Log

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Arches National Park, Utah–Simply Speechless

October 17, 2014 Sue J 8 Comments

I knew to expect some mind-blowing rock formations at Utah’s National Parks, but Arches National Park left me speechless.

Okay, that’s a bit of a lie. Hardly anything can keep me from jabber jawing, especially if my mind easily attaches words to whatever I’m experiencing, but I found myself silent while trekking through Arches–except for the occasional “Hey! Doesn’t that look like a . . . ”

The experience triggered a childhood memory of me laying on my back in the cool grass on a summer’s day, gazing at drifting clouds, and calling out the names of objects they resembled. Arches was like that, except I was finally able to walk amongst the clouds.

Most notable objects my simple mind ‘saw’:

Magic Mountain of Disney World fame . . .

A tulip flower about to open . . .

T-REX . . .

A mound of chocolate Dairy Queen ice-cream (guess I was hungry) . . .

The homestead of my favorite childhood cartoon family, the Flintstones . . .

And my absolute favorite discovery–as I walked along the length of this particular formation, I marveled as South America gradually came into view . . .

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Of course, Arches National Park offers a lot of arches, but as you’ll see, it offers a whole lot more. The hikes and views are spectacular. Oh, if only there were words . . .

Arches National Park, Utah, The Big 5, teardrop trailer travels, teardrop adventures, hiking, sightseeing, Arizona, western U.S. national parks, red rocks

We’re happy to help!

If FACEBOOK is your thing, LIKE us on FACEBOOK and see all our latest posts:

www.facebook.com/TeardropAdventures.com

To see our original trip route map, click on the first post of this mini-series:

Teardrop Trailer Summer Road Trip: 9 NW States, 8 Nat’l Parks

Or any of our stops so far on the way . . .

Day 1, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Travel Log: Willits, CA, KOA Campground

Early Day 2, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Toilet Bowls, Vintage New Yorkers, and the Eclectic

Later Day 2, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Drive-Thru Redwoods, Giants, and Castles

Day 3, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Gigantic Marshmallows of Oregon

Day 4, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Captivating Washington Coastline

Day 5, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Olympiad Deer, Bald Eagles, and Chica Birds

Early Day 6, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Port Townsend, WA, See It All and Sea Otters Too!

Later Day 6, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, WA

Day 7, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Goodbye Olympic Peninsula; Hello Seattle!

Day 8, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Hay, Washington! Spuds! Spokane!

Day 9, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: It’s a Dog’s Life for Me

Midway on 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Just Stop; You’re Missing It!

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Wild, Wicked Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone Bison vs. Humans: You Can’t Fix Stupid

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Wildlife IN YOUR FACE in Grand Teton National Park

3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Journey to the Center of Utah

Got Gas? Utah Offers an Old-Time Fix

Expect the unexpected, Teardrop Travels, The Journey Not the Destination, Travel Log

Got Gas? Utah Offers an Old-Time Fix

September 20, 2014 Sue J 5 Comments

Confession: Sometimes the smell of gas makes me weak in the knees–in a good way. That, and the smell of used motor oil and Gunk.

These three things–gas, used motor oil, and Gunk–in combination transport me back to a significant portion of my youth where I spent a lot of time helping Dad in our garage. Gunk was a product my dad used to clean his hands at the end of a day fixing one of several Volkswagen engines or their interchangeable-parts-cousins, one of several lawnmower engines.

I’m pretty sure Gunk, a cleaning product with the fine aroma of gasoline, was meant for cleaning car engines, but Dad kept jars of it in the garage and the house for soaking his fingers like he was soaking in Palmolive. (Palmolive was a dishwashing liquid, peddled for other purposes on their TV commercials, such as skin beautification–I can still remember Madge, Palmolive’s TV-commercial mascot, saying, “So gentle, you can soak your hands in it.”) No insult to Dad (God rest his soul.), but I seriously doubt Gunk’s inventors envisioned their product being used as part of my father’s beauty regimen.

Odd as it seems, altogether or individually, gasoline, motor oil, and Gunk transport me back to a happy childhood. Grease-soaked rags. Bolts. Workbenches. And Dad.

So, it should not have been a surprise to me (nor now, to you!) that I found myself snapping pictures of gas pumps on our recent lengthy road trip to eight national parks in the west and northwest United States.

The initial rush might have hit me back at this eclectic barn/garage in Oregon on the way north to Olympic National Park in Washington State:

In Wyoming, somewhere near Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park, I snapped this photo of a well-kept (or well-refurbished), old-school Texaco pump:

Then, I got a rush of nostalgia when we stopped for gas at this Sinclair gas station shortly after entering the state of Utah (I’ll bet I haven’t seen a Sinclair dinosaur since I was a kid.):

We hit the mother load outside of Lake Utah State Park in Provo, Utah, with this great display alongside a storage facility. Fabulous! I love the antique visible (a.k.a. see-through) gas pumps.

vintage gas pump, antique gas pump, AAA, Mobil, Phillips, Carter, Texaco, Sinclair, Gulf, vintage gas station signs, antique gas station signs

Here’s a great article about these antique visible gas pumps from a fella who pumped them when they weren’t antiques . . .

Vintage Visible Gas Pumps

and then check out this great video showing a working vintage gas pump in Glendale, Utah. I love it!

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This was just one experience of many on our three-week Teardrop Trailer Summer Road Trip to eight national parks in the western United States. To see our original trip route map, click on the first post of this mini-series:

Teardrop Trailer Summer Road Trip: 9 NW States, 8 Nat’l Parks

or check out any of our posts along the way . . .

Day 1, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Travel Log: Willits, CA, KOA Campground

Early Day 2, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Toilet Bowls, Vintage New Yorkers, and the Eclectic

Later Day 2, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Drive-Thru Redwoods, Giants, and Castles

Day 3, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Gigantic Marshmallows of Oregon

Day 4, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Captivating Washington Coastline

Day 5, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Olympiad Deer, Bald Eagles, and Chica Birds

Early Day 6, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Port Townsend, WA, See It All and Sea Otters Too!

Later Day 6, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, WA

Day 7, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Goodbye Olympic Peninsula; Hello Seattle!

Day 8, 3-Week Teardrop Trailer Trip: Hay, Washington! Spuds! Spokane!