Retirement

Create Your Own Visited States Map

Well, it is now official that I have set foot in all fifty states. Damsel and I arrived at the campground near Spirit Lake, Iowa, today, and are camping here tonight.

We will be exploring the “Duh State” over the next few days. You know, Duh Buque and Duh Moines (Damsel’s joke), before heading back toward Arizona with several more interesting places to stop along the way. We have plans for visiting several of the cities here including the two mentioned above.

“All Fifty States” has been on my bucket list since retirement several years ago. On this trip, I have blacked out three bucket listers including the all fifty, driving the “Million Dollar Highway,” and the Great American Total Eclipse of the Sun.

Damsel and I are working on more items for the bucket list. We think the next item will be to go and see our third great grandchild, a boy, who will be born close to Thanksgiving Day 2017. We’re looking forward to that excursion too.

Today’s journey took us further north into Western Colorado. We’re camping at the Craig KOA which is a pretty nice place. Last night, in Montrose, the campground was OK, but the spaces were too close together and we weren’t able to get the satellite TV to connect due to trees. TV is working just fine tonight.

Tomorrow is the last leg to where we will observe the eclipse in Casper. Our route takes us through Rawlins, WY and then on into Casper. We may be meeting with some friends who also plan on watching the event from Casper. We will be in either telephone or Ham Radio contact, still to be decided.

We are looking forward to our stay in Casper, not only because of the eclipse, but that we will be camping there for two consecutive nights which will give us a chance to relax and calm ourselves after a semi-hectic run up to witness the event. We will get out the grill and cook up a good dinner after the eclipse is done, and depart for the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore on Tuesday.

Today’s drive from New Mexico north into Colorado was quite the event. We started up US 550, the “Million Dollar Highway” to see the majestic western Rocky Mountains via the towns Durango, Silverton and Ouray along the route.

It was indeed a beautiful scenic ride, but Both Damsel and I resolved that we would not travel this way again even if someone were to give us a million dollars to do so. The winding road in places was very narrow with a serious drop off on one side or the other. Some of the switchback curves were posted as low as 10 miles per hour. We were both nervous wrecks taking the 36 foot big RV through there.

Once past Ouray, the road straightened out on in to Montrose where we are camped. We are having some adult beverages to help us relax and get back to normal.

We entered New Mexico this afternoon and are presently camped in Kirtland, NM, about forty miles east southeast of Four Corners. Our campground is adequate, with a reasonable price, but not a five star resort. But, that doesn’t matter since we have our own luxury accommodations with us. We’re comfortable.

After leaving Holbrook this morning, we stopped briefly at the Petrified Forest National Park. Damsel got some souvenirs in the gift shop and we went into the park only as far as the Painted Desert Overlook, just a mile into the park. We turned around just after that and headed back to I-40 to continue along the route.

We went east along the interstate to Gallup, where we refueled and then headed north to our present position between Shiprock and Farmington, NM. The ride was good today with some minimal slowing for road work and the usual small town speed traps.

Tomorrow, we will be heading into Colorado along US 550, the “Million Dollar Highway.” This leg of the trip, although a difficult drive along a winding and steep road, has been on our bucket list as one of the most scenic drives in America. Damsel will have her camera clicking away as usual.