To stay away from the cold we spent the winter in Florida. At some point we went to visit some friends who told us about the small town of Helen, a small German-themed town in Georgia at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. We were told to definitely go and visit. On our way traveling to the North-East we stopped at an RV-park in South Carolina on the border to Georgia, so we decided to make a day-trip to Helen.
Screenshot
Helen is a small town in a beautiful part of Northern Georgia at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains adjacent to the Chattahoochie National Forest and Unicoi State Park. It started as a mining town and the forest of the mountains provided lots of timber for a sawmill. After the mines were closed in the 1920’s and the over-harvesting in the wood jobs went away and the town started to decline. In 1968 a group of local business men decided to give the town a Bavarian make over. Soon tourism picked up and visitors came in floods. Oktoberfest is a big occasion but German beer and food are available year round.
We stopped at Roper’s Clothing where the 88 year old Mrs. Roper spent a lot of time with us and told us about the history of the town. That alone was worth going into the shop but they also have high quality western wear and boots and other clothing.
We decided to go on a small hike first, while in the area and Anna Ruby Falls was very close to town. The road goes up the hills high along Unicoi Lake. The entrance fee was $5 per person above 16 years old. After a few miles we reached the parking lot and had a small picnic. With our stomach filled we set off on the half mile hike up to the waterfalls.
The short hike was beautiful. Although the scenery was constantly changing the view always was stunning. It was one of the prettiest hikes we have been on. The paved path along the beautiful mountain creek was pretty steep with lots of rocks and trees to climb for our children. They needed to burn some energy after a good hour in the car. There were plenty little lookouts along the winding river and lots of opportunities for a photo shoot.
Once you get closer to the falls you can already hear the gushing water and see them through the trees. They were magnificent and if you had not already taken a million pictures you sure would now. There are two falls of two creeks coming together.
One of the falls is is 5 feet high and the other cascades over 150 feet into the bolder filled basin at the bottom. The two creeks become Smith Creek which flows into the Chattahoochie River which flows through Atlanta.
After our hike we went to visit Helen. In Washington state we went to visit Leavenworth, another Bavarian town in the Cascade Mountains. There you have the impressive mountain back-drop while those hills in Helen are not as magnificent the river with several restaurants either side is a beautiful highlight. We spent a couple of hours walking through the small town and finally looked for some liquid nourishment and a snack.
We picked a restaurant by the river and had beer, cider and sausages. Normally I do not look for German beer in the US but the Dunkel was on tap, refreshing, delicious and hit the spot. Once refreshed and a couple beers later we headed back to the car for our one hour drive.
We had a great day in Helen and the hour drive was well worth it. The architecture looks authentic and could be out of Germany. But at the end of the day German people make a German town. If I was in the area I would definitely go back for the hikes, the country side and the brew. A lot of people come here from Atlanta and I can see why.
Mount Shasta from the road as we entered California
At the beginning of October we headed into California. We had to rush through to go to a conference in Phoenix and did not have enough time to see everything we wanted to see. But we still stopped at a few fun places like Yosemite, Joshua Tree National Park, Ladder Canyon, stayed near LA, Palm Springs and San Diego. On a hike in Yosemite I hurt my knee so we did not stop at Kings Canyon and Lake Tahoe, both areas we really would have liked to see.
Max and Josephine at a road side stop overlooking Yosemite Valley
One of our first stops was Yosemite National park. The closer we came on our drive there the more beautiful it became. Once we drove up to the park, and I mean uphill, the road became very curvy and it dropped of quite steep on one side. I was not very comfortable and the van was struggling with the incline. But we made it safely to the top and from there it was only a short ride to Yosemite Lakes Thousand Trails RV Park where we stayed for four nights.
We stopped for a photo on our way to the valley
We arrived as the sun was setting, during California’s golden hour and barely made check in. It was dark when we pulled into our site. The park was nice with lots of green and a creek running along one side. This is a Thousand trails park without a swimming pool but we did not miss it as we wanted to discover Yosemite. Cell phone reception was terrible, so the only internet was the free wi-fi from Thousand Trails at the laundry room unless you have Starlink. At the playground our children made friends very quickly, some of which we met elsewhere in California again. Volleyball, basketball, fishing, a lodge with TV and game room were also available but we wanted to discover Yosemite of course.
A view of Yosemite Valley
Once we had breakfast and set up properly we headed to Yosemite valley. The national parks pass ‘America the Beautiful’ granted us quick entry and the drive to the valley was very pretty with plenty of pullovers for photo opportunities and look out points. Once we had arrived at the valley we drove past some the well known sights like El Capitan, Bridal Veil falls, Three Brothers and others. There are plenty of campgrounds and hotels in the area. The river running through was very low as it is fed by the melting ice and snow. All of the water features were pretty dry, the best time to visit for those is in spring. We stopped a couple of times so the children could run around and climb some of the rocks.
The granite wall of El Capitan is one of the most famous destinations for rock climbers
The next day we started a little earlier and headed for Mariposa Grove. It is the best place at Yosemite to see the giant sequoia trees. You have to leave your car at a parking lot and take a shuttle to the grove. It is a relatively long drive but there are plenty of scenic view points along the way.
We stopped on our way to Mariposa Grove
The grove has several hiking trails to pick from. As some of our little ones were not ready to walk a whole lot and we had to carry them we took a shorter hike that took us to some of the bigger trees like California Tunnel tree and Old Grizzly.
California Tunnel TreeOne of the giant sequoia trees
The trees are massive and one just stands in awe next to those giants. The hike was just long enough for us and we were happy to get back home.
On day three everyone was tired and nobody wanted to go out. Basti and I decided to hike up to Yosmite Falls, a trail that is about 3.5 miles one way and rises 2425 feet. It was pretty strenuous but the views are magnificent. On the first part of the hike we walked along switchbacks through the woods and could not see much. After about a mile we reached Columbia Rock and had the first great view of the valley.
A quick selfie at Columbia Rock
It was stunning. Halfdome was visible from there as well. We took in the view and had a small rest before we carried on. From here it was more rocky and almost like walking up stairs. Views of Halfdome kept popping up along the way over and over again. At some point we got to see our final destination, Upper Yosemit falls but there was only a trickle coming down. Yosemite Creek is fed by the melting snow and ice so must be a majestic sight in the spring. In October however the water did not make it to the bottom of the fall. The granite wall that makes the valley is huge though and we knew we still had to climb quite a bit.
We made it to the top of Yosemite Falls
Once we reached the top, we went to a couple of spots to look down into the valley. There was no barrier so one can walk right up to the edge. The creek was not moving very fast, the water was cold and very clear. The sun was very low so we had to hurry to make it down before it got dark.e
By the time i had reached the top my knee was hurting and I had to walk downhill pounding my knee with every step. I tried to compensate but that did not really work. In the next few days I was handicapped and we sadly abandoned plans to visit Kings Canyon. We knew through research that the hike was going to be a challenge which we gladly accepted.
The next day we headed South, fortunately on a different route than the one we came on. I don’t think we spent enough time in the area and could have easily spent another week. For me it was one of the best stops we have made and it is definitely a place I would like to revisit one day.
On our travels South along the West coast we spend about a month in Washington before we entered Oregon. Mount Rainier (YouTube) was our favorite hike possibly on our entire trip so far. Everything had been perfect for us, the weather, the time of year, we saw animals, found blueberries and most of all enjoyed that amazing scenery.
A family picture at Mount Rainier
Of course we wanted more like that but we knew Mount Rainier was going to be hard to beat. Mount Hood was close to the Washington Oregon border so we decided to stop and see what hikes were available for us. Dogs are unfortunately not allowed in the Mount Hood National Park area and we did not want to leave anyone behind because of her. So we decided to hike outside of the park where we could take Freya, our beautiful boxer. Mirror Lake Trail seemed to be perfect for our family. Its a loop around a lake with Mount Hood mirroring in it. It started near a skiing area with parking 5$ per vehicle.
Mount Hood from our boondocking spot
We were boondocking a few miles from the entrance. there were probably 15 campers in the strip off the main road, but everyone had plenty of privacy. there was a Thousand Trails RV park nearby but we had just left one in Washington state and could not get into the next one for about 5 days or so.
Pauline makes it look easy
We wanted to stay only for a few days anyway so boondocking was perfect for us. Mount Hood is one of about a dozen of volcanoes in the Cascade mountain range. It has not been active for a while and is a popular destination with close proximity to Portland. On the day of our hike we had breakfast, packed a few snacks and some water and headed to the trail head. The ski resort is right by the trailhead and you can see the lifts and the slopes.
Romi is carrying her own water and snacks and is doing well on the trip up.
We headed up towards the lake on a 2 mile trail with an elevation of about 460 feet. There were a lot of switchbacks mostly through the forest so there were not many view points but streams and bridges made the hike interesting enough.
All the kids had their feet in the water and some went in but the water was cold.
Once we arrived we walked around the lake and sat down to stick our feet in the water. It was a beautiful sunny day and the kids had fun splashing in the crystal clear water. I explored the area and discovered a few primitive campsites. It must be pretty quiet up there at night.
Mount Hood in the background
The view of Mount Hood was very pretty, too. After the children had spent enough time in the lake we headed back down got on our way back to the camper. We drove past a sign for Timberline Lodge so I had to stop there and have a look. Timberline Lodge is also known as Overlook Hotel from Stanley Kubrik’s “The Shining”.
Noah in front of the main entrance to Timberline Lodge
We parked the car and I went into the hotel to have a look. You are able to walk around the ground floor and there were a few exhibits. The axe or a axe with ‘here’s johnny’ written on it was one of them. Theodor Roosevelt stayed there with his wife as well and is remembered. Most of the movie however had been filmed inside a studio so the inside of the hotel did not look much like in the movie.
The skiing area at Mount Hood has the longest season in the continental US. It is open year round as long as there is snow.
Overlook Hotel as it is known in The Shining
We headed back to our camper and left after a few days. Mount Hood is well worth visiting, our hike may not have been as memorable as the one on Mount Rainier but it is a great place to spend time in the outdoors. definitely go visit if you’re in the area.
At the end of July we arrived in Washington state so we made the trip from Florida to the opposite side of the country. It felt like a little achievement. (Un)fortunately we had spent way more time in Idaho than we had planned so that we had to rush down the West coast faster than we would have liked or than this part of the United states deserved. In Washington State we visited, among other things, the little German town of Leavenworth and Mt Rainier (check out our video) but missed the Puget Sound- Whidbey Island, San Juan Island, the Olympic Peninsula etc. In Oregon we went to see Mt Rainier, Mt Hood, the Oregon Coastline, went mushroom foraging and more. The last sight we went to see in Oregon was Crater Lake.
We parked our house on wheels on a forest road off of route 138 and stayed 3 nights. After driving a couple hundred miles and setting up we took it easy, discovered the area a bit and had dinner. With our T-mobile mobile internet we had a decent signal and were able to work online.
The next morning we set of to go to the lake. With our National Parks Pass – America the Beautiful – we had quick access but there was not a long line at the gate anyway. The road to get to the lake is quite long but when you drive up to the rim you are in awe with what you see.
The view is spectacular, there is a steep drop and slopes to the lake, the water is very clear and the sky is perfectly mirrored in the lake as there is not a lot of wind at the surface of the lake. Wizard Island is the center of attention. There are plenty of view points where you can park your car and take photographs.
Crater Lake was formed through an eruption and collapse of a volcano (Mt Mazama) and is the deepest lake in the United States at 1949 ft. The lake is 5 by 6 miles across and the rim is 7000 to 8000 feet high.
We wanted to hike the Garfield Peak Trail so we drove to one of the lodges and started our hike. It started of through trees and then got moderately steep and there were a few switch backs. We walked for about 50 minutes but two of our girls started slipping on the gravel and I was uncomfortable taking them further up. Along one side of the trail was a steep drop-off. So we turned around and drove a little more along the rim.
The next day we came back and drove in the opposite direction. We arrived at the trailhead of Cleetwood Cove Trail and parked the car so the kids could run around and have a look. I walked down part of the trail. It was steep and had switch backs pretty much all the way down to the cove. The trail is 2.1 miles long with an elevation change of 610 feet.
There is a boat that will take you to Wizards Island or just around the lake. The lake was stocked with fish until 1941 but fishing is allowed and welcome. Two species remained, Kokanee salmon and rainbow trout.
After that we carried on a little further but it started getting dark so we went back to the camper for dinner.
Crater lake is definitely worth the visit even if you just drive around the rim. I would love to go back one day to hike and maybe swim in the lake. But for now we are headed to California to see more of this beautiful country.
After visiting Phoenix for a LV conference we decided to spend some of the winter in Southern California. There are a few Thousand Trail RV parks in Southern Arizona but they are all age limited (55+). So we decided to go back to Southern California where there are a few Thousand Trails as well.
We went to Palm Springs Thousand Trails and had the best time there. The park is clean, the pool area is great, there were lots of children for ours to meet; but most of all the staff there are super friendly and forthcoming. They helped us with our future reservations and we never had an issue with anything. There were also daily activities for the children.
The pool area at Thousand Trails, Palm Springs. We went there on a day pass to do Laundry and use the pool.
After 2 weeks we had to leave however and decided to spend a week on the BLM land at the South-entrance of Joshua Tree National Park. I had read about it researching where to stay and only found positive feedback. we arrived in the afternoon filled up with water and gas and were ready to spend the week.
As you get off route 10 and head towards the park after about half a mile is a road running parallel to route 10 with a lot of spots. To our surprise there were already about 30 RVs, something we had not experienced before. Usually there are 5-10 spots. but here was room for probably 50 more easily. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land is just outside the park and stretches for miles in both directions. Because the area is so large there is plenty of privacy. Our closest neighbors were about 100 yards away from us. So there is plenty of room for our children to play, to make lots of noise and still not bother anyone.
The beginning of the dirt road leading to many boondocking sites.
We stayed there in mid November for a week and came back again at the beginning of December. The weather was very comfortable but it got chilly at night. You are supposed to only stay 14 days at one place but we never noticed anyone stop and check.
Sunset in the desert.
As we are a large family we go through our water very quickly and after 3-4 days we are usually out. If you enter Joshua Tree National Parks South entrance you head towards Cottonwood Campground. There is a dump station and fresh water so we took the trailer to dump and fill up with fresh water. There was no sign so we did not pay anything. We have the annual America the Beautiful National Parks membership so we entered the park with that but there is no barrier or ranger station you have to pass.
The dirt road stretches for miles.
You are in the desert here but there are plenty of shrubs, bushes and small trees. The ground was mostly gravel but it was compact enough for our rig not to get stuck. The kids played ball and bocce outside, rode their bikes and dug holes with the shovel we have.
We had plenty of space and spread out.
The internet there was good enough to stream video over our T-mobile internet gateway. The mountains of Joshua Tree are right behind you and there is an area that is managed by the LA water district which you are not allowed to enter. As long as you stay away from it you are fine to spread out as much as you want. We saw several groups of trailers in a circle who met over the weekend. There were expensive motor homes, Trailers, camper vans and people camping in tents.
We had plenty of campfires whereas most of California has a ban. There are stone rings set up everywhere.
There are plenty of things to do in Joshua Tree NP as well. We took the children on a hike, bouldering and also just drove from one end to the other with plenty of stops for all the different sites. All in all we felt very safe as there very a lot of campers and we left our trailer by itself to go to town for shopping etc. It is definitely a place we will use again if we feel in need to stay somewhere in Southern California.
There are 8 active volcanoes in the cascade mountains, the most famous one probably Mount Saint Helens after it’s eruption in 1980. The Tallest one is Mount Rainier with a height of 14,410 feet. We were between Mt Rainier and Mt Saint Helens at a campground and decided to hike in Mt Rainier National Park with our kids (watch on YouTube). We did climb up Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock in Arizona’s Red Rock Country and the children loved it as much as Andrea and I did. There is a big difference in the climate between Arizona and Washington state. Arizona was dry, hot and dusty whereas Washington gets a lot of rain and the weather is more moderate. Obviously that has a huge impact on the vegetation. The Pacific North West is very mountainous with tall conifers. We fell in love with northern Idaho and Washington is growing on us much the same.
We take a small break close to Glacier Vista
Our ride to Mt Rainier National Park took a bit longer than an hour and we stopped along the way to get some snacks. We made sandwiches which we ate on the ride to the park. At the entrance was quite a long line of cars. We have the “America the Beautiful” Pass and were able to skip much of it. After getting through the gate we had to drive about 10 more miles to get to Paradise where you find the visitors center and the Paradise Inn. We had looked the night before and knew which trails to hike. A ranger at the trail head gave us some more information and we were ready to start.
This is the view from the the visitors center, the Paradise Inn is in the backgrond.
Unfortunately we could not take our oldest son, Noah, with us. He volunteered to stay behind with our dog as pets are not allowed on the trails. Everybody else came with us. Andrea carried Bodhi pretty much all the way and I carried Romi. We started hiking the Alta Vista trail and were surprised how steep it was. This was hard especially with the kids on our shoulders. It felt like we were very out of shape but this was also the steepest part of the hike. Once we had reached the top of the trail which is only .6 miles long, we were rewarded with some spectacular views and a pretty good outlook of what was to come. There was the snow-covered top of Mt. Rainier at one end and smaller mountains all around us, rivers, waterfalls, trees and meadows with beautiful wild flowers. It was stunning.
This is past the steepest part of the Alta Vista climb walking towards Rainier.
We headed further uphill, now on the Skyline Loop Trail, which we followed until the end, toward Glacier Vista but the hike was much more comfortable from this point on. Just before Glacier Vista we had reached the tree line. We also saw patches of snow for the first time. Of course the kids had to play on it, touch it and make snowballs. I am not sure when we saw snow for the last time. There were a few flurries before we left Virginia in December, so it must have been in the winter before. It was strange to see snow but we were wearing shorts and t-shirts. It just shows you how much snow there must have been.
There is still snow left but it is relatively warm.
The trails are open from June or July until October.
The hike is partially paved and the we love the trees all around us.
At Glacier Point you stand right by the mountain at the level where the snow starts. There were waterfalls and more beautiful views. The kids got a break, Pauline walked up until here and the rest of the way which impressed us a lot. We did not expect that from our little five year old but it shows how resilient kids are. We carried on uphill towards Panorama Point at an altitude of 6800 feet (almost 2000′ higher than Cathedral Rock). The trail was now rocky and dusty but the views all around werestunning. The weather was gorgeous and a few small clouds floated by the top of Rainier.
Mount Rainier with a few clouds above it.
There is a platform at Panorama Point and you can see much of the Cascade mountain range. Mount Adams, Mount St Helens and Mt Hood are all visible from here along with other mountains.
In the background you can faintly see Mt Adams
The view down into the valley never ceased to amaze, always changing into another beautiful picture as we moved along. The path kept on going uphill for a little longer and at we soon reached the crossing onto Golden Gate Trail which was a direct line back to the parking lot. But we were not ready to head back yet. so we decided to stay on Skyline Loop. The kids enjoyed more patches of snow along the way.
View towards the visitors center from our hike down
Once we reached the tree line again we found more streams, waterfalls, green meadows, pretty wild flowers and even saw groundhogs and chipmunks. There only seemed to be green from the trees and and the blue of the sky sprinkled with the colors of the wild flowers.
Subalpine Daisies
When we were within a mile to the visitors center we found blueberries. That obviously added some more time to our trip. How could you pass up something as delicious as wild blueberries and there were plenty and they were delicious.
We spent well over an hour picking these beautiful and delicious oval-leaf blueberries.
Sluiskin Falls is another place of interest. You walk over a bridge and have the opportunity to walk down steps in oreder to get right in front of it with Mt Rainier as a backdrop. A perfect opportunity to take some more photographs.
In front of Sluiskin Falls, Mount Rainier is in the background but here can only see the bottom with snow.
After that we found a bunch more blueberries and had a groundhog walk the opposite direction on the same path we were taking. It took him some time to build up the guts to walk past us but he needed to get to the other side of us to get some of the blueberries. The trail ended by the Paradise Inn. From there we had about 10 more minutes to walk to the car.
Paradise Inn
In the parking lot we saw a couple of hikers who were preparing to go to the top at night. We were a bit confused at first as to why they would go at night but they explained that it was safer as the snow and ice get soft and unsafe during the warm weather. It was only the two and they did not have a guide so they decided to walk at night. We started our hike at around 1pm and got back to the car a little before 8pm. We had a lot of brakes and walked a slow pace because of the little ones but we were amazed at Pauline as she walked the whole 5.5 miles although it seemed a little longer than that.
one of the many bequtiful vistas.
This hike was something we will remember for the rest of our lives. As we will remember Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock. Thee constant beauty of nature, the sight of the mountain, the snow the flowers and animals will always be in our mind. We love that we did it with our children as they hopefully have another beautiful of our trip through the United States.
Meet a Catholic family that will not take the COVID-19 vaccine, or permit their children to take it, or wear masks, no matter what the cost.
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June 11, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — Andre Ebert is willing never to go home to Germany rather than wear a mask on the flight, let alone accept a COVID-19 vaccine.
The executive chef and his wife Andrea, also a professional chef, are the parents of six children – with one more on the way. They told LifeSiteNews in a recent interview that they will not take the COVID-19 vaccine, or permit their children to take it, or wear masks, no matter what the cost. And the costs are potentially very high: restaurants are requiring staff to wear masks and Europe – mecca of many food professionals – is currently inaccessible, thanks to airlines’ mask mandates.
But as traditional Catholics, they refuse to bend the knee to government-imposed narratives they believe are false.
“I think it’s not just COVID,” said Andre, who grew up in socialist East Germany.
“It’s also what’s going on politically at the moment. It seems to me that we are on a trajectory towards communism.”
Andrea recalled commiserating with her mother-in-law in how “horrible” it must have been to live under the privations and restrictions of life behind the Iron Curtain and being shocked when the older woman revealed that they “were very comfortable in their prison.”
Her husband has been troubled to find the same willingness to accept whatever the state chooses to hand out among Americans today.
“The government is doing what the ‘scientists,’ the authorities, tell us to do, and they are following that,” Andre said.
“Nobody wants to stand out. When you go into the grocery store, everybody’s wearing masks,” he continued.
“It’s like a bunch of zombies doing what the government tells you. You feel out of place, almost, if you’re not wearing a mask. People look at you.”
Andrea said that it was hard to reach people who don’t follow the family’s health philosophies, which include an emphasis on excellent nutrition, because “they’re so sucked into this world of fear and lies.”
Knowing the truth, she said, makes one almost “immune” to propaganda and free from fear.
Andre suggested that knowing how the COVID-19 vaccine is made makes someone morally obliged to reject it.
Regarding masks, Andre said people had told him that it was “just easier” to wear them, so they can “get what they want.” He himself has been denied entrance to shops because he was not wearing a mask.
Andrea thinks the way to cope with push-back against the couple’s freedom-loving stance is to face the worst that could happen to them – including the extremely slim chance of dying of COVID-19 – and then plan for it.
“You almost have to face the consequences and be fine with it, and then it’s amazing how God catches you every time and it’s actually better.”
‘We’ll take our chances with the virus rather than with the vaccine’
Andre is dubious that they or their children have much to fear from COVID-19; the experimental COVID-19 vaccines, however, are another story.
“If you’re healthy, you don’t have to worry about the virus,” he said.
“Children don’t have to worry about the virus. I think we’ll take our chances with the virus rather than with the vaccine.”
His wife, who describes herself as “very freedom-motivated,” has made their objections to the official COVID-19 narratives very public. Andrea believes that the way to “attract your tribe,” that is to say, likeminded people, is “speaking the truth.” Thus, she had always been very open about her views on home-schooling vs. the public education system when she tackled the COVID-19 issue in February 2020.
“I almost feel like we have a moral obligation to start sharing and speaking up, and the more people that speak up, we get stronger in our convictions,” Andrea said.
“We come together like a very powerful tribe, and then we become the force to be reckoned with.”
The pregnant mother offered the example of going mask-free to her ultrasound appointment and thus befriending a likeminded, but then less bold, employee in the office.
Regarding the earthly delights of Europe, its fabled restaurants and delicious bakeries, the couple has been building their own home-based business so that they would be free to travel throughout the continent with their children. But in adjusting this dream to embrace a trip around the United States, Andrea reflected on the story of Lot’s wife and her own teenage hankering for New York City, which her “conservative” Nicaraguan mother thought God might destroy any minute. There must have been something about Sodom and Gomorrah that Lot’s wife valued, Andrea believes, and that’s why she turned around.
Andrea used to worry that she herself would be like Lot’s wife but has discovered that she is not tempted at all to give up her convictions just to go back to Europe.
“Europe is far worse off than the United States,” she said.
“It has lost all its lure, all its spice and flavor and appeal because [of] the [establishment’s] slave system,” she continued, adding that she didn’t want to have anything to do with it.
“Even if it means that we’ll never go to that bakery again, we’ll never go to that restaurant again, we’ll never see that place again – it’s lost its appeal.”
LifeSiteNews has produced an extensive COVID-19 vaccines resources page. View it here.
There has been so much going on since we got on the road in mid December, learning as we went along, starting our YouTube channel and social media, figuring out how to live in limited space, cooking in a tiny kitchen and outside, where and how to boondock between destinations, even homeschooling on the road….. I could go on and on. It has been a lot of fun and some chaos as you can imagine with seven children but we have all enjoyed it and grown as a family.
This is the reason why it took us so long to get going with this blog and why we are starting in the middle of our journey. After spending the Christmas and the winter in Florida we made our way to Texas in the beginning of March. We flew through Alabama but stopped in Mississippi and Louisiana but did not spend nearly enough time there.
Texas was very dry when we arrived and we really started enjoying it properly once we reached the Hill Country, San Antonio and the Northern part of the state.
We have bunch of videos on YouTube if you would like to follow us there.
In the middle of May we started heading further West to Arizona where we are staying in the Sedona/Verde Vally area.
Amarillo, Our First destination
Our first destination was Amarillo, but we left Bay Landing late and only traveled a couple of hours. We took 287 and stopped halfway at a rest area to spend the night. As we are storing the bicycles in the trailer when we travel we have limited space, but still enough for everyone to sleep comfortably. The generator provides enough power to run the A/C and the fridge as well. In the beginning it was a bit strange to sleep in a rest area but now we don’t mind at all.
By the way, our favorite rest area is on I75 near Tampa. We stayed there on several occasions while moving from on park to another.
After a quick breakfast, which could be bagels and egg or baguette and ham and some reading and math for the children, we got back on the road to go to Amarillo. We stopped at Cadillac Ranch and the children had fun spray-painting the 10 cars.
The Ranch, located west of Amarillo on the old Route 66, is an example of hippy art and was started by an art group from California that called themselves Ant Farm. It is supposed to be a tribute to the evolution of the Cadillac tail-fin. Ten successive models were buried halfway in the ground front facing down.
Today each car is covered at least an inch thick with graffiti. It was the first of a few stops on the mother road that is the old Route 66. after our visit at Cadillac Ranch we drove along a small part of 66 and then went to Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
By that time it was already late and we did not have enough time to see as much as we would have liked and as the canyon deserved. We would have stayed but did not have reservations nor could we as there is absolutely no cell phone signal.
We still had enough time to take in some of the rugged beauty and vastness of Palo Duro. As I am not very good with heights I was very nervous about the kids running along the edges of the cliffs. They don’t seem to have any fear. We spend a couple of hours before we left as the park was closing to the public. It is definitely a destination we recommend to anyone and will come back to visit.
Next Stop Santa Fe
After our visit in Amarillo it was time to carry on toward Arizona where we had reservations at the Thousand Trails RV park near Sedona. We headed down Route 40 and again stayed at a rest area near Albuquerque. After 2 months we had exited Texas. The next morning after some home schooling, we headed to Santa Fe to visit Loretto Chapel and saint Joseph’s stair case. Andrea and I fell in love with the city, it’s small houses built in the style typical to the area, like the houses of the puebloans painted in the reddish clay color, it’s small roads and the vegetation. Mountains are all around the city. The whole drive through New Mexico lead through a dry countryside with little vegetation so it was nice to see grass and trees. The city is small for being a state capital, very clean and there are lots of little colorful shops. At 7200 feet it is very high and it got cold at night. It was quite unusual as we had to dig deep to find clothes appropriate for the weather. It had been hot everywhere we stayed but because of the altitude it was colder.
We found a place to park at the rodeo through the app Campendium and got full hook-ups. So we took advantage and had showers and cleaned up.
The next morning we headed back to the city and visited a few churches. On our way to Loretto chapel we stumbled across another church, San Miguel Chapel, Americas oldest church. It was built in 1610 and is still an active church. Right next to it was one of Americas oldest houses. It is used as a museum and a gift shop.
From Mission San Miguel we had to walk a couple of blocks to get to the Loretto Chapel. It is now privately owned after it was handed over by the Sisters of Loretto to a private family to prevent it from being demolished.
As the story goes after the church had been built there was no staircase to get to the choir loft. The sisters of Loretto prayed a novena to Saint Joseph the carpenter, the foster father of our Lord, to help with the building of a staircase. After the novena was finished a man showed up with a few simple tools. He built the staircase by himself without the use of glue or nails. What makes it so unique is that there is no central column to support the structure. Architects are still baffled to this day how the structure still stands to this day when it should have collapsed as soon as one put his foot on it. The man who built the staircase disappeared as soon as he was finished without being paid. The wood he used is not from the area. Many believe Saint Joseph built the stairs himself. Regardless, there is a lot of mystery surrounding the staircase, so much so that we had heard of it and decided to visit.
Another church we decided to visit was the shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was closed however so we went back home for dinner after which we headed back to Route 40 to make some headway get to Arizona.
The next day we wanted to visit El Morro National Monument, a place of natural beauty and site of the remains of pueblo culture. Because of the heat and drought and the danger of wild fire the park was closed however and we were not able to visit or hike as we had planned. On our way through the area we crossed the continental divide at 7800 feet high. I had not noticed that we were that high, I did not want to drive that high with our rig but in the end it was not a problem at all. I guess it depends on the road and there were no big descends.
After getting back on Route 40 we decided to follow the old 66 and stopped at Gallup. We were hoping to see some remnants of the historic road but were disappointed. There was not much left of it and what we saw was not very pretty. We left a little disappointed and headed towards Arizona. That night we decided to visit the Petrified Forest National Park the following day. We were not sure at first as we did not know what to expect but we were not disappointed. It was one of the most impressive stops we had made since we got on the road.
The Petrified Forest
After breakfast and and home schooling we left for the National park. We did not have to drive far as we got close the day before. We entered through the South gate and stopped at the museum and gift shop. The museum’s exit led to a trail with all kinds of logs and sections of petrified wood. The color spectrum is quite incredible and with some of the trunks it was hard to believe that the wood had been petrified. The views throughout the park are incredible but seemed to get better, the further we went along in the park.
After we had finished walking the trail we got back into the car and followed the road. We stopped on several occasions and saw more petrified wood, Jasper Forest, Blue Mesa, Petroglyphes, remnants of a pueblo village, a memorial to the old Route 66 with an old car, a plaque and even some of the poles that ran along the road, the most stunning views at a variety of pull overs, the Painted Desert Inn and walked a couple more hikes.
The night before we were seriously contemplating not going to the park but thankfully made the right decision. We spend probably 8 hours but on occasion rushed through and could have easily spend more time. The park closes at 7:30, so we got back on the road after exiting close to route 40. Our next destination was Flagstaff with a few stops along the way first. On our drive in the night we must have passed Winslow so we did not get to stand on the corner. But we took the exit to Winona and saw the Rocks Creek Bridge.
We also stopped at Two Guns, a ghost town established in the early nineteen hundreds. Way before then a massacre happened when apparently Navajo Indians killed some Apache Indians in a cave. Billy the Kid and his outlaw gang spent a winter in a ruin across Diablo Canyon near Two Guns
In the early nineteen hundreds a businessman purchased the land and built a shop near the cave where the massacre had happened. He sold some land to another business man who built the gas station, a shop and a restaurant.. again another businessman leased some land and built a Zoo. There are still ruins from that time and on one of the exhibits you can read Mountain Lions. It was quite a walk from the exit of route 40 but very interesting to look back into the past. the walk along the cliff where there had been some of the cages was very pretty, too.
The gas station close to the exit was sprayed with graffiti and the smell reminded me of Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo because of the spray paint. After about 45 minutes it wwas time to get back on the road. We stopped quickly at Two Arrows, a gas station that had two giant wooden arrows stuck into the ground in front of it (one of which was lying on the ground). The gas station was in ruins but the pumps were still standing and one could walk through the building which was again covered with graffiti.
Our plan was to also stop at Walnut Canyon National Monument but because of construction we missed the exit and as it was already later in the day we decided not to turn around. Instead we drove along the Old 66 in Flagstaff which was definitely one of the nicer and better kept parts of the old road and much nicer than what we had seen in Gallup. I would like to stop at Seligman which is supposed to be very a great memorial to 66.
While we were driving through Cottonwood and Clarkdale we saw some beautiful reminders of the historic 89A something I expected from Route 66 in a lot of locations.
Later that night we made it to our camp ground near Cottonwood. We had to descend from Flagstaff some 3000 feet with a descend of up to 6% for 16 miles.
After some white knuckle driving in the dark, at least I was not distracted by the breathtaking views along the way, we made it down the mountain and arrived a day earlier than planned.
Now we have 2 weeks in the area and can enjoy some of the nicer RV parks and sceneries of our journey.
When we were traveling to Utah to go to a biohacker convention, we stayed at a RV resort in the beautiful, Sedona area of Arizona. We fell in love with that part of the state pretty much immediately. On our travels lately we had seen mostly desert and savannah and it was a nice change to see trees and grass.
We stayed at an RV-park in near Cottonwood and fell in love while driving through. So we decided to explore the area a little more and visited the neighboring Clarkdale and Jerome.
Jerome is a town built into Cleopatra mountain, part of the Black Hills in the Prescott National Forest 100 miles North of Phoenix on Route 89A in Yavapai county.
The view of Jerome as you drive closer
The drive was breathtaking, going uphill with beautiful views, steep drop-offs and windy roads. Jerome has an elevation of 5000 feet
Mining History
Jerome is an old mining town that had it’s hay-days in the 1920’s.
Hokoam people were the first to settle in the area. others followed, some of which started mining the copper ore – visible on the surface.
Explorers from Spain did not harvest the copper ore as they were sent to find gold and silver.
Arizona was part of Alta California and Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico the was ceesed by Mexico at the end of the Mexican American War in 1848.
Two large ore bodies were harvested by two mining companies. At it’s height in the 1920’s 10,000 people lived and worked in Jerome. A smelter and various other businesses depending on the mining industry established in the town. A school, a post office, churches and fraternal organizations followed with brick buildings and gas lighting.
The head frame of one of the mines, Little Daisy mine in the background
businesses depending on alcohol, gambling and prostitution boomed as the population was 78% male.
Demand for copper fluctuated and so did the population of Jerome. Prices for copper dropped during the great depression and the amount of people living in Jerome dwindled. In 1953 the ore was exhausted and the mines close for good. At that point less than 100 people stayed in Jerome and the town gained it’s status as a ghost town.
Today galeries, restaurants, coffee houses, wineries, a state park and a museum attract tourists from all over the country. The Grand Hotel, formerly the Valle Verde Hospital is a hot-spot for ghost hunters as during its time as a hospital about 9000 people died there. It is apparently one of the most haunted places in Arizona.
We had a great time visiting the mine, although the State Historic Park was closed we were able to see little Daisy Mine. Its head frame is still standing and a few other artifacts were visible as well. You can stand on top of the opening of the mine above an abyss of 1900 feet.
The mine shaft of Little Daisy mine is over 1900 feet deep
on our way from the mine to the town we found an apricot tree and enjoyed the perfectly ripe fruit.
We enjoyed the apricots we picked off a tree after we left the mine.
The town of Jerome is built into the rock and bustling with history. Most houses have been remodeled but some have only the facade left. Gift shops, Ghost tours, coffee houses and restaurants, galleries and a glass blower are there for you to visit.
Looking up the hill toward the municipal building
We enjoyed our day very much and would recommend Jerome to everyone traveling through the area. The history, ghost tours, the beauty of the town or just the drive alone will make it well worth visiting the town.
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