The GRAND Finale

On the south rim of the Grand Canyon, the RVers woke on Sunday, April 25, to cool temps and breezes. They gathered at the wagon master's campsite and began planning their day at the expansive Grand Canyon.  Most settled on some type of hike or bike ride around the south rim.  While the intent was to keep moving for exercise, that was hard to do with such beauty around each bend. 

On Sunday evening, the RVers gathered around the wagon master's site for sandwiches and treats, and stories of the day's adventures.  The warmth of the campfire helped the conversation flow.

On Monday, April 26th, the temps were a little cooler and more blustery. Some of the campers decided to follow an audio tour of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

The app provided some history and context as to how the Grand Canyon developed both geologically and as an American National Park, while suggesting important places to stop.

On Monday evening, the wagon master arranged a final dinner at the El Tovar Dining Room.  This was a fitting end to a wonderful experience. RVers dined on steak, duck, lamb and other delicacies.  The conversation was filled with excitement and ideas about what's next. The dinner lasted for a few hours but it seemed like it was over in minute.

On Tuesday, April 27, the RVers woke to a layer of snow around the campgrounds. Fortunately, there was a forecast predicting snow, so most were able to disconnect hoses.  

After the snow was cleared off gear, the RVers prepared for departure.  This was the end of the RV Club's April 2021 Caravan. 

When this caravan was first proposed last year in the beginning of the global pandemic, no one knew if it would become a reality. It had now been completed. Each RVer carried a little sense of accomplishment and pride in completing such an event when the odds were against us.  By the end of this caravan, discussion had already began about one or more caravans next year. It seems success begets success.

The RVers bid each other safe travels and some headed back to Las Vegas and some continued the journey.  Life continues...

Mesa Verde and the Southwest corner of Colorado

On Thursday, April 22nd, the RVers arrived at the Mesa Verde RV Resort and set up their campsites.  Soon after setup, the wagon master organized a wonderful dinner and evening fire pit at the park's outdoor gathering area.  While it was chilly...the fire pits and good conversation were warming.

On Friday, April 23rd, the RVers set out to tour Mesa Verde National Park. Several new terms were learned, such as kiva, BCE and CE.  RVers were amazed at the construction of structures into the sides of canyon walls and living/meeting areas below the Earth's surface.  Park rangers held informational presentations in front of sites to provide background and context.  After a day of exploration, the RVers met in Durango at the SKA Brewery for dinner. After dinner, the RVers returned to their rigs to prep for the next leg of the caravan. Friday night proved to be very chilly with the temperature dipping to about 26 degrees fahrenheit. The RVers renewed cold weather camping skills... especially the next morning when those frozen water hoses presented storage challenges.

On Saturday, April 24th, the RVers traveled over 250 miles in a caravan from Mesa Verde RV Resort to the Grand Canyon Trailer Village RV Resort.  They passed Four Corners, stopped at a Native Trading Post, and drove through Monument Valley and traversed the Navajo Nation.  Upon arriving at the Grand Canyon they were treated to incredible views of the canyon as they drove from the east entrance to the RV resort.  After checking in, the RVers set up camp and quickly formed a camp fire circle, with a yummy pulled pork sandwich and cold slaw dinner provided by the wagon master.  It was a delightful way to end a great day of travel. 

Now, on to exploring the grand canyon...

Moab in the rear view mirror...

The caravan has wrapped up a wonderful five days at the Portal RV Resort in Moab, UT. 

The group had an ambitious agenda during this stop.  Some of the locations visited included Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse State Park and the Lasal Mountains.  A trip to each of these parks could easily take an entire day.  Additionally, some RVers rented Jeeps and were guided on a tour of the Fins & Things 4x4 Trail and Hell's Revenge trail.

Several evenings were spent sampling the local restaurants.  It was in this at one of these restaurants where the campers learned what Moab was an acronym for...apparently it stands for "Mother Of All Burritos."

One night was also spent on the Canyonlands By Night and Day river boat tour of the Colorado River bluffs near Moab. It was a mix of live narration and prerecorded recounts of spiritual and western lore. Prior to setting sail, a tasty supper was served "cowboy style" of beef, potatoes, beans, and apple cobbler.

When the RVers woke on Thursday, it was time to continue the caravan. The RVers formed a line of rigs and pulled out on Hwy 191 south to Hwy 491, then in Cortez, CO the caravan merged onto Hwy 160 and eventually arrived at Mesa Verde RV Resort. 

After a quick setup, many of the RVers drove into Mesa Verde National Park to plot the visit for Friday. There was an app for Mesa Verde National Park made available by the US Parks Service; it was downloaded and made ready for Friday's visit.

Finally, the RVers had a fun campfire Thursday night with snacks and great company 

It is because of experiences like these that we RV.

Moab Arrival...

The RVers made it to Moab and spent the afternoon setting up.  Then came the rewards, yummy treats at Happy Hour with great company.  Wish the whole club was here!

On to Moab...

After a chilly night in Richfield, UT, the campers have broken camp and are heading out for about a 170 mile drive to Moab, Utah.

It's a brisk 39 degrees right now in Richfield. Looking forward to the next few days in some beautiful country. 

Richfield Utah

The caravan made it to Richfield, UT KOA for the night. It is 40 degrees and spitting snow. Who planned this trip???  LoL 😂

April 2021 Caravan

The April 2021 RV Club Caravan has offically started. It departed the Las Vegas area at about 9am. First stop, Cedar City for fuel, bathroom and goodies!  Next stop... Richfield.

Alaska Caravan

Fellow RVers,

Member # 51 is considering signing up for a commercial RV group tour to Alaska in 2022.  He would like to see if any of the RV Club members are also interested in signing up for such a trip.  It would obviously be sometime during the summer months of 2022.  The website that 51 is looking at is rvadventuretreks.com.

If you are interested in exploring this trip with 51, please respond to this post with your member number so he can contact you.  If you have a membership roster from one of the Club's monthly emails, please consult his member number for contact information if you prefer.

Welcome to the RV Club blog!

 Fellow RVers,

It's time for us to take the next step in the Club webpage and make it a little more interactive.  This blog will be a way to try that out.  We will try to do a little "live blogging" during the April Caravan so those of us on the Caravan can communicate and so members who want to can follow along.

It will be interesting to see how it evolves.

Members ID #22