What’s next?

In our last post, we hinted at the changes in our travel—and that we did in February. For the first time, we traded in our familiar RV setup for an Airbnb stay.

We found a great little place in the Queen Creek/San Tan Valley area of Arizona. It was about 40 minutes from Gold Canyon, where our friends spend the winter, and about 40 minutes from ABN’s sister’s home. Pretty much everything seemed to be 40 minutes away, which somehow worked just fine for us.

The house itself was a two-bedroom in a gated golf course community. It had everything we needed—fast internet, a well-equipped kitchen, and miles of walking paths right outside the door. The patio, complete with a fire pit, quickly became our favorite spot, especially for hosting “Tipsy Tuesday.”

People we passed on our daily walks were always friendly, though since we’re not golfers, we didn’t really get to know the neighbors. Still, it felt like a bit of luxury living for us—no waste tanks to deal with, laundry just a few steps away, and an upscale grocery store only 10 minutes down the road.

But the real highlight? Having the space to share with friends. And we made the most of it, starting with a visit from Captain’s high school classmate Don and his wife, Anne, who came to stay with us from College Station, Texas.

A lovely walk at Boyce Thompson Arboretum 

Since they had never been to Grand Canyon, an overnight trip was in order, staying in the historic El Tovar hotel. The views were as stunning as we remembered from previous visits.

Returning to San Tan Valley, we chose the gorgeous Oak Creek Canyon Scenic route, stopping for a brief visit in artsy Sedona.

On Tuesday we introduce them to our Colorado friends, Adele and Steve.

It was a wonderful week with wonderful friends.

Rex and Anna (for those who may not know, Captain’s brother and his wife) joined us from College Station for the second week. For the most part, they did their own exploring during the day, and we gathered around the table in the evenings. That’s when the real fun began—games of Texas 42 dominoes and the family's traditional Pinochle card game quickly became our nightly routine.

Hiking together in Catalina State Park near Tucson,  they had a taste of dessert scenery.

They happened to be here on a Tuesday, so———-

O.H.S.O Brewery in Gilbert, Arizona

We didn’t host overnight guests the third week, but did enjoy visiting with ABN’s sister Mary and husband Steve. We were so busy reminiscing and catching up we neglected to take many photos. We did, however, capture one memorable moment on a walk; an eagle nesting on top of an cell tower.

Later we learned three baby eagles had hatched.

At sister Mary’s suggestion, we made the drive to Scottsdale to visit ButterflyWonderland , home to the largest butterfly conservatory in North America with over 60 species of butterflies.

                    

As it turned out, our good friends, Nancy and Bruce from Washington State, who we met during Covid (affectionately known as part of the Covid Cronies), were camping nearby at Lost Dutchman State Park, so they joined us for Tipsy Tuesday.

The last week of our February stay, we welcomed our hometown friend, Roger, for whom “Roger the Pickup” got its name. It was a relaxing week mostly doing our own thing, which included a nice, easy two mile hike in San Tan Mountain Regional Park.

On Tuesday, Adele , along with good friends, Paula and Rick from Oregon, gathered on the patio to bid us adieu__ until next year.

As luck would have it, our good friends, Juanita and Greg from Maryland, along with their friends Anita and Tom, arrived in Phoenix a couple of days before we left. Since they were not there on a Tuesday, we improvised.

What a wonderful February! The weather was great and we gathered with some of our favorite people.

Returning home the first of March took a little getting used to—trading stress free days for a never-ending to-do list, along with cold, dreary weather and all those projects waiting for attention.

Still, there were bright spots. ABN dove right into preparing for the return of the butterflies and hummingbirds, while Captain settled in for March Madness.

Now, with spring just around the corner, we’re looking forward to longer days, blooming color, and gathering again for Tipsy Tuesday with our hometown friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The End of an Era

 

A truly rewarding chapter has come to an end. We have now returned the keys to The Wanderer to its previous owner—our friend Roger—grateful for all it has given us over the past ten years.

Traveling the U.S. in a motorhome was our dream as we approached retirement in 2014. As luck would have it, Roger was planning to sell his small 2005 Lazy Daze at the same time. It was an easy decision to purchase it and see if that kind of travel was truly for us. Our thinking was simple: if we loved it, we could always upgrade to something larger.

On August 28,2015, we embarked on our first cross-country adventure in The Wanderer. After 12 weeks away from home—14 states, 6,078 miles, five presidential libraries and museums, 32 wineries, four football games, and nine Walmart parking lot stays—we were in love.

She became our home away from home over the past decade. Captain poured his heart and soul into upgrades and tweaks for comfort, while ABN added her signature bohemian touches. Of all the adventures we experienced on the road, the most meaningful surprise was the friendships we formed along the way.

M

As she pulled out of our driveway for the last time, we sent her off with heartfelt wishes—that she continues to bring joy to Roger and his family.

While we may have aged out of RV travel, we have no intention of slowing down. The Beast—our Yukon Denali—is now our primary travel companion, ready for the next chapter of adventures.

It's not the same.

 

We miss The Wanderer! While traveling in The Beast is quicker (3-1/2 days vs. 9 days) and one could argue a bit more comfortable, especially for Captain, we tired quickly of hotels and restaurants. And we missed meeting other travelers at Harvest Host stays.

One thing we have learned is, all Hampton Inns are not the same. Having made many trips over the past 30+ years to Captain’s hometown in College Station, TX , we were familiar with the one in Texarkana, AR, so that was a no-brainer. However the one in Las Cruces, NM and the one in Midland, TX (a TRU hotel) are on our Never Again list.

Traveling the familiar route to Arizona, a lot of our conversations were about previous trips, so we revisited a couple of our past Harvest Host proprietors.

It was not the same as our memories were of sipping wine on the patio visiting with other travelers after the winery closed.

Our memory of this Harvest Host stay was sleeping in the parking lot, waking to a construction crew.

We did find an interesting brewery in Midland, TX.

On the other hand, there are pluses to traveling in a SUV over a motorhome, other than using a lot less gasoline; there is no worry about parking spaces; consistent high speed internet; and no need for dumping stations.

Even though we miss our “home”, in the vacation rental we enjoyed the full size shower, no laundromats and a full kitchen.

Our Airbnb in a retirement community was very nice with all the modern conveniences and many miles of walking trails.

We missed seeing the beautiful western sunsets, the view of the mountains, camaraderie of other travelers and the familiarity of our tailor-made creature comforts. But we were conveniently located near Fry’s grocery, Trader Joe’s and many other commercial entities. Most importantly, we were located midway between our friends in Gold Canyon and family in Chandler, and we had the opportunity to share our space with other friends and family.

To live life to the fullest as we age, we are embracing the changes.

Follow up,  February 28 - March 2, 2026

Our friend, Roger, joined us on for the return trip home which took us through scenic Salt River Canyon
in Arizona.

    

As I-40 follows the historic Route 66, we stopped for dinner at the iconic Del’s Restaurant which remains popular for folks passing through. We arrived just in time to avoid the long wait list.

We found the Fairfield Inns in Tucumcari, NM and Fort Smith, AK to be more comfortable and enjoyable  than the Hampton Inns we encountered on our westbound journey.

 

 

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