The Art of Travel Planning As We Head From Arizona to Florida

As we hopped onto Interstate 10 just south of Tucson and headed east, our 'Google Maps' guide politely informed us that we were to stay on this route for the next gazillion miles. Which was OK with us. After a month in Tucson, we were happy to be back in our 'plan as we go' travel mode. 

We actually have a destination ... Central Florida for Christmas. And with the current increase of Covid cases throughout the country, we have read that the safest way to visit family is to 'quarantine' for two weeks beforehand. So with our food pantry, snack cabinet, wine and beer cellar, and fridge full of provisions, we prepared for two weeks of 'togetherness' ...just you and me, babe ... as we make our way east.

Preliminary Planning

So how does one decided where to go when you have nowhere in particular to go and two weeks to get there?? Doug prefers to research the route ... and I like to try and give him helpful suggestions. Are there any interesting cities or historical sites along the way ... or anybody that we want to visit?? Unfortunately, hanging around big cities and dropping by to visit friends does not fit into the 'quarantine' method of travel that we have to stick to this time around. So Austin, Texas with its capitol building, fabulous music scene, and breweries galore will have to wait for another time. Friends who live along our route will understand that while it is hard, we will just wave as we pass by with the hope that we will be able stop for a visit next time around. But fortunately ... there is plenty of outdoor beauty for us to explore as we slowly make our way east.

Chiricahua National Monument

Many of our hiking friends in Tucson recommended a stop at Chiricahua National Monument. Located two hours east of Tucson, this is a magical area of hoodoos, pinnacles, and balancing rocks. As we drove into this 'wonderland of rocks', we knew that this would be a great place to explore.

Doug had originally picked out an eight mile hike that would have taken us into the heart of the park, but after arriving at noon, we decided that we didn't have enough daylight for that kind of ambitious endeavor. So we drove up the scenic eight mile Bonita Canyon Road and did the 3.3 mile Echo Canyon Trail through the grottoes of rock. Going counter-clockwise around this loop, we were treated to up-close views of Mother Nature's fabulous rock art collection that included: 

... balancing rocks

... appearing ready to topple down (hold on Doug!),

...tall spires, pinnacles, and leaning columns,

... stacks of cairns,

... narrow walkways,

... leading to magnificent views

... of the valley below.

There was a campground located in the park where we could have spent the night, but we were still in the high desert, and the high desert dips below freezing at night this time of year. While our propane heater will keep us warm, we worry about the external water pipes of our van freezing, so we decided to travel on. Consulting the IOverlander.com app, we saw that there was a Walmart about three hours down the road in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Since that would put us closer to our next 'natural' destination, we settled in for a fairly quiet and not quite so cold night's rest.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

As we entered Texas to continue our gazillion mile trip on I-10 across this very flat state, it seemed imperative that we stop to check out Texas' highest peak. Guadalupe Mountain rises up 8,749 feet above the desert below and is part of an ancient tropical inland sea reef that was left when the sea dried up many millions of years ago. Guadalupe Mountains National Park is one of the least visited national parks, which made it a perfect place for these 'socially isolating' travelers. 

As we drove in, the magnificent face of the other 'El Capitan' greeted us.

The road led us up to the Visitors Center where the road ends and the hiking trails begin. Once again, Doug had done his research and decided that the 4.2 mile (round trip) Devil's Hall Trail fit the bill. As we were about to find out, the splendor of Guadalupe Mountains National Park revealed itself as we hit the hiking trail. After initially hiking up a ways, we then descended into the dry wash that makes up Pine Springs Canyon. Let the rock scrambling begin!

Along the way we were treated to the bright autumn colors that adorned the maple, oak and ash trees growing along the wash.

After a mile of following the trail up, down, over, and around the rocks, we came to Hiker's Staircase. There was obviously no height or depth regulations when nature's forces formed these stairs, so climbing them proved to be another fun challenge.

The challenge was rewarded with a walk through a courtyard fit for non-royalty like the devil himself ... walls crumbing, rocks scattered everywhere, and a few scrawny plants pocking up through the cracks.

A little further down, the tall limestone walls of Devil's Hall led to more spectacular views of the surrounding park. Now to turn around and try to find our way back ... I like hikes like this that provide a mental as well as a physical challenge.

There was a primitive campground near the Visitors Center, but once again, the projected below freezing night time lows had us looking for a warmer resting spot. Another Walmart to the rescue! At this point, we had driven farther in the first two days than we had originally planned, and Doug tempted me with a proposal. If we put in two more longer travel days, we would be able to spend three days at one of my favorite campgrounds, Fort Pickens in the western panhandle of Florida on the Gulf coast. For sure! We found two Harvest Host breweries (bonus!) along I-10 to park for the night and after another seventeen hours of driving over the next two days, we were happy to see the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

But before we settled in on the beach for a few days, one other important stop needed to be added to the plan. One cannot drive this close to Pensacola, Florida without stopping by Joe Patti's Seafood. As we walked in, we are greeted by a huge display of every kind of seafood that you would ever imagine ... all recently brought in on the fishing boats that lined their dock.  It's moments like this that I wish I had a much larger frig/freezer! 

But only half of the shrimp we bought made it into the freezer. Doug enjoyed his 'I drove you a looonnngg way in just five days' reward at dinner that evening ... Shrimp and sausage in garlic butter over rice. (Super easy ... Get the recipe here.) I think it is best prepared on the grill, but since we don't have one, I happily made it on our propane stove.

Our Travel (non)Planning Hints

While we don't often have to drive long hours, it is nice to know that we can do it if needed with very little pre-planning needed. The Art of Travel Planning for us involves:

• Deciding what we want to see and do along the way. This may involve creating and checking off a 'travel bucket list' of destinations. All the state capitol buildings is on mine. Roadside America, The Atlas of the Obscure and similar sites can also provide some wacky, fun-to-see attractions along the way.
• Checking the short-term weather forecasts. We love the 70s and 80s for our music selection as well as for our preferred travel temperature range! 
• Hopefully not needed in the future ... but for now it is important to check Covid restrictions in the states that we are traveling through. Since we are self-contained, we did not encounter too many difficulties as those travelers needing to utilize restaurants, public rest rooms, and hotels. But as we found out earlier this summer, government-run campgrounds along with their facilities (showers, dump stations, etc) can also be affected. We also found that local masking requirements vary greatly city by city. It was a bummer to walk into one of our Harvest Host brewery locations in Mississippi anticipating a good burger or seafood to go with our craft brew, only to find that we were the only ones wearing masks ... and there was no outside seating. Needless to say ... I was Doug's favorite cook once again that night. 
• Utilizing camping apps to find overnight parking spots and dump stations. This co-pilot uses: ioverlander, RV Park Advisor, and Dump Stations By State.
• Getting a Harvest Host and Boondockers Welcome membership for free and interesting overnight camping options. Mention me when signing up for a Harvest Host or Boondockers Welcome membership, and we will both rack up extra benefits!
• Reading the road signs as you travel ... sometimes an interesting park, monument, or attraction will just appear right before your eyes. I noticed the sign that stated that Fort Bowie National Historical Site was on our route. Unfortunately, it was a 1.5 mile hike from the parking area to the site, and we were running out of daylight, so that will go on the 'travel bucket list' for another time.
• Being flexible and ...

enjoying the journey

... as well as the destination!

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