Well almost. Our starting point for this summer’s journey was North Carolina. We had a great time catching up with relatives in Sparta and Charlotte. Sparta is nestled in the mountains near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Several family members have moved here, attracted by its small town, artsy vibe. We enjoyed an evening of music at the Muddy Creek Cafe. Niece Laura’s partner Patrick is in the Muddy Creek Band, which made it more fun for us. He’s the ultra cool dude in flannel, “wearing his sunglasses at night.”

We also spent a few days in Charlotte with Diane and Ric (John’s sister and our brother-in-law). In addition to enjoying delicious meals and warm hospitality, we visited the Charlotte Botanical Garden. It’s a bit of a hidden gem, and a lovely place to enjoy a shady, woodland walk.

The journey across the US is roughly 3,000 miles. Give or take, depending on diversions. Each time we make one of these big loops, we try to plan a different route. This time, we hoped to sample a few of the states we’d skipped in previous trips, especially Kentucky and Kansas.

From Charlotte, we headed north into Tennessee. Just west of Clarksville, we took the trace up through the Land Between the Lakes .

This large national recreation area is between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley in western Kentucky and Tennessee. The word “trace” refers to an informal trail. Like the Natchez Trace, this was a trail used by natives and early settlers.

The area features a number of excellent interpretive centers that detail the area’s long history. Like other areas that were acquired to build dams, politics and policies often butted heads and hearts. Today, the Forest Service manages the recreation area, which is used by thousands.

The original name was Buffalo Trace, a reference to the trail used by migrating bison. Current day visitors can observe bison in a pay-for-view bison prairie, which is managed by the park. It’s a drive-thru, and you don’t really get close to the bison, but it’s the best way to protect the four-legged wildlife from the two-legged wildlife.

The 300 miles of shoreline make the LBL a mecca for local outdoor enthusiasts, especially boaters. We stayed at the Eureka campground in Kuttawa, KY. We had a sweet campsite right near the water. Ducks, loons, and other birds kept us company.

We were only in camp for a few minutes when a yellow warbler came to check out our camp chairs as a possible nesting site.

We gently dissuaded her, although it was fun watching her investigate.

We turned and started into Missouri. As we turned, so did the weather. We checked into our site at Washington State Park in De Soto, Missouri, as the skies darkened. Before the rains came, we drove out to a petroglyph site within the park. This area contains Missouri’s largest concentration of petroglyphs.

Washington State Park was built in the 1930s by the African-American stonemasons of the Civil Conservation Corps, known as Company 1743. Many of the stone structures still stand today. The Thunderbird Lodge, currently the camp store, has been lovingly restored and maintained.

The park is proud of its heritage and continues to celebrate those who built the park. We saw this announcement for an upcoming event.

Back at camp, our camphost alerted us to an advancing storm and tornado warnings. The rains came overnight, but without dangerous winds. It reminded us how mindfully Mid-westerners watch the skies for danger. The next day, we were greeted with bright sunshine and a good day to travel. We packed up and continued on our way.

In Kansas, we stayed at Lucas Park on Lake Wilson, near Sylvan Grove. What a surprise to find a vast lakeside campground in Kansas!

From Kansas, we crossed into Colorado and, while we were pleased with our trip so far, Colorado views are pretty hard to beat.

We camped in the White River National Forest near Dillon Dam. The closest town is Silverthorne. We were treated to views of snow-capped mountains, puffy clouds, and the reservoir’s blue waters.

On a lakeside hike, we saw osprey in their nest.

This was a dry camping site, which meant no electricity, flush toilets, or showers. But, the trade-off was quiet time in beautiful surroundings.

At 9,000 feet, the alpine wildflowers are tiny, but sturdy. Protected by rock outcroppings, they pop up along the trails.

And the occasional ground squirrel scurries by. These little clowns – something between a chipmunk and a squirrel – pop up everywhere.

Fruita, CO, was our next stop, where we stayed in the James Robb State Park. Not a mountain top, but along the Colorado River with a paved biketrail into the town of Fruita.

This was a nice transition to lower altitudes, although the warmer temperatures were challenging. When you get to your campsite and see a ramada over the picnic table, it’s a safe bet that it’s going to be hot.

Even though it was hot, it was great to be back in the land of hot showers and flush toilets.

We rode our bikes into Fruita, which looks like a sweet town. Sorry, I wish I’d taken pictures of this one. It’s worth a return trip: cute-looking shops, lots of flowers and gardens, (so many roses!) and a charming town square.

We said good-bye to Colorado, for now, knowing it will always be on our return-trip bucket list. We set our sights on Utah and continued. Our first stop was Dead Horse Point State Park, where we camped in the Kayenta section. The park is about half an hour from Moab.

It’s dry camping here, too, because ALL the water is trucked in from Moab. Thousands of gallons per week. The high temperatures followed us and we found ourselves tailoring our activities accordingly. The park is stunningly beautiful. Sunny days were followed by starry nights.

This is where a lot of scenic Utah photos are created. In fact, the final scene of the movie Thelma and Louise was shot here in the canyon.

On our second day, we went into Moab for the No Kings March. It was heartening to see more than 500 people- of all ages and backgrounds- come out in near 100 degree weather to exercise their right to protest. We watched folks industriously making signs and mingling with like-minded neighbors. Moab is a city that survives on tourism, mostly outdoor and wilderness-based activities. So, proposals to sell off public lands are of tremendous concern for locals.

In the afternoon, we drove the scenic routes through Arches National Park. It was literally too hot to hike the trails. Luckily, we had the chance to do that a few years ago. Seeing the rock formations, even if from a distance, was a sweet reminder of our time here in 2022.

From Moab, we continued west to Provo, UT, and camped at Deer Creek State Park. The park sits on a hillside in the Wasatch Mountains, overlooking the Deer Creek Reservoir.

One afternoon, we hiked a shady, riverside trail near Bridal Veil Falls.

Provo itself stands in stark comparison to nearby smaller towns. It’s a resort destination, with upscale housing, high-end shopping, prominent businesses, and Brigham Young University. Surrounding towns aren’t nearly as grand or impressive.

We made two quick, one-night stops at state recreation areas in Nevada. There aren’t a lot of state parks or campgrounds with electricity in Nevada. A look at the map shows …well, not a lot.

After the salt flats of Utah, the landscape turns to desert with the occasional oasis.

We stayed at South Fork in Spring Creek, Nevada. Not quite an oasis, but a perfectly fine overnight stop. We liked Rye Patch better. More trees, a pretty reservoir, and a few places to walk around.

Both campgrounds were quick overnight stops on our sprint through Nevada into California. Another time, we might consider Route 50, instead of 80, but this worked … and every journey is a learning experience.

On June 19, we checked into our campsite at Donner Memorial State Park in Truckee, CA.

Ah, California! Looking forward to seeing the Pacific, massive redwoods, and points north. The adventure continues! Stay tuned.