The End of the Best Trip Ever!

After four and a-half wonderful days on the road, we arrived in Central Florida. We saw some beautiful sights these last two days.

John and I have traveled to so many places in the past but seeing the USA by way of Alaska has made this the best trip we have ever taken!

Bull and Buc-ee's on I-10

Las Cruces, New Mexico "The World's Largest Roadrunner"

We are driving back to Florida by way of I-10, a very smooth journey. Today we fueled-up at a Buc-ee's in Texas. It was our first Buc-ee's and we were impressed. This place is bright, clean with wide open areas to maneuver your coach. A true haven for RV-ing. I had to grab the camera and get a few shots. That is when a beautiful young bull jumped out of his trailer and started running around the parking lot.  What a sight!  Many of us helped to keep the bull from getting to the highway.  Eventually, animal control arrived to help get the bull back in his trailer and we got back to rolling down the road.

OctoberFest '16 Last Day

We were all set to go to the final Tech Talk session this morning, but we were talking to some neighbors and before we knew it everyone was walking back to their coaches after the session and it was time to roll out from the Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort. Our friend Joyce stopped by with a couple of stacks of hot blueberry pancakes, they were delicious! We made plans to meet up with her and Bill in Florida this winter.

It is hard to believe our seven month "Big Alaska Trip" is almost over.  We loved every bit of exploring places that were new to both of us. We planned to spend less than a week in South Dakota and ended up staying seven weeks; it is a beautiful and amazing part of our country - completely fell in love with the buffalo at Custer State Park. Experiencing Big Sky with our Entegra friends in Montana was wonderful. Spending almost two moths in Alaska was absolutely glorious! Walking on glaciers, whale watching, boating in the Kenai Fjords, off-roading at the arctic circle, deep sea fishing for halibut, experiencing Denali, hiking in the foothills, and seeing all the wildlife - a trip of a lifetime! 

The best part of seeing our great country is stopping to see family and old friends and making some new friends along the way.

OctoberFest '16 - Day 4

Entegra held a Suggestion Session during breakfast today; this is when coach owners suggest modifications to the next year's models, it was interesting and there were some really good suggestions. Later, John and I hit a casino then we popped into Serendipity 3 and shared a  frozen hot chocolate, I had heard glorious things about it from my friend Denise. It was everything she said it would be, so good!

Tonight was the GermanFest Dinner Party at the Hofbrauhaus. John and I love the Hofbrauhaus; we've been to this one twice and the original in Germany a few times. The dinner party was so much fun!  There was a terrific German band with an MC that kept the party going on. We shared a table that was next to the band with four fabulous couples, Donna & Dennis, Cheryl & Roger, Flo & Joe, and Raphaela & Ray. We all cheered Ray on as he put up a good fight in a stein holding contest, Ray came in second-place. Was another night of dancing, singing and lots of silly fun. We sat next to Donna and got to know her and Dennis well, a very nice couple who we now consider our newest friends.

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OctoberFest '16 - Day 3

This morning at breakfast, Pat from the Entegra Coach Owners Association gave an informative presentation on best practices of boondocking/dry-camping.  Later we joined friends, Tommy and Bonnie, at there coach for a delicious bar-b-q. Tommy grilled a huge, thick steak for the non-fish eater, John devoured it and thoroughly enjoyed every bite. The rest of us had some fillets and cheeks from the halibut I caught in Alaska.  It is the first time I had halibut cheeks, very good.

Kenny, a smart young electrician from Entegra stopped by our coach to work on our dashboard. He did a great job! We told him about the loose wire on the GPS; he checked it out and ordered a new one. He also took the time to show us how to install it when it is delivered to us in Florida.

For the evening, we joined friends, Joyce and Bill, for dinner and a show in Vegas. They recommended the show Million Dollar Quartet, they saw it last year.  We were able to score four tickets for seats at a front round-booth, great seats! The show was amazing! It was another fun night in Vegas with Joyce and Bill.

Million Dollar Quartet is about an impromptu jam session recording of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash in 1956 at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis.

NIRVC & Entegra OctoberFest '16 - Day 2

The morning started with breakfast and a good Tech Talk presentation of the Aqua-Hot systems in our coaches.  I had a driving lesson at 10am with Entegra's Ted Cook, John came along for the ride. Ted provided many tips to both of us. I hit the open road in a new 2017 Entegra Anthem, beautiful coach and an amazingly smooth ride! John was lucky I did not have my checkbook with me. Then we practiced backing into an RV spot with me driving and John ground guiding. Great lesson!

A representative for Riverpark stopped by our coach to update a sim card for the GPS in our RV. While he was there he noticed that we may have a loose antenna wire; that may be the reason our GPS stops working sometimes. We'll let the technician know when he stops by tomorrow. 

Tonight private buses took us from the RV park to the Veil Pavilion at Silverton Casino. We

were greeted at the door by the Rat Pack; Frank, Dean, and Sammy!

We had a delicious dinner and then the Rat Pack impersonators put on a fabulous show. By the end of the night, the dance floor was filled with all of us dancing to them belting out the greatest hits.

National Indoor RV Center and Entegra Coach OctoberFest '16

This morning we moved to the Oasis RV park on the other side of Las Vegas for the NIRVC & Entegra OctoberFest '16.  Tonight was a welcome reception by the pool with drinks and appetizers. It was good to see some old friends and meet some new ones. The reception was followed by a fun-filled night of casino games and a funny-money auction. A great time was had by all and who knew that Entegra's Tadd Jenkins could call out an awesome auction chant?  So many hidden talents.

Las Vegas

We spent the last few days at Nellis AFB's FamCamp and enjoyed the the Las Vegas area; did a little gambling, dining and saw some shows. We had a good time.  We enjoyed a wonderful dinner tonight with good friends, Joyce and Bill, at the Italian American Social Club. They're also in town for Entegra's OctoberFest Rally that starts tomorrow.

Grand Canyon

We parked the RV in Williams, Arizona, for a few nights as we took the jeep to the Grand Canyon. Williams is a charming town nestled at the base of Bill Williams Mountain in one of the largest Ponderosa 

Pine Forests in the world. Our first night in town, we walked along Route 66 and had a very good dinner a local brewery.  

The next day was a beautiful sunny day, just perfect for the Grand Canyon. This is our third trip to the canyon, we love hiking along the south rim. We always have dinner at the El Tovar dining room, this time we got a table by the window to enjoy the view of the canyon.

Visiting Family in the Phoenix Area

John and their dog, Miso, hanging out by the pool.

Late Wednesday, we picked up our coach from Lazydays in Tucson, they did a great job replacing the radiator in our RV.  We drove on to the Phoenix area to spend a few days visiting John's cousin Barbie and her husband Jim, a fun, interesting, and wonderful couple. They have a beautiful home in the town of Fountain Hill; spent most evenings out by the pool talking well past dark. We had a great time with them and I especially enjoyed all the stories of John and Barbie growing up in New Jersey.

Pima Air & Space Museum

Today we went the Pima Air & Space Museum. It is one of the largest non-government funded aviation and space museums in the world, featuring over 300 historical aircrafts.  John spotted a half a dozen aircraft that he flew for the Army.

Mount Lemmon, Arizona

We dropped our coach off to Lazydays in Tucson to have the radiator replaced. Moved into a hotel room at Four Point by Sheraton while they are working on the coach. Friends recommended going up Mount Lemmon while we are in this area and we are so glad we listened to them. 

With a summit elevation of 9159 ft, Mount Lemmon is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains, located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson.

The drive alone is beautiful; at the bottom of the mountain you are surrounded by saguaros cacti and at the top you are deep in a pine forest. Mount Lemmon offers a large range of hiking trails at various elevations, you can't help stopping at most of them.

White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

Miles and miles of shimmering white sand dunes to hike on and slide down. White Sands National Monument protects more than half of the 275 square miles of the Chihuahuan Desert. We spent a few hours exploring and playing on the dazzling sand dunes, so much fun!