Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!
I will be featuring the states alphabetically. We have never been to New Jersey so the next state in my series is
New York
New York became the 11th state on July 26, 1788. The capital is Albany.
A few years ago we camped in Niagara Falls, Canada. After exploring the Canadian falls we made a day trip into New York where we had close up views of the Bridal Veil Falls and got soaked as we walked along the decks on the Cave of the Winds Tour.
Bridal Veil Falls as seen from CanadaNiagara Falls USA
You will get wet if you take the Cave of the Winds Tour!
You can’t get much closer to the falls that thisUp close to the falls on the Cave of the Winds TourThat’s Henry waving from the Hurricane Deck
Our next stop in New York was Golden Hill State Park. Although the park is located about thirty miles by water from Niagara Falls the drive is a little bit longer. This peaceful state park was exactly what we needed after the excitement of Niagara Falls. Where else can you have a view of a lighthouse and one of the great lakes from your campsite? We enjoyed touring the Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse and Blondie enjoyed swimming in Lake Ontario. The highlight each day was watching a gorgeous sunset over the lake.
Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse overlooking Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario at Golden Hill State Park
Blondie swimming in Lake Ontario at Golden Hill State Park
Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse, NY
Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse at Golden Hill State Park
Sunset at Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse at Golden Hill State Park
I recently returned from a fantastic Mother-Daughter Weekend in New York City. We did all the things on our bucket list and much more. The best part of the weekend for me was seeing the city with my beautiful daughter.
Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!
I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is
New Mexico
New Mexico became the 47th state on January 6, 1912. The capital is Santa Fe.
We have traveled through New Mexico several times in our travels. The first time was in 1985 in a mini van on our way to the Grand Canyon to tent camp with our two kids. Each time we were in the state we made sure to eat some of the delicious New Mexico food. From blue corn tacos to green chile stew it’s all delicious. One year we visited my brother and his wife near Albuquerque and they took us to some of their favorite restaurants. Nothing better than eating where the locals eat!
In New Mexico many restaurants give you a choice of red salsa or green salsa. If you want both, when the server asks you what salsa you would like, the answer is “Christmas”. And where else would you have green chile stew and nachos for breakfast?
Green Chile stew and nachos for breakfast at the Frontier Restaurant in Alburque
When we left home on our first RV trip in 2006, one of our must see stops was Roswell, New Mexico to visit the UFO Museum.
Street Lamp in Roswell, NM
UFO Museum and Research Center
UFO Museum in Roswell
New Mexico is one of the states that meets at the Four Corners.
Four Corners – States of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada
Our campsite at Santa Fe Skies was a perfect home base to explore Santa Fe and the surrounding area. We enjoyed wandering around Santa Fe, shopping at the Palace of the Governors and visiting the Georgia O’Keefe Museum.
St. Francis Cathedral Santa FeCamel Rock near Santa FePalace of the Governors in Santa Fe
When we asked one of the staff at the RV park the best way to get to Taos, he told us we could take the high road or the low road. Of course given two options we decided to travel to Taos on the scenic high road through high desert, mountains and small towns and return to Santa Fe on the low road through the valleys beside the Rio Grande River.
The scenery changed along the high road as we drove from Sante Fe to Taos.
High Dessert on the High Road to Taos
On the high road to Taos
We visited the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge outside of Taos before exploring Kit Carson’s home and enjoying tacos from a vendor at a Fiesta in Taos.
Rio Grande Gorge BridgeKit Carson’s home in Taos
As we drove back to Santa Fe on the low road there were great views of the Rio Grande.
Rio Grande River on the Low Road between Taos and Santa Fe
Santa Rosa is one of the places to see some of the neon signs along historic Route 66. The Blue Hole was also worth a visit.
Historic Route 66 in Santa Rosa
Blue Hole in Santa Rosa
Historic Route 66 in Santa Rosa
Mater from the movie “Cars” in Santa Rosa
There is so much to see in and around Albuquerque. Although we had visited before, my brother and his wife were great tour guides and knew the best places to go. After attending a Navajo Rug sale with them we all took a hike through Petroglyphs National Monument.
Petroglyphs National Monument
Petroglyphs National Monument
Petroglyphs National Monument
On our most recent trip to New Mexico we wandered around Old Town Albuquerque and visited the Coronado State Monument.
Historic church in AlbuquerqueCoronado State Monument
The highlight of our stay in Albuquerque was the drive on the Sandia Crest Scenic Byway. The views along the way and at the peak were amazing.
View from Sandia CrestView from Sandia CrestView of Albuquerque from the Sandia Peak
Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!
I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is
Nevada
Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864. The capital is Carson City.
For our one and only trip to Nevada we stayed in, where else, Las Vegas. The Oasis RV Park, a short drive from the Vegas Strip, was our home during our stay. I enjoyed relaxing in the pool when we weren’t wandering around the Vegas Strip, driving to Hoover Dam or walking next door to the huge Bass Pro Shop and it’s casino.
For our first excursion to Sin City we decided to try the free trolley shuttle. Big mistake. Even though it was only May it was hot riding around in the open air trolley. We also discovered the stops were behind all the major casinos so we didn’t get to see much of the Vegas strip. Once we departed the trolley at the Stratosphere we enjoyed wandering around and stopping in a few of the casinos to play a few slots. Our pockets were a little emptier and the casinos had a few more dollars in their coffers when we left.
Vegas Strip at Night
When in Vegas seeing a show is a must. We called at the last minute and snagged two tickets to Cirque de Soleil’s Mystere at Treasure Island. It was Memorial Day weekend and there were throngs of people everywhere. I loved seeing the city at night and the show was spectacular.
The Cirque de Soleil show at Treasure Island was fantastic
One day we took a drive to Hoover Dam. On the way to the dam we had spectacular views of Lake Mead. Traffic was bumper to bumper as we crossed the dam.
Hoover DamLake Mead as seen from the top of Hoover DamColorado RiverLake Mead
Our next destination was Zion National Park in Utah. As we drove east to the park we traveled on some mountainous roads.
Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!
I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is
Nebraska
Nebraska became the 37th state on March 1, 1867. The capital is Lincoln.
When I was a child, my family lived in Lincoln, Nebraska for a few years. We moved after I finished the first grade and all I remember is that I walked to school at the end of our street and that it snowed a lot in the winter.
Nebraska is one of the states many people drive through on their way somewhere else and we are among those who did just that. As we drove across the interstate in Nebraska we learned why it is one of the Great Plains states. There were fields of of corn and other crops as far as the eye could see. Road weary after almost two months on the road on our very first cross country RV trip, we stopped for a quick overnight stop at a campground next to the interstate.
As we drove along, fields of sunflowers added color to the green of the crops.
Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!
I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is
Montana
Montana became the 41st state on November 8, 1889. The capital is Helena.
We visited Glacier National Park in 2006 on our very first cross country RV trip. The National Park had just opened back up after a wildfire when we arrived at Johnson’s RV Park. The smell of smoke was heavy in the air and many firefighters were still in the area. Our campsite sat on top of a hill overlooking St. Mary’s Lake.
St. Mary’s Lake
Driving from the eastern entrance of Glacier National Park to the western entrance in West Glacier on the 55 mile long steep and curvy Going to the Sun Road was the highlight of our visit. After wandering around West Glacier we turned around and returned to St. Mary the same way we came. We also enjoyed exploring the St. Mary side of Glacier.
Glacier National Park, MontanaGlacier National Park, MontanaGlacier National Park, MontanaGlacier National Park, Montana
The next year we traveled to Montana again, this time to visit the Little Big Horn National Monument near Hardin. While we were in the area we made a day trip to Big Horn Canyon.
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, MontanaLittle Bighorn BattlefieldBighorn Canyon
Earlier in that same trip we had gone through snow storms in Minnesota so we kept an eye out the weather after we left Hardin. We made a quick overnight stop in Garrison, Montana. Everything was fine when we went to sleep that night. The next day we woke up to several inches of snow. We were headed west with more snow moving towards us from the east so we skedaddled out of there as fast as we could and arrived safely at our next destination in Washington.
After the storm in Garrison, Montana
Several years later we enjoyed spectacular scenery as we traveled through Montana on the way to Alaska. We spent a night at Cardwell Store and Campground and three nights in Great Falls before crossing into Alberta, Canada about 120 miles north of Great Falls.
Mountains in the distance in Cardwell, MontanaOur Lady of the Rockies overlooking Butte, MTIt was snowing over the mountains between Butte and Great Falls
In Great Falls we took care of some business and stocked up on supplies before continuing north to Canada and Alaska. We also got to do a little sightseeing.
Statue honoring Lewis and Clark at the Visitor’s CenterRainbow Falls and Dam
On our way home from Alaska two and a half months later we spent two more nights in Montana as we traveled east towards Georgia.
A Bear cub with fish in our campsite in St. Regis, MontanaMontana Sunrise at Camp Three Forks
To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: 
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