West Coast Trip

My brother and I left Eugene, Oregon last February and traveled down Pacific Coast Highway 101 with a Dodge Dakota pulling a lightweight 26ft Passport. My first coastal trip and by trailer, the Pacific Ocean was a breathtaking visual experience at every turn. Below Eureka we continued inland heading now through forests where the giant redwoods seemed like an enchanted fairy tale. Further on the lush green hills of the wine country reminded me of Ireland. Outside of Hollister we had a blow out on one of the trailer tires. The telephone road side assistance was terrific.

Seeing the Golden Gate bridge and San Francisco was a sight to behold. We visited Alcatraz and then on to LA nestled between two mountain ranges. We drove down Rodeo Drive and finally arrived at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. This was certainly a dream come true, I was standing where legends had left their mark. We left LA where people wore gloves, hats and polar fleece at 60 degrees (I’m from NJ so that made me chuckle) and off to the Grand Canyon. After two gas scares, fill ups were too far apart, we made it to Williams, AZ. Daylight was fading as we drove the last hour and half to the national park, arriving around 11pm at the Grand Canyon, the temperature had dropped to 14 degrees. Boy was that a cold night setting up the trailer and then having the propane tank run out while we were sleeping.

The next day we awoke to a blizzard and waited out the snowfall to tour the canyon. I cannot put into words the wonder of seeing God’s creation that day. I must have taken a thousand pictures, thanking my new digital camera for it’s memory card instead of the old film I use to load.

This was truly a trip to treasure for the rest of my life. I just wished that my children were with me, but this was now a special memory that belonged to my brother and I. The next day we headed south. We spent days in Prescott, Cottonwood, Camp Verde and Sedona looking at real estate. I visited a friend in Mesa and became acquainted with a new word seguaro cactus. We stayed at an RV park just outside of Camp Verde where people gathered at a nightly bonfire and each night we would look up in the sky for the big and little dippers and any falling stars. My brother found a house and would now settle into his new home and I had to sadly leave him and a part of the country that was now in my heart.

I am waiting for a chance to go back out west to see more of the natural beauty of our country. To do this I just purchased a 5th wheel trailer. I fell in love with a new way of life last year and can’t wait to be on the road creating new memories for me and my family.

Submitted by Linda Scott of Vernon, NJ as a part of the RV Centennial Celebration “Share Your Favorite RV Memory” contest.

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