Tag: arizona

Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado

My parents have been rolling across the USA in their RV the past few summers, and they showed us how amazing it is to live life on the road. We’ve definitely lived life on the road for the past decade, but this time, we’d have the freedom to go wherever we wanted, when we wanted. We’d be the bosses of our own adventure!

Aaron asked me where I wanted to go for the summer, and the only place I could think of that I’ve always wanted to see was Mt. Rushmore. So, without any plans, we decided to tie up some loose ends and hit the road on June 8th. We had only one trip under our belt with our 5th wheel a year or so before, so we didn’t want to cram too much into the first day. We rolled out a bit later than expected and headed up the road to Payson, AZ, for our first night of what would turn out to be a 159-day road trip across America!

We had a bunch of new gadgets to test out and make sure we knew what we were doing for the rest of the summer. Aaron did an amazing job getting us all hooked up, and the first night set us up for great success the rest of the summer. After a great night’s sleep, we didn’t want to overdo it, so we headed to Heber, AZ, where we had the chance to sit out with our lawn chairs and enjoy a dreamy star-lit night after hitting up a local brewery. Another successful setup under our belt, and we both thought we could get used to this lifestyle pretty quickly! Our next stop was Gallup, New Mexico. We visited the El Rancho Hotel and and the Petrified Forest National Park. It was our first National Park, and we’re excited to explore more in the future. Dad, thanks for getting us an annual park pass – it’s the best gift ever!  Aaron got himself a new mug for his morning coffee and an arrow from a local Native American selling them around the RV park. That’s a story for another time!

We hit the road again and headed to the colorful state of Colorado. Our first stop in Colorado was Bayfield, CO. We took a break, enjoyed the scenery, did some laundry, and relaxed with the Blackstone in full effect. We then drove to Silverton and Ouray (the Million Dollar Highway) and visited the Mesa Verde National Park. Colorado was such a beautiful state that we took advantage of it and the weather. We visited Pegosa Springs, Del Norte, Hooper, Cañon City, Colorado Springs, and ended our time off in Fort Collins, Colorado.

After a few weeks in the camper, we decided we weren’t done yet. We were loving the adventure, so we decided to tackle Mt. Rushmore or bust!

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Ranch in the Desert

A few years ago Aaron and I were fortunate enough to acquire 20 acres about 25 minutes west of our home in Tonopah, Arizona. We needed a place for Aaron’s dad to call home for the winters and they don’t make any more dirt, so as far as an investment we didn’t think we could go wrong. The property was divided up into about 7 different parcels and on 2 of the 7 parcels were 2 structures that required demolition and major cleanup. Now when I say major cleanup, I mean a demolition crew that took about a week to fully get rid of all of the structures, trash, and debris. The property had 3 wells which all required re-drilling and had electrical to 1 of the larger parcels.

Aaron and I were gone for work the first year we owned it, so not much got done other than getting water and the electricity up and running for his old man. We had to get the septic cleaned up and back to code. We also fenced in about 12 acres of the property for his dogs and security. Once we finally had some time to be home and get serious about the actual aesthetics of the place, we put up a large shade structure that would accommodate his dad’s trailer, my parents 5th wheel, and our own 5th wheel. My dad and I worked tirelessly on adding extra shade on both sides which turned out exceptionally well. Way to go pa!

We bought a 40′ sea container to house all of our goodies. We then decided that we just needed to plant some trees and bushes to give the place a cozy feel and add a little color to the dry desert. Our first quote to install irrigation to the property and plant the plants was about 18K. Aaron and I about fell over. So after many quotes and not one of them sounding reasonable to either of us, we said “hey, we have watched enough DIY tv, let’s do it ourselves. How hard can it be!” Two back breaking weeks later and adding my father to the work roster, we planted 212 plants/trees, laid down 3,684 feet of pvc pipe, and added 4 watering stations to our irrigation system. We brought in about 10 loads of gravel/rock and kept my dad busy on the tractor for days.

I have a few more ideas for the ‘ranch,’ and I’ll share them with you hopefully in the fall. But for now…ranch life has been just another exciting adventure for all of us, and we love spending time outdoors.

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