While traveling through the mountains of Utah and later Colorado, we noticed Tad Cooper kept getting hot; hotter than he should. So as we were coming out of the mountains, we decided to have him checked out at a Freightliner dealership. Luckily for us, Farmington, New Mexico had one, and we were able to bring him in. While staying in and around Farmington, we were able to take in a
The southwest of the United States may seem like a desert today, hosting only small dispersed cities and towns without much going on. This hasn’t always been the truth. This area was home to a diverse and booming population of people for over 10,000 years. No place showcases this better than Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. While many national parks and monuments can be defined by a singular access
As we started to leave the mountains of Colorado, we plotted a route that not only got us closer to some events we had planned but also put us in range of more national parks. The BLM lands outside of Montrose, Colorado not only put us in range of Mesa Verde National Park but also unlocked some other great experiences in and around the city. Actual BLM Camping Around Montrose
While touring the national parks in Utah, we were advised to take the US Route 89 Scenic Highway between Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park and beyond. While the road was very scenic, it was also very harrowing. Driving the Utah 89 The Scenic 89 Highway winds from Zion National Park, north through the hills of the Dixie National Forest. We picked up the highway after the north
One of our destinations while we toured the Las Vegas area was the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Having toured several national parks at this point, we thought it would be an experience similar to what we’ve seen before. And in ways it was, and in others … not so much. Complaints and Concerns From the get-go, this looks like a “national park” experience. However, as soon as you
While staying at the Lake Mead Recreation Area, we were well-placed to spend some time in the nation’s entertainment capital, Las Vegas! While “Sin City” has traditionally been a playground for adults, we were surprised and elated to find just how accessible it was for families, especially those on a tight budget. So read on if you’re interested in tackling Vegas with kids! The Strip It’s hard not to imagine
A while back, we decided we wanted to experience Las Vegas, Nevada as a family. In our research, we found there were not a lot of good opportunities to boondock around the city. However, when we discovered our “Every Kid Outdoors” pass got us into not just national parks, but also into national recreation areas. This really opened up doors for us. The door that we were most excited about
As you may have guessed from reading Dadding on the Road for a while, we are Washington state natives. During the winter of ‘23/24, we decided to book a flight back to Washington for Dad and the kids. We wanted to visit the grandparents and let the kids rekindle old friendships from back “home.” While we were perfectly happy boondocking in Quartzsite, Mom wasn’t looking forward to a 2-hour, one-way
A little bit ago we, talked about Xscapers’ New Year’s Eve party in Quartzsite, AZ. Today, I want to tell you about the big party, Xscapers Annual Bash! This party is so much more than it is hyped to be, and when we arrived at our first we were a little underprepared and overwhelmed. Let’s see if I can help you through that hump. This is a week-long event with
Escapees is an organization that we joined primarily for the discounts and perks. However, it also opened up some doors for amazing social events. The event we were first looking forward to was Xscapers Bash. Xscapers is a subset of the Escapees RV Club dedicated to working-aged RVers. While we were looking forward to Bash, the size and hype surrounding it was a little intimidating. Lucky for us, Xscapers hosts