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
We’ve talked a bit about the BLM camping opportunities around Quartzsite, Arizona, but not much about the town itself. Today, we’ll dive into what things to do in Quartzsite, AZ, the snowbird capital of the southwest. RV Facilities Being surrounded by BLM camping, Quartzsite is also flush with full-service RV facilities. The two major locations are right off Highway 95: RV Pit Stop and RV Relief. Both locations offer RV
While we stayed at Ironwood Monument Access outside of Tucson, Arizona, we were ideally poised to visit Saguaro National Park. Saguaro National Park is another unique National Park as there are two distinct parts to one park. The park is split between the west side and the east side with Tucson, AZ sitting in between. A bit like Hot Springs in reverse. The Visitors Center at Saguaro National Park The
White Sands National Park is a hard-to-describe experience. Your eyes are telling you “snow” as you’re surrounded by miles and miles of waving, rolling dunes of pure white. However, you are not cold. In fact, being at the northern end of the Chihuahuan desert, it can be quite the opposite. Of all the National Parks we’ve been to, this is one of the most memorable. This post may contain affiliate
One of our goals on the road is to see as many national parks as possible. While passing through New Mexico, we got the opportunity to explore Carlsbad Caverns National Park. This massive complex of caves is stunning. Of the many nicknames this cave system has gotten over the years, my favorite is “The Grand Canyon with a lid on it,” and it fits. Pictures and video can’t capture its
We initially stayed at Chosa Campground to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Its location gave us the bonus opportunity to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Part of the same mountain range as Carlsbad Caverns, the Guadalupe Mountains host a stunning array of different microbiomes, thanks to the natural springs and mountain terrain shading areas from the intense New Mexican sun. Each visitor center acts as a gateway to unique and
While we were camped at the Lenox Marcus Recreation Area, we took a day to check out the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, AR. This park is a bit unique when it comes to state and national parks. Not only are we very familiar with the principles of “leave no trace,” but we practice it wherever we park. Part of leaving no trace is not taking anything with