To Finish Up Our Phoenix Stories
Mary Claire and I have dedicated part of our trip to “Eating Our Way Across America.” From $2.00 Coney Island hot dogs in Fort Wayne, to Whoopee Pie in Maine, to Key Lime Pie in Key West, we’ve sought out local eateries and delicacies as part of our RV journey. Now, we have a Tempe, AZ location to add to our list. I met with a friend at a local Mexican restaurant called Suzie’s. The food and atmosphere was perfect: great homemade food inside little “joint” on the side of the road, away from the strip malls. Speaking of malls, I have to admit that I really, really dislike them. I know some people enjoy mall time as a hobby, and I respect that. However, I abhor having to

U.S. Traditions
I realize this story is a little dated, but please bear with me. For Halloween, we were in Phoenix to see my family and old friends (from the civilian side). The stay was fun and it was great to catch up with my brother, his family, and my dad for a few days. Additionally though, our children got a taste of American culture – literally, since it was Halloween. Our friends have three children the same ages as ours; so Sam and Anna traipsed around the local neighborhood and Joe went to a Halloween party with our friend’s oldest boy. All three kids were pretty excited by the events – and the collection of treats (those that their dad did not confiscate). Joe and Anna als

Now We Have the Air Force View
Now we have the Air Force view. We’ve gone from a $12 a night view of the Fiddler’s Cove Marina and San Diego to a $15 a night view of the Thunderbirds performing. Not bad. We came down to Nellis AFB in Las Vegas to spend Sam’s birthday in a city (he just turned 8). Fortunately for us, we picked a week to spend at Nellis when the Thunderbirds were finishing up their season. They’ve been flying over the base showing off their skills this week. As far as Sam is concerned, the show was put on for his 8th birthday.

National Park Tales
From our recent stop at the Grand Canyon at the start of the Kaibab Trail down the canyon: Tourist: “How often of people fall off of the cliff?” “Ranger: “Once.” (By the way, the unlucky tourist was not from our family.) Nominee for Top Five Most Annoying National Park Tourists: In Zion, a visitor was using her cell phone to take pictures. The phone was programmed so that when she focused the picture, a voice yelled out “Say Cheese” and then there was a loud simulation of a camera click. It might have been cute once, but she repeatedly took pictures from the same spot. Finally, we recently drove from the Grand Canyon to the south entrance o

Running Out of Space
One of the biggest challenges of our road trip has been space, or lack thereof. While our Newmar Allstar has a “super storage” below the master bedroom, space is still a premium for a family of five living full time in an RV. The kids are allotted 2 drawers each. They use their top drawer for clothes and their bottom drawer for toys/rocks/Halloween candy, and other treasures that kids collect. Off-season clothes are stored below in rubber bins. We routinely make trips to clothing donation boxes. So where does all our other “stuff” go? Here are a few ideas if you are storage-challenged and interested in this type of trip: Games: Put all game pieces and instructions