RV Trip 2016 - Arizona & New Mexico - Part 1 of 4

In 2016 we took our second long trip in our 'coach,' a 30-foot Class A motorhome (an FR3 by Forest River). The trip was focused on Arizona and New Mexico, with the annual 'Hot Air Balloon Fiesta' in Albuquerque, New Mexico being the impetus for planning this particular trip. During this 32-day trip, we also briefly crossed into southeastern Utah and northwestern Texas, for a grand total of 12 visits at National Parks/Monuments and one State Park.

The 'Hot Air Balloon Fiesta' is held in October, and Chris did a lot of climate research while planning this trip. He chose the route and other stops before and after the balloon fiesta such that we should have decent weather for the entire trip. But 'Climate Change' is upon us! We were very surprised by all the rain we encountered at the beginning of the trip, and the extreme heat we experienced during the second half of the trip. Fortunately, the rain didn’t interfere with our plans much (more on that later), and the dark clouds made for some dramatic photos. But later, the heat forced us to skip several planned campgrounds, in favor of places with electricity for air conditioning.

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