Welcome to the travelogue of our RV trip to Utah, Colorado & Nevada in the fall of 2018. This was the fourth month-long trip in our 'coach,' a 30-foot Class A motorhome (an FR3 by Forest River). As on previous long trips, I kept a journal during the trip, and have adapted it to the content you’ll find here. We’ve selected about 200 of our photos (a subset of the 2,000 we took) for sharing online. That’s a lot of culling on Chris’ part, to eliminate 90% of the photos! We’ve broken it down into four albums, for easier viewing.
The photos will load as you scroll down this page, and sometimes it takes a few seconds for a photo to appear.
Map of entire route
Map of Part 1 route
Friday, Sept 28, 2018 (California) Thousand Oaks (home) to Yermo (Barstow/Calico KOA Campground)
Our first stop on this trip was a KOA campground just outside Barstow. Nothing to write home about, just a place that fits our 3-hours-driving-per-day goal.
It was 100° when we arrived, so we did as little as possible while waiting for the AC in the coach to bring the temperature down.
Phew! Even the cats thought it was hot.
Saturday, Sept 29, 2017 (California / Nevada) Yermo (Barstow/Calico KOA Campground) to Las Vegas (Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort)
We headed out in the morning, and just before the CA/NV border, we passed the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, the world's largest solar thermal power station. And adjacent to that we could see the Desert Stateline Solar Facility, a very large solar photovoltaic power station.
This night we camped at the Las Vegas Motorcoach (LVM) Resort. We had stayed here on our first long trip (to Yellowstone). It’s easily the most beautiful RV resort we’ve ever seen. All the sites are owned, but many owners rent them out when they’re not there. The grounds are lovely and the sites have wonderful improvements such as shade covers, patio furniture, outdoor kitchens with granite-topped counters, built-in barbecues, personalized landscaping and lighting. Absolutely lovely! Again, at close to 100°, we stayed inside until late afternoon when it had cooled off a bit. Maybe 92°.
With some shade and a breeze, I took advantage of the site’s amenities and used their sink to wash lots of fruit and veggies outside.
Then after a Caprese Salad, Chris used their BBQ for grilling our salmon and for toasting some rustic bread with artichoke spread.
After dinner, we put on our swimsuits and took our dessert (champagne-soaked strawberries in a cup) and headed over to the pool to cool off. And just as we’d experienced on our last stay here, we had the pool to ourselves, and it was delightful!
Sunday, Sept 30, 2018 (Nevada / Arizona / Utah) Las Vegas (LVM Resort) to Cedar Breaks (Supreme Point Campground)
On our way from Las Vegas, NV to Cedar Breaks, UT, we briefly passed through the northwest corner of Arizona. The Virgin River Gorge featured some dramatic scenery that showcased the geologic processes of tilting, folding and faulting. We stopped in St. George, Utah to fill up with gas at a Costco. Getting roughly 7 m.p.g. in the coach, it definitely pays to get the best price around!
We left I-15, heading east on SR 143, and began climbing. The entrance to Cedar Breaks National Monument is at a little over 10,000 feet elevation. As we climbed ever higher, the scenery became more and more beautiful. The Aspens were that stunningly beautiful, vivid yellow. And with the bright yellow leaves, occasional red rocks, and blue skies with puffy white clouds, it was breathtaking! The salmon/red colors were not yet plentiful, but every little bit we’d see some and I would always say ooh-aah-wow, that’s my favorite!