Wacky Wanderers – Page 2 – exploring on the road as a family

Old Tucson & Birthday Adventures

Old Tucson was a short but bumpy drive away from our BLM camping spot. It is a replica of an old western town which has been used and still is being used in numerous films, which the town proudly displays.

Exploring Tucson, AZ

Last year we didn’t get to really explore the city of Tucson, due to a laundry mishap that sent Justin back to Phoenix. So this year we were excited to check out the city. There’s definitely a lot to like about Tucson– from the convenient BLM camping near the city, the hip vibe near the University, and the influence of Mexican culture.

Chiricahua National Monument, AZ

This was a very interesting stay. First of all, our GPS took us on “the shortest route” there which turned out to be down a 27 mile dirt road in the back country. Interesting choice Google that we blindly followed. I was driving and suddenly saw a sign that said “payment ends.” What?! Why was the pavement ending? We checked the map but it would have been quite a ways to backtrack onto an alternative route so we decided to continue.

City of Rocks State Park, NM

We always love staying at campgrounds that have good climbing rocks, and City of Rocks was certainly up there with some of our favorites like Arches & Joshua Tree as far as campsites snuggled into the rocks.

LoW Hi RV Park & Deming NM

Though we did end up at the LoW Hi RV Park it was quite a journey to get there! LoW, of LoW Hi RV park, stands for Loners on Wheels by the way. Haha! Hilarious name.

Franklin Mountains State Park, El Paso TX

While we visited the El Paso, Texas area we camped at Franklin Mountains State Park. It was conveniently located within a 20 minute drive to El Paso and offered some hiking trails and solidarity.

Harvest Host Dairy Farm & El Paso TX

We had been considering joining Harvest Hosts for a while now– a membership program that allows you to camp for free at farms, wineries, museums and more. While we were at Big Bend, Justin had a conversation with some campers who were members and decided it was time for us to join. Our first Harvest Host experience was staying at Licon Dairy in San Elizario, Texas. We had a great time!

Boquillas, Mexico

We decided it would be fun to dip into Mexico for the day since we were so close. Right across the Rio Grande from Big Bend National Park is the small Mexican village of Boquillas.

Big Bend National Park, TX

We made it to Big Bend National Park and there were trees! Hurray! Don’t get me wrong, these were still some of the most inhospitable trees I’ve ever seen, Mesquite trees with daggers up to an inch and a half long every 1/2”. But, still, it gave the appearance of something that resembled a forest and they gave shade which was lovely!

Davis Mountains State Park, TX

Our plan was to head from Carlsbad, NM to Big Bend National Park. However, doing the drive in one shot would be about 5 hours, so we wanted to find a stop in the middle to break the drive in half. That place ended up being Davis Mountains State Park, and it was a beautiful place to spend a few days.