This website often brings us intriguing correspondence. We were recently contacted by the Travel Channel asking if we would let you know about a sweepstakes contest they are running. We’re always a little skeptical about these things, but we’ve gone back and forth with them quite a bit, and it is legit and sounds like fun. This is the way their website describes the prize:
“Travel Channel and Go RVing are giving away the ultimate Arizona adventure. One lucky winner and a guest will be flown to Phoenix, where they’ll climb on board a Type A Luxury RV and spend an amazing 7 days and 6 nights touring the Sedona Red Stones, Oak Creek Canyon, Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock. The highlight of the trip will be a 9-hour tour of the Grand Canyon, from Flagstaff through the Navajo Nation, and an unforgettable sunset dinner.”
Pretty awesome!! (Although most RVers, and those familiar with Arizona, may smile at the description).
We’ve never heard the phrase “Type A RV”, although we’ve seen quite a few Type A RVers on the road flying past us at breakneck speeds on the highway. The Travel Channel is surely referring to a Class A motorhome, which would be an awesome platform for a 7 day vacation.
And the last time we were in Sedona, those big red monolithic formations were locally referred to as “red rocks,” not “red stones.” But they are so glorious that it doesn’t really matter what they’re called — they are a “must see,” and what a way to see them!
All you need to do to win this cool prize is to know a bit about travel and the Travel Channel itself, as the contest involves answering multiple choice questions about travel and the Travel Channel. So, if you’re feeling lucky, click here to enter.
Arizona is an awesome area for RVing, and we have really enjoyed our travels there. Even if you don’t win this trip, it is a wonderful place to visit by whatever means. Among our favorite places are:
Grand Canyon – North Rim
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon
Only 10% of travelers to the Grand Canyon go to the jaw-dropping North Rim, because it is a 250 mile drive around the famous chasm to get there. The North Rim is stunningly beautiful. It has few tourists, fabulous hiking and great cycling.
Walking the gorgeous little paved paths that wind along the rim between the flowers will take your breath away — literally — as the rim sits at almost 9,000 feet elevation, a significant altitude 1,000 feet higher than the more famous South Rim.
Picnic area outside the Lodge
If you have a small RV, a stay at the North Rim Campground perched on the rim itself is unforgettable. The Grand Canyon view is right out your window. We were able to squeeze our 52′ truck and fifth wheel combo into the RV dump station there — just barely!!! — but we were too big to fit into any of the sites. A 30′ fifth wheel or 25′ travel trailer or 35′ or shorter motorhome would probably fit fine. Reserve your site early!
If you go there by car, the Grand Canyon Lodge — and the cute little cabins all around it — is a historic landmark unto itself. Dine indoors or out with that inspiring view as a backdrop…
Navajo Nation – Window Rock – Canyon de Chelly
Canyon de Chelly
The enormous Navajo Nation takes up the entire northeast corner of Arizona. The town of Window Rock is the tribal headquarters, and they have a wonderful memorial for the Navajo Code Talkers who played such a vital role in the Allied victory in the Pacific Theater in Word War II.
Window Rock Code Talker Memorial
Nearby is one of the most amazing canyons in the southwest: Canyon de Chelly. Full of soaring cliffs and vast flat lands that snake between them a thousand feet below, you can spot cliff dwellings tucked into these sheer walls way up in the air. Huge petroglyphs can be seen from across the canyon.
Sunset Crater National Monument
Flagstaff & Nearby National Monuments
Flagstaff is a wonderful college town that is full of history. There is no boondocking within an easy bike ride of the town, but Bonito Campground, about 18 miles north of town, is our all-time favorite campground.
Bonito Campground is on the way into Sunset Crater & Wupatki National Monument. These two jewels in the National Park System are worthy of a visit. Sunset Crater is a volcano that blew its top about 1,000 years ago, shocking the locals inhabitants of the time. What is shocking about it today is that the lake-like cinder fields and craggy lava flow looks like the volcano erupted yesterday.
Wupatki National Monument
The nearby Wupatki ruins were built by the “Sinagua” (“without water”) people a century after Sunset Crater blew its top, when they arrived in the area and discovered the thick layer of ash was good for growing crops. The collection of pueblo ruins on the 50-mile scenic drive are all fascinating, and the loop road makes a fabulous bike ride.
There is boondocking in the woods across the highway from Bonito and also in the cinders nearby. It can get dusty, though, especially from ATVs on weekends!
While visiting central Utah on a recent summer day, my husband and I drove the Fish Lake Scenic Byway, one of the state’s many beautiful highways and byways that are officially (and rightfully) designated as “scenic.” This road, Utah Route 25 between Loa and Fish Lake, weaves and curves through pine tree studded hills and into thick aspen groves. A bike trail runs alongside the lake and we quickly unloaded our bikes to ride this waterfront path. We soon found ourselves jumping on and off our bikes to take in the views, smell the fragrant air and check out the thick carpets of wildflowers that rolled down to the shore.
rying a fishing pole or a tackle box. A large family huddled around one of the fish cleaning stations near the Lodge, and two men busily carved up the day’s catch. The kids watched in fascination as one of the men sliced open the belly of a fish and then explained it was a female as he pulled out a fistful of eggs. The little girl scrunched up her face and squealed, “Gross!” while the boy next to her grinned, “That’s cool, Dad!”
