camping – Lois and Clark Explorers

The year has come to its end and we are on our last camping trip of the year. Each year for the past 5 or so years we have taken our last trip of the year immediately after Christmas. It is a time when our kids are spending time with their in-laws and we get time to ourselves. Makes perfect sense to us to take a short trip. In the past we have done, Panama City, Biloxi, Outer Banks (a couple times), Fort Pickens in the Panhandle and this year it is Wilmington, NC.

We are staying with a Boondocker for 3 nights in Bolivia, NC. We arrived about 5:00 and set things up. It was already getting dark so we stayed in, had some leftover pizza and played some scrabble. John actually used all 7 tiles in the 2 games we played. In all the years we have played scrabble, neither of us has ever used all the tiles in one turn. I think he cheated.

We had a good nights sleep and headed to Wilmington to explore. We wanted to go to Airlie Gardens but dogs were not allowed so we headed to the Riverwalk.

From there we headed to the other side of the river to see the USS North Carolina. Which served during WWII.

After walking around the USS North Carolina we were getting pretty hungry and we really wanted to see the beach. Needless to say NC allowed everyone to build on the beach side so you can’t see the beach as you drive along the road closest to it. I hate that. I love riding along the water. After studying the map we headed toward Jack Mackerals Bar and Grill toward the end of the island. We had lunch, which was delicious and decided to head to the tip of the island and catch a ferry back to the mainland.

And then we took a ride on the ferry. Just a cheap thrill for both of us. Oh, and while we were at the restaurant we started looking up lighthouses because we were on coastal land so there had to be lighthouses somewhere near us. Sure enough there is one that can be see from the ferry. Score!

Had a great day and heading back to camp to fix some dinner and beat John in scrabble!

We had an early morning planned to go kayaking on Lake Powell for 2.5 miles, then hike for 2 miles then kayak back 2.5 miles. This was one of the best things we did. John and I would not have done it had the kids not planned. Our tour guide was a Biology major and told us so many interesting things about the rocks, the lake, the sand. As you know, when it comes to science I don’t remember it all. But, one of the interesting things he told us about the sand was why it doesn’t absorb water. I can’t tell you the science but the fact that the sand doesn’t absorb water explains why they have these flash floods out in the desert. Also, the water has been receding so much the ramp down to the water has been extended several times since 1985. I don’t think I got a picture of the ramp. Also, on our hike there is a marker that says 2020 on the wall in the canyon that shows where the water was just 5 years ago. It was about 20-30 feet over our heads. And we were walking in that canyon. Crazy!

After our kayak/hiking trip we headed out for Arches National Park in Utah. On the way we stopped in Monument Valley and at Forrest Gump Point. Here is a link to John playing Forrest Gump https://youtu.be/o8umeb7t73g

Five hours became six or seven. We all agreed we needed to chill in the morning. We were all exhausted. Well, maybe Melissa wasn’t. She is the energizer bunny. We were about to lose Mike, to work and Melissa really wanted to do a hike in the morning. She was going to do one with or without anyone. At 6:00 am, John text Melissa to see if he could go with her. I slept in. I am really trying to get caught up. Blame the kids, they keep us going non-stop.

We made it! We met up at a Walmart just before entering Utah–which was a really good idea because Utah doesn’t approve all alcohol. That would have been a shame. At least for some adults. Anyway after everyone stocked up on food we headed out. We had booked a trip down the Virgin river in tubes first. So we parked our campers and headed down the road to our river adventure. And what an adventure it was. Not your typical tubing. It was more like a combination of white water rafting and tubing. Floating along and all of a sudden fast water. Getting hung up on rocks and breaking loose, then running into the brush on the side. Super fun.

Next we went back to camp to make a quick dinner before heading to Zion for a sunset picture. What magnificent views. We had a bit of a hike and naturally, I couldn’t make it all the way to the top. Which worked out fine because this big anvil shaped cloud blocked the view. The next morning Melissa, Mike and John got up early to do a hike and Christy and I had coffee outside the campers. I am really liking this. We packed up the kids and headed into Zion for our smaller hike. Needless to say it was so crowded we would have to park outside the park, wait for the shuttle and take that in, then get the shuttle back. We did not have enough time because we had to check out by 11:00. So we went into the park and parked in a “safety” zone and ran into the visitor center to get our stamp–it was the first time for the kids. We decided we would hit Zion up on the way back.

Christy and I had already gotten the camper ready for John to load up so we met them up the road before we headed to Page AZ. On the way we made a stop at the Sand Caves. Another hike I couldn’t complete. You had to climb ropes to get to the top. I walked with Chanel and Melissa stayed with me because she had already been up and down. This was really cool.

We made it to our campground Page Lake Powell Campground and set up before we headed to the Shell Gas Station Caves. OMG there are so many places to go and see.

That wasn’t the end of the day. We went to Horseshoe Bend for a sunset and that is where I will start tomorrow. Whew it is so hard to keep up. We hit the ground running in the morning and don’t stop til late at night.

Tag: camping

The End of 2025

Kayaks on the Upper Antelope

Zion