Traveling with Jon, Adrienne and Toby

 When was the last time you set eyes on or touched a rock hat is 2 billion years old?  Our first stop on our Balloon Festival Road trip was Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  This is a deep canyon that was cut in the valley floor by the Gunnison River after volcanic activity and earthquakes open up a fissure in the valley floor.  We had the opportunity to explore the canyon rim, the bottom of the canyon and hike several trails that took us into the canyon and along the plateau at the top.  The colors, and composition of the rocks was breathtaking. 

During our first day at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, we attended one of the premier events.  The Twilight Twinkle Glow is a night time exhibition where a few pilots light up their balloons in the dark while most of the other pilots ignite their burners around the few balloons that are inflated.  It gives a panorama of flames shooting into the air with several inflated balloons illuminate in the darkness.   It is a sight to behold and is followed by a spectacular drone show and fireworks.
 

 During our first day at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, I had the pleasure to talk to Susan Lindsey of AZ Air Ventures and balloon pilot for Just Duckie.  This is her story of how she became a balloon pilot along with her husband Greg Lindsey.  She also tells the story behind her balloon, Just Duckie, and her husband's balloon, Flying Awaysis.  I hope you enjoy! 

 On March 11, 2024 we took off for San Diego so our grandkids could babysit us for a week.  The first stop along the way was Bryce Canyon NP and it did not disappoint!  We hiked the Rim Trail with it's spectacular vistas and the Queen's Garden - Peekaboo Canyon - Navajo Trail where you hike down into the canyon and walk among the hoodoos.  Oh course hiking back to the rim meant 23 switchbacks and a lot of hard work.  We also visited the Mossy Cave.  The last day we were trapped inside our RV while a snow storm raged outside.  I hope you enjoy this video.  If you do, please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel.  See you on the next stop of our journey!  

 This episode covers our trip from Joshua Tree to Chula Vista to babysit our Grandkids including a brief stop at UCR, where I went to college.  We had a few mishaps enroute which I touch on but the real story is Grandma and I settling in with our 3 Grandkids while their Mom and Dad take off for a much needed vacation.  We had a blast with the kids and did a lot of exciting things. 

 We started our Alaskan Road Trip on June 1st with our first stop at Devil's Tower in Wyoming.  We then traveled to Hardin, MT where we visited The Little Big Horn Battlefield of Custer's Last Stand.  The following day we went hiking in the Big Horn Canyon area where we were surprised to see a Supercell passing by as we were leaving the area around Arapoosh Pond.  Boy... were we surprised... and lucky! 

On June 7, 2023, we headed for Calgary, Canada where we were staying at the Bow RiversEdge Campground.  This is probably one of the nicest campgrounds we have ever stayed at in our RV (next to Blue Water Key Resort in Key West)!  We were right on the river and there was a very large off-leash dog walking area right behind our RV site.  Toby really enjoyed being able to be off leash and swimming in the Bow River.  We were able to make it into Calgary on day and went to the top of the Calgary Tower where we got a 600 ft view of the surrounding city.  What a great place to visit!

 Take a ride on the Icefield Parkway from Banff to Jasper in Alberta, Canada.  Along the way you can stop for a 5 hour hike on the Athabasca Glacier.  These were all attractions for Adrienne and I as we made our way north on our Alaska Road Trip adventure.  We stayed at the Whistlers campground in Jasper where we took some time to do our laundry and stock up on supplies.  This was one of the most beautiful segments of our trip so far but, little did we know, there is much more beauty to follow! 

 This portion of our trip takes us through the beautiful Yukon Territory which is one of the toughest and most gorgeous roadways as it winds it's way past the Kluane National Park and Reserve in Northern Canada.  The mountains, rivers and enormous lake dominate the landscape which is covered in the beautiful Fireweed flowers.  The roads were mostly good until you got north of Destruction Bay where the pavement disappears and the frost heaves, mud and potholes begin.  I hope you enjoy the ride! 

 On June 25th we arrived in Talkeetna, a cute little hippie town in the middle of Alaska where all of the mosquitos go for their summer vacations.  If I was ever going to be stranded in Alaska, this is where I would want to be.  Food, beer, beautiful scenery and art.  I am proud to say I conquered the mosquitos in Talkeetna and am now knows as the Mosquito Master of Alaska.  We also got to take a bush plane flight around Denali which was one of the highlights of our Alaskan adventure.  If you enjoyed this video, please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel.  

We drove from Talkeetna to Anchorage through the beautiful Matanuska Valley which was a homestead settlement started in 1935 as a result of the New Deal Act passed by Congress.  While in Anchorage hiked Flattop Mountain, visited Beluga Point, had a spa day at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood and took Toby to an amazing dog park near our campground.  Once again, Alaska never disappoints!  Anchorage is much bigger than when we last visited in 2000 and it's beauty and surrounding mountains and glacier or stunning. 

It's July 6th and we are in Homer, Alaska, 'Halibut fishing capital of the world'.  Homer was a must see stop along the way,,, not just for the halibut, but for the shear beauty of this place.  Hike with us on the other side of Kachemak Bay up to the Grewingk Glacier.  Go halibut fishing with Jon.  Tour downtown Homer and visit picturesque Seldovia.  Homer is a highlight of our trip and a place I would most certainly go back to again. 

In our dash to travel from Seward to Valdez, we had a 2 night stay in Whittier to get some laundry done and then a 1 night stay in Copper Center to see Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.  In Whittier we drove through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, the longest tunnel in North America.  We discovered that the biggest reason to visit Copper Center was to fish for King Salmon!  I wish I would have more time there since I had my fishing pole... Dang! 

On July 24, we rolled into Haines.  While we were there we visited Chilkoot State Park, Battery Point Trail, the downtown area where we heard live music outside the brewery, the Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center, the American Bald Eagle Foundation and, course, the world famous Hammer Museum... well almost world famous.  It was a great stop along our way.  Toby enjoyed our hike and getting to play in the water along Mud Bay. 

Its July 28th and we've spent 5 weeks traveling around Alaska but this is our last night.  We are in our campground in Skagway and take a little time to recap our trip and talk about what we liked best and what we will do on our next trip.  So disappointed that we have to say good bye to a dream we have looked forward to for so long.   If you enjoyed this video, don't forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel.

As we approach the end of our trip, we arrive back in the USA to explore the Northern Cascades NP.  Unfortunately, like most of Canada, a bad wildfire has a very big area of the park closed to visitors.  But we found many other state and local parks to visit and explore.  There is much in Northern Washington state left to be seen.  If you enjoyed this video, please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel.  You can follow all of our adventures here at BreakAwayAdventures.net.  We hope to see you on the trails sometime soon! 

This is the unedited version of our Alaskan Bush Plane flight around Mt. Denali.  It is 90 minutes long from safety briefing to  takeoff and landing but gives you a true feeling of what the flight was like.  Enjoy!

 Our first stop was MacDonald Forest Hill Resort just outside of Aberfoyle, Scotland.  MacDonald Forest Hill Resort is beautiful and old.  The only problem was that there was one (and only one) taxi driver in Aberfoyle and he was usually busy. Getting around was a challenge.  We tried to hike up to the top of Ben Venue mountain but it was so muddy we had to turn around.  As much as we liked the resort, we decided to move our stay Edinburgh so that we could get around more easily. 

Stirling Castle is a medevil castle which dates back to  1530AD.  We enjoyed exploring the grounds around the castle, especially the Church of the Holy Rude and the connected cemetery.   Most of the gravestone are from the First and Second World Wars but some of them date back to 1680 AD.  Quite a find!  After visiting the castle and the palace, we made our way back to the pub at Portcullis.  Such a great place to relax among locals and drink whatever beer they are pouring. 

We are getting ready for our epic journey across America to the Floriday Keys.  Along the way we will visit Memphis, Nashville, Smoky Mountains, Congaree, St Augustine, Key Largo, Key West, Sarasota, St Petersburg, Pensacola, New Orleans, Vicksburg, Hot Springs and then home again.  Just me, Adrienne and Toby, our dog.

On our day in Memphis, we visited our friend Drayton Mayers, owner of TeamLogic IT of Memphis and hike over the Mississippi River.  Toby enjoyed the Shelby Farm Dog Park although, we did not get any pictures of him in the dog park because it is 44 acres and we had no clue where he was!  We finally found him running around in one of the two lakes.  We had a great time and Memphis will be a regular stop for us on our way to Nashville to see Megan and Cody. 

 March 7th & 8th:  Megan is with us and we are visiting Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge and hiking some of the trails at the park.  It was overcast most of the time and since it is early March, there are no leaves on the trees so things look pretty sparse... until you get in the backwoods where the mosses, fungi and flowers are all very colorful.  Toby was boarded at the Loving Care Kennel and the owner really enjoyed having Toby there.  If you like this video, don't forget to subscribe on YouTube and you can follow us on this website.  BreakAwaySolutions.net. 

March 10th 2022 Adrienne, Toby and I  headed to Congaree in central South Carolina.  Congaree is the largest track of old growth, bottom land hardwood forest left in the United States.  It is in the flood plane of 2 rivers and, as you can imagine, quite damp and usually covered in water.  We had a great time exploring the trails, wading through bogs and dodging raindrops.  This is one of the dog friendly national parks so Toby had a blast... especially with we saw a small pack of wild pigs cross our path on the Kingsnake Trail.   Unfortunately, we didn't get pictures of this encounter.
 

 We left Titusville and drove down to the Florida Keys.  Finally!  We stayed at Calusa RV Resort from March 17 through Mar 22, 2022.  While we were there we visited Biscayne NP, Everglades NP and John Pennekamp Coral Reef SP.  We also took advantage of the Calusa Pool and paddling our Kayak around the resort and mangrove lagoon where we were joined by a salt water Crocodile and small pod of Manatees.  Life is Good!
 

 We really loved our time on Key West.  There is so much to do and see and the town is alive with tourists and locals all doing their thing.  While the diving is not great in the Keys, we hired a guide to take us inside the USS Vandenberg which was really cool!  The food, the fish, the Stone Crab and the Key Lime Pies are to die for... Really!  While I would not go back to Key Largo (and neither would Toby), I would love to go back to Key West and spend several weeks.  Life is good! 

 Downtown Sarasota is a great place to hang out and enjoy the gulf waters life.  We met our good friends, Brian and Cathy Bonacci from TeamLogic IT.  We got to go shopping at Detwiler's Farm Market which was the most amazing grocery store I've ever seen.  Worth a stop if you are ever in town.  We also visited St. Petersburg where Toby got to play at the dog park and  walk in the dog parade (only the wrong way).  We also visited beautiful St. Pete's Pier.  I wish we had more time to visit. 

 We visited Vicksburg, MI mostly to see the Vicksburg Military Park which is a memorial to the men who fought in the Civil War at the battle of Vicksburg.  This was an important battle because if the Union Army won, they would control the shipping lanes on the Mississippi River and cut the Confederacy in two.  It was a heart wrenching tour of the battle grounds and seeing the National Cemetery at the end was a stark reminder of the brutality of the Civil War and the men that died defending our freedom and way of life. 

AW, her Mom, and I teamed up with Charlie and Joanie for a 3 week adventure.  This segment is all about the drive on I-70 over the Rockies.  You'll get to go through the Eisenhower Tunnel and see our setup at the Slickrock Campground (which I would not recommend)

This national park has so much to offer.  If you are a hiker, there are many trails that you can access that have some of the most sweeping vistas imaginable.  We spent most of our time in the Islands In The Sky which is a huge mesa overlooking the Colorado and Green Rivers.  Someday we will go back to visit the Needles and the Maze.  

I really wanted to see this National Monument and it did not disappoint!  It is rugged but majestic.  Definitely a keeper!  One of my favorite parts was Upper Dry Fork Trail which takes you through Peek-A-Boo & Spooky Gultch.  Make sure you have the trail loaded into All-Trails or some other hiking App.

The first stop of our journey was Santa Fe.  It is a quaint and beautiful tourist town just south of the New Mexico border.  We stayed at the Santa Fe Skies RV Park and hike the Dale Ball trail in the mountains that surround the town.  Lunch at the Shed was a wonderful meal and experience.  It's just too bad that a lot of the museums and shops were closed due to Covid.  Santa Fe is definitely a place worth going back to especially since it is days drive from our house.

 After leaving Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, AW and I headed south to Tucson to see Uncle Dick and visit Saguaro National Park.  I didn't realize but there are two sections to Saguaro...the west side where the Sonoran Desert Museum is located and the east side where nothing is located but there are many cool trails.  The two sides are separated by about 40 miles and the city of Tucson.  The sunsets and sunrises were fabulous! 

 Our fifth stop on the Tour of Arizona was The Grand Canyon.  We stayed in the Trailer Village RV Park which is centrally located near the Grand Canyon Village.  We were there for about 3 full days which gave us time to explore the topside, do the Rim Trail and hike down into the Bright Angel Trail (but not all the way down).  I have a segment in this video where I give you my perspective on hiking the Bright Angel Trail.  The night before we left it snowed about 4-6 inches.  This made towing the RV out of the park just that much more fun!