Vegas was calling to us once again. We are packing up Natasha for this trip looking forward to getting back out on the road. This itinerary took us to some familiar city locations with new RV parks tossed in. You might ask the question, going batty, where is that? The answer would be Carlsbad Cavern National Park. We revisited this park to witness the bat flight at dusk. Our previous visit was interrupted by 60 miles an hour wind gusts.
Here is a rundown of our trip.
Mileage: 3,998
Nights: 30
Diesel Fuel & RV Park Daily Average: $78
- Little Rock-North KOA – Little Rock, AR
LTW RV Park Review – Little Rock North KOA
Nights: 2
Must-See Attractions
The Old Mill – 3800 Lakeshore Dr, North Little Rock, AR 72116 A historic re-creation of an 1880’s water-powered grist mill. It is in the opening scenes of the classic movie “Gone With The Wind.” It features sculptures by Senor Dionicio Rodriguez and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This is just a hidden gem in North Little Rock that you should take the time to visit. Bring your camera this will be a great place to snap a few shots particularly in the spring when the flowers are in bloom. MAP
Junction Bridge & Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden – Arkansas River Trail, Little Rock, AR 72201 Ginny, Zoey, and I spent the morning touring this area of the River Trail in downtown Little Rock. This is a dog-friendly park tucked in between the river and downtown. There is plenty of award-winning sculptures to take in along with the Junction Bridge. Start your morning in Little Rock with a pleasant walk along the riverfront.
The Farmers Market is located at the entrance of the park and you will find something going on every weekend. Note this area is full of restaurant choices and of course the Clinton Museum. Parking can be found on the street or in a larger parking lot nearby. MAP
- Mustang Run RV Park – Oklahoma City, OK
LTW RV Park Review: Mustang Run RV
Nights: 1
- Oasis RV Resort – Amarillo, TX
LTW RV Park Review: Oasis RV Resort
Nights: 2
Fun Stop
Cadillac Ranch – 13651 I-40 Frontage Rd, Amarillo, TX 79124 is a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, USA. It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez, and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm. The installation half-buried ten Cadillacs nose-first in the ground
Is it worth the stop, yes it is easily accessed off I-40 on the west side of Amarillo? I found a bit disappointing the amount of litter caused by the spray cans left behind by would-be painters.
Palo Duro Canyon State Park – 11450 Park Road 5, Canyon, Texas 79015 Welcome to the Grand Canyon of Texas, the second largest canyon in North America. Palo Duro consists of 27,000 acres in Randall and Armstrong Counties. What is unique about this canyon is you are driving down into the canyon rather than viewing from the rim.
There are several RV campsites available, be aware that the ride down into the canyon is narrow and steep. The weekends are very busy in the park. I would highly recommend if you plan to RV camp in the canyon you set up or leave during Monday – Friday MAP
Jack Sisemore Traveland RV Museum – 4341 Canyon Dr, Amarillo, TX– If you are in Amarillo and have some time on your hands don’t miss this free exhibit at the rear of Jack’s business. There are some incredible RV restorations in these collections along with many motorcycles.
As mentioned above, this museum is a part of the Traveland RV dealership to scope out a few new rigs while you’re there. The atmosphere is casual so the sales staff will not be attacking you at the door. MAP
- Route 66 RV Resort – Albuquerque, NM
LTW RV Park Review: Route 66 RV Resort
Nights: 1
Restaurants
Buffet Route 66 Fresh Market
Location: 14500 Central Ave SW, Rio Puerco, Albuquerque, NM 87121 Map
Web Site: Route 66 Buffet
The legendary Buffet 66 has been re-built from the ground up to create an all-encompassing, all-you-can-eat dining experience. The ALL-NEW Buffet 66 Fresh Market offers fresh cuisine and flavors influenced by different cultures around the world and is made to order. Our shuttle driver gave us the rundown on this restaurant and of course, it was a glowing review. The word is that this is the best buffet in the area.
Honestly, he was right, the price was very reasonable, $15.00 a person and the selection was fantastic. We arrived just before they were making the switch to dinner. Typically you find the various foods picked over and not looking fresh. This was not the case with this buffet, everything looked like it had just been placed out. The salad bar looked fresh and crisp as did the Tex-Mex section which we both indulged in.
Great value and food of all varieties.
- Meteor Crater RV Park – Winslow AZ
LTW RV Park Review: Meteor Crater RV Park
Nights: 1
- Oasis Las Vegar RV Resort – Las Vegas, NV
LTW RV Park Review: Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort
Nights: 14
- Desert Shadow RV Resort – Phoenix, AZ
LTW RV Park Review: Coming Shortly
Nights: 1
- Lazy Days KOA – Tucson, AZ
LTW RV Park Review: Lazy Days KOA
Nights: 3
Sight Seeing, Attractions, and Restaurants
Here are a couple of the restaurants we tried during our visits to Tucson. I enjoy cooking so we do plenty on the rig, but we are both foodies and try to find gems along the way.
El Charro Cafe – 311 N Court Ave, Tucson, AZ 85705 Established in 1922, El Charro Cafe of Tucson, Arizona is The Nation’s Oldest Mexican Restaurant in continuous operation by the same family. Featuring traditional Northern Mexico-Sonoran style and innovative Tucson-style Mexican Food, El Charro Cafe is true as Gourmet Magazine wrote: “A Taste Explosion”.
We would whole heartily agree with that. Our taste test for most Mexican food is there Chili Relleno’s. I ordered the Original Anaheim version with Christmas Sauce and it was delicious. Ginny had a fried version with a light batter that she also enjoyed. I am not a drinker so Ginny generally goes for a Margarita. The pour was strong and she loved the drink. Highly recommended if your anywhere near.
Saguaro National Park East and West – In one word “Amazing”. Saguaro is home to the nation’s largest cacti. The giant saguaro is the universal symbol of the American West. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to the east and west of Tucson’s modern city. Here you have a chance to see these enormous cacti, silhouetted by the beauty of a magnificent desert sunset. Make time during the cool of the morning or evening and go. Web Site: Saguaro National Park
Ginny and I being the casual hikers managed the trails around the Bajada Scenic Loop with relative ease. There is plenty more for the avid hiker to explore.
Five Points Market and Restaurant – 756 S Stone Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701 Basically everything is right about this place. The room is attractive comfortable and there’s plenty of room between tables. Service is efficient and unobtrusive and that includes the maitre d station. The food is uniformly excellent with obvious care and attention made to details. The salad has a light dressing the salmon benedict I have was perfectly poached. Ginny had the Breakfast salad and loved every bite. The bread is high quality and the desserts looked delicious. Even the ice tea I had was excellent as is the coffee both hot or cold. MAP
The Pima Air & Space Museum – 6000 E Valencia Rd, Tucson, AZ 85756, is one of the world’s largest non-government funded aerospace museums. The museum features a display of nearly 300 aircraft spread out over 80 acres on a campus occupying 127 acres. It has also been the home to the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame since 1991
This museum is well worth the visit. The staff is mostly volunteer and are typically retired military. The bottom line, they have great stories about the aircraft and rockets and know their stuff. We did pay for the guided tour around the outdoor aircraft. It was informative and shaded out of the direct sun. That is one big area of aircraft and if you need to get your steps in, have at it.
They do have a tour of the military boneyard located near the museum. You will need to contact them regarding this and clear a security check before arriving at the museum. This will take a few days so plan to fill out the application. We plan to do this on our next visit, the boneyard is massive and filled with all sorts of aircraft
- Hacienda RV Resort – Las Cruces, NM 88005
LTW RV Park Review: Hacienda RV Resort
Nights: 2
Must-See Local Attraction
White Sands National Monument is in the northern Chihuahuan Desert in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It’s known for its dramatic landscape of rare white gypsum dunes. Trails through the dunes include the raised Interdune Boardwalk and the Dune Life Nature Trail, dotted with interpretive exhibits on wildlife and other features. Dunes Drive is a looped road from the White Sands Visitor Center to the dune field.
We arrived early morning on a rather rainy day. This had its advantages as the park was not crowded at all. We made our way to the end of the driving loop and had the view and park to ourselves. This is a dog-friendly park with plenty of areas to walkabout.
Be forewarned, check to see if they will be closing the highway due to missile testing. White Sands Missle Range is one of the most active ranges in the USA.
- Carlsbad KOA – Carlsbad NM 88220
LTW RV Park RV – Carlsbad KOA
Nights: 3
Bucket List
Bat Flight Program (late May-October), Free evening ranger talk about bats before their flight. No reservations are required for this program that occurs every evening from Memorial Day weekend through October. The program takes place at the Bat Flight Amphitheater, located at the Natural Entrance to Carlsbad Cavern. The start time for the program changes as the summer progresses and sunset times change.
If you have not taken in this bucket list nightly event put it on your to-do calendar. This will more than likely mean you will be driving back to the Park in late spring or summer as the bats fly after dusk. We visited in early October just before the migration and the program started around 6 pm.
It did not disappoint, thousands of bats came swirling out of the cave mouth around 7:15 and continued for the next hour. We were sitting on the right-hand side of the cave entrance. The bats flew right over our heads and in front of us during their flight.
- Big Texan RV Ranch – Amarillo, TX
LTW RV Park Review: Big Texan RV Ranch
Nights: 1
- Mustang Run RV Park – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
LTW RV Park Review: Mustang Run RV Park
Nights: 1
- Little Rock-North KOA – North Little Rock, AR
LTW RV Park Review: North Little Rock KOA
Nights: 1
