Year Eight Begins: From the Atlantic to Utah Red Rocks (Spring 2026)
Spring 2026 meant it was the beginning of our eighth year of this adventure, which brought with it the time to renew our Florida drivers licenses. While we could have done it through the mail, we took the opportunity to also change our domicile because of issues related to the Escapees RV Club. Once we got this done, we traversed almost the entire southern US border to meet up again with offroad friends in Yuma, Arizona, on the California border. We successfully overnighted our first time in the Jeep in Utah, and made our way back to Wisconsin after another annual Moab Escapees Jeepers BoF event. We put on over 5,000 miles in just the first few weeks of 2026!
Spring 2026 Route Map
It is incredible that this is now our 8th year since we sold the house and became Florida residents. We have been having issues with the Escapees Club Mail Service since the club had been sold to Harvest Hosts. While the service remains separate, the bigger issue for us was the sale of our “home campground” as well. The mail service now has no direct control our Bushnell domicile address. We decided to change to the St. Brendan’s Isle Mail Service, located in the Flagler Beach area at Green Cove Spring. Since it was time to renew the licenses, it was a good time to make this change. Since then, we have found our new mail service to be faster, friendlier and much more reliable than Escapees.
Time to Renew in Florida
We started the year at Encore Bulow RV Resort near Flagler Beach, Florida, to renew those driver licenses and make the changes at the Clay county courthouse for our domicle.
A large tree covered in Spanish moss stood in front of the motorhome, and our site was on grass with water and electric hookups. We had forgotten one detail in the site notes: there was no sewer connection. We bought a 100-foot, three-quarter-inch industrial garden hose and used our macerator to pump across the road to a sewer connection by a cabin. It solved the immediate problem and gave us another reminder to read our campground notes before pulling in.
A drive to Flagler Beach put us beside the Atlantic again. The breeze coming off the water was cold but comfortable. Before heading west toward the desert, we had some time along the coast.
The enormous ancient tree out front gave of our campsite a proper southern look, with hoards of Spanish moss dangling from everywhere. It is not uncommon in Florida to just park on soft grass and there is no gravel or defined site.We have to pay attention to the notes before we pull into a campground! We had forgotten that we would not have sewer at a Water/Electric site at Encore Bulow Resort in Florida. So, we purchased a 100′ 3/4″ industrial garden hose and used our macerator to pump the poo across the road to a sewer connection by a cabin. Why any water site would not have sewer we just don’t understand.Once again we could touch the Atlantic ocean, with very cold but comfortable breezes blowing in off the surface.
Florida to Arizona, Stopping over in Texas
On the way west, our Texas stop included a visit to the Blue Bell ice cream mothership. The headquarters and factory for Blue Bell is about 45 minutes from the Thousand Trails Colorado River in Texas. There were more flavors than we could count, all behind a sign explaining that they were for display only. We continued to Yuma, Arizona, where Encore Foothill Village RV Resort was our base for a few weeks over two different stints. We also joined our Escapees JeepersBoF group for trails around Lake Havasu, Arizona, returning back to the Foothills for the 115 degree days!
Some friends in Yuma received our JCR Offroad roof rack panels that we needed to finish a Rubi project that had started in Tennessee in November 2025. By February, we finally had two 95-liter ROAM Adventure boxes mounted on the rack. Recovery equipment went in the passenger side and camping gear on the driver side, getting more of our trail gear out of the Jeep’s crowded interior.
Barb finally got her wish to see bighorn sheep at the Yuma Proving Ground. We spent another evening at the Yuma rodeo, with temperatures in the low 70s and aircraft near the Marine airbase adding to the entertainment. We decided to cross off California on our list, since we had some substantial activities in the state.
Back at the Thousand Trails Encore Foothill Village, we caught the sunset from over California, with palm trees and a bright moon above our campsite. It may look pristine, but it was so insanely loud because it is just a hundred feet off of I-10. Yuma mostly follows I-10, but there are some other Encore parks that are further from the roadway that we would try out next time.
Our Texas stop came with a wall of Blue Bell ice cream and more flavors we can count. Unfortunately, the sign said the containers were for display only, which seemed a little unfair with that much temptation behind the glass.Rubi was looking ready for the next desert outing with the two 95L ROAM Adventure boxes lined up on her roof rack in Yuma, Arizona. This Jeep project started in Tennessee in November, and we finally were able to bring the project together in February. We had the flat panels across the top shipped from JCR Offroad to friends in Yuma. Passenger side we are storing recovery equipment and driver side our camping gear for off-road adventures.We traded tire tracks for hoofprints at the local rodeo in Yuma, Arizona. It was an amazing night in the lower 70’s near the Marine airbase, so we got a combination of an air show and bull riding.Our stop at American Girl Mine in California turned into an unscheduled training session of how to get out of a high centered condition! The group gathered to study the problem and work through the next steps. Even the most experienced drivers have their day!Our California side trip from Yuma came with rocky tracks, scattered desert plants, and jagged peaks ahead. We followed the Jeeps across the open ground out from American Girl Mine, with enough rises and dips to keep everyone watching the trail.Our Escapees Jeepers BoF Club group lined up for a trail break while exploring the desert around Lake Havasu, Arizona. From above, the vehicles, camp chairs, and people looked small beside the rocky hills and scattered plants. We have parked in plenty of busy lots during our travels. This one had much better views, more dust, and no shopping carts to dodge.We were not the only ones out on the rocky hills of the Yuma Proving Grounds, Arizona. Barb’s dream of seeing the big horns was finally realized!We caught the sun over Encore Foothill Village RV Resort in Yuma, Arizona, at the end of the day as the sun set over California, with palm trees outlined against a deep blue sky and a bright moon still overhead.
Cooling Off in Las Vegas
This was our second stay at Thousand Trails Las Vegas, Nevada. They have done a lot to clean up the park and to address some of the vagrancy that was occuring, which made for a much better visit than our previous stay.
North of Las Vegas, we explored Fossil Ridge in Desert National Wildlife Refuge. The spiral fossils preserved in the rock came from a time when an ancient sea covered this now dry landscape. The refuge was established in 1936 to protect desert bighorn sheep and is the largest wildlife refuge outside Alaska.
Before we moved on to Utah, an orange sunrise over the campground gave us one more Las Vegas photo, with Rubi tightly parked among the campers and trucks.
We found these spiral fossils at Fossil Ridge in Desert National Wildlife Refuge, north of Las Vegas, Nevada. Established in 1936 to protect desert bighorn sheep, it is the largest wildlife refuge outside Alaska. The fossils tell a much older story, when an inland sea covered this now dry landscape. We went exploring the desert and found ourselves looking at the remains of an ocean floor.Las Vegas, Nevada, gave us a bright orange start before we moved on to Utah. Rubi sat among the campers and trucks at Thousand Trails Las Vegas. This was our second time in Las Vegas at Thousand Trails, this site was actually a very nice site, which was a much improved visit over our last time here.
The refrigerator, Milwaukee Packout toolboxes, and Barb’s mobility scooter all needed to fit into the same small cargo area. On trail days, the scooter and its removable platform are out, exposing the toolboxes below. The impact wrench came out more than once this season to help friends on the trail!
Rubi also needed a new front bumper. The integrated D-rings were showing wear after tens of thousands of miles being towed behind the motorhome, so we had a JCR Offroad bumper shipped to our friends and installed it before heading back onto the trails. A Sand Hollow trail day also left the steering drag link with an extra bend. The steering wheel sitting off center was our first clue, and having friends with tools and room to work helped us get it sorted out.
Our campsite at the St. George/Hurricane KOA, Utah, came with a view toward Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. Its roughly 45,000 acres protect red sandstone scenery, dinosaur tracks, petrified wood, and important habitat for the threatened Mojave desert tortoise.We kept working on Rubi’s cargo setup in Hurricane, Utah, where the refrigerator, Milwaukee Packout toolboxes, and Barb’s mobility scooter all need to find a home together in a small space. The wood platform comes out with the scooter on trail days, exposing then a layer of several pack outs on top of the wood platform system we installed last year. The impact wrench in one of the Packouts came out more than once this season!We know the rock and the moment the steering got fouled up at Sand Hollow State Park. The first indication of a problem was that the steering wheel was not returning to the top of center. Looking at the alignment sleeves and there was no obvious slipping on the threads. Looking closer we discovered the steering drag link had an extra bend to it. Fortunately, having local friends with space and tools was a blessing!It was time to replace the front bumper, the integrated D-Rings were starting to show wear because of the tens of thousands of miles of being dragged behind the motorhome. Once again thanks for friends in Hurricane we had JCR Offroad ship a new bumper directly to them, and we replaced it before hitting some trails in Sand Hollow State Park.Rubi had the pleasure of riding with some of the big leagues, our Hurricane friends Jeremey and Jennifer have a connection with Hollie of Seattimesyndicate and MischiefMakerTV on YouTube. It was a pleasure to have a small group ride out in Sand Hollow to see what her bigger build can do on the rocks.We took Rubi along Razzle Dazzle, a six-mile trail rated 4 out of 10 on Sand Mountain near Hurricane, Utah. The route combines tight washes, rocky climbs, and deep sand, with views across Warner Valley and the Hurricane Cliffs. It also follows part of the historic Dominguez-Escalante route. A suspension lift and tires at least 33 inches tall are recommended.
Overnight on Hole in the Rock (Bluff, Utah)
The Bluff portion of our trip included the Hole in the Rock Trail with Tim and Tina from the Jeepers BoF club. This was our first overnight with the tent attached to Rubi, giving us a chance to use the camping setup we had been working on over the past year. We base camped from the Cadillac Ranch RV Park in Bluff, Utah, heading then over 90-miles off the highway for the overnight adventure. Unfortunately, we were not able to complete the entire trail due to Tim’s Jeep having mechanical issues plaguing their adventures. We played it safe and turned around early and not put ourselves into an impossible situation.
We stopped for lunch at a pullout without realizing we would return to the same spot for the night. The bowl in the rock helped shelter us from the wind, making it a good place to set up the tent beside Rubi. Our Jeep build worked well, although we came back with a few lessons for the next trip. The primary issue with our tent setup is cooking in the tent can be overwhelming.
Fuel was part of the planning for this trail. At the time of our visit, fuel at Halls Crossing was available during the campground’s operating season. During that season, the credit card pumps could be used 24 hours a day, even when the office was closed. The price was reasonable considering how far we were from the highway.
We stopped for lunch alongside a pull out on the trail, not realizing that we would actually be returning to this spot for our overnight.This “bowl” was the perfect place for our overnight location, reducing the wind directly hitting on us overnight. This was our first time overnighting with the tent attached to Rubi. While the build out over the past year worked great, there were still a few lessons learned too.This “bowl” was the perfect place for our overnight location, reducing the wind directly hitting on us overnight. This was our first time overnighting with the tent attached to Rubi. While the build out over the past year worked great, there were still a few lessons learned too.
Moab, Utah
We spent a couple of weeks in Moab, in advance for the annual Moab Jeepers BoF get together. We ran a few trails in advance, one being the Sevenmile Rim run northwest of Moab that took us to Uranium Arch, Determination Towers, and an overlook above the highway junction. The roughly 20-mile loop combined sandy tracks and rock ledges, with Monitor and Merrimac Buttes nearby.
After the weeks with the group, we headed out toward Wisconsin for the summer!
We stopped at Uranium Arch on the Sevenmile Rim route northwest of Moab, Utah. The arch formed in sandstone, with a thin span stretching across a recessed alcove. Its name comes from a nearby uranium mine. Access is by rough four-wheel-drive roads, with rocky ledges and sandy sections. We walked underneath for this view of the arch and the trees growing below it, the temperature drops at least 10 degrees back in the hidden oasis.Tina checks out the view from Sevenmile Rim, northwest of Moab, Utah. Below us are Moab Giants dinosaur museum and Sun Outdoors Canyonlands Gateway, formerly Archview RV Resort. U.S. Highway 191 meets Utah Highway 313 here, the turnoff toward Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands National Park. The La Sal Mountains are still holding snow in the distance.We stopped at Determination Towers on our Sevenmile Rim run northwest of Moab, Utah. These sandstone pillars stand near Monitor and Merrimac Buttes, on the same roughly 20-mile loop that took us to Uranium Arch earlier in the day. The route crosses sandy tracks and rock ledges.Our Escapees JeepersBoF trail group reached Top of the World on Waring Mesa, northeast of Moab, Utah, at lunchtime. Jen and Buddy are checking out Fisher Valley and Onion Creek below the cliffs. It was difficult not to think of Buddy leaping for a flying hat, *National Lampoon’s European Vacation* style!
