Surmounting Fear Alone in an RV😳

On June 19, 2026June 12, 2026 By Cathy NoiceIn Cathy NoiceLeave a comment

I recently wrote about why I ended up traveling alone in an RV and how to travel alone. This piece is aimed at the biggest stumbling block for me and that was getting past the fear of being alone in a strange place in an RV I barely understood. My first night in the RV was with my son, Benson. He was basically my ride to pick up Abeona when she was delivered to the dealership. In retrospect, I’m really glad he was game to sleep in the RV with me that first night and having a 20-something weight lifter right by the door was a certain amount of security. I’m sure that if I had been alone, sleeping in the dealership lot all by myself would have been much scarier. I realize now that knowing that there are other paying campers nearby has been a security blanket of sorts.

I am most vulnerable when I go to sleep. I want to know that everything is locked up and that no one can see inside my rig. I have a curtain that snaps into place across the driver and passenger seat in the front. For the first month or so that I initially traveled alone, I would make sure that all the curtains were draw. No one could see in and I couldn’t see out. It’s easier for me to sleep and change into my pajamas when I know my space is private. I also have a headset that I can sleep in that can emit white noise to help me sleep. It’s helpful for noisy neighbors or the if the campground is too close to an interstate or railroad tracks. Managing my senses of sight and sound keeps me feeling secure.

Paying for where I stay. This was by far the most important safety item for me in the first two years of solo rv-ing. I am a woman traveling alone and I want to know that I have a place to stay and that they are expecting me. There are all kinds of folks out there boon docking for free and I’m sure it’s cost effective and there is magic in the journey of discovering a campsite down a 16-mile gravel road with a tremendous view. It’s just not for me. I want to know that someone is expecting me, that I paid to be there and that I have a spot to plug in Abeona.

I purchased a brand-new RV. It’s also a very high quality RV. I wanted to know that at least for the first 5 years, I wasn’t likely to have anything catastrophic happen. I’ve watched enough RV YouTubes where certain makes and models have systems break down. I also get my RV checked every spring before I head out to make sure all the systems are working correctly including the air conditioning and water systems. It doesn’t mean I won’t get a flat tire or run over a boulder and break my sewer pipe but I feel confident that the engine will get me up the side of a steep canyon and the brakes will work coming down Tehachapi pass! I remember getting in a two hour back up coming out of Scottsdale in 105 degree temperatures and seeing several vehicles on the side of the road. Driving a quality vehicle helps me sleep at night.

I read reviews on the campgrounds that I stay at. If I read anything like “sketchy” or “run down”, I don’t stay there. If the reviews are from two or five years ago, I don’t stay there either. I don’t stay at Walmart or Cracker Barrel’s. I would guess that if I was pressed and something unexpected like a hurricane or torrential rain came up and I had to leave wherever I was booked, I might consider these options but if I don’t need to, I don’t.

I get super risk averse when traveling alone. I am the only one who can drive Abeona. If I twist my ankle or break my arm, I’m the only one who can drive Abeona to the next spot. I’m not going to take the scary five-mile hike with tons of rock scrambling and roots. I’m also careful about where I park Abeona. Driving a 25-foot RV in Key West was almost as terrifying as driving out of Skagway Alaska. Getting stuck in a tight parking lot or trying to navigate narrow streets is aggravating. There are more than enough times where I will skip something like a museum or a restaurant I want to try because the parking or navigating is just too risky. It’s not worth the stress for me.

As with anything, the more I travel alone, the easier it is and the more confident I get. I had to live through accidentally dumping the gray tank on the ground and getting the emergency brake to release on a hill at Carlsbad Caverns. As I look back, I realize all the “uh-ohs” that have happened but surviving and learning from each one has been making me more self-reliant. I can either get help from a Facebook group to fix it, pay someone to fix it or go find a hotel. Nothing is insurmountable. It’s all just a patchwork of experiences. I remember when my dear friend, Janine, had a baby about a month before me in 1993. She told me that it’s just not that bad. And it wasn’t. I’m glad I faced my fears and have been on the road discovering so much of the world either alone or with great company. Traveling alone is an adventure of self-discovery.

How to Travel Solo in an RV🧍🏼‍♀️

On June 12, 2026June 9, 2026 By Cathy NoiceIn Cathy Noice, solo travelLeave a comment

Last week I wrote a post on why I started traveling solo in an RV. This post is more about the nuts and bolts of traveling solo. The how to guide on how I set up a trip. I start working on trips sometimes up to a year in advance. I traveled to Alaska on my first cross country RV trip and I knew that I wanted to take a ferry from Bellingham Washington to Skagway Alaska. It’s an almost 3-day ferry ride off the coast of Canada and I knew that both space for an RV and a berth needed to be reserved at least 6 months in advance. Once I had that reservation, then I had a starting point for the rest of my trip, with a solid deadline of when I needed to be in Bellingham. I did the same thing for a trip to Newfoundland. Newfoundland can only be accessed by a ferry if you are in a vehicle and the ferry ride is 7 to 16 hours long depending on the port.

So, my first action is to set up the biggest constraint (like a ferry ride) and then work my way backwards and forwards from there. I have been using an app called RV Life which is a terrific tool because I can map out each RV park or destination like national parks and museums and it shows me the mileage and travel time between each destination. So, if set up an RV park and a National Park, it will show me that it’s either 15 miles apart or 90 miles apart. If I think it’s too far, I can find a different RV park. I generally will map out the major stops I want on a trip and then back my way into the timing over all. I’ve learned (the hard way) that 400 miles in Montana alone in an RV is unreasonable. There are very few services and most stops (if there are any) are on gravel roads. I have a hard stop now at about 300 miles which will take me about 6 hours depending on conditions. I have also learned to drive at least 10 miles below the speed limit. It really does save on gas mileage (remember when President Carter set a 55 mile an hour speed limit?) and when it’s windy, I am able to handle the driving better.

Myself and Abeona (my rv) on the Alaska Highway

When planning my trips, I try to make sure I have full hook ups at least every third day so that if I need to empty by black (toilet) and gray (shower) tanks, I can. I’ve learned that I can fill my fresh water tank and it will last about 4 to 5 days depending on the length of my showers and being conservative with washing dishes. It’s amazing how in tune with my water levels I am at any given moment. Until this year, I had to make sure I had electric hook ups. I am almost always traveling in the heat of summer and I could only turn on the air conditioning if I was hooked up to “shore” power. When it was 110 in Joshua Tree, you can imagine that having hook ups was imperative.

This past year, I upgraded my solar inverter and my lithium batteries so that now I can run anything in the RV at any time. It has been a huge game changer. Not only can I run the air conditioner in the back of the RV while driving but I can also stop at a rest area and have lunch in the comfort of my rig. This may seem small but it saves on time and money and, most importantly, on decision fatigue. There are a multitude of decisions I have to make each day and trying to figure out a restaurant that I can park in that has vegetarian food in the middle of Montana can be exhausting. I can pull off the side of the road, run my microwave or make a sandwich in the comfort of a cool rig. It takes less time; I eat what I want and can always use my bathroom.

I generally fill up on gas when my tank is half full. I look for gas stations that are not busy and easy to get in and out of. Price is the last consideration. Ease of maneuvering is my main concern. I keep a running grocery list and try to shop when I am just getting into a town I am camping in or on my way out. This last trip across the United States from North Carolina to Seattle, I was moving almost every day. I constantly lock things and put things away knowing that I will be driving the next day. I have fitted Abeona with storage so that I don’t have to pack up soap, shampoo, coffee and water every day. I can set up in about 10 minutes and can break down just as quickly. I’m not putting out outdoor chairs or rugs. I’m packing the essentials, checking my tire pressure, tanks and route and heading out.

I just started using an app called “Harvest Host” this year where you can stay at farms, wineries and museums for free or for a small purchase. My first two years RVing, I always had an RV park booked with electric hook ups so that I could use my air conditioner. Since my solar upgrade, this year I spend several nights boon docking (not being hooked up to power). I like with Harvest Host that the organization is expecting me. I’m not heading out to BLM land to camp on my own in the middle of the high desert. For me, knowing that I have either paid to be somewhere or that someone is expecting me, it’s important. I don’t want a 4 AM knock on the door from someone. I want to be welcome and expected wherever I am.

Traveling solo has helped me feel so much more self-reliant. Everything is possible with a little planning, managing expectations and realizing my limits.

Reflecting on Solo RV Travel 🚐

On June 5, 2026June 9, 2026 By Cathy NoiceIn Cathy Noice, solo travelLeave a comment

I just completed my 3rd solo trip of over 3,000 miles in my RV, Abeona. It’s been a terrific adventure over the last three years and I’m so glad I decided to take it on. I get a lot of quizzical looks when friends and acquaintances find out that I travel cross country alone. Most are from people in committed long term relationships. If I were in their shoes, I might think, why ARE you traveling alone? It’s not something I initially elected to do. Most of my travels until my children were adults and I was in a committed relationship were in the company of family, friends or partners. Once I hit my 60’s and my children had their own lives and I was no longer in a relationship, it felt like it was the only choice in front of me. If I wanted to see things, I was going to have to do it on my own.

In addition to it being the only choice (in my mind), I also had a lot of experience traveling solo with my job. I can remember my first business trip when I was in my early 30’s. I was traveling to Albuquerque NM to turn a failing restaurant around. I spent six weeks in a corporate apartment. It was on that trip that I “got over” eating at a restaurant alone. I was quite the foodie at the time and wanted to try the better restaurants of Albuquerque instead of driving through fast food. I remember taking a book with me almost as a security blanket. I can also remember that I spent all my free time driving around New Mexico and hitting up ruins and petroglyphs, sometimes an 8-hour roundtrip drive on my own. This was all way before cell phones, so I would have a map, cash and a guidebook in the company car. I had an enormous Lincoln Continental. I didn’t go to New Mexico to be a budding solo traveler but it was a happy result. I learned that I could eat alone in a restaurant and see some magnificent places like Bosque de Apache (a terrific natural preserve full of migrating snow geese and sandhill cranes) all on my own.

My 2024 Leisure Travel Van Wonder RL, Abeona on the drive to Capitol Reef National Park

Fast forward 30 years and I was bored at the beginning of the pandemic. I had gone on a trip with my boyfriend at the time to upstate New York and Niagara Falls. Eating out and hotel stays were next to impossible due to restrictions. It seemed obvious that if I wanted to travel, I was going to have to get an RV. I looked at a 25-foot motor home called Leisure Travel Van; driving it was super easy, it could be parked in most parking places and it had a full bathroom, a work space, compact kitchen and queen size bed. At the time they were back ordered due to supply chain issues and it took almost 3 years to finally get Abeona in February of 2024. I have to say that I assumed that I would be camping in Abeona with my boyfriend but when that relationship came to a close in the time it took to receive Abeona, I wasn’t going to look for some other travel companion. So, I didn’t aim to be a solo traveler but if that was the only way forward, it was my way forward.

My maiden voyage was to Jekyll Island Georgia and Parrish Florida. I headed out in March and wanted to make sure that I had warm weather. I had spent my first night in Abeona at the dealership in Wilmington NC where I had learned to hook up and tear down the RV on my own. My son stayed with me that first night mostly because he was my ride. I remember taking a ton of notes and insisting on actually being hands on with everything. If something was difficult to do, I would have them show me a second time. The fresh water and water heater situation is difficult. I remember when I got to my first campground in South Carolina that I ended up taking a shower at the campground instead of in the RV because I couldn’t figure out what was wrong (the water was coming out cold). I had already joined several Facebook groups for my RV brand and I was given help almost immediately so I figured out what switch was in the wrong direction. I remember overfilling my fresh water tank and finding out with a knock on my door at my campground in Georgia. I was spilling water all over my campsite. Were these events embarrassing? Yes. Did I learn from them? Yes.

My biggest error was the first time I emptied by black (toilet) and gray (shower) tanks. I remember the guy at the dealership reminding me to make sure the coupling “clicked” when I hooked up the hose. Well, I thought it was tight and thankfully I remembered to test it with the “gray” water first but of course the hose popped off and the gray water started spilling everywhere. I was mortified but was able to turn it off immediately. In all likelihood this would have happened if I had a traveling companion, I just always had to figure out how to solve it on my own or with help from my friends on Facebook and sometimes a text to the dealership.

I think that if I have learned anything over the course of the 30,000 miles I have driven Abeona over the last three years is that I’m going to make mistakes, and none of it (so far) is catastrophic. I’ve set mouse traps and emptied them (yikes), checked all six tire pressures (until someone on FB told me about an app that can give them to me automatically), installed a device to show how out of level I am, figured out Wi-Fi, driven Abeona on a side loading ferry, broke my sewer pipe by driving over a boulder, driven out of Skagway Alaska along the side of a cliff, had my windshield hit by a seagull in the Florida keys, blown out my water system with too high water pressure in Newfoundland, and have seen countless deer alongside the road and managed to avoid them.

I survived it all but have had a terrific time seeing at least a dozen National Parks, visited family and friends and have thoroughly loved seeing both coasts of North America. I truly live in a beautiful country and can’t wait to see even more over the next few years. Would it have been great with someone else along for the ride and/or trials and tribulations? Yes. But am I glad that I did it alone? Absolutely.

Stunning Capitol Reef National Park 🏜️

On May 29, 2026May 31, 2026 By Cathy NoiceIn Cathy NoiceLeave a comment

I’ve been on a quest to see all 63 U.S. National Parks. I had seen ten of some of the western National Parks on a road trip when my children were in Elementary School and we went to 4 of the Utah Mighty Five. My first four was Bryce Canyon, Zion, Canyonlands and Arches NPs. Capitol Reef has been on my list for about twenty years so that I could complete the Mighty Five. It did not disappoint.

As I look at a map of Utah, I can see why Capitol Reef did not make that original road trip. It’s farther north than the other four and, as with most National Parks, you can’t get there from here. The drive to Capitol Reef reminded me of the endless drive to Big Bend NP in lower western Texas. It’s a lot of driving on a narrow two-lane highway with absolutely no services. Utah state route 24 has no vegetation and winds through the high desert. As you get within 20 miles of the visitor center suddenly the rocks turn from sand and gray to red. Formations stand like sentinels along the roadside. There are several turn outs along the road so that you can really appreciate formations with names like Navajo Knobs, Petroglyph Panels and Pectols Pyramid. This part of route 24 follows the Fremont River and there are cottonwoods and vegetation along the river bank.

The stunning scenic drive through Capitol Reef National Park

Once I arrived at the visitor’s center, I watched the film, “Watermark” which details the history and geology of the “Waterpocket Fold” that is Capitol Reef NP. The Waterpocket Fold is an enormous 100-mile geologic wrinkle in the Earth’s crust which creates a rugged landscape of colorful knobs, cliffs, towers and bridges along its length. It was a hot, sunny afternoon when I arrived so I decided to head out along the scenic drive that goes into the heart of the national park the next day. When driving a large vehicle (25 feetI) like my RV, Abeona, I love to head out early to explore when there are less crowds.

The next morning, I headed out at 8 AM to explore several viewpoints and the scenic drive. Panoramic Point had been recommended by the ranger at the visitor center and was close to my campground. It was a magnificent overlook of the Waterpocket Fold as it carves through the valley. It was raining a little and then as it stopped there was a huge rainbow that came out. It was all quite stunning.

I went up the scenic drive and I was glad I got out there early as the road was quite narrow and at times I was driving through a narrow slot canyon. I kept thinking “thank goodness I am the only one out here”. Since no one else was on the road and there were very few pull outs, sometimes I just stopped the RV and got out to take pictures. It’s hard to describe all the formations. When you go to Bryce Canyon, it’s all hoodoos, when you go to the Grand Canyon, it’s sheer drop offs and in Arches, it’s…all arches. In Capitol Reef there are all those things but in small quantities and in an ever changing landscape.

I hiked the Chimney Rock trail and it did not disappoint. There was plenty of parking and it was raining when I arrived but it cleared as I headed up the trail. Chimney Rock is a flat tall red formation. Like someone built a large red four-story free-standing wall jutting out from a cliff.

The entire National Park is quite stunning; both the drive in and drive out. It’s hard to decide if and when the beauty stops because it’s all so varied and stark. While it’s off the beaten path, I highly recommend heading there if you want to see some unique formations. I also recommend heading out early in the morning to beat the crowds as the roads are narrow.

Imposing Great Sand Dunes National Park⛰️

On May 22, 2026May 13, 2026 By Cathy NoiceIn Cathy NoiceLeave a comment

I’ve been on a trek over the last few years to visit all 63 U.S. National Parks. So, in the Spring of 2026, I found my way to Great Sand Dunes National Park in my motorhome, Abeona. On this same road trip, I went to Mammoth Cave NP and Hot Springs NP, they are vastly different from Great Sand Dunes National Park. I arrived at Great Sand Dunes from New Mexico heading north toward central southern Colorado. As with Big Bend NP and Death Valley NP, Great Sand Dunes NP is in the middle of nowhere. You see a sign on the road that says “Great Sand Dunes NP” and then proceed to drive over 100 miles to get to the entrance.

Most of the drive from Santa Fe is flat and dry with tumbleweeds rolling across the landscape. As I drove up route 150 toward the park I was suddenly taken aback as I saw this enormous desert that was at the bottom of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It looked like a mirage; as if Africa dumped a sandbox off at the base of these 14,000-foot mountains. It’s probably because of the height of the mountains behind them but the dunes don’t look that big until you get much closer. They look like brown hills until you realize that they are all sand; constantly shifting sand that is abutted to the base of the mountains with nowhere to go.

The Great Sand Dunes with people climbing (the small black dots).

I always try to watch the National Park film at the visitor center. It was really interesting because they show that there is a seasonal creek called Medano Creek which flows by the sand dunes in the summer after the snow melt in the Sangre de Cristo. What is unusual about this creek is that it has “surge flow” waves. In the video you could see that the creek actually pulses like ocean waves. It’s such an unusual phenomenon that occurs only in Great Sand Dunes NP. Unfortunately, I was in the park too early in the spring to see the creek which was dry at the time I arrived in early May.

There is a trail to hike around near the visitor’s center and as I stared at the dune field which covers 30 square miles and is as high at 750 feet which is about half as tall as the Empire State Building. I didn’t realize until later that there were small black dots at the base of the dunes and those black dots were people hiking up the dunes. It was stunning how large the dunes were.

I drove from the visitor center to the dunes parking lot and sure enough there were about 50 people in various stages of climbing or returning from the massive dunes. As you can imagine, hiking in dunes is no easy task I was glad that it was 50 degrees because I can image that the dunes really heat up in the summer time. They rent sand boards and sand sleds along with wax. I walked out to the dunes and that is when you get the shear expanse and height of the dunes.

The altitude at Great Sand Dunes NP is 8,200 feet. It’s not something I was really conscious of because the drive from Santa Fe (altitude 7,000 feet) was relatively flat. I had booked a campsite close by at Zapata Falls Campground. Unconsciously, I figured that a campground at the base of a waterfall would be in the lowlands. I was taken aback as I dove up 1,000 feet to arrive at my campsite at 9,200 feet. So not only was it cold overnight but there was snow on the ground when I woke up the next morning. This was a happy accident as I was able to see the sand dunes in the distance covered with a light dusting of snow which melted within minutes of sunrise.

Great Sand Dunes National Park was a surprising stop for me as I think I was expecting something more similar to White Sands National Park. White Sand’s dunes are 60 feet high and are cool to the touch because they are from gypsum. You can drive through the dunes (although terrifying in that the road is constantly morphing from the wind) at White Sands NP. Great Sand Dunes is much more immense and since they are reddish brown they retain the heat. It was a fascinating stop on my trip.

Route 66 from Amarillo to Santa Fe 🏜️

On May 15, 2026May 13, 2026 By Cathy NoiceIn Cathy NoiceLeave a comment

I’ve been traveling across the United States in my motorhome, Abeona, for the last few weeks; and have been following a zig zag route. The intent is to check off some more of the National Parks in an effort to see all 63. There are no National Parks between Amarillo and Santa Fe but there are some fun Easter eggs if you go looking. An easter egg is a surprise where you aren’t expecting it. A friend of mine turned me onto an app called Atlas Obscura which has a handy map feature to show you some offbeat locations to stop by. I was really glad I had the app because it helped me locate a few interesting stops along what would be a boring stretch of highway.

Route 66 was established in 1926 and connected Chicago to Santa Monica. It became a migrant route and then a post war tourist mainstay. I lived in Albuquerque NM for several years and “the Mother Road” cuts down from Santa Fe right through Albuquerque. A lot of what is currently Interstate 40 from Oklahoma to Tucumcari NM is the old Route 66. It’s interesting to think of all the folks who have traveled this road in search of a better life or simply seeking the sun of southern California.

When I arrived in Amarillo, I first ventured to Slug Bug Ranch. I had expected it to be just 5 VW bugs face down in the ground (similar to Cadillac Ranch) but was surprised to find 10 VW bugs and several stretch limousines face planted in the ground and covered in graffiti. It was expanded in 2024. Unfortunately, parking (ironic) was not easy in a motorhome so I just looked at it from Abeona. It’s definitely a quirky free stop but fun.

Cadillac Ranch is about three miles down the road along I-40 (route 66). The ten Cadillacs that make up Cadillac Ranch have been around since 1974 but they were moved in 1997. They are now visible form I-40. There is a ton of parking along the frontage road and there are dumpsters full of spent spray paint cans. The ten Cadillacs are in the middle of a barren field and there had to be upwards of 40 folks mingling and painting the structures. It’s remarkable to watch different families and groups making their art on these huge metal objects. It’s wild to watch graffiti in action. The entrance to the park as well as parking are free and sometimes there are leftover spray cans for use.

The trip from Amarillo to Tucumcari was a white-knuckle trip that I had not anticipated. I had wanted to get out of Oklahoma and the threat of tornados. High winds in west Texas and New Mexico are a whole other animal. Driving a high-profile vehicle along a large stretch of road in the high desert is like holding onto a sailboat in high swells. The winds were 25 miles an hour with gusts to 50 miles an hour. I could see off into the distance (because it’s such a huge flat expanse) and there were red dust clouds looming and tumble weeds careening across the roadway.. By the time I got to my campground in Tucumcari, both of my hands were numb from holding the steering wheel so tightly.

The next day, I headed up a long-lost road from Tucumcari to Santa Fe. This was a bit of a crazy experience. It was fortunate that I filled up with gas before heading out because there were no services along the road. I remember seeing a roadrunner cross the road and I felt like it was a lucky sign that I was on the right road. They are such beautiful birds and its namesake cartoon really doesn’t illustrate the delicate beauty of this tenacious bird. On my three-hour trip to Santa Fe there on this barren road, I saw two trees(some 40 miles apart) decorated with Christmas decorations for no apparent reason.

My last stop on my trip to Santa Fe was the Pecos National Historical Park in Pecos, NM. I lived in Albuquerque for several years and I spent a lot of time traveling the state to check out different landmarks; this was a new place for me. It was a major 14th-century community that thrived as a trade hub between the Puebloan and Plains Apache tribes. At its peak it was a 2,000-person community with 5 story buildings and they have done a great job recreating some of the ruins and kivas. The Spanish first visited in 1541. I think it’s always so mind blowing to see how successful indigenous folks were and how early and so far inland the Spanish were in the United States. It’s truly a remarkable exhibit.

I enjoyed my return to the Mother Road and outside of some hairy driving during high winds, there were lots of interesting stopping points to take along the way. It really pays to plan to seek them out before heading out so that you can take in these remarkable places. It’s all part of the journey.

Exploring Hot Springs National Park: A Unique Experience 🔥

On May 9, 2026May 4, 2026 By Cathy NoiceIn Cathy NoiceLeave a comment

I am on a journey to see each National Park in the United States. Due to my extensive travel as a child with my family and living on the west coast for many years, I’ve made quite a dent into the 63 National Parks currently designated by the United States. This Spring I decided to zig zag across the country to visit some of those I had previously missed which brought me to Hot Springs Arkansas in April of 2026. I traveled there in my motorhome named, Abeona, and although the weather wasn’t great, I still had a lovely time exploring this historic park.

Anytime I’m visiting a small town in Abeona, I am apprehensive about parking in the downtown area. I once parked Abeona (she is 25 feet long) in Key West and it was quite nerve racking to try and park in a town with narrow streets and overrun with tourists. I’m still not sure how I ended up street parking her and not getting a scratch but if I can avoid trying to park on city streets, I do avoid it. I was camped at Gupha Gorge Campground which is part of the National Park but it was still several miles from the center of the National Park. I decided to take a ride share so that I wouldn’t have to maneuver Abeona around unknown narrow streets.

The stained glass ceiling of the Fordyce Bathhouse

Hot Springs was known as the “Valley of Vapors” and for good reason. Every fountain on the street had springs gurgling out of the steaming rocks. . It’s quite wild and, of course, I had to touch it to make sure it really was hot (143 degrees). Native American Tribes were the first to take in the waters. Federal protection started in 1832 (predating Yellowstone by 40 years) by President Andrew Jackson for its 47 thermal springs. The area was developed in the late 1800’s and hit its peak in the 1940’s inclusive of gangsters and baseball spring training.

The main attraction at Hot Springs National Park is the main thoroughfare called Bathhouse Row. This is in downtown Hot Springs and there are 8 bathhouses that are still proudly standing on Central Avenue. One of these bathhouses is called Fordyce Bathhouse and is the Visitor Center for the National Park. It is free to tour three floors of this structure which was originally opened in 1915 and closed its doors as a bathhouse in 1962. The National Park has restored the bathhouse to its original glory including lovely mahogany paneled men’s and women’s locker rooms, beauty salons, steam showers, and state rooms. There is a gymnasium on the third floor which has early 20th century gym equipment including a pommel horse for some bizarre reason and ropes to climb. The piece de rescue de resistance is the stain glass ceiling of the Men’s Bath Hall. You can truly imagine how opulent it was to visit these establishments in the early 1900’s.

The other bathhouses on Bathhouse Row have been developed into other uses like a brewery, a restaurant, a gift shop and two of the bathhouses continue to operate. I actually went to the Quapaw Bathhouse where it’s $30 to go ahead and take in four different temperature baths. They provide a towel and locker and all you need is a bathing suit and sandals. There is no need for a reservation and the day I went there about 10 people in the baths. It’s interesting to test the different water temperatures and relax either in the baths or on a chaise lounge. They also provide cold water to drink. The Buckstaff Bathhouse also has baths although I didn’t try that one.

In addition to Bathhouse Row, there is the Promenade that is a wide path that goes behind Central Avenue and its historic buildings. Along this Promenade they have several historical markers and you can actually see some of the springs gurgling out of the rocks. There is also the park land which has trails and Hot Springs Mountain Tower which provides a 360 view of the park and town below.

It’s interesting to go to a National Park that is not about rock formations, caves or tall trees but more about the thermal waters and the history and infrastructure that was built around it. I’m really glad I got to experience the waters that created this natural wonder.

Mammoth Cave National Park🧐

On May 1, 2026May 2, 2026 By Cathy NoiceIn Cathy NoiceLeave a comment

I’ve been on a quest to visit all of the United States National Parks for the last several years. There are 63 National Parks and that might sound like too little, but it does not include National Historic Parks or National Monuments. I traveled to Florida last year to visit the 3 parks in southern Florida including, Dry Tortugas, Biscayne and the Everglades. I’m in my RV, Abeona, zigzagging across the US to hit some of the more obscure National Parks. The majority are in the West and Alaska. Mammoth Cave is in southern Kentucky and is quite an impressive National Park. As the name suggests, most of the National Park is underground and they have upwards of 20 different tours you can take to experience this enormous cave.

Mammoth Cave is the largest cave in the world. Is that not crazy? Over 426 miles of the cave have been discovered thus far. They have a representation of the caves and it’s kind of like a big wad of spaghetti that is all interconnected. My first tour was the Mammoth Passage tour. I have previously toured Carlsbad Caverns which is a completely different experience because it’s a 2 mile walk down to the bottom of the cavern. On the Mammoth Passage tour we went into the historic entrance of the cave which was 125 steps to the main passage of the cave. It’s much more accessible than Carlsbad. It’s also called a dry cave so in that section of the cave there are no stalagmites or stalactites although there are plenty of bats. The ranger explained that indigenous people started using the caves between 5,000 and 2,000 BC and were able to mine them for minerals like gypsum, mirabilite and selenite crystals.

The 75 foot high Frozen Niagara in Mammoth Cave National Park

In 1790 John Houchin settled near the cave. It was used extensively to mine for saltpeter which was used for gunpowder. In fact, we saw remnants of early settlers who mined the saltpeter on the tour which was used during the War of 1812. Early tourism started in the 1830’s and many enslaved African Americans played a critical role in exploring the caves due to the dangerous nature of the job so they were left risking their lives to explore the extensive caves. It became a National Park in 1941 as the federal government stepped in to take over the land of competing cave owners during the “Kentucky Cave Wars”.

I took a second tour call Frozen Niagara Tour. This entrance was several miles away from the visitor’s center and we took a bus to get there. This is a wet cave so we got to see the amazing formations caused by thousands of years of dripping water. It’s a very short set of stairs down into the cave and some rather tight passage ways where you have to hunch over. I had a tall guy in front of me to use a barometer of how far I would have to hunch. They ask you not to touch the walls but I have to say that one passage way was so tight I had no way to avoid it. At one point you could see down some three stories to a small “lake” called Crystal Lake. Looking at stalagmites that extend some two to three stories down from the ceiling was really amazing. The actual Frozen Niagara is 75 feet high and 50 feet wide. It’s interesting that it took hundreds of thousands of years for it to form. There is also the drapery room which had huge formations that look, of course, like drapes. We also saw several hundred Kentucky cave crickets. Of course, I didn’t notice them overhead until the ranger pointed them out by flashing a light on them. They are silent, so it’s a bit unnerving to look up and see a hundred or so crickets hanging out over your head.

I camped at Mammoth Cave Campground which was walking distance to the Visitor’s Center and is where all the cave tours depart. The day I arrived it was raining but it didn’t put a damper on touring the national park since so much of what there is to see is below ground. I will say that there are two rivers and tons of hiking trails above ground as well. I highly recommend visiting this natural wonder in south central Kentucky and be sure to explore both the dry and wet caves on a tour. To think that there are 426 miles that have been discovered so far and they believe there could be anywhere from another 200 to 600 miles that are still undiscovered is rather astounding.

😎 PEI – Tiny and Unique

On August 15, 2025July 23, 2025 By Cathy NoiceIn Cathy NoiceLeave a comment

Prince Edward Island (PEI) is the smallest province in Canada but if it was a US state, it would be the second smallest right after Rhode Island. Yes, my Delaware friends, there is a Canadian province that is smaller than the state of Delaware. I traveled here on my Atlantic Maritimes Road trip in my RV, Abeona in the summer of 2025. I will say that getting to PEI is not for the faint of heart. My knuckles were white as I drove across the only bridge to the island called Confederation Bridge. First, I’d like to thank the travel gods because it wasn’t windy that day as I traversed the 8-mile bridge. I was dumbfounded as to why there weren’t any west bound cars as I came across the bridge until we were stopped for about 5 minutes due to construction on the bridge. It was nerve wracking to be about two thirds of the way across the bridge only to be stuck high above the Gulf of the St. Lawrence for what seemed like an eternity and to feel the roadway undulate from the weight of the cars (this takes me back to walking across the Golden Gate Bridge many years ago and feeling the ground constantly move). There is no toll on the east bound side of the bridge but on the way back it was 50.25 CAD ($36.70). That is definitely the most I have ever paid for a bridge toll.

The red cliffs and beaches of Prince Edward Island

I headed immediately to the most western lighthouse on the island called West Point Lighthouse which is in Cedar Dunes Provincial Park. Here I got to see the tallest lighthouse on PEI at 68 feet tall. It’s situated right next to the red sand beaches of Cedar Dunes Provincial Park which is quite stunning as it was a clear sunny day and the dark blue ocean waves crashing next to the vast red sandy beach is impressive. It turns out that this tiny island province has over 55 lighthouses which is a lot compared to at the very least North Carolina which only has seven active lighthouses. Once I arrived at West Point Lighthouse I wanted to continue on to my next destination and there was no cell coverage. It wasn’t until later that I learned that driving on the island is more like navigating a maze. I definitely would have invested in a paper map if I had to do it again. I was able to start up my satellite dish to get my directions to my next destination but I have to say I was caught off guard. I think I had better cell coverage in the Yukon.

When traveling on to The Bottle Houses and Garden, there was never a straight shot on a road for say 20 kilometers. It was more like 1.5 KM then right for 2 KM and then left for 1 KM. And so on. There are vast amounts of fields and farmland which is pastural but I felt like my GPS must be wrong that that there must be a more straight- forward way to get from point A to point B. I needed to let go and let faith take over. Later in the day I ended up on a gravel road for at least 5 KM which really rattled me both physically and mentally.

The Bottle Houses and Gardens is a lovely spot; it has a chapel and two house built by Edouard Arsenault in 1980. His first house was built with 12,000 bottles which he collected and carefully cleaned and then built using cement between the bottles. The second building is called the tavern and is built using 8,000 bottles and the last creation is a chapel which was completed posthumously with 10,000 bottles. The gardens around the site are picturesque and there are many bottle trees (metal tree shaped frames with bottles on the “branches”) in the gardens as well. It’s definitely worth the visit.

I visited the Green Gables Heritage Place along with Lucy Maud Montgomery’s birthplace. I’m not sure anyone would be interested to visit these places unless you have read Anne of Green Gables or watched one of the series or movies associated with the place. I have read the book and watched the series and it was neat to see where Montgomery got her inspiration. The Green Gables house was actually Montgomery’s grandparents’ house and she spent a lot of time there since her mother passed away when she was two and her father moved out to western Canada. You could feel that the book was very autobiographical as Montgomery like her main character, Anne Shirley, was also a teacher. As an aspiring writer it was really neat to see her first handwritten draft of Anne of Green Gables and the old typewriter she also used. It’s an interesting walk back in time to see the farmhouse and its thatched beds and Victorian furnishings.

An interesting stop in PEI is The Dunes Studio Gallery and Cafe which is a great place to look at local art, buy some locally made crafts, eat seafood and wander the lovely gardens. There are also art studios for the artists who actually work here that you can see into. If it weren’t for the drizzle that morning, I could have wandered for hours.

There is a laid-back pace to PEI with endless red sand beaches, striking red cliffs near the placid waves breaking on shore. I’m pretty sure I passed more farm equipment on the road than anywhere back home in North Carolina. This island is all about the farming and raising of world-famous PEI mussels which can be seen throughout the bays and inlets around the islands. I’m glad I ventured here and now I’ve been to every province in Canada.

🧐25 Peculiarities of Newfoundland

On August 1, 2025July 5, 2025 By Cathy NoiceIn Cathy NoiceLeave a comment

I’m finishing up a month-long solo RV tour of Newfoundland. This is truly a beguiling place with vast amounts of seascapes, cliffs, and wilderness as well as tiny fishing villages and busier hubs like St. John. The vast Great Northern Peninsula is as desolate in areas as the Yukon Territory with nary a Tim Horton (Canada’s answer to Dunkin); while St. John’s is a major shipping port with countless restaurants and museums. I began my trip at Port aux Basques where I could travel for hours without seeing any facilities and I am finishing up my trip outside of St. John’s which has 40% of the province’s population complete with parking garages and pedestrian thoroughfares. There is a lot of contrast here and I’ve loved every moment.

Here are the 25 peculiarities of Newfoundland:

Pronouncing it. I have been corrected on the pronunciation of Newfoundland by several Newfies. From the best I can figure it is pronounced: New-FUN-lAnd. I tend to say NEW-fin-lund.
No Newfoundland dogs. Outside of statue of a Newfoundland and Labrador dog in downtown St. John’s, I have yet to see a Newfoundland dog here. I had a client ask if there were herds of them here. There are not.
Only Dairy. Especially in the remote northern end of Newfoundland, I could not find any non-dairy milk or yogurt. It’s all dairy, dairy here.
Moose. I went to a nature park called Salmonair and traveled over 1,000 miles in Newfoundland. I have yet to see a live moose although they claim that there is one moose for every 4 people or 125,000 moose. That’s an amazing number considering they were introduced here in 1904.
Icebergs. I saw eight icebergs on my trip here and if you come in June and are willing to travel to St. Lunaire or Twillingate, I can pretty much guarantee you will see an iceberg and it’s an awe-inspiring sight.
RDF. A Newfie clued me in that this is the general term for weather which stands for Rain, Drizzle and Fog (St. John is known as Fog town). There is no telling when it will rain and when it will be sunny and, in general, the forecast is wrong. This can make planning difficult and you just have to be adaptable.
National Parks. There are two National Parks (Gros Morne and Terra Nova) on Newfoundland and they are beautiful and super inexpensive compared to the US. It’s only $11.00 to enter these parks for the day.
Provincial Parks. I saw several Provincial Parks and all of them have been free. The most stunning was the Dungeon Provincial Park which is a collapsed sea cave. It was a gravel road out to it, but when there is a clear, blue sky and pounding waves below in “the dungeon”, it’s a spectacular sight.
Potholes. When I drove the Alaska Canada highway last year there were always signs to indicate that potholes were coming and they were accurate. While the Trans-Canada Highway here is terrific, there are several secondary roads that were riddled with potholes and/or frost heaves (undulating roadway from temperature changes). Sometime I had to drive 20 miles an hour to make sure Abeona held together.
Brogue. Many of the locals sound like they are from Ireland or Scotland. A server or customer service person would approach me and I must have had a deer in the headlights look because I have no earthly idea what they just said. Expressions like “Whaddayat” or “How ya gettin’on” at times made me think I was across the pond.
Chatty. I was mentioning to a Newfie I met in St. Pierre that people were so nice in Newfoundland and she said, “Well, they are really just chatty.” She is right. People would talk to me about just anything but most likely the weather (see #6). I had an older man come up to me while I was gassing up Abeona and said, “Whaddayat” and “Come from away” (are you visiting). He thought I had a really nice rig and asked “Do you have a man in there?” The folks here are chatty.
Time zones. I think it’s bizarre but Newfoundland and Labrador are a half hour ahead of the Atlantic Time zone (Nova Scotia, etc.). So, they have their very own time zone.
Gas. A lot of the gas stations only have regular gas and you pump and then pay inside. Similar to my trip through the Yukon, I gassed up at almost each gas station I found open (some are closed on Sunday).
Potable water. I was prepared for this before I came but several campgrounds had boil warnings on the water. I had to be sure I filled up at the campgrounds with safe drinking water.
Cover shopping carts return. I found it strange that grocery stores had covered places for the carts to be returned. Gas stations were not normally covered (like they are in the US).
Cod. Cod is the center of the universe here and when there was a moratorium on cod fishing starting in 1992 it devastated the region. As they say here, fish is cod and cod is God. The fishing just restarted in 2024 but only partially. It’s why the area was settled 400 years ago.
Jigg’s Dinner. This is a classic Sunday dinner in Newfoundland and is only served on Sunday. It’s a boiled dinner that included salted beef, turkey, potatoes, turnips, mashed peas, carrots and greens. The whole thing is covered in gravy (similar to Poutine which is fries covered in gravy). I was finally able to be at an open restaurant on Sunday that was serving it and it was delicious.
Lupin. Besides thousands of dandelions that almost look like they are cultivated along the highways and byways, swaths of lupin in blue, pink and white are along hiking trails and highways.
Balsam Fir. Most of the landscape on the Great Northern Peninsula is barren and grassy but along the Avalon and Bonavista peninsula’s there are miles of balsam fir conifer forests and the smell is breathtaking.
Moose burgers. Besides fish and chips (see #16), another staple at roadside restaurants on the Great Northern Peninsula is moose burgers. It’s more prevalent than regular hamburgers.
Painted Rocks. I found painted rocks on random hiking trails where school children from a particular class room painted rocks to line the trail at its apex. There are large boulders painted as well. It’s like finding Easter eggs while driving or hiking.
Partridge Berries. These are small red berries that are tart like a cranberry and many restaurants made tarts from them.
Gift shops. There are tiny gift shops next to lighthouses and on the road next to restaurants. These shops are filled with handknit gloves, homemade partridge berry jam (see #22) and painted rocks. They are all locally made and quite homespun.
Wood piles. I saw this the most on the Great Northern Peninsula but there would be random piles of wood along the Viking Trail on my way to St. Lunaire. Apparently, locals have a place to keep their wood for the winter. It seems random but it’s not. The same goes for piles of lobster traps.
Names. I find it funny that there is an island called Random Island and two lakes right next to each other, one called 3 Corner Pond next to Triangle Pond. I wondered how they knew the difference since isn’t a three-corner pond a triangle? There is also the town of Dildo which Jimmy Kimmel featured on his show. There is the inappropriately named Western Brook Pond which is a fresh water fjord that is 10 miles long and 250 feet. Not really a pond.

I love that Newfies and Newfoundland are so quirky and friendly. Regardless of whether I was walking down a trail, doing laundry or paying for gas, these people are so welcoming to those that come from away. I can’t wait to return.