Blogposts from our Escape the Tundra 2019 road trip are complete. This post will provide an outline of where we went, what we saw and links to posts associated with each stop.

If you haven’t seen any of the posts, you may want to start at the beginning. Near the bottom of each post, there is a green link that will take you to the next post – it’s pretty simple to navigate. I’d also suggest a desktop or laptop rather than your phone so photos are a little larger. If you click on the first in a series, you can scroll through the photos by clicking the arrow. Enjoy!

Our itinerary:

Escape the Tundra 2019

• Marion, IA (2 nights) stayed with brother.
• Ridgedale, MO (3) Wilderness Club at Big Cedar.
• Magnolia Silos (Waco, TX) en route to Lakeway, TX (7) Texas Timeshares. Day trips to San Antonio (Alamo, River Walk), New Braunfels, San Marcos, Austin (tour, walkabout) and Hamilton Pool.

Oil Fields to Radiant Skies

• Carlsbad, NM (1) Comfort Suites.
• Carlsbad Caverns en route to Bisbee, AZ (1) School House Inn Bed & Breakfast.
• Tombstone, AZ en route to Florence, AZ (1) GreenTree Inn. Visit friends, with stop at St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery en route to Peoria.

Valley of the Sun to Red Rock Country

• Peoria, AZ (6) Cibola Vista Resort and Spa. Visits with family and timeshare friends, day trips to Cave Creek, Goldfield and the Apache Trail.
• Rock Springs (for lunch and pie) en route to Sedona, AZ (7) Sedona Pines. Day trips to the Visitor Center, Bell Rock Pathway, Chapel of the Holy Cross, Red Rock Crossing. Oak Creek Canyon with stops at Midgely Bridge, Oak Creek Canyon Vista, Slide Rock State Park and Indian Gardens. Shopping at Tlaquepaque and Uptown Sedona. Lots of rain/snow, dinner and a movie.

Red Rocks to Sin City

• Scenic route via Jerome, Prescott, Watson Lake Granite Dells en route to Peoria, AZ (6) Cibola Vista Resort and Spa. Visits with family and timeshare friends, visits to Lake Pleasant, Dell Webb Museum. Lots of rain, dinner and a movie. Rendezvous with friend at Mr. D’s Route 66 Diner in Kingman en route to Las Vegas.

Spillways and Slot Machines

• Las Vegas, NV (7) Cliffs at Peace Canyon. Day trips to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. People-watching and drinks on the strip with Cirque du Soleil “Mystère” at Treasure Island.

Long and Winding Roads

• Las Vegas continues with day trips to Valley of Fire and Red Rock Canyon.

Zion in the Mist

• Spent a gloomy, dreary, rainy, but absolutely fantastic day at Zion National Park en route to Springdale, UT(1) Quality Inn.

Icing on the Hoodoos

• Spent a cold, damp, snowy, but absolutely fantastic day at Bryce Canyon National Park en route to Page, AZ

Snowshoes to Sunshine

• Page, AZ (2) Best Western Plus at Lake Powell. The route from Bryce to Page was absolutely fantastic, so we backtracked the next day for photos with stops at Big Water Visitor Center, Lone Rock Beach and Wahweap Overlook. Also saw Horseshoe Bend and Glen Canyon Dam.

The View of The Mittens

• Monument Valley, UT (1) The View Hotel. Stunning views from the hotel – even better views from the scenic loop.

“Deep in the Rock”

• Chinle, AZ (2) Thunderbird Lodge. What can I say about Canyon de Chelly, but WOW! Great views of a magnificent canyon that is steeped in Navajo history.

Escape the Tundra Finale

• Scenic route which included stops at Four Corners Monument, Shiprock and Aztec Ruins National Monument en route to Santa Fe, NM (2), Comfort Suites. One day touring the downtown historic district, with nachos and beers at a bar and grill near the Santa Fe plaza.
• Ridgedale, MO (7) Wilderness Club at Big Cedar. Spent a soggy week, with lots of rain and lazy. Into town when weather allowed. Mostly cooked in, drank wine from Mr. Gilberti’s and relaxed by the fireplace.
• Branson, MO (7) The Falls Village. The weather was practically perfect almost the whole week! Three shows, dinners out. We enjoyed this timeshare immensely! Heading home tomorrow.

And so we’ve come full circle. I hope you have enjoyed the recap of this fantastic trip. We were thinking that maybe we might get a little homesick after a while, but about the time that was starting to happen (around Las Vegas) we got our second wind with fantastic scenery and places neither of us had been before. Leaving for that long was tough, but while we were gone we kept checking in at home and the thing of most concern was the weather. I will admit, the weather on this trip was not fantastic – well, sometimes it was – but it was sure better than Wisconsin’s brutal winter of 2019. I’m so glad we missed it!

For a look at our next winter road trip, visit Dodging the Deep Freeze 2020.

Happy trails,
Barb