Shaking Down...

 

If you said, "That's a Taylor Swift song," you lose any bonus points you may have accumulated to this point... that song is "Shake It Off.

We took off this morning in the Roadtrek to give it a proper shakedown cruise.  We had talked about going to Tucson, because we really like the KOA that is associated with Lazy Days (RV sales) - nice facilities and easy to get around.  But, Tucson is in the same situation as Phoenix, with Mother Nature turning up the heat after getting a few days in the 90s... there are Heat Advisories starting on Wednesday, with temps getting towards that 110º range again.

Instead, I suggested we head towards the Grand Canyon - higher elevations making for cooler temps.  Joan booked us 3 nights at the KOA in Williams.  The high temperatures for the next three days: 78º, 81º, and 81º - that sounds great!  We decided to take "the back way" there, with roads going through Wickenburg, Prescott, and then a short stretch on I-40 instead of I-17 north to Flagstaff, then west to Williams.

Since we were going that way, we decided to fuel up, so we can get an accurate idea of fuel burn, then stop at our storage to get a couple things out of the cargo trailer...

 Joan likes the Fry's in Goodyear, so we stopped there so she could get a few things, while Murphy and I parked the van and waited.  We have driven the van around since we got it, and found some of the shopping center and restaurant parking lots have short parking sites - we're a couple feet too long to fit in just one site.  But, Fry's has parking sites they way they ought to be...

That's a good fit!  From there, it was west to the Loop 303, heading north...

The van has a comfortable ride and handles car-like.  We are enjoying the ride...

We turned onto Hwy 60, towards Wickenburg.  We stopped at the rest area just outside of Wickenburg, where I got Murphy some lunch and Joan made lunch for us.  Now, to be fair, we could have stopped at any of the fast food places in Wickenburg... because we can.  But, this was our first "lunch in" with the new Roadtrek.

Wickenburg is growing, but there is a lot of desert out there...

We turned off of Hwy 93 (which would take you to Laughlin and Las Vegas), and onto Hwy 89, heading towards Prescott...

The first town you come to on this road is Congress - a small desert town...

Out of Congress, you get into mountains and curves...

It is quite a climb in this area, going from around 2,000' elevation in Wickenburg to over 6,000'...

Murphy spent the first half of the ride in his carrier - this is all new, compared to the Aspect.  He got some lap time in, as well...

Murph also got to explore around the van.  The boy is curious, and he is discovering that the Roadtrek isn't full of cat-killers.

Prior to Prescott, the road gets very twisty and the speed limit is down to 35 mph for about 30 miles - it would be a good road on the scoots, but the Roadtrek handled it just fine.

We have never been to Prescott before - it is a pretty city in the high desert (5,319' elevation)...

I didn't get a photo of it (doing that driving stuff), but we went by Air Village - I would describe it as a boutique hotel, but instead of rooms, they have refurbished old Airstream and Avion trailers - great concept!  (file photo)

 

From Prescott, it was mostly highway to get to I-40, going past a pretty small lake and some interesting rock formations...

And then getting into our site at the RV park in Williams...

This is the first time we've been able to connect all the hookups - everything is working great.  It took us a while to figure out how to program the "smart" TV for the cable here at the campground.  Joan made us supper, Murphy got to spend time at that big sliding door (with the screen), and looking out the rear windows.  The views are pretty good with the windows on all sides; Murphy appreciates that.

We plan to go to the Grand Canyon tomorrow (about 50 miles north of here), making it a day trip.  Sites at the RV "village" in the park book up months in advance (yeah, I looked).  As I recall, it is a nice drive (it has been years since we've been here).  When we unplug and head out, we won't have to pack a cooler, won't have to hunt for a bathroom, and Murphy will be comfortable if a/c is necessary.  And, did I mention: we fit in most normal parking spots!

Murph is settling in for the evening...