Kicking Off the 2025 Camping Season – 3,400 Miles, 7 States, and a Whole Lot of Memories#
Our first big trip of the 2025 camping season took us through seven states—New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming covering more than 3,400 miles in total. Along the way, we hit a few major highlights that made this journey unforgettable:
- Attended Overland Expo 2025 in Flagstaff, AZ
- Visited family in Cottonwood, AZ
- Spent time with family in San Diego, CA
- Explored Yosemite National Park and added a new stamp to our National Park Passport
- Reunited with long-time friends (practically family) in Phoenix, OR
What made this trip even better was the timing late May gave us ideal weather: not too hot, not too cold, and just right for travel. Of course, we had our trusty eBikes with us: Kelly’s trike and my XPeak. They came in handy more than once.
Overland Expo – Flagstaff, AZ#
Our youngest son and his wife are passionate about overlanding, and the Flagstaff expo had long been on their radar. We joined them and spent two days exploring everything the event had to offer.
Kelly’s trike, hitched to our Costco wagon, served as the perfect gear hauler lugging our cooler and any goodies we picked up along the way. The setup drew plenty of compliments.
Day one was all about seeing the entire expo; day two was for circling back and picking up the gear we had bookmarked (assuming it hadn’t sold out). Even though we’re typically RVers, I found plenty of smart, compact gear ideas that gave me a fresh perspective on our own packing approach.
Yosemite – Using Fresno as Base Camp#
Visiting Yosemite was a key goal for this trip—not just to see the park again but also to collect our National Park Passport stamp. We made Fresno Elks Lodge #439 our home base while exploring the park. It’s a well-located and comfortable stop for Elks members traveling by RV, offering full hookups and a convenient location for day trips into the Sierra foothills. Highly recommended if you’re looking for a solid place to stage your Yosemite adventure.
Family, Friends & Reunions#
The journey was filled with meaningful connections. While in Flagstaff, we caught up with my dad for dinner he lives just over an hour away in Cottonwood, AZ. San Diego gave us a chance to reconnect with family, and I even had a lunch meetup with a few co-workers I hadn’t seen in person for years. One of the most special stops was in Oregon, where we visited one of Kelly’s oldest friends—someone we hadn’t seen in over a decade.
Being able to share time with loved ones across several states added a deep layer of connection and meaning to this trip. That, more than anything, made it one to remember.