We made it to Alabama! Stopping for a few days in Birmingham to see a college friend of Kate’s. We really like the times we stay in Birmingham; these days give us a chance to recharge (and restock) before getting back on the road.

I’m pretty sure the Watchdog is not supposed to make that noise…

Drinking from the “Fountain of Youth ”.

Happy Independence Day!

Have you ever seen the Thunderbirds fly? They are amazing! We didn’t realize the Thunder & Lightning over Arizona air show was happening during our time in Tucson, so that was a really near surprise! At one point, the Thunderbirds went right over our RV - it was so awesome (and very loud!). These pilots put on a great show!

The KOA in Tucson has gravel sites and a concrete road with gravel mixed in, making it rough on dog toes. A smooth concrete border provides a nice transition between the two larger areas. It also gives Tucker a nice walkway that doesn’t hurt his sensitive toes.

The citrus tree in our site at the KOA in Tucson was in full bloom, so we were lucky enough to have an amazing citrus blossom smell! We also had a TON of bees. The bees didn’t bother us at all during our two week stay, even as we walked by and under the tree. Steve even washed the RV one day and they did not bother him!

The bees were just busy collecting pollen to take back and feed the hive. So interesting to watch!

While on our Ranger led sunset hike the wind really picked up. This video shows the sands moving in real time - easy to see how the dunes can move up to 8 feet per year!

While reading up on Big Bend, we found out that from February through May each year, parts of the park are closed to protect the nesting Peregrine falcons . These incredible birds were listed as an endangered species until 1999 and are still considered a threatened species in Texas.