We explored Groveland, CA today. We had driven through this cute town on our way into Yosemite Valley and I knew it had to be on our list of things to see.
We started exploring by stopping in the Rivian charging station which had a lounge area with bathrooms, free coffee, and snacks and swag for purchase. Daniel had fun checking out the Rivian SUV on display. I was happy to talk to a Rivian owner and found out that Rivian vehicles have a ‘dog mode’ just like Teslas which keeps the air conditioning on when you leave your pets in the car.
Next we went in Mountain Sage Coffee which is in an old house turned part coffee shop, part art gallery, part thrift store, and part plant nursery. It was super cool! We thought we would explore the town and go back for coffee and pictures later but they closed before we got back so I didn’t get any pictures of this awesome place.
We walked around downtown on their hodgepodge sidewalks and went in some stores. Both Daniel and I like to use bar soap so Daniel was excited to find a good smelling French soap for a decent price at one of the stores.
We stopped at the Iron Door Saloon which claims to be California’s oldest saloon. The building dates to the 1850s and was turned into a saloon in 1896. There are stray bullet holes and dollar bills tacked to the ceiling. They allow patrons to use a tack and a quarter to try to get a dollar to stick to the ceiling. We loved the sign “Romance and Homemade Meals Go Together.”
It’s a Saturday so we are staying home to avoid the crowds in the Yosemite area.
We learned of a new app designed to help you save money and be more environmentally friendly. It’s called Immurio and it has a ton of small habits like taking a 5 minute shower or using a reusable water bottle. Since we live in a camper, we already take “military style” showers where we turn the water off while we soap up. We do it for two reasons: 1) our shower is so small that it’s not practical to keep the water running and 2) we really need to conserve water when we boondock. Daniel calculated that together we use about 6 gallons of water to shower each day. It’s a habit so ingrained now that we feel guilty letting the water run when we bathe in a regular shower.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $0
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $10.93
Food: $14.42
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 0 (0 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 41.3 (12 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
We moved just outside of Yosemite National Park to a Thousand Trails campground. This campground is right on a river but, since it’s a holiday weekend, we requested to be moved from a site on the river to the hillside so we’d have some peace and quiet. We’ll be here for two weeks and we are looking forward to relaxing. A lot of relaxing as it has been a very busy few weeks for us.
We have seen some great names for businesses during our travels. Our two favorites are 2 Fat Guys Complete Automotive Service and Wholly Crap Septic. Also, the number of state and national parks naming features with some reference to the devil or some evil is quite fascinating.
We took the boys for a walk around the campground. It’s definitely full of families and we definitely made the right choice to request a campsite on the hill.
One quirk about Daniel is he loses his coffee cup on a regular basis. It actually fell off the back of the truck one time but luckily I was driving behind and stopped to pick it up. He’s left it in stores and other public places. At least a couple mornings per week he has to get out of bed to go find his coffee cup for me. I make the coffee but keeping track of his coffee cup is a full-time job.
Happy Memorial Day! We made homemade black bean burgers and they were so good! Don’t be afraid to try things. I’ve made black bean burgers a few times and I’ve never followed a recipe. I’ve just thrown ingredients in a bowl and mashed them up.
Don’t forget to check out Daniel’s video on lifestyle medicine and the benefits of whole food, plant based eating.
I stayed home to do laundry and I tried our crunchy chickpeas recipe in the dehydrator. The chickpeas turned out great with an airy crispiness. Daniel went grocery shopping for us since we are almost out of vegetables – the horror!
Daniel talked to our Tennessee neighbor about purchasing his property which borders ours. His property runs along the bluff like ours. It’s such a pretty area that we just want to keep it pristine for us and all wildlife. There is already an old logging road that connects our property with his. Our neighbor said he may be open to selling his property to us. Yay!
We also talked to Daniel’s daughter, MacKenzie, for 2 hours. We always have interesting conversations with her.
We’re done being lazy and hanging out at the camper. I think we were both just worn out from the last weeks of whirlwind sight seeing and, for me personally, my introversion required me to have time away from people.
We went back to Yosemite National Park and saw Bridalveil Falls. We then drove up CA-120 toward Tioga Pass. This road had been closed when we first drove to Yosemite due to snow. We saw more waterfalls. I can’t believe how many waterfalls are in this area! We also saw some barns down in a valley so we checked them out. They look like well maintained older barns. It reminded us both of Daniel’s Uncle Al who loved photographing barns. Lastly, we found a closed road to take the boys for a walk off-leash. They loved running through the melting snow.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $0
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $38.26
Food: $246.86
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 121.7 (46 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 152.9 (35.2 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
5-16-2025 H: 98ºF L: 71ºF Furnace Creek Campground, Death Valley, California
We drove into California to stay in Death Valley National Park. The drive there was gorgeous.
The elevation at our campsite is 201 feet below sea level. It’s hot and the campground is already closed for the season because most people don’t camp here during the summer.
We went to the visitor center and the Inn at Death Valley. We wandered around what appeared to be refurbished old structures which now seem to be part of an outdoor event venue. It would be a pretty place for a wedding.
We enjoyed the quiet at our camper as nighttime descended on Death Valley.
5-17-2025 H: 97°F L: 67°F Furnace Creek Campground, Death Valley, California
We realized that you will not get cold water out of the faucet no matter how long you run the water (even after showers) and even at night. That must be why they named the area Furnace Creek. Some internet sleuthing revealed the water coming out of the wells for the campground is around 86˚F according California State Water Board.
We had coffee outside and had a coyote stop by to check us out.
We took the boys for a walk around the campground. Most of the campground is blocked off but we weren’t surprised to see park rangers kicking some people who squatted overnight out of the campground.
We went to the remnants of Harmony Borax Works which is a historic landmark in the park. It was built and operated in the 1880s for four or five years. At the height of operation, 40 employees produced three tons of borax per day. Due to the extreme heat in Death Valley during the summer, they could not get the water to cool enough to process the borax. Borax is still used today as a laundry booster and to make DIY slime among other applications.
We hiked the Golden Canyon Trail for a little ways. It was very pretty.
Our drive going toward Badwater was awesome! The salt flats covered a large area.
Next we drove on a one-way road to see the Artist’s Palette. The pictures don’t do the colors of the rocks justice. Lime, blue, pink and purple – there were so many colors due to minerals in the dirt and rocks.
Our next stop was Devil’s Golf Course. The salt was thick and hard! For some reason I thought the salt would be thin and delicate. I was surprised that it was thick enough that we could walk on it.
Driving further, we arrived at Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America. The salt looked and kind of felt like walking on snow since it was wet. Daniel tasted it and confirmed it was salt.
Badwater Pool is the end of Amargosa River which runs for 185 miles mostly underground. It was named after a man tried to water his mule but the mule wouldn’t drink the water so the man surmised it must be “bad water”.
We drove to other areas of the park and marveled at the colors and textures of the sand and rocks.
Dante’s View is on a Black Mountain peak at 5475 feet. It provided sweeping views of the valley including the salt plains and Badwater Basin.
We drove by “something” outside of the park and had to check it out. We drove through what looked to be an old residential area containing cement slabs big enough for a mobile home. Then we got to this thing that was half in a hole in a fenced in area. What is this thing?
We walked around The Inn at Death Valley. The grounds were like an oasis in this dry climate. The hotel had a tunnel that led from the parking lot to the lower floor of the hotel. I really liked one of the reception rooms.
We are staying in Death Valley. It gets 2 inches of rain a year. And… it rained pretty heavy during our stay. I got a great picture of the storm moving toward us with lightning.
5-18-2025 H: 73ºF L: 47ºF City parking lot, Bishop, California
We drove to our next destination and stopped at a few more areas of interest in Death Valley National Park. We started at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.
We also stopped at Devil’s Cornfield full of arrowweed. Apparently, these plants look like corn stalks bundled together.
We pulled over at Father Crowley Vista Point which offered sweeping views of the valley.
The drive into Lone Pine, CA, where we charged the cars, offered amazing views of the Inyo Mountains.
We arrived in Bishop, CA to dry camp for one night. We really like Bishop! There are snow capped mountains, a quaint town, and it feels quiet and safe. Apparently, they get a lot of tourists for mountain climbing and other outdoor activities.
5-19-2025 H: 73ºF L: 45ºF Upper Pines Campground, Yosemite National Park, California
We drove most of the day to Yosemite National Park because the Tioga Pass was still closed due to snow so we had to drive all the way around the park. It was so spectacular though. We drove through Stanislaus National Forest. I forget how much I miss big trees and forests.
5-20-2025 H: 76ºF L: 43ºF Upper Pines Campground, Yosemite National Park, California
We got settled into our small campsite right in Yosemite Valley. The view from our campsite was awesome!
We took the boys for a walk during coffee time. The views are just stunning! You can walk dogs on roads and paved trails.
We decided to walk and see as much of Yosemite Valley as we could. There is a free shuttle bus that will take you from site to site which we really appreciated toward the end of the day. We first stopped at The Ahwahnee Hotel, which opened in 1927, and was a beautiful example of the architecture which can be found at national parks.
Next we walked to Yosemite Falls. The amount of water flowing over these cliffs is tremendous.
We walked across the meadow and over the river to a little Chapel.
In the evening, we walked the boys to Mirror Lake. It was a nice walk up a closed road. The boys had their picture taken by a tourist like they were celebrities.
In all, we walked 13+ miles today and that’s with using the shuttle bus. The park is very walkable but you don’t have to walk as much as we did if you use the shuttle bus.
5-21-2025 H: 80°F L: 53°F Wawona Campground, Yosemite National Park, California
We took a morning coffee time drive to see some of the things we missed while walking in the valley yesterday.
We stopped at where Cascade Creek and Tamarack Creek converge into Cascade Falls. The number of waterfalls in this park is amazing. Everywhere you look there’s another water fall.
We moved to Wawona Campground, another campground within Yosemite National Park. Our site is right on the river. Daniel and I took a walk around the campground and found beautiful flowers.
5-22-2025 H: 76ºF L: 51ºF Upper Pines Campground, Yosemite National Park, California
We went to Mariposa Grove to see the sequoia trees including the famous California Tunnel Tree. These big trees were nice but I didn’t think they were as spectacular as the redwoods on the coast.
We moved back to Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley for one night. It’s such a pretty area and we are lucky to have booked these campsites six months in advance.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $83.47
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $130
Camping memberships: $38.26
Food: $62.44
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 554.8 (420.5 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 786.3 (208.7 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 1
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
5-12-2025 H: 91ºF L: 69ºF Thousand Trails Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
We had two packages sent via General Delivery to the post office. Not all post offices accept general delivery and apparently I had one package sent to the wrong post office. So we spent a good amount of time tracking down our package which had been delivered to the same post office four times. Luckily, we found a wonderfully helpful postal worker – thanks, Yessica!
We went to the Boxabl factory to walk through some sample homes. These small homes are 361 square feet and really have all you could need. After living in a 23-foot camper for over a year (approximately 160 square feet), these homes really felt spacious to us! They are manufactured in a controlled environment and arrive at the build site folded up. FYI: One model is open 24 hours a day – apropos for a city which never sleeps.
5-13-2025 H: 78°F L: 61°F Thousand Trails Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
We went to the Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden. It is next to Ethel M Chocolate Factory started by Forrest Mars Sr. in 1981 in honor of his mother. The company specializes in liquor filled chocolates. Mr. Mars was also passionate about his cactus garden.
We went Lake Mead National Recreation Area and walked the Historic Railroad Trail. The railroad was constructed to deliver supplies during the building of the Hoover Dam and was in operation until 1961. The railroad contained five tunnels.
We drove over the Hoover Dam. We just wanted to do a drive by viewing but, if we had stopped, I would have gone in the bathroom on the dam which had a brass door and 1930s green tile. It looked really neat!
We ended the day at Fremont Street in Las Vegas, NV which is part artsy and part tourist casino traps. We really liked the 40 foot tall Praying Mantis at Downtown Container Park. A man made it for his wife for their one year anniversary.
The classic Las Vegas lights are always a win in my book.
Classic Las Vegas lights near Fremont St
We were overwhelmed with the loud noise and bright lights of the “Fremont Street Experience”. Tons of street performers (my favorite was the Trump impersonator), live music (some good, some bad), casinos, and the crowds. It was fun for a walk through but not a place we wanted to hang out. We did find some cool things in the casinos though.
We went in The D Casino and found people playing Sigma Derby which is an old school 25¢ horse race betting game introduced in 1985. You bet on mechanical horses and watch them ungracefully stagger around the track. Apparently, it’s really hard to repair these gaming machines as they are no longer made so parts are hard to come by. This is the only remaining Sigma Derby in the world.
We went in the Golden Nugget Casino to see the largest nugget of gold on public display in the world (fifth largest ever found). The Hand of Faith Nugget was found in Australia by a man using a metal detector.
We went to the Main Street Casino to see slabs of the Berlin Wall. They have them displayed behind urinals in the men’s room. Daniel took the pictures but, apparently, a security guard will clear out the restroom so women can see these bits of the Berlin Wall too.
And, finally, we saw the president of the United States (or at least an impersonator) on his campaign to Make America Sexy Again.
“Make America Sexy Again”
5-14-2025 H: 79ºF L: 61ºF Thousand Trails Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
We had coffee outside this morning. The boys love sitting in our big camp chairs with us. They love it even more if we cover them with a blanket on a cool morning.
5-15-2025 H: 86ºF L: 60ºF Thousand Trails Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
It’s laundry day. Daniel also did an interview with Michael Keevican for a Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine magazine, Good Medicine. Stay tuned for a link to the article once it’s published.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $0
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $21.86
Food: $127.21
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 73.3 (24 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 303.3 (91.6 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
5-6-2025 H: 71ºF L: 57ºF Thousand Trails Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
We finished seeing the “Utah Mighty Five” national parks which include:
– Bryce Canyon National Park – Capital Reef National Park – Arches National Park – Canyonlands National Park – Zion National Park
Each park was unique in its features and beauty. Daniel’s favorite was Canyonland because it seemed so vast with great long range views. My favorite was Arches because most of the main features could be driven to rather than requiring a long hike and the arches and hoodoos were impressive.
We also noticed a greater need to use the restroom while in these parks and, after a google search, learned that “the body’s adjustments to higher altitudes can disrupt fluid balance, leading to increased urination” [source]. We have learned so much during our travels!
Today we traveled from Utah to Las Vegas, NV. It rained while we were setting up our camper but stopped shortly after. We have a lot of things on our list to see in Las Vegas. Fun fact: Daniel proposed to me in Las Vegas in 2022! We both feel that our lives started when we met each other.
5-7-2025 H: 81°F L: 57°F Thousand Trails Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
While looking for fun things to do and see in the area, I came across some interesting information. Apparently in the 1940-1950s, people actually moved to the Las Vegas area to be close to the Nevada Test Site where they tested nuclear bombs. People would enjoy the mushroom cloud of a bomb while having a cocktail. This was obviously before the major health risks of being near a nuclear bomb site were well known. In fact, the impacts of the 100 atmospheric bombs detonated 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas did put people at risk. The significant radiation effects occurred within 100 miles of the test site especially if the area was downwind. The underground detonations contaminated ground water. Interestingly, the test site was active until 1992 – nothing screams the US government doesn’t care about its citizens like continuing to test nuclear bombs near people after the effects of nuclear radiation were well known.
We explored some archaic places today. We started with The Simpson’s House. This house was made to look just like the house from the cartoon. Even the inside was a replica with bright colors and furnishings to match everything on The Simpson’s. Fox and Pepsi teamed up to raffle the house off in 1997. The house has changed color over the years but has retained the structure of the cartoon house. It definitely stood out in the subdivision with its chimney and asphalt roofing. This article has a picture of the house when it was first built and explains a little more of the saga behind this one-of-a-kind house.
Real life Simpson’s House
Next we went to Seven Magic Mountains which are brightly colored stacked boulders in the middle of nowhere by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone. They are next to a highway so we didn’t have to go out of our way to see them. They are larger than we thought they would be.
As we continued south, this sign in Jean, NV called my name from a shuttered casino.
Our last stop for the day was Primm, NV. We stopped at a thrift store which was closed on a Wednesday at 3pm and attached to the abandoned Primm Mall. We found a door propped open so we went in the abandoned mall and found it full of art and graffiti. It had lights on and music playing which gave an eerie effect. We took pictures of the artwork and found the place to be really cool. As we were walking through the mall, the lights shut off and the music stopped. I picked up the pace to the exit because I know how horror movies start. Daniel, however, lollygagged like he has no sense of self preservation and had never seen a horror movie in his life.
Connected to the mall was Primm Valley Resort and Casino which looked closed but had a few cars in the parking lot. We went in and found two people using slot machines and one employee. Much of the space was empty. This casino is obviously going to close very soon. After some sleuthing and talking to a man who works in accounting, we learned the three large casinos in this small town are owned by the same company, Affinity Interactive. They closed the casino on the other side of the highway, Whiskey Pete’s Hotel and Casino, in December 2024. Overall, it left a sad, apocalyptic impression. It was what I imagine being in a zombie movie would feel like but without the zombies.
5-8-2025 H: 88ºF L: 60ºF Thousand Trails Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
We went to an RV dealer to pick up a part for our camper awning. We had fun looking in the campers they had on display in their showroom. We found one very small camper with the most spacious layout and I loved it. The Riverside RV Retro 135 with optional dinette is 16′ long and only weighs 2680 pounds. Note: Riverside RV was acquired by Sunset Park RV in 2024 but they still make this model.
In the evening, we sat outside with our neighbors, Wayne and Kristi, and enjoyed getting to know them.
5-9-2025 H: 95ºF L: 67ºF Thousand Trails Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
We went to Goodsprings, NV to Pioneer Saloon and had a drink. The saloon has been in continuous operation since 1913. It has a storied history with bullet holes in the wall from a 1915 shooting stemming from claim of cheating during a poker game and original tin walls from Sears and Roebuck. Clark Gable sat at the bar for three days awaiting news on the fate of his wife, Carole Lombard, whose plane had crashed. The bar is still heated with the original pot belly stove built with parts of a Civil War cannon.
The saloon had some great signs too!
Next we went to Cactus Joe’s Blue Diamond Nursery. They had some neat things but I was hoping to find a small cactus to be a token of our time in the desert. They had a very small collection of small cacti.
Last we took the scenic drive through Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It was really pretty but you do need to get a $2 reservation on www.recreation.gov to enter the park. Luckily, the park ranger was really nice and helped us get a reservation on the spot. We were hoping to see a desert tortoise but no such luck. Daniel even got his binoculars out to scour the desert for these elusive creatures.
This guy seemed as curious about us as we were about him.
I’m still in awe of the cactus flowers. I promise there won’t be too many more pictures of them!
5-10-2025 H: 99ºF L: 71ºF Thousand Trails Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Daniel did something totally cool this morning. He went to Dig This Las Vegas and learned how to use a bulldozer. This was for educational purposes (for working on our Tennessee property) and for fun. Brian, the instructor, was nice and easy to talk to.
5-11-2025 H: 99°F L: 78°F Thousand Trails Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Happy Mother’s Day! To celebrate we got up and took the boys for an early walk before it got too hot and then we sat outside and had coffee.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $0
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $32.80
Food: $184.89
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 175 (114.5 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 267.9 (67 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 1
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
We explored Canyonland National Park today. It was very pretty and Daniel really enjoyed it. I thought the scenery was a little redundant.
We did enjoy a short hike to Upheaval Dome. There are two main theories as to what caused this geologic formation: (1) underlying salt rising to the surface which deformed the rocks or (2) impact crater from a meteorite.
We drove on East 128, the Colorado Riverway Recreation Area which runs along the Colorado River. There were many campgrounds in the area and some trails leading into canyons. The trails did not allow dogs so we didn’t do any hiking. One of the campgrounds was names Hal Canyon Campground which we enjoyed because we call our Tesla Model X “Hal”.
We took the boys for a walk before loading in the car for a travel day. We saw so many cacti in bloom – it was fantastic! We have both always wanted to see wild cacti in bloom and we found a whole treasure trove of them this morning!
We are staying the night in a Walmart parking lot. We had an uneventful drive here and we met another vegan camper at a view point overlooking the canyons and mountains. We both wish we had told him about the Rolling Vegan Rendezvous in Quartzsite, AZ.
5-4-2025 H: 68ºF L: 52ºF Boondocking, La Verkin Overlook Rd, BLM land, La Verkin, Utah
We drove south to stay near the final “Mighty Five” national park in Utah. The boondocking site we chose in La Verkin, UT filled up quickly so we were glad we got there early.
It rained most of the day and we heard thunder! I don’t think we’ve heard thunder in over a year. It was the most marvelous sound.
5-5-2025 H: 58ºF L: 49ºF Boondocking, La Verkin Overlook Rd, BLM land, La Verkin, Utah
It’s Marcel’s birthday! He is 3 years old. The rescue group we adopted him from underestimated his age so we got to choose a May birthday for him. He’s spicy and sassy so Cinco De Mayo seemed like the perfect day for his birthday.
We went to Zion National Park and drove through the Zion-Mt Carmel Tunnel. The tunnel did not have any lights so that made it a little different from most other tunnels. It is also unique because it has windows to the views. During construction of the tunnel in the late 1920s, crews blasted holes in the side of the mountain where the tunnel was planned. They used these holes as a means to dump the debris from the blasting and drilling. The tunnel is 1.1 miles long and, at the time of completion, was the longest tunnel of its type in the US.
We found out that most of the main part of Zion National Park is only accessible via shuttles and they don’t allow dogs on the shuttles. There also was no available parking. So we drove to the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center on the west side of the park. There were hardly any visitors there and, while it rained the whole time, it was stunning and we saw four waterfalls.
It rained most of the day but by evening the sun came out. We had nice views of clouds and the mountains lit up by sunlight.
We also took some pictures of desert flowers. There was a bush covered in tiny white flowers which were so beautiful when we zoomed in with the camera. According to a google search it is an Ambrosia Salsola, commonly called cheesebush or desert pearl.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $13.51
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $27.33
Food: $175.98
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 352.8 (242.1 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 626.1 (159.2 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 1
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
We explored Capital Reef National Park in Torrey, UT today. It was beautiful and not horribly crowded. We both liked that you can drive down several canyons. The rock formations in the area were unique too.
While driving through the canyon, we got to see a bighorn sheep running through the riverbed and then up onto the rocks. He stopped to check us out, probably because the boys were making noise, so we got some good pictures of him.
Bighorn Sheep
We stopped at Etta Place Cidery & Taproom. Daniel had a flight of cider and I had kombucha. It was good and we chatted with some fun locals. We were lucky this establishment offers free outlets for EV charging (bring your own charger).
We started our day by checking out a boondocking site up the road which had been occupied by a camper van when we got here. Their site backed up to a small canyon next to some hoodoos with views of the valley.
We drove to Moab, UT. Unfortunately, we had a slow leak on one of our tires so we had to stop to get it fixed. In this neck of the country, the tire shops don’t want to touch Teslas because you have to use rubber pucks when jacking up the car. So Daniel had to jack the car up himself for the repair shop. Luckily, it was quick to fix the puncture in the tire and they had a nice, playful dog to keep us occupied.
We stopped in Hanksville, UT at a Sinclairs gas station which was built inside a cave. It was pretty neat!
Once we got to Moab, UT, we found a boondocking spot on BLM land right next to train tracks. Daniel loves trains so he was excited to see one pass by.
We got the most exciting but sad news – our friend, Charlotte, got a new job (exciting part) but it’s not a remote position so she and Taylor have to leave the nomad life and move back to North Carolina (sad part). It’s a great opportunity for her so we are happy for Charlotte and Taylor; however, we were looking forward to our next meet up with them in Bend, OR.
We had to get our tire fixed (same tire again!) so we drove into Moab, UT. We saw these gorgeous wild flowers on the way back to the camper.
Fun fact: Daniel loses his coffee cup – a lot. Today he also couldn’t find his new hat. Luckily, the tire shop we went to yesterday had them both.
We explored Arches National Park today. It’s a busy park so during the summer you have to get a timed entry ticket ($2 on recreation.gov).
There were many arches although we didn’t see them all. You cannot take dogs on most national park trails so we forego the longer trails because we don’t want to leave the boys in the car for too long.
There were many beautiful vistas, phallus shaped rocks, and the snow capped mountains in the background were exquisite.
We also saw a lot of flowers.
The excitement of the day, for me at least, was the outhouse. I have never seen a squat toilet in person. They are popular in Asian and African countries. I especially liked the instructions for using the toilet.
We saw a train go by last night and realized most of the trains we have seen say “radioactive” on them. Moab, UT was once a thriving uranium mining town and was known as the “Uranium Capital of the World” in the 1940-1950s. Now the US government is cleaning up the tailings at an old uranium mill site.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $0
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $27.33
Food: $43.33
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 295.7 (179.4 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 407 (106.7 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
Today is a travel day! Before we left Page, AZ, we walked on the bridge overlooking the Glen Canyon Dam. We found a free visitor center and dinosaur tracks next to the dam although we didn’t go in. We also saw beautiful Evening Primrose flowers near our camper.
We drove into Utah to boondock in Kanab, UT. It’s a beautiful area. As usual, our drive was perfect and it was hard not to marvel at this awesome life we are living. Retired and our home is where we park it! Our options are limitless!
We are camping on BLM land right next to a river with views of cliffs. I have wanted to go to Kanab, UT and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary for years so I’m so excited to be here!
Once we got set up, we went back into Kanab to drop one of the cars off at the charger. We also stopped at Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile. It’s a hotel which is very dog friendly and offers a dog park including an area for dogs who like to be by themselves, a dog wash, splash pad, and dog beds. It’s run by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
Happy Easter or 420 Day, whatever your particular persuasion is. We celebrated by having lunch at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary’s Angel Village Cafe where they offer a vegan buffet for $5. Today was meatball subs (Morning Star), potato salad, pasta salad, salad bar, and dessert. It was so good! The cafe is perched on a cliff and offers beautiful views. We enjoyed watching a beautiful bird looking for dropped morsels.
We went back to Angel Village Cafe for another $5 vegan buffet. It was so good! Daniel and I eat breakfast and dinner but don’t usually eat lunch so this will be our main meal for the day.
After lunch, we took the boys for a walk on a trail overlooking the canyon. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary has opened up their land for visitors to respectfully enjoy the natural beauty.
We took a Grand Tour of the sanctuary. The founders, a group of animal lovers, pooled their money to buy 3000 acres in 1984 and started building the sanctuary using Time Life how-to books to build the facilities. The sanctuary now owns 3700 acres and leases another 33,000 acres from the Bureau of Land Management in an effort to provide a safe place for both domestic and wild animals.
Most people taking the tour ride in a van with the tour guide but, since we had the boys with us, we followed behind in our car and tuned into their radio station to hear the tour guide. We stopped in Cattown at one of the cat houses and met some adorable cats who have a large indoor/outdoor area to roam and do cat things.
We also stopped to meet the pot bellied pigs and give them some scratches. They were very relaxed and seemed to really enjoy the attention.
On our way home, we checked out other BLM boondocking spots and found a site next to this cool alcove in the rocks.
We went back to the Angel Village Cafe for lunch. You just can’t beat a $5 vegan buffet!
One of the initiatives of Best Friends is to have all the shelters in the US be no kill by 2025. The following statistic is hopeful but there is obviously still a long way to go:
In 2016, around 2 million cats and dogs were killed in shelters across the country. That number is now down to about 425,000 per year. (Best Friends Animal Sanctuary)
One thing individuals can do is “Adopt, Don’t Shop”. Find your next furry family member at a shelter or rescue group.
We drove around the sanctuary to see more of the animals and the sanctuary. There is a big pet cemetery, ancient rock carvings, hiking trails, and an old barn used in the Disney movie One Little Indian.
Next we stopped at Kanab Dinosaur Tracks. They were a little hard to find and the trail was a little dangerous. We saw pretty flowers and someone had helpfully marked the tracks by surrounding them with rocks.
4-23-2025 H: 63ºF L: 38ºF Boondocking, Dixie National Forest, Bryce Canyon City, Utah
We stopped at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary on our way to our next destination to do a little more exploring. The natural amphitheater, which they use for events, is really neat with a natural spring running through it.
We also had lunch at Angel Village Cafe while our truck charged. Best Friends has free EV chargers all over their sanctuary. They also have neat statues all over.
4-24-2025 H: 63°F L: 3°F Boondocking, Dixie National Forest, Bryce Canyon City, Utah
We explored Bryce Canyon National Park. I probably took too many pictures but it was so pretty. You could see for 80+ miles. We didn’t do any hiking because the popular Wall St. trail was closed and there were a LOT of people visiting the park.
The hoodoos (tall, thin spires of eroded rock) were spectacular. I always think about what the thoughts were of those who discovered unusual landscapes such as this.
We took the boys for a walk before leaving for our next destination. This national forest is so pretty and we have really enjoyed our time here.
We stopped at Mossy Cave in Tropic, UT on our way to our next destination. The area was pretty although I felt the Mossy Cave was a little underwhelming.
We highly recommend driving Scenic Byway 12 in Utah which takes you through Dixie National Forest. The scenery was spectacular with red, grey, and white cliffs and rock formations to mountainous evergreen forests. One stretch of the road is on the ridge line of a mountain with steep drop offs on either side. The ridge top was barely wide enough for the road. Both Daniel and I felt queasy driving on that part of the road. I had both hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel; otherwise, I would have taken a picture.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $0
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $38.26
Food: $161.08
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 198.3 (156.5 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 455.6 (126.8 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
4-15-2025 H: 69ºF L: 42ºF Mather Campground, Grand Canyon Village, Arizona
Today we traveled to the Grand Canyon National Park – South Rim. We got set up and then headed to the rim to get a view of the canyon. It did not disappoint. Fun fact: My parents took me to the Grand Canyon when I was little. I slept on the car ride there. When we got there, they woke me up to see the glorious Grand Canyon. However, I was grouchy (don’t poke a sleeping bear) so I marched up to the edge of the canyon, took in the view, and exclaimed “What’s the big deal? It’s just a big hole in the ground!”
We saw two ravens smart enough to push the button on the drinking fountain to drink the water.
We had dinner outside by a campfire. We enjoyed seeing elk walk through the campground very close to our site.
4-16-2025 H: °F L: °F Mather Campground, Grand Canyon Village, Arizona
We walked the Rim Trail with the boys. The views were amazing! I can’t believe I wasn’t impressed by this as a kid.
We went to the Desert View Watchtower. It was neat seeing the river snake through the canyon.
We made one more stop to view the canyon. When we got back in the car, we found a hitch hiker: a furry Punctate Little Bear beetle. He sat on my knee for about 20 minutes while we drove. I think he took a nap. When we stopped, he flew out the window. What a neat encounter with this little being.
4-17-2025 H: ºF L: ºF Mather Campground, Grand Canyon Village, Arizona
We started our day at the Visitor Center and Mather Point. Be sure to get to the Visitor Center early, as parking fills up quickly! Personally, I didn’t think the Visitor Center was very informative compared to other national parks we have been to.
Next we went to Bright Angel Lodge and Lookout Studio.
We woke up to snow!! This was the view from our camper. Marcel did zoomies he was so happy to see the snow.
As we were packing up, a park ranger said an incident happened at a tent site and he wanted to know if we had heard anything. Earlier Daniel saw an ambulance drive by. There was police tape around the site. The park ranger said he couldn’t divulge details. I haven’t been able to find anything on the internet so I’m guessing it was just a physical altercation because it seems like murder would have been in the news.
We drove to Page, AZ through snow, rain, and beautiful vistas. We saw some cool clouds which just made the scenery that much more spectacular.
We arrived in Page, AZ and are boondocking right next to the Glen Canyon Dam.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $0
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $27
Camping memberships: $21.86
Food: $0
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 295.3 (217.8 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 373.7 (98.3 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 1
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
We finished fixing the slide out floor today. Daniel bought the most expensive piece of wood he has ever bought and we wrapped it in a heavy duty tarp. We were happy that sliding it under the slide out walls went easier than expected. We have been so lucky to have neighbors lend us tools. As you can see from the picture, Peter provided constant moral support to Daniel.
It was really nice being able to put everything back where it belongs and have dinner at the table.
We explored Flagstaff, AZ! We really enjoyed the drive to this college town especially when the snow capped mountains came into view.
Old Route 66 runs through town. There are several old signs for motels which I think are really neat. One sign advertised rooms for $5 and other offered steam heated garage space.
Steam heated garage!
Years ago, Daniel took a train trip with his brother, Dave, which went through Flagstaff. Daniel has fond memories of looking out the train window in Flagstaff at big snowflakes and snow covered evergreens. We made a quick stop at the train station.
Train station
After a short stop at Goodwill (we love thrift shopping), we tried going to Walnut Canyon National Monument but the exit was on fire. We later learned it was a controlled burn.
We found a detour on a “primitive dirt road” and made our way to the park. It was a beautiful canyon with pueblos dating to 1100 CE. Native peoples who lived in Walnut Canyon were from many different tribes. The park has two main trails: the Rim Trail which allows dogs and the Island Trail with takes you down into the canyon and back up 185 feet (that’s a lot of stairs). I enjoyed watching people ascend the Island Trail stairs looking like they were ready to collapse. They’re going to have sore legs tomorrow.
Next we went to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. This volcano erupted less than 1000 years ago (1085 CE) making it a very young volcano. There is a magma field containing large and small basalt and black sand made of eroded basalt. Daniel really enjoyed seeing this baby volcano.
We drove back home watching the sunset. You just can’t beat Arizona sunsets.
We went to Jerome, AZ which is a National Historic Landmark. We have heard really good things about this old mining town and we agree – we loved it! The buildings snake up the mountainside and you’ll find that beautiful views abound.
We went to Audrey Headframe Park which has beautiful views, a museum, and a 1900 foot deep shaft lit up with lights and covered with glass so you can stand on it if you dare. However, when we visited, the mine shaft was down the hill from the museum and it was closed. The entry fee for the museum was $10 per person so we didn’t go in.
Views from Audrey Headframe Park and the mining shafts
Jerome is such a neat town. A road zigzags up the mountain past cute shops and restaurants. The town is quirky and perfectly haphazard.
In 1899, the town of Jerome became known as a “wicked city”. Per the newspaper New York Sun: “Jerome was a lawless town of wild women and hard drinking men… a place where bordellos, saloons and dance halls line the streets, and wages were wasted in wicked pursuits.” This sounds like our kind of town except Daniel and I are frugal, monogamous, and I stopped drinking alcohol but, otherwise, it seems like a fun people-watching spot.
You can throw coins at old toilets…
We wandered the streets and talked with friendly store clerks.
We went in Nellie Bly’s Kaleidoscopes which was so cool! They had brass wall sculptures that I was really fond of and Daniel liked looking in through the different types of kaleidoscopes. Connected to this shop was another neat shop with repurposed items like an amp meter lamp.
We also stopped at the old jail which slid 225 feet down the hill in the 1930s.
Then we drove to Gold King Mine and Ghost Town. A man bought this ghost town, collected a lot of mechanical things, and opened a tourist spot. Our favorites that we could see from the drive (we didn’t want to pay the $10 per person entry fee) were the old skoolies (school bus turned into a camper).
Next we drove to Mingus Hang Glider Launch in Prescott National Forest but the road was closed… so we walked. The boys loved being off leash and exploring. Peter was so happy that he was doing what I consider the happiest of happy runs: tempi changes which are the flying lead changes at every stride that advanced dressage horses do. We love seeing the boys so happy.
We went back to Sedona, AZ to explore the city and surrounding Coconino National Forest area.
We took a half hour hike at Andante Trailhead on the Thunder Mountain trail. Both Daniel and I found a great piece of red sandstone. Holding my piece clasped in my hand, I felt a slight tingling sensation. Maybe it’s my imagination or maybe this area really does have special spiritual vibes.
We drove by the only McDonald’s in the world with teal arches. Apparently, Sedona felt the typical yellow would clash with the surrounding natural beauty of red sandstone so they allowed McDonald’s into their community on one condition: teal arches.
We drove north of Sedona through the canyon and into the mountains on AR-89A. We stopped at Oak Creek Vista in the Coconino National Forest. The drive was gorgeous with so many beautiful vistas and tall evergreens. Have I mentioned that I miss big trees? Some people feel a connection with lakes or oceans or the desert but, for me, it’s big majestic trees that make me feel grounded.
Lastly, we got some coffee and found an area to sit and look at Cathedral Rock.
Daniel added a plug to the outside of our camper so he could plug the cars into our camper as most campgrounds have a rule about plugging electric vehicles directly into the pedestal. We don’t do it often but it’s nice to plug Rosie in when we arrive at a campground after a long day of traveling.
We went to Arcosanti which is an experimental community designed by artists and architect, Paolo Soleri. Dubbed “An Urban Laboratory” it was designed to be an ecologically sound human habitat. It is an ongoing project and houses 50-150 people where they work and recreate. We enjoyed the architecture especially the cafe area with a large red-orange fabric tube to direct cool air into the space.
On the way home, we drove by the World’s Largest Kokopelli. I do love “World’s Largest” things.
We also stopped at Montezuma Castle National Monument. We got in free because of Daniel’s America the Beautiful Lifetime Senior Pass. The structure is a quick walk from the parking lot. The main building contains 20 rooms, housed multiple families on multiple floors, and was inhabited between 1100-1425 AD. It’s pretty amazing that it’s still standing especially since another structure a little ways down the cliff was destroyed by a fire.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $18.33
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $38.26
Food: $328.76
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 13.1 (4.1 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 528.6 (149.3 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
Leave a Comment