Rollercoaster Roads, Golf Courses & Vegas Heat

Since our last update, life has been a blur of golf greens, broken cell service, surprise road trips, and Vegas heat that could fry an egg on the hood of the truck. When I left off, we were wrapping up Colorado and headed toward Utah, golfing our way west thanks to Harvest Hosts.

Colorado: Devil’s Thumb Golf Course

Our first stop was still in Colorado at Devil’s Thumb Golf Course—and wow, what a gem. Tucked away in the hills, this course is absolutely gorgeous and staffed by some of the friendliest people we’ve met on the road. Fun fact: I spent 8 years running food and beverage at a golf course. It didn’t make me a better golfer, but it did make me appreciate how much love and work goes into keeping a course beautiful. Devil’s Thumb had it all—reasonable rates, stunning views, and the perfect balance of challenge and fun. Pro tip: if your golf game is anything like mine, just tee off from the kids’ tees. It keeps the pace up and saves your sanity, especially when your husband is actually good at golf.

Utah: Canyon Breeze Golf Course

From there, we rolled into Beaver, Utah, and played at Canyon Breeze Golf Course. This one was unique—the course literally crosses over a horse track. We teed off in the morning while watching horses warm up for their day. It was such a fun and unexpected mix. What we didn’t expect was the complete lack of signal. Both T-Mobile and AT&T gave us nothing. Zip. Zero. Not even a bar. And you know what? After the initial panic of “what do we do without Google Maps or email?” it was actually… peaceful. A quiet morning, no screens, no buzzing phones. Just the course, the horses, and us.

The Ghost Campground

Then came the real adventure. We had a campground in Utah booked through one of our memberships. We got there two hours before check-in, so I called to see if we could arrive early. No answer. Left a voicemail. No big deal. We killed some time in the tiny town and pulled into the campground right at check-in. Ghost town. No staff, a few campers (not people), no signs of life. Just an office door with the same phone number I’d already called. Tried again. Left another message. Sent a text. Nada. We sat. We waited. And waited some more.

After four hours of twiddling our thumbs in the Utah sun, we realized no one was coming. Not wanting to spend the night in a Scooby-Doo-style abandoned campground, I called our next stop in Las Vegas. The guy on the phone was fantastic and worked some magic to get us in seven days early. So we packed it up, queued “Hey Baby, Let’s Go to Vegas” on the speakers, and drove the 3.5 extra hours. Instead of a short 2.5-hour drive day, we turned it into a 7-hour marathon. At least we had a soundtrack.

Vegas, Baby

Las Vegas greeted us with triple-digit heat. The kind of heat where the dogs take one sniff outside and nope right back to the couch. We’ve been here five days now. 

We’ve caught an R-rated comedy show, had dinner at Flights (yes, the flight of French fries was the best part), and sweated through more laundry than anyone deserves. Speaking of laundry—we caved and installed a washer/dryer combo in the RV. After 2.5 months of laundromat runs, it was time.

Nate has been busy with minor RV repairs (mountain driving is gorgeous but brutal on a toy hauler), while I launched my Teens in Leadership Training online class for gymnastics gyms across the country. The pups are living their best lives: Laser has discovered the joys of shredding toilet paper, soaking in sprinklers, and then immediately rolling in dirt. Major remains the steady big brother—claiming his couch spot, joining us for morning walks, and supervising my Zoom calls from his usual spot at my feet.

Family Updates

The highlight of the week? A call from our son who’s in Navy boot camp. He’s now AROC (Assistant Recruit on Command—basically second-in-command for his division). He’s already losing his voice from yelling so much, but we couldn’t be prouder.

What’s Next

From here, we’ve got two more California stops before heading back to our Texas home base. By then, we’ll be grandparents. Life on the road is messy, unpredictable, and sometimes sweaty enough to make you question your sanity—but it’s ours, and we wouldn’t trade it for anything.