RV Travel

Santa Rosa Beach-Topsail, Florida

December 26, 2021 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated August 1, 2026

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is at 7525 W County Hwy 30A, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459; (850) 267-8330; full hookups (no WiFi), paved sites and roads, beach tram (no dogs on tram or beach), reservations recommended; floridastateparks.org/topsail. Grayton Beach State Park is at 357 Main Park Rd, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459; (850) 267-8300; dog-friendly beach; floridastateparks.org/grayton-beach. Grayton Beer Company is at 217 Serenoa Rd, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459; taproom and patio.

Santa Rosa Beach is where Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is located. It’s a favorite because it has an incredible beach, plenty of roads and trails to walk for hours, and is close to Destin and Grayton Beach. Even though Topsail is pricey and sites are more crowded for a state park, the sites and roads are paved and they offer full service other than WiFi. This is our second stay here, third in the area. We love the beaches and all the great amenities that Destin has to offer.

Sandy Huntley and Jake the dog next to signs for Grayton Beach, Florida

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Carrabelle, Apalachicola, & St. Marks NWR Florida

December 20, 2021 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated August 1, 2026

Ho-Hum RV Park is at 1 Brown Circle, Carrabelle, FL 32322; (850) 697-3926; waterfront and near-water sites, full hookups, beach access, dog-friendly; hohum.net. Apalachicola is approximately 30 miles west of Carrabelle on US-98. St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is at 1255 Lighthouse Rd, St. Marks, FL 32355; (850) 925-6121; open daily dawn to dusk; vehicle entry fee $5; lighthouse grounds free to walk; excellent birding, kayaking, and wildlife drive; fws.gov/refuge/st-marks.

Carrabelle is a small coastal city located in the eastern Florida Panhandle about 70 miles south of Georgia. This is our third stay. Its appeal can probably be summarized by the expression for the area, “the forgotten coast.” It’s relatively undeveloped, has a low population, and minimal commercialization. But it has just enough of the sugar white sand beaches, sights, amenities and restaurants for our needs. The beaches are not only dog friendly, but it’s rare for us to even see another person on one. We were here for a couple of weeks in mid December, so the weather was cold, overcast, and wet.

Sandy and Jake the dog walking the beach without anyone in sight, Carrabelle, Florida

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Somewhere Across the South to Tampa, Florida

December 12, 2021 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated August 1, 2026

After years of traveling in our Newmar Dutch Star motorhome with the Willys Jeep in tow, Sandy and I made a big change. We sold both and bought a Ford F-150 hybrid 4×4 truck, then set our sights on Tampa, Florida to pick up a 27-foot Airstream travel trailer. It was a new chapter, and it meant driving across the country before we even had our new home-on-wheels. Somewhere is frequently a rest stop. We’ve grown to appreciate rest stops, sometimes for the view or history, but usually to pee and change drivers. Many states do an amazing job at creating a little highway oasis. We rarely drive more than a few hours to get from one place to another as we look for something interesting along the way. If it isn’t rest stops it’s gas stations with food like Flying J’s, Pilots or Loves truck stops. When we were kids, it was Stuckey’s. Even though we pass Stuckey’s along the way, we won’t stop at one, worrying it will change a fond childhood memory of pecan rolls, key chains, geodes, and scorpions embedded in resin.

A huge colorful Sculpture of a Roadrunner, Somewhere at a roadside rest stop, New Mexico

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Goulding’s Trading Post & Valley of the Gods, Utah

December 25, 2020 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated August 1, 2026

Goulding’s Lodge & RV Park is at 1000 Gouldings Trading Post Rd, Oljato-Monument Valley, UT 84536; (866) 313-9769; full hookups, museum, restaurant, tours, gas station, and grocery; gouldings.com. Valley of the Gods is managed by the BLM Monticello Field Office; (435) 587-1500; free admission; accessible via UT-261 approximately 10 miles northeast of Mexican Hat or US-163 approximately 15 miles west of Bluff; 17-mile gravel loop on San Juan County Road 242; blm.gov/visit/valley-gods. Coral Sands RV Park is at US Route 191, Bluff, UT 84512; (435) 672-2232; office hours Mon–Sat 9–11am & 3–7pm, Sun 3–7pm; check-in 3pm, check-out 11am; full hookups, free WiFi; coralsandsrv.com.

Gouldings is a favorite stop when passing through the area. This is our third visit. The Navajo Nation still had Monument Valley closed because of COVID.

Sandy and Michael Huntley,MD with Jake the dog under Goulding Arch at Gouldings, Utah

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Motorhome Living During Early COVID-19 Pandemic

March 31, 2020 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: July 6, 2026

Motorhome life has its unique challenges and rewards. Overall, we prefer wide open spaces and avoid crowds whenever possible, so our social distancing was already well established long before the term became universal. Having medical backgrounds, we practice infection precautions daily regardless of any particular pathogen. Nevertheless, short of wearing a hazmat suit, it is difficult to avoid exposure during a pandemic — supplies always need replenishment and storage space in a motorhome is finite. Trips to the grocery store and motorhome service appointments are unavoidable facts of full-time RV life. This post covers the transitional leg of our 2020 spring journey: north from Orange Beach, Alabama through Nashville and the Natchez Trace Parkway, heading toward the Newmar factory in Indiana for a service appointment we had booked six months earlier.

Sandy Huntley standing in front of a large floral peace sign street art installation in Nashville, Tennessee — a poignant symbol during the early COVID-19 pandemic

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Orange Beach & Gulf Shores Alabama

March 27, 2020 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: July 6, 2026

Orange Beach sits at the eastern end of Alabama’s Gulf Coast, sharing the same brilliant white quartz sand that runs west from Pensacola Beach and Destin — all of it originating from the ancient Appalachian Mountains, ground fine over millions of years and carried to the Gulf by river systems. We arrived just at the beginning of spring break, which would normally mean dense crowds of college students on the beach. The coronavirus outbreak had already begun to suppress travel, however, and the beaches and restaurants were noticeably quieter than they would otherwise have been at that time of year. A strange and unsettling historical context for what was still a beautiful visit.

Sandy Huntley and Jake the dog exploring the massive brick arched casemates inside Fort Morgan, Gulf Shores, Alabama

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