David and Maureen Wallis have a combined age of 153. Since they retired, the Cheshire couple – he a college lecturer, she a hospital pharmacist – have embarked on holidays that can be only be classified as adventures. No relaxed package tours or luxurious cruises for them. Here David, aged 78, describes their latest USA camping adventure travelling through eight states in 27 days
We have been married for more than 50 years, are still reasonably fit, experienced campers but not nerds. ‘Done’ India, China etc organising everything ourselves. But we had never been to America and wanted to see ‘cowboy land’.
Everything went to plan but then I didn’t have a plan, just a list of place names. I promised the great Western writer Zane Grey 65 years ago that I would follow the pioneers, in tents and cabins among the pines, lakes and mountains. Going from motel to motel with en suite and all hot and cold running mod cons just wasn’t my dream. And besides, I had the perfect ‘squaw’ with whom to share the Great Outdoors.
One large case had the tent, sleeping mats and camping gear. The other had the sheet, pillows and duvet from our bed, and my clothes. M’s packing was in the two carry-on bags. After landing at Denver airport from the Manchester flight we picked up a hire car which served as our 21st century trusty steed, then bought two fold-up chairs and a cooker ring that screws into a gas cylinder. We were off! 
We are adventurous but not intrepid — in truth the tent is really for when we can’t book a cabin. Luckily KOA camp sites offered log cabins and tent pitches in all the right places.
Cabins are one room with a comfortable double bed and two bunks, lights and a heater but no washing or cooking facilities.
However there is always an immaculate shower block and usually a camper’s kitchen, and a lounge with TV, books, and microwave. Each has a swimming pool but no restaurant.
Firewood is supplied, with an iron frame thing that allows fires or BBQs. I do steaks, chicken and eggs on my little stove.
Fruit juice, bran flakes, yoghurt, bananas, etc for healthy breakfasts. We buy meals if they are special to the area or when we are on the move or as a treat.
On holidays I often get up early and find a worker’s café to ‘see how the other half live’. Talk to your fellow diners and I guarantee it will be better than any guidebook or travel programme if you really want to get under the skin of rural America.
One day in the south east of Utah I did just that and came back fully briefed about Arches National Park, an hour away.
Arches is an amazing place, like no other we have ever visited. Incredible rocks, rich and red, and landforms and textures with more than 2,000 natural stone arches, with pinnacles soaring skyward and vast rock fins. Truly inspirational.
Then it was back to camp for a swim in a pool so warm you could keep tropical fish in the water, and finally to a true Mexican restaurant and back to our cabin to watch good ole country singers on the iPad with a gin and a beer. What I call a good day. 
Snag is, with the Rockies, there are only so many WOWS you can do in a day, like seeing the Buddhas in Thailand. You really can never get bored or satiated, though maybe saturated.
In Colorado we visited Mesa Verde National Park, a World Heritage site. This is the largest archaeological preserve in the US and has some of the best cliff dwellings in the world and the ruins of homes and villages built by the ancient Pueblo people. These are not your everyday troglodytes.
They built houses and villages in caves and under overhanging ledges. Cliff Palace is a big one, it was built around AD 1250, the same time as Salisbury Cathedral — not that it’s relevant, but it did make me think.
We went to the Civic Hall in Cortez, Montezuma, Colorado to see an Indian family demonstrating dances and costumes, and afterwards an 85-year-old Indian gave an hour’s talk.
He had been one of the Navajo Code Talkers in Nagasaki in the Second World War – those rare people who used their knowledge of Native American languages to transmit secret wartime messages.
It takes a lot to stop me nodding off these days, but he certainly did. Wonderful.
The Grand Canyon was awesome, The Taj Mahal, Pyramids, Great Wall were breathtaking but North Rim is something else.
We had a bit of fun camping there among pines. A gust of wind tore off a guy rope and the tent turned concave breaking two poles. It was 6.30am so we threw it in the car, had breakfast and booked the next night in a motel nearby which cost $130 instead of $18.
On the day we drove to Yellowstone Park in Wyoming and watched the live volcano Old Faithful blow his top. ‘He’ does this every 90 minutes, worse than some teenagers! While there we stitched the tent back together and duck taped the poles so our USA camping adventure was resumed.
People are so friendly especially when they see two English pensioners sitting in front of a tent or cabin, they tell us about their contacts in UK or where they’re from and we talk to their dogs and children and mention Manchester United.
Americans are particularly friendly, but the problem is, we can’t even keep up with the friends we have already. So we swap emails and say we hope to keep in touch.
At Yellowstone, it’s inadvisable to leave designated paths because the ground might give way and you could find yourself in a bath of boiling sulphur. Not a nice way to go.
There are 2,000 wolves, 600 grislies, a million black bears, deer and elks roaming Yellowstone. They give you a card outlining the social etiquette afforded to bears. It says: “If attacked play dead, if one gets into your tent then fight it.” Maureen wasn’t not too happy with that last bit.
Even after 53 years she doesn’t always trust my judgment. As it turned out we were fine – we went out during the day; the animals hunt and do their loving at night. We see more wildlife driving in Cheshire!
Our trip of a lifetime was rounded off at Mount Rushmoor in South Dakota to see the Presidents’ Heads followed by the 400-mile drive to Denver for the flight home bringing an end to our 2,300 mile odyssey.
Costs in addition to what we would have spent at home: £3,300
Two return flights to Denver £1300
Car hire £500
Two nights in Motels £125
Pass for Parks £50
Petrol. (3800 miles) £300
10 tents £125
Meals, museums etc £275
15 cabins £600
States visited Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, Arizona, New Mexico
Planning
Travel Books Rough Guide and Lonely Planet with details of The Parks and the Rockies.
Itineries from Travel Brochures 13-day tour of the Rockies etc Public library books
Thomsons Travel Agents gave excellent information when I planned to hire an RV.
Google Images helps to decide where to go, and what to see. Google/Wikipediagreat for details .
Talking to friends who had been, but none of them had our adventurous spirit.
Trail Finder Forum Posted a note. Rockies, Denver and Grand Canyon produced much advice
and encouragement.
Actual Plans
Flight US Airways through www.netflights.com The airline is generous with baggage allowances.
Car Hire www.Rentalcars.com (Budget cars Denver). Excellent, changed car to a hatch-back etc.
Hotel Best Hotels through www.Expedia.com Excellent facilities in the room and a pool.
Main Accomodation www.KOA.com (camping America) proved to be 100 per cent reliable, friendly, helpful.
Other Accomodation Internet searches for camps in many places gave results but chose KOA.
Self Inflating Matresses Vango Comfort MXL75S. Will never use anything else when camping.
GPS Garmin with North American maps. Used with the necessary common sense. Excellent.
Camera Cannon IXUS. Has never let me down in four years, Also the ipad is good!
Mobile Apple i-phone only used for texts and playing music in the car. O2 provider expensive.
I Pad Latest Apple i-pad used for onward booking and research, E.Malls and Utube concerts.
Tent Camping If repeating this holiday we would use cabins and not take a tent and sleeping pads.
Saves setting up sites and carrying equipment, simple cabins are great.
