Mid-June to Early-July 2021 Astoria, Oregon sits on the Columbia River at the northwest tip of Oregon. We crossed into Washington state via the Astoria Bridge, and then turned west toward the Pacific for the short trip to our first stop, Cape Disappointment State Park. We loved this park. Too bad that Captain John Meares gave it such an unfortunate name; for us, it was not disappointing at all. This is where the mighty Columbia River finally meets the Pacific…
Exploring the Pacific Coastline & PortlandEarly to Mid-June 2021 Humbug Mountain is one of Oregon’s highest mountains. The state park of the same name is nestled between the mountain and the Pacific Ocean. The mountain was originally called Sugarloaf Mountain. It became known as Tichenor’s Humbug in 1851, after a team of explorers sent by Captain William Tichenor got lost and headed north of Port Orford instead of south. Although the mountain was a disappointment to those early explorers, we…
Mid to late May 2021 We crossed into California and made our way to Salton Sea, a land-locked sea, which looked interesting on the map. At 227 feet below sea level, it’s the state’s lowest geographic point. Sadly, it’s also one of its lowest points in other ways, as well. Although beautiful from a distance, the up close truths of this one-time resort are distressing. The lake is polluted to the point that it’s dangerous to drink, or even touch,…
Early to Mid-May 2021 We came into Arizona from New Mexico on Route 40. This route bisects the Petrified Forest National Park, and it was our first big stop in the state. This is one of those areas that’s hard to imagine as a prehistoric rainforest where dinosaurs and reptiles once roamed. The brochure calls it a “tapestry of time,” and that’s a perfect description. The colors are stunning. Layers of pink, blue, chocolate brown, and purple are stacked like…
Land of Enchantment and Chiles Mid to Late April 2021 Our visit to New Mexico was a bit of a hodgepodge. We stayed in quite a few places, usually a couple of days in each. Camping is really big this year, and it’s challenging to make reservations for extended periods of time. We’re prepared to work our way around that circumstance and stay on the move. The highlights of hopscotching our way through New Mexico are below. Our first stop…
Early to Mid-April 2021 From Terlingua, Texas, we headed north to Alpine. We stayed near the outskirts of town at Lost Alaskan RV Park. What a switch from the wide open spaces of the desert! Typically, RV Parks that are privately owned aren’t the best for us. They are usually crowded and designed to be big money makers. The more campsites in the park, the more revenue the park can generate. Although this park was super clean and the owners…
Early April 2021 Big Bend National Park is indeed BIG. The park, which encompasses 800,000 acres, is in the southwest corner of Texas, sharing a border with Mexico. It includes canyons, deserts, forested mountains, and the Rio Grande. Figuring out where to start can be challenging. We were really fortunate to find a guide -and new friend – to give us a hand. We had decided that we’d camp outside of the park and make day trips into various areas….
Late March 2021 We wrapped up our visit to Austin with a stay at McKinney Falls State Park. This site is just a stone’s throw from downtown Austin and is a perfect base for area day trips. The park is a gem, with lots of greenery, hiking trails leading to the river and little waterfalls, and well-spaced campsites in the woods. The first day, we explored the park. On the next, we ferried our bikes to the edge of town…
March 2021 With a thank you for sheltering us during the big Texas freeze, we departed Goose Island State Park and headed north to Goliad. While in Goliad, we had a great stroke of luck. For weeks, we’d been trying to schedule Covid 19 vaccinations, with no luck. Then, on one random morning, the CVS website was loaded with open appointments. We both started working our phones and nabbed appointments. We realized that we’d have to stick around the area…
Mid-February 2021 We had doubled back to Florida, thinking we might be able to schedule Covid vaccinations, but hopes fell apart when Florida’s governor issued a residency requirement for vaccine registration. Well, so much for that. We stayed a while and had a good week at Fort Pickens. We were fortunate to be joined by our friends from Homosassa, Joann and Bob. The cool, sometimes rainy weather, didn’t dampen our spirits. We cooked great meals, walked the beach, and enjoyed…