End of the Road Trip

Texas plains

The end of the road is fast approaching for our summer trip.

  

Over the last nine days we’ve made our way from Utah through Colorado; spent four nights in New Mexico and now we are back in Texas. Our 3-month RV trip to Washington State and back is nearly over.  

Northern New Mexico 

We have been on the road since July 2 staying at a total of 23 different RV parks in ten different states. We visited three national parks: Arches, Lassen Volcanic, and Mesa Verde. We did take a few breaks from sleeping in Thor: one night in Bend, Oregon; four nights in Seattle; and three in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Since Utah, it’s been so windy at times that it felt like the wind was trying to blow us home. Except, unfortunately, it wasn’t a tail wind. It was more of a cross-wind which is not much fun to drive in, or so I hear.

Sundance RV Park in Cortez, Colorado

We spent three nights here with a day trip into Durango where we visited the cool train museum.

Mesa Verde National Park was right up the road so we took advantage of that. What a treat! We got to see 800-year-old cliff dwelling remains. You can only walk through them on ranger-led tours in order to preserve them and you aren’t allowed to touch any of the structures.

Cliff Palace

We toured “Cliff Palace” and “Balcony House” which are only accessible by climbing down uneven steps and climbing up wooden ladders. The rangers had us speculate on what it would be like to live on the side of a cliff. There’s so much we don’t know for sure about their life on the cliffs in the 1200’s so it really gets your imagination going.

Climbing ladder from Balcony House

Riana COE campground, Abiquiu NM

This campground in northern New Mexico was an Army Corps of Engineers project located on a bluff overlooking the Abiquiu reservoir. Our site had such a nice view that I figured we had the best site in the park. Then I took a walk and noticed that every site had a great view.

There were signs warning of rattlesnakes but a whole area for tent camping. I think I’ll pass on sleeping on the ground with rattlesnakes around! I didn’t see any though and in fact the only snake I’ve seen on this trip was in Kent, Washington of all places.

Santa Fe, New Mexico 

We were treated to three nights here at Buffalo Thunder Casino and Resort for a celebration of top fundraisers with the MS Society. Thor stayed up the road at an RV park where he could be plugged in so the refrigerator could run. It was a great group of people to hang out with. Chris did a scenic 36-mile bike ride with the group one morning and we hiked through Bandelier National Monument the next day and saw more cool cliff dwellings.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Canyon, Texas 

We stayed two nights here in America’s second largest canyon near Amarillo in the Texas panhandle.

One evening we heard coyotes howling. The next day a roadrunner ran right over to our picnic table. This must be the home of those old cartoon characters: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote!

We hiked to the Lighthouse rock formation which was a 2.7-mile hike one-way. Had to scramble up steep rocks at the end to make it to the top but it was worth it for the awesome view. Jack proved to be a pretty good rock-climbing dog. But as we made our way back in the midday heat for the 2.7-mile return hike, Jack was pausing in whatever patch of shade he could find. I could imagine him thinking “What are we doing back in this Texas heat? What happened to that cool lake house we were hanging out at?” Good questions Jack!

Luckily, it cools off at night here in the canyon so I could sit outside and enjoy the full moon and listen to the crickets chirping.

Windy Fillmore, Utah

Yesterday was the first day we went off course from our scheduled RV Park plan. Chris always researches our route and reserves spots at parks along the way with good reviews. We were planning on stopping at Huntington State Park in Utah but the wildfires had other plans for us. Instead we ended up in Fillmore, Utah which was originally the capital of the Utah territory, designated by Brigham Young himself in 1851.

Located in the center of the territory, it seemed like a good spot for the capital and the town Fillmore, named after President Millard Fillmore, was laid out. Construction began on the capitol but funding ran out after only one wing of the building was complete. Being out in the middle of nowhere, the town never prospered and Salt Lake City became the capital instead. The one wing of the capitol building still stands and is now a museum. Sadly, the museum was closed before I had a chance to drag Chris there with me to see it.

All I know is central Utah can get mighty windy.

The KOA campground we stayed at had good reviews and was very clean with lots of grassy areas. There’s just not much to do in the small town so it’s good for short stays, just like the short-lived capital. 

The ferocious winds finally died down last night. We got to see a colorful sunset and a bright half moon. This morning was very pleasant at 75 degrees and sunny.

Look at all that grass:

Jack enjoyed stretching out with his Downward Facing Dog yoga pose:

We ate our cereal outside and then had to load up for another day on the road. Got to get back on plan.

Three States in Three Days

We’ve traveled about 1,000 miles over the last three days with stops in three states. Only 1,400 miles to go to get to Houston.

Here are the highlights from our last three stops:

Thursday: Grande Hot Springs RV Resort, La Grande, Oregon

At this RV Park, we had a nice soak in the hot tub that is heated by water from the nearby historic Hot Lake Springs. The water is collected at 171 degrees from the springs and used to heat the buildings on the property and heat the pool/spa. We awoke to a chilly 38 degrees.

Friday: Village of Trees RV Resort, Declo, Idaho

This park had a cafe at the office that delivered food to your campsite. Room Service! A burrito and a pizza delivered in a golf cart for only $8.52. Gotta love it.

Saturday: Fillmore KOA, Utah

Traveling south from Idaho to Utah, the skies got very hazy. Eventually, we rounded a curve in the road and saw smoke billowing from a mountain. The high winds that had been taunting and pushing at Thor all morning were contributing to the out of control wildfire. We reached a road closure due to the blaze. There were no signs indicating how to detour the area so vehicles were pulled over on the side of the road trying to figure out what to do. Thank goodness for cell phones. We found another RV Park outside of the closed area and away from the smoke.

We couldn’t escape the winds however. It was just ridiculously windy at the KOA camp with everyone hunkering down inside their campers. We got the RV set up and then lost power. Chris checked all the fuses and whatnots while I stayed out of the way. Finally, after doing some googling, he discovered that our “House Battery” switch had been turned off somehow. Probably Jack’s tail is what we figure. Poor Jack always gets the blame 😏 

Next stop: Durango, Colorado.

Beginnings

It’s time to hit the road again. Time for Thor to transform from being our Washington house into our transportation back to Houston.

Our summer visit to the Seattle area has come to an end but it was a fruitful six weeks. We end on a note of new beginnings: a new life, and a new lake house.

We were blessed to be able to help welcome our first grandchild into the world. Lots of people had told me that becoming a grandparent was the greatest thing; they were right. There’s something heartwarming about your firstborn having a firstborn. It brought back so many sweet memories of our own experience as new parents. We look forward to watching this new life unfurl.

We had some good family time together when Lexi joined us for a weekend in Seattle. Her life as Aunt Lexi is now beginning.

While we were hovering in the area waiting for The Birth Day, we had time to search for a lake house. We were fortunate to find and buy a place on Summit Lake in Olympia. It’s been a dream of ours since we were newly married to have a lake house. The Pacific Northwest is beautiful in the summer: lush and cool. We looked at 19 houses in the Olympia area, and one of them stood out from the rest. We had found our summer home. In case you’re wondering, it’s an hour and half drive to our grand-baby (and her parents of course!) Not too close but not too far.

In keeping with the theme of beginnings, we got to attend the wedding of our son’s friend while we were in Washington. It was nice to be a witness to the beginning of their married life. 

The end of our stay in Washington brought about cooler Fall-like weather. Some of the trees were starting to change color. It was like a cue from nature that a new season was about to begin and our time was up.

My co-pilot’s seat sees me in warm slipper socks now:

Driving from Washington into Oregon we saw beautiful scenery. We drove right along the massive Columbia river. 

Our first stop on the trip home is in La Grand, Oregon, near the Oregon Trail. I like this cute western-themed picnic table at the RV Park:

It was hard to leave our new grand baby and our new lake house but we will be back. Time to see what adventure awaits us on the two-week journey home.

Olympia, Washington

Wait a minute, it’s August and we can sit outside at night without mosquitoes eating us up? We can take walks in the middle of the day without melting in the heat and humidity? The temperature actually drops 20 degrees cooler overnight? Jack, I have a feeling we’re not in Houston anymore.

That’s right, we’re in western Washington state, enjoying mild temperatures and a vista of towering trees. 

We spent 15 nights in Olympia, a new record for us for staying put in one place, however we did move campsites halfway through our stay. We couldn’t get one space reserved for the entire time but that’s okay, wouldn’t want moss growing on Thor’s feet.

We have basically reached our destination on this three-month journey from Houston to cooler weather in Washington, near Seattle and our soon-to-arrive grand baby.

The American Heritage Campground was very well laid-out with lots of trees and plenty of space between the campsites. They let us park our car in the site next to us so we could really spread out. Nice.

Jack was overwhelmed with the various scents in the air, at times he just stopped and raised his head and sniffed it all in. We saw bunny rabbits, deer, chipmunks, beavers, and geese while in the Olympia area. We also battled lots of annoying flies and bees at the campground for some reason. For a few days a smoky haze lingered in the sky from wildfires in the east. So it wasn’t all paradise but it was definitely a nice escape from the Houston heat.

Here are some photos from our last days in Tillamook, Oregon before we journeyed to Washington.

Chris and Jack overlooking Cape Lookout State Park:

I took a lovely, peaceful walk through Kilchis Point Reserve while Chris golfed. The only sounds I heard were birds and raindrops:

Hike through a rainforest in Cape Lookout State Park with fog hovering above us:

Jack ready for our next adventure as we move on up the road:

Tillamook, Oregon

   

We’ve traveled from central Oregon to the western coast of Oregon. We drove through forest land and mountain passes and arrived to a very different landscape: not so dry, in fact very moist, lots of fog, low-lying clouds and cool ocean breezes. Time to switch out our shorts back into our jeans and sweatshirts. We also got to drag out our firewood for the first campfire of the trip. 

Here is Jack posing to show the view from our campsite:

Two years ago, on our first Pacific Northwest RV trip, we stayed just down the coast in Newport, Oregon. At that time we saw road signs on the way for Tillamook and recognized the name from the cheese and ice cream we buy in Houston. Made a note to visit Tillamook next time and here we are.

This is the longest place we’ve stayed put in our RV yet. We’re spending six nights here. It worked well as a rendezvous spot to meet up with our kids. Ryan and Meredith drove here from Seattle for the weekend. It was about a four-hour drive. Lexi was in Seattle for the weekend and she and Max were able to come meet us Friday night. It was so nice to have a mini family reunion. 

We thought this would be a cute touristy town, but it’s not so much. Clamming and crabbing seem to be the big attractions here. We walked out to the tide pools one morning when the tide was out and saw people digging up clams.

The other big attraction here is of course the Tillamook Creamery.

We went on the free self-guided tour at the visitor center which had just opened this summer. Our first stop was the cafe for cheddar biscuit egg and cheese sandwiches. Yumm. We learned about where it all starts: the cows.

Then we looked through windows at all the machinery involved in making and packaging the cheese. We got to sample several varieties of their cheese and cheese curds. Finally, time for some Tillamook ice cream!

We took a walk along the beach at Cape Lookout State Park:

Looking out at the bay from our campsite we saw some objects in the water:

Thought maybe they were birds. Got out the binoculars and discovered they were sea lions (or seals, not sure which). As the tide goes out, sand spits poke out of the water and the sea lions like to lie on them in the sun and sleep. I tried to count them and came up with more than 200.

Our hearts go out to those in the Redding, California area affected by the recent wildfire. We were just there ten days ago.

Tomorrow’s plan is for me to drop off Chris at a golf course and I will visit the Pioneer Museum. That way we’re both happy. 😀

Bend, Oregon

If you’re looking for a city with natural beauty, lots to do, friendly people, and plenty of brew-pubs that’s also dog-loving and bike-friendly, Bend is the place for you.

We were fortunate to have Rick and Joy show us around their home turf while we visited for three days.  

We parked Thor at a beautiful RV park called Bend/Sisters Garden RV Resort. As the name suggests it is halfway between the towns of Bend and Sisters and the grounds were so lushly landscaped they were like a garden.

Bend is located in central Oregon and is near mountains, lakes, rivers, and forests. Mount Bachelor ski resort is nearby. 

If you want to fill up your growler with craft beer while you get your car filled with gas, the Growler Guys at the local Chevron station can help you out. State law in Oregon does not allow self-service gas pumps. So I guess the Growler Guys saw an opportunity to provide beer service along with the full-service gas. There are about 30 craft beers on tap. You can sample before you buy. Tables are provided right there in the gas station if you want to sit while you have a cold one.

Jack got to take a hike around beautiful Suttle Lake with his dog buddies Augie and Soli. The trail went right along the water’s edge and the dogs took full advantage of the easy access to swimming. 

We checked out the fish hatchery:

I’m in love with this picture of Mt. Jefferson at the headwaters of the Metolius river:

Here’s Tumalo Falls:

Joy and I hiked here one morning while Chris did an 18-mile bike ride:

Chris now has RV garage envy. Rick had this garage built for his motorhome:

I bet you didn’t know the last Blockbuster left in America is in Bend:

 

We walked through a vast field of lava rocks that had spewed from a volcano thousands of years ago. They were like pumice. It felt like a scene on Mars.

I learned we were in a “high desert”, meaning a desert at a high elevation. I also learned that lakes at a high elevation are called “alpine lakes”. 

We visited the “Old Mill District” of Bend, a revitalized historic area at the site of an old lumber mill alongside the Deschutes River. It’s a popular spot for tubers and kayakers going down the river. There’s even some artificial rapids installed in the river for surfers. I bet the lumber mill workers from days past never envisioned the river would be full of tourists floating along instead of timber.

We appropriately topped off a day of sight-seeing with some cold Deschutes beer.

I hope this didn’t sound like too much of a travel blog. We saw so much and were very impressed with Bend. And there’s even more to see and do so we’ll just have to return some day.