McCall, Idaho – Summer Beach Fun on Pretty Payette Lake

July-August 2016 – McCall, Idaho, is perched right on the edge of beautiful Payette Lake, and in the summertime it is a wonderful waterfront beach town if there ever was one. What a great destination for an RV trip!

Payette Lake shore near Legacy Park McCall Idaho

McCall, Idaho, is a fantastic beach town!!

Even though McCall sits at an elevation of 5,000 feet, the temps in August were toasty warm and everyone was enjoying cooling off at the waterfront beach parks. What a beautiful setting!

Jet skis on the beach McCall Idaho

A rainbow of jet skis ready for action.

Beach umbrellas McCall Idaho Payette Lake

A nice spot to unwind for a while!

Kids were everywhere, and they were just loving the town beach. Two little boys were standing in the water blowing bubbles and two little girls up on the beach were trying to catch them.

Beach at Legacy Park McCall Idaho Payette Lake

Kids blow bubbles on the beach.

A little ways down the beach a little girl was playing with a wagon.

Playing on the beach McCall Idaho

.

Boats were lined up at the docks, and there was a steady stream of boaters heading out onto the lake.

Payette Lake Sports and Marina McCall Idaho

Bikes and boats – what could be more fun?!

The main street of McCall is very cute with historic buildings wedged together cheek-by-jowel. For those that want to cool off without going swimming, we found a skating rink just a few doors down with sessions that are open to the public.

Historic buildings downtown McCall Idaho

The main drag, just in from the beach, has some classic old buildings.

We made our way to Mountain Java on many mornings, sipping a tasty cuppa joe while sitting in the colorful Adirondack chairs that fill the lawn in front of the Mountain Monkey Business store and look out onto Payette Lake.

This was a wonderful way to start the morning, and we met both locals and tourists alike while kicking back and savoring the view and a brew.

Mountain Monkey Business and Mountain Java McCall Idaho

These colorful chairs on a lawn overlooking the lake became our morning hangout!

By a stroke of very good luck, we happened to be in town during the Antique and Classic Boat Show at the elegant Shore Lodge on the edge of Payette Lake. What a fabulous display of lovingly varnished boats from yesteryear!

Antique wooden boat show Shore Lodge McCall Idaho Payette Lake

What good fortune to be in town on the weekend of the Antique and Classic Boat Show!

These gorgeous boats were known as “lakers” in their day, because they were specifically designed for happy boating days on fresh water lakes. Their meticulously varnished and gleaming woodwork wouldn’t hold up to the salt water of the ocean.

Cockpit of classic wooden boat Payette Lake McCall Idaho

I could handle a day on the lake in a classy boat like this!!

I can just imagine spending a day on the water in one of these, complete with lunch at anchor in some secluded cove on the lake.

Antique and classic boat show Shore Lodge Payette Lake McCall Idaho

Let’s go for a ride!!

These boats have a lot of get-up-and-go too, and many of them have been upgraded with modern engines that have even more zip. The owners of these classic boats just love them and love talking about them too.

Antique and classic boat show Payette Lake Shore Lodge McCall Idaho

This boat won Best in Show. No wonder the owner is grinning!!

Whenever one fired up its engine, a little crowd would form around the boat to listen to the engine purr and to find out where the owner had purchased the boat, what its history was, and what he had done to refurbish it to its former glory.

There’s nothing like a classic yacht, and last year during our travels in Maine, we took a fabulous factory tour of Hinckley Yachts, a boat builder that has morphed from producing stunning sailing yachts to zippy, luxurious powerboats.

Antique and Classic Boat Show Shore Lodge Payette Lake McCall Idaho

Some of the boats went out for a spin while small crowds watched from the dock.

The boats here in McCall, Idaho, were a lot smaller than the Hinckleys in Maine, but their owners got just as much pleasure from taking them out for a spin. Every time someone began untying the dock lines and shoved off into water, there was a murmur of oohs and aahs from the rest of us watching in envy from the dock.

The setting for this fabulous boat show was the equally fabulous Shore Lodge, a high end resort hotel that presides over one end of McCall’s lakefront.

Welcome to the Shore Lodge McCall Idaho

Welcome to the Shore Lodge… Come on in!!

We wandered through the elegant Shore Lodge and explored its many nooks and crannies. It dates back to 1948 and has many refined touches of an earlier age.

Shore Lodge dining room etched glass sign McCall idaho

The historic Shore Lodge is a very elegant hotel right on Payette Lake.

The dining room has a breathtaking view of the docks below and all of Payette Lake and the distant mountains too. For those that needed a break from walking between the antique wooden boats, this was a great place for a bite to eat with a bird’s eye view of the goings-on.

Waterfront dining Shore Lodge McCall Idaho

Enjoy a fine meal while watching the boat show out on the docks!

McCall, Idaho, has a lot more to offer than just beach and boating fun, though. We found some fantastic mountain biking trails west of town near Brundage Mountain, and we enjoyed a beautiful bike ride through Ponderosa State Park which is located on a peninsula that juts out into Payette Lake on the east side of town.

Mountain Biking Brundage Mountain McCall Idaho

We found lots of mountain biking trails and dirt roads on both sides of town.

Flowers

.

One day we took a drive down Highway 55 to do some exploring south of McCall. We came across the historic town of Roseberry which was settled by a few Finnish families in the 1800’s.

Roseberry Idaho historic Finnish settlement

Roseberry, Idaho, was settled by Finns and is an interesting townsite today.

The whole area is now a museum that honors those rugged settlers and offers a peek into their lives.

Antique cabin Finnish settlement Roseberry Idaho

Finns had unique log cabin construction techniques that they brought to the New World.

There are some old log cabins that the families lived in as well as a fun town site with a general store, church, school, barn and other neat buildings.

Inside a cabin Roseberry Idaho Finnish historic settlement

And we think RV living is simple!

The town of Roseberry had its hey day in the early 1900’s, boasting a hotel, two black smith shops , a butcher shop, logging mill, creamery and restaurant. However, ten years later, the Pacific, Idaho and Northern Railroad line came through about 2 miles west of town, and Roseberry wilted while the bustling town of Donnelly right on the railroad tracks thrived.

Amazingly, lots of Roseberry people moved their homes and shops over to Donnelly to take advantage of the boom there, transporting their buildings by wagon! It’s hard to imagine that kind of boom and exodus today, especially given the easily driven luxury homes we RVers get to live in.

Historic Roseberry Idaho

Wandering around Roseberry, Idaho, made for an enjoyable afternoon.

Down at Lake Cascade, next to the town of Cascade, we found several campgrounds along the shoreline. RVers, boaters and fishermen were enjoying these lakeside campsites. We didn’t stay, but what a great spot to camp!

Truck camper and boat at Lake Cascade Idaho

Payette Lake isn’t the only game in town.Lake Cascade a few miles south is very beautiful and quiet too!

Back in McCall, we enjoyed some moonless nights, and one evening Mark snuck out with his new 12 mm fish eye lens to catch the Milky Way straight up overhead. This made a very cool effect!

Milky Way above the trees McCall Idaho

The Milky Way crosses the heavens high above us while a shooting star zips by.

If you are looking for a wonderful area for an RV trip in the heat of the summer, McCall, Idsho, is a very fun beach town. There are more links to help you plan your travels below.

RV camping in McCall Idaho

.

Subscribe
Never miss a post — it’s free!

Here’s a little more info about McCall, Payette Lake, Roseberry, etc:

Some related posts from our Idaho and the NW Montana / Idaho Panhandle RV travels:

    Our most recent posts:

    More of our Latest Posts are in the MENU.
    New to this site? Visit RVers Start Here to find where we keep all the good stuff!!

    <-Previous || Next->

    An Idaho Panhandle RV Trip on US-95: Sandpoint, Moscow & McCall

    July 2016 – After a truly stunning few weeks in northern Montana — from adventures on the east side of Glacier National Park to learning about the unique history of Libby, Montana, and photographing the special wildlife and unique giant trees nearby — we took our RV on Idaho’s scenic back roads in the panhandle southbound from Sandpoint through Moscow to McCall.

    RV on a river in Idaho

    On the back roads of Idaho

    The summer was really heating up in northern Idaho, and when we arrived in Sandpoint, on the shores of beautiful Lake Pend Oreille, we were delighted to find that the small town of Sandpoint transforms into a beach town when the temps climb over 80 degrees.

    Sandpoint City Beach Park in Idaho

    Sandpoint City Beach Park on Lake Pend Oreille

    The small town hugs the shoreline of Lake Pend Oreille, and people were taking full advantage of the summer sun to get out on the lake in anything that floated, from boats to kayaks to stand-up paddleboards.

    Standup paddle boards Sandpoint Idaho

    Sandpoint idaho has lots of summertime action on the lake.

    We discovered the wonderful Pend Oreille Bay Trail that runs along the water’s edge. This biking and hiking path offers both brief glimpses of the lake through the trees and open sweeping views.

    Pend Oreille Bay Trail Sandpoint Idaho

    Pend Oreille Bay Trail

    The trail is wonderfully shaded for much of its length and is a joy to walk, run or ride at any time of day.

    Pend Oreille Bay Trail bike path and running trail Sandpoint Idaho

    This shaded path goes right along the shoreline.

    There are paved bike paths all around Sandpoint City Beach Park too, and we rode everywhere.

    Riding the bicycle path in Sandpoint Idaho

    Sandpoint has bike paths all over the place.

    Sandpoint, Idaho, is such a bike friendly town, we even found a colorful sculpture celebrating two wheeled transport.

    Bike sculpture Sandpoint Idaho

    Sandpoint is a two-wheeler town!

    One day we spotted a van with bicycles on the roof. It turned out to be the famous PAC Tour, a challenging cross-country bicycle tour that puts even the hardiest cyclists to the test.

    Pac Tour cross-country bicycle tour in Sandpoint Idaho

    We bumped into the PAC Tour in Sandpoint!

    Their route travels from west to east and takes a little over 30 days. The cyclists were still fresh, as it was only Day 5. They had barely hit the big western mountains and were still a week away from the daylong 130 mile slogs across the flatter plains states. Kudos to all of them for taking on this huge athletic challenge!

    PAC Tour cross-country bicycle tour route for 2016

    These energetic cyclists had just started and had a long ways to go…

    The town of Sandpoint is very cute, and we enjoyed walking around the historic district. At one end of town we found the Libation District which has both brewpubs and a winery on both sides of the street. No shortage of fun there!!

    At the other end of town we found Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters where we got a peak at all of their coffee roasting equipment. For lovers of dark, rich coffee, their Guatemalan roast is really yummy. We took home a bag!!

    Evans Brothers Coffee Raosters Sandpoint Idaho

    Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters makes delicious coffee!

    We later discovered that they won 3rd place in the America’s Best Coffeehouse competition at the 2015 Coffee Fest Portland!!

    Just a few blocks away, we were very surprised to find the Litehouse Bleu Cheese factory where the popular salad dressing is made.

    Litehouse Bleu Cheese Factory Sandpoint Idaho

    Litehouse Bleu Cheese salad dressing is made here!

    But Lake Pend Oreille was the real focal point of our time in Sandpoint. One day we decided to get a view of it from high above. Locals suggested we take a drive up Schweitzer Mountain, a nearby ski resort.

    Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort Sandpoint Idaho

    Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort is on a nearby mountain overlooking the lake.

    The view from up there was wonderful!

    Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort view of Lake Pend Oreille Sandpoint Idaho

    What a view — Sandpoint tucked up against Lake Pend Oreille!

    After a week in Sandpoint we meandered south a little further and bumped into the cute town of Moscow. Instead of finding the grand turrets of Red Square, we discovered a lovely shaded main street that is lined with all kinds of boutiques and tempting eateries.

    Downtown Moscow Idaho streets

    Tiny Moscow, Idaho, has a cute downtown area.

    A fun paved bike path passes through Moscow, and we jumped on the Latah Trail to ride through the farmlands out to the village of Troy about 11 miles east.

    Latah Bike Path from Moscow Idaho to Troy Idaho

    Lovely rolling farmland on the Latah Trail from Moscow to Troy, Idaho.

    Much of this pretty trail goes through open land with views across rolling hills covered with pastures and farm fields.

    Latah Trail from Moscow to Troy Idaho

    The Latah Trail goes through pretty farmland.

    After a few hours of riding on the bike path, we returned to Moscow and stopped in at Bucer’s Coffeehouse and Pub. We got there shortly after the noon hour, perfect timing for a brew…either coffee or beer!!

    Bucer's Coffeehouse and Pub in Moscow Idaho

    We stopped for brews at Bucer’s Coffeehouse and Pub — coffee for me and beer for Mark!

    Continuing our journey south along Idaho’s pretty US-95, we passed lots more farmland with hay bales spread across the fields and farmhouses looking very quaint in the summer sun.

    Farmland in western Idaho panhandle

    The drive on US-95 was as lovely as the small towns along the way.

    Motorhome among hay bales in Idaho

    We passed some beautiful rural scenery.

    The Little Salmon River accompanied us on our drive, and we had to stop a few times to get photos as we passed through a wonderful canyon.

    Idaho scenery Little Salmon River

    The Little Salmon River ran alongside us the whole way.

    We had never thought of Idaho as being home to vibrant beach towns, but when we arrived in McCall, we discovered that, just like Sandpoint, the whole town was out in force soaking up the rays at the town beach.

    Sunbathers were lying on beach towels, and people were swimming and playing in the water, eating ice cream cones while strolling the paths by the water’s edge, and fooling around on boats and jet skis on pretty Payette Lake.

    We loved the vibe of McCall so much that we stuck around for two weeks!!

    Legacy Park on the beach in McCall Idaho

    What a great surprise to find another sweet little Idaho beach town in McCall!

    If you are taking your RV on a north-south route through Idaho, Route 95 makes for a very scenic and enjoyable drive. There are some links with more info below.

    Subscribe
    Never miss a post — it’s free!

    Info about Sandpoint, Moscow and McCall, Idaho:

    Other blog posts from our RV travels in NW Montana and Idaho’s Panhandle:

    Scenic Drives for RV Touring in Idaho:

    Our most recent posts:

    More of our Latest Posts are in the MENU.
    New to this site? Visit RVers Start Here to find where we keep all the good stuff!!

    <-Previous || Next->

    Sedona, Arizona – Great Beer, Coffee, Red Rocks & Psychics!

    March 2016 – When we brought our RV to Sedona, Arizona, even though we had been there many times before, we still hung our heads out the windows of the truck saying, “omg omg omg OMG!!!” We’d forgotten just how stunning the towering red rocks cliffs are.

    RV travel to Sedona Arizona red rock country

    Driving into town, we were totally awed by the red rock scenery.

    We were utterly mesmerized as the road carved beautiful sweeping turns through these monoliths. We just drove around for a while, taking it all in, and marveling at the views out the windows.

    RV road trip and scenic drive Sedona Arizona

    Anywhere you drive in Sedona, the landscapes are breathtaking.

    RV adventure in Sedona Arizona and scenic drives

    .

    White flowering trees were in bloom all around town too. What a great combination these made with those incredible cliffs behind!

    Sedona Arizona red rocks and flowers

    White flowering trees were in bloom.

    Sedona Arizona rock cliffs and white flowers

    .

    Sedona is a funny mix of dramatic natural landscapes, upscale trendy shops, and outdoor pursuits, all overlaid with a mystical, New Age flair. The Hyatt Regency has a fancy resort hotel in the middle of it all, while the main drag is dotted with psychic readers, mountain bike shops, art galleries, hiking stores, elegant bistros and souvenir shops.

    Restaurants Galleries Shops Sedona Arizona

    For many, Sedona is all about shopping, artsy stuff, and eating great food.

    It is a vacation playground for people from “The Valley of the Sun” (Phoenix) about 100 miles away. Bustling shops selling homemade ice cream cones are lined up against a breathtaking backdrop of bright orange cliffs where tourists go on joy ride jeep tours into the rugged pink and orange desert landscapes.

    Uptown Sedona Arizona

    Gorgeous natural landscapes beckon just outside of town.

    And every few minutes a snazzy sports car or vintage car rolls by.

    Sports car in Sedona Arizona town center

    Some folks travel here in style.

    Fancy vintage car in Sedona Arizona

    Exotic car sightings are the norm in Sedona.

    It’s a fabulous town to stroll around, and we love the sculptures that grace the sidewalks.

    Horse statue Sedona Arizona

    Sedona is an artsy town with creative sculptures decorating the sidewalks.

    Sedona Arizona T-shirts

    No problem finding a souvenir t-shirt in this town!

    The town was founded in 1902, and camera buffs have been stopping in at Rollie’s Camera Shop for camera gear and supplies since it opened in 1961. We dropped by three times to visit our friend Tom Kelly who works there and also sells his beautiful photographs.

    How funny it was when a pair of tourists came into the shop to buy film. “Fuji Film or Kodachrome?” Tom asked them. They took the Fuji Film, but gosh, I never thought I’d hear those words again!

    Rollies Camera Sedona Arizona

    The back door of Rollies Camera where photographers have bought gear since 1961.

    Of course, part of vacationing in a place like Sedona is relaxing with a glass of wine or a good microbrew beer after the sun has crested its peak in the sky. Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing, though, and partiers occasionally wind up regretting last night’s wild party the next morning. We passed a hilarious sign showing a fish that…well… drinks like a fish…

    Murphy's Country Store Sedona Arizona

    .

    And where do you find the biggest selection of beer — at the best prices — in this oh-so-trendy and pricey town? At the Chevron station in the Village of Oak Creek!

    Really!!

    They have shelves and shelves of unusual microbrew beers, all at very modest prices, and best of all, you can build your own six pack. On Thursdays they knock even more off the price of the build-your-own-six-packs. So, if you plan your week out right, Thursday is the day to go stock up on beer.

    At Chevron!

    Chevron Station Village of Oak Creek Sedona Arizona

    This place has the best selection of craft beer (and at the best prices) in town!

    Why does a gas station have the best beer selection in a fancy dancy town like Sedona? Because it’s run by a very cool guy. Tony Pugliano is a young, entrepreneurial mountain biker who owns not just this Chevron but a 76 station over in Cottonwood too. His gas station in Cottonwood is even better. It has craft beers on tap!!

    Now that’s the way to bring customers in and make them happy at your gas station!

    We met Tony two years ago when we brought our RV to Sedona, and this year, while stopping at the Sedona Bike and Bean bike shop to get a part for Mark’s mountain bike, who walked in but Tony! He was picking up some parts for his bike too.

    Sedona Bike and Bean Sedona Arizona

    Mark recognized Tony at Sedona Bike & Bean right away. What a perfect place to run into each other!

    While we chatted, I got a latte. And why not? This bike shop is the Sedona Bike and Bean, afterall. When you walk in the front door of the shop, the first thing you notice — before the bikes, and bike jerseys and bike repair stands — is the huge coffee bar where you can order any kind of fancy coffee drink you can imagine.

    That’s the way Sedona is. It is a haven for lovers of gourmet coffee, great beer, and the outdoors. If you are clairvoyant and/or rich, you’ll fit right in too!

    Gypsy Jenny's Sedona Arizona

    Sedona is a great place for reflections — in store windows and introspectively too!

    Another fun place to go for a beer is at the Oak Creek Brewery. The brew master was busy making one of our all time favorite beers when we stopped by, their Nut Brown Ale.

    Oak Creek Brewing Company Sedona Arizona

    The Nut Brown Ale is as fresh as it can be at the Oak Creek Brewery in Sedona.

    When we cruised out of Sedona to the west, we found even more stunning scenery.

    Red rock scenery in West Sedona Arizona

    Even under cloudy skies, the scenic drives in West Sedona are jaw-droppers.

    Pink Jeep West Sedona Arizona

    Pink Jeep Tours are everywhere. What a fun way to get into the more rugged areas out of town.

    The red rocks and towering mountains just don’t quit!

    West Sedona Arizona scenic drives in the red rocks

    Sedona is in the heart of Arizona’s red rock country!

    Sedona is an awesome place for RVers to settle in for a week or two.

    Truck and fifth wheel trailer RV at sunset

    Mark catches a pink sunset over our truck.

    If you have a hankering for an RV roadtrip to red rock country, Sedona is one gorgeous spot, and the climate is ideal in spring and fall! There are more tips and links and info about Sedona below.

    Subscribe
    Never miss a post — it’s free!

    More info about Sedona Arizona:

    Related posts from our RV travels in Sedona, Arizona:

    <-Previous || Next->

    Our most recent posts:

    More of our Latest Posts are in the MENU above.

    Maysville, Kentucky – Come for the History, Stay for the People!

    September 2015 – After a delightful two weeks in the New York Finger Lakes, our RV travels took us south through Pennsylvania and Ohio until we found ourselves on the shores of the Ohio River, staring at a very cute town on the opposite river bank in Kentucky. There were church steeples and old brick buildings, and it looked very appealing. What was this place?

    Maysville Kentucky seen from Aberdeen Ohio on the Ohio River

    Looking across the Ohio River from Aberdeen. The town on the other side sure looks cute!

    As night fell, the town on the other side became even more alluring. The suspension bridge that spanned the Ohio River was lit up, and the city lights from the town across the way were reflected in the water.

    Maysville Kentucky on the Ohio River at Night

    Wow!

    Maysville Kentucky at Night Ohio River reflections

    That town over there sure is cool, day or night!

    The next morning we just had to go check this place out, so we headed across the bridge.

    Driving over the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge Maysville KY

    .

    We had looked the place up on the map and found out it was Maysville, Kentucky, a town loaded with history. As we looked out over it now the town seemed to sparkle in the morning sun.

    Maysville Kentucky sparkles in the morning sun

    .

    We hopped out of the truck and were soon prowling around town down by the river. We came across a huge sign painted on a towering concrete wall welcoming us to Maysville. This wasn’t just any old ordinary “Welcome to Town” sign. For one thing, it was enormous. For another, it had an orange butterfly in the corner. We would soon discover that this cheerful little guy was much like the spirit of Maysville.

    Welcome to Maysville

    What a warm welcome.

    As we walked back up into town and looked around we were charmed. We seemed to have landed in the heart of the historic district of Maysville, and everywhere we turned the buildings were all different colors.

    Streets of Maysville Kentucky and Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge

    Multi-colored buildings stand against the ever-present backdrop of the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge.

    We wandered up Market Street where there was a fountain bubbling in the middle of the street.

    Maysville Kentucky Market Street

    The center of Market Street boasts a pretty fountain.

    Down at our feet we found cool wavy patterns of brick.

    Brick streets Maysville Kentucky

    The streets are brick — how fun!

    The buildings around us were downright jaunty. No two were alike. Tall, short, wide, skinny, they all stood together, wonderfully mismatched yet cozy and congenial.

    Historic buildings Market Street Maysville KY

    The pretty buildings are all different colors AND all different sizes!

    Looking more closely at one building, we noticed that even the windows were free spirited and jovial. None of the lines were square and each window stood at an angle.

    Angled windows

    The angles of the windows make quizzical expressions!

    There had to be stories behind these wonderful buildings, we thought. Fun stories and unusual stories. If only those old storefronts and upstairs apartments could talk!

    Market Street Maysville Kentucky

    Ornate buildings on Market Street.

    We wandered up and down the streets, marveling at the elaborate detail on the building fronts. One building had a fabulous rounded turret with a peaked top worthy of Rapunzel.

    Turret building Maysville Kentucky

    Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your golden hair!

    Wrought iron and fancy carved woodwork adorned another, and next door to it the sun peaked through a wrought iron gate.

    Historic Market Street Buildings Maysville Kentucky

    Morning sun shines through a wrought iron gate and windows.

    Roses were blooming in front of a series of white houses, and a handsome church steeple pierced the sky. We later found out these row houses date back to 1816 and are called “Mechanics Row.”

    Row houses Maysville Kentucky

    .

    This place was just plain cool!

    Picnic area

    Come sit for a spell…

    The town was very quiet during the morning hours, and we almost felt like we had the place to ourselves.

    Doorway Maysville Kentucky

    .

    But what we were soon to discover is that these buildings are home to one of the liveliest, warmest and friendliest communities of people we’ve ever met anywhere.

    Historic downtown Maysville Kentucky

    The architecture is wonderful,
    but the people here are even better!

    It’s not the buildings that make a place lovable. As delightful as the architecture is in the town of Maysville — and some of the most appealing buildings in town are the seven adorable red brick “days of the week” row houses that run up a hill bearing names from Sunday to Saturday — it is the people that make a community come alive.

    Row houses days of the week Maysville Kentucky

    These row houses are named after the days of the week!

    On our first night in town we stopped in at O’Rourke’s Neighborhood Pub and soon found ourselves swept up in energetic conversation, laughter, and rapidly growing friendships, immersed in the local scene as if we had lived in Maysville all our lives. It felt as if we had suddenly taken off our jackets that had the word “Tourists” emblazoned on them and had put on the Maysville team jersey instead.

    O'Rourke's Pub Maysville Kentucky

    O’Rourke’s Neighborhood Pub
    “Where everyone knows your name,” even if you’re from out of town!

    This little pub was the kind of place where everyone knew who the out-of-town folks were, but rather than keeping the outsiders at a distance, they asked us to pull up a chair and join their big groups at the tables.

    On the next night, the bar owner, Norbert, sat with us, and between telling us tales of the town’s history, he introduced us to one person after another as they came in. From local attorneys to workers in the nearby limestone mine and power plant, we met one new friend after another, and they all openly shared tidbits of their lives and stories with us.

    Fiery sky over church steeple

    We enjoyed Maysville so much we stayed
    for nearly two weeks!

    What’s more, they all had wonderful recommendations of things we really must see and do during our stay in town. Suddenly, we couldn’t leave. There was just too much to do here! How blessed we felt to have the time to be able stay and relish this precious place.

    In our travels we’ve found it is really rare to be able to visit somewhere and truly become an integral part of it and enjoy it from the inside rather that remaining on the outside looking in. Our days in Maysville will forever stand out in our memories because the people we met let us bridge that gap and become locals for a while.

    Subscribe
    Never miss a post — it’s free!

    Our most recent posts:

    More of our Latest Posts are in the top MENU above.

    Maysville, Kentucky, is a great area for RV travel. Here’s a little more info::

    Other posts from our RV travels to Maysville, Kentucky:

    <-Previous || Next->

    Rockport, Massachusetts – Quaint Charm on Boston’s North Shore

    Usually we travel just a bit at a time, savoring each place as we go, and covering as little distance between stops as possible. This week, however, I jumped on an airplane in Florida bound for Boston, Massachusetts, to meet up with friends and family for a very brief visit.

    A few days ago, we took a daytrip to the scenic seaside village of Rockport, Massachusetts, a quaint and historic town that oozes charm and has long held a special place in my heart.

    T-Wharf Sandy Bay Yacht Club Rockport Massachusetts

    Sandy Bay Yacht Club on T-Wharf in Rockport, Massachusetts

    Rockport is just an hour north of Boston, and on any summer weekend it is filled to overflowing with tourists to the point where you practically brush shoulders with fellow walkers as you stroll the town streets. On this visit, however, we somehow magically caught it just right and got there on an ideal 75 degree brilliantly sunny day in mid-April when hardly a soul was in town!

    Rockport’s heart and soul is the lobster trade, and there are lobster boats all around the tiny harbor.

    Lobster boats Rockport Harbor Massachusetts

    A lobster boat in Rockport Harbor

    A classic red fishing shack, called Motif #1, presides over the center of the harbor. This iconic building is framed in countless photos and paintings, and ranks as one of the most photographed buildings in New England and the most frequently painted building in America.

    Motif Number 1 Rockport Massachusetts

    A New England icon: Rockport’s Motif #1

    Motif Number 1 is so well loved that when the original building was destroyed in the infamous Blizzard of 1978, a new exact replica was built in its place!

    Rockport Motif #1 Massachusetts

    Lobster boats in the inner harbor

    The land on the outer protective edge of the harbor is called “Bearskin Neck,” and it is the site where a man named Babson killed a bear armed only with a knife sometime around the late 1600’s or early 1700’s.

    On the back streets of the Neck there are lobster shacks where many generations of lobstermen have done the necessary maintenance on their pots and bouys.

    Lobster shack Rockport Massachusetts

    A lobsterman’s shack on Bearskin Neck

    Everyday, each lobsterman drops his pots off wherever he thinks the lobsters might be hiding.

    Lobster boat Straightsmouth Island Rockport Mass

    A lobster boat heads out for a day’s work

    Lobster pots are marked by colorful bouys, and the lobstermen go from trap to trap, hauling each one up to see what he caught. The lobsters that are too small are thrown back and the other critters that wander into the trap are thrown over the side too. Then he puts fresh yummy bait in the trap and drops it back into the sea.

    Every lobsterman chooses his own design of colorful stripes and dots and other markings for his bouys to make it is easy to identify not only that there is a lobster pot below but who the trap belongs to.

    Lobster bouys at a lobsterman shack

    Lobster buoys on Bearskin Neck

    Lobster bouys in Rockport Mass

    Each lobsterman paints his own patterns on his buoys

    Roy Moore Lobster restaurant Bearskin Neck Rockport MA

    We stop for a lobster roll at Roy Moore’s

    A tiny hole in the wall on Bearskin Neck, called Roy Moore’s, is a great place to see lobsters up close in glass tanks and to get a delicious lobster roll for lunch. A lobster roll consists of chopped up lobster meat mixed with a little mayonnaise and served on a hotdog bun.

    This may sound funky, but it’s a fantastic way to enjoy lobster without donning a suit of armor, grabbing assorted weaponry and surrounding yourself with dishes of butter melting over flames to grapple with the hard shell and strange anatomy of lobster served whole (bulging eyes, skinny legs, antennae and all) on your dinner plate.

    The Pewter Shop Bearskin Neck Rockport Massachusetts

    The Pewter Shop is an icon on popular Bearskin Neck

    The shops on Bearskin Neck are all small, colorful buildings, and the cute, bright red Pewter Shop has greeted visitors to Bearskin Neck since time began.

    The Country Store Bearskin Neck Rockport Massachusetts

    The Country Store has delighted kids with candy for decades

    The Country Store is a favorite among kids because of the huge candy selection, and there was a time, a rather long time ago, when the place was lined with glass jars filled with penny candy. Kids would excitedly point at the jars ordering “one of these” and “one of those” from very patient store clerks who filled tiny paper bags with candy behind the counter.

    Rockport is loaded with history too. Back in 1814 a British frigate showed up, and when the bell in the big, classic Old Sloop Congregational Church in the center of town rang out an alarm, they fired a cannon to silence it. They missed and hit the steeple instead, and a replica of the cannon ball is still lodged there.

    Dock Square Rockport Massachusetts

    Dock Square is lined with historic buildings

    Old Sloop Church Rockport Massachusetts

    The Old Sloop Congregational Church was struck by British cannon fire in 1814 to silence the bell.

    Rockport Art Association

    Rockport has been an artists’ colony for years.

    Front Beach in Rockport Massachusetts

    The Rockport Skyline seen from Front Beach.

    Rockport has also been an artists’ colony for a century, and not only is the town full of art galleries but there is also an active Art Association.

    For many people, however, it is the beach that makes this town so special, and combing the sand for pretty lady slipper seashells and well worn beach glass is a soothing way to pass a few hours. We were amazed that a mere ten minute stroll on Front Beach turned up a treasure trove of beach glass!

    Beach glass

    Beach glass gathered in 10 minutes of casual walking.

    In town we found an artist who is using the local beach glass to make jewelry. What a creative idea!

    Beach glass jewelry

    A creative jeweler in town is making jewelry from the local beach glass. How clever!

    Without doubt, the cries of seagulls — punctuated by the hourly chimes of the Old Sloop Church bell — are the song of Rockport.

    Seagull on Front Beach

    This guy’s mouth is full, so he’s quiet for the moment!

    Another kind of music comes from the Shalin Liu Performance Center that now dominates the Rockport skyline behind Front Beach.

    View from Front Beach in Rockport MA

    The Shalin Liu Performance Center (left) has massive windows overlooking Sandy Bay

    Once a grocery store and later a dress shop, this fabulous building has been expanded and renovated to offer enormous views of Sandy Bay from its back side.

    Shalin Liu Performance Center Reception Hall Rockport Massachusetts

    The Reception Hall on the top floor has a lovely view.

    Shalin Liu Performance Center Concert Hall Rockport Massachusetts

    Evening concerts are often accompanied by a visual feast of waterfront sunsets.

    A wedding reception in the upstairs Reception Hall would be nice, but a chamber music concert while watching the sun setting on the beach behind the stage must be truly out of this world.

    All kinds of groups and musicians perform at the Shalin Liu, but we were advised that if it is a loud, amplified band, they may have to close the curtains behind the stage because the sound reverberates off the glass windows. So if you go, keep that in mind!!

    ______________

    We had a picture perfect day in Rockport. If you take your RV anywhere near Boston’s North Shore, a trip to Rockport is a must. Midweek or off-season, it is a truly delightful excursion!

    Subscribe
    Never miss a post — it’s free!

    Our most recent posts:

    More of our Latest Posts are in the top MENU above.

    A little more about Rockport:

    The Artsy Side of Sun Valley, ID

    Camping in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area Ketchum Idaho

    Pretty as a picture…or a painting!

    August, 2014 – Sun Valley, Idaho, the “ski resort town,” has an artsy soul, and this is especially evident in the summertime.

    While happily camped in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, we got on our mountain bikes one morning and began roaming around the dirt roads through the woods.

    All of a sudden we came across an artist set up with oil paints and a palette, creating a painting on an easel.

    Sun Valley Plein Air Artist Bart Walker paints in the Sawtooth Mountains

    Bart Walker brings the landscape alive on his canvas.

    What a great place to paint!

    The artist introduced himself as Bart Walker, and we watched him quickly bringing the bucolic scenery around us to life on his canvas.

    It turned out that he was making paintings for the upcoming “Plein Air” art exhibition held at the Kneeland Gallery in town in a few weeks.

    Blurred water with trees at the Big Wood River in Ketchum Idaho

    We were inspired to get artsy with our
    cameras too!

    Even though he is from Wyoming’s Teton Mountains area, he knows the Sawtooths well, and he suggested we go to a spot down on the Big Wood River where we might get some good photos.

    Beautiful flowers in Sun Valley Idaho

    We promptly followed his suggestion and had loads of fun on the riverbanks getting artsy shots with creamy water.

    When the appointed weekend for the art exhibition came, we found ourselves surrounded by plein air artists in the woods recreating the stunning landscapes of the Sawtooth mountains.

    We wandered from one easel to the next, intrigued by how differently each artist interpreted their natural surroundings.

    Artist Lori McNee paints in oils "Plein Air" in Sun Valley Idaho

    We loved being surrounded by these artists out in nature.

    We discovered later that the 10 or so artists that are invited to show their work at the Kneeland Gallery’s Plein Air art exhibition each summer are all very accomplished and well known artists.

    We were watching true pros painting around us in the woods, folks who make their living from their art!

    A whole group of knowledgeable admirers were also roaming from one canvas to the next, and we fell right in step with them, getting the low down, in whispers, on who was who and who did what kind of art.

    Sawtooth National Recreation Area plein air artist paints on canvas

    Some of the artists were staying in their campers.

    Robert Moore creates colorful paintings in the national forest of Idaho

    Robert Moore’s unique style of painting is almost performance art!

    “That’s Robert Moore over there,” a fellow told me in a low voice. “He’s one of the best.”

    I looked aver at a guy with a huge palette of paints and a canvas spread out on the tailgate of a pickup truck.

    “He’s color blind,” the guy went on.

    What?!  I had to learn more.

    Robert was extremely friendly and unassuming, and as we talked, he painted in brisk strokes with two brushes, one held in each hand.

     

    Robert Moore shows off his unfinished painting

    Robert shows me his unfinished painting.

    He even dipped his rubber gloved fingers in the paints and squished them around on the canvas, like a kid finger painting!

    “I can’t distinguish between greens and oranges,” he explained to me, gesturing to those colors on the palette.

    “My assistant, Silas, helps me by arranging the colors on the palette so I know where each one is.” He worked very fast and with great self-assurance.

    At the beginning, when the canvas was blank, he had started by squeezing paint from the tubes directly on the canvas.

    Robert Moore Murdoch Creek Oil Painting

    Finished, framed, and on the wall at Kneeland Gallery in Ketchum.

    The lines of paint were still there, and as his brushes reached them, they blended the colors. Yet each brush stroke visibly retained all the colors that were in the mixture.

    Miraculously, a beautiful painting of a stream was emerging.

    “You can play Beethoven with one finger on the piano,” he explained to me quietly, “but it sounds so much richer if you play with all the fingers of both hands. That’s the way my painting is. You can see all the colors in every brushstroke. That’s how light is in real life.”

    He held the painting up for me. Wow!

    RV boondocking in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area Ketchum Idaho

    Audience on the lawn at the Sun Valley Pavilion

    Families picnic and listen to beautiful music.

    The next evening we went to the gallery open house. Little did we know that every Friday night in Sun Valley there is an Art Walk where all the galleries (and there are lots of them) open their doors and pour generous glasses of free wine for visitors.

    With an increasingly wobbly gate, patrons and admirers of the arts wander from gallery to gallery, taking in beautiful works of modern impressionism, fine art photography, modern art, sculpture and more. After a few glasses of wine, even the most stark modern art makes total sense!

    Sun Valley is also famous for its outstanding free summer symphony concert series.

    Sun Valley Symphony free summer concert series

    The Sun Valley Pavilion is a beautiful home for the symphony orchestra.

    For three and a half weeks, the Sun Valley Pavilion comes alive almost every night with music played by the top notch Sun Valley Symphony.

     

    Sun Valley Symphony plays Brahms' 2nd Symphone - ahh!

    We are treated to a night of Brahms — sheer joy for me!

    Outside the Pavilion, families and friends enjoy picnics on the lawn where the music is played over mammoth speakers. Inside, there is loads of free theater seating that is all first come first serve.

    The Pavilion is a tens-of-millions-of-dollars architectural marvel and was a gift to the community from the owner of Sun Valley Resort. While waiting for Mark to get a beer, I happened to rest my hip on a low interior stone wall.

    An usher came over to me and said politely that I shouldn’t sit on the wall.

    Sun Valley Pavilion was built with stone from the same quarry as the Roman Colosseum

    Don’t sit on the walls…this rock is special!

    Slightly affronted, because I had been leaning on the wall, not sitting on it, I decided to joke a bit with him.

    “Is there something special about this rock wall?” I asked, laughing.

    “Well, as a matter of fact there is. The stones came from the same quarry in Italy as the stones that were used to build the Roman Colosseum.”

    A young violinist plays her own concert in Sun Valley ID

    A young violinist gives an impromptu
    concert of her own.

    Are you kidding?!!

    I sprang away from the wall and then gingerly reached back and touched it in amazement.

    After the concert was over, a little girl stood up amid her family’s picnic blanket and chairs and began an impromptu violin concert of her own, singing and playing some country tunes.

    A small crowd gathered around her, and her smile got bigger and bigger as she performed for a rapt audience.

    And that’s the way life is in Sun Valley, Idaho, where mega wealth and majestic natural beauty come together to make a playground for everyone that is full of fine art, exquisite music and outdoor fun. Best of all, most of it can be enjoyed for free!

    Boondocking in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area Ketchum Idaho

    A sunrise worth leaping out of bed for!

    Here are some links with more info for you about the Sun Valley, Idaho, area:

    For more from our RV travels to Sun Valley, ID, both past and present, see these links:

    Other musical happenings that we’ve loved:

     

    <– Previous Post:   Ice Queens of Sun Valley, ID……………………………………Sun Valley to Alpine WY  Next Post –>

     

    New to this site? Visit our Home page to read more about our full-time traveling lifestyle and find out where we keep all the good stuff. If you like what you see, we'd love for you to subscribe to receive our latest posts!

    Joseph, Oregon – At Heaven’s Door!

    July 2014 – Even though the cyclists at the Baker City Cycling Classic had seen rain and hail and all kinds of miserable cold weather on their first day of racing, a scorching heat wave was predicted for the upcoming week.  We decided it was time to get out of the valley.  We ventured east at first, checking out the new Oregon Trail Interpretive Center that stands proudly at the top of a hill with some pioneer wagons parked outside that look very authentic from the highway below.

    Oregon Trail Wagon train ruts

    Original ruts on the Oregon Trail

    Most intriguing, however, were the original wagon train ruts of the old Oregon Trail that can be seen just a few feet from the highway.

    We tromped around for a while, not sure if these were a modern two track road or the real thing, but after a short walk we came across a Bureau of Land Management sign that confirmed these were the real deal.

    Fifth wheel trailer on the road to Joseph Oregon

    Heading down our Oregon Trail!

    The original Oregon Trail was a wide, shallow ditch made by the horses and oxen that pulled the wagons.  Early motor cars used the old trail route too, though, and turned it into a two track road.

    I was floored to learn that during the peak of the migration, diaries indicate that thousands of wagons could be seen from horizon to horizon at certain spots along the trail.

    How easy we have it today, driving down the smooth, paved highway, towing our fifth wheel down the road with the Mighty Dodge.  What those pioneers would have given for a rig and road like this!

    Wallowa Mountains in Joseph Oregon

    The first glimpse of the scenery surrounding Joseph – WOW!

    The tiny town of Joseph, tucked way up in the northeastern corner of Oregon (by Washington and Idaho), has been begging us to visit for years. It wasn’t an overt invitation, but Joseph beckoned me on the map because it sits at the end of a dead-end road right at the base of the Wallowa mountains.

    Red barns and Wallowa mountains in Joseph Oregon

    Such pretty landscapes!

    We needed to skirt the western and northern edges of those mountains to get there, but as the road finally turned south towards Joseph, our jaws dropped at the majestic views taking shape around us.

    Joseph Oregon barn

    I love those old red barns

    The mountains were still snow-capped, and the rolling farm and ranch land stretched green and alive as far as the eye could see.

    Snow-capped Wallowa mountains and red barn

    The Wallowa mountains make such a beautiful backdrop!

    Wonderful old barns filled the foregrounds of every view, each one seeming more picturesque than the last. We stared out the windows wide-eyed.

    Main Street and mountains in Joseph Oregon 681

    Main Street in Joseph

    Lilacs and the Wallowa Mountains in Eastern Oregon

    How’s that for a backyard garden?!

    If this bucolic alpine scenery weren’t enough, as we pulled into town we were smitten with the quaintness of the place.

    Just 1,000 people call Joseph home, and even though it swells a little with visitors in the summertime, it is remote enough that it is still very quiet.

    Asking a fellow from Portland how long it had taken him to get here, he laughed and said, “Days!”

    Red Horse Coffee Roasters cafe in Joseph Oregon

    Red Horse Coffee Traders is a favorite gathering place.

    The Red Horse Coffee Traders coffee shop soon became a second home for us, and we had lots of company there.

    Rodeo sculpture in Joseph Oregon

    Ride ’em cowboy!

    The locals hang out there just like we were doing, not only because of the great coffee and unbelievably yummy muffins, but because it’s a fantastic spot to relax in the shade of the trees and mess around on the internet.

    “You don’t have internet at your house?” I asked the guy next to me incredulously.

    “Nah, I live ten miles out…”

    Chief Joseph sculpture in Joseph Oregon

    Chief Joseph watches over the town.

    Joseph, Oregon, is home to a Valley Bronze, a foundry established in 1982. Bronze sculptors from all over the country cast their works here.

    Indian sculpture at the Joseph Oregon post office

    Even the post office has a beautiful bronze sculpture outside.

    Each corner of Main Street in town is adorned with beautiful bronze sculptures, including one of Chief Joseph, the town’s namesake, that was purchased by Sam Walton’s daughter-in-law and given to the town to display.

    A bronze rodeo rider, a soaring eagle, a cougar and Indian guide Sacajawea are all posed elegantly amid the flower boxes around town.

    Garden flowers against snow-capped Wallowa Mountains

    Daisies and the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon

    Wild daisies were in bloom everywhere.

    Even the tiny post office has a handsome bronze sculpture of an Indian warrior right outside the front door.

    Still drawn in by those dramatic mountains at the back of town, we drove towards them until we came to breathtaking Wallowa Lake.

    Kayakers and paddleboarders were out on the water while a few sunbathers laid out on blankets on the beach.

    Wallowa Lake in Joseph Oregon

    Wallowa Lake

    What a place!!

    We ran around with the cameras for days, composing photos of those gorgeous mountains with anything and everything we could find in the foreground: wild daisies, vivid pink flowers in a garden, trees, cows and barns…and more barns!

    Sometimes we spotted deer as they wandered through gardens in town or bounded through the hay fields on the outskirts.

    Deer in our yard

    Deer wandered all over town!

    Mark even saw a doe with two little spotted fauns when he was out on a run one morning.

    Sunset behind our fifth wheel trailer

    Happy camper!

    As we hung around and chatted with people, we discovered there was a ton of stuff to do in the area besides take photos.

    Going over our growing list of hikes and rides and places we wanted to visit, we soon realized we would be here in Joseph for a while!

     

    Subscribe
    Never miss a post — it’s free!

    <-Previous || Next->

    For more info about RV camping in Joseph Oregon, visit these links:

    More from our RV travels in Eastern Oregon

    Our most recent posts:

    More of our Latest Posts are in the top MENU above.

    On the road to Baker City, Oregon

    Big Money Bank Dayville Oregon

    Mark greets patrons at the Big Money Bank

    June 2014 – Leaving the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument behind and continuing our scenic drive to northeastern Oregon along Route 26, we passed through lots of small towns.  Each one celebrated the historic American West in its own way.

    Still pondering the early 20th century sheep ranching lifestyle we had seen at the Monument, we came across a funny, fake old western town front in Dayville.

    Rather than building a sheep ranching enterprise, perhaps the easiest way to make a fortune in the old west was to work at the Big Money Bank. Mark certainly thought so!

    Miners' homes black and white

    With the railway shut down, Whitney, Oregon, is now a ghost town.

    Another community we passed, named Whitney, was once a railroad town for the logging industry. Now it is a ghost town.

    Rails extended in all directions from Whitney so that an immense stand of yellow pine could be harvested and shipped out on rail cars.

    From 1901 to 1947 as many as 150 people called Whitney home.  Today only a handful of crumbling buildings remain.

    Sumpter Railroad Oregon

    The Sumpter Valley Railroad between Sumpter
    and McEwen is still alive and well!

    Further east in Sumpter, Oregon, we found the lovingly restored remnants of the same logging railroad line that had put Whitney on the map: the Sumpter Valley Railroad

    This railway now offers excursion rides. From the brake man to the conductor to the engineer, all the positions are held by dedicated volunteers.

    Mark at the wheel of Sumpter Railroad Oregon

    The engineer gave Mark a turn in the driver’s seat.

    Volunteers work for a few years to learn all the skills necessary to be advanced to the level of train engineer, and that was the goal of several volunteers we met.

     

    Meadow of Lupine Sumpter Oregon

    We came across a vast field of wildflowers.

    The train goes only a few miles between Sumpter and McEwen, but it is a popular ride for young and old alike.

    The engineer invited Mark to have a seat in front of the engine. What an antiquated mechanical marvel that is!

    The old mechanics who worked on these kinds of engines back when they were still in commercial use are now passing their skills on to younger mechanics who are learning how to restore them and keep them running.

    Lupine in the woods

    Lupine were blooming in the woods nearby too!

    Back on the road again, we saw snowy mountains beginning to appear on the horizon.

    When we passed a field full of purple and white lupine, we had to stop for photographs!

    Hay bales in Baker Oregon

    Baker City is smack in the middle of beautiful farm and ranch land.

    While we were both knee deep in flowers, a fellow driving by stopped his truck and walked over to us, saying, “I was hoping someone would photograph those flowers!”

    Welcome to Baker City Oregon

    Baker City’s small town charm is infectious.

    We ended up chatting with him for quite a while, right there on the side of the road. He wasn’t in a hurry and neither were we!

    We had arrived on the quieter side of Oregon.

    Baker City is the biggest city for hundreds of miles around. How big is big? 10,000 people live there.

    How fast is it growing? The population has hovered around 10,000 since 1940!

    Baker City Oregon city streets

    Baker City Oregon

    Baker Tower in Baker City Oregon

    Baker Tower is STILL Oregon’s highest building
    east of the Cascades!

    What a contrast to other western cities like Phoenix that is 23 times the size it was in 1940, or Bend Oregon that has quadrupled in just a few decades.

    City Hall in Baker City Oregen

    The grand buildings like City Hall
    belie the small size of the population.

    When I asked at the fabulous Baker Heritage Museum in town why things haven’t changed much over the years, I was told it’s because a lot of old timers like the city just the way it is.

    If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

    Grand Geiser Hotel Baker City Oregon

    This small historic city oozes charm.

    The nearest Walmart is 45 miles away, and there are no big box stores.

    What really makes it special, though, besides its quiet, down to earth and friendly nature, is the beautiful Victorian arcthitecture all around town.

    The Geiser Grand Hotel presides over downtown, along with the Baker Tower, the tallest building east of the Cascades.

    Five pound gold nugget Baker City Oregon

    Baker City was known as the “Queen of the mines” for good reason…

    Keeping a lid on growth and resisting change doesn’t mean there’s no money around, however.

    Northeast Oregon is the richest part of the state for gold, and the US Bank branch in town has a glass enclosed exhibit of gold nuggets that includes a fist-sized “nugget” that was found nearby in June, 1913.

    The day after unearthing it, the two men who discovered it hopped on the Sumpter Valley Railroad (which was carrying passengers as well as logs by then) to take it to Baker City to have it appraised.

    At 80.4 ounces (over 5 lbs.), it is one of the largest pure gold nuggets still in existence today (most others were melted down).

    Adler House Baker City Oregon

    Not all money came from gold and timber…
    Magazine distribution magnate Leo Adler lived here.

    At the time it was found, gold was about $18 an ounce, making it worth about $1,500 to those two lucky men.

    Today, 99 years later, gold is worth over $1,300 per ounce, but as a collectible, this nugget is probably even more valuable.

    One of the town’s most successful residents is Leo Adler who created a magazine distribution empire in the mid-1900’s.

     

    Deer crossing Adler Path Baker City Oregon

    A deer and his buddy surprise us on the bike path in town.

    He started out by walking around town at age 9 carrying the Saturday Evening Post and Ladies Home Journal!

    Young buck Baker City Oregon

    They call this a city?!!

    He loved Baker City, and he left the city a substantial sum, part of which has been used to create a paved bike path through town.

    Fifth wheel trailer under a rainbow

    What a soul-satisfying town
    to call home for a while.

    While we were riding on his namesake path one day, Mark saw a young buck nibbling leaves on a tree.

    He trotted right between us!

    We followed him and his buddy to a big field where they started grazing, totally unconcerned with our presence.

    Such is life — one of peace and tranquility — in Baker City, Oregon.

     

    Subscribe
    Never miss a post — it’s free!

    Here is a little more info for you about Baker City, and the Sumpter Valley Railroad.

    <-Previous || Next->

    More from our RV travels in Eastern Oregon:

    Our most recent posts:

    More of our Latest Posts are in the top MENU above.

    Costalegre: La Manzanilla – Exotic animals & RVing Copper Canyon!

    Casa Maguey La Manzanilla

    Casa Maguey in La Manzanilla – Our beautiful home for a week!

    Late June, 2013 – We were loving our stay at pretty Casa Maguey in La Manzanilla.

    With a bird’s eye view of the bay from “El Mar,” our casita, we enjoyed the ocean’s ever-changing colors and moods.

    This is a place where tranquility reins.

    Mystery red flower

    The flowers were truly unique

    Yellow Flower

    Love it when the building behind the flower is a vivid color!

    After a few days of oceanfront living, we moved to the garden unit called “El Sol.” We thought we would miss the ocean views, but instead found ourselves enchanted by the bird songs that filled the air.

    Casa Maguey - El Sol casita

    “El Sol” Casita – surrounded by tropical birds and flowers.

    Some of the calls were new to us, and sounded truly jungly.  One bird had a deeply melodious voice and he or she preferred to sing in the wee hours of the morning.

    Casa Maguey gate La Manzanilla

    The village of La Manzanilla was
    just steps away from Casa Maguey.

    Casa Maguey Garden La Manzanilla

    Stairs through the garden.

    The song was so haunting and mysterious that we didn’t mind being woken up to listen. We laid in bed entranced.

    Just outside our bungalow door, flowers of all shapes, sizes and colors were in bloom.  A few were so fragile that they blossomed for just a day.

    Venturing off the Casa Maguey property into the village of La Manzanilla, we discovered the town is so tiny and rustic that its main street was just paved in the last two years.

    We enjoyed watching this very peaceful village wake up in the mornings, and quite a few townspeople joined us in the gourmet coffee shop Cafe del Mar every morning.

    El Mar Coffee Shop La Manzanilla

    Hector made great lattes, and we enjoyed them with
    homemade muffins every morning!

    Gourmet coffee shop?  Yes!  Cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, you name it, they were all there.  We became regulars.  If we got there early, the yummy muffins brought to the shop by a young gal from Arkansas were still warm.

    Squirrel on my back

    Hector, our latte man, brought in his pet squirrel one morning.

    One morning, we noticed the owner Hector was playing with a baby squirrel.  He cupped his hands, and the squirrel ran round and round between his fingers like he was on an exercise wheel.

    “He fell out of a tree when I was cutting down coconuts,” he explained as he put the bundle of fuzzy energy into my hands.  The little squirrel promptly zipped right up my arm onto my shoulder, tickling me and making me giggle.  He was a cute little guy, bright orange-red on the belly and speckled grey and black on his back.

    Coatimundi

    What a surprise to find exotic creatures were the norm around here!

    It turned out that unusual animals were just part of the scene in La Manzanilla.

    Later in the day when we stopped at Palapa Joe’s to get a slice of pizza, I caught sight of a long skinny tail out of the corner of my eye.  I turned and found myself staring right at a coatimundi, masked face, ringed tail and all.

    “Look!” I gasped.  Mark grabbed his camera and we were both in shock as this unusual animal snuck up to a dog dish and started eating the kibble.  Our cameras couldn’t snap fast enough.

    We’ve seen coatimundi in Arizona, but only fleetingly. This guy was as calm as could be. And he was really enjoying that dog food!

    View in La Manzanilla

    We climbed up the hill to take in the ocean view.

    Just then the owner of the restaurant appeared.
    “You wouldn’t believe…” I started to say, pointing.
    “Oh yes!”  He laughed easily, “He’s my pet!”

    A pet coatimundi?!  Geez, what other kind of tamed wild animals would we find at the NEXT eating establishment?!!

    Pangas on the beach

    Pangas ready for fishing and touring.

    Mangos on sticks

    My favorite way to eat mango — when it’s cut like a flower and served on a stick!

    We left there in high spirits and wandered the dirt streets to the back side of town where we walked up the steep hills to see the view.

    The blue bay stretched in front of us with palm trees framing the views over the tops of the homes.

    It was a Sunday, and back down on the beach it seemed that everyone for miles around had come to play.  Crowds kicked back in the beach bars alongside us and vendors walked up and down the beach selling all kinds of things,.

    One fellow came by selling mangos on a stick.  Cut like flowers, this is truly the most ingenious and clever way we’ve seen to eat a mango on the go, as you can enjoy all the juicy sweetness without getting all sticky!

    Playing in the waves

    A big wave takes everyone for a ride.

    Sun in sand dollar

    Mark finds a sand dollar on the shore.

    Families played in the water, and occasionally a big wave would come in and send everyone flying, launching the boogie boarders onto the beach.

    We strolled along the beach back towards Casa Maguey, splashing as we walked along the edge where the waves meet the sand and the sand-pipers dance in and out of the water.

    Suddenly Mark reached down and picked up a sand dollar.  Although we have lived on a sailboat in Mexico for a few years, this was the first sand dollar we had seen on a beach.

     

     

    Cabana on the beach

    We bumped into a fascinating little cabana on the beach.

    As we turned to head back onto the streets of town, we looked up and saw the most unusual structure.

    It was a small thatch roofed hut tucked under a palm tree.  A man was standing out front and we soon struck up a conversation.

    “I built this place,” he said.  “It’s kind of unique.  I’m an artist.”

    Cabana on the beach La Manzanilla

    A tiny cabana on the beach

    Intrigued, we stepped up onto his tiny deck.  He had fashioned the deck and railing out of logs tied together with stringy vines.  “It’s very strong,” he said when he saw Mark testing whether the posts wiggled.  “Come on inside!”

    We squeezed inside and found ourselves standing in the coziest and tiniest little two rooms.  Everything had been made by hand, even the wooden windows and shutters whose handles were made of stout twigs.

    Most surprising was that he had installed electricity throughout.  Besides a blender and coffee maker, he had a big flat screen TV, and internet access on his computer!  What a great mix of Rustic and Modern!!

    Cabana Windows

    Everything was handmade, including these cool windows
    with stout twigs for handles!

     

    “I built it under this big palm tree so I’d always have shade.”  He explained.  He gestured towards a group of chairs in the sand.  “That’s my beach bar – in winter,” he went on. “It was destroyed in Hurricane Jova two years ago, so I built this cabana to be much stronger!!”

    We looked around in wonder.  There are so many ways to live a life, and what a fun way he had found!

    This is a friendly little town, and we found it easy to chat with anyone and everyone in the streets.  Two little girls were playing outside their house, and Mark entertained them (and himself!) for a while with the camera.

    Girls check out pic on camera

    Mark entertains a pair of sisters and himself with the camera.

    Further on, we passed a young boy carrying a crate.  “Do you want some bread?” He asked.  I said “No” automatically, but when Mark saw the perfect loaves of homemade banana bread wrapped in plastic in the crate he instantly said, “Sure!!”

    Boy sells banana bread

    Banana bread!! Sweet!!!

    At the far northwest end of town there is an estuary and crocodile sanctuary.  There were a few stuffed crocs near the entrance to entice people to spend a few pesos to check it out.

    We wandered out onto the sanctuary trail, and soon caught sight of a roseate spoonbill, a very odd looking pink bird.

    Taking photos of a crocodile mouth

    Mark’s lucky this guy is stuffed!!

    Roseate Spoonbill

    A roseate spoonbill pauses to look at me.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Crocodile with mouth open

    The crocodiles don’t move much, but when they do, watch out!

    Not much further on we started to see the crocs. Not just one, but dozens!!

    They lounged on the mud banks, half submerged in the water, lying totally motionless like logs, some with their mouths agape.

    Once in a while, one would move, lumbering awkwardly, slowly crawling across all his buddies to slip beneath the murky water.

    A few times a croc got startled and ran.  Yikes, those guys can move fast!!

     

    Airstream camping on the beach

    What a fantastic camping spot!!

    Wandering just a bit further on to the very edge of town, we discovered a row of beach-side RV parks.  This was the off-season, so most of the parks were completely empty.

    But we could imagine that this is a really fun place in the winter when snowbirds come down from the cold country to spend a few months living on the beach.

    Rosie at water's edge

    Our hostess Rocio at Playa Tenacatita

    One morning our hostess Rocio took us on a drive to see some more of the Costalegre.  This coast is lined with beaches of all kinds, and the first one she took us to is Playa Tenacatita.

    We had been hoping to do some swimming and snorkeling, but the weather gods had other plans.

    Rosie walks on the beach Tenacatita

    Rocio didn’t know why we we were taking photos of her — until afterwards!”

    Instead, as we watched Rocio walking towards the waves, we both suddenly saw the same image.

    Her pretty pink beach dress was flowing in the wind, and she looked beautiful against the overcast day and frothy white waves.

    “Wait, stand right there!” We yelled in unison.

    Anchored in Careyes

    Anchored in Careyes

    Rocio had no idea what we were up to until she saw the photos on our laptop later — and she loved them.  What fun!

    Once we were done playing high fashion photographer, she drove us to the little bay of Careyes, a gorgeous spot where we had anchored a few months earlier. We wanted to get a glimpse of it from a shore-side perspective.

    Careyes View

    The only public shore-side view of stunning Careyes.

    However, when we drove down the road leading to the public beach, we were stopped by two security guards at a gate.  The entire bay is now in private hands, and the public is not allowed on the beach.

    What a shock! In the past, Mexico’s property laws allowed public access to all beaches, but this is changing under the new president.  A law is being passed that will allow both Mexicans and foreigners not only to own oceanfront property but to close public access to the shore if they so choose. Fortunately, Careyes will become accessible to restaurant-goers as soon as the old restaurant on the beach is renovated and is once again open for business.

    Playa Los Angeles Locos

    Playa Los Angeles Locos.

    On our way back to Casa Maguey, we stopped at Playa Los Angeles Locos (“Crazy Angels Beach”) to take in the dramatic view of the bay. What a spot! It was incredible to think that our host John had grown up camping on many of these beaches in his family’s motorhome.

    Champion motorhome towed away

    The Lehmens’ Champion motorhome gets towed away for repair.

    Back at Casa Maguey, John brought over his family’s photo albums from their RV travels in North and South America one morning.  As he began to flip through the pages, we were fascinated by the stories each photo provoked.

    Any family that ventures off in an RV or a sailboat to see what lies over the horizon is eminently brave, but I can’t imagine the intrepid determination John’s parents Helga and Josef had when they took their 26′ motorhome all over the American continents in the 1980’s.

    Their first motorhome, a Champion, gave them a bit of grief mechanically, and it got towed off to a garage on more than one occasion.  Having dealt with boat repair projects in Mexico, we can only imagine what it was like to have a motorhome break down in Central or South America in the 1980’s!!  But that was just part of the adventure.

    Josef digs a well

    Josef digs a well for fresh water
    for dishes and showers.

    Unlike the privatized beaches of today, the Mexican coast was completely open for boondocking back in those days.  After setting up camp, John’s dad would sometimes dig a well near the motorhome and use a motorized pump connected to a hose to get fresh water into the rig for dishes and showers.

    RV on flatbed train car Copper Canyon

    Young John checks out a train while the motorhome waits
    on its flat bed rail car behind him.

    Perhaps the most riveting story John told was of the family’s trip through Copper Canyon.  In Chihuahua, John’s dad Josef noticed that a lot of the trains had flat bed rail cars, and he got the idea that perhaps his motorhome could be loaded onto one.

     

    Motorhome on flat bed train in Copper Canyon

    The first RV to venture into Copper Canyon on a flat bed rail car.

    He asked around, and was able to persuade a train operator to put the motorhome on the train to Los Mochis.

    As they were rolling through the countryside, Josef was intrigued by the small town of Creel.  He asked the train operator if the flat bed car they were on could be unhooked and left in Creel until the next train came through three days later.

    No problem!!  The car was unhooked in Creel, and the family suddenly found themselves swept up in the unbelievably welcoming embrace of the local Tarahumara Indians.

    Many of the Indians had never seen white people before, and they were as fascinated by this traveling family as the family was by them.

    Copper Canyon flat bed train for RV

    Little did they know they would be forgotten —
    only to be remembered at 3 a.m. !!!

    Three days later, the train came by Creel — but it didn’t stop!

    For most people, this would have been cause for alarm, but John and his family were enjoying the generous hospitality of the Indians so much that they thought nothing of it and patiently waited for the next train.

    Then one night at 3 a.m. they were jolted out of bed by a huge crash just outside the motorhome.  The train company had suddenly remembered them and had sent a 30,000 horsepower locomotive to retrieve the flat bed rail car. Unannounced, it hooked them up!

     

    Casa Maguey La Manzanilla

    We will always treasure our memories of Casa Maguey in La Manzanilla
    and its lovely — and fascinating — hosts, John and Rocio.

    Flying down the tracks at warp speed, with diesel soot spewing everywhere, the huge locomotive pulled their little home aboard the flat bed car on the sleigh ride of its life.

    Josef was a freelance writer, and many of the family’s stories graced the pages of AAA Magazine.  Surely, that tale of their flat bed rail car adventure was a huge hit. Not long after their escapade, tourism companies began leading RV tours aboard flat bed rail cars into Copper Canyon.

    I could have listened to John’s stories and gone through his photo albums with him for hours.  What a fabulous and adventurous childhood he had.  But now he is enjoying a more tranquil life hosting lucky guests like us at his family’s villas in La Manzanilla at the beautiful Casa Maguey.

    <- Previous                                                                                                                                                                                       Next->

     

     

    Pátzcuaro – A “Magical City” with a colorful outdoor market

    Patzcuaro Mexico sailing blog Hotel Chaluma

    Our cute little bungalo on the edge of Pátzcuaro

    Mid-February, 2013 – After our very full day of hiking among the monarch butterflies in the mountains near Morelia, we drove with our friends Joe and Nancy to Pátzcuaro, one of Mexico’s “Magical Cities.” These cities have been designated by Mexico’s tourism board as being particularly charming and fun to visit, and we were not disappointed.

    We found a cute place to stay outside of town, Hotel Chaluma, which is made up of a row of small cottages. But for just 350 pesos ($29 USD) per night, it didn’t come with any heat. There was a fireplace in our room, but no wood.  The proprietor told us wood was available for sale from a neighbor, but we never managed to make contact with him. So we shivered in the brisk morning mountain air and laughed when we could see our breath.

    Patzcuaro Mexico cruising blog hotel courtyard

    Fancier digs in town.

    There are finer places in town, and we peeked in the courtyard of one that had a very elegant ambiance.

    Patazuaro Michoacan hotel living aboard blog

    For an authentic old-time atmosphere, stay here!

    You can also stay in more rustic hotels in the old historic buildings that are lined up in and around the town square.

    Patzcuaro Mexico library mural living aboard blog

    This mural on the back of the library depicts the Mexican state of Michoacán’s history.

    We wandered into an old stone church that now houses a big public library. At the back of the room was a huge, colorful mural. There were images of ancient pyramids and Spanish soldiers in plated armor carrying spears on horseback.  There were vivid images of priests and ancient indigenous manuscripts being burned in bonfires.  People on their knees were enslaved in chains. We found out that this mural depicts the history of Mexico’s state of Michoacán.

    Patzcuaro Mexico church cruising blog

    One of several picturesque churches in town.

    There are several old stone churches around town, and peering down a street we were drawn to one at the far end.

    Patzcuaro Mexico market garlic seller sailing blog

    Garlic for sale (just remember in Spanish it’s called “ajo”)

    Patzcuaro Mexico market woman sail blog

    A woman heads to the market.

     

    As we approached, we saw lots of people milling around in front of the church, setting up blankets and tarps to sell produce and homemade food items.

    It was Friday, and we discovered that Friday is market day when all the people from the surrounding villages and towns bring their goods to sell on the streets of Pátzcuaro.

    We were fascinated by the hubbub. Everyone was busy, either hauling stuff into the market in handcarts or wheelbarrows, or shopping and filling their baskets with items to take home.

    The air was festive and the place was hopping.

     

    Patzcuaro Mexico mercado bags of beans

    All kinds of dried beans for sale…

    We have been to many a “mercado público,” or public market, in Mexico, but this one was different. Being inland and situated near farm country rather than near the touristy coast, the quality of the produce was fantastic and the prices were low.

    Patzcuaro Mexico indian market wheelbarrow sailing blog

    Bringing stuff to market!

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Patzcuaro Mexico indian market cruising blog

    This was a busy market…

    All the fruits and veggies were plump and ripe and uninjured. Handwritten signs advertised 10 pesos for 2 kilos of avocados (about 36 cents a pound). Same price for oranges. Dried beans were 16 pesos a kilo (about 60 cents a pound).

    This weekly market is known as the “Indian Market” because so many of the people bringing their wares to town are indigenous people from the rural countryside.

    Patzcuaro Mexico mercado fruit cups sailing blog

    Colorful plastic fruit cups with Starbucks style tops!

    Some of the vendors laughed and pointed at us as we passed.  We were the only gringos there.

    The exotic air of this market was wonderful, and we couldn’t help but snap a zillion photos of the people around us.  We heard snippets of conversation about “fotos” and “fotografos” (photographers), and some vendors made funny faces and posed or gave us a thumbs up. Our own foreign oddness seemed to add to the jovial chaos around us.

    Patzcuaro Mexico indian market

    The women wore colorful, pleated, lace-trimmed skirts and shawls

    Patzcuaro Mexico friday market

    Lots of men wore hats and everyone bundled up because it was cold!!

    The women all wore colorful calf-length skirts, often decorated with lace, and frequently pleated thickly in the back. Most of them had shawls of one kind or another too (it was cold!).

    Some shawls were a simple rectangular scarf or wrap, but others had a collar and were shaped to drape over the shoulders with a clasping system to keep it all together.

    We wandered among the throng, admiring the beautiful veggies and fruits, and wondering what some of them were.

    Patzcuaro indian market vendors

    People presented their goods for sale anywhere they could find space.

     

    Lots of folks were selling homemade food items, including cooked tiny fish from the nearby lakes. There were hot sauces and diced fruits and veggies in plastic cups that looked like colorful frappuccinos.

    Patzcuaro farmers market woman cruising blog

    A woman lays out pails of small fish, both cooked and raw, from the nearby lakes.

    Patzcuaro indian market eggs cruising blog

    What type of bird laid these eggs??

    One big box had dozens of tiny speckled eggs in it. We weren’t sure what kind of bird produced the eggs, or how the eggs were used. Ordinary chicken eggs were for sale too, and as is often the case at Mexican markets, you could buy the eggs individually in a plastic bag. So if you wanted only 7 eggs, that’s all you had to buy. Just be careful with that baggie on your way home!

    Patzcuaro Mexico indian market woman living

    There was something warm and friendly and inviting about this market

    Patzcuaro Mexico market woman living aboard blog

    The old ladies especially seemed to enjoy simply taking it all in.

    At the far end of the market we found a lady selling gorgeous cactus flowers and irises. Each was unique in shape and color. They were similar to the “Christmas cactus” we see north of the border, but she had so many more varieties, and the flowers seemed much bigger.

    Joe and Nancy bought two flowers with instructions from the vendor that if they put them in the ground in Ixtapa they would grow. No need for rooting them first in water. We’ll keep our fingers crossed, because those cactus flowers would make a spectacular addition to any garden.

    There is more to see in Pátzcuaro, and there are intriguing other towns in the area, but our beloved sailboat Groovy was calling us home.

    Patzcuaro Mexico cactus flowers sailing blog

    Colorful cactus flowers.

     

    We had left the boat at anchor in Zihuatanejo for four days, and we needed to make sure our home hadn’t drifted out to sea.

    Michoacan Mexico steel bridge cruising blog

    The brightly painted steel bridges turned golden in the afternoon sun.

    Michoacan Mexico Infiernillo dam

    We descend from the mountains towards the lakes.

    Michoacan Mexico cactus

    We’ll be back to see more of Morelia and Michoacán.

    We retraced our route back down to the seashore, passing the lovely serene lakes and golden hued bridges followed by the thick cactus stands along the desert.

    This part of Mexico had enchanted us, and our only regret was that our trip inland had been so short. With any luck we’ll get back to this area again someday and be able to spend more time enjoying all it has to offer.

    But for now, Groovy welcomed us home without any hint that we’d ever left, and we resumed our floating life in Zihuatanejo Bay.

     

     

    <- Previous                                                                                                                                                                                       Next ->