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Bovill, Idaho – An Early 20th Century Classic

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Bovill Idaho - An early 20th century classic

This building was a hub of activity and hospitality in its day.

July 2022 – The temperatures in central Washington near Chelan and Entiat had been climbing throughout our visit, and when the highs topped 100, it was time for us to leave! Our choices for cooler temps were to head either to the coast or to the mountains. We decided to scoot across Washington’s farmlands and aim for the tall mountains of Idaho. On our way, we made a brief stop in Coulee City Community Park in Washington.

Marsh at Coulee City Park

Washington’s Coulee City Community Park.

Coulee City Community Park sits on the edge of Banks Lake and is a welcome oasis in an otherwise dry (though irrigated) land.

Coulee City Community Park

The park has lovely views of the Lake.

Kids were playing on a raft in the lake, and the haunting cry of seagulls filled the air. This was such a delight after driving through endless wheat fields!

Raft at Coulee City Park

Cooling off on a hot summer day.

Seagull at Coulee City Park Washington

What a surprise to hear and see seagulls in the middle of wheat field country!

We enjoyed a cool breeze as the sun sank lower in the sky, and we found a campsite on “the island,” a peninsula at one end of the park where we had a wonderful view of the lake under the protective shade of a row of tall trees.

Picnic tables at Coulee City Park Washington

This was a nice place to unwind and cool down at the end of the day.

RV at Coulee City Park Washington

Home for a night.

Over the next few days, we took secondary roads across Washington, jumped on I-90 for a few minutes and then dropped south towards Idaho’s tallest mountains on US-95.

We turned east on the super crazy squirrely Route 5 that goes across the bottom of Chatcolet Lake, and then we suddenly remembered we’d made the same exact mistake of taking this road towing a big fifth wheel trailer 15 years prior, oops! From there, we continued south on Route 3.

These were narrow and winding roads, and although it looked like they might be scenic on the map, they proved not to be particularly so. However, we did come across a small waterfall labeled “PB Waterfall” on Google Maps.

Waterfall in Idaho

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As I’ve mentioned before, we travel very slowly, stopping every 30 to 40 miles to stretch our legs, let Buddy run around a bit, and have a look around.

Starting before breakfast one morning, twisty Route 3 brought us to some interesting looking buildings, and we decided to stop for a bite to eat and check them out.

It turned out to be the town of Bovill, Idaho, home to 256 people, and the first thing that caught our eye was the inviting brick Elk Saloon building that had a pretty corner entrance with hanging flower baskets out front.

Elk Salon Bovill Idaho

The Elk Saloon in Bovill, Idaho.

Next to the Elk Saloon was a row of buildings. It was too early for them to be open, but we were intrigued by the old style of the buildings. The blue-gray one on the left was another tavern and the red one on the right had a sign saying, “E.K. Parker 1914.”

Store fronts in Bovill Idaho

Storefronts dating to 1914 in Bovill, Idaho.

There was a big grassy park with a really nice RV dump station that had separate spigots for drinking water and non-potable water. On the opposite side of the lawn we saw the City Hall building.

City Hall in Bovill Idaho

City Hall

Taped to the City Hall door was a small, unsigned, hand-written note: “Not feeling well. At home today.” So any pressing business we might have had with City Hall would have to wait til tomorrow or the next day. We had to smile!

At the edge of the park — which was the edge of town with large fields beyond — there were the remains of a train track switching station. The rest of the tracks had been removed and there was now a gravel path instead. There was something very nostalgic about the tracks and the weeds poking through.

Train tracks in Bovill Idaho

The train tracks had become a gravel trail but this switching station remained.

Train signal Bovill Idaho

Sign of another time.

We were really liking this town. We were the only people out and about at that early hour, so we didn’t have a chance to chat with anyone. But there was something very authentic and homey about the place. We wondered what the history was.

We hadn’t had any internet access for two days, and there appeared to be none for us here, so the mystery of Bovill’s origins would have to wait for later research.

One of the buildings that first made us pull over was across the street from the Elk Saloon: an old Conoco gas station.

Bovill Idaho Elk Tavern and Conoco Inn

The Elk Tavern and the Conoco service station.

As we walked over to it, we marveled at the tiny size of the gas station.

A hand painted sign in the window said, “Welcome to Conoco Inn…Nightly, Weekly, Monthly.” How fun!

Old Conoco Gas Station Bovill Idaho

This is now the Conoco Inn! How did a car ever fit under that awning?

There were flower pots out in front of the gas station, and each one had a homemade fountain made from a beer tap handle!

Tap handle flower pot

What a creative use of old tap handles!

Behind the gas station was an old building with a Conoco sign on it too. The front of the building had huge doors for large vehicles while the back of the building had a smaller man door with another antique sign advertising Conoco products.

This was the real deal.

Old Conoco Service Station Bovill Idaho

Behind the gas station was this Conoco building.

Back of Conoco Service Station in Bovill Idaho

The rear entrance to the Conoco building — friendly service.

We were having a blast taking photos, so we circled around to the brick building again. The sign near the front door said, “Elk Saloon” while the sign on the side door said, “Elk Tavern.” Hmm. Either way, this looked like a really fun place to spend a few late afternoon hours.

Elk Tavern Bovill Idaho

The Elk Tavern has a very inviting front entry!

Elk Tavern Bovill Idaho

The side door called it the “Elk Tavern” and had a painting of an elk!

A sign in the window explained what the Elk Tavern (or Saloon) was all about.

Sign in Elk Tavern Bovill Idaho

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High on one wall there was an old Pepsi sign.

Pepsi sign on Elk Tavern building in Bovill Idaho

From another era…

We felt like we were stepping back in time to the 1950s and 60s. An old truck that sported body panels of different colors (from a variety of other trucks, no doubt) caught Mark’s eye.

Old truck

Shades of the Johnny Cash song, One Piece at a Time! (listen here)

Back at the grassy park, we noticed a memorial plaque that honored the Bovill men of the Potlatch Forests who had served in the military and the National Guard.

Honor plaque for veterans from Potlatch Forests Bovill Idaho

A plaque honoring all the military and National Guard members of the community.

Up on a hill, set back from the park, we saw an immense house that was in a serious state of disrepair. It looked like it had been quite a building in its heyday.

Later on, we discovered that Bovill was settled in the early 1900s by Hugh and Charlotte Bovill, English immigrants of aristocratic ancestry who were intrigued by the American West and came to this area to become ranchers.

They were successful in their ranching quest, and their town of Bovill began to attract homesteaders as well as loggers and sportsmen. To serve them, they built and operated the Bovill Hotel which is the oldest building in Bovill today.

And that building turned out to be the huge “house” we had seen on the hill!

Bovill Hotel the oldest building in Bovill Idaho

The Bovill Hotel is the oldest building in town.

Just beyond the Conoco Inn we came across the post office. It dated back to 1914 and still serves Bovill today. We learned that the railroad came to Bovill right around that time too, opening the door to ranching and logging commerce.

Bovill Idaho Post Office built in 1914

The post office building was built in 1914

A little further on, we came across Camas Prairie Winery which is housed in an old historic building. It was still too early for the winery to be open, sigh, so we contented ourselves with looking at it from the outside.

Camas Prairie Wine in Bovill Idaho

Camas Prairie Winery

Happy campers

Mark got all three of us together in this pic!

We couldn’t resist peering in the windows of the winery. And what a delightful interior it was, fully decorated in an antique style. What a great place to savor a glass of wine and ponder the lives and lifestyles of the old American West!

Interior of the Wine Bar in Bovill Idaho

The Wine Bar inside Camas Prairie Winery was a wonderful homage to earlier times.

A little further down the road we came across the old Opera House. Wow! Bovill had an Opera House back in the day! It was built in 1911.

Bovill Opera House built in 1911

In 1911 this building was the new Opera House in Bovill. Imagine the excitement in town!

As we wandered back towards the town park, we couldn’t help but marvel at how completely intact the town remained. So many towns have demolished their historic buildings and quite a bit of their own history along with them.

Later on, we discovered we had just missed Bovill’s annual “Old Timer’s Picnic” by a few days. We also found out that the old original jail house stands next to the City Hall and that the old Catholic Church and old Schoolhouse are worth a peek too. We sure wished we had seen those buildings as well. Oh well, next time!

These few hours of meandering about in a village-sized town that we’d never heard of before were utterly fulfilling. Little glimpses of American history like this (even when we don’t know the full story until later) often give us the most satisfying and memorable highlights in our travels.

Eventually, we got off of twisty Route 3 and onto US-95 which is a major north-south thoroughfare in Idaho. What Route 3 had lacked in scenery was totally made up for in jaw-dropping landscapes on US-95 as we descended from White Bird Summit down fabulous sweeping turns. Fantastically patterned hillsides filled our view and kept our mouths agape the whole way down.

Just before this descent, we stopped at White Bird Summit to take a photo of what proved to be the beginning of these incredible views, and we were joined by a group of motorcyclists. There were many more pullouts on the descent but they aren’t well signed and it’s hard to stop a large toy hauler flying downhill! We breezed past one pullout we didn’t notice until the it was too late that seemed to offer the most dramatic patterns of the whole drive. It was just a few miles south of the summit. I believe that pullout is the White Bird Battlefield Historical Landmark.

White Bird Summit Rest Area Idaho

White Bird Hill Summit. The views got a whole lot better after this!

If you find yourself in this remote part of Idaho, be sure to stop in Bovill. Have a pint of beer for us at the Elk Tavern (Saloon) and sample a little wine for us over at Camas Prairie Winery!

Hmmm… Maybe you should spread those particular pleasures out over a few hours, and/or stay at the Bovill City RV park for the night (ask about it at the City Hall…if they’re open!)!

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Entiat, Washington – An RV Friendly Town That’s On the Move!

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July 2022 – In the heart of Washington’s apple orchard country, where the Entiat River joins the Columbia River (about a half-hour from Chelan), there is a fabulous waterfront village called Entiat.

Sunset on the river path in Entiat Washington

A vivid sunset reflects in the glassy waters of the Columbia River in Entiat, Washington.

When we arrived with our RV, the salmon fishing season had just opened. We took an early morning walk on a path along the Columbia River and saw fishing boats trolling all over the place.

Salmon fishing in Entiat Washington

Boats were out trolling for salmon.

The mountains alongside the Columbia River are tall and barren. At their base, lush vegetation and fruit orchards grow easily, thanks to irrigation from the river.

Salmon fishing in Entiat Washington

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Salmon fishing in Entiat Washington

Fishing just steps from the apple orchards!

Our favorite part of Entiat was Entiat City Park, an expansive grassy waterfront park full of towering shade trees and thin strips of sandy beach that are just big enough to provide soft footing for launching a kayak or wading in for a swim.

Entiat City Park on Lake Entiat in Washington

Entiat City Park is a delightful place to while away hot summer days.

Entiat City Park is nestled on the banks of Lake Entiat which is a dammed up portion of the Columbia River. This park is a hub of activity in the summertime.

During our stay, temps got into the 90s and even hit 100 one day, but a cooling breeze blew off the water in the afternoons. (Yes, the lower elevations in Washington like Entiat, which sits at 800 feet, can hit 100 degrees or more!).

Entiat City Park views in Washington

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Entiat City Park Washington boat dock in

The City Park is on Entiat Lake which was created when a dam was built downstream on the Columbia River.

Lots of families brought blankets and beach chairs down to the water’s edge for the day, hung out under the trees and played in the water. One fellow brought four golden retrievers with him to run around in the huge grassy field and then chase a ball into the water. He took each dog for a ride on his paddleboard too. The dogs loved it, and one even insisted on repeat rides!

Paddleboard with a dog in Entiat City Park Washington_

This happy pup is king of the world as he hitches a ride on his dad’s paddleboard.

Paved paths meandered through the park and people rolled by slowly on their bikes, taking in the views as they pedaled.

Bike path in Entiat City Park Washington_

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Well, not everyone rode slowly. There were some speed demons out there!

Young bike rider Entiat City Park Washington_

A kid chases his mom down the path.

The speediest folks were zooming around on the water in jetskis and high performance power boats.

Jetski on Lake Entiat

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Entiat City Park (website here) boasts not only beautiful picnic areas but a wonderful RV and tent campground as well. Happy campers were set up in tents surrounded by soft green grass with great views of the lake.

Entiat City Park tent camping

Each grassy campsite is just a few steps from Lake Entiat.

Life slows way down here, and it’s a great place for a midday snooze.

Entiat City Park tent camping

Snore!

We met lots of extended family groups who come back here year after year to vacation all together. It’s pricey, but you get water and electricity (dump station on the way out) and for a little more money some sites have sewer hookups too. Best of all, you’re surrounded by beauty and are in the middle of a super family friendly place to play and relax.

As I mentioned in the last article about nearby Chelan, Washington, there are several waterfront city RV parks like this in the area, including Lakeshore RV Park in Chelan and Beebe Bridge Park just outside Chelan on the Columbia River.

The only caveat is that you must book way in advance. I talked to one woman whose husband was on the computer at 12:01 a.m. on January 1st when online reservations opened so he could snag the exact campsite they wanted plus two adjacent campsites for their extended family for three days in July.

Entiat City Park RV camping in Washington

Lots of families brought multiple RVs and tents for a fun reunion vacation.

At the confluence of the Columbia River and the Entiat River, there’s a bridge for the highway that runs along the river (US-97A). It has a walkway underneath leading to the banks of the Entiat River. We found a troll living down there!

Troll under bridge in Entiat Washington

There’s a troll living under the bridge!

As we walked alongside the mouth of the Entiat River we found some beautiful berries that were just beginning to ripen. A week later all the berries were blue. I’m not sure if they were edible, though! There were pretty pink flowers as well.

Colorful berries in Entiat Washington

These berries were ripening all over the place.

Pink flower in Entiat Washington

Pretty in pink!

The Entiat River Road goes for 31 miles down the Entiat River Valley, and one day we drove most of its length, passing homes and a few small businesses along the way.

There are several campgrounds at the end of the road, and we visited Forest Creek Campground. The woodsy scenery and rushing Entiat River were gorgeous.

Fox Creek Campground on Entiat RIver in Washington

Fox Creek Campground was completely different than Entiat City Park!

Fox Creek Campground on Entiat RIver in Washington

Turquoise water on the Entiat River.

Fox Creek Campground on Entiat RIver in Washington

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We had hoped we’d be able to camp in this dry camping Forest Service campground, but it looked a little tight for our 33′ toy hauler fifth wheel. The loops and sites are paved and a few folks were camping right on the river’s edge. What a spot!

Trailer in Fox Creek Campground on Entiat RIver in Washington

Camping at Fox Creek Campground on the Entiat River.

Whitewater on Entiat RIver in Washington

The Entiat River moves fast at this point in its journey.

Back at the mouth of the Entiat River, where it meets up with the Columbia River at the south end of Entiat City Park, we came across a towering rock hillside that was covered with numbers. Could this be the high school graduation years like we’d seen on a similar rock wall in Arco, Idaho, years ago?

High School graduation years painted on rock in Entiat Washington

We spotted a unique rock face with numbers painted on it.

A closer look revealed that it absolutely must be. We could see all kinds of high school years — 56, 71, 31, 32, 53, 40, 29… and 02 and 09!

Entiat Washington High School graduation years painted on rockEntiat Washington High School graduation years painted on rock

These seemed to be high school graduation years.

A few days later we dropped in at the little white building at the far north end of Entiat City Park that had a huge “Museum” sign out front. It is open only on the weekends, and when we walked in it was quite busy. The hosts were chatting with some visitors about “old times” in Entiat, mentioning names and families that the visitors seemed to know well.

Museum at Entiat City Park in Washington

I just had to check out this museum!

We returned a while later and the museum was quiet. One of the hosts, Al Shannon, introduced himself as a lifelong resident of Entiat and said he was helping out his granddaughter, Mandy, with her volunteer hosting duties that day.

I asked about the rock hill with the numbers on it and he said, “Yes, those were all painted by the graduating classes. I was class of 1956. Our number is off to the side.” Sure enough, when I looked at the photo later I saw the “56” in the upper left corner.

He said that he and two classmates had climbed up there to paint the number. There was a narrow shelf just big enough to stand a ladder on, and they managed to get the number painted without falling off the ladder. “I grew up working in the apple orchards, so I was used to being on a ladder!” He said with a grin.

Apple picking in Washington apple orchards

Modern day apple picking method with moveable scaffolding rather than ladders.

The number painting tradition began with the class of 1923 right before graduation. Not to be outdone, within a few weeks the classes of 1921 and 1922 sent brave boys scampering up the sheer rock face to find places to paint their class numbers too.

The class of 1919 had only one graduate, a girl, and even though she celebrated her graduation with the class of 1920, someone painted a 19 up there for her.

Now, of course, the numbers are starting to overlap a century later! Al’s granddaughter, Mandy, was class of 2012. She said her class had only five boys and they haven’t yet taken the dare to go rock climbing with a can of paint and paintbrush. “We’ll get our number eventually!” she said.

Entiat City Park Washington museum

Our hosts at the Entiat Museum, Al and Mandy.

The museum is a former house that another of the museum’s volunteer hosts grew up in. I believe her name is Lynn. So, if you don’t catch Mandy or her grandpa when you visit, you might learn some special things about the house itself from Lynn.

The apple orchard business goes way back in Entiat, and there’s a wonderful photo on the wall of a horse drawn apple cart from J. Ellis Slater Company, Distributors. The cart bears a sign announcing “National Apple Day.” Below it is the still popular slogan, “Eat an apple a day and keep the doctor away.”

Photo of apple cart in Entiat City Park Museum Washington

Don’t upset the apple cart!

There’s also a large painting of loggers and logging trucks in 1923. The black and white photo the painting was made from hangs on the wall next to it. The trucks are quite unusual looking. Al said it took quite a bit of maneuvering to get the huge logs onto those trucks.

Painting of logging in 1923 Entiat City Park Museum Washington

A painting of logging trucks in 1923.

Logging was a major industry in the early and middle 1900s, and there’s a photo in the museum of the mill camp that was at the far end of the Entiat River Road where the US Forest Service campgrounds are now. It was a bustling place in those days.

There were wildfire lookouts on the mountaintops, and if smoke ever appeared in the woods, word was quickly sent out and the mill workers would rush to trucks that were parked at the mill and go find the fire and put it out.

Fortunately, back in those days, there were many logging roads that went all through the woods, so the mill workers could get to the fires and put them out efficiently.

The mill camp workers’ lives and livelihoods depended on the forests and trees being healthy, so they removed diseased and fallen trees to prevent the forests from being full of kindling as many of our National Forests are today, now that the logging industry has been shut down.

Photo of 1923 log truck Entiat City Park Museum Washington

Photo of a massive log on a truck in 1923.

We were fascinated as Al began to tell us Entiat’s unusual history. It has been a town on the move, in many ways, since its founding.

Entiat was settled by the Chinook Indians who named the area “Enteatqua,” meaing “rapid water.” By the late 1800s they had cattle pens and a few structures that served as a gathering and trading place. Ferries operated by settlers in Orondo and Wenatchee made it possible for people to cross the wide Columbia River and get to this spot.

In 1896 the tribe’s chief sold the site to settlers who then built the town of Entiat along with two sawmills and eventually brought in electricity by building a dam on the Entiat River.

In 1913 disaster struck when a fire destroyed the town. The resilient townsfolk relocated the town, however, and built three blocks of new business buildings, including warehouses to support the growing orchard industry. Train tracks and a depot came to town the following year in 1914.

Entiat thrived for several decades until the early 1960s when the Rocky Reach Dam was completed downstream on the Columbia River. This created Lake Entiat and flooded the town!

Rocky Reach Dam as seen from US-97A highway

We’d caught a glimpse of the Rocky Reach Dam from the highway.

Most buildings in Entiat were razed before the water rose, however, and a new townsite was platted. But the business owners disagreed about where the new Main Street and center of town should be, and two separate areas were loosely developed. The intimate hometown Main Street feeling was lost and many business owners left Entiat all together.

Yet the remaining residents were resolute, and today the beautiful Entiat City Park is a fantastic recreational hub. Even though there isn’t a quaint historic Main Street district as there is in many other small towns, the City Park is where it’s at in Entiat and we loved hanging out in the shade of the trees by the water’s edge every afternoon!

Entiat City Park picnic area in Washington

Entiat City Park is a great place to unwind.

If it weren’t for our friends, Sue and Roger, who live in the Chelan / Entiat area with their adorable pooch Annie (who has quite a crush on Buddy!), we never would have known about these two delightful waterfront towns or about the ferry to Stehekin in the North Cascades. We are very grateful to them for hosting us, showing us around and giving us the idea to make the trek to visit!

RV at sunset

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Chelan, Washington – Summertime Fun and Great Music!

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July 2022 – Our first foray into the Lake Chelan area was our delightful ferry ride from the lake’s southern end to the hidden jewel of Stehekin at the northern tip. Where Stehekin is picturesque and intimate in the remote northern end, the town of Chelan on the lake’s southern shore spills over with a happy summertime beach vibe as locals and vacationing visitors play on the water and relax in the sun.

Lake Chelan in Chelan Washington - Summer fun!

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Lake Chelan is a huge lake, and when the sun is at the right angle it is a rich blue. Pretty homes line the shores.

Lake Chelan in Washington

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This is the heart of Washington’s fruit country. Apple and cherry orchards and beautiful vineyards dot the hillsides in every direction.

Orchards on the hillsides on Lake Chelan in Washington

There are fruit orchards and vineyards in the hillsides!

Lake Chelan with vineyard backdrop in Chelan Washington

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The historic district of Chelan was all dressed up with a summertime flare when we arrived. Flower baskets hung from the lamp posts, and popular restaurants offered outside dining.

Chelan Washington has many pretty buildings

The town of Chelan has a small historic district with pretty buildings.

Breakfast eatery in 00 481 Harpist Ellen Foster performs at Bach Fest 2022 in Chelan Washington

A breakfast bar on the patio – Nice!

Gorgeous hydrangeas were in full bloom, and we spotted the large bushes covered with enormous blue and lavender blossoms all around town.

Hydrangeas

These flowers are hug!

Down at the town beach we watched young girls doing cartwheels in the sand. But it was the Chelan Riverwalk Park that drew us back and back again.

Similar to the Idaho Falls River Walk, both sides of the Lake Chelan have been tamed with lovely landscaping in between two bridges, so you can walk a full loop on paved paths next to the water.

Lake Chelan in Chelan Washington

The Riverwalk meanders along the banks of Lake Chelan right above the dam.

River Walk and Riverwalk Pavilion Chelan Washington

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We came across lots of animals along Chelan’s Riverwalk. This is a great place to walk a dog or meet someone else’s a dog if you are dogless. A golden retriever was showered with love and pets from a group of kids he’d just met.

Kids pet a golden retriever Chelan Washington

Dog love.

There are Wild Animals on Chelan’s Riverwalk too. When I turned a corner I noticed a duck watching me closely. A few other ducks were lazing away the morning next to her. The water is so clear in this lake that I could easily see the rocks below the surface behind her.

Ducks on the edge of Lake Chelan in Chelan Washington

A duck checks me out.

Suddenly, an adorable duckling swam past. No wonder mom was keeping an eye on me!

Duckling on Lake Chelan in Chelan Washington

So that’s why mama duck was worried about me!

There’s another kind of animal that lurks on Lake Chelan — the Party Animal! These scantily clad animals were out in droves, cruising around on speedboats, jetskis, kayaks and paddle boards.

Hot bods on fast boat on Lake Chelan in Washington

Party Animals!

Paddleboards and dogs on Lake Chelan in Washington

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Chelan is a music lover’s town, and Mark soon found an electric guitar that was just begging to be played.

Chelan Washington is a musical town

Chelan has a musical streak.

As I was thumbing through the internet one day, wondering what kinds of organized activities might be going on in Chelan, I saw the words, “Bach Fest.”

Really? There was Bach music festival in a small rural lakeside town in Washington?!! As a total classical music junkie, this was right up my alley!

I dove in deeper and discovered that Bach Fest is a ten day long music festival that has been a beloved tradition in Chelan for 41 years, and we’d arrived in town right in the middle of it!

Throughout this ten day festival, musicians perform classical music (from baroque to modern) in all kinds of venues, all for free! Churches and courtyards host various chamber music groups during the mornings and noontime hour and vineyards showcase chamber music performances every evening.

The first event we saw was a noontime concert in a church that featured a chamber group and four vocalists performing a wonderful Bach Cantata.

Bachfest Bach Cantate Chelan Washington

Bach Fest is a 10 day classical music celebration that takes place in Chelan, Washington.

Another morning we took part in an unusual “Riverwalk Sip and Stroll” where music lovers wandered along the river paths and town streets, sipping their morning coffee and encountering lovely music being played in various spots along the way.

As we walked along the river banks, we heard a violin soloist playing with great passion in the Riverwalk Pavillion…

Chelan Washington Bach Fest violinist the Riverwalk Pavilion

During the Bach Fest “Riverwalk Sip and Stroll” a solo violinist chose a spot to play in the pavilion.

When we wandered up into the streets of town, we heard the melodic strains of a harp! We turned a corner and there was a harpist playing in a church courtyard.

How often do you walk around town with your morning coffee and come across a person playing the harp?

Harpist Ellen Foster performs at Bach Fest 2022 in Chelan Washington

We heard the sweet tones of the harp before we saw the harpist.
She was playing gorgeous melodies in the Episcopal Church courtyard.

The following evening we bumped into the harpist, Ellen Foster, at a picnic table. Chelan is that kind of place — friendly and easy going. She was having dinner with her husband, Melvin, who I immediately recognized as the tenor who had sung in the noontime church concert the day before. Fortunately, he had recognized me first — the crazy lady with the camera — and called me over to their table to chat.

This was their fourth year of participating in Bach Fest. Their home is in Georgia but she has family near Chelan, so it makes an ideal summer trip filled with musical fun and some income on the side!

Harpist Ellen Foster performs at Bach Fest 2022 in Chelan Washington

Bach Fest is so intimate that I ended up meeting the harpist, Ellen Foster, and her husband, Melvin, who I’d heard singing the day before.

Over the years, I’ve come to realize how important it is to pursue your passions in life. Even if your passion isn’t something that typically produces a big money-making career, many delightful and fulfilling experiences will fill your life if you love what you are doing.

Strolling back to the Riverwalk, we heard a brass group playing in the distance.

Bach Fest in Chelan Washington Sip and Stroll on the River Walk

In the middle of the Riverwalk Park we found a brass group playing in a circle.

This whole “Sip and Stroll” experience reminded us of the spontaneous music scene we’d witnessed at the city square in Guanajuato, Mexico, where groups of musicians had taken turns entertaining the folks who were eating and relaxing around the square.

In the center of the square, an orchestra had played pops music in a bandstand. At the dozen or two cafes that surrounded the bandstand, as many Mariachi bands had played traditional Mexican folk tunes.

Without any apparent organization, one band would begin playing a song or two as soon as another band finished, and it went on like that for several mesmerizing hours with lively songs and tunes suddenly popping up all around us and none of the bands ever stepping on each other’s toes!

As much as we were loving the stroll, the music, and the memories in Chelan’s Riverwalk Park, our furry friend, Buddy, had other interests. He had eyes and ears only for the squirrels in the trees. The squirrels were making their own music, which really got Buddy’s attention, and he was transfixed.

Pup has eyes for rabbits while brass quintet plays in Chelan Washington

While we took in the sights and sounds of Bach Fest all around us, Buddy noticed only the squirrels in the trees..

Sweet pup eyes a squirel in a tree

Buddy is all eyes and ears for Bach Fest’s squirrel music!

He wasn’t the only one grooving to the tunes of the chattering squirrels. A beautiful miniature Australian Shepherd was just as enchanted by their performance.

Austrailian Shepherd dog looks at squirrel in a tree.jpg

This mini Aussie was equally enthralled by the squirrels performing at Bach Fest.

On another day when we returned to the park, Buddy took us straight to that same tree so he could listen to the squirrels a little more!

The festival’s highlight, a big gala outdoor concert at the Riverwalk Pavilion, is held on the last day. The stage backs up to the water’s edge and a grassy hillside serves as the perfect theater seating for camp chairs and blankets and picnics. We found a nice spot in the shade.

The grassy hill in front of the Riverwalk Pavilion makes natural theater seating

As the sun dropped low in the sky, people began to arrive and stake out their claims to a piece of the lawn too. We discovered that the shade from the towering trees slowly creeps down this hillside and everyone wants to be in the shade. So the seating fills up from the back to the front!

Here’s a tip for you if you ever go to a concert at the Riverwalk Pavillion: be sure to arrive fairly late so you can snag a shady front row seat!

Before long, the hills were alive with the sound of music!

Gala concert at the Riverwalk Pavilion in Chelan Washington

As the concert began the sun was just beginning to fall from the sky.

Buddy put his head in my hand and fell asleep.

Pup asleep in my hand

When the concert began, Buddy fell asleep with his head in my hand.

The concert was full of beautiful music and the conductor gave us a brief explanation of each piece before it was played. We loved learning the context of what we were hearing.

In no time it was dark, and the orchestra began playing a rousing rendition of the Battle Hymn of the Republic followed by Stars and Stripes, and we all cheered them on with a standing ovation. What a great concert!

BachFest concert at the Riverwalk Pavillion in Chelan Washington

The concert ended with stirring performances of Battle Hymn of the Repuglic and Stars and Stripes.

As we made our way back to our truck, the streets of Chelan came alive with concert-goers carrying picnic baskets and camp chairs back to their cars as and chatting excitedly about the concert. Some went looking for some post-concert refreshments too.

We came away agreeing that Chelan is a really fun town, especially in the summertime. We’d never heard of it before we got here, and we’re so glad it wound up on our itinerary!

Downtown Chelan Washington at night

Chelan Washington – A vibrant town beloved by summer vacationers!

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Stehekin Ferry: Cruise to a Hidden Gem in the North Cascades!

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July 2022 – A ride on the Stehekin Ferry turned out to be a cruise to a hidden gem in the North Cascades.

When we told our friends who are lifelong Washington residents that we were coming to their state with our RV, their instant response was, “You have to take the Stehekin Ferry up Lake Chelan and stay in one of the cabins at Stehekin Valley Ranch. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.”

They were right!

Stehekin Ferry on Lake Chelan in North Cascades Washington

Ticket to the North Cascades!

When we arrived in Washington, our friends went on to explain that the ferry ride offers spectacular views of the 51 mile long lake, and it takes you to one of Washington’s most unique hidden gems: a cabin retreat in the woods run by a family whose ancestors homesteaded the area in 1889. They have hosted visitors to their piece of paradise in the North Cascades for the past century.

Wow! A boat ride, some stunning scenery, a whiff of American history and a cabin retreat were all right up our alley, and we promptly dove into making reservations.

Luck was on our side, and we discovered there were two open seats on the Stehekin Ferry as well as a log cabin available at the Stehekin Valley Ranch later that very day, so we quickly drove the trailer up to the Fields Point ferry dock and left it there while we took off on the boat for a really fun adventure.

(btw: “Stehekin” is pronounced “Ste-HEE-kin”)

Stehekin Ferry Fields Point Landing Washington

We said goodbye to our trailer as we got on the Stehekin Ferry for a North Cascades adventure!

The Stehekin Ferry is a sleek catamaran that makes the trip up the lake in an hour and forty five minutes, and the Stehekin Valley Ranch offers a free bus ride to shuttle guests from the ferry landing dock up to their property 9 miles further north in the North Cascades. The ranch also provides dinners and breakfasts that our friends told us were out of this world. They were right about that too!

The ferry dock at Fields Point has lovely picnic areas overlooking the lake and plaques describing the history of the area. Indians used to travel up and down the lake by canoe. Fur trappers and gold prospectors followed, rowing for four days to get from one end to the other! As homesteaders started to arrive in 1889, the Belle of Chelan steamer ferry began operations which made the journey much shorter and far easier.

Stehekin Ferry Fields Point Landing Washington

This is a popular ferry boat — and rightfully so!

With these thoughts swimming in our heads, the ferry pulled into the dock and we climbed aboard and found two seats near the back so we could go on and off the back deck easily.

Stehekin Ferry Spacious Airplane Seats to cruise Lake Chelan

The airplane seats were very comfy. Most folks got up and spent a little time outside on the back deck too!

We had no idea what to expect once we got to Stehekin, but we knew you could rent electric mountain bikes. Some folks opt to bring their own bikes, and they brought them on the ferry just fine!

Stehekin Ferry Luggage with bikes

All the luggage was geared for outdoor fun.

Our much bigger concern was taking our sweet pup, Buddy, on the boat. The Stehekin Ferry allows dogs to come along, but they request that you have a carrier so your dog can be contained and controlled if necessary.

We were absolutely delighted that as long as your dog is well behaved, is leashed, and doesn’t bother the other passengers, it can ride with you out on the back deck. Buddy isn’t fond of noisy and bumpy travel, and we were concerned he’d be unnerved on the boat. But it was quiet and glided through the water very smoothly. He loved the views!

Stehekin Ferry Enjoying the view of Lake Chelan

Buddy really enjoyed the ride!

There was one other dog on the ferry, a small Italian greyhound, Julia, and she found the breezes were a little chilly at times. She preferred to be wrapped in a blanket on her owner’s lap!

Stehekin Ferry dog keeps warm on board on Lake Chelan

Italian greyhound Julia snuggled in her blanket when a cool breeze blew.

As our friends had told us, the views were magnificent. The day had blustery overtones for a while, but the dark clouds made for interesting skies.

Lake Chelan view from Stehekin Ferry North Cascades Washington

We were surrounded by stunning views.

Stehekin Ferry enjoying the view of Lake Chelan North Cascades Washingtonjpg

Cabins and waterfalls dotted the shoreline.
We all kept a sharp eye out for wildlife too!

In early July, there was still a little snow on the mountain peaks, and we spotted several waterfalls.

Waterfall view on Lake Chelan seen from Stehekin Ferry

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I joked with our captain, Jim, that he had an enviable job, cruising up and down this lake on a cool ferry boat every day!

Captain driving the Stehekin Ferry Lake Chelan Washington

It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it!

As steeply as the mountains rose up on either side of the lake, their bases plunged below the water in a very deep trough. Lake Chelan, the largest lake in Washington, is 1,486 feet deep and the bottom is 386′ below sea level!

The ferry makes a few stops along the way, and at one of them the water was not only shockingly clear but it was a deep shade of turquoise!

Turqoise water Lake Chelan North Cascades Washington view from Stehekin Ferry

The water was turquoise in some spots!

A little ways further on, we arrived at Stehekin Landing. There were a few boats suspended in their own reflections at the dock, and the distant snowcapped mountains rounded out a picture postcard perfect image.

Stehekin Ferry Landing Washington North Cascades

Stehekin Landing !

We got off the ferry and took a look around.

A sign in front of the North Cascade Lodge welcomed visitors to Stehekin. There were a few people milling about, eating lunch and riding bikes.

Welcome to Stehekin North Cascades Lodge Lake Chelan Washington

Welcome to Stehekin!

The mood was one of total relaxation and contentment. This is a place people come to get away from it all, to disconnect from their hectic day-to-day lives and reconnect with nature and their own souls.

As promised, the Stehekin Valley Ranch bus was right there waiting for us, so we hopped on along with most of the other people from the ferry.

Stehekin Valley Ranch bus for the Stehekin Ferry

Our bus was right there waiting for us and the other passengers.

We’d been told that “The Bakery” in Stehekin is one of the top destinations because their treats are so delicious, but I wasn’t sure how we’d get to it since we were being whisked away to the ranch in this bus.

As it turns out, the Stehekin Valley Ranch bus ride is as much a guided tour of Stehekin as it is transportation to the ranch! We’d been on the bus only a few minutes when we stopped at “The Bakery” which is officially called the Stehekin Pastry Shop. Mark got some yummy chocolate chip cookies and I bought a key lime bar that was a little slice of heaven!

Stehekin Pastry Company Stehekin Bakery North Cascades Washington

Stehekin Pastry Company, home of mouthwatering delights!

Jumping back on the bus, we soon arrived at the ranch where we were greeted by laid back guests who were lounging in lawn chairs and hammocks outside their cabins. They’d left their cares so far behind they no longer remembered where they’d left them!

Stehekin Valley Ranch views of North Cascades Washington

Stehekin Valley Ranch is a place where you can disconnect from your stress and reconnect with your own soul!

Stehekin Valley Ranch cabin for rent North Cascades Washington

The laid back life!

The majestic North Cascade mountains rose in the distance.

Mountain views of North Cascades Stehekin Valley Ranch

The view out back!

We made our way to our cabin and were utterly charmed by its rustic simplicity. Even though Stehekin Valley Ranch provides complimentary dinners and breakfasts for all guests at their large cookhouse lodge, we had a cute kitchenette in our cabin too.

Stehekin Valley Ranch rustic cabin retreat

Home for a spell!

Stehekin Valley Ranch cabin kitchenette

This was a well stocked kitchenette, but the gourmet meals in the cookhouse were not to be missed!

Once we dropped off our bags, we went exploring. We could feel any tensions we had falling away with each passing minute. We’d had some wild days of driving in busy traffic with the toy hauler, and before that we’d had several long days of driving across southeast Washington’s farmlands. This was the perfect antidote!

Stehekin Valley Ranch relaxing walk in the woods

Serenity

Stehekin Valley Ranch road at sunset

Peace

Suddenly, the dinner bell rang. A dinner bell! It’s actually a music triangle hanging on the outside of the cookhouse.

We joined the other guests making their way to the dining area and were floored by the dinner menu which featured a steelhead trout special, grilled NY strip steaks and grilled chicken as entrees (with burgers for the kids).

Even though by the end of our meals we were both happily stuffed, we couldn’t resist having a slice of their homemade bread too. Bread doesn’t usually do this, but it melted in our mouths!

What we loved most about this communal dining, though, was that everyone was seated at long tables so we could all eat and chat together. Everyone we met was from Washington or a neighboring state!

Stehekin Valley Ranch cook cabin long tables dining room

Eating with other guests at the long tables made the delicious meals even more memorable!

The folks sitting next to us were an Idaho couple that had been to Stehekin Valley Ranch many times. They usually ride to the ranch through the North Cascade mountains with pack mules! They’ve ridden their mules all over the western states, and the ride to Stehekin is one of their favorites. Today had been a rare occasion for them where they’d driven their car to the ferry dock and taken the ferry to the ranch instead.

All conversation came to a halt when the pies came out, though. There were so many delicious flavors we all agreed that the best way to handle the decision making process was to get two small pieces from two pies instead of one big piece of one pie. So we all marched back to the dining tables with our plates heaped up with pie and ice cream. Blackberry and strawberry-rhubarb for me and blueberry and apple for Mark. Was this living or what?!

Stehekin Valley Ranch dessert pies

The pies were spectacular!
And Ashley, the young woman serving the pie and ice cream, was also the First Mate on the ferry!

All of this incredible hospitality, from the ferry to the bus tour to the ranch, comes courtesy of one large extended family that has been living in Stehekin since 1889. Their ancestors arrived as homesteaders, and during our visit, one of their descendants, Cliff Courtney, mingled with us guests and shared tidbits of ranch history.

There are photos on the walls of the earliest settlers in Stehekin. The Moores arrived from Trenton Falls, New York, to homestead in the area in 1889 and the Courtneys arrived in 1917.

Their descendants, Mamie Moore and Hugh Courtney got married, and Cliff, who was telling us these personal historic tidbits at the ranch, and his brother Jim, who had been our captain on the ferry, were their grandsons!

I can’t imagine what life was like in such a remote spot back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is still very remote today, in 2022, but the ranch boasts all the modern conveniences, of course.

In a way, I felt like we guests brought our modern experiences and worldview with us to the ranch but were able, at the same time, to shed some of burden those things carry and get a taste of a simpler life from a century ago.

Hugh and Mamie Courtney of Stehekin Washington

Mamie and Hugh Courtney, circa 1941, are the great-grandparents of our host, Cliff, and ferry boat captain, Jim.

Cliff told us that the very first log cabin for guests was built by his dad in 1935 when he was 15. It is still available today for guests to stay in! It just contains a bed and has no bathroom, but it’s still cute as a button and offers an overnight embraced by living history.

Stehekin Valley Ranch original 1935 cabin

A 15 year old boy built this first guest cabin in 1935 — and you can stay in it today!

From that first simple cabin to the new Wagon Cabins that were introduced this year, the theme everywhere is creativity and fun.

All but one of the new Wagons are mounted on wagon frames. Just recently, a Wagon was mounted on an antique truck, creating a Truck Wagon! I really wanted to peak inside, but each of the Wagons were in use by other guests. Next time!

Stehekin Valley Ranch wagon cabin on an old truck North Cascades Washington

In keeping with the whimsical and fun-loving nature of Stehekin Valley Ranch, you can stay in a Truck Wagon!

Breakfast was another incredible gourmet meal that included custom cooked omelets, blueberry pancakes and french toast as well as a variety of top quality breakfast meats. To one side was a sandwich station where we were encouraged to make our own sandwiches (on that yummy homemade bread!) to take with us for lunch out on the trail or on the ferry.

As promised, the bus ride back to the ferry stopped at Rainbow Falls, and Cliff was our driver and guide. This is a towering waterfall that falls with such force it sprays a good long ways. There are two viewing areas, and the lower one gave us a great view of the full waterfall while the upper one was so loud and dramatic it lured me in too close and I got soaked! Fortunately, Mark was a little more cautious and he got a great pic from a little further back.

Rainbow Falls Stehekin Washington North Cascades

Rainbow Falls

Rainbow Falls Stehekin North Cascades Washington

The upper view of the falls was cool, but my image came out all white and my camera was drenched from water spray!

The next stop was at the little schoolhouse that Cliff’s grandfather helped build in 1921. Cliff told us his father went to school there and he also went there for 8 years.

Stehekin School one room schoolhouse built in 1921

The original Stehekin School was built in 1921 and was where all the kids went to school until 1980 when the new school log cabin was built.

One room schooling fascinates me, and I asked him how a single teacher could manage a group of kids in all grades. He said there’s certain techniques, including having the older kids help the younger kids.

That must make for a strong sense of community among the kids, never mind surviving the deep snow together in the wintertime and living a long boat ride away from the rest of the world!

Stehekin School classroom built in 1921

Shades of yesteryear.

Our last stop was at The Garden, a goat and organic vegetable farm where they sold tasty goat cheese and grow gorgeous veggies.

Organic garden and goat farm Stehekin North Cascades Washington

The Garden…where organic veggies and goats thrive.

Down at Stehekin Landing the ferry boat was waiting for us at the dock.

Stehekin Ferry Dock Lake Chelan North Cascades Washington

Back at the dock…what a spot!

Stehekin Ferry Lake Chelan North Cascades Washington

Ready to take us back to Fields Point.

Before long we were gliding down Lake Chelan with the beautiful mountains in our wake.

Stehekin Ferry View of North Cascades on Lake Chelan in Washington

Stehekin disappears in our wake.

Stehekin Ferry View of North Cascades on Lake Chelan in Washington

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Our stay in one of America’s most remote spots gave us much to think about and talk about on our ride back as we savored the sandwiches and delicious cookies we’d brought from the ranch.

Stehekin is one of the few communities in America that is not accessible by car (Michigan’s Mackinac Island and Maine’s Cranberry Islands are two others). We’d seen cars and trucks and big equipment in various places around Stehekin, however. How did those things — and their fuel — get out there?

Our answer suddenly cruised by when we saw a barge loaded down with a trailer from Sysco, some big oil drums and a few large trucks and construction equipment!

Barge carrying goods to Stehekin Washington on Lake Chelan in the North Cascades

Aha! This is how everything other than people gets to Stehekin.

At last we disembarked from the ferry, took in the beautiful view of the lake one final time, and made our way back to our trailer to resume our RV travels.

Disembarking from the Stehekin Ferry on Lake Chelan in Washington North Cascades

Back to reality…

Fortunately, before we’d left the dock in Stehekin, I’d asked Jim and Cliff if they’d let me get a photo of them next to the ferry.

That’s when Cliff told me Jim was his brother! They’d grown up on the ranch and attended the little schoolhouse together, and now they provide a glimpse of that life to guests like us who are lucky enough to catch the Stehekin Ferry to one of Washington’s most unique hidden jewels tucked into the North Cascades.

Stehekin Ferry Captain Jim and brother Cliff

Our captain and host, Jim and Cliff Courtney.

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An Exuberant 4th of July in Othello, Washington!

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We celebrated the 4th of July in the small farming town of Othello, Washington. And what a spirited celebration it was!

Crowd in Othello Washington watches the 4th of July parade

People line the main drag in Othello, Washington, to see the 4th of July parade!

Othello is in the heart of farming country in eastern Washington, tucked into a vast checkerboard of crop circles as seen from the sky.

Othello Washington Satellite Image Map

Othello is a lively community in a sea of crop circles.

There are around 8,000 residents, and much of the population is farm workers from Mexico or of Mexican descent.

We fell in love with Mexican culture while sailing Mexico’s Pacific coast for almost four years, and if there’s a group of people on this planet who know how to celebrate any holiday with gusto, it is Mexicans!

Even though a big storm was threatening and the sky was turning black, there was no way anyone was going to rain on this 4th of July parade!

4th of July Celebration

Party!

As we waited for the parade to begin, Buddy got a little extra loving from the kids around us.

Pup gets some extra loving

Buddy gets special ear rubs.

And then a group of four police cars turned on their sirens and slowly crept by us, leading out a really fun and unusual parade.

One of the first things to go by was an old car labeled “Bonnie and Clyde” followed by some kids riding bicycles. The woman standing next to me said her family had lived in this town since 1953 and that she had ridden her bike in the parade as a little girl. The roots in Othello, Washington, go deep!

Bonnie and Clyde plus bicycles

Bonnie and Clyde were pursued by kids on bikes!

Soon a beautiful Rodeo Queen, Miss Rodeo Othello, rode her horse past us.

Rodeo queen in 4th of July parade

Miss Rodeo Othello!

A crazy shark or fish was dancing around waving. The kids next to us waved back enthusiastically.

4th of July parade

A dancing and waving fish!

Kids watch the 4th of July parade

Note the little boy’s bag:
“One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” from Dr. Seuss!

This 4th of July parade was really all about the kids. And the kids were all about the candy being thrown into the crowd. A lot of kids came prepared with bags to hold their loot!

Kids run for candy in 4th of July parade

So much candy…and so little time!

Kid runs for candy in 4th of July parade

Score!!

There were discussions between the kids about who got what, and how to snag the particular candies you wanted before the next kid got ’em.

Kids at 4th of July parade

“…so you run from behind and grab it..!”

Kids run for candy in 4th of July Parade

“I did it!”

The farms in this area are huge, and it takes huge equipment to work the land. The little tractors of yesteryear are long gone, and several gargantuan pieces of farming equipment were shown off in the parade with great pride.

Big farm equipment in Othello Washington 4th of July parade

Massive farms require massive equipment.

Big farm equipment in Othello Washington 4th of July parade

The little ol’ 1950s era John Deere tractors we see at antique tractor shows have grown up…these monsters have air conditioning, GPS-based autopilot, stereo, etc. You name it, it’s got it!

Many families have farmed here for generations and some had floats in the parade. One family was so large they had two floats!

Family float at 4th of July parade

A longstanding farm family in this community has their own float (or two!).

I asked the gal next to me if her family was a farming family, and she said no, they had all been in various services to support the community of farmers: fire fighting, sheriff’s office, and construction were a few of their occupations.

Soon another massive piece of equipment native to Othello, Washington, rolled past. This time it was one used for construction rather than farming.

Construction equipment at 4th of July parade

Farm equipment isn’t the only massive gear in Othello…construction equipment is too!

Of course, lots of politicians floated by, hoping to secure a vote or two, and then the Adams County Sheriff’s team made an appearance. These guys have the normal cop cars we’re used to seeing, but they also get to ride around in a very cool side-by-side!

Adams County Sheriff side-by-side in Washington 4th of July parade

A slick ride for the county Sheriff!

I’m not sure what kinds of search-and-rescue operations this particular sheriff’s office has to perform, but they’ve got the gear to get you out of a terrible bind if you’re in one!

Adams County Sheriff Search and Rescue equipment 4th of July parade Washington

Imagine a search and rescue team arriving to help you in this!

We were loving this unusual display of things that are a part of day-to-day living in this small town in eastern Washington. 4th of July parades happen all across America, of course, but each one gives the town a chance to celebrate, honor and display the things that are unique to their communities.

We were also loving the antics of the kids and the crowd. This was not a shy crowd, and as the ground grew thick with candy, everyone ventured out into the street to grab a few pieces until the parade participants and the parade watchers all got mixed up together. Watching the kids with their bags getting fuller and fuller, I said to Mark, “This is better for them than Halloween!”

Kids and flags at 4th of July parade

All that impressive gear aside, the parade was really about the kids.

Kids get candy at 4th of July parade

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Overhead, a drone flew by, taking it all in.

Drone flies over 4th of July parade

Candid camera.

Next up were the cars.

Mark had caught sight of a few flashy cars before the parade when they were strutting their stuff and revving their engines all in a line heading to the parade start. Most of the cars were lovingly souped-up later model cars. A Nissan GT-R caught his eye, though. And a Plymouth Roadrunner, the only muscle car in the parade, brought a huge grin to his face. For me, I liked the Chevy Impala low rider that could raise and lower its front end.

Low rider in Othello Washington 4th of July parade

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Even better was the toddler in the crowd who had his own set of very cool wheels.

Toddler in toy car at 4th of July parade

The best set of wheels in the parade.

The parade ended with another round of sirens from a fleet of fire trucks and then we all wandered over to Lion’s Park. The sun began to come out, and with it the entire town came out to the park.

Lion’s Park is very large, and it was filled to the brim with food tents, various competitive events and kids swinging their hearts out on the swingsets at the big playground.

Buddy relished the lush green grass and rolled over and over with glee.

Puppy rolls in the grass

“The parade was cool, but this grass is cooler!”

A band was setting up and some teenagers were having a 3-on-3 basketball tournament where the two small teams played at a single hoop.

Suddenly, the lovely voice of a young woman singing the Star Spangled Banner came over the loudspeaker, and everyone stopped what they were doing to listen.

After she finished, we noticed that there were all kinds of yummy things for sale over in the very long line of food tents. The BBQ wagon looked tempting.

BBQ truck at 4th of July fair

Yum!

But it was the wonderful Mexican fare that got our mouths watering. We hadn’t seen these things since we were in Mexico nine years ago, and it was all so familiar and heartwarming to see it again.

First was the Mexican drinks. Mexicans make all kinds of delicious cold drinks that are really refreshing on a hot day. From “horchata,” a sweet rice based drink, to “Agua de Jamaica” (pronounced “A-wah day Ha-my-ka”) made from hibiscus flowers, they have endless tasty and unique cold drinks. And here they all were in a colorful row!

Mexican drinks for sale at 4th of July celebration

Delicious ice cold Mexican drinks!

Another booth was selling piña coladas in pineapples just as we saw on the beach in Mexico. Yum! I suspect they were virgin piña coladas at this family park, though, which of course they weren’t on the beach in Mexico!

Mexican pineapple drinks at 4th of July festival

Piña coladas served in pineapples.

And then there were mango slices in a plastic cup sold with a stick for stabbing them and popping them in your mouth. Again, we saw these refreshing snacks in many towns and on many beaches in Mexico, and it was a total hoot to see them here in a small farming town in rural Washington!

Sliced mangos mexican style at 4th of July fair

Sliced mangos…so much easier and cleaner to eat this way!

The city park was abuzz with activity by now. The music was going, people were picnicking, kids were playing and running in the playground area, and the basketball tourney was in full swing.

Over in the skate park there was a skateboard competition getting underway. We were really impressed watching the kids warm up. It was incredible they could do all kinds of tricks on the crazy concrete curvy walls of the skate park and not break their necks.

All of a sudden a kid came flying through the air right at me. And then another did a wild trick in mid-air. How fun!

Skateboard contest 4th of July celebration

Weeee!

A couple sitting next to me were the parents of one of the senior competitors. They’d driven from a town 90 miles away so their son could compete in this tournament. He was 17 now but he started skateboarding at age 8. The dad had tried it when he was a kid too, but he didn’t take to it. His son, however, took to it right away, riding his skateboard everywhere, even around the house, and now he was one of the guys doing wild tricks and jumps.

Skateboard contest 4th of July festival

We’d never seen a skateboarding event before…very fun!

The 4th of July is a unique event in this world, honoring the birth of our nation as an independent and free state. For many, the meaning behind those words has intensified lately, and with that in mind, we found it particularly moving to be a part of such a colorful birthday celebration in a small western town!

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Nature’s Capriciousness in Idaho – Streams, Mountains and Storms!

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June 2022 – Our western states RV trip delivered us to Idaho right in the heart of the bustling city of Idaho Falls, and even though we had plans for quieter adventures further north in the state, we hung around the city for a while enjoying the River Walk.

Idaho RV trip - Meandering at a slow pace

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We savored the scenery each time we strolled the paths, but the only thing our pup, Buddy, ever noticed was the big population of squirrels that scampered up and down the tree trunks.

Puppy looking up into a tree

“Hey! Come back down here!”

The squirrels taunted him mercilessly, chirping at him from safety high up in the branches.

Idaho Falls Squirrel

“You’ll never catch me!”

He wanted to catch a squirrel so badly, but they were just out of reach!

Puppy jumps up tree trunk chasing squirrel

Almost…but not quite!

From Idaho Falls, we wandered northwards towards Salmon for a while, keeping an eye out for an easy-in / easy-out gas station where we could fill the gas tank on the toy hauler (which gives us gas for both the RZR and the generator while we’re camping).

Filling up the toy hauler with gas requires pulling the trailer very far forward at the pumps because the gas cap is at the far back end of the trailer. End-to-end, our truck and trailer combo is about 50 feet long, and not that many gas stations have sufficient open space at the end of the pumps for a vehicle to stick out 50 feet!

Mark looked at a few city gas stations in Idaho Falls and decided they were all a bit too busy and too tight. We’d end up blocking traffic in the whole gas station while we filled up!

Luckily, as we traveled through the countryside, we found a gas station with no other customers, no overhangs to hit with our tall rig, endless room in front of the rig to pull forward, and a cute store to boot.

Fueling up the RV in rural Idaho

Plenty of room to fuel up the toy hauler!

Puppy by the store door in rural Idaho

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Inside the store were the usual gas station goodies, but they also had lots of small animal pelts like foxes and an antique sewing machine!

Small animal pelts and an antique sewing machine

Inside the store: Interesting small mammal pelts and an old sewing machine too!

We strolled the back streets of town for a while and spotted a pretty church framed by snow covered mountain peaks. Classic!

St. Joseph's Catholic Church in eastern Idaho

Right out of a picture book!

Later, we played with some of our images of that church and made one look like the photo was taken a long time ago.

Old time church in Idaho

Perhaps this church looked like this way back when…

That was pretty cool, so we did it to another photo of the long defunct “Bit & Spur Grocery Store.”

This is just a matter of applying Sepia tones to the image but the effect is great… Perhaps a little crinkling across the image from the photo being folded and maybe a handwritten note with a date like 1885 would help cement it as an authentic antiquity, although Buddy would have to ditch his harness and I’d need to don a long dress and a hat!

Old time look at a store in rural Idaho

Bit & Spur Groceries!

We carried on with our journey, and as we rolled slowly down the road, we just loved the views. This was ATV / UTV country and we rode around on the RZR looking for photo ops. There were plenty!

ATV riders with mountain backdrop in Idaho

Open country backed by snowcapped mountains – ideal for an ATV / UTV ride!

A rocky creek sparkled in the sunlight.

Rushing water in an Idaho creek with mountains

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This was the perfect spot to play with smoothing out the rushing whitewater by keeping the camera shutter open extra long on a tripod (about 1/6 to 1/15 of a second). With moving water like this, you could take a dozen photos of each scene and every one would be different because flowing water makes constantly changing patterns!

Babbling brook with snocapped mountain Idaho

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Water rushing in a stream in Idaho mountains

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White water stream with mountains in Idaho

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When I wrote an article about Idaho for Highways Magazine many years ago, the editor titled it “America’s Alps,” which was very apt because the snowy peaks are certainly reminiscent of their European counterparts! Mark grabbed a plastic stool and his guitar, and as he played for Buddy and me, the scene was right out of the Sound of Music!

Singing sweet songs in America’s Alps.

A crown of soft clouds began to form around a mountain peak, and we fully expected to see Julie Andrews come pirouetting down the hillside, arms flung wide with radiant joy as she sang her heart out.

Snowcapped mountain in Idaho

A mountain peak was suddenly wrapped in a veil of clouds.

Instead of suddenly seeing an ebullient Julie Andrews dancing down the mountainside, we noticed that storm clouds were beginning to fill the sky.

The weather forecast had called for a big storm to come sweeping through with a 70% to 90% chance of rain for two days and a night. We’d already experienced mornings in the 30s and afternoons in the 90s in our short time in Idaho, and one of the locals we met had jokingly told us that Idaho is bipolar when it comes to weather.

Were these clouds the beginning of the expected tempest?

Gathering storm in Idaho

A gathering storm!

We decided to go for a walk, kind of storm chasing in a way, but on foot. Suddenly, Mark said, “Look at that cloud over there!” A huge black cloud was bearing down on the valley and traveling at a good clip. The odd (and beautiful) thing was that the sun was still out in patches here and there.

Storm clouds over river in Idaho

Yikes! Check that out!

We ran for cover, collecting a few shots of the wild skies (and fast puppies) on the way.

Puppy runs at top speed

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The wind was whipping like crazy, but there was no rain yet, and the menacing skies changed minute by minute as the clouds unleashed a thick veil of rain and snow on the mountains.

Summer rainstorm in Idaho

A distant tempest.

Storm clouds in the Idaho mountains

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The big black cloud began to rumble. Despite its threatening noises, however, there were bits of blue sky and sunshine here and there. Suddenly, a rainbow appeared.

Puppy sees rainbow from RV window

A rainbow!

We ran out again, cameras in hand. All around, the billowing clouds seethed and frothed, from low down on the ground to high up in the sky. It was spectacular — and there wasn’t a drop of rain in the sunny spot where we stood!

Sun lights up storm clouds in Idaho

Wow!

Storm clouds sweep through Idaho valley

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And then, as quickly as this summer storm came, it disappeared down the valley, leaving blue sky and receding clouds in its wake.

Bipolar, indeed!

Sunburst in Idaho storm over river

The storm passes and leaves sunshine and blue skies behind.

Later, as the sun set, memories of the afternoon drama were still visible in the sky. We were treated to shades of orange and black followed by soft tones of peach and gray.

Sunset begins after a storm in Idaho

Vestiges of the afternoon squall.

Idaho sunset seen from an RV

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This was one of those beautiful occasions where the adventure came to us. We weren’t out sightseeing or looking to discover new things. Instead, Nature dropped in on us and treated us to a thrilling show of roiling clouds battling with rays of sunshine.

This big “two day” storm blew through in an hour or two and eventually misted us with a fine spray that lasted all of 90 seconds! But the spectacle left us totally wide-eyed with wonder!.

Tail end of summer storm and sunset in Idaho

A faint pink flame crosses the sky.

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Quartzsite Lite (2022)

Posted on by
22

Quartzsite, Arizona, has long been Party Central for RVers in midwinter, and this year — 2022 — we took our truck camper there to check out the action.

A Winter RV Trip to Quartzsite Arizona in 2022

In many ways, the RV scene out in the desert surrounding Quartzsite was not too different than in years gone by.

There were crazy rigs rolling through the desert, sandwich signs advertising everything from at-your-campsite RV holding tank emptying services to ultra pure firewood for sale to libations of both the morning and afternoon kind.

Rockin' the Boondockin' sign in Quartzsite Arizona

Quartzsite is known as boondocking heaven

Quartzsite Arizona crazy car and camper

We always see unusual rigs roaming around the desert here

Quartzsite Arizona RV Proctologist sign for cleaning out RV waste holding tanks

Time to dump your holding tanks? These guys come to you!

Coffee Wagon in Quartzsite Arizona

A welcome sight in the morning

Adult Day Care Quartzsite Arizona

A popular spot in the afternoon!

Firewood for sale in Quartzsite Arizona

These folks sell the healthiest firewood on the planet!

In town, vendors were selling all kinds of things that would appeal to anyone living in a rolling home…and then some!

RV gear shops in Quartzsite Arizona

Lots of goodies for sale

But there were some startling differences in Quartzsite this year too.

As we drove through the desert boondocking areas we know and love north of town, there were a lot fewer rigs than in past winters, perhaps just 10% to 20% of what we saw a few years ago.

We used to see huge RV rallies in the desert too.

In the past, we would always tuck ourselves in between the massive Montana fifth wheel rally, where dozens of Montana owners circled the wagons around a huge campfire, and the Alpine Coach rally where we sometimes saw members enjoying catered meals along with movies displayed on a big outdoor screen by their communal campfire. Across the road, we used to wander around the Safari motorhome rally, admiring the unique paintings of wild animals that adorned the back of each rig.

These informal gatherings were always held in the same place in the desert, but this year, we didn’t see any of those rallies.

However, we did find a much bigger Arctic Fox rally than we ever remember seeing before, and we hooked up with our friends at the intimate Hitchhiker rally next door to the Arctic Foxes. With our new-to-us Arctic Fox camper and our many fond memories of living in a Hitchhiker fifth wheel, we felt right at home parking between the two groups!

Just like the rather deserted desert boondocking areas outside of town, many RV parks in town had a lot of vacancies.

Vacant RV park in Quartzsite Arizona

An RV park on the main drag in town was empty

There wasn’t just a lack of RVers, though. The number and types of vendors was diminished too. In the past, RV dealerships from Arizona and California set up temporary lots on all the major roads through Quartzsite, and they were filled to the brim with new and used RVs.

This year we could find only three RV dealerships selling RVs from temporary lots, two in town and a third inside the RV show grounds.

All over town, the temporary RV dealership lots that used to be overflowing with rigs now stood vacant, many with locked gates and a sign indicating which dealership operated that lot.

World Wide RV Vacant Lot Quartzsite Arizona 2

Full of RVs in other years, the World Wide RV lot was empty in 2022

Despite the lack of RVs for sale as well the big reduction in the number of RVers staying in Quartzsite this year, we’ve seen reports that RV manufacturing has been absolutely booming. According to the RV Industry Association (RVIA), in 2021, a total of 600,240 new units were shipped, a 19% increase over the previous record of 504,599 units set back in 2017. After our visit to Quartzsite, we learned that RV shipments in January 2022 set a record too.

Apparently, despite that enormous increase in supply, the RV manufacturers aren’t keeping pace with demand.

Last summer, we visited an RV dealership selling Momentum toy haulers and were told they were not selling any units off the lot because they weren’t sure they could get replacement units to put on display for future customers. All new Momentum sales at that dealership were by pre-order only.

The same has been true with diesel truck dealerships. Most dealerships in our area have no diesel truck inventory on display and are selling new trucks by pre-order only. If a rare new one that isn’t already spoken for arrives at their lot, they price it at $5,000 over MSRP.

Of course, things change in the blink of an eye and the RV industry has always been cyclical. At the time we made this trip to Quartzsite in late January, we were paying around $3.69 a gallon for diesel fuel. Now, in late March, it is $4.99 a gallon. Although lots of people still want to get out and travel after having to stay home during the pandemic, this jump in fuel prices might discourage buyers from getting a new RV.

La Mesa RV Vacant Lot Quartzsite Arizona

It was a shock to see the La Mesa RV lot completely empty. We remember fun free pancake breakfasts in their lot in other years

Whatever the causes and ramifications of the small turnout in Quartzsite in 2022 might be, we started calling this year’s edition “Quartzsite Lite.”

There were certain advantages to attending Quartzsite Lite, however. For one thing, parking was a cinch. Unlike past years where traffic was heavy and parking was difficult, traffic this year was minimal and we were able to park with ease right next to the show grounds.

As always, the Quartzsite Gem Show was in full swing at the same time as the RV show, and we admired the many fabulous and enormous crystals and gem stones that were on display.

Amethysts on display at the Quartzsite Arizona Gem Show

There was a big table full of pretty amethyst crystals at the Gem Show

Herkimer Diamonds booth at Quartzsite Arizona Gem Show

Herkimer diamonds! There’s a great mine in New York where rockhounds hunt for these stones

Inside the RV show we saw many familiar vendors, including the homemade ice cream vendor. A little further on, we saw a booth selling New England lobster quesadillas!

Homemade ice cream booth at Quartzsite Arizona RV Show

Homemade ice cream – yum!

Lobster Quesadilla booth at Quartzsite Arizona RV trade show

Flown to the Sonoran Desert from the Atlantic Ocean.

Under the Big Tent we stopped by the Escapees booth to say hello and then chatted with some folks in a nearby booth promoting UTV trails in Utah. A salesman representing an RV resort in a northern state told me they came to Quartzsite looking for workcampers for the upcoming summer. He was thrilled that they filled all their positions by the third day of the RV Show! So, even with a lot fewer attendees and vendors, the companies looking to hire RVers and the RVers looking for work were still happily finding each other.

One unusual surprise was that several vendors advertised they were accepting payment in crypto currency.

Quartzsite Arizona Crypto currency accepted

Crypto currency has made it to Quartzsite!

Quartzsite Arizona Crypto Accepted

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One thing that we always love at the Quartzsite RV show is all the dogs being wheeled about in strollers, and there were quite a few!

Quartzsite Arizona Puppy in a stroller

Quartzsite is a magnet for pups in strollers!

Quartzsite Arizona Dogs in a stroller

Pampered pooch

Quartzsite Arizona Dogs in a stroller

Two-in-one!

The dogs that walk the show on their own four paws have to contend with a sea of knees and ankles, but Buddy was a trooper. While we and everyone else had all eyes on the vendors and their wares, the dogs had all eyes on each other!

Quartzsite Arizona RV trade show in the Big Tent

There were plenty of people, but we all had room to breathe as we shopped.

Fortunately, just like the light traffic in the streets, there was light traffic inside the Big Tent too. Unlike past years, we didn’t have to shuffle cheek-by-jowel at a snail’s pace and instead could walk easily up and down the aisles.

Even though the predominant hair colors you see on the people who hang around Quartzsite are white and gray (with a few dying their hair shades of blonde and brown), there was a very hip poodle in attendance whose fashion sense leaned towards much more showy colors. She sported a bright pink tail!

Poodle with a pink tail

The Quartzsite crowd prefers gray hair over pink, but this poodle dared to be different!

Each year it seems that many vendors at Quartzsite gravitate to one new product or another. In past years LED lights were all the rage. This year it was lithium batteries. It seemed there was a lithium battery vendor on every corner.

Quartzsite Arizona Lithium battery sales booth

A variety of lithium battery brands seemed to be everywhere.

We always get smitten by some product or another, and this year we fell for two products.

First was the Mr. Sticky pet fur roller (available here). It is a roller with a long handle that you dip in water to activate its stickiness. Once it is wet, you roll it on any fabric or carpet that has pet fur on it and magically the roller pulls all the fur off. We were fascinated, and even though the vendor insisted we had to buy all three styles of roller and not just one, we’ve ended up loving them all and we use them on our fluffy comforter all the time (it is one of Buddy’s favorite napping places).

Quartzsite Arizona Mr. Sticky pet fur cleaning roller

These rollers work GREAT! Her demo was good but the proof was in our fur filled comforter at home.

The other product that caught our eye was the Siberia Spirit wool socks. The vendor was from Russia and the socks were fluffy, soft and warm. The overnight temps at Quartzsite were in the low 40s during our stay and these socks were just the thing to keep our tootsies warm.

I bought a pair of goat hair socks and Mark held one out for Buddy to smell. He was enchanted. He rubbed his face all over the sock, sniffing it and brushing his snout and ears on it over and over!

Siberia Spirit socks booth at Quartzsite Arizona RV show

Siberia Spirit – warm wool socks sold with a Russian accent!

Puppy rubs his face on goat hair socks

Buddy absolutely loved the pair made of goat’s wool that had fox faces like his on them.

For the past few years RVing has been making a big splash in the media, and sure enough, there was a fenced off Media Tent right outside the show grounds. They were filming The RVers / Aviators.

A huge poster warned that if you entered the fenced area you irrevocably granted the Producer permission to film and record you and to use that material for commercial purposes indefinitely!

Gosh, and here we thought Quartzsite was just a bunch of RVers casually living it up in the desert.

Public Filming Notice in Quartzsite Arizona

If you don’t want your likeness used commercially, steer clear!

Getting back out into the desert ourselves, we headed out with a friend on a 4×4 loop trail up on Plomosa Road. This was the first time we’d ever brought our RZR to Quartzsite and what a wonderful change of pace it was.

RZR ride in Quartzsite Arizona

The 4×4 trails in the area are wonderful.

Quartzsite Arizona On the trail with a RZR and ATV

We had a great ride with our friend Roy from the Hitchhiker rally

A saguaro cactus in the desert near Quartzsite Arizona

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There are a ton of trails in the desert, some well worn and others seldom used. We had to consult the map to stay on track!

Quartzsite Arizona ATV trail

Some trails are small and others are very large and well traveled.

Quartzsite Arizona checking the map on an ATV ride

The guys had to check the map to see where the heck we were!

In one area there were plush sand dunes. The wind made wonderful patterns in the sand and Buddy loved romping around in it. We also found open mines all over the place. Lots of these old mines have been fenced off by the Bureau of Land Management so people don’t accidentally fall in, but this one was wide open.

Quartzsite Arizona sand dunes

The sand had beach-like wind patterns.

Open mine in the desert in Quartzsite Arizona

There were many open mine shafts. Mark dropped a rock into this one and it took a long time to land!

RZR UTV trail in Quartzsite Arizona

We saw a few other UTVs and ATVs on the trails and even crossed paths with a group from Salome.

One of the best things in Quartzsite is the vivid sunsets that fill the wide open sky, and we were lucky to catch a really vivid one.

Quartzsite Arizona sunset

A classic Arizona sunset!

We had a lot of fun going to Quartzsite this year, even though many things were dramatically different from past years. But that’s the unpredictable way of life.

Hopefully, when we drop by Quartzsite in the future, we’ll no longer call it Quartzsite Lite because it will be Quartzsite Full Strength once again!

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References:

Our experiences Quartzsite through the years:

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Greetings! Long Time No See!!

Posted on by
58

OMG, it has been a full year since I posted anything here.

In years past, I wouldn’t have dreamed of leaving this website untouched for more than a week, and now 85 weeks have gone by since I published articles here on a regular basis!

Don’t look too closely…I’m afraid cobwebs are growing on the edges of these pages. And I’m sure many of you who signed up for our newsletter during our silence are reading this wondering who we are and why you got an email linking to this post. I hope you’ll stick with us!

We are alive and well

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THANK YOU FOR REACHING OUT TO US

We’d like to say a most heartfelt “thank you” to the many kind people who have reached out to us during the past year to see if we are still “alive and well,” as I last reported. Your concern has touched us deeply and we really appreciated hearing from you.

Pink Rose blossom

Thank you!

The answer is still a resounding “YES!” We are indeed alive and well, and we feel blessed beyond belief to tell you that our life’s journey has taken us down a new and exciting path.

We are doing just fine even though we’ve been in hiding for a while!

As happens when choosing a new direction at any fork in the road, certain doors have closed behind us as we embark on this new trail, but other wonderful new doors are opening wide ahead of us.

WHAT ABOUT COVID?

Like everyone, our jaws dropped clear to the ground as world events began to unfold at the beginning of 2020, and like so many, our jaws are still that way a year and a half later.

We have been extremely fortunate to have spent the intervening time in a corner of the planet that has been relatively untouched by draconian rules. For the most part, life has been quite normal for us in terms of personal restrictions, personal freedoms and personal relations.

Masked Moon

Masked Moon

We haven’t been untouched by the disease, however. Although for the first 10 months we didn’t know anyone who caught the virus, we lost our beloved friend and first RVing mentor in Montana over Christmas.

At 86, he had the unfortunate underlying condition of Valley Fever lung disease when Covid caught up with him, battled him for his life, and eventually overtook him. We miss his good humor and his gentle, noble soul immensely.

Three other friends and family members around the country also got severe cases that ravaged them for two to four weeks or longer. They were all middle aged and in good shape beforehand, and thankfully, all have recovered.

To say that we feel blessed to have been spared so far is an understatement.

A FORK IN THE ROAD

So, what have we been doing, besides not blogging?

In a nutshell, we put down roots, sold the fifth wheel and bought a truck camper for summer travel.

Trail scout

Our little Trail Scout, Buddy, leads us down a new path

This wasn’t quite as surprising a turn of events as it may seem at first glance. A variation on this theme had been in the works for us since the Spring of 2019.

As you may know, we had leased out our previous home during our traveling years.

That home was a fabulous rental, but it was a home we never really liked living in ourselves. We knew when we pulled out of the driveway for the last time and ventured into our new traveling lifestyle in 2007 that we’d never move back in.

Rain clouds at sunset

Change in the air

So, we decided two years ago that it was time to sell the rental and buy a different rental that we liked enough to move into seasonally or perhaps permanently “someday.” Certainly we wouldn’t do that NOW, of course! We’d just lease it out and keep traveling until “that day” came, many years down the road.

We sold our old place a week before the disease hit our shores, and then, unexpectedly, the real estate market took off into the stratosphere in a parabolic upswing that has never let up! Holy smokes!

Suddenly, properties that had been affordable eight months earlier were now out of sight for us. How discouraging!

The last time that had happened, in 2005-07, we had thrown up our hands and jumped into an RV to start traveling full-time!

What kind of hat trick could we pull this time?

Lightning bolt across the sky horizontally

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Eventually, we gave up on the idea of finding anything in the areas where we wanted to buy, and we headed out for our usual summer travels in Cool North Country as the pandemic settled in for what became a very long stay.

At that moment, though, we figured we’d let some time pass and let the world and the real estate market get back to normal.

Columbine flower

This pretty columbine flower is oblivious to the foibles of human economies

Somewhere along the way, we stopped in a small town to do our laundry, looked around and said, “What a cool area!”

This has been one of our favorite sayings over the years as we have traveled from one cool place to the next.

As a lark, we checked for properties online, and lo and behold, there was our dream home staring at us. It had been on the market for two hours.

Puppy running

Weeeeeee!

NEW BEGINNINGS

We knew within a few days of putting it in escrow that we would not be renting it out to anyone. We loved it and we couldn’t imagine anyone living in it but ourselves. Neither of us had ever owned a home that we truly loved. What a heavenly feeling that was!

As with everything great in our lives, the most important detours and unexpected turns have come to us on their own, unplanned and uninvited and yet totally appropriate and natural when they appeared.

We knew that by saying “hello” to this home we would be saying “goodbye” to a lifestyle we had cherished.

We realized that finding our dream home meant the end of our nomadic lifestyle even though the timing was some 10 to 15 years earlier than we’d ever expected it to be. But it just felt right to make this change, dramatic as it was.

Desert oasis on the river

This huge decision involved a lot of inner reflection about our life’s dreams

On the practical side, to go from a furnished and fully equipped 350 square foot fifth wheel to an unfurnished home with gaping empty rooms was quite a shock.

The long long long hot showers were a blissful change from all those years of one gallon showers while boondocking or anchoring out. But, believe me, setting up housekeeping from scratch during a pandemic when absolutely everything from furniture to tools is out of stock is quite an experience.

Pink sunrise

Sunrise brings a new day

When we’d left to begin our full-timing travel adventures, we’d kept our memorabilia, photo albums and bicycles, and nothing else. Those few things had all fit easily into a 5′ x 11′ shed in a friend’s yard.

Now, in our new non-mobile lifestyle, we suddenly needed all those other things that go with living in a stick-built home…except for the simple kitchenware, clothes and tools that we already had in our fifth wheel.

Puppy in snowjacket in the snow

We had the clothes on our backs and the goodies in our trailer, but a stick-built home requires more than that!

After we moved in, a friend peeked in the walk-in closet that held two weeks’ worth of clothes on two shelves — our standard for the last 13 years — and he said with a smirk, “You don’t have many clothes!”

Truth was, we didn’t have much of anything!

Craigslist became our go-to resource for almost everything. Swap meets and yard sales rounded out our shopping destinations. As for anything new, if we could find what we wanted in stock anywhere, which was rare, it was only available in pea green with pink trim, or in a mustard yellow plaid pattern, or something along those lines.

But the thrill of starting a new chapter was deeply fulfilling. It felt so good in the midst of the world losing its mind to be able to gather ours together, shut everything out, and bury ourselves in fun new home projects.

Happy camper sitting by a creek

Finding peace in our own little world away from the world

Where our lives before had been one continuous sightseeing photography tour for 13 straight years (a shopkeeper in Mexico had told us we were “Professional Tourists”), suddenly our hands were dirty all day every day as we painted, nailed and sanded things and dug into the soil to nurture plants and flowers that held the promise of a stationary future.

Lantana flower

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Desert willow flower

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We slept on the floor for weeks waiting for a new mattress to arrive, and we sat in folding camping chairs or on pillows on the floors inside each room for months.

But we didn’t care. We felt like newlyweds just starting out! We were loving life and we were oh, so happy.

Playful puppy in the snow

Loving life!

SELLING AND BUYING RVs

One day a friend of a friend passed word to us that he was looking for a good quality fifth wheel to live in at his property. We hadn’t intended to sell ours just yet, but suddenly, our home of a dozen years was gone, headed towards the horizon to become home-sweet-home for someone else.

After a pang of sadness at seeing it go, we jumped online and began looking for truck campers. What a blast!!

2005 Arctic Fox 860 truck camper on 2016 Dodge Ram dually truck

Hmmm…this could be fun!!

All the anguish we had felt for the final few years of our travels as we’d weighed which kind of fifth wheel or toy hauler to buy to replace our aging rolling home completely evaporated as we dove into the idea of traveling in a nimble little truck camper with our RZR in tow right behind. No more triple-towing! No 44′ long toy hauler to haul around!

Mark soon found a truck camper on Craigslist that was just what we wanted. It is a 2005 Arctic Fox 860 (almost identical to the modern Arctic Fox 811 model but six inches shorter). It had been garage kept and rarely used since it was new. It looked great and all the systems worked.

2005 Arctic Fox 860 truck camper and Polaris RZR 900

Our 2005 Arctic Fox 860 truck camper is a breeze for our 2016 Ram dually to carry, and the 2017 Polaris RZR 900 is easy to tow behind on its little flatbed trailer

LOOKING BACK

Although our blog went dark for 19 months, I kept writing for the RV industry magazines. Seven of our photos appeared on RV magazine covers and another six appeared in artsy wall calendars (2020 and 2021).

With each article I wrote, our astonishing experiences came alive in my mind once again, and I marveled at what a fabulous adventure our wandering lifestyle had been.

Escapees Apr-May 2021 Cover copy

Stars swirl above us on the Escapees RV Club magazine cover for March/April 2021. During our blogging blackout we published many magazine articles, covers and commercial wall calendar photos

Mark and I find ourselves reminiscing all the time now.

Whenever we go back through our hundreds of thousands of photos to find a particular image for someone, we get lost in our recollections and take four times as long as necessary to find whatever we’re looking for because the photos tell a steady stream of vivid stories.

We thank God every single day for the life changing experiences we had and for the window of opportunity that appeared in our lives at just the right time in 2007.

Stellar's Jay on picnic table

In our traveling life we could land anywhere.

We were the right age, we were overflowing with curiosity, and we had limitless faith that our Big Adventure would prove to be the best years of our lives.

Every aspect of our lives up until the moment we departed had led us to and prepared us for the incredibly free-spirited years that unfolded before us on the road.

It was a beautiful life of total freedom and wonder that just isn’t possible when you are rooted in place by a stick-built home.

Ocotillo flowers in bloom

The sky was the limit

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED – DREAMS FULFILLED

One thing that neither of us anticipated at all, though, was the sudden bittersweet feelings of sadness mixed with joy that overwhelmed us as we opened the door to this exciting new phase of life.

The heartache wasn’t due to ending our travels but was due to what was silently implied by having completed a lifelong dream and checked it off of our Big Life List.

With a shock we realized we’d had a huge dream, had chased it down for all we were worth, and had fulfilled it more brilliantly than we ever imagined we could, completing what we’d set out to do with more flair and greater depth and beadth than either of us had ever thought possible.

Puppy running in the snow

We had chased our dreams for all they were worth

Yet now our biggest dream to date has been completely fulfilled — and then some. It is behind us and can’t be called a “dream” any more.

Instead, we have transformed our greatest dream into a cherished memory and integrated it into the very fabric of our souls.

Most shocking, though, is admitting that now a big chunk of life is behind us. There’s a tangible wistfulness that goes with that.

Sunset

The sun sets in a glorious spray of color across the sky

Where all those years have gone is a mystery, but there is no denying that the wet-behind-the-ears 47 and 53 year olds who drove off into the sunset full of wide eyed anticipation in a 27 foot travel trailer are now a pair of travel-seasoned 61 and 67 year olds whose memories are brimming with fantastic travel stories and whose understanding of the world around them has been vastly enriched.

Purple cactus flowers

A prickly, thorny cactus welcomes Spring with big beautiful purple flowers

Recently, the new RV Magazine (which is a combination of the former Trailer Life and Motorhome magazines) asked me to write an article on the theme of “Life Advice from Seasoned RVers” for their August 2021 issue.

I’m certainly not comfortable dispensing Life Advice to the world at large, but I took the assignment as an opportunity to express how important it is to uncover your innermost dreams and then do all you can to make them come true.

In a world where we all find ourselves saying, “Who Moved My Cheese?” over and over, month after month, as things get crazier and crazier around us, it is more important than ever to keep our most cherished dreams in the front of our minds while holding faith deep in our hearts that we can make them come true somehow.

Ponderosa pine tree forest

It is easy to lose sight of the whole forest of Life for the abundance of individual trees unless you spend time with your dreams and envision yourself living them until you find a way to make them come true.

As Escapees RV Club co-founder Kay Peterson once wrote, “If you don’t fulfill your dreams now, when will you?”

And as Mike Mitchell, CEO of NuWa (the Hitchhiker fifth wheel manufacturer), once wrote on his company’s owners’ forum back in 2008 when the RV industry was starting a years-long nosedive into near oblivion (paraphrasing): People who have dreamed for years of traveling in an RV during retirement are not going to abandon that dream just because of a bad economy or faililng RV industry. They’ll adjust the dream so they can still live it.

Our dreams are still unfolding and we hope our little truck camper will bring us new pleasures that we can share with you. Our first few forays have been eventful and rewarding.

In the meantime, thank you for being a part of our journey. What a ride!

Rainbow over the landscape

A promise of beautiful things to come

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A Hawaii Vacation!

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October 2019 – Sometimes we get a little busy in our full-time traveling lives, and not all of our adventures make it onto the pages of this website. That’s how it was in the spring of 2017 when we were still posting our photos of our mind-blowing trip to Thailand and Cambodia even as we hopped on a plane to Hawaii.

Hawaii Vacation on Oahu

A wonderful tropical vacation on Oahu!

Once we got back to the mainland after reveling in the Hawaiian tropics for a week, we dashed off in our RV in such a flurry of excitement that we never even mentioned our Hawaii trip on this blog (although we did later publish an article about it in the Nov/Dec 2018 issue of Escapees Magazine!).

View of Waikiki from Diamond Head Oahu Hawaii-min

View of Waikiki from Diamond Head on Oahu

So, this week, as we embark on a little blogging vacation, it seemed fitting to share our pics and stories from this classic vacation destination!

View of Waikiki from Diamond Head Oahu Hawaii-min

Waikiki

We stayed on Oahu right in the thick of it all next to Waikiki Beach. There is nothing like getting off of a long plane ride and moments later strolling along a tropical beach!

Waikiki Beach Oahu Hawaii-min

Waikiki Beach is a short trip from the airport!

Waikiki Beach Oahu Hawaii-min

Waikiki Beach.

Our hotel room at the Sheraton was just steps away from the beach, many stories up in the air, with a balcony that hung out over the inviting pool far below.

Swimming pool Waikiki Oahu Hawaii-min

A palm tree’s shadow fills the water in the pool below our balcony

Waikiki is a bustling tourist city of high rises. There is a special beauty along the waterfront at night, and we discovered wonderful pockets of tranquility tucked away in quiet corners during the day.

Waikiki at night

Night lights.

Palm trees at sunset in Waikiki

Palm trees and volleyball at sunset.

Hawaii palm trees-min

Relaxing.

On other parts of Oahu, away from the urban hustle and bustle, we found remote beaches that were pounded by wild seas. As we strolled along the water’s edge, the seething surf crashed so hard the ocean had dug deep valleys in the sand.

Surf on Oahu in Hawaii

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Surf's up in Hawaii

Surf’s up!

Beautiful beach north side of Oahu Hawaii-min

Vivid turquoise waves carved patterns in the sand.

Everything about Hawaii is tropical, from exotic flowers to familiar birds dressed in fabulously outrageous outfits.

Flower Oahu Hawaii-min

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Red crested cardinal Oahu Hawaii-min

A red crested cardinal

A hike up Diamond Head gave us incredible views of the city and a wonderful glimpse of Diamond Head Lighthouse far below.

Diamond Head Lighthouse Oahu Hawaii-min

Looking down on Diamond Head Lighthouse

Our favorite spot was Hanauma Bay State Park where a crescent bay embraced a vibrant reef system soaked in warm, shallow turquoise water.

Hanauma Bay State Park Oahu Hawaii-min

Hanauma Bay State Park

Hanauma Bay State Park Oahu Hawaii-min

The brown patches are a coral reef that’s teeming with tropical fish

We rented some snorkeling gear and waded in from the beach!

Snorkeling Hanauma Bay State Park Oahu Hawaii-min

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We had done a lot of snorkeling on our sailing cruise of Mexico’s Pacific Coast and we’ve both snorkeled quite a bit in the Caribbean on various bareboat charters and commercial cruises. We also had a great snorkeling adventure in Thailand. But the variety of fish here at Hanauma Bay may have been the best of all!

Fish light Hanauma Bay State Park Oahu Hawaii-min

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Reef fish Hanauma Bay State Park Oahu Hawaii-min

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Tropical fish Hanauma Bay State Park Oahu Hawaii-2-min

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Colorful fish Hanauma Bay State Park Oahu Hawaii-min

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Spotted fish Hanauma Bay State Park Oahu Hawaii-min

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Tropical fish Hanauma Bay State Park Oahu Hawaii-min

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Many of the fish swam alone, but when we turned a corner around a coral head, we found ourselves in the middle of a huge school of fish!

Reef fish Hanauma Bay State Park Oahu Hawaii-min

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Years ago when we were sailing Mexico’s Costalegre (which cruisers have nicknamed the Gold Coast), we’d visited the aptly named (and little visited) Paraiso anchorage and seen a school of tiny fish that was so massive we thought it was some sort of rock or sea grass darkening the sandy bottom. At the time, we were scouting out spots to drop the anchor, so what a shock it was when this huge dark patch on the sand moved away!!

Back in Hanauma Bay, once the wall of fish parted and let us through, we saw a parrot fish hanging out with his pretty little orange buddy.

Hawaii Parrot fish and friend Hanauma Bay State Park Oahu-min

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Parrot fish and friend Hanauma Bay State Park Oahu Hawaii-min

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Parrot fish and friend Hawaii Hanauma State Park-min

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Hawaii is one of those “you can’t go wrong” types of destinations. This wasn’t our first trip and it won’t be our last, but every visit is utterly unique. A trip to any part of Hawaii is a wonderful way to spend a week immersed in tropical beauty.

Hawaii 2017

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This website has been home to our travel stories and the tips we’ve learned about the sailing and RV lifestyles since we first created it while camping at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon back in the summer of 2008. Not only was that some 165,000 truck miles (or so) ago, but it was also long before we bought a sailboat and cast off the lines to cruise the Pacific coast of Mexico!

Sailboat in Hawaii sunset-min

Hawaiian sunset.

We’ve had a lot of fun posting articles here ever since, producing new articles anywhere from 3 to 12 times a month. In the process we’ve created a travelogue and travel lifestyle resource for RVers and sailors of around 1,000 articles!

At long last we’ve decided to take a little blogging vacation. Among other things, during this time we’re going to revisit some of our older articles on here that are still read hundreds of times a day (even though they were first published as much as 10 years ago) to make sure they remain up to date.

If you’re on your way to the beautiful Sonoran Desert in Arizona with your RV for the winter, that’s where we’ll be. You’ll find dozens of articles on this site to give you ideas for places to go, things to do and sights to see in this rich desert landscape.

Click here for an index of all our Arizona travel articles.

Thanks for reading. Happy travels. Back soon!

RV under the Milky Way-min

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More info about these places:

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Tropical and Subtropical Destinations in Mexico
Tropical cruising – What to expect! and How to plan!

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Williams, Arizona – Home of the Grand Canyon Railway!

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October 2019 – We have spent a lot of time in the neighborhood of Grand Canyon National Park this year, and in recent days while traveling with our RV along I-40, we paid a visit to Williams, Arizona, the Gateway to the Grand Canyon.

Williams Arizona Gateway to the Grand Canyon-min

Welcome to Williams!

Williams lies at the junction of I-40 and the road that leads to the popular South Rim of the Grand Canyon, so its “gateway” claim is well deserved. But it is also a Route 66 town and was the last town on Route 66 to be bypassed by I-40.

But perhaps it is most well known and beloved for the Grand Canyon Railway, a train ride that starts in Williams and goes through ponderosa pine forests before arriving at Grand Canyon’s South Rim.

Trains cars on the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams Arizona-min

Williams is the home of the Grand Canyon Railway

Mark and I took this delightful train ride nearly 20 years ago as a weekend getaway and loved every minute of it. So, on this trip we wandered down to the train depot to see the train off one morning.

Railroad crossing Williamd Arizona 2-min

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The trees were changing color and the daytime temps were pretty cool. Overnight temps in the area were in the low to mid 20s, and we were glad to have our trusty blue flame heater keeping us warm in our rig.

Fall colors in Williams Arizona-min

Fall was in the air!

The Grand Canyon Railway ride is a great family outing, and the train trip is popular in every season. The ride is especially popular with kids, and there are tons of family amusements all around the depot to keep everyone entertained while waiting for the 9:30 departure each morning.

With Halloween around the corner, the whole area was decorated with pumpkins and ghoulish goodies.

Ticket booth in Williams Arizona at Grand Canyon Railway-min

The ticket booth was decorated for Halloween!

We had fun taking photos of each other with the many props.

Corpse in a coffin at Grand Canyon Railway on Halloween-min

There are all kinds of fun things to keep passengers entertained while they wait for the train!

Pumpkin man and puppy-min

Buddy checks out Mr. Pumpkinhead!

Buddy saw Mark posing as Mr. Pumpkinhead and he wanted to join in the fun too. He spotted a circus lion cutout and wanted to poke his nose through!

Puppy dreams of being a lion-min

Puppy chow!

Suddenly we heard the distant rumble of a train and we looked up to see a Grand Canyon Railway train rumbling down the tracks.

Grand Canyon Railway train arrives in Williams AZ-min

The train arrives at the depot

The train essentially backed into place with the conductor at one end and the engineer at the other. The engineer gave us a wave and then climbed down out of the train.

Train engineer on Grand Canyon Railway Williams Arizona-min

The train’s engineer waves to us.

Train engineer climbs out of Grand Canyon Railway train car-min

It’s a long way down!

The Grand Canyon Railway has been in operation for all but 20 years since 1901. Back when it opened, the fare was $3.95 which was a whole lot cheaper than the alternative $15 stagecoach ride to the South Rim from Flagstaff. It was probably a whole lot more comfortable too!

Sunset Cafe train car on Grand Canyon Railway in Williams Arizona-min

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We walked along the train cars and were astonished to count twelve of them. Could that many people be taking the train to the Grand Canyon on a Tuesday morning in October? We sure didn’t see that many people around.

There were lots of fun references to train travel around the depot grounds, and we noticed a park bench made from two train wheels. After staring at the park bench we had to check out the real wheels on the train cars. Who’d ever think of recycling old train wheels to be park benches? Very cool!

Park bench made from train wheels Williams Arizona-min

This fun park bench was made from train wheels…

Train undercarriage Grand Canyon Railway-min

…so we had to run back and see what the train wheels look like when they’re on the train!

Suddenly we heard a loud train horn blast. Buddy jumped and so did we!

Horns on train car 239 Williams Arizona Grand Canyon Railway-min

Those horns could really let out a blast!

As we walked along the train platform we noticed a large group of people gathered at the far end. As we got closer we realized they were gathered on the edge of an old western town.

Crowd gathers at old west gunfight-min

There was a crowd gathered by a mock-up of an old frontier town.

We stood on our tiptoes and peeked between everyone. To our surprise a midget cowboy was expertly twirling a rope getting ready to lasso someone or something.

Roping

He could really make it spin!

Then we heard a shot, and the midget was on the ground!

Gunfight at the saloon in Williams AZ-min

Uh oh… it’s a shoot out!

We noticed a cowboy reaching for his gun and then there were some more shots and some more cowboys fell to the ground.

Reaching for his gun-min

Watch out!

Old west gunfight Williams AZ 2-min

Two down…

Old west gunfight Williams AZ 3-min

Oh dear, now they’re all dead.

The crowd laughed and applauded and then slowly made its way to the waiting train. A gal walking next to me said, “That was fun to see here, but I hope they don’t do it on the train!”

I just smiled. Back when Mark and I had taken this train all those years ago there was a holdup in the middle of the woods, complete with horseback riders rushing the train and forcing it to stop. The cowboys had jumped off their horses and run through the train cars making quite a commotion!

Tourists line up to take the train at Grand Canyon Railway in Williams Arizona-min

Everyone made their way to the train platform.

As the passengers filed onto the train we chatted a little bit with the conductor, Bernie. He said today’s train was a small one with only about 500 or so passengers on it. On busy summer days the train would be about twice as long with 1,000 passengers on it.

Taking tickets at Grand Canyon Railway in Williams Arizona-min

.Lots of folks take overnight bags and spend a night at the rim.

During the holidays, from November 8th to January 4th this year, the Grand Canyon Railway runs the Polar Express train. Bernie said about 100,000 people, mostly kids of course, take that ride each year. Wow!!

In no time the train was full. As it pulled away from the depot, a small group of us on the platform waved and the people on the train waved back. We were all grinning. It might all sound a little hokey, but it was all a lot of fun even though we didn’t get on the train this time around.

Grand Canyon Railway train departs from Williams Arizona-min

The train heads off on its two hour journey to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

As we walked through the Grand Canyon Railway yard back into town we noticed a funny looking little train car on display. It was a Cog Railway train car that was used on the Pike’s Peak cog railway in Colorado.

It was tilted forward because it was designed to crawl straight up the mountain.

A few years ago we took the Mt. Washington Cog Railway train ride in New Hampshire up to the blustery tippy top of Mt. Washington in the White Mountains. It was a blast. Ever since then, the Pike’s Peak cog railway ride has been on our bucket list!

Cog railway car from Pike's Peak on display at Grand Canyon Railway in Williams Arizona-min

One of the old cog railway train cars from Pike’s Peak in Colorado.

After all this train excitement, Buddy said he wanted to go to the coffee shop. We’d been going to a really nice place on the main drag called Brewed Awakenings during our stay, and he excitedly led us right up to the back door.

Ready for a puppaccino at Brewed Awakenings in Williams Arizona-min

Buddy led us right to the back door of Brewed Awakenings.

Before my latte order had even been made, Buddy was quickly devouring his puppaccino (whipped cream in a bowl). Yum!

Puppy eats a puppaccino 2-min

Is there anything better than a puppaccino??

If you are traveling to the Grand Canyon and want to go to the heart of the South Rim’s historic Grand Canyon Village, the Grand Canyon Railway is a great way to go. Revived in 1989 after shutting down in 1968, the train has reduced the number of cars visiting the Grand Canyon by some 50,000 since it reopened!

Even if you don’t take the train ride, if your RV travels take you along I-40 in Arizona and you have a hankering to walk the pretty main street of a Route 66 town and join the excitement of the train’s daily departure, Williams makes a great stop!

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