IT’S TULIP TIME IN THE SKAGIT VALLEY!

Drink in the vibrant colors of the world’s largest tulip fields grown here in the Skagit Valley, located 1.5 hours north of Seattle.

According to the preservation group, Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland, the Skagit Valley has some of the most agriculturally productive and valuable farmland in the world—ranked in the top 2 percent of soils.

The Tulip Festival in April brings a warm welcome to the beginning of spring. It’s still chilly, so bundle up and don’t forget to bring your rubber gardening boots! The Skagit Valley Tulip Fesitval Bloom Map leads visitors to the outskirts of the fields, but to be fully immersed in tulip lingo, purchase a ticket to Roozengaarde or Tulip Town gardens for a full color experience.

Me and my cousin!

Hangry after walking acres and acres of tulip fields? La Conner is just 10 minutes away with eateries, shops, museums and art galleries. This historic picturesque small town is along the Swinomish Channel and is one of three waterways to the Puget Sound. It makes a nice romantic weekend getaway with small inns and Bed & Breakfasts.

Pick up a giant apple cinnamon roll from Calico Cupboard Cafe, or breathe in the channel’s water views with a platter of fish and chips on La Conner Pub’s patio.

20 minutes north of the tulip fields is the charming artist village of Edison. This cute hamlet has unique shops and eateries. On the Skagit Farm to Pint trail, Terramar Brewstillery brings visitors to Edison during beer festival season in April, October and November.

When driving through Edison, we always stop at Breadfarm for their scrumptious pastries, cookies and multigrain breads. Mondays are special days when the baker makes the best twice baked almond croissants west of the Cascades.

Slough Food serves refreshments, cured meats and cheese served on grandma’s collectible plates. Local cheese from mild to stinky, gooey soft to crumbly, is a great accompaniment with the beverage of the day. Behind the shop is a cute little sitting area with views of the slough. At first we detected a strong mulch/manure odor, but later confirmed with the waitress that during low tide, the muddy slough emits a pungent aroma. Note: The odors will fade after a few sips of hard cider 🙂

Strolling through Edison’s three block town is like going back in time where friendly staff (wearing tattoos and vintage garments) take the time to chat. A woodshop creating custom cabinets has a “free” scrap pile. T cannot resist picking up a few pieces for his next project.

Searching for fancier foods, and willing to drive 30 minutes from the tulip fields? Taylor Shellfish Farms will satisfy all of your mollusk cravings. This multi-generational family farm is tucked away off Hwy 11’s Chuckanut Scenic Drive. The farm produces the region’s oysters, clams, mussels and geoducks. Take a lesson on how to shuck your oysters, or have a staff shuck it, and savor these jewels on the picnic area overlooking Samish Bay.

The Skagit Valley is a rural gem in the rough, unknown to many visitors to the Pacific Northwest. Stay a few days to explore the Skagit Valley’s incredible natural beauty.

UTOPIA IN ROCKY MTN NP

Finally, the skies are clear to visit Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in north central Colorado. We thank the stars the park has been spared the devastation of wildfires this year. In 2020 over 30,000 acres, or 10% of the park burned from the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak wildfires.

RMNP has west and east entrances. We enter through the quieter west entrance near Grand Lake and travel east towards the busy Estes Park entrance.

Reservations are REQUIRED to enter the park. There are 2 types of timed entry:

1) General park entrance or

2) Bear Lake corridor entrance.

These only cost $2 and can be purchased on Recreation.gov. In addition, there’s a vehicle entrance fee of $35 (free with an American the Beautiful annual pass). We purchase both timed entries on separate days, while leaving the park for the evening to wild camp outside. The park service releases many timed entry slots at 5pm the day prior for the next day entrance, which is ideal for vanlifers.

Before entering the park, we stealth camp outside the west entrance at Grand Lake. This lake is the largest natural body of water in Colorado. iOverlander.com points us to a gravel parking lot behind the library, but upon arrival, the lot is torn up from construction! We ask a local for an alternative and he points us to the lake’s marina parking lot.

In the morning, taking advantage of the lakes beauty, I pull out Wonder’s floor mats and do a sunrise yoga session.

RMNP’s Trail Ridge Road leads drivers from Grand Lake to Estes Park for a distance of 48 miles. The Grand Lake entrance is eerily quiet and still. We are saddened to see the destruction of last years fires, but on the positive note, nature heals herself as we see greenery gently pushing through the charred landscape.

The Continental Divide is an amazing natural phenomena. It runs in a north-south direction through RMNP and divides the watershed flow. Water drainage west of the Divide flows west towards the Pacific Ocean and on the other side of the Divide, it flows east towards the Atlantic Ocean.

Trail Ridge Road leads to the Alpine Visitor Center at 11,796 ft elevation with epic views of the mountains. Since we’ve been at high altitude for over a week, there’s no need for canned oxygen!

It’s elk rutting season! Beginning Sept-Oct, some of the park roads will be closed after 5pm due to elk mating. Do not disturb nature!

Moose!!!

Elk grazing on Estes Park soccer field

An alluvial fan was created in the flood of 1982 after the Lawn Lake Dam gave way. A torrent of water, rocks, sand and silt rushed through this site leaving a triangle shape form of debris. This flood caused damage to the town of Estes Park with water levels rising above 5 ft and the lost of 3 lives.

The popular Bear Lake area requires a timed entry reservation to drive the corridor. Parking is extremely tight, so it’s recommended to take a shuttle from the Glacier Bay campground. Also from outside RMNP, free shuttles are available from the Estes Park Visitor Center with reservations.

Lovely Sprague Lake is a popular area for wildlife sightings. We saw a teenage elk wearing fuzzy antlers.

We love visiting our National Parks. On the trails most people say “Hi” or nod hello. There is no separation of color, beliefs or orientation here. We are all united and in tuned with nature.

Initially, we were discouraged by all their reservation requirements. Since RMNP is the 3rd most visited NP in the U.S., it actually makes sense to limit the number of visitors. Less visitors means more space to enjoy the scenery, plus with COVID, this keeps the park staff safe.

Since we did not do much serious hiking on this visit (D recuperating from achilles tendinitis), we definitely will have to revisit again to witness our little bit of Utopia!

Bird house at the Grand Lake Coffee Co.

A DAY AND LIFE OF A CAMPERVAN DRIVER

Ok, Dee has asked me to be a guest writer on her blog and I have agreed to try it out. I hope you find this short travel blog entertaining and educational. We purchased Wonder in October 2019 and in one year, we have travelled many miles. With our second year approaching we are on our third cross country trip.

The first question that I get a lot is, “how do you share the driving on the road”?  The easy answer is we don’t, I prefer to do 99 percent of all the cross country driving, because I’m scared of Dee’s driving in the fast lane on slow speeds, with cars and trucks tailgating us. I tend to drive only 3-4 hours a day, which is not a burden for me.  As you know, I’m a bit high strung and want to move to new locations every day.  Wonder is built without the use of solar panels, using the van’s alternator to recharge the additional two lithium ion batteries. Therefore moving to a new location is important to keep my additional RV batteries charged daily.

Many readers inquire about how we schedule our activities for the day.  It took a while for us to figure out when to do things on the road and what makes the most sense.  Our day begins by waking up without an alarm clock, instead from the sounds of chirping birds or from car doors slamming from our camper neighbors.  On some days, we enjoy waking up throughout the night by heavy rainfall on Wonder’s metal roof. It gets loud at times, but relaxing knowing that the days weather will be mild and comfortable.  We slowly wake up by checking our iPhones for current messages from family or friends and check the weather for the day.  Weather is very important for our travels, as you can imagine. We have postponed visits to national parks due to severe snow storms as well has torrential rain showers, making driving Wonder dangerous and unpleasant.

After getting up one at a time, (small interior space in the van) we brush our teeth, wash our face and comb our hair, while the other partner is making the full size bed, fluffing the pillows and straightening up Wonder’s small fifty square foot interior space. Next, we decide to either eat in or out for breakfast.  The breakfast decision really depends on a good breakfast place in a city.  Traveling across the US offers many opportunities to explore and more importantly invest in local coffee, bagel and/or bakery shops.  We both enjoy trying out hipster or hippy joints and talking to the locals to inquire about possible sites to visit for the day.

Dee is great on doing 100 percent of the planning and navigation.  The only drawback is Dee always includes daily excercise with either lap swims, running, hiking and a nearby free or cheap shower. We finally figured out showering at Planet Fitness in the evenings works the best.  Showering too early in the day, doesn’t work if it is humid.  After our showers, Dee prefers to blog a bit (2 hours plus) at times in the air conditioned Planet Fitness.  Therefore, I have to find something to do on my own.  I have One Wheeled in nearby parks, getting lost and not able to find Wonder a couple of times.  My routine now is to do coin laundry, gas up Wonder, self serve car washes or grocery shopping.  We try to eat healthy on the road and with the summer months frequently purchase fresh fruits and veggies from local farmer’s markets or many self-serve honesty veggie country road stands (no attendant to collect your money).  I often wonder why we don’t just walk with our coffees and bakery goods for our exercise.  Oh well, daily exercise keeps us healthy and keeps us eating what we want. 

We try our best to workout first in the morning, drive to a waterfront or riverfront park for coffee and then plan our day.  On this trip, we have visited 24 old friends and coworker’s for a meal or stayed overnight, therefore we have to stick to a schedule.  We are very fortunate to have many friend and co-workers who want to meet us for a meal and/or have generously offered us showers, air condition and time outside of Wonder.  We both enjoy the precious time we spend with friends and catching up with each other.  Believe it or not, my number one thing I miss being in Wonder all the time, is cooking and bbq’s for more than two people.  On the road, we tend to cook simple with the instant pot or buy heavy lunches to eat for lunch and dinner.  While staying overnight, some of our friends have allowed me to use their professional grade kitchens and bbq’s to prepare a nice home cooked meal.  I do miss cooking in a larger kitchen. Another item I miss is fishing. We have seen so many nice rivers, lakes and ponds that would have been crazy to fish at, however buying a State fishing license in every State we pass would not work out.

Currently we are waiting for Canada to open its borders with hopes to enter Canada thru Michigan’s border crossings soon. We will attempt to continue East toward Nova Scotia and then loop back Westward on Canada’s Transcontinental highway and enter back into the US at Vancouver’s boarder crossing.  Hope you enjoyed my driver’s input.  Take care all, T.

EVER BEEN IN A TROPICAL STORM?

Wonder stood her ground last night besides Old Country Buffet as tropical storm Elsa’s tail whipped her fury here in Rehoboth Beach, DE.

At midnight, tornado warning alerts appear. We’re the blue dot in the radar. Yikes!

Pummeling raindrops forces its way through Wonder’s opened ceiling fans. Shutting the lids tight only increases the heat in the van. It’s HOT!

With nothing to do but wait for the storm to pass, I read up on safety precautions. Keep cell phones and flashlights charged. Stay away from areas with flying debris (no trees or shopping carts in parking lot). Park next to solid structures (old Country Buffet). If indoors, go to basement (not possible). Stay away from heavy surge (we were 1 mile from the beach). Have extra water (we carry 10 gallons).

The weather icon on your phone is a good place to check the status of upcoming and passing storms. It shows warnings, updates and forecasts. At 1am the alerts change from tropical storm to tornado back to tropical storm.

With a sigh of relief, we fall back to sleep. Even the garbage trucks emptying Old Country Buffet’s dumpsters do not stir us awake.

Taking a drive down to the beach all looks normal except for branches on the road. Boardwalk merchants are opened for business, sun bathers stake their place in the sand, and the sun peeks through the clouds. Just another typical day on the shores of Rehoboth Beach.

THE VIRGINIA CREEPER

Sounds like a horror movie, but this is actually a National Recreation Trail. For 34 miles this gravel bike path winds it’s way over the hills of Virginia from Abington to Damascus to Whitetop Station. The trail was formerly the Virginia-Carolina railroad and nicknamed The Virginia Creeper because the early steam locomotives struggled slowly up the railroad’s steep grade. Virginia Creeper is also the name of a vine that grows wild in the area.

We did this in 3.5 hours! Actually we cheated. We took a shuttle from Damascus to Abington and bike rode the Virginia Creeper Trail downhill to Damascus, then jumped on shuttle #2 to White Top and had an exhilarating 1.5 hour downhill ride along Laurel creek back to Damascus. So basically, we shuttled up and rode down! Still, 34 miles is a lot to cover and our legs were sore! Definitely worth the ride. Some people break this up into 2 days with an overnight stay in Damascus, taking their time to make several stops along the trail to explore and picnic.

We highly recommend Bicycle Junction as your choice for bike rentals and transportation. Owner Adam Johnson is very friendly and helpful. Plus he recommended a wild camping spot for us in the Mount Rogers National Forest. He is not pushy like other outfitters and charges a fair price. Also, since his shop is the first business after coming downhill from Whitetop Station, you don’t have to bike through town to return your bike!

BIRTHPLACE OF FINGER LICKIN’ GOOD

We are excited to visit Corbin, Kentucky the location of the Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum and birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).

This is where it all began – Colonel Sanders’ secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices. My mouth is already watering just thinking of a bucket of extra crispy fried chicken. On the freeway, we see billboards advertising the cafe and museum. I’m so looking forward to seeing the kitchen, tin cans of herbs and spices and KFC memorabilia!

Along with a few other tourists, we arrive to an empty parking lot. With sad faces we peer inside the almost finished café museum. ☹ There are people inside the cafe, but not tourists. Management is placing the finishing touches on a renovation and did not update the website or billboards. In 1990 the site was designated a National Register of Historic Places, and is big draw for tourists to Corbin, KY.

The next best thing is to order “To Go” chicken sandwiches and enjoy them in the comfort of Wonder. We reminisce our childhood family discussions of “Which is better – white or dark meat?”

PARTING WORDS FROM ROAD TRIP #3

We are at the end of our 1 ½ month road trip to the Rocky Mountains and western Great Lakes states, and have gained a new appreciation for the great outdoors. We’ve created lasting memories of the people we’ve met and the sights seen.

In our travels, we try our best to hold true to our motto “Living More with Less”. With the exception of a few t-shirt souvenirs, our main expense is gas and groceries. In each state, Costco has the cheapest gas, and Walmart has the freshest produce. When possible, we try to stop at roadside farmer stands to help out the little guys. We used the Instant POT more and ate out less. For lodging, we averaged $2 per night! (5% paid campsite, 55% rest stop/Walmart, 40% free camping in National Forest)

Our daily routine is up at 7am, have our meals inside Wonder or at a park, search for facilities to dispose of gray water and toilet fluids, refill potable water containers, drive around 2-3 hours to a destination, exercise, drive another 1-2 hours to a camping spot, and in bed around 9pm to read or blog.

Our biggest worry at the beginning of this trip were showers, which became a non-issue since all of the Planet Fitness gyms outside of CA are opened, with strict mask policies. For those remote areas, the HDX pressure sprayer did the job.

Our Instant POT meals are a work in progress. From volcanic eruptions, to chicken explosions, we finally got the hang of it and can make a few tasty meals. We are lucky Wonder has a power outlet to plug in the POT. For those campers who don’t have a wired van, YETI has a portable power station battery that can work just as well.

So, farewell my friends, until we meet again on our next adventure! D&T

Two Harbors, MN

Beaver Creek NF, MT

Mesa Falls, ID

HUNTING FOR BEAR SPRAY

Glacier NP is home to both black and grizzly bears. On the trailhead are sign postings about bear safety, which includes carrying a canister of bear spray. Since we are recreating in bear country, we decide to step up our bear safety. The canister is lightweight and easy to hook onto a belt loop on the hip. Bear spray is not a guarantee to save lives, but may discourage a charging grizzly or black bear from attacking. The spray is pressurized, contains cayenne pepper and can shoot up to a distance of 32 feet for 7 seconds.

We first head to Cabela’s, similar to Bass Pro Shops, a toy stores for big boys. See blog post Over the Top with Bass Pro Shops. The young fella behind the counter tells us they carry 2 canisters for $74, but if we are looking for 1 canister, to try the Super One 24 Hr grocery store. He says, “They sell bear spray and ammo”. Seriously, bullets for sale in a grocery store? Of course, this is Montana! We go to Super One 24 Hr and they say “Nope, use to carry it, but no longer, check out Walgreens”. We go to Walgreens, and the lady behind the counter remarks, “No, we’ve never carried bear spray, try Sportsman”. As a last try, we head to Sportsman, and… bingo! For $39, we buy another 7 seconds of safety during a grizzly bear encounter. Let’s hope we’ll never need to empty the canister!

Besides, the spray and a whistle, it’s a good idea to also wear jingle bells to warn our furry friends in advance that we are nearby.

The prize, after 4 tries!

1st time on the hip

Bear ready

WONDER V2.0 – OUR CLEAN, LEAN DRIVING MACHINE

On our 3^rd road trip we visit the Rocky Mountain and western Great Lake states. Our travels are dictated by the weather. Up north in the high mountain range, temps are in the comfortable 70’s and 80’s. Summer is the perfect time to enjoy the crystal clear lakes overflowing with this year’s snow melt. Wonder is ready for more adventures with 5 new modifications to make life just a tad more comfortable. T calls his build out “clean” because he designed the interior to be lightweight, which saves on gas mileage and makes everything less complicated. He’s pretty good at solving problems. If there’s a need, there’s a fix!

MOD1: The mod we are most excited about is the shower! With the nation’s Planet Fitness gym closed, T found a clever work around. Our shower is a brand new 2 gallon HDX all-purpose pump sprayer, rigged with a kitchen sink attachment spray and hose. Works like a charm and can be easily stowed away. Water can be found at most National and State Parks, or visitor centers with a water hose bib. Before bootlegging H2O, pick up a Water Bandit and 4 Way Sillcock Key at Home Depot to help open the spout.

On shower days, we prop Wonder’s back doors open, jump into our swimsuits and spray down, like washing the dog. When a spray down, or dip in the lake just doesn’t do the job, iOverlanders.com (a vanlifer’s online bible) can help a stinky vanlifer find the nearest shower. Surprisingly a few laundry mats have coin operated showers. $3 bucks for 5 minutes gets us squeeky clean and ready for the road.

That water is cold!

Squeeky clean

Works pretty good!

Bootlegging tools

Biodegradable Castile soap

Option B-laundrymat shower

MOD2: The outlet plug for appliances is now working with a new device that converts 12v dc to 110v. I can charge my laptop in a snap, brew a Cup of Joe, and whip up an instant meal with our new Instant Pot, anywhere, anytime on the road.

Fully charged at 13.1 volts

Chili ready!

Old school

MOD3: An additional 3rd ceiling fan has been installed for more airflow on those hot summer nights.

MOD4: A string of lights brightens the underbed storage area. There’s no more digging through darkness to retrieve our clean clothes. Turn on the lights and there’s a party over here!

MOD5: Do NOT Marie Kondo the kids’ jr. high school folding locker shelf that was sitting in the Goodwill pile. Modify it to serve as a center console table. (to store iPhones, snacks, glasses, etc) Clever! Yes girls, Dad is sometimes right! 😉

THE ACCIDENTAL HITCHHIKER

We’re back home after 3 weeks on the road. Wonder made it home safely, the house is still standing and the dog didn’t run away. 🙂 Our routine when returning home is to first find a self service car wash that can fit Wonder’s 10 ft clearance. Then, we unload everything and dump it in front of the garage, sort through garbage and dirty laundry, empty out the compost toilet and put things away.

This trip we picked up an accidental hitchhiker. (see A Volcanic Legacy post) While unpacking we discovered a surprise. Someone bit a hole in my apple! Didn’t realize it was a little critter until I saw a couple of droppings in the paper bag the apple was stored in. Oh no! T immediately set a trap in Wonder with Chinese stinky dried squid as bait, and in only 2 hours, the trap snapped and Wonder’s alarm was set off! Caught ya! It was a chubby little mouse that probably entered Wonder’s sliding door when we were enjoying a sunset. Lessons learned – keep all food in an airtight container!

While cleaning up, our pup, Sherlock @sherlienut, jumped in the van, like an eager hitchhiker, and made us promise to take him on our next destination.

The mysterious apple

Clean and disinfect

Self-serve wash

Days of hanging pretty fruit are over

One day I will be a vanlife pup…