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Texas is big. That may seem obvious, and we knew that but it wasn’t until we decided to cross it that we understood it from experience. To go from visiting our friends in El Paso to visiting our friends in Houston, given our self-imposed 4 hour per day driving limit, was going to take several days. So why did we……
In Santa Barbara we were hosted by the Parsons, some of the sweetest, most encouraging, most hospitable people we’ve ever met. Also some of the busiest – though they always seem present in the moment and you never get the sense that they’re overwhelmed or stressed when you’re with them. Someday I would like to learn that skill. Among other……
One more night on our way to Santa Barbara. We stayed at the Oceano Campground in Pismo Beach, which is a San Luis Obispo State Park. We weren’t far from Santa Barbara, but we were waiting for our friends to get home. We picked Oceano because it was easy walking distance to a beach, a duck pond and a large……
We stayed in three different campgrounds as we made our way south through the northern California/Redwood area: Hiouchi RV Park, Sounds of the Sea, and Albion River Campground. Here are reviews of all three: Hiouchi RV Park Price: $31/night Location: Just outside the entrance to Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park, a 10 mile drive from Crescent City Site description: gravel……
What is it about majestic, ancient trees that they seem to embody wisdom? There are abundant examples in literature and film where aged trees become characters in the plot in some way. They are almost always mature, wise, and deeply respected. Walking through a redwood forest, where the tall canopy obliterates any view of sky or sun, gave me a……
In Portland we got to visit more friends from Sweden, the Lanns. At this point, about halfway into the trip, we were ready for a break. A sort of vacation from our vacation. Jonas and Greta were so generous as to be our home base for a little travel reboot. We stayed 3 nights (2 full days). The original plan……
Often when we visit friends, we are able to set up the camper in their driveway or yard. But since our friends in Seattle live in an apartment, we needed to find a campground. There weren’t a lot of options available, and because the Seattle KOA is actually located in Kent where our friends live, we chose the KOA. It……
While we explored Yellowstone and the Tetons, we stayed at Hideaway RV Park in West Yellowstone, Montana. Here’s our review of this small but charming campground. Price: $31.50 per night Location: Easy access from West Yellowstone to the west entrance of Yellowstone NP. We found Hideaway to be central enough to have easy access, but outside of the downtown enough……
Our home in the Black Hills was at the Spokane Creek campground. It’s definitely a place we’d recommend! Here’s our review: Price: $22/night, off-season rate. Location: A bit difficult to find, so believe what they say on their website. It’s easier to call and get directions from them or get it straight from the website than it is to find……
Any Rich Mullins fans out there that recognize this title as a line from his song “Calling out your Name”? I must confess that other than this song lyric, I’d never even really heard of the Badlands. They weren’t along our original planned route, mostly because we didn’t know they were there. But we’re so glad we changed our route……
We are not much for tourist traps. The more billboards I see placed along the highway, the less I want to stop at whatever is advertised. It provokes in me the opposite reaction to the one intended. So when we were looking for someplace to stay on our way between Minnesota and the Badlands in South Dakota, Al’s Oasis was……
Writing tonight from a campground in western Montana. As of today we have been on the road for exactly ONE MONTH! We’re still loving it and looking forward to two more months of adventures. But now to pick up the story where we left off… Heading west from Minneapolis, we stayed one more night in Minnesota on our way to……
For a lot of Swedes, Minnesota is the first state they hear of or learn about. To an American, this seems strange. New York, maybe? California? Texas even? But when you consider that over a million Swedes emigrated to the United States in the late 1800’s and that most of them settled in Minnesota and its neighbor-states, it’s not so……
Needing a bit of respite from our campground experience outside of Chicago, we were willing to pay a little bit more to have a few extra amenities the next time. What we found was a Kampground of America (KOA) in Madison, Wisconsin, en route to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area of Minnesota. It was just an overnight stay. A chance to……
Thought I’d take a pause from where we’ve been and what we’ve done to talk a little bit about what daily life is like for us these days. If you’re curious, I’m writing this from the Badlands in South Dakota, and still have posts coming about our travels in Chicago, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. I’ve started writing this post several times,……
