Category Archives: 2016

Lake Havasu

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Lake Havasu City was our destination for two last weeks in October, well known because of the famous London Bridge linking an island in the Colorado River with the main part of Lake Havasu City. We stayed at the Islander RV Resort on the island. We had a beautiful site looking out onto Lake Havasu. London Bridge was built in the 1830s and formerly spanned the River Thames in London, England. It was dismantled in 1967 and relocated to Arizona. Robert McCulloch purchased the bridge and he had exterior granite blocks from the original bridge numbered and transported to America to construct the present bridge in Lake Havasu City, established in 1964.  We played pickle ball every morning with a fun group of mostly Canadians. Went out on a boat for cocktail hour exploring Lake Havasu and walked the streets of Lake Havasu City. Continue reading →

Las Vegas and Hoover Dam

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Decided to stop in for a week in Las Vegas, from October 20th to the 29th, staying at the Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort. It’s a beautiful RV park in the middle of the city, close to the strip. We spent an entire day walking up and down the main strip visiting all the different Casinos. No gambling for us but enjoyed seeing all the amazing architecture, and decor inside the buildings. I bought tickets to the Elton John Concert at Caesars Palace, so excited to see him live. We had dinner at the Gordon Ramsey Restaurant before going into the show, and what a fabulous show it was. He is quite the entertainer and we loved every minute of it, especially as we knew all the old songs. Click on thumbnail to view images Continue reading →

Mt Timpanogos, Utah

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Aspen Grove

Back in Utah at the Mountain Valley RV Resort in Heber City. We love to stop here on our way south as it is such a beautiful park with views of the mountains in Utah’s Wasatch Range from our site. This time we had a different agenda for stopping here as we wanted to climb Mt Timpanogos, it was listed on the top 20 hikes to make you feel like a Badass. Naturally we had to go for it!!! Mount Timpanogos also referred to as Timp, is the second highest mountain in the Wasatch Range, rising to an elevation of 11,752 ft. We left the RV Park around 8am passing the Deer Creek Reservoir with views of Mt Timpanogos in the distance. We drove to Aspen Grove to begin the 18 mile hike, out and back, to the summit. Continue reading →

Mountain Home Idaho

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We left McCall and headed south to Mountain Home, Idaho, staying at the Mountain Home RV Park on October 5th until the 12th. We wanted to explore some different areas around Mountain Home and we heard that the Anderson Ranch Reservoir was a good place to visit. From Mountain Home we drove 20 miles east on US 20 to Anderson Ranch Dam Road.The Anderson Ranch Reservoir is formed by the Anderson Ranch Dam and is a 7.4 square mile reservoir, and  is popular for fishing and water skiing. We had good views of the reservoir from the road on the way to the small towns of Pine and Featherville. We stopped at Cyndie’s Featherville Saloon for lunch, a little hole-in-the-wall with good food and beer. Across the road from the Saloon was a wood carver and we spent some time talking to the carver and enjoying his carvings. We stopped at the Paradise Hot Springs but decided not to spend the money to spend a few minutes in the hot springs. Then it was back to Mountain Home to our RV. Click on thumbnail to view images Continue reading →

Zion 2016

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With the increasing crowds at Zion NP we decided top do some of the less travelled routes. The hike up to observation Point is truly spectacular. Many experts claim that this hike offers some of Utah’s best scenic views. Observation Point, at an elevation of 6,521′, is likely the best place to capture the grandeur of this vast expanse. From to top you look down on Angles Landing and down the full length of the park.

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McCall, Idaho

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Today we arrived at the McCall RV Resort in McCall, Idaho. McCall is off the beaten track but a place that we wanted to visit and stay at this beautiful RV park, we were parked over looking a river and plenty of trees. McCall is a resort town situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake, near Payette National Forest. McCall was established by Tom McCall in 1889-91 as a logging town, the sawmill company operated until 1977. After settling into the Park, we went out to explore the town and drove around Ponderosa State Park, a 1,000 acre peninsula, home to some of the largest old-growth trees in the western US. Click on thumbnail to view images

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Mt Baker and North Cascades NP

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Patty posing for Mt Shuksan

We are so close to Mt Baker that we can see it from Greater Vancouver on a clear day. We decided to finally drive there and do some hiking for the day. It was a beautiful sunny day, we left early and drove 30 miles east of Bellingham on the Mt Baker Hwy, Hwy 542, and followed the signs past the ski area and Picture Lake, Mt Baker at 10,781 ft, is the third-highest mountain in Washington State and the fifth-highest in the Cascade Range. We hiked the Artist Ridge Trail, 2 miles RT, to an overlook with spectacular mountain panoramas. We could see Mt Shuksan, 9,131 ft, an “Alp of the Northwest”  in the distance and meandering up the staircased trail we had beautiful mirrored reflections of Mt Shuksan in snow-melt ponds. Mt Baker peeked through the trees along the trail. We met a local couple, Dean and Dudley Evenson, he was playing the flute, while she was taking video of him (www.soundings.com) making CDs for relaxation music and videos. Click on thumbnail to view images Continue reading →

Summer stay in BC

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Getting ready to ride with “Team Ralph”

Summer in Vancouver, BC, 2016, was filled with family, old friends, sightseeing, celebrations and biking. Arriving on July 15, staying at Eagle Wind RV Park, until Sept 15. We spent some time with Bob’s brother Ted and his wife Marg along with Bob’s sister Linda. We re-acquainted with Bob’s old girlfriend from high school, Marg and Don Sheperd, We had a great dinner together at the Granville Island Hotel and went to the Comedy Club near by. Enjoyed a mini Prince of Wales High School Reunion, organized by Ralph White, and what an amazing group of friends to come in such short notice. We had several wonderful biking trips with Ralph White and friends throughout the lower Mainland, and across the border. Culminating in the Tour de Whatcom, a 60 km bike ride around Bellingham, WA. Enjoyed a few beers with my brother, John, Lisa and Toby before leaving Vancouver. Click on thumbnail to view images Continue reading →

Mt Rainier NP

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Our first time to Mt Rainier National Park, we are staying at the SunTides RV Park in Yakima for a week, July 8-15, in order to spend quality time in the Park. Mt Rainier (14,410 ft) stands as an icon in the Washington landscape, viewed from miles away. Our first day we drove to Paradise, the most popular area in the Park, to the Paradise Jackson Visitor Center, completed in 1966, it was so cold when we arrived at an elevation of 5,400 ft, and the mountain was in the clouds. We went to the Guide House where we obtained our permits for our 2-night backpacking trip. This is also where you get permits for climbing Mt Rainier, and there were some people getting theirs. From here you hike up to Camp Muir (10,188 ft) and the next day leaving very early you can summit Mt Rainier. That will be another trip for us! We had lunch in the historic Paradise Inn, opened in July 1917, and in 1920 a 104-room wing was added called the annex, to accommodate the increased demand for lodging. Over the years Paradise Inn remains in its grand old state, barely changed from the 1920’s. After spending most of the day at Paradise we drove to White River Campground where we spent the night before starting our backpacking trip. Click on thumbnail to view images Continue reading →

Sawtooth Wilderness

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Entering the Sawtooth Wilderness

We did a day hike in the Sawtooth Wilderness up to the picturesque, alpine lake, Sawtooth Lake. There was still too much snow to do an overnight backpacking trip but we wanted to see some of the sights in the wilderness. We drove north from Ketchum to the quaint town of Stanley, “Trailhead to Idaho Adventure”. Stanley is unaffected, pristine, and planted at the foot of the Sawtooth Mountains on the banks of the Salmon River. We drove around the town in a second and then went to the Iron Creek Trailhead to hike the 8.9 mile trail to Sawtooth Lake, where we can be up close and personal with some of the most dramatic peaks in the Sawtooth Wilderness. We took the quick side-trip to Alpine Lake on our way up the trail. Finally we arrived at a small tarn just before we climbed up to see the beautiful, relatively large Sawtooth Lake. It is nestled in a bare, rocky bowl at the base of Mt Regan. The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful and we couldn’t stay here long enough as we soaked up the magnificence of this lake and the surrounding jagged teeth of the Sawtooth Mountains. It is definitely a place to put on the backpacking bucket list. When we return we can stay at the RV park in Stanley, Mountain Village Resort Campground with 6 sites, to be closer to the trailheads and the pristine beauty of the area. Stanley will be in the direct path of the total solar eclipse of Aug 21, 2017, wish we could be here. Click on thumbnail to view images
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