OK, I don’t usually write a trip report when we go on trailer trips. I don’t know why I’ve never written one before, but this time I decided I would post about our recent camping adventure. I realized more and more of our friends have discovered that living out of a trailer while seeing some of the most beautiful countryside in the world is as enjoyable as we have always said it was. (Actually it has very little to do with us. It’s just that our friends are getting older right along with us, and sleeping in a tent (strike that) getting in and out of a tent on knees that are starting to develop or are already suffering from arthritis, is not fun anymore! And getting soaked while trying to cook dinner in a horrific rain storm has jolly well lost its appeal too. Just like carrying a heavy pack while traversing mountain trails somehow doesn’t hold the cachet it did when we were say – 40. So where some of our friends used to be avid tenters and/or owned boats and enjoyed fun adventures on Puget Sound, age and reality just naturally led to discovering the joy of land yachts.)

Now for some of you who have never spent a night in a travel trailer or RV, let me begin by laying out some of the reasons why going to all the trouble of hauling one of these babies around is such a delight. First of all – you always have a bathroom at your disposal. And for those of you who are over the age of 60, you understand how comforting that can be. Also, you unpack your cloths once. Once. No more getting in and out of luggage at every change of location. Then of course, you have your own bed and pillow. And, you can open windows.

Now that may not seem like a big thing to some of you. But I hate sleeping in a hotel room and not being able to get fresh air when I want it! Then of course there is the food aspect of having your second “home” with you everywhere you go. You can bring supplies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner should you so choose to have all 3 squares in the privacy of your own space. (You don’t have to of course, but the option is always there!) And ice. Our freezer make ice overnight. The freezers in most trailers today are large enough that you can bring enough frozen items for a whole month of meals. Even ice cream. And I have to say. If you have never been in the middle of absolutely nowhere, and enjoyed a frozen Dove Bar in the middle of summer, you have simply not lived! And I have never yet been in a hotel that allows you to keep your door open, sit outside in the fresh air, feel the sun on your face, listening to ocean waves or the gurgle of a river, reading a good book, with your favorite libation on a little table beside you. At least, not for $40-$50 a night!

Now of course there are the drawbacks. But frankly sitting here in Kootenay National Park looking at the aspen trees whose leaves are just starting to change color, I can’t think of a single one.

So please enjoy the brief daily log of where we were and where we stayed. But please understand. This is mainly a record for Mr. C. and me and for our friends who also spend time in their trailers. This post records the route we took, the campground plus site number where we stayed, and any recommendations (including restaurants along the way) we think you might consider valuable.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019 – Camano Island to Hope, British Columbia (BC)

Had lunch at Bob’s Burgers and Brew in Sumas (where we crossed the border.) Good burgers and fries.

At Abbotsford, took Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) 1 to Hope, BC (beautiful scenery)

Coquihalla Campground, fabulous site 113 on the river. And since we would only be in camp for one night, we didn’t unhook. (Makes for a fast get-away!)

Wednesday, September 11, 2019 – Hope, BC to Hedley, BC

Jumped onto Hwy. 3 (Crow’s Nest Highway) thru Manning Park and on to Hedley.

No lunch on route.

Riverhaven RV Park, site 8 on the river. Fabulous campground. Very clean and well-manicured.

Thursday, September, 12, 2019 – Hedley, BC to Christina Lake, BC

Continued on Hwy. 3 to Christina Lake

Had lunch in Midway, BC in the Kettle River Valley at Mile 0 (zero) Diner. Wonderful food!

Schulli Resort, site 16 near lake
OK campground. Very pleasant owner. $40 (Canadian) Cash only

Friday, September 13, 2019 – Christina Lake, BC to Cranbrook, BC

Hwy 3 all day!

Lunch in Creston, BC at Jimmy’s Bar & Grill. Food was fine. Beer was great!

Cranbrook/St. Eugene KOA, site 31 right on the river

Brand new campground. Lovely setting on First Nation land. And right next door – casino and golf course. But very quiet and lovely grounds. Would stay there again. People in office were charming.

Saturday, September 14, 2019 – Cranbrook, BC to Kootenay National Park (NP) – Redstreak Campground, site F 31 (pull-thru with lots of room between sites)

Hwys. 93 and 95 (beautiful scenery)

No lunch on route.

Sunday, September 15, 2019 – Kootenay NP

Drove through the park all the way to the Banff NP entrance (also the Continental Divide and the Alberta border). Turned around and drove back through cloudy and rainy weather. Hopeful that weather the next day would be better. What we could see was absolutely beautiful.

Monday, September 16, 2019 – Kootenay NP

Drove back north through the park as far as Vermilion Crossing where we had a picnic lunch (in the truck) because once again, the weather was not conducive to being outside. But what we could see was glorious. We definitely want to return and explore this park in better weather. Beautiful does not even begin to describe what we saw.

Wild life was abundant. Several sightings of big horn sheep (even in camp), mountain goats, and one lone elk with a rack larger than the rest of his body. He was splendid and he knew it!

Tuesday, September 17, 2019 – Redstreak Campground through the Northern part of Banff NP which leads to Jaspar NP – Pocahontas Campground – Site D 15

What an incredible ride. We drove north on 95, then turned East on TransCanada 1 to hwy. 93 North to Jaspar. In Jaspar we turned North East on hwy. 16 to our campground which is only a few klicks from the East Gate entrance to Jaspar NP. It was a long day. But the Canadian Rockies are exquisite. In any direction we looked, high incredibly beautiful mountains and lovely valleys filled the horizon.

When we finally reached camp, we were tired. But when we saw our camp site, our energy returned. Our camp site was tucked into the woods, with a lot of room between sites, and our trailer backed up against a creek. Lovely and very, very quiet.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019 – Jaspar NP

Today we decided to go north and east out of the park to the town of Hinton to get gas. With a full tank of gas we decided to go even further afield and do some exploring. So we drove north on the “scenic route to Alaska” (so described on the road signage) headed for the town of Grande Cache which is about 143 klicks from Hinton. We had never traveled as far north in all the many times we had camped in British Columbia and Alberta. So this was a real adventure. New territory. And we so love to explore new areas of the world.

And we were not disappointed. We were basically in the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Up and down hills, around lakes, and trees everywhere we looked. The larch, aspen, and cotton wood trees were all turning yellow so the color contrast with the evergreens was delightful. The weather never got boring either. One minute the sun was shining. The next minute our wipers were barely able to keep up with the liquid onslaught.

Then back to our dry camp. (Dry camp definition. No water, electric, or septic hookups.) Note to friends thinking about buying a travel trailer. Get one with a solar panel on the roof. And yes it costs more. But – you can dry camp without fear of losing power. OK – you can’t run your microwave or toaster. So what! You can however, read into the wee small hours of the night. You can re-charge your phone, Nook, or Kindle. You can run the fan above your stove and your fantastic fans (look it up) so you are never without a lovely flow of air even in very warm weather. And – now this is important so pay attention – you can turn on lights and read until your eyes fall out of your head. (We love to read, can you tell?) But no, you can’t watch TV when dry camping. So if you are accustomed to watching TV every night – don’t dry camp! Simple solution.

Thursday, September 19, 2019 – Jaspar NP

A slow start to our day this morning. A leisurely breakfast and time spent studying our map to plot out our destination for today’s trip in the park. Since we had stayed in Jaspar previously, we had already visited most of the hot tourist spots. But we had not visited Maligne Lake. And I am so glad we decided to make this lovely lake our destination for today. We saw a moose. A moose! In the woods. Not in a marshy area where you normally think a moose would be found munching away on tender shoots. Nope, this guy was just off the road in a forested area. And this was no little guy. This was a full grown male moose. Big old rack and all. It was thrilling to say the least.

As stated above, we were on our way to Maligne Lake in the East Central area of the park. Up through forested areas and next to rushing rivers. When we arrived at the lake, there were scores of people. We finally found a place to park and walked down to the shore to take pictures. It was only about 50 degrees and the threat of rain was ever present. So we didn’t spend too much time walking around.

Then back in the truck and back towards camp. But first a stop at the Maligne Canyon. Again rain was sputtering at us when we got out of the truck. But with rain jackets on and trekking poles firmly affixed to our hands, off we proceeded to bridge 1 & 2.

Now I have seen narrow canyons before, and rivers at the bottom of canyons before, but I have never seen a narrower canyon with the water so far below us. It was crazy exciting to view. An easy walk too. (Always like that!) And because of the nature of the rock that formed the canyon walls, there were potholes of every size for the water to swirl around in.

Then back to the truck and on to Jaspar (the village) to gas up and check our email. (No service at our camp ground.)

Along the way back north to our campground, we saw more bighorn sheep, a nice elk, and about 5 trains. (Being train lovers, we are always on the lookout for bright single headlights on tracks.)

Then a bit of shopping in Hinton (we had forgotten to get new batteries for our trailer smoke alarms while we were in Jaspar). And because we hadn’t had any lunch and it was getting on towards 5:00, we decided to stop for dinner at Mr. Mike’s Steak House (casual). OK, but not amazing.

Friday, September 20, 2019 – Yoho NP – Kicking Horse Campground – site 85

What an incredible drive through Yoho and into Banff NP. Past innumerable ice fields and glaciers.

Then onto TransCanada 1 and down to Kicking Horse Campground.

Got into camp about 10 minutes before Rick and Katie (Andy’s sister and her husband).

Had a wonderful dinner with them and then off to bed with dreams of all the wonderful sights we would see the next day.

Saturday, September 21, 2019 – Yoho NP

Got an early start (10:45) on our sight-seeing trip to see beautiful Takakkaw falls conveniently located at the end of the road our campground was on.

While taking the short path to get a close and personal look at the bottom of the falls, we realized there were several climbers on the vertical walls of this giant rock. Good grief! We watched them for a while through our binoculars, then slowly wound our way back to our trucks. Next destination – Lake Louise. But first a stop at the spiral tunnels. And of course, not a train in sight this visit. When Mr. C. and I had visited this area 7 years before, we had watched a train go into one end of the tunnel, and then out the other end with some of the cars still going into the side of the hill. Amazing. For more information about the spiral tunnels, go online and watch one of the many YouTubes that show this marvel of railroad engineering. But on to Lake Louise. And OMG!

Seven years ago when we were in the area and had visited Lake Louise, same time of year BTW, we had no problem parking and walking around the lake. This time, all the parking lots were full and it was a total mad house. At least we had cell phone service, so we decided that none of us wanted to fight the crowds and we would go somewhere else for the day. So we left Lake Louise behind and headed for Fields. On our way to Fields, we stopped along the road for a picnic lunch. While we were eating, Rick spied Mountain Goats on the rocky mountain face across the highway. So we spent some quality time checking out the white fuzzy critters hanging out on bare rocky outcrops. Delightful.

When we reached Fields, it was basically just a small town very close to our camp ground. But it was delightful in its rural simplicity. Tiny homes, tiny yards, but lots of charm. And of course like everywhere else in the vicinity, lots of people. All we really wanted was a cup of coffee. But apparently everyone else wanted something too, so we decided to just go back to camp and make our own coffee. So there!

While Rick, Katie, and Mr. C. went for a hike near our campground, I worked on dinner. Then a quiet evening in camp and an early bedtime. 9 plus hours later we got up for Sunday’s adventure.

Sunday, September 22, 2019 – Yoho NP

Again an early start around 10:15. (OK, so 10:15 is not early by some standards, but we are on vacation. And what that means is that we can get out of bed any old darn time we want! And then there are showers to be had, coffee to be drunk, breakfast to be made, and plans to be hatched. This all takes time!)

So today’s agenda included a drive to, and a hike around Emerald Lake. And again – people everywhere. So parking quite away from the lake, we got out our warm jackets and trekking poles and away we went. Well I got about 1/3^rd of the way around the lake (over 3 miles around the whole lake) when I decided I had walked far enough. But Rick, Katie, and Mr. C. decided to continue walking around the entire lake. And when they were finished and telling me all about what I had missed – muddy areas, roots jumping out at them from the path, and mud everywhere (I mentioned the mud already, but it bears repeating) we re-connected, with me dry and happily sitting on a comfortable rock, and them a bit tired and ready to crawl back to camp for refreshment. So that’s just what we did. We had packed picnic lunches, but with so many people and the weather not looking conducive to sitting outside, we headed back to camp and ate our lunches in our respective trailers.

But it was only early afternoon, so we headed out again. This time to visit the boundary of Kootenay NP and Banff NP. (Coincidentally the border between British Columbia and Alberta and also the continental divide.) Having reached that destination, we decided to back track a bit and head North West of Lake Louise towards Jaspar NP and the beautiful Bow Lake.

Now Bow Lake in and of itself is lovely. But when you have it as a foreground to two glaciers, you just can’t beat it for spectacular! So we walked around a bit, but when it got chillier than we liked, we headed back to our trucks and made tracks for home.

Then a pleasant evening enjoying drinks, dinner, and companionship. A great day.

Monday, September 23, 2019 – Sicamous, BC – Cedars RV Resort – site 190

Trans Canada 1 all the way through Revelstoke NP due west to Sicamous. Stopped in the small town of Revelstoke to obtain groceries and have lunch. Then on to our camp ground.

Now most of the time when we reach our destination with our previously printed out campground reservation confirmation in hand, we simply walk into the office, say howdy to the nice host or hostess at the desk and they help us find our site and all is peachy keen and dandy. But between the time I booked our sites in April and when we arrived in September, the campground had been sold and all the sites were now individually owned. (This seems to be very common in Canada BTW. People buy RV sites then actually live on them either year round or for a certain portion of the year.)

Well at least for us, the previous resort owners had made sure that the new owners honored our pre-paid reservations. So instead of a friendly person directing us to our camp site, the office was closed and all we had was a site number and a map, but no guidance. OK, we’re smart people and we know how to read. But never the less, it was a bit disconcerting. And of course it was time to do laundry. But with no one in the office to make change for us, and us without a roll of Canadian quarters, I had to wash underwear in our kitchen sink. 24 hours later, our underwear was still wet, and the prospects were not good that they would be dry in any foreseeable future! (We are truly ruffing it here!)

But we found our sites, enjoyed a nice dinner together, and slept very well in our quiet and secluded sites right next to the pond that brought us to this RV resort in the first place.

Now pictures and written descriptions can be deceiving. And had it not been late September, the pond lovingly referred to in the description of this fantastic trailer site would have been grounds for battle. Because if ever I saw a mosquito breeding ground, this pond was the poster child for a haven for mommy and daddy mosquitos with dreams of over populating the world with flying, stingy nasties. Not a bit of flow to be seen on this pond. And only murky waters that probably only saw the light of day twice a year. Before the trees budded out in the spring. And just after all the surrounding deciduous trees lost their leaves in the fall. Other than those two times, the pond would have been in shadow with no hope of ever feeling a breeze ripple the surface water. And no critters of any kind visiting the area. No ducks, no fish, no apparent beaver activity. No nothing alive. Like I said – a perfect breeding ground for mosquitos!

But we survived. But I can’t help but wonder who was buying these sites and whether they ever planned to spend any time outside their trailers? Because some of the rigs were enormous. In fact, one of the 5^th wheel trailers was longer and larger than any trailer I had ever seen before. And I have seen some large trailers. I was going to measure it, but our tape measure would not have come close to recording its length, so I decided not to bother. Anyway, all I can hope for the new owners, is that they like to stay inside their trailer during the summer. Because the mosquitos are really not going to be their friends.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019  – Sicamous

This was another of those leisurely days when we didn’t have any real plan, so things kind of happened spontaneously. Our first adventure was to drive down the road to Sicamous to get gas. Gas is always a nice thing to have. And getting gas without a trailer attached to your truck is always preferable to having to find a station with enough room to pull up to the pumps and then get away from the pumps with every part of your trailer and truck still intact. I know this sounds simple. But until you have had the pleasure of hauling your home on your back, you can’t quite understand how nerve racking it can be to complete even the most simple of maneuvers. So with gas tanks full and time to spare, we decided to head for the town of Salmon Arm.

Now had I been the founder of this most delightful burg, I’m almost positive I could have thought of a better name. Salmon Arm? Why not Arm Pit? Or Pork Belly? Because this is a beautiful little town right on a lovely lake with room enough for suburbs with views both to the lake and to the surrounding foothills. And to my thinking, it deserves a nicer name! But who am I to recommend a name change at this late date. Salmon Arm it is! (But don’t miss this lovely little town if you visit this part of BC.)

Our first stop – the Visitor’s Centre. Then we walked out on a pier and paid tribute to an osprey and a blue heron. After getting back in our trucks we took a side road to Canoe Beach. We parked and in order to get to the beach we had to walk through a culvert- like train underpass. And with luck on our side, a big old train just happened to come along. And of course, because I absolutely love trains, I had to walk through the tunnel while the train was steaming over my head. So today I was run over by a train. But not a bruise to show!

After our adventure with the train, we decided to head back to camp for lunch. After lunch we decided to drive back to Revelstoke and to re-visit Revelstoke NP and drive to the top of Mt. Revelstoke. We had visited this area 7 years before and had made this same drive. But 7 years ago it had been sunny and nice. Today it was sunny when we started up the mountain, but the weather soon deteriorated into a heavy rain shower. By the time we got to the top, the rain was threatening to turn to snow and the fog was so thick, we could have cut it with a knife. So we did what any other reasonably intelligent couple would have done. We turned the truck around and beat feet for home.

One interesting aspect to our visit to the NP, was the signs posted along the drive. Watch out for amphibians. Every few klicks there would be another sign posted with a picture of a salamander and a frog. Really folks. Watch out for amphibians when nary a sign of caution for all the hikers who were on the trail that went from the bottom of the mountain to the summit and must have crossed the road 8-10 times. Perhaps the park rangers were more enamored with amphibians then with humans. We will never know!

And dogs were not allowed past a certain point on the road because a grizzly bear had been sighted at the top about 2 weeks before. Maybe I’m mistaken, but I would think a grizzly bear could be quite a few miles away after 14 days. And what does a grizzly have to worry about from a 10 pound dog anyway? Apparently some things are to remain mysteries. Just shut up Patti, obey the rules, and don’t ask too many questions.

So after getting rained out, we headed back to camp and a lovely dinner and evening with Rick & Katie. Tomorrow – Kelowna.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019 – Hiawatha RV Park – Kelowna BC

Highway 97 south out of Sicamous to our camp in Kelowna. I didn’t take a picture of our camp site because I don’t plan to ever return to that campground! Our sites (C10 & C11) were so close together that our picnic table sat right next to the septic hose from our neighbor’s trailer. Not a place I ever want to see again.

However, had a nice visit from Rick and Katie’s friends Gord and Dianne who retired to Penticton from Vancouver. They drove up and spent a couple of hours visiting with us. Brought us cookies too! After they left we took a short walk along the lake in our very upscale neighborhood with fancy hotels and condominiums.  

Thursday, September 26, 2019 – Kelowna, BC to Lake Chelan State Park (SP) site 8

Stayed on hwy. 97 south all day. Lovely drive because we were never far from a beautiful lake or river. They call this area Lake Country for a reason. It is also the heart of wine country. So there were an abundance of wineries we could have visited. Of course we would have had to pay duty on any wine we would have purchased, so we just kept driving until we reached our destination.

Boy oh boy has Chelan expanded since we were last in the area. Gorgeous new homes and condos and such. Everywhere you look, there is another million dollar home being constructed or not more than 5 years old. But all you have to do is spend a little time in the area and you understand why people want to live here or have their 2^nd home here. Today was the first day of our entire vacation where it was actually sunny most of the day. And the temperature was in the 70s. Beautiful. Got to camp about 4:00. Took a few minutes to hook up hoses and dig things out of their hiding places, but we were soon on our way to the local Safeway for provisions. I’m telling you. The deli case and pre-made food case was the largest I have ever seen. Obviously that is what sells at this very large store. The fresh meat case was about half the size of the one on Camano Island. But had I wanted a ready-made sandwich, cooked chicken, or meal of almost any kind, I would have had no worries. Kind of a sad commentary actually. At least I would have felt pretty bad if I lived in Chelan and was trying to eat healthy and provide my family with nourishing food on a full time basis. All that prepared food is not only costly but not nearly as nourishing as most food cooked from scratch. Oh well. This appeared to be a store that caters mostly to tourists and retirees. (Or so it seemed.) And if truth be told, when I am on a trailer holiday, I tend to purchase a few things, like store bought hummus, risotto mixes, and marinara sauce, because either they have a greater shelf life than homemade, or they take a lot less time and effort to prepare after a long travel or adventuring day. So I am just as guilty as the next guy when it comes to convenience when on vacation.

Friday, September 27, 2019 – Lake Chelan State Park

Late start to our day. We had some emails that required answers and some reservations to make and by the time we finished with our “chores” it was 11:30. So we decided to drive to the end of the South Shore road. (The campground is on the South Shore road, but only about a third of the way to the end.) As we were driving along I was completely taken aback by all the homes both along the shore and up in the hills. I had no idea Lake Chelan was this populated.

Since the early 70s and up to about 12 years ago, we used to wilderness camp on Kootenay Lake. And since we still lived in our Bellevue home, we would go I-90 to Cle Elem and then to Wenatchee and then North through Lake Chelan to cross the border at Osoyoos. And every year we would make a stop in Chelan for a root beer float at the A&W along the main drag north out of Chelan.  But we never stopped to look around the lake. Chelan was merely a quick stop along the way.

And Mr. C. and I many years ago took the Lady of the Lake (boat) up to Stehekin to spend a few nights at the Stehekin Valley Ranch. But we never drove around the area much that time either. So I was completely blown away by all the development on both sides of the lake. After lunch we drove along the North shore. (May actually be called the Manson highway.) Again, I was amazed at the sheer numbers of homes, condos, orchards, schools, fruit packing plants, and humanity in general living in an area I had assumed held only barren and unpopulated dry desert hills. I know better now! But back to our drive up the South Shore road.

We decided to turn in at Field’s Landing. Field’s Landing is the first stop the Lady of the Lake (boat) makes each day on its way up the lake to Stehekin. As we were driving down the entrance road, a black bear sow ran right in front of our truck. Now we know it was a black bear (we later talked to the park ranger regarding the sighting), but this female (we think) was the color of cinnamon. She was absolutely beautiful. All 150 (plus or minus) pounds of her.

FYI: Though they are called black bears, the species comes in a range of colors. According to the North American Bear Center, “Black bears come in more colors than any other North American mammal. They can be black, brown, cinnamon, blond, blue-gray, or white. The variation in color has to do with their environment. A lighter color is more common in black bears in Western states, as the lighter shades help them blend in better in open meadows as well as reduces heat stress. In the Northeast, on the other hand, around 97 percent of black bears are black in color, whereas around half of the black bears in the West are shades of brown.”

Regardless of the color – WE SAW A BEAR TODAY! Absolutely fantastic.

Then back to camp around 4:00 to check our email, have a small libation, relax, and decide where to go for dinner.

We mainly eat dinner at our campsite, but a couple times each trip we go out. Usually it’s at the beginning of our trip and near the end of our trip. With only one more campground before we return to civilization, this is our night to splurge and let someone else cook our meal and do our dishes. (Our last campground is one of my favorites – Wanapum SP. But Wanapum SP is in Vantage Washington. And if you have ever been across the Columbia River at Vantage, you know there is no fine dining establishment around for miles.)

So for our last trailer dinner we will just have to content ourselves with home grilled New York steaks, with a caramelized onion and Stilton Blue Cheese sauce. Corn on the cob and a fresh romaine salad will complete the meal. (Our last campsite meals tend to be pretty special too. And probably better than tonight’s meal. But I will let you know when we return from dinner.

Note: We had dinner at Tin Lilly’s in down town Chelan. OK, but not special and very noisy.)

Saturday, September 28, 2019 – Wanapum State Park, site 19

Raining buckets as we were hitching up at Lake Chelan SP. Left camp about 10:30. Drove south on the west side of the river – 97 alt. Easy drive with no complications. There was rain and wind here and there, but nothing too difficult to handle. Arrived at Wanapum in fairly nice weather. Set up camp and had a leisurely afternoon. However, as evening approached the wind picked up and so did the rain. So my plan of grilling steaks was thwarted by Mother Nature. So instead of steak we enjoyed ground lamb burgers with Tzatziki sauce, Mexican black beans, and salad. Oh well. The steaks will taste really great when we grill them at home.

Wanapum Lake is a reservoir on the Columbia River. It was created in 1963 with the construction of the Wanapum Dam. It stretches from the Wanapum Dam upstream to the Rock Island Dam. The dam and lake are named for the Wanapum people.

For more information about the Wanapum people, visit https://www.historylink.org/File/9524

Sunday, September 29, 2019 – home again

The end of a vacation always causes me sadness and happiness at the same time. Sadness to be leaving the joys of travel and seeing new and glorious surroundings. But happiness too because we are returning to glorious surroundings filled with new adventures on the home front. Back to regular musical rehearsals and gigs for Mr. C., and new recipes to try and write about for me. And back to our fuzzy family members – Miles, Max, and Squeaky and to the joy we always find from spending time with our dear friends. All in all, life for us is good. We are incredibly lucky to still be able to travel and never take the opportunities we have been given or the gifts we have received for granted.

I hope you have enjoyed this short narrative and the pictures from our trip. We had a wonderful time. But then, we always have a wonderful time. We simply make it happen.

Special thanks to Rick and Katie for their part in making this a terrific adventure. Can’t wait for the next trailer trip with you guys. And to our other traveling friends. Just let us know when and where, and we will be there if possible. Happy trails everyone.