48 before its too late

The last week has seen us travel though Washington State into Montana and North Dakota. Washington is very beautiful but also surprising. As you move away from the coast it becomes very arid and dry, something i was not expecting. We drove though North Cascades NP #41, gaining its name from the innumerable waterfalls that feed into the parks cerulean lakes. But of being summer we didn’t get to see too many of these.

From here we headed into Leavenworth , a Bavarian town in the American Alps. Also home to some good friends, Bud and Pat, owners of Nisus Corporation, whom i worked for, for many happy years. Bud and Pat graciously hosted us for a couple nights in their gorgeous home, showing us the local sights.

Ghost Rocks

Including their Pear orchard and a very good local winery, Icicle Ridge Winery, we sampled some wonderful wines there, so if you are ever in the area be sure to pay them a visit.

Finishing off our time with wine in the hot tub over looking the mountains !

Day 114 we left Leavenworth and headed east towards Montana and Glacier NP #42. The country here in Washington and Montana has tremendous wildfires, so a lot of our travels over the last few days have been very smoke filled and therefore not many good photos. We camped inside Glacier NP for 2 nights and took Piglet up “Going to the Sun Road”. Some amazing views that i am quite sure are even more spectacular when there is less smoke ! Glacier is enormous , covering over 1,000,000 acres of northern Montana. It is adjacent to Alberta’s Waterton NP across the Canadian border. In 1932 the two parks partnered together to become the worlds first International Peace Park.

Now we are heading to Theodore Rosevelt NP, a long drive across Montana and into North Dakota, with not a lot to look at. Currently sitting at a Visitor Center/Rest area as it has wifi !!

So we will catch up with you all in a few days. Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend  xxxx

Drove though Lassen National Park #38, beautiful Alpine meadows with hot mud pots and onto the coast again and into Oregon #31 . Followed the 101, smokey in places from wildfires. Had a tractor trailer go off the road right in front of us. Fortunately the driver was unhurt, cannot same the same for his rig though..

Stopped at Bullards Beach State park in Bandon for 2 nights and saw the eclipse from here… Had pretty decent fish and chips here too !~!~!

Into Washington State and I am in love with the coast here. Oregon and Washington , have decided this is where i am moving to, a home over looking the wild and rugged coastline that is just spectacular ! And a motorhome to travel…

Those are grey whales just off the beach, apparently very unusual to see them in so close to shore. But we met up with a Wildlife and Fisheries guy , who told us it was high tide and they were feeding on Razor Clams that were in abundance ! This is in Olympic NP #40, stayed in the Rain Forest … Still being amazed every day by the diversity of this great land.

Today we travelled by Ferry #1 from Port Townsend to Coupeville, All 3 of us first time on a ferry on this trip.  

I have not talked much about the folks we have met on this trip. There have been so many , good and bad !!! Today we met a lovely girl from Dorset UK, now living in Seattle with her husband, then there was the German couple with their son outside of  Yosemite. They were here on a house swap . An Aussie couple  in Monument Valley.. the South Africans ( two very different couples ) at 2 different sites  and so many more … Loving the way travel and camping/RVing brings people of all colour , gender, age and religion together ! And that is something Chris and I wanted to do with this trip. To spread peace, love , hugs and unity !

If you want to see even more photos, you can friend Chris on FB.

facebook.com/climberchrise1

Chris Facebook

Lots of love 48beforeitstoolate.com

Yeah WIFI , quick upload photos and write the blog. Currently sitting in Big O Tires getting the brakes checked out.

So after ATV’s on the sand dunes , the next day we went on a Whale watching cruise, saw some wonderful sights , even whales breaching far off in the distance and a calf surface right next to the boat. Just amazing creatures, so perfectly adapted to their environment . Along with Sea Lions,  Seals and Sunfish.

The afternoon was spent on the beach where Coal had a ball playing in the sea and making friends. Then a delicious dinner at Phil’s Fish Market, a hidden gem !!

Upon leaving Monterey Bay we headed to Kings Canyon ,Sequoia National Park and  Yosemite National Park .

Yosemite had a lot of forest fire smoke so photos are not great. Oh yes and on leaving Yosemite the ride out was a little scary, so much so i could not even take pictures. Steep mountain sides and a 30 ft RV !! The last few days have been filled with me and heights , think someone is telling to get over my fear of heights !!!

After Yosemite we headed to Bodie State Park , this is a fascinating ghost town, where everybody just up and left after the gold rush. There are still stores full of goods and homes with personal belongings. And yet again we managed to land there on Bodie Day, Once a year the town is opened up with folks in costume and exhibits etc. How do we keep doing this ??

From here we headed to Lake Tahoe and stayed on the south east side of the lake. There we just pottered about on Piglet for a day and the next Chris went mountain bike riding for a day whilst i stayed “home” .

Last 2 nights we stayed at Davis Creek Recreational Park near Carson City, this was just a pull in and see what its like. Great little campground and came with a resident bear each morning looking for breakfast. Don’t have photo on my computer at the mo , but will put one up later.

 Not a bad view for the night.

Today we are heading up to Lassen Volcanic National Park, brakes all good, just had to have some work on the front, so we are out of here.

Lots of Love 48beforeitstoolate

100 days, 30 states, 33 National Parks and 12000 miles !!!!

Grand Canyon North Rim

Zion and the wildlife

Hoover Dam and it was damn hot !!!

Vegas Baby !!! So much fun

Fremont Street

Bellagio

The Killers Live on the strip

ATV fun in the dunes . Pismo Beach.

So today is August 4, day 90 of 180. Halfway through our trip. STOP SLOW DOWN !!! We cannot be halfway through already…..And there was me not sure I would even make to 2 months ….LOL.

So since Bryce we have travelled to Grand Canyon North Rim NP#25 for the day.  |Very sadly we could not get to where we wanted to hike as someone had fallen off the cliff and died about 10 minutes before we got there. Trying to get “that” photograph. Tragic.

(Wi-Fi is poor yet again and I cannot upload photos. Will play catch up another day.)

From Grand Canyon we went to Zion NP #26, (July 28) stunning drive from east to west, along with a couple of hikes. Chris was super excited, he finally got up close to a Rattlesnake and a Tarantula !!! Beautiful park but oh so busy !!..

From here we headed out early to get through the Zion Tunnel, which if you have an oversized vehicle they have to shut the tunnel and allow you to drive down the middle and its a mile long! Arrived at Valley of Fire State Park and aptly named as the temps were in excess of 110 !! We were thinking of staying the night, but decided against it ! Also helpful tip , when in those kinds of temps do not leave your vehicle running on idle whilst you sort out the GPS.. It will over heat !!!. Drove on to Boulder City and had a quick visit to Hoover Dam.  Nevada #29. Lake Mead NRA#27.

July 30th day 85, Vegas baby !!!. Temps reached 118 !!! Stayed in the AC until about 6 pm and then ventured out. Had a wander around the strip and then dinner in Paris.  Next morning we were going to book a show , but on the local news was an announcement that The Killers were doing a free concert on the strip as part of The Jimmy Kimmel show. Well had to be done, hopped on Piglet to 11th Street records to get passes. And they were fantastic !!! After we headed to Bellagio and saw Amy with her children. LOL . Yes my good friend from Ktown !!  So with an extra day booked at Circus Circus campground we brought tickets for KA Cirque De Soliel  , what an amazing show , well worth going to see. After the show we headed downtown to Fremont Street, interesting. Vegas was a lot of fun and so pleased we took the time to go and experience it.

Next stop was Mojave NP#28 , Route 66 and Joshua Tree NP#29. Stayed in Black Canyon Campground. ~

Day 89 was a driving day , Joshua Tree to Pismo beach !!! Hit a huge storm coming over the Sierra Nevada’s.  Had a few issues with finding a campsite, but Good Sam came through yet again. Very nice site , not on the beach but close. So Pismo … why have I never been here before. I used to live 2 hours down the road !! The beach itself is actually a road and you can drive onto the beach , RV’s and all ! And the sand dunes …OMG so much fun. We rented an ATV each and spent 2 hours driving over the dunes. To finish off the day we sat on the beach and watched whales, yes whales , dolphins , sea otters and pelicans. All from the beach !!! One of the best days so far!! I LOVE THE BEACH !!

Lots of love 48beforeitstoolate xx

So after Arches we headed off to Canyonlands NP#21 and Captial Reef NP#22. More stunning landscapes ,what can I say.

The road from Torrey to Escalante UT was amazing, i am just sorry i didn’t get more photos. One of them being, we passed a couple of men on the side of the road with a boat that had clearly come off its trailer and skidded into the desert, would have loved to have known the full story .

That night we stayed at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, had a very relaxing afternoon paddle boarding and kayaking. Then a short hike in the evening to see the Petrified Forest.

Monday, Bryce Canyon was the next stop, after stocking up on groceries at a mouse infested store, always a first. Set up camp just outside of the park and took Piglet in to see the sights before the rain came in !

and found a special parking spot !

The rain continued all night and most of the next day , but let up enough for a quick hike to Mossey Cave. Then Roast dinner !!

Wednesday(today) we are camped in Kanab UT and heading to North Rim Grand Canyon in the morning. Off to find a beer, Cheers xxxx.

So day 71 saw us at Craters of The Moon NM#19. Strange and erie place, that does look like the moon. It is a very large lava bed with volcanic features. The most recent eruption occurring 2000 years ago, with more to come.. The preserve covers 750,000 acres.

Monday 17th we left Craters of the Moon and headed south arriving at Twin Falls ID and were stunned by the Snake River canyon. Whilst there we saw BASE jumpers leaping off the bridge, apparently the only legal man made structure for BASE jumping ( Building Antenna Span Earth). Personally I cannot see the appeal of throwing yourself off a 400+ft bridge. But it was stunning.

That afternoon we passed into Nevada #29 and spent the night in Wells.

Tuesday 18th we headed back into Utah, stopping at Bonneville Salt Flats. Another strange and fascinating place. The flats cover an area of 46 sq miles, near the center the crust is almost 5 ft thick. World speed records have been set here since 1914. One of my favorite films is The Worlds Fastest Indian with Anthony Hopkins.

That night we camped at Antelope State Park just outside of Salt Lake city and had the most amazing view from our site with a glorious sunset. And we went floating in Salt Lake !!

Wednesday was just a driving day heading towards Moab. Piglet got a service on the way, so he is all tuned up and roaring to go ! Arrived in Moab Thursday afternoon and set up camp. Went downtown for a beer in the evening and a bit of a wander. We had to get Chris a new hat as he left his Tilley in Antelope park 😦   He now has a very nice Stetson.

Day 76 Friday 21st. Today we headed into Arches National Park #20 100 million years of erosion have created this landscape boasting one of the greatest densities of natural arches, over 2000. Landscape Arch being the longest at 306 feet base to base.

Tonight we are heading out on a Jeep Tour, I am thinking it is going to be rock climbing in a Jeep !!!! I’ll let you know if i survive !

Tuesday July 11th we arrived at Yellowstone, entered in on the east side. I had managed to secure a campsite at Grant Campground by consistently calling the reservations phone line ( the website claimed to be fully booked for the next 3 months). Just after passing though the gate we saw our first Buffalo , magnificent creatures. Big brown eyes and look almost cuddly.

After setting up camp we took off on Piglet and went to Old Faithful. Who erupts approx every 90 minutes, expelling 3,700-8,400 g of boiling water reaching heights of 106-184 ft. From here we went on walk and saw some amazing Hot Springs , small geysers and mud pots.

Next day we packed up and moved to Canyon Village campground . On the way we stopped at West Thumb Thermal Basin on the edge of Yellowstone lake. The lake is so large it creates its own weather system. It has 141 miles of shoreline, is 20 miles long by 14 miles wide and is 410 ft at its deepest spot.

Came across some stunning waterfalls too.

Thursday was an early start, 6am . Couple of tips when camping in Yellowstone if you have not booked 6 months in advance. The reservable sites do have spots come up through out the day , so keep calling the same day reservation line. The first come first served sites, you need to be there by 7am to get a spot. So this was the reason for the early start. Also were hoping we would see more wildlife early in the morning too. But was a little disappointed in that dept. We did see Coyote,  Buffalo,  Elk and Musk deer. Got a campsite at Mammoth Hot Springs at 7.30am. After breakfast we set off to Mammoth Hot Springs and Travertine Terraces,  Ice cream for lunch and back to RV .

Another early start to secure a campsite at Tower Falls. Tower Falls was the place to see bears, but unfortunately we were never quick enough with the cameras ! Between us we have 4 , you would think we would get to one ! At this site one bear calmly strolled right though the middle during dinner ! Anyway today we headed to Lamar Valley and saw herds of Buffalo. What an amazing sight . Just truly incredible, just how you imagine they should be.

None of our photos do any of the park justice. It is truly stunning and by far my favorite  due to the diversity of the park.

That night I had picked up a stomach bug, lets just say thank god i was in a RV and not a tent !! Next morning , Saturday July 15, we discovered the house batteries were flat , due to the fact we had been dry camping for 7 days without hookup. (and the bathroom had been working overtime, chris) Thankfully the camp host was opposite us and we could plug into his electric to bring the slides in and get us on the road. This time heading into Idaho #28 !!!

Hope everyone is well and we will be with you again soon xxxx