Last week we rolled in from our longest van trip to date. Three weeks. And I'm telling you ..... after three RVs .... namely: one small trailer, one monster motorhome, and one small toy hauler .... we have found IT. Now, granted, if a person (or two persons to be exact) is planning to live full time on wheels for over two years ..... a monster motorhome is the way to go. But we found we didn't necessarily like, for various reasons, living in one. (Except those few weeks in Palm Springs were preeeettty sweet.)
Husband was leery at first about spending too many consecutive days in a 23 foot van, fearing claustrophobia. Learning our limits is still in progress.
The trip:
We started out heading north into our neighboring state of Washington which does a bang-up job of islands, mountains, national parks, water, and ferries. And although wildfires were still a-blazin', we managed to avoid most smoke .... at first.
May I just say, if you have not been on a ferry going to the San Juan Islands of NW Washington, you are missing out. We have done it more times on bicycles, which is MUCH cheaper than in a car. This time we needed a reservation for the ferry and were left with the only time available .... 6:15 a.m. Taking a vehicle longer than 22 ft. on the ferry sends the price into orbit (>$200). 'Tis sobering until you realize that you are taking your lodging across with you, eliminating the need for a hotel room (which are also pricey there). We stayed there two nights, thus making the cost reasonable. Our ultra-early departure (we had to be at the ferry terminal before daylight) seemed unfortunate until the sunrise happened. Now we recommend it, because .... wow.
One of my favorite spots in the PNW is on the far side of the largest island of the San Juans .... called Roche Harbor, which is where we put our kayak to use. Roche Harbor floats in a fairyland of green forested hills, flower gardens, artists' booths, restaurants, and even a small historic hotel. Not to mention the boats. (New England, move over.)
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The next highlight of our travels was an oft-overlooked little National Park just south of the Canada border, called North Cascades. (Have you heard of it?? I had not until last year and I LIVE A DAY'S DRIVE AWAY.) Many of the best parts can be seen from your car. We did a 3.5 mile hike up to a view point overlooking Diablo Lake, then discovered the best view (shown in next picture) was from a pull-out, further up the road. Totally stunning and the color of the water LOOKED JUST LIKE THIS. (Something to do with glacial silt.)
However, if you go there, plan around the weather. We rode our motorcycle through it last year on an unfortunately rainy day, and much of the scenery was obscured in the clouds and fog. Hence, we HAD to go back this year. Really ..... no need to go all the way to Banff in Canada until you've been here. Have I mentioned how much I love to visit (parts of) Washington?? Except for the coast, it beats Oregon, in my opinion.
I will pause here briefly to mention one of the best parts of #vanlife. (The hashtag matters. Don't ask me why.) We use an app called iOverlander which shows out-of-the-way campsites, all found and shared by other campers. It connects to google maps to make them easy to locate, complete with reviews. We have stayed in some wonderful spots, usually free, including:
By the water in Anacortes (up to 72 hours allowed) about a mile from the ferry terminal, where we spent the night listening to the seagulls.
Somewhere close to the Canadian border, out in the woods overlooking the mountains.
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| (North Cascade NP is seen off in the distance. We would've have stayed longer in this spot if we had cell reception for our zoom church service .... since the next morning was Sunday. So instead, we drove to and attended church via our iPad, at a park next to the Grand Coulee Dam.) |
.... And next to a river along a remote road near Coeur d'Alene,
etc, etc.
It's totally legit. No itinerary needed. No reservations. We just consult the app and figure out where we want to spend the next night or two as we go along. It's doable when you are completely self-contained with your own water, power, and most important ... bathroom.
We touched briefly into Montana then back through the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho and discovered that Ketchum, Idaho, (an upscale town by Sun Valley) has an amazing network of paved bike paths throughout and beyond the town. We hauled our folding bikes out of the van and went for a ride.
Interspersed along the way, we got some much-needed family time with siblings, after which we planned to head east towards the Tetons and maybe Yellowstone. But the smoke stopped us. So we rerouted to Wallowa Lake in NE Oregon, where the smoke promptly followed. We scrapped our plan to do more kayaking or to ride the tram up the mountain (too hazy) but did a little biking and a rousing game of miniature golf where Yours Truly (non-golfer) sunk the last hole and won a free game. Ha! And Husband discovered a prime fishing spot (perhaps his new favorite) on the Wallowa river.
We had heard the smoke was bad at home, so we stayed away until it was supposed to improve and then drove home, returning right after there had been a good soaking rain that everyone talked about the next day.
Thoughts:
Any future traveling in Oregon, Washington, Idaho (and thereabouts) this time of year, should probably be towards the coast where it rains more. Otherwise plan on smoke. Or maybe wait until October. It is the new normal.
Idaho keeps its beauty hidden. To find it, you must abandon I-84 and go north.
Husband never felt claustrophobic. (I think fishing-therapy played a part.) We're ready to go farther. Alaska. Next year.
Maybe next time we will take either the bikes or the kayak. It all fit, but the van garage was crammed full.
The dog was thrilled to get home.
We love our van.
