Thanksgiving 2025

112325 - 120525 Sun City to Olympia and back again with points in between

Now that the repairs on Vannie D0T1D9 are fixed I was eager to get on the road again. Destination a thanksgiving dinner that could not be beat compliments of the Caron Family somewhere near Olympia. 

I had a good start heading NW through Las Vegas then on to highway 93 that parallels the Nevada - Utah North and South border all the way to Idaho. I pulled into Pahranagat Rest Area after dark, found a level spot and stayed the night. 

Morning was a quick bowl of oatmeal I headed north. I was going to stop at the Alien Research Center but the alien's were off for the holiday and they were closed 🙁 so I continued north. Driving conditions were very good and I made good time. My plan A, a casino campground in Jackpot at the north border of Nevada and Idaho, was a bust. I just didn't have a good feeling about Cactus Pete's Saguaro RV Park. So I continued north into Idaho and found a gem. 

Lud Drexler Park

USFS Lud Drexler Park right next to Salmon Lake Dam. High desert at 5000 feet. It was about 45°F when I parked. I was the only one there, including any Rangers, but they were open. I paid $13.50 and pick a site that had a view of the lake. I had to break out the sleeping bag because it got down to 28°F. In the morning I cooked breakfast inside on the butane stove which help warm the up the inside of the van. I walked down to the dam and around the park. Found a geocache near where I parked. So it was already after ten by the time I lwas back on the road. Highway 93 meets Interstate 84 in Twin Falls, I figured I would make it as far a La Grande in Oregon before sunset. For the third day I didn't really have a confirmed campsite because this late in the season the state USFS campgrounds are closed in the high elevations. So I figured I would stay at a rest stop. But I thought I would check out Forest Road 21 Dispersed Camping between the La Grande exit and Deadman's Pass.

Forest Road 21

It seemed fine when I pulled in and there was only one other camper. The ground was wet forest floor, not muddy. Satisfied, I found a nice spot between the trees. I checked the weather forecast that shows "wintermix", whatever that means,  starting at 2100 with accumulation of .3". It was already after dark, so I figure I was good, after all it was warmer that last night. I woke up at 0230, stepped out side for the necessary and discovered about 2.5" of wet snow! Now I know what "wintermix" is 😟 

Try as I might, I could not go back to sleep. I was worried about getting Vannie out of the snow. Front wheel drive is good, but with so much weight in the back, I'm always afraid of spinning my wheels. So I forced myself to stay in bed, knowing myself I would try to get out in the dark, and wait until sunrise. No telling when the snow might stop, best to wait until there is at least traffic on the freeway. I decided that I would try to go out the way I came in because I know that ground was somewhat level. So at about 0630, have everything packed up, forgoing breakfast for now, I made my first attempt, which was all that was needed. I did spin the front wheels, but there was plenty of traction all the way to the pavement. Feeling relieved, I stopped at Deadman'd Pass Rest Area and had my breakfast before heading out for the 5 hour drive to Glenwood Park. 

Gus

I arrived right before dinner time, I have a knack for that. We had salad and sausage rolls, a NW treat! Banjo and Fiddle-Mandolin caught me up on all the PNW news and the agenda for the weekend. This includes a nice walk with Gus each day, a Thanksgiving dinner that could not be beat, a music jam and a trip to Tacoma to see old friends.  I always feel welcomed and I'm treated more like a inhabitant than a visitor these days, just part of the big familia.  Thank you all very much!

Alas, I do eventually leave, usually before there is any serious work to be done, always with a heavy heart and anticipation for my next visit.  Sunday morning, after yet another fine Banjo breakfast, I headed south down interstate 5 with my sites set on Umpqua Lighthouse State Park on the coast of Oregon. 

Umpqua Lighthouse State Park

The weather forecast was very favorable for this time of year and there were plenty of campsites available.  I arrived way before sunset and set up in a nice back in site with electrical and water hookup, almost glamping for this trip. There was plenty to do, several geocaches to hunt and the lighthouse to visit. The park was maybe 1/2 full make for a nice and quiet visit. 

I walked around Lake Marie an found all the tiny geocaches, then rode Jagurandi down by the beach. At the lighthouse gift shop there was a real nice Letterbox geocache. I discovered all the travel bugs and swapped a pair. I visited the gift shop and got some stickers.  It was nice to have a whole day to explore and relax. My visit went by quick, next thing I knew it was time to get back on the road.  I spent some time planning my stops as I head south. 

I thought I would stay on the coast as I enter California, stay a night then jump east towards Reno area. The USFS and State campgrounds in the Redwood forest were closed, but I did find a first come first serve campground near Trinidad Ca.

Sue-Meg State Park

The drive down the 101 was beautiful with open skies and colorful transitions from forest to sea. The only traffic was through the numerous small towns along the route. I arrived Sue-Meg State Park about 1600 but didn't get parked until about 1700 because I had to drive into Trinidad to get correct change for the envelope drop pay station. I still had enough sun light to take the stairs down to the beach and take in the view. 

The campground area was nearly full so I was lucky to find a site for the evening.  I'm not complaining, but the difference of the facility up keep between Oregon and California State Parks was drastic. Maybe it was only because one is more popular than the other, still this is a nice park, just somewhat run down after the summer season.

Nevertheless, this was only an overnight stay and made the best of my time. Having filled up with water and emptied the grey tank in Oregon, there was no worry about it in the morning. After breakfast I was off again, only heading east across California, wanting to stay clear of any big metro areas. It took most the day driving the very curvy highway 299 from Trinidad to Reading through the Redwood Forest.  I took my time and arrived safely. From Reading I continued east up highway 44 towards Susanville.

Again, a lot of the campgrounds are closed this late in the year, so my choices for an overnight were thin.
Fortunately, Goumaz Campground was still open. A USFS free area with no facilities but nice level spots to camp. "Pack in pack out" rules apply! The forest road into the park was well maintained, mostly free of ruts and level except for the last part. I still had time for a nice walk around the forest, down a babbling creek, almost I wanted to try a fly. So peaceful it was kind of eerie because there was absolutely nobody else here. I defiantly needed my sleeping bag here, temperatures were in the 20's.  Maybe that was why I was the only one here. There was no waiting around in the morning for the temp to rise, so after a quick breakfast, I was off early making Tonopah BLM land for overnight before the end of the day. From here it was a 6 hour drive through Las Vegas and home. 

Here is a link to my shared photo album for this successful Thanksgiving trip. 

Thanks for reading my blog. 

 

2025 Kinetic Sculpture Race - Port Townsend WA.

 100425 - 100525 Port Townsend WA.

Kinetic sculpture races are organized contests of human-powered amphibious all-terrain works of art. Artist teams with their amazing creations have been competing since 1969. 

In Port Townsend, the race is scheduled for the first weekend in October each year. The race starts on Saturday downtown by the waterfront.  All racers parade through the streets, then a downhill break test then splash! in to the water. Sunday involves mostly off road in sand and mud courses. It was very entertaining, with all the costumes and creative vehicles. The race is hosted by The Great Port Townsend Bay Promotional Consortium.    

👀 Kinetic Sculpture Race 👀 Thanks for visiting. 

Fort Ebey & Fort Worden

 093025 - 100525 Fort Ebey and Fort Worden

After a wonderful stay at the Glenwood SW resort, I took off for a a couple days in Whidbey Island area, camping at Fort Ebey State Park.  I took the I5 from Olympia to Mount Vernon then jumped on Highway 20 all the way through Deception Pass, Oak Harbor, all the way to the campground. Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve is on the Puget Sound's Admiralty Inlet, the waterway connects with the Straits of Juan de Fuca.  Named for Colonel Isaac Neff Ebey, one of the first permanent settlers on Whidbey Island, WA. He came to the island from Missouri in 1851.  I spent the whole day exploring trails on the the coast line and the remains of the gun turrets. The campground was quiet and peaceful. The ranger station was already closed for the season, but one of the rangers was able to sell me a park sticker. 

👀 Fort Ebey 👀

I camped for 2 days then took the Coupeville to Port Townsend ferry across the Admiralty Inlet to meet up with Todd & Kate at Fort Worden Historic State Park. I set up in front of their Bend Teardrop Camping Trailer.   The next day John showed up. 

We went on walks during the day and played Old Time music in evening. The campground was full because this was the weekend of the 2026 Kinetic Sculpture Race, the topic of my next post. So thanks for visiting and please leave a comment if you have one. 

👀 Fort Worden 👀

On the road with LT. Dan WY-MT-ID-WA

 092125 - 092425 

Shortly after leaving Devil's Tower, we were held up by a herd of cattle being moved along by some real cattle drivers. It was slow going but we were in no hurry. Yeehaw! We finally made it to Cody BLM Dispersed Camping area about 5 miles outside Cody Wy. There was very few other campers, but there was some. Parked and set up on a small promontory above a vast valley of barren land, nothing to stop the strong wind. The tossed the van back and forth all evening and through the night. The forecast called for rain in the morning and sure enough after a beautiful sunrise, it started raining hard. We got out of the BLM land before the dirt roads got too muddy and headed around Cody and north toward Montana. 

Soon we were on the interstate plowing west in the consistent rain with a million big rigs. It only seemed like a million because I was a custom to the 2 lane highway. Five hours later, we arrived at Cardwell General Store & Campground 

I book this site because they had showers and laundry facilities. We parked in the dry camping area and went for a nice walk around the grounds. There was a nice creek on the back of the property. 

After our walk, I left LT Dan in the Camper and started laundry and took a nice shower. The was 5 or 6 spots in the dry camping area. They were all full by sunset, but the rest of the sites stayed pretty empty. This was a good spot for a productive overnighter. 

Fortunately the rain was gone and it was a beautiful day with fall temperatures. Montana is a beautiful place. 

We were the last of the dry campers to leave. Took our time because we have a pretty short 4.5 hours drive on the I90 so there was no reason to rush.  We will stop at a USFS campground near Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho, called Beauty Creek Campground 

Lake Coeur d'Alene

LT Dan did not like this camp. We went on walks, but he was jumpy, I'm sure he smelled other critters about. I left his food outside and some critter ate it all. He does not bark much, but when a couple of bunnies came into view, he would lay in his bed and woof quietly. 

This is our last overnight, we will make it to our destination the next day.  We took off after 9 and soon we were past Spokane and making good time across eastern Washington. 

We arrived Glenwood Park in Olympia just in time for dinner. LT Dan and Gus met and were onto being fast friends. Thus concludes LT Dan's excellent adventure.

 👀 LT. Dan WY-MT-ID-WA 👀 

Thanks for visiting my blog. 

Something happened on the way home.

 081925 - 082425

I left the Northwest knowing that I would be back in September, but that is another post yet to be posted. When Mom died, she left a grandfather clock to my sister, said clock has been at my brothers house for a long time. So, because my NW hosts were so accommodating, I thought I would offer to U-haul the clock to my sister. Towing a trailer, I didn't look for campgrounds, so much as just a place to sleep. I left on Wednesday 9/20 and stayed at Rest Stop near ‎⁨Boardman⁩, ⁨Columbia River Basin⁩, ⁨in Oregon.  My scheduled delivery was for Friday morning so Thursday I stayed in a nice pull through space at the Willard Bay State Park in Willard Utah, just up the road from my sisters house. The delivery went well and I dropped off the trailer in Ogden then headed to a boon-docking spot just south

of Beaver Utah. To get, I figured I would just jump on the 15 south and brave to crunch-e-thon through Salt Lake City and Provo. Well, this is when my luck turned bad and I had to use my emergency flashers.  While in the 4th lane of the 5 or 6 lane freeway on the long curve towards the Lehi exit my driver side rear tire blew up! I completely destroyed the tire just getting into the emergency lane, which is just a little bid wider than Vannie. I used the red button above my head and soon I was talking to RAM roadside assistance.  Well, this is where my luck improved, Jesus arrived only 16 minutes later and towed me to a RAM dealership. They were happy to change out the tire with my SPARE TIRE for free. I won't mention all the fact the vehicle did not come with a spare, only a repair kit. After the dealership, I found a Big O tire shop 2 miles away. I bought a new spare and had them swap out the rims. Soon I was on my way. I stayed overnight at a boon-docking spot near ‎⁨Paragonah⁩, ⁨Utah⁩. I left early because I had a 6 hr drive to Marshall Lake Dispersed Campground near Flagstaff. 

Marshall Lake is a dry lake, or swamp in the Coconino National Forest that is a popular place for weekend camping out of Flagstaff. Most of the established sites were taken, but I was able to find a suitable spot for overnight. It was getting dark by the time I got set up, so I heated up some stew and  settled for the night. In the morning the weather was beautiful so I jumped on the Jaguarandi to grab some Geocaches. The ones on the other side of the lake I had to park the bike and bushwack to the caches. Very satified, I rode back to the camp and started to get ready for the 2 1/2 hour drive home. This is when my luck turn bad again. While I was doing my final walk

around the vehicle I discovers the hole above the rear window. I stood there staring at the hole wondering how it happened. There was no low branches close by and I do not remember a collision.  It is still a mystery. Could it have happened when Big O worker pulled in and out of their garage, that does not sound likely and I think they would have told me. It probably happened when I was turning around somewhere. I do no it happened after Friday.  Anyway I made it to the AZ Habitat without incident, thus ending my Washington 2025 trip. 

July 20th - Aug 24th

74 driving hours 4,303 miles

 👀 Photos👀

Thanks for Visiting 😊

Centralia Campout - Old Time Music

 080925 - 081725

After one night of mooch-docking at Glenwood, Todd and I set off early and got in line for the 9 day campout in the farm fields of Centralia Washington.   This will be the longest I have stayed in one spot since getting my van. Including parked at home. I cooked breakfast, while we waited, before we knew it we were heading in to pick our spot. We ended up putting the 2 Teardrop trailers kitchen to kitchen with me off to
the side, nestled under some nice shade trees. 

This campout is all about the music and the meeting other pickers. Every morning at 11am we gathered with Margo and Sheila to learn a new songs, 2 in different keys and each day, then we would play the songs we learned from the day before. There were mostly fiddles, but plenty of mandolins  and Banjos. A few guitars and even a standup bass.  I played rhythm on the guitar learning the cord progressions from watching Sheila while Margo, on the fiddle would play the song slow at first then faster as the group picked up the melody. Margo picked songs that were not well known and I gained a lot of appreciation for how quickly the fiddles and mandolins picked up the tune. 

Later we would go on walks, yes we found a few caches and I took a long bike ride, but mostly we played music, more than I have played since my days at sea. There was always a steady stream of pickers to join our group to play or pet Gus, sometimes late into the night. There was other events like square dancing, pot lucks and even story telling. The weather was wonderful, it only rained once! One night we went downtown and played with a group at the Juice Box  and had dinner.  

The week went by quick and I met a lot of people, many that I met at Fiddle camp. As I packing up to leave, I was planning a return for 2026. 

Thanks for visiting my blog  -  👀Centralia Campout 2025👀

Coasting in Washington

In between music campouts, I took off for the coast of Washington where the pines meet the beach.

 80525 - 80625  👀Cape Disappointment👀

I shared a space with Charlie and her puppies at Cape Disappointment State Park Campground. We went on a bike ride along the beach trails and saw some awesome scenery including some creative sand castles. The weather  was wet so we stayed inside and played Trains (Dominoes). 

It was still raining the next day, Charlie and the dogs took off for Oregon and I stayed and hiked up to the
lighthouse. The trail was muddy when I started but the rain stopped and the sun came out. There was a nice virtual cache and I took in wonderful views and saw some interesting wild life. 

80625 - 80727 👀Pacific Beach👀 

After finishing the hike, I headed north to see if I could find a campsite near the beach. I ended up getting a real nice space with the rear of the van aimed right at the beach at Pacific Beach State Park  This was a postcard for vanlife spot, sun shinning and a cool breeze. I set up my chair on the berm and took in the view.  

There was no geocaching on the state park so I took a walk then had a nice dinner in the van. Slept with the back doors open.  In the morning I took my time packing up, stopped on my way out to find a geocache at the local Fire Department. 

80725 - 80825 👀Kalaloch South Beach 👀

I continued north to see if I could get a space at the Kalaloch Campground. When I arrived, I could tell the campground was full.even though it was a weekday. I stopped and went into the lodge gift store and got a sticker. Next option was to try my luck at the South Beach Campground. Here is was less crowded but still almost full. I found a spot with a view over the top of the big rigs. After getting set up, I walked the beach, 2 kilometers south, then 4 kilometers north then back to the camp. By the time I returned, it was completely full. 

There was a Park Ranger making sure everyone paid and was not parked for day use. I'm not much for the crowds, but it's hard not to enjoy myself with the beautiful beach, cool weather and wonderful sunset and sunrise. 

This wraps up my coastal hiatus before the Old Time Music campout at Centrailia Wa 

Thanks for reading my blog, leave a comment if you have one. 

 

Fiddle Camp - Cashmere Wa

 072725 - 080125 Chelan County Expo Center

Welcome to Fiddle Camp. Five days of musical instruction,  campground old time jams and Band scramble. 

I took intermediate guitar and learn to play Mandolin.  in the afternoon and evening musicians would visit each others camps to jam sometime late into the evenings. It was a very social week with schedules and performances. 

I camped next to tear drop campers parked kitchen to kichen with popup canopies in between, complete with a misting canopy. I learned some new techniques and met many pickers.  👀 Fiddle Camp

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Iron creek camp

 072025 - 072425  N 46° 25.897' W 121° 58.959'

First week camp is a family affair at Iron Creek. Located in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Iron Creek is a well established remote campground located among three volcanic peaks: Mt. Rainier to the north, Mt. Adams to the east, and Mount St. Helens to the west.  Along the Cispus River this old forest of tall trees nicely secludes the campsites. 

Unfortunately there is only one geocache in the camp ground. We quickly found itand the kids wanted more. So I took a container with swag items and hid it along the trail.  They had fun finding it and collecting the treasures. We had great weather for relaxing, swimming in the river, bike riding and collecting blackberries along the trails. We camped for 4 days 

On the day we left, I took a side trip to another park trail to find a few more geocache. I had a nice walk and found three of the five hidden on the StoryTrail. 

👀 Here is a link to my shared album 

Twin Falls ID - Farewell Bend Oregon

When I left the Ashley National Forest I headed for a rest stop in Snowville Utah but I got there to quick and decided to continue on into Idaho and find a car wash and a place to camp. I found a waiting line at the Bubble Barn carwash in Burley ID  I just wanted to get the Uinta mud off the RAMVAN. While I was waiting U discovered the Milner Historic Recreation Area right on the Snake River just west of Burley. There was plenty of spaces available and only $15 per night. I got parked and went for a walk on down by the river, "Grandpa lives in a van down by the river", experienced a nice sunset and got visited by the local mosquitoes.  I had a very relaxing evening and a good nights sleep. 

I was up early because there was a couple Virtual geocaches I wanted to find before I left the southern Idaho area. Shoshone Falls Earthcache  took be to the very scenic Shoshone Falls Park, "The Niagara of the West". I went straight into tourist mode answering all the required question to complete the earthcache, and I even found the nano cache on the railing. Even though it was about 100° there was steady turn over of cars and buses driving through the park. I spent about 90 minutes walking around the park and watching the beautiful falls. 

Next on to  Thousands Springs Scenic Byway  Whoever put this virtual caches together went overboard on the questions. All 11 fill-in-the -blank questions came from the same sign. Kind of boring. The main attraction here is the Perrine Bridge, 4 lane highway that spans across the snake river 486 feet below. This bridge is popular for Hang Gliders that jump of the bridge. The reason it is popular, is the gliders do not need a permit.  This is near the sight where EVEL KNIEVEL attempted to jump the snake river on his custom SkyCycle in 1974.  The welcome center was great for escaping the heat and learning about the Thousand Springs Scenic Byway. 

My next stop is known as the last camp on the Oregon Trail across the Snake River Plains. The Oregon State campground is called Farewell Bend. The last camp on the snake river before reaching the Columbia River that leads to the Pacific Ocean.  The mosquitoes were very thick and hungry especially down. by the river. I camped next to 3 ladies from Pennsylvania  on a trip to kayak the rivers of the west. But I think the Mosquitos ran them off. I went off on the Jaguarundi up a jeep trail pointing at a geocache about a mile away. The cache was at a sight where there was Remnants of the Oregon Trail written on a sign that depicted the hardships the pigrams endured to complete the journey  

👀Twin Falls ID - Farewell Bend Oregon Photos 👀

This inspired me to move on with my journey to Olympia. So after returning to the RAMVAN I got ready for the road and took the scenic route, avoiding the Portland traffic, taking my time driving through Yakima farmlands, over White Pass and down in the forests of southwest Washington.  Now begin the days of the camp, Iron Creek, Cashmere and Centralia ...... to be continued, thanks for reading my blog. 

Spirit Lake 2025

Spirit Lake 2025

 If you are ever traveling through Vernal Utah and plan on heading into the mountains, stop by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Region Office and get the latest on road access, campground closures and fishing information. They also have free wildlife reading materials and state park stickers.  

I got a fishing license, propane and provision in Vernal before heading up the south grade of US highway 191 into the Ashley National Forest, I reached UT 44 and Spirit Lake Rd FR 001.  

Spirit Lake in Ashley National Forest is a high-elevation lake with a geological history shaped primarily by ancient mountain-building forces and subsequent glacial erosion. It is situated on the northern flank of the Uinta Mountains, the only major east-west-trending mountain range in the contiguous United States.  

The weather was beautiful, temperature high 60° with calm winds. The campground was less than half full, I took space #5 an set up camp. At about 1630 I got on Jaguarundi to ride around the lake.  I headed to the north end of the lake where the water spills into Middle Fork Sheep creek. As I rode by the lake I noticed how high the water is. July is the highpoint of the snow melt off, so the lake is full. So full there was no way I was getting across the spill area and there is no foot bridge. So I turned around and head back towards the lodge on the south end of the lake.  The lodge was not open, only a "be back later sign"

I downloaded the the offline geocaching information,  so I pointed the GPS to Osprey Cove at Pappy's Lake GC1X7GJ hidden 16 years ago on 08-10-2009 by Todduh.  I saw how high the water in lake is I knew I needed to check on this one. I found the old road by the lodge. From there it was just a matter of weaving to the GZ. The cache is in great shape, looks like it was hidden last week.  

The next day I decided to hike up to Tamarack Lake, there are 2 new geocaches on the trail and I want to check on Tie one On cache. This is the cache that Todduh found while we were fishing in 2008.  

Nothing has changed on the Spirit - Tamarack Trail 024 over the years, up and down at the edge of the meadow behind the lodge, across the bridge over the creek then the trail goes up to the Lily Pad lake where it splits off, left to Jessen Lake, right to Tamarack.  The 2 new geocaches are hidden in this area. Found then both pretty quickly, however the coordinates are way off on one of them. Trail 024 continues southeast up to 10400' elevation where Tamarack sits under the penumbra of 11500' east west ridge featuring treeless rock cliffs a snow covered domes.  

I was able to locate  Tie One On GC8328 hidden 08-22-2002 and found it is great shape. The theme is to leave a fly and take a fly which are all organized in small plastic cubes, I selected a nice bumble bee looking fly and left a renegade fly. I dropped a geocoin that I got at the New York state campground in Cooperstown NY.  (as of 8/31/25 it is still there) then made sure the cache was well hidden. I wonder how long it will be before someone else finds it. 

So I took my new fly and rigged my pole with a fly behind a clear bobber 1/2 full of water. Wouldn't you know it, that I caught a fish on the first cast.  The fish got off just as I was landing it, but it got stuck in a pool near the bank, I used my needle nose pliers to grab that the tail fin sticking out of the water and flipped it onto my rock. At first I thought it was a Golden Trout, but after

referring to the fishing guide, it looks like one of those Tiger Trout, or maybe a hybrid.  I did not keep the fish I caught because I think I have caught my fair share over the years. I ate my lunch and headed back down the trail.  I met 3 groups on their way up  right as it started to rain. Back at the Van, the rain has stopped, so I rode my bike to check if anyone was at the lodge, but again the back later sign.  I really want to buy a sticker!  Once again back at the camp, I busied myself organizing my stuff and relaxing after a active day. Honestly I kind of missed the people I have been here in the past,  remembering all the fun we had, and thinking about Pappy and Kim. 

The next morning I was out early to get another geocache across the meadow from the lodge. Parked the bike at the lodge and made my way across the marshy meadow and past the snow survey station and found snotelin' where it is. Back to the lodge, someone called out that they would open in a minute. They must have seen me checking the door.  I was able to get my stickers and I got a mug! 

The next cache, Woodpecker Camp is half a mile passed the north end of the lake off the road on the edge of the meadow Pappy named Rainbow Gardens. Been 5 years since anyone logged this lonely cache. I found it full of water. I dumped and tried to dry but everything was soaked. I let everything dry out a couple hours. I went back to RAMVAM and retrieved paper pencil and baggie. The container is a little cracked but ok. I replaced it on its side, hopefully it will drain. I said hello to Bullwinkle grazing in the meadow.  Spirit lake is a special place for our family and I plan to not let as much time pass before I return again, 

👀Spirit Lake 2025👀

I know this is a long post, thanks for reading my blog. 

Pueblos and Toadstools

Hope everyone had a nice 4th of July. After my long trip to the east and Canada, I ventured over to check in with family in San Diego. Fireworks, fishing and cookout I was ready for another adventure starting with heading north to find the closest to 70 degrees as I can. First stop was Lomaki Pueblo where I walked a path to look at the ruins, 900-year-old structures balanced on the rims of an ancient earth crack, learning about how the Navajo trapped water in natural runoffs. 👀Lomaki Pueblo photos 👀

After a quick lunch, I headed to tonights camping spot at Paria Valley Farm outside Kanab Utah. It is the off season for this Farm that has RV parking. All I needed to do was buy a t-shirt.  Even though it was 95° when I arrive it soon cooled down. I slept with my rear doors open, but had to close them after dark. In the morning I left early and hiked a nearby trail that featured Toadstool rock formations

From the trail sign, "A toadstool is a spire-like feature with a boulder perched atop a pedestal rock, like a

mushroom, or toadstool." It forms when softer rock erodes away, leaving a column sheltered from wind and water. The route ahead leads to an area where conditions were right for toadstool development."  

 👀Paria Valley Farm and Toadstool Photos 👀

I was back on the road by 9:30 heading north through Kanab on highway 89. This is one of my favorite routes through Utah, it runs through the Dixie National Forest and passed Brice Canyon. There are frequent opportunities to stop and eat, geocache or just rest. Much better than flying 80 mph on the 15N.  

This trip I stopped for some geocaching and lunch at the Spry Cemetery 1885. I caught interstate 70 then north on Utah 10 to Huntington State Park.  When I arrived the site I reserved was very small and on a hill. The camp host let me change to a site on the lake. There was a nice strong breeze and a impressive sunset. I found the lone geocache in the park and had a nice walk down by the lake.   👀Spry Cemetery and Huntington photos 👀

This is it for this post. The next post will be about camping at Spirit Lake. I know I am very behind on my post. I have a week at my Habitat in the desert, so I will be able to catch up, so check back when you can. Thanks for reading my blog.