Off on another Adventure - Alabama and back 2026

After a short week at the Desert Habitat it is time for another adventure. I have split this trip into 2 parts. Part one I will venture southeast through Texas, attending triple A and double A baseball games, the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, golfing and some quality time with my Texas friends. Continuing east through the bayou of Louisiana all the way to Florida, ending up with some driveway camping in Pell City Alabama. Part two includes U.S. Forest Service campgrounds in North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky. I hope to visit civil war battle grounds and exciting caverns and national monuments. This part ends up at the Rocky Mountain Star Stare (RMSS) in Colorado before returning to my desert habitat. 

I got underway on May 3rd, but instead of taking the I-10 spending six hours next to speeding 18 wheelers I took the much less traveled route through Globe/Miami and into New Mexico for an overnight at Ventran’s Park, Lordsburg NM. This is the second time that I had stayed here when starting a trip towards the east. The Park was established to commemorate those who served our country, alongside figures involved in policing, firefighting, and local copper mining. Free camping, little amenities, a perfect place for a quick overnight.  Unfortunately, the spot that I used, there was some trash left, sad that the people can’t pick up after themselves and use the dumpster provided. To my surprise, this time there was water and you can see improvement in progress. There were four other campers overnighting. It was nearly dark by the time I got settled. In the morning I took a walk around the area with my pickup stick and a plastic bag. That done, I filled up at the Circle K and  headed towards Texas.

050426 Franklin Mountains State Park Primitive Campground is primarily a day use area, but there is overnight camping. Most of the sites are for tents but I stayed in one of the 6 RV dry camping sites. Before settling up I hit the trail to find a letterbox cache near the park entrance. Nice that Texas State Parks allow geocaching. The temperature were in the 90s so I thought I would  test out my 12 volt AC running it on full with all the doors closed. Kept the van in the 70s while using minimal battery power. The solar input seemed to be enough to keep it running. I used my Starlink to get online so I could watch or listen to the Padres game and enjoy the evening. In the morning I took a nice little hike up to the top to see some of the views and then get ready to check out at noon.When I left I headed over to The Love's truckstop to dump my gray tank and take a shower before heading downtown El Paso to find a place to park during the game. I have tickets to the El Paso Chihuahuas vs the Tacoma Rainers, first pitch 1805. 

📹 Veteran's Park 

📹 Franklin Mountain 

Washoe Lake and Gemfield Road Nevada.

 

Washoe Lake 

042326 - 042426 The drive from Oregon,  through Shasta to Carson City took a little over 6 hours. I arrived at Washoe Lake State Park Campground with plenty of time to get settled  and take a walk before the sun went down. You could tell it had been raining and there were still some angry looking clouds over Mt. Rose to the west. Made for a  beautiful background for camping.  The air was crisp but the forecast said sunny 🌞, so after a nice walk and two geocaches, I decided that I would stay an extra night. 

 

Feral Horses in the camp

In the morning while I was making my breakfast a herd of horses visited the campground. They grazed their way right through my site. I was thinking that someone left the gate open, but no, turns out this is an open range and they are a wild Mustangs. A local I talked to on the beach said "they are more farel than wild." They don't mind being around you but they do not like to be approached,  

According to Gemini Ai, The Virginia Range: This 40-mile mountainous area stretches between Carson City and Reno. You can frequently spot them along the trails on the east side of Carson City, near Industrial Way, or occasionally wandering into historic spots like Virginia City.  Here is an interesting article about the BLM roundup program and local advocacy efforts to protect and preserve the wild herds.  

Gemfield Road Dispersed Camping

It was really nice to skip a day of driving and relax. Saturday I took off late morning and found a Krogers in Carson City then I headed south. Roughly 5 hours later I arrived at Gemfield Road Dispersed camping just north of Goldfield NV.  I drove in about 2 mile and found a empty site great view of the valley and surrounded by Joshua Trees. I even saw more wild mustangs.  Gemfield road continues on to Gemfield Nevada Chalcedony, renowned for harboring what is believed to be the largest deposit of gemstone-quality chalcedony in the continental US.  At almost 6000' elevation, this was a really nice boondocking spot, off the beaten path enough for privacy and not far from civilization.  Other than the wind rocking the van on occasion, I had a really nice stay and a good one to end my trip to Victoria and back.  The next day, I drove the whole 7 1/2 hours to my desert habitat.  Links to Washoe Lake and Gemfield Road shares albums.  Thanks for visiting

Bear Creek Campground - Port Angeles WA

 

4142026  The ferry ride back to the USA went smooth. It was a beautiful day to sail across the Straits of Juan de Fuca.Great views of the Olympics and warm temperatures. I spent most of my time out in the sunshine walking the main deck.Upon arrival, the line through U.S. Customs took about 15 minutes, but they had me pull over because they wanted to inspect my apples and oranges. So I waited in the drivers seat and didn't make any sudden moves. A long time later, the guard came up and said they only want me to put my fruit on the table, I thought they were going to search my van. So I just gave hime 2 oranges and 2 apples. Then I was free to go.

After a stop at Safeway to stock up groceries, I headed west towards Forks and found a nice quiet

campground, Bear Creek Campground just before the 101 goes south. 16 campsites located along the Sol Duc River.  The sites are free as long as you have a Washington Discover Pass.  The rain returned shortly after I arrived, but it let up enough to go out and explore down by the river. This campground was the logging site during WWI that provided the wood for the railroad. I noticed a lot of moss on the tree limbs.

On my way out the next day I stopped at the Forks visitor area, famous for have the most rain. I continued down the 101 passed Kalaloch Lodge and South Beach, which was closed. Stopped along the way for some geocaching but It rained pretty much all the way to Oregon where I pulled into Fort Stevens campground.   Here is a link to the photos I took. 

Boulder Beach Campground - Lake Mead Recreation Area - Hoover Dam

04032026 - 04052026  Popular campground for Boaters and Family Weekends. I arrived just after lunch and got all set up in space 13. The campground was pretty full which is expected for a holiday. This is a nice area for the e-bike, so I unpacked Jagurandi and took off down to the beach area. I spoke with a Park Ranger that golf-carted by and received a great introduction to the Historic Railroad Trail. You can ride all the way to the Hoover Dam and the other way, all the way into Boulder City. The Ranger gave me maps and directions. 

Ready for some supper, I returned to camp and started to make a salad. That is when I noticed the refrigerator was not staying cold. It was getting power, but the compressor was not running. After finishing my supper, I decided to give it until the morning, thinking that it will work itself out and start running. In the morning I used Ai to help me troubleshoot and through this troubleshooting process I determined the problem was a component that cannot practically be replaced. For example: start relay, overload protector, control board or a locked compressor. So I ordered a new refrigerator. To be delivered on the 7th. So I will be heading home to receive and install. But before I do that, I can last another night without the refrigerator and I still need to ride to the Hoover Dam.

At about 1400 I took off on the e-bike, a 6+ mile ride to the Dam on the Historic Railroad trail that goes through a series of tunnels where the railway delivered materials and parts for the Dam. When the building was over, the railway just rotted away until they made it into a hiking/biking trail. The ride was easy on a e-bike but it was epic nonetheless. The views were outstanding and the tour of the Hoover Dam was nice. There was a Virtual cache at the Dam site about a Dog that worked with the builders. Tragically, one day the dog was killed when a truck ran over him. There is a plaque memorial at the spot it happened. 

With the ride complete, I went and bought a bag of ice to keep cool until I return home tomorrow. In the morning, ready to pull out, I discovered all the 110V outlets were not working! Now what? To be continued………….

Here are the photos I took

Southwest Old TIme Gathering and Fiddlestix 2026

 

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Todd and I left the baseball game in Peoria at 1637 headed to the Southwest Old Time Gathering campout in Tucson AZ. We arrived after dark and didn’t get settled until about 2100. But all ended up well. We met up with friends David and Allie. Todd took accommodations in the bunkhouse and I found a spot in a bend in the road for the night.

The next day, Friday, we were able to move to a better spot and Todd was able to set up his tent cot. The music started up around noon with several groups throughout the camp. I joined a group near the pavilion after lunch and I recognized some of the people from Centralia. Everyone said the same thing when they saw Todd "where's Kate"!

photo by Todd Thedell

Saturday was the same, Todd and I got a nice walk/geocaching in, played some more music and attended the potluck that featured Carla’s Gumbo! 

The next day we packed up and moved north to Catalina State Park to attend FiddleStix music campout. They had already had the “pre” jam here before the SWOT gathering, so this was the “post” event. We camped in a group campground with David and Allie with others and the music started right back up.

On Monday a thunder storm came through with some pretty hard rain, but it was short and we were able to keep most of the stuff dry.

One exception was my brother Todd who was out walking when the storm hit.

It rained off and on for the rest of the day and overnight.

In the morning we packed up all the wet stuff and headed out early enough to drop Todd off at the airport.

👀 SWOTG & Fiddlestix shared photos 👀

Desert Tortoise Campground

 

Desert Tortoise Campground Lake Pleasant Regional Park 

02102026 This is the place where I took my sailing class last March. It's a nice size lake and often has good sailing wind. Fed by the Colorado River via CAP system,  the lake was formed by the completion of the original Carl Pleasant Dam in 1927, which was then the world's largest multi-arch dam, intended for irrigation.The campground is popular during the winter months and not only because of the weather, because of the Wild Burros in the area. When I arrived space #126, there was a drove of five to greet me. 

02112026 After morning coffee, I took off to hike the Wild Burro trail that follows the bank, although the lake water level is down now, but will be rising during the spring. There were plenty of people on the trail hoping to see a Wild Burro. I did run across another one on my way back. The day was overcast and cool, perfect for a morning hike.

I visited the Discovery Center that sits on a rise with a good view of the lake. I bought a park sticker and took some panoramics of the lake. 

👀 Lake Pleasant shared album 👀

Organ Pipe Cactus Nation Monument

Twin Peaks Campground Organ Pipe Cactus Nation Monument 

02052026 I arrived about 1730 and found space 101. This is a popular place and I noticed there were a lot of class B camper vans.  The campground is all paved, but I was surprised how un-level it the space was, about 6-7 inches down in the front. I was able to cut that in half with a traction board and a block. This is a different kind of camping that I’m used to, but I knew the spaces would be close together. I think I need to be around other people more, even if I don’t know them. It provides exercise for my people skills. I’m here for three nights. Tomorrow I plan on taking one of the hikes that start from the campground. 

02062026 Victoria Mine - Senita Basin Trails Had my coffee and breakfast. My water pump is making noise, so I did some troubleshooting and wrapped one of the pipes that was banging against the bedbox, that seemed to improve it, but the pump is still shaking when I turn the tap on. But it was getting late in the morning and I wanted to make the Victoria Mine hike. So I started out at 1030 and finished at 1245. The hike was mostly flat with some steps down to transition the washes. Once away from the campground, you are surrounded by saguaro and organ pipe cactus, ocotillo and palo verde trees. Great view of the Pozo Redondo Mountains to the east. 

02072026 Kris Eggle Visitor Center  Beautiful cool morning. There are a lot of people out here camping, but this site is quiet for all of that. I got more steps than I needed yesterday, so I started off, after breakfast, to walk the perimeter trail, but I found the Palo Verde trail that goes to the Visitor center. There was a small museum and a gift shop inside the visitor center. I got a couple of stickers. I was surprised to see that entrance was not free, although included in the camping fee, but if you are just stopping by, you need to pay. 

After a nice walk, I had lunch. At about 1500, I got the bike out and road around the park. I wondered why most of the tow vehicles had their hoods propped open. Turns out this is to prevent rodents from nesting in the engine compartment. I noticed some of the vans were doing too. Maybe there is a problem with rodents here. When I returned to Vannie, I propped her hood open.

02082026 Arch Canyon Trailhead Double Arch  Checkout is 1200 so I took my time with coffee and breakfast. I brought in my Moon Shade and camp stove the night before so I was mostly packed up. I was through the dump station by 1115 and headed out of the park. I took a nice scenic drive on the Ajo Mountain Drive  starts across highway 85 from the visitor center. It is a 21 mile scenic loop up through the desert canyon and to the Arch Canyon. The Arch Canyon Trail is an easy 2 km hike up the south side of the canyon. 

At the end, I was tempted to bushwack/rock hop up closer to the arches, but the temptation passed. After all, there is no Geocache there. But it was obvious that others had made the climb. I had a nice walk and drove the rest of the loop before heading home. 

👀Organ Pipe National Monument shared album👀

 

Quartzite Camp

121025 - 121525 Quartzite Camp 33°51'21.6"N 114°02'35.7"W 

I stayed the night at three different locations on the BLM land in the Quartzite area. First 2 nights, just south of Joshua Road in Bouse AZ where Dottie and Chief lived. I was Geocaching on my ebike when I met a full time nomad Bjarne Winkler and his Dog Ohana (means family) There was a cache near his camper and they wanted to know what I was doing. 

We talked for a good hour. I explained geocaching and Bjarne shared his wisdom about living on the desert and van life. I enjoyed hearing his stories and I asked many questions taking advantage of Bjarne's experience. 

The next day I explored some of the other boondocking areas there and round Quartzite. A area west towards California called Tom Wells Road Dispersed Camping and then the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. During this camp out I stayed up late to view the Geminid meteor shower  on Saturday 13th.  I also had some peaceful walks and plenty of ebike geocaching. 

The Quartzite area is pretty busy this time of year. There are many RV'ers and nomad campers. But there are plenty of space outside of the Quartzite town to find peaceful Isolated desert camping. 

Thanks for visiting. 

👀Photos 👀

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. 

 

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

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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. 

Iowa City - Kansas

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After a couple nights free parking, I looked for a campground with facilities so I can get a shower. I have

heard good things about the Army Corps of Engineer campgrounds, they are well maintained and cost less. I was able to make reservations at one of these camp grounds on the Iowa River near Iowa city. I did pass the worlds largest truck stop on the way to Iowa, but I didn't stop. I got to the campground early and the checkin booth was closed, so I went ahead and found my spot then rode my bike back to the gate and checked in, I really enjoyed riding around the camp grounds and learning about the Devonian Fossil Gorge  After my bike ride it was hot with high humidity so I went and took a long shower. I had shore power connected so I closed all the windows and used the AC which worked pretty well. I think I am understanding the difference between RVing and van camping. My time at the West Overlook campground was short but very productive, a shower, dumped the gray tank and filled up with fresh water. All for $20. 

The next day I headed west. I realized that the farther west I go, the farther away from the midwest heat wave. I continued through Iowa and into Nebraska. Looking for a a target geocache, I came across the geographical center of the United States in Lebanon Kansas. So about 1/3 into Nebraska, I turned south towards Kansas farm lands. The center monument was easy to find, but the small cache that was hidden in the BBQ stand was a pretty tricky hide. I was far away from any freeway rest stop or Walmart parking lot. So I felt fortunate to find a roadside park on the Campendium app in a farm town called Smith Center.  I had Subway tuna for dinner. The park was next to corn fields and the feed supply building. All I had was the app review that said overnight parking was allowed. I waited for the Sheriff to run me off, but no one came. It was a very nice and quiet place to sleep. I was on the road by 0700 heading south towards Dodge City, then onto another free camping spot in Oklahoma.  👀photos of Iowa - Kansas 👀 Thanks for visiting. If you have a google account, you can leave a comment below.