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. 

Devil's Tower National Monument - Wyoming

 091925 - 092125 Belle Fourche River Campground

This was the view from the campground. We arrive at about 1700 and drove around the campground looking for an open space. After the first loop, I turned to follow a Ranger in a golf cart. Her name was Bobbie and she was helping a family find a spot and took me along with them. There was only 2 group sites left, so we got them. Bobbie made a big deal about the cost, $30, but I was just happy to get a space. As soon as we got set up, I knew I want to spend more than 1 night. Ranger Bobbie said we can move after 1200 the next day.  Even though the campground was full, there was plenty of space between sites, which is typical for Forest Service campgrounds. There was a lot of people out walking their dogs in the campground.  Dogs are not allowed on the monument trails.

 

LT Dan and I took a long walk the next morning, we mistakingly visited the Prairie Dog field, must had missed the sign. Then we packed up and move to another space. Bobbie talked me into going back to the gate and get a senior pass so I can get the space for 1/2 price. Bobbie pick a nice space for us and I made the move. 

Because dogs are not allowed on the trails or the welcome center, I left LT Dan in the van and rode my bike 2 miles up to the welcome center. Glad I didn't drive, because there was a big traffic jam getting to the welcome center.  I was able to see the museum and the gift shop. I hiked up the trail a ways, but I did't want to leave LT Dan alone for too long, so I rode back to the camp.  

We went for another walk as soon as I got back. We stopped and talked with other campers and their dogs
We walked for about 45 minutes just around the park. We were on our way back to the Van when LT Dan saw the snake! He ran ahead to the end of the lease and barked. A green rattlesnake coiled up and rattled in response. Glad I had a hold of the lease, I pulled him back. We found a ranger and stayed near the walkway to keep others from walking up on the snake.  Two young men came up from the other direction, I told them to mind the snake and they got real close, like they didn't know that a rattlesnake bite! Luckily the ranger returned with his snake grabber pole and stopped them from trying to get a selfie with Mr. snake.  

Well we had a great time visiting Devils Tower and I think I will probably return sometime in the future. Thanks for visiting my blog. Leave a comment below. 

👀📸 Devil's Tower National Monument 📸👀

P.S. I zoomed in on one of my photos and you can see climbers on their way up the tower! Cool. 

 

On the Road with LT. Dan (IA-ND)

 91625 - 91925 Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota 

On the road heading NW through the Chicago freeways and into Iowa. LT Dan was excited to ride shotgun but after he figured out we were not just going down the street, he relaxed and settled in for a long ride. There was some congestion around the Chicago that slowed us down a bit, so we finally pulled into Pikes Peak State Park just across the the point where the Wisconsin river meets the Mississippi river in Iowa.  Far away from the big city, the park is located atop a hill overlooking the two rivers. We arrived late, took a quick walk and settled in for the night. We were up with the dawn and made our way out to explore the park and quickly found the impressive overlook. 

The interpretation marker states: "Across this impressive gorge of the Mississippi River is the mouth of the Wisconsin River. The steeply notched valleys of both rivers are carved into sedimentary bedrock which underlies the level, plateau-like uplands and forms the abrupt, picturesque bluffs along the valley margins.. The layered rocks originated as loose sediment on sea floors 450 to 550 million years ago, and over time hardened into strata dominated by dolomite and sandstone. Fossil remains of marine life are seen in rocks throughout the area".  

After breakfast we hit the road again keeping to the quite and steady pace of the country highways stopping frequently at roadside parks and gas stations. You see LT. Dan went all day before he peed and I wanted to make sure he had plenty of opportunity to go.  Our next stop was Chippewa County Park Minnesota about 2 hours northwest of Minneapolis.  No great rivers here, just a small county park nestled between to small lakes.  We arrived early enough to enjoy long walk around the park and quiet afternoon. This is a small park with only 7 sites, there was only 3 other campers when we were there. Followed our normal routine in the morning. I was able to top off on water before we headed out on a raining drive into North Dakota.  

We stopped at Petco, cause that is where the pets go, in Fargo. I wanted the full experience of taking a dog in a pet store. LT. Dan picked out some treats and new gear. We also got a new 💩 bag holder cause I ran over the one Pete gave me. It rained pretty hard most the morning and past noon, but let up in the afternoon when we arrived at our boon-docking spot at Mckenzie Slough Wildlife Management Area. Basically a open lot next to hay fields. This area is open to public hunting and overnight parking is allowed. 

We were all by our selves and we had all this open area to walk and play ball.  It stayed cloudy and cool throughout the evening. I woke up before sunrise and there was another Van parked, but they left before the sun came up. I tried to get Dan to go out for a pee, but he does not like the dark. I discovered he is not a morning dog.  Although it was not raining it was clear that rain was on its way, so I thought we better get out of here before the dirt road got too muddy, as it was already pretty sloshy driving. 

We got out okay and stopped at a nearby rest area for the necessary and the 2 caches. That done, we headed out to the Enchanted Highway , a stretch of highway that has large metal sculptures made by Gary Greff , I heard about it from the Built to go podcast with Jeff Wagg. I saw that it was right on our way, so I put it in the route. Un fortunately and as previously mentioned, it was raining. but we were still able to enjoy seeing all the sculptures.  I was surprised that we completed the route before noon. So we stopped in town, gassed up, had a bit of a walk and made lunch, leaving enough time to make it to Wyoming and the Devil's Tower campground. This concludes this post, thanks for visiting. Leave a comment below. 

👀📸 LT.Dan On the road IA-ND 📸👀

 

Picking up Lieutenant Dan

 091525 - Crown Point Indiana 

I arrived at noon, Lieutenant Dan was in the back yard with Rosie. They were very excited to meet a new human and jumped up to greet me. Pete & Sam Summer, was very welcoming and soon I met 5 of their 6 kids and 2 of the many cats and all 4 dogs. 

I went to a local grocery store to stock up for LT. Dan and my trip to Washington.  The rest of the day went by quickly and I was able to set my first to stops, Pikes Peak State Park in Iowa and Chippewa County Park in Minnesota.  I slept in the driveway and had a breakfast as the kids jumped on the school bus. Pete and Sam provided all the pet supplies and gave me many helpful tips. I feel so fortunate to meet such an energetic family. I wish you all the best!   LT and I left about 10am.  

CO-KS-MO-IL 2025

 091125 - 091525 

Leaving the Four Corners heading Northeast, the sun was covered with clouds that extended getting darker on the horizon. The rain started shortly after driving through main street Cortez as I entered the Mesa Verde National Park. The weather app showed rain all the way to through the mountain range to Alamosa. I stopped several times because it was raining so hard and it was still raining when I pulled into Del Norte Town Park. There was a fifth wheel already set up, so I pulled into the opposite parking space. Later a small trailer pulled in leaving room for only one more. Light rain continued through the night which kept any park activity to a minimum.  I used the very convenient dump station on my way out, not bad for free overnight parking.  

I left a little early because I want to spend some time at the UFO Watchtower just a few miles away.  The place was deserted at 9am so I made my way straight to the geocache which was a real easy find among the UFO displays. It was just a box mounted on a pole surrounded by keys. The rest of the Watchtower was kind of corny but hats off the Lady that created a place to watch for UFO for $5 per person or alien. Apparently there is camping here, but I didn't see where? Learn l more at her un-secure website  http://theoriginalufowatchtower.com/  I dropped a $5 bill in the payment slot and went to find the other geocaches in the area.  A couple o park and grabs later I was heading east towards Kansas. 

I fueled up near Walsenburg CO on I25, but instead of taking the the interstate north then east, I stayed on the more scenic farm routes.  I stopped Smokey Hill Trail Marker, a roadside monument near Cheyenne Wells CO. Found the geocache and made some lunch. Refreshed, I continued on a NE course through the small towns, crossing into Kansas. I arrived at Atwood Lake Campground at about 1600 which was not a campground. It looked like a Permanent RV parking lot with no open spaces. I took off towards plan B, highway 36 to Smith Center roadside park, a 2 hour drive east, but the Campendium App shows Sappa Park Campground only 30 minutes east, so I checked it out. It was after dark before I was able to park right on the grass next to a electrical box with #1 on it. I tried to call the number on the sign, no answer, but I did find another sign that there is a payment box by the restrooms. I never found the restrooms, but I had a nice

overnight under a starry night.  

In the morning I booked a site 67 at Wallace State Park in Missouri then got back on highway 36 east for 349 miles. The drive was flat and steady 65 mph, down to 35 mph moving through the small farm towns then back to 65. I made good time and arrived at 1500, plenty of time to get settled before dark. The was no one else in this area of the campground, probably because it was dry camping, no hookups, perfect for an overnight.  

I'm scheduled to pick up Lieutenant Dan in Crown Point Indiana on Friday so I wanted to stay Thursday night close by so I booked Kankakee River State Park, Chippewa campground in Illinois.  This will only be a hour drive in the morning. Gives me enough time to have breakfast and take a shower before I leave.  It was after dark when I finally found my space in a big park and just a few other campers. In the morning I discovered the park did not have showers, just pit toilets. Normally I would not care, but I booked this place because I wanted to shower before I go to crown point. So, I rigged up my outside shower and got ready to go pick up Lieutenant Dan.  Thanks for reading my post, leave a comment if you have one. 

👀 📸 CO-KS-MO-IL 2025  📸 👀

 

Navajo National Monument - Betataken

I'm off on another adventure. Remember the day I left Glenwood, I told Todd I would be back. I agreed to pick up Gus's buddy in Indiana and take him to Washington.   I'm taking my time, adhering to my rule of no more than 6 hour driving per day, it will take me four full days to get there. Click on the map to see my route in google maps.

I left the 🌵 habitat about 1030 on 091025. My first stop, Navajo National Monument, NE corner of Arizona, 7284' elevation on Navajo Nation land. 

First I took the 1/2 mile hike down to the overlook and logged the excellent virtual cache.  The view was wonderful and the walk was refreshing.  There was plenty of campsites to choose from, I ended up in #7 Sunset View campground. Nestled in Juniper 🌲 Dry camping, parked on asphalt. The cost? $0  I enjoyed a beautiful sunset and a simple dinner. This is definitely a place I want to return to and stay for a few days.  👀Betatakin is a Navajo word meaning "House Built on a Ledge."👀

After my typical van breakfast, I hit the road heading towards the 👀Four Corners, 👀 the geographical marker in the Southwest where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah connect. There is four virtual geocaches there where you need to answer question about the monument dimensions and details on each state seal. I used the measure app on my phone to answer some of the questions. There is Native American items for sale in the booths bordering the monument. I bought a t-shirt and stickers.  I stayed in the the parking lot and made lunch then got underway for Colorado and beyond featuring UFOs and lots of rain.

Well thanks for reading my blog, please leave a comment if you have one. 

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