Completion of our 2014 Travels

We revisited the first lighthouse that got us started on our passion with lighthouses - Admiralty Head Lighthouse - Whidbey Island, WA

We are now back in Dickinson, TX in our usual winter RV Park for 2 months for our annual doctor visits etc.  In the last 6 months we have traveled from Oregon thru Washington to Montana and thru Wyoming and Colorado on our way back to Texas.  Here are some of the highlights of our travels:

We continued our multiple visits with relatives and friends and made over 20 stops this year to visit with various friends & relatives in the Western USA. 

We attended our first National Park Travelers Club annual meeting (held in Seattle area this year (next year it will be in El Paso, TX) – This club promotes visiting National Park Service Sites  and provides a list of all of the locations where one can get National Park Service Passport Stamps.  They also give out awards to those that have reached various milestones in their quest in collecting the Passport Stamps.  One new award this year (The Flat Hat Award) is given to a National Park Service employee that goes out of their way in helping a visitor.  We were fortunate to visit with the first awardee when we later stopped at a site in Ohio.

We revisited the following great and beautiful National Parks:              

• North Cascades in Washington State. 
• Glacier - we again took the shuttle up the Going To The Sun Highway to Logan Pass to see the mountain goats.
• Yellowstone - quite crowded since we visited there in early August 
• Grand Tetons, and
• Rocky Mountain - we again drove over the great Trail Ridge Road

We visited 15 National Wildlife Refuges and have now collected at least one National Wildlife Refuge Passport Stamp in each of the 49 states (only one left is Hawaii).  The one that we liked the best and saw the most wildlife was the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah (where the Bear River empties into the northern end of the Great Salt Lake)

 

One of our major goals in our travels is to visit and get passport stamps of the National Park sites (especially all of the sites in the lower 48 states).  We almost reached our goal in 2012 when we visited Cumberland Gap National Historic Park on the border of Kentucky, Tennessee, & Virginia, but the Cesar Chavez National Memorial had been newly designated in California just 3 weeks earlier.  Then, in 2013, three more sites were designated in the east (Delaware, Maryland, and Ohio).  This year we visited the Cesar Chavez site in California, but still had the 3 sites in the east left to visit.  Since we do not plan to go east for a  couple of years and thinking that they may designate a new site at any time, we decided to make a quick 4 day / 3 night trip from Denver (by air) to visit the remaining 3 sites in the east.  So at the beginning of September, we flew to Washington, DC & visited the First State National Monument in Delaware, Harriet Tubman Underground National Monument in Maryland & then flew to Ohio to visit the Charles Young & Buffalo Soldiers National Monument.  Fortunately, no new sites had been designated before our last site and now we can say that we have reached our goal of visiting all of the 365 National Park Service sites in the lower 48.  It has taken many miles to see all of these places, but we have learned so much and have been places we probably would not have gone in this great country of ours.

After Denver, we attended our 9th consecutive rally of the New Horizons Owners Group held this year in Amana Colonies in Iowa.  This group is made up of people that own New Horizons 5th wheels made in Junction City, KS.  We are still living our original 5th wheel made in 2002 & have no plans to get another one since we still enjoy what we have.  We did provide some unplanned excitement when a dust devil (whirlwind) came thru on a clear day and broke our awning arms and then laid the awning over the top of the rig.  It was really weird since there was no wind before or after the dust devil and no other trailer was affected.

This next year we are going on our long planned first trip to Hawaii for 3 weeks in April and visit the 6 main islands - of course we plan to visit all of the six National Park Service sites, visit the National Wildlife Refuges that are open to the public, and take photos of as many lighthouses as possible.  Plus, we might even get to see a beach or two.  After this we plan to travel less than usual and spend most of our summer and fall in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico.

Hope that all of you are doing well.

Sunset at Haystack and Needles Rocks at Cannon Beach in Oregon

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse - Oregon - Note: At one time this was turned into a columbarium (place to store a person's ashes) - but this venture has since been abandoned.

Tumalo Falls - West of Bend Oregon

Butterfly at lavender farm on San Juan Island, WA

"I've been kissed" sculpture at San Juan Islands Sculpture Park, WA.  Note: You can purchase this gem for only $12,500.

Female Goldfinch - The Washington State bird.

Diablo Lake in North Cascades National Park - The color is due to 'glacial flour' - Ground up bedrock by glacier erosion.

Grays River Covered Bridge in Washington State

Carved tree stump in RV park in St. Regis, Montana

"Shoreline Silhouettes" painted bison in West Yellowstone, MT

Jenny Lake - Grand Tetons National Park

Grebe swimming with her chick - Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge - Utah

Great Blue Heron - Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge - Utah

"Maxie" - In Sumner, MO - "Wild Goose Capital of the World"

Western States Travels in 2014

Crater Lake National Park in Oregon

As we continue our 12th year of fulltime RVing, we are traveling in the western United States and have been visiting lots of relatives and friends in New Mexico, Arizona, and in southern and middle California.  We are now in Oregon and plan to go to Washington state and then meander thru Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and then to Iowa and Kansas before arriving back in Texas in November.

Three years ago we started visiting National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) and collecting the passport stamp at each one visited.  As time went by, we have set a goal of visiting at least one NWR in each state.  As this year started we had completed visiting an NWR in all states east of Colorado, so this year our travel plans take us to all of the western states to complete the rest of the lower 48 states.  Fortunately, on one our trips to Alaska, we had visited an NWR there and took a photo of the NWR sign there.  So we have sent a letter to get the stamp and won’t have to drive all the way up there just to get a stamp.  Not only are we collecting stamps, but we have learned a lot about birds, migrating patterns, and wetlands management.  And we have taken auto tours thru many of the NWRs to view the wildlife.

Since we take photos of lighthouses, we couldn’t miss visiting Lake Havasu City (which is on the border between Arizona and California).  The Bill Williams River runs along the border between the states and Lake Havasu was formed when Parker Dam was built in the 1930’s.  This dam is known as the “deepest dam in the world” since they had to excavate so deep to reach bedrock (73 percent of the dam is not visible).The main tourist attraction in Lake Havasu City is the London Bridge which was brought from London and reconstructed between the mainland and an island in the lake.  One little known attraction is that over 20 working small lighthouse replicas have been built and scattered around the lake and on the island.  These lighthouses are replicas of existing ones around the US and Canada.  We managed to take photos of 19 of the lighthouses (a couple of these are included in the included photos).   Note: We counted these as only one lighthouse in our master list since they did not have the “mystique” of real ones.

We also visited the Cesar Chavez National Memorial in Keene, CA (close to Fresno).  This is where his last office was (and has been preserved) and where his grave is.  The memorial was well done and worth the visit.  This was also our last National Park Service site left to visit in the western US.

Right now we are in Eugene, Oregon waiting to have our solar system upgraded.  We are not planning on adding any more solar panels, but are going to upgrade our 4 batteries to larger ones, replace our inverter, and upgrade our solar charge controller.  We have really enjoyed for the last almost 10 years not having to check our 4 AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries.  These batteries differ from flooded lead acid batteries in that the electrolyte is held in the glass mats, as opposed to freely flooding the plates.  These batteries do not have any battery acid and never have to be checked/filled.  They are more expensive, but well worth it to us. 

While here in Oregon and since Crater Lake is one of our 3 favorite National Parks in the US, we just had to make one more trip to see it.  The weather was perfect and the lake was just the wonderful deep blue as it could be.  Note: Crater Lake gets an average of 44 feet of snow each year, but this last winter was one of the driest when only 30 feet fell.  By the way, our other 2 favorite National Parks are Glacier (in Montana), and Bryce Canyon (in Utah).  There are numerous other beautiful National Parks that are also very close to the top of our list.

Next year we are planning to slow down in our extensive traveling around Canada and the USA.  We have been privileged to photo most of the lighthouses in the US and Canada that are relatively easy to get for a total of over 1,250 (Note: this number includes lighthouses in New Zealand and Australia).  We have also managed to visit 372 out of a total of 401 National Park Service sites in the US (including all in the lower 48 states – except the 3 that were added last year in Ohio and in the northeast).   Some of the remaining ones are just too far away for us to visit (such as American Samoa and Guam) or too remote (like some of the ones in Alaska).  In addition we have also visited over two-thirds of the National Parks in Canada.  So as you can see, it is time for us to slow down a bit.

We have been considering volunteering for a number of years, but didn’t want to be committed for long periods of time in one place. But next year we are going to try volunteering.  Right now we are currently considering working in a visitor center, improving trails, or being an interpreter (but not being a campground host) at a National Park Service site or a National Wildlife Refuge.

The only other plan that we have for next year is to visit Hawaii (a place that neither one of us has been to).   So, next spring we are planning a month trip to our 50th and last state to visit all 6 of the main islands.  Taking our 5th wheel is not practical, so we will rely on rented vehicles and hotels or B&Bs.  Of course, we are planning to visit all of the lighthouses, National Park Service Sites, and NWRs that we can.

And way in the future we are leaving open a possible return trip to Alaska/Yukon/Northwest Territories and one to the Canadian Maritimes (including Newfoundland). 

Hope that all of you are doing well.

Easter Cactus Flower in Arizona

White Shoal Lighthouse replica in Lake Havasu City

White Shoal Lighthouse in the Middle of Lake Michigan

Split Rock Lighthouse replica in Lake Havasu City

Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior in Minnestoa

California Quail - Actually photographed in California

Rock formations in Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument - West of Santa Fe, NM

New Point Loma Lighthouse in Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego, CA

Blue Dragonfly in Stone Lakes NWR - South of Sacramento, CA

Large frog in Stone Lakes NWR - South of Sacramento, CA

American White Pelican in Stillwater NWR - East of Reno, NV

Black-necked Stilt in Modoc NWR - Northeastern corner of California

Wilson's Phalarope in Modoc NWR - Northeastern corner of California

Michigan (including Isle Royale)

 

Ontonagon (Michigan) Breakwater Lighthouse at sunset

After leaving North Dakota, we headed toward Thunder Bay, Ontario where we had an air-ride system installed on our truck (for a smoother ride & to be less jarring on the 5th-wheel).  While there we also visited the Terry Fox Memorial.  He was diagnosed with bone cancer and when he was 18 in 1980 he decided to raise funds for cancer research by running  a marathon-a-day  across Canada on one good leg & one artificial leg.  He started in St. John’s, Newfoundland and ran 143 26-mile days making it to Thunder Bay, Ontario before succumbing to cancer.  He became a Canadian hero & more than $600 million has been raised since then in annual events with more than 500,000 participants each year.

After spending just 5 days in Canada this year we headed back to the states to Grand Portage, Minnesota & visited the Grand Portage National Monument & State Park.  It was here that during the great fur trade in the 1700’s & early 1800’s, voyageurs would portage their canoes 8.5 miles from Lake Superior past the falls & rapids of the Pigeon River to reach navigable waters to the Northwest Territory. 

While at Grand Portage, we rode on a people ferry out to and around Isle Royale National Park.  This island (which is part of the State of Michigan) is out in Lake Superior & is 46 miles long and 99% wilderness area.  The ferry goes half way around the island on the first day stopping on the Western end in Windigo & then in Rock Harbor on the eastern end for the night.  Most of the visitors are backpackers, but we stayed in the lodge in Rock Harbor for a couple of days enjoying the peace & quiet before catching the next ferry that came by.  Not only did we want to visit this National Park, but there are also 4 lighthouses that we passed along the way.  On the first day we saw & took photographs of 2 of the lighthouses.  However, on the return ferry ride, Lake Superior was covered with fog the whole day.  Needless to say, it was disappointing to pass the other 2 lighthouses that we knew were out there, but we could not see them.  We greatly enjoyed our visit on Isle Royale & now we have an excuse to go back to the island to see the lighthouses we missed.

We then wandered along the Lake Superior coastline in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and northern Michigan stopping for a few days in the Keweenaw Peninsula, Baraga, Marquette, & Munising.  While in Munising, we went on a boat ride out to see the coastline of the Pictured Rocks National Seashore.  The weather was really great & the colors of the limestone coastline were quite pretty.  While there, we did have an interesting time during one of the nights.  In the middle of the night we were awakened by a strong windy storm that came in off of Lake Superior and both of us got dripping wet in our pajamas getting the awning safely rolled up.

Continuing on our way we stopped at Lakenenland – a free place where you can drive or walk around to see some 80 whimsical sculptures made out of scrap metal.  It was quite an interesting place.  Then, we drove to Neebish Island (an island in the St. Mary’s River – between Lake Superior and Lake Huron).  To get to the island we had to take the small ferry.  The control bridge in the middle of the ferry was too low for us to drive under with our 5th-wheel, so the ferry had to turn around so that we could back off on the other side.  While staying on the island, Jan went on a difficult hike to photo one of the least visited & in poor condition lighthouses.  Maybe in the future, we should skip hikes like this (What’s wrong with skipping one lighthouse after you have seen over 1,200 of them?)

We then drove a short distance to Cedarville in the Les Cheneaux (locally called The Snow) islands area for a few days and took a short trip to photo some more lighthouses (without any hiking) on the St. Mary’s River & in Lake Huron.  We were even serenaded a few times by the Sandhill Cranes flying overhead.

Then we drove to St. Ignace & on Labor Day, half of the lanes of the great 5-mile long Mackinac Bridge from the Upper Peninsula to the Lower Peninsula of Michigan are closed so that thousands of people can walk across the bridge.  We waited until the walk was over & then drove to the Mill Creek Campground in Mackinaw City area for a week.  While there we went on a 5-hour boat tour of the lighthouses east of Mackinaw City in Lake Huron & the Les Cheneaux  Islands.  The weather was super & we took photos of 4 (new to us) lighthouses.  Another day we took a short ferry ride out to Mackinac Island for lunch at the Grand Hotel.  This was our second visit there and much more relaxing since we were not trying to see everything in one day as before.  After resting a couple of days, we headed out on another 2 hour ferry ride out of Charlevoix into Lake Michigan to Beaver Island.  We lucked out in that the better ferry (Vessel Emerald Isle) had been out of service & this was the first day it was back in service.  We took a tour of the island to see 2 lighthouses & to learn about the history of the island.  After spending the night there we caught the ferry back to the mainland and on our way back to the RV stopped at The Legs Inn Restaurant in Cross Village for authentic Polish food, the unusual décor, and great views of lighthouses in the distance out in Lake Michigan.

Then it was time to drive down along the eastern shore of Michigan (western shore of Lake Huron) stopping in Alpena, Bay City, and Lapeer (where we are now) for few days each place.  In Bay City we visited the Antique Toy & Fire Truck Museum to see hundreds of toy cars, trucks, etc. plus about 60 full size fire trucks including the largest one ever built – The New York City Super Pumper built in the 80’s (what a big truck).  It took 15 people to operate it and after a few years was deemed too costly to continue its use.

We just finished a day trip down the eastern shore of the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, and part of the Detroit River (these go between Lake Huron & Lake Erie).  We took photos of some lighthouses & also took the tour of the grand Edsel & Eleanor Ford estate (very good tour).

Tomorrow, we are heading down into Indiana to Elkhart to have our independent suspension checked on the 5th-wheel.  Elkhart is where about half of all RVs are manufactured & the place where our suspension was manufactured.   We don’t anticipate any major work to be done here before we continue our southward journey thru Indiana, Ohio, and other states on our way to Texas for Thanksgiving and the winter months.

Hope all is well with you.
 

 

High Falls - Pigeon River in Grand Portage State Park.  USA is on the left and Canada on the right.

Ruffled Grouse seen in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park (near Thunder Bay, Ontario)

Rock of Ages Lighthouse - In Lake Superior West of Isle Royale National Park

Common Loon in Rock Harbor, Isle Royale National Park

Common Loon spreading its wings - Isle Royale

Coastline near Rock Harbor - Isle Royale National Park

One of the trails on Isle Royale near Rock Harbor

Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior in Minnesota.  One of the most popular and photographed lighthouses.

Duluth Harbor South Breakwater Outer Lighthouse - Minnesota

Arch in Pictured Rocks National Seashore

Coastline in Pictured Rocks National Seashore

Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse in Munising.  It's hard to believe, but one of the lightkeepers lived here with his 12 children.

Daredevil sculpture in Lakenenland

Crocodile sculpture in Lakenenland

 

Patriotic moose in St. Ignace, Michigan

Very well restored De Tour Reef Lighthouse in Lake Huron
 

Sunset in Mackinaw City with the Mackinac Bridge in the distance

Rolling along in Minnesota

Sunset at Badlands National Park in South Dakota

After completing our extensive trip last year to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, & the northeastern states, it was time for us to take it easy for a while.  So, this year we are just traveling around Texas & then to Wyoming and upper Michigan (with a short visit to Thunder Bay, Ontario), before heading back to Texas again.

We wintered again in the Houston/Galveston area (with annual doctor visits etc.).  Then in February, we make a short trip in eastern Texas & Southeastern Louisiana to visit some more National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs).  In March we went to visit our grandkids in the north Texas area for a few weeks. 

Then we set out on a 5-week round-trip thru west Texas & eastern New Mexico camping in 9 Texas State parks (including Caprock Canyons, Palo Duro Canyon, Seminole Canyon, & Dinosaur Valley).  Our favorite was Palo Duro Canyon (the 2nd largest canyon in the US).  Of course, we had to see and photograph the most prominent rock formation in the park – Lighthouse Rock.  On this trip we also visited the International UFO Museum & Research Center in Roswell, NM (however, we missed seeing any UFO’s), and camped in Guadalupe National Park.  I (Jan) decided to hike to the top of Guadalupe Peak & back (an 8 mile RT hike with 3,000 elevation gain to the top).  I had done this before with Boy Scouts about 30 years ago, but did not remember it being so difficult (I wonder if age has anything to do with it?).

The primary destination on our trip in West Texas was to attend the New Horizon RV Owners Group Rally in Kerrville where we visited with many old friends and made new ones.  This rally (with people that have a New Horizon RV - either a 5th wheel or travel trailer) is held every 18 months (alternating spring & fall) in various places in the US.  We have managed to attend 8 consecutive ones & are planning on being at the one next year in Iowa in the fall.

After this trip we stayed around the Dallas area to attend Brynne’s (our oldest granddaughter’s) high school graduation and also to attend my (Jan’s) 50th college reunion at Austin College in Sherman, Texas.  Since the college mascot is the kangaroos, I am now the proud owner of a ‘Golden Roo’ medallion.  We, of course, will have to be back here in 3 years so that Cathy can get her very own ‘Golden Roo’ medallion.

We decided to make one major change this year & traded in our 2003 blue F450 truck.  It was becoming not very dependable, had 145,000 miles on it, & there have been many major improvements made in new trucks in the last 10 years.  We wanted to get another blue Ford F450, but the blue color they offered didn’t even come close to what we wanted – so we ordered a white one instead (at least it matches our 5th wheel & we may even get some blue stripes put on later).  We are still very happy with our 2002 New Horizons 5th wheel RV and have no plans to replace it.

In early June, we were ready to start our extended summer/fall journey.  We headed to the Kansas City area to spend a couple of days with one of Jan’s brothers & then headed up thru Iowa to South Dakota & camped in the Badlands National Park.  This was our 5th time in the Black Hills area and did not revisit many of the places (such as Mt. Rushmore).  We did, however, revisit Wall Drug (a major tourist attraction near the Badlands) and Custer State Park. 

Then we headed to Gillette, Wyoming for the annual Escapade - this is the big annual rally of members of the Escapees RV Club (the top RV Club for fulltime RVs).  We are members and our permanent mailing address is at the Escapees headquarters in Livingston, Texas.  This was only the 4th Escapade that we have attended (since most of them have been in the summer when we have been in Canada & cannot attend them).   We had a great time in learning new things, visiting with people, and hearing good entertainment.  We also, finally bought and replaced our light bulbs (including the fluorescent ones) with LED lights which are by far more energy efficient & not as hot.  We really like them.

We then headed north to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota where we camped a few nights & attended the well-known Medora Outdoor Musical (a fun evening).  Then we headed to the Enchanted Highway – a side country road off of I94 where some fascinating very large scrap metal sculptures are built.  Just as we started down the highway we saw smoke coming out of the rear of the RV & immediately pulled over.  To make a long story short, one of the  wheel bearings disintegrated & the tire rubbed against the frame causing the smoke (fortunately, there was no fire).  Sometimes I wonder what we are doing wrong.  We have now had 5 times when we have seen smoke out the back of the RV.  Two times when an independent suspension axle broke, 2 times when wheel bearings disintegrated, and once when the trailer brakes locked up & one of the tires caught fire on Vancouver Island.   Even with all of these troubles, we have not had to make any “plastic surgery” repairs on the trailer and are not discouraged and are determined to keep traveling onward.

When we had this current wheel bearings problem there were no shoulders to pull off onto, so after quickly removing the tire, we drove on 3 trailer wheels to one of the few houses along this road & backed into the driveway (where we spent 6 nights waiting for parts to come in from Ft. Worth).  The owner of the house was more than gracious in letting us stay parked in front of her house.  She even offered for us to use her shower etc. if needed.  North Dakota is known as the friendliest state in the nation & we now definitely agree with this.   

After I installed the new parts, we rolled north & visited many NWRs along the way (North Dakota has more refuges than any other state). Eventually we made it to the International Peace Gardens (on the North Dakota/Manitoba border) for a few days of rest.  The flowers were beautiful, the park was very peaceful to walk thru, and there is a 9-11 Memorial (completed since our last visit in 2005).  There is also a great International Music School in the summer and the faculty & students give concerts on Fridays & Saturdays.  We thoroughly enjoyed listening to great jazz musicians.

It seems like this is the year for us to see bison (buffalos).  We have seen them at Caprock Canyon State Park (TX), Custer State Park (SD), Theodore Roosevelt National Park (ND), Sullys Hill Game Preserve (ND), and many other places along the highway.  Plus, we saw bighorn sheep in Badlands National Park, prairie dog towns, & of course pronghorn antelope on the plains.

We are now in Minnesota heading northeast to Thunder Bay, Ontario to have an air ride system installed on the truck.  Then we head to Grand Portage in the US to catch a ferry out to Isle Royal National Park in Lake Superior.

Hope all of you are doing well.

Roseate Spoonbill in Anahuac National Refuge in Texas

 Cypress swamp area in Trinity National Wildlife Refuge in Texas

 

Resting crocodile in Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana

Lighthouse Rock in Palo Duro Canyon State Park - Texas

Aliens display in International UFO Museum & Research Center - New Mexico

Jan's hiking pal Blackie on top of Guadalupe Peak in Guadalupe National Park - Texas

View of El Capitan from top of Guadalupe Peak - Texas

Petroglyphs in Seminole Canyon State Park - Texas

 

A female cardinal that was unhappy that we parked close to her nest in Lake Brownwood State Park - Texas.  She & her mate pecked at our truck & trailer windows numerous times until we left.

One of many painted bison in downtown Custer, South Dakota.  This one titled "Provider of the Lakota People" by artist Evans Flammond, Sr. depicts 3 horses used in bison hunts and a blue moon symbolizing a great feast

 Our campsite in Comanche National Forest near Custer, South Dakota

"The Tin Family" - a very large scrap metal sculpture by Gary Greff along "The Enchanted Highway" in South Dakota.  Notice Jan standing at the bottom of pitchfork



"Pheasants on the Prairie" - a very large scrap metal sculpture by Gary Greff along "The Enchanted Highway" in South Dakota.  Notice Cathy standing by the front pheasant.

Resting bison (buffalo) in Sullys Hill Game Preserve in North Dakota

Flowers in The International Peace Garden (North Dakota/Manitoba) border

Sunken Garden in The International Peace Garden