We pointed our home East on I-10 and left San Antonio behind. Next stop, Nederland, TX. (pronounced nee-der-land by the locals) We moochdocked with our friend Joe who showed us some of the coolest spots in town. Our first experience was a great local brewery he found, Buckstin Brewing. The people treat everyone like family when they walk in, the beer was delicious, and the food was pretty darn good too. We spent almost the entire next day exploring the area including Port Arthur and Pleasure Island. On Pleasure Island, we found the coolest playground I have ever seen in my life. It was huge, built like a castle, and meandered on forever. The girls and I took a break to explore the castle before moving along and finding the golf ball water tower I’d read about on Atlas Obscura (Thank you, Tom, for introducing me to Atlas Obscura). I had to get a picture of course.
Walking on the beach in Bolivar
After three days in Joe’s 70′ driveway, (he measured shortly after we pulled out) we made our way back to beach camping in Bolivar. I cannot even begin to describe how amazing beach camping in Bolivar in the winter is. We watched the sunrise from bed every morning. Some mornings we had a great blue heron join us on the shore. We were the only campers for a long way. It was peaceful, relaxing, perfect. Plus, we had service and I was able to get my work done without having to go anywhere. The only downside to beach camping is the sand. It gets EVERYWHERE. Including your food while cooking outdoors. A little sand never hurt anyone, though. My friend, Lauri and her girlfriend were able to get a beach house within eyesight of our beach spot for the last weekend we were in town. It was enjoyable to have the time to relax while enjoying the company and the scenery.
Great-blue heron that joined us for sunrise
We booked the Galveston Island KOA for our last night in town hoping the weather would be nice enough for the lazy river. It wasn’t. We all showered, filled the water tanks, and dumped the other tanks before our journey back to Oceanside for our final volunteer commitment. Til June.
We were staying on Galveston Island at the KOA when our friends invited us to San Antonio for Thanksgiving. We met them when we all lived in Oceanside, CA. They had also moved from Colorado to California. 2021 brought about changes for everyone, and they moved to San Antonio. We’re always up for an adventure, so we booked a spot at Admiralty RV Resort in San Antonio for Thanksgiving weekend.
The drive from Bolivar Peninsula to San Antonio was long and tedious. I worked the entire time Tom drove. We were amazed at the traffic we experienced before we even hit San Antonio. We came to a standstill around Seguin then, stop-and-go until just outside of San Antonio.
Thanksgiving morning, we made our way to our friend’s house for a Thanksgiving breakfast of pineapple pancakes, breakfast tacos, and bacon. As a mom of older children, it is always fun having a toddler around. As long as they belong to someone else. We spent the day catching up and hanging out. Dinner was delicious, and before we knew it, it was time to go home. We hadn’t seen these friends since January. It was splendid to spend hours playing with their toddler and catching up. You don’t always realize what you are missing in life until you get to experience it. We were definitely missing some good times with even better friends.
San Antonio Boat Parade on the River Walk
Friday found us working and doing laundry at the Admiralty RV Resort before heading to the River Walk in downtown San Antonio for a boat parade. Our family showed up a little early and spent some time walking around downtown before meeting up with our friends. We didn’t explore the River Walk because a ticket was required, and our friends had the tickets. When we all found each other, we headed to our seats to await the beginning of the parade. There were not as many shops and restaurants as I was expecting. There weren’t any right near us. Such a fun night. There were carolers in kayaks, carolers on riverboat barge things, a comedian in a bumper boat, and Santa Claus to round it all out. Our friends surprised us with lighted swords, and we had marshmallows and miniature candy canes because the hot cocoa person didn’t show up to work the drinks boat. Life was good. The parade lasted roughly an hour, and after we attempted to eat at Bubba Gump’s, but they were closed. With a toddler, our friends headed out while we went in search of dinner away from the craziness of downtown. We ended up at Willie’s Icehouse on our way home, where we enjoyed a tasty dinner before home and bed.
The back of the church at The Alamo.
One cannot visit San Antonio without a visit to The Alamo. Saturday, we reserved tickets for entrance to the church and purchased the audio tour. We strolled the grounds of The Alamo, listening to the audio tour and reading the signs learning the history of The Alamo and Texas. The girls had an assignment earlier in the week to write a one-page essay on The Alamo. They were eager to share their knowledge as we came upon things they’d read about. History is always so fascinating. When you stop and think about what you are reading and how it happened upon the ground you are standing. We spent about two-and-a-half hours exploring and learning before heading off in search of a late lunch.
San Antonio River Walk
Tom searched for restaurants while I took photos of doorways and buildings. He found a Rainforest Cafe on the map, and being Liv’s newest favorite place, we headed there. The entrance was downstairs on the River Walk. As we walked down the stairs, we saw this area was much cuter than the area we’d sat for the parade. There were also a lot more restaurants and shops. More what I’d thought it would be. With a thirty-five to forty-five-minute wait for lunch, we chose to stroll along the River Walk, no destination in mind. What a cute little area they have created along the San Antonio River. Shops and restaurants galore hidden below the tall buildings blocking out the shadows above. We walked to the RiverCenter before turning back toward the Rainforest Cafe. While eating lunch, we decided to extend our stay by a day and check out the San Antonio Zoo. Who wants to be on the roads with all the other travelers anyway?!? We were disappointed by our Rainforest Cafe experience. We were seated on the second floor in a corner that didn’t have much going on. Tom and Liv ventured to the bathrooms upstairs and discovered that the third floor was the best floor. After lunch, I’d had enough of peopling, and we headed home for work, cleaning, and relaxing.
The cops make a visit late morning/early afternoon for the drunk across the way.
Sunday morning was spent in bed reading and working. Late Sunday morning, we sat down to a lunch of ribs made in the Instant Pot and brussels sprouts made on the Blackstone. The guy across the street from us was a very angry drunk who was screaming and yelling, at one point kicking things around between two trailers. Apparently, the manager had spoken to him and only aggravated the situation. He continued his obscenity-laced yelling after she left. A cop rolled up and talked to him for a bit before leaving without him. A woman came walking from the side of his trailer, and he was yelling obscenities aimed at her. The park ended up moving her. We left for the zoo, and when we got back, things were quiet. Nothing like lunch and a show.
San Antonio Zoo Parking Garage
The San Antonio Zoo is a great way to spend the afternoon. They have Zoo Lights going right now, so we planned our visit to see the animals before they went to bed and enjoy the Zoo Lights. When we walked in, we asked about a map and were given a kid’s map with a QR code for the actual map. We scanned the QR code and gave the kid’s map back. Trying to figure out the map on my tiny phone screen was frustrating, so we didn’t use it. It was easy to miss things if you weren’t paying attention. Komodo Dragons are our favorite lizard, and we were lucky to see two babies hatched at the San Antonio Zoo between October 17 and October 27, 2021. We saw African Wild Dogs for the first time. They have enormous heads and ears. This zoo was nice, had some exotic animals we’d never seen, and was a great way to get steps in. We grabbed a bite to eat before walking part of the zoo again for the lights. The park got busier as the evening progressed, and a ton of screaming little enjoying the lights. My peopleometer hit sensory overload, and my anxiety kicked in. Which makes me snappy, and it’s best for everyone if we exit stage left. So we didn’t enjoy the lights as much as I would have liked, but we did make sure we got to see some. The pink section was our favorite. Or maybe the light tunnel was our favorite. Either way, we’d visit again.
San Antonio River Center
San Antonio has a lot to offer, and while I wish we had more time, I’m not entirely sad to see San Antonio in the rearview mirror.
We can’t leave Moosey behind!! The girls stayed the last night with a friend, and M left Moosey. Moosey is a stuffed…moose, as you probably guessed, and we couldn’t leave the state without Moosey. M has had Moosey almost since birth. They were born 6.5 weeks early, spent 2.5 weeks in NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit), and three days after leaving the hospital, I found M dead in the back of the car. Later, after an ambulance ride to the hospital, 7 hours in the ER, and being admitted, I was told she had RSV. She spent another month and a week in the hospital. It was during this stay she received Moosey. They’ve spent every night together since.
Because we only have a month between Southern California commitments, we typically try to get to our destination as quickly as possible. Our first night was spent in a rest area East of Tucson. We rolled in late and rolled out early. We stopped for a photo with the recycled roadrunner in Las Cruces, NM. We missed visiting when we were staying in Las Cruces in February, our first try at Galveston, so we stopped and had lunch in the rest area before moving on. Our last overnight while traveling was spent in a crazy rest area. It was a narrow road with big trucks and a couple other RVers parked along the side. We parked in one spot that didn’t feel safe; we kept thinking someone would hit us. When someone ahead of us moved, we moved and tucked in for the night. We were woken up by someone knocking on our door. Somehow, trucks had rolled through all night long, but now we were in someone’s way. And when Tom went to put the car in neutral to pull forward, the car was dead, and the alarm was honking. After some grief, we started the car and moved our rig up. It was then I noticed we were in the wagon wheel rest area I read about on www.roadsideamerica.com. I was very excited, but I was the only one. It’s like that sometimes.
View from our site at the Galveston Island KOA
Almost eight months to the day after we started our trip to Galveston, we finally arrived. If you missed the beginning of this eight-month trip, check out A Mountain Retreat. We started out February 17, 2021, and finally arrived on November 16, 2021. We’d heard about beach camping, and we were ready. Another woman from the Facebook group of people I’d never met lives near Galveston, and gave us more reason to visit. We booked the Galveston Island KOA Holiday for the night we arrived and an extra night on our way. We typically do this as a way to dump and refill water when we’ve been traveling for a few days. The extra night gives us a chance to scope out a free place to stay for a while. We pulled into what looks like a newer KOA, checked in, and got set up. After three days of solid driving, we were done, didn’t want to drive anywhere, and had “fend for yourself” night for dinner. This means you eat what you can find to eat because nobody’s cooking unless it’s you. We didn’t have much, but there was enough. No one went hungry.
Liv, Kim, M, Lauri, Tom, Dominic, & Renee meeting for the first time on Galveston Beach
The next morning was full of boring stuff like working, schooling, laundry. Mid-to-late afternoon we managed to escape for a drive and lunch. We found the Tipsy Turtle right on the beach and climbed the stairs to enter. I imagine in the summer months, this place is packed. It has a total island vibe and good drinks. The food is edible, not gourmet. Overlooking the water, we ate our lunches, then grabbed a cocktail and headed down to the beach. Something that never happens legally in North County San Diego. As we explored Galveston Island by car, I received a text that my friend was on the island. We met for sunset on the beach. A beach you can drive on. And it was spectacular. It was awesome meeting her, her son, and her sister. We hung out until it was chilly, we were hungry, and they had to get back and get ready for school the next day. We searched for Salsa’s for dinner before heading back to the KOA. The KOA is a bit of a drive from Galveston, and there isn’t much nearby.
Friday was Liv’s BEST DAY EVER. We have a frog on a shelf in our living room that I bought at the Rainforest Cafe in Denver when I was 19-ish. I’ve talked about how the Rainforest Cafe was fun because of the ambiance and decorations. When we found one in Galveston, we had to eat there. Commence Liv’s BEST DAY EVER. We started with lunch next to a large saltwater aquarium, across from a family of gorillas. After an exciting lunch of food that doesn’t have to be good because tourists will flock there anyway, we exited through the gift shop, of course. Inside the gift shop was a Build-A-Bear station. When the girls were 4 or 5, my cousin promised them a trip to Build-A-Bear. They’re still waiting for that trip, so we each built an animal. The excitement they shared was contagious. While checking out, the cashier said the river ride was a requirement. Well, if it’s a requirement, we’re in. It was a relaxing float after lunch. 10 out of 10 recommend. Upon exiting, we had to pose with the statues.
That evening, we met my friend and her peeps for dinner at Jimmy’s on the Pier in Galveston. The location is to die for, the food is pretty good, and the people are fantabulous. We watched the full moon rise over the ocean on one side and the setting sun paint the sky on the other side. We ate, we laughed, and we enjoyed the evening. They went their way, and we went ours with tentative future plans. On our way back to the KOA, we talked to our friends in San Antonio, and they invited us for Thanksgiving dinner. We decided to make the 6-hour drive and visit good friends we hadn’t seen in months.
We were supposed to check out of the KOA on Thursday, November 18, but we extended our stay two nights to take advantage of the lazy river and/or pool. It was chilly, cloudy, and not very pool friendly on Friday, so we extended our stay through Saturday afternoon. We discovered that we could pay $20 for a late (5:00 PM) check out. We were in and spent the afternoon floating along the lazy river. Luckily, we had our floats from our Montana days because they do not provide floats for the lazy river. Tom grabbed us a couple of frozen drinks from the store, and we were the only ones enjoying the lazy river. After an afternoon relaxing, we headed for Port Bolivar for beach camping and more relaxing.
To make our way to Port Bolivar, we had to take the Galveston – Port Bolivar Ferry. Before taking our RV on the ferry, we took the car on the ferry, and Tom asked one of the ferry employees about bringing the RV on. When it came time to go beach camping, we turned off the propane in our 38′ class A motorhome and boarded the ferry with our tow vehicle attached. The ferry is a part of the Texas Department of Transportation and is free to ride. We rode the ferry multiple times and often saw semi-trucks, class A motorhomes, and trucks pulling ginormous fifth wheels.
We pulled up on the beach in Port Bolivar and got to work setting up. There was one other camper on the first couple of nights, but they were a long way down the beach. We did see a couple of other campers a few different times the entire time we were there, but they were more than 100 yards from us. Even on the weekend, when the beach was busier than on weekdays, we didn’t have anyone nearby. They kept their distance, and there was plenty of space for everyone to not be on top of each other. Watching the sunrise over the Gulf from bed was an excellent way to wake up each morning. Some days we had a local bird hanging out and enjoying the sunrise with us. We walked the beach, and I found my first pieces of sea glass. M and Liv found more seashells than they knew what to do with. We spent four relaxing nights living, working, exploring on the beach in Port Bolivar before we packed up and headed off to an RV park in San Antonio.
We arrived back in Oceanside on Wednesday, September 8th, and checked in to Woods Valley Kampground in Valley Center, CA. Not our first choice but sometimes our only option. Our arrival was the start of 2-ish months in Southern California. My volunteer commitments were spaced with a week between each. The week we arrived, I had a golf committee meeting; the next day, we had food distribution. The following week, we had no commitments, and the week after, we were volunteering for Sicily in September. A dinner fundraiser where the winner of the 8th season of the TV show MasterChef, Dino Luciano, and 15-ish active duty Navy/Marines cook dinner for the guests. The second week of October held my last golf committee meeting, the online auction piece of the golf tournament I was in charge of, food distribution, and the golf tournament on the 22nd. November was another golf tournament we were volunteering for but had nothing to do with putting together.
Mural on the side of Don’s Country Kitchen in Oceanside, CA
We started our visit at Don’s Country Kitchen in Oceanside, our go-to breakfast and lunch spot whenever we are in town. The food is delicious, the servers are fantastic, and the owners became friends. While eating breakfast one morning, we learned that one of the owners was playing percussions for a play at the Moonlight Amphitheatre. They invited us to Friends and Family Night for the dress rehearsal. We met them there and enjoyed a lovely evening with lovely people while tapping our feet to the beats of On Your Feet: The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan. The show was toe-tappingly good.
Sunset outside our hotel in Channel Islands Harbor
With time to spare, we visited Channel Islands National Park. We booked a room at the Hampton Inn at Channel Islands Harbor for a night and set off for an adventure. We had tickets to the islands for the 21st, so on Monday, September 20th, we moseyed over to Ventura Harbor to visit the Channel Islands Visitor Center and a stroll through the harbor after checking in to the hotel. While strolling the harbor, we found Top This Chocolate, and Liv exclaimed, “It’s like a real-life Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!” as we entered. The girls made their own candy bars, then we set out in search of real food. We climbed the stairs for a late lunch at Margarita Villa and enjoyed a meal overlooking the harbor. I also received a call from the Executive Director at VANC with the news that we had to postpone MasterChef.
Santa Cruz Island – Channel Islands National Park
Tuesday morning, we made our way back to Ventura Harbor to ride to the Channel Islands. We would have a few hours at Santa Cruz and a few hours at Anacapa. First stop, Santa Cruz Island. On the way, we enjoyed a ton of dolphins around the boat. When we arrived, we were met by a park ranger who went over the rules. The National Park is only about a quarter of the island, and The Nature Conservancy owns a large portion. We chose to hike toward Pelican Bay, knowing we were not likely to make it in the time we had. Part of this hike is on The Nature Conservancy land and typically requires a guide. Due to COVID-19, they allowed the guides to stay on the trail but allowed each party to travel at their own pace to keep social distance. We made it through many uphills, switchbacks, rock scrambling, and beautiful views before needing to turn around to meet our ride. We stopped for a snack on the island’s shore while waiting for the boat to board.
Birds on Anacapa Island – Channel Islands National Park | The lighthouse sits atop the island shrouded in fog
When everyone boarded, we set off for Anacapa Island. When we made it to the cove with the dock, a concrete platform with short ladders we would be required to climb. The Captain wasn’t sure he would allow us to get off the boat. I don’t know anything about boating, but I know that cove seems really small for that big boat. He was afraid that he would let us off, but we wouldn’t be able to get back on to go home. In the end, he let us off. Getting off required climbing that short ladder I mentioned while the boat rocked in the waves. Not a slight rocking. More like hurry up if you don’t want to get caught between the boat and the ladder. Then, we had to climb the 150 stairs to get to the island’s top and begin our hike. There was a heavy fog surrounding the island, and we couldn’t even see the ocean over the cliffs. We could hear the foghorn and see a few birds when they were close enough. Boarding the boat was a little more exciting than disembarking. About half of us made it on the boat, and the Captain had to back out and take another go at it before boarding the rest of the passengers. Dolphins joined us for part of the trip back to the harbor, then we drove back to our home in Valley Center.
Volcan Mountain Trailhead
October was an event-filled month. It started with a hike at Volcan Mountain in Julian, CA, with our friend David. As we neared our car at the end, the apple orchard owners were out taking care of their trees and tossed each of us the most delicious, freshest apple I’ve ever had. After a long hike, we refueled with food and a flight at Julian Hard Cider. As we ate, David raved about the apple pie and vanilla ice cream at Julian Apple Pie Company, so of course, we had to stop for dessert. The next day, we installed our new 21-foot awning to replace the one we lost to the wind. If you’re reading this, thank you for your help, Richard. Three girls and Tom aren’t always tall enough and/or strong enough to complete what we think we can. We couldn’t have completed it without your help. It was tall, long, and heavy. We had a hard time holding it against the RV while Tom screwed it in. We went from manual to electric, and I’m glad we upgraded.
Marine Memorial Golf Course – Camp Pendleton
October was also the biggest month for our monthly volunteer commitment. The golf tournament we had been planning all year occurred on October 22nd. The online auction was my responsibility, and that ran from October 8th through the afternoon of our tournament. The entire event was a huge success raising around $43,000 for the Veterans Association of North County. With the golf tournament behind us and relaxing on our minds, we ventured over to Rancho Guajome Adobe for Tierra Caliente Academy of Arts’ Dia de Los Muertos event. We watched many talented dancers and viewed altars created in the adobe.
Yosemite National Park
When moving between campgrounds, we discovered an issue with our airbags and made an appointment to have them looked at/fixed. Since we had to find a hotel room anyway, why not find one in a fun place? So I booked us a yurt just outside Yosemite National Park for 2 nights. We arrived at the shop to drop off our home; the manager came out to look and determined he couldn’t fix it. He got on the phone with another local shop, and they could work us in. It might take an extra day, so we would need to find sleeping accommodations for one more night. With our home finally dropped off, we took off for Yosemite. We arrived later than we were hoping, checked in, and set off for The Rush Creek Tavern to enjoy a delicious dinner. The next day, we discovered we didn’t miss fall. The colors were all over. The waterfalls were flowing, and we got to explore a beautiful park. On our way home, we stopped overnight in Santa Clarita.
MasterChef Season 8 Winner Dino Luciano with guests and an active-duty who helped cook at VANC’s MasterChef fundraiser
November brought our MasterChef fundraiser with VANC and an end to our 8-month road trip to Galveston, TX.
While we were in Oceanside, the girls and Coco stayed with their best friend and family. Tom and I split our time between a friend’s house and a friend’s neighbor’s second home. It was a weird relaxing freedom to not have children for a week. After a busy week with no children, we headed back to Montana to pick up our home on Thursday, August 19th. Because we wanted to just get home, we took the fastest route and didn’t stop for any sightseeing. We arrived in the Flathead area around lunch and enjoyed a delicious BBQ lunch at Cowboy Up in Somers, MT, on the North end of Flathead Lake. The place was adorable. A Tuff Shed turned into a restaurant with 5 tables and all cooking done in a trailer out front. The wife serves, and the husband cooks. We all loved the vibe of our lunch spot.
Glacier National Park
Shortly after we finished lunch, the mechanic called to let us know our home was ready. We picked her up and went back to Swan Lake Campground for a few nights. Since we had a couple more days in the area, we decided to check out a few of the sites we hadn’t checked off the list and stop again at a couple we enjoyed the first time around. Early one morning, we set out for Goat Lick and Upper Two Medicine Lake. We didn’t see any mountain goats; I think it’s the wrong time of year. We did see beautiful scenery. We stopped at Memorial Square at Marias Pass and read about the different people who have traveled the pass and what they called it. After one last stop at Big Mountain Ciderworks, it was time to move on. We had reservations in Denver to keep.
Old Montana Prison
We stopped by Old Montana Prison & Auto Museum on our way to Denver. We’d seen it on our way to Montana the first time. Then, while in Oceanside, I spoke with a man who highly recommended we stop by and check it out. So we made it a stop on our way. We parked our 38′ beast with tow car attached in a dirt lot a block-ish away from the museum. We entered the gift shop and paid our entrance fees. The prison entrance led us to a courtyard and the sun beating down on us. This prison is the Montana Territorial Prison and was first used in 1871 to house prisoners. They put the prisoners to work building the prison as more buildings were required. Seeing the old, crumbling buildings was fascinating. The heavy feeling in some of the buildings became too much for me. The Auto Museum entrance is located across the gift shop from the Prison Museum entrance. The cars are immaculate, there are a gazillion of them, and they range from the earliest of cars to 1970’s muscle cars.
Denver Skyline from the Dam Road – I used to love saying that as a child.
We found a delicious family-owned and run BBQ spot in Craig, CO, called The Seasoned Brisket on our way to Denver. The food was some of the best BBQ we’ve had, the service was very polite (we were served by the children), and it was a super cute place. We will definitely stop by next time we are through Craig. We made it in time for our reservations at Cherry Creek State Park on Wednesday, August 25th. On Friday, August 27th, my best friend since high school came out, and we celebrated her birthday for the first time in who knows how many years. She said we were the only ones to sing to her on her birthday. We checked out and headed for Boyd Lake State Park the following day.
Elk at Rocky Mountain National Park
Living at Boyd Lake State Park gave us Rocky Mountain National Park access. As usual, when visiting a National Park, we were up early and driving up Old Trail Ridge Road when the sun rose. Old Trail Ridge Road is a one-lane, one-way dirt road up the mountain that takes you to the visitor center at the top. Rutting season was just beginning, and we were treated to the bugling of the males. We were followed by one big guy who came up on the road from the side of the mountain. We watched a large female moose chase off what we believe was her young female calf. Old enough to be weaned and on her own, it seemed the more senior was telling her. We watched a bald eagle fish in a pond with an osprey. We drove alongside moose who were walking along the mountainside. We watched male elk sparring. These large animals sound like kittens mewling while sparring. We saw marmots and pikas, even a coyote, and some of the most breathtaking scenery. It was hard leaving all the wildlife, but there is always more to see.
Sunset from our campsite at Stevens Creek Campground.
Stevens Creek Campground in Curecanti National Recreation Area is a beautiful place to camp. I feel like I am always saying this place or that place is the most beautiful. And that’s because each place is. Almost everywhere we go carries its own unique beauty. We went from the mountains of Colorado, 12,183 feet at the top of Trail Ridge Road, to a dry, high-desert lake at 7,540 feet. Since we were close, we decided to hike Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park – North Rim at sunset. First, a drive to see Crested Butte. When we returned home from Crested Butte, our awning was tied down to the picnic table. As we started untying it, our only neighbor came walking over. He explained how the wind broke our awning, causing it to beat the crap out of our AC unit and roof. The AC unit was damaged, but it didn’t work and was scheduled to be replaced anyway. The roof was dented but not punctured. The neighbor helped us remove the awning and slide all 21 feet inside our RV through the slide window. We thanked him profusely. The whole thing could have been much worse without his help. By the time we finished taking care of the awning problem, it was time to leave for our sunset hike on the North Vista Trail. Pictures don’t do the views any justice.
View of what’s left from long ago mining along the Million Dollar Highway.
Saturday, September 4th, we booked the Ouray (pronounced yur-ay) KOA to drive the Million Dollar Highway without having to worry about where we were going to sleep. There are multiple stories of how the Million Dollar Highway got its name. One of them was that when they were discussing building the road, someone exclaimed it would cost a million dollars to build. It’s also been said that the views were worth a million dollars, and that is how it got its name. Either way, the views are amazing, and I cannot imagine the cost of building a road on the side of a mountain that requires avalanche tunnels. We weren’t sure where we were headed next, but the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was on the list. I texted my friend who lived in Page, AZ, figuring we could see him and the North Rim. We booked the Monument Valley KOA to visit Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park when I didn’t receive a response.
Mexican Hat Rock Formation
We left Ouray semi-early to have time to explore a little after we got to Monument Valley. It was only a 4-ish hour drive. While driving through Mexican Hat, Utah, not far from where we were staying, I received a text back that my friend wasn’t home that weekend. They were staying in Mexican Hat, Utah, for the night. SAY WHAT?!?!? When we arrived at the KOA, we decided to chill for the rest of the afternoon because I was feeling a little beat up. We set up and were relaxing when I decided it wasn’t that hard to ride in the car, which is mostly what I’d be doing. So we set off for some sightseeing. We had Mexican Hat rock formation and Valley of the Gods on the list. We got the picture proving we’d been to the Mexican Hat rock formation and were turning out to get a picture from a turnout with a colorful view we’d noticed on the way. Right after turning off the rock formation road, my phone rang, and it was my friend from Page, AZ. He wanted to know if we’d just left the Mexican hat rock formation and told me to turn around and meet him there. Of course, we did. We spent a few minutes chatting at the rock formation base before going our separate ways with plans to meet up later in the evening.
Valley of the Gods
We continued to Valley of the Gods and a 17-mile drive through gorgeous rock formations. I’d read that it was a loop, but we didn’t come out near the same place we went in, so I’m going to say that isn’t a loop. After completing the drive, we met my friend, his boyfriend, and his cousin at the San Juan Inn, where they were staying the night. Tom and the girls grabbed a 6-pack of beer and sodas before settling into the outdoor seating. We spent the evening laughing and talking, reminiscing, and catching up. At one point, we heard and spied a wild-ish donkey. The story is he was rescued by the owner’s son and lives free to roam on the land. We saw other wild donkeys in the area, so who knows.
Moki Dugway
Monday, September 6th, we woke up and set out to explore. We tried visiting Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. When we got to the gate, we were told it was only open to the sheriff and their horses. We were free to explore the gift shop, but we wouldn’t be allowed to go any further. Dang, it! We turned around and went to Gooseneck State Park, where the river snakes through the land leaving interesting land formations. Like Big Bend, only multiple bends. Next, we drove up the Moki Dugway and over to Natural Bridges National Monument. The Moki Dugway is one-lane switchbacks up the side of a mountain. Any time a car is coming from the opposite direction, someone has to wait in the wider turn section of the road because it isn’t wide enough for 2 vehicles side-by-side.
A bridge in Natural Bridges National Monument
Natural Bridges National Monument surprised me with how interesting and cool it is. The natural bridges were created by streams cutting into the sandstone. We’re always amazed at what the Earth does on its own. With the dog in tow, we were limited in our hiking. Mostly we stuck to the short trails on the scenic drive pull-offs. Tom stayed in the car with the dog while the girls and I hiked Horsecollar Ruins Trail. We love cliff dwellings, and we take it any time we get a chance to see them. Then it was a crazy drive down the Moki Dugway.
Liv and the stray dog she named Maddie
With the second Thursday and Friday of the month looming, it was time to get back to Oceanside. Leaving the Monument Valley KOA was hard because the moment we arrived, a stray dog won over Liv’s heart. Liv named her Maddie and made sure she had food and water. Both Tom and M had seen Maddie early Tuesday morning, but she was gone when Liv went to say goodbye. We were unaware of how many people will leave their dogs at KOAs, but the employee said this was definitely not the first stray. We imagine someone took her home with them. There were so many families taking care of her and talking about keeping her; I just wouldn’t allow another dog to move in. We made one more stop at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We found a roadside spot to park and unhook to take the car and drive the scenic drive through the North Rim. We had the dog and no time to hike, but we could take in the views from a different perspective than we’ve seen on the South Rim.
While driving through a Flying J parking lot in Mesquite, NV, some guy backed into us. I saw his reverse lights; I made a sound because it happened too fast for words, and he was backed into us. Tom stopped, we hopped out, and he had pulled his van forward, getting out apologizing. Admitting he looked, messed with the stereo, and didn’t look again before backing out. We had about 12 inches of damage to our storage doors from the hinges on his van, and he had a broken taillight lens. He gave us his insurance and took off in a bit of a hurry. With no more excitement, we made it to Oceanside, and this time we were scheduled for a 2-month stay.
Have you ever heard of Flathead Lake in Montana? M heard about it somewhere, researched it, and wanted to visit. Why not? We didn’t have any other plans. We left California on Tuesday, July 13th, and arrived in the Flathead Lake area on Thursday, July 15th. We parked our home on a pull-off, and before looking for National Forest land, we thought we would take a trip through the Swan Lake Campground. Maybe we’d get lucky and find a site. We found the last spot, paid our fees, and went back to the highway for our home. We leveled, put our slide out, and went to check out a little more of the area. We did not have cell coverage at our campsite, so we would need to find a place to work and school.
Our office and classroom at Flathead Lake Wayfarer’s Unit.
Flathead Lake State Park has 6 units around the lake. We made the Finley Point Unit and the Wayfarers Unit, on the shores of Flathead Lake, our office and classroom each day. We often worked and schooled at a picnic table, and then we’d take a break and float on the lake with our tubes and stand-up paddleboards. We’d go back to working and schooling at the picnic table before stopping for the day and having another float. Then it’d be time to figure out dinner, make dinner, eat dinner. After dinner, it’d be time to wander across the highway for more floating on Swan Lake. Maybe even make dessert in the dutch oven on the shore.
Kintla Lake in Glacier National Park.
We explored the area without going into Glacier National Park. The reservation system was in effect, and a timed reservation to enter was required from 6 AM to 5 PM. The reservation is only for Going to the Sun Road, so we drove to Polebridge and checked out Kintla Lake in Glacier National Park. The campground was full, and we were exploring, with the dog, so we didn’t stay long before setting out for Bowman Lake, where we also stopped for only a few moments.
Flathead Brewing Co. in Bigfork, MT.
Friday, we went into Bigfork on the North end of Flathead Lake and found Flathead Lake Brewing Co. When we arrived, there was a sign that due to a fire, the upstairs was closed, but we could be seated downstairs. We made our way down the stairs and put in our name with the hostess, who informed us it could be up to an hour. And they do not allow dogs. We sat in the car using the car’s WiFi to get some work and school done. Then, Tom, M, and I went in to eat while Liv sat in the car with the dog and attended her Zoom math tutor. Because we live our life traveling, and our dog has separation anxiety issues, we try to take her with us as much as possible. Often this means she is not welcome when we stop to eat. Instead of leaving the dog in the car, we leave a dog and a child in the car. One of the girls volunteers to stay with the dog, we order to-go drink and food, and the one who gets to eat inside runs drink and food to the one outside.
We try to mostly eat at home, but we also enjoy exploring the local restaurants. We found Bias Brewing in Kalispell, and they allow dogs. Nothing on the menu kept me on the gluten-free, dairy-free diet I try to maintain, and I was glad I had dairy pills to help me through the meal. Breweries are easy to find, but beer contains gluten, so we thought we’d start searching out cideries. When we found Big Mountain Ciderworks in Kalispell, we were not disappointed. They are a newer hard cidery and restaurant. The food was delicious, and the cider was even better. We made a stop at Tamarack Brewing Company in Lakeside and had good food and better beer. We also found Buzz N Bagels coffee shop in Bigfork and had the most delicious coffee drink called THE Flathead. We bought cherries from multiple roadside stands and even found fresh huckleberries at one.
Picking huckleberries at our campsite.
Do you know about huckleberries? Locals told us that huckleberries only grow in the mountains. You cannot grow huckleberries on a farm. Summer is huckleberry season, and people go deep in the mountains searching out huckleberries. Because huckleberries are difficult-ish to come by, they are expensive—$ 20 for a sandwich-size zipper-seal bag and $80 for a gallon-size zipper seal bag. Then there is huckleberry everything. Huckleberry chocolate, tea, coffee, syrup, jam, preserves, taffy. If they can add huckleberry, they’ll add huckleberry. While we were dispersed camping on the shore of Hungry Horse Reservoir, we would see huckleberry pickers whenever we were coming back to camp. We discovered the hillside next to us was covered with them, and we commenced picking our own fresh huckleberries.
Swan Lake, Montana
After 11 nights at the Swan Lake Campground, with no hook-ups, we booked a night at the Whitefish KOA for the hook-ups, and so we could find dispersed camping. The following morning, we chose to extend an extra night. We had delicious BBQ at DeSoto Grill and watched as the chef made the best-looking sandwich we’ve ever seen. With full bellies, we went in search of a dispersed campsite. As we drove into occupied site after occupied site, our hopes were waning. I commented that the perfect campsite would be at the end and no one would be in it. After what seemed like forever, we pulled into the ideal campsite, got out, and set up the tent so we could return the next day. We were a long way from the main road, and there was no cell service, but the place was amazing. We went back to the KOA for the night and the girls set about completing their assignment of talking to at least 3 people their age. They went outside, made friends, and played all night long. We awoke the next day, excited to take off to our new home.
View of our campsite at Hungry Horse Reservoir.
We pulled into the most fantastic site we’ve lived in yet, and while trying to get the view out our front door perfect, I stepped in and decided to drive the RV for the first time ever. I went 10 feet backward and 7 feet forward. After setting up, we put on our suits and went for a float on Hungry Horse Reservoir. We had the reservoir out our front door and a private cove in front of us. We could see three campsites across a larger cove that were full for the first 3 days we were there. After the weekend, we were the only ones in the area until we left. For 4-days we didn’t leave. We enjoyed no cell service, no electricity, nothing but nature.
A handwritten sign on a broken road sign we found hanging from a tree on the dirt road back to our campsite.
Our 4-day weekend of bliss ended, and it was time to find cell service so we could work. We also wanted to explore Glacier National Park. Because we were 42.8 miles from the main road, we had a 1.5-hour drive back to it. Glacier was another 15-ish minute drive. We saw 2 AM and 3 AM more often than we would have liked. The first time we woke up early for Glacier, we drove from West Glacier to St Mary’s and back, stopping at turnoffs. Closer to the St Mary’s side, we saw 3 grizzly bears alongside the road. Between trees on a hillside, we saw a mama and baby black bear running up the hill. The morning we decided to hike Hidden Lake, we discovered that the reservation system destroyed how we visit parks. When we hike in a National Park, we are up well before the sun and on the trail before the sun rises. When the day is getting warmer and the trails are getting busier, we are done and leaving. Around 6 AM, we arrived in the parking lot at the trailhead for Hidden Lake with 200 of our closest friends. The mountaintop was shrouded in fog, and people were pouring toward the trailhead. We opted out, heading for Sun Point and hiking to Virginia Falls instead.
View of the river from the trail to Virginia Falls during a smoky sunrise.
We were not disappointed with our choice. The trail was long and felt almost straight uphill at the end. We enjoyed Baring Falls and St. Mary’s Falls along the way, with our reward being Virginia Falls at the end. When we arrived at the top, a tree had fallen, blocking our path over a footbridge. We ducked beneath the ginormous tree and made it to the waterfall and the pool it created below. After taking a gazillion pictures, we ducked beneath the tree and descended back down the mountain. Glacier National Park is beyond words beautiful. Every part we saw.
Smoky sunset from the shore of Hungry Horse Reservoir.
We spent 9 nights, 10 days 42.8 miles from the main road. 15 of those miles were paved; the rest were dirt. .8 of a mile probably shouldn’t have seen our 38′ Class A Motorhome, but she made it like a champ. We had 100 gallons of water on board, plus another 7-10 drinking. We only ran the generator when needed and bathed in the lake. If we could live like this forever, we would. But it was time to get back to Oceanside again. We drove separately into Kalispell, where we washed laundry, had lunch, and bathed the dog. Tom drove off in the RV headed toward a dump station while the girls and I found our way to the grocery store. When the girls and I pulled into the parking lot to meet Tom, I knew something was wrong. There was a liquid pouring from the back of our home. That wasn’t normal. The radiator dumped what appeared to be all of its coolant. Saturday evening in small-town Montana meant no one was open until Monday morning. We were in a church parking lot and figured they would want their parking lot on Sunday morning. The casino next door allowed us to park there until Monday. We limped it out of the parking lot and next door, with it dying twice in the process.
View from my stand-up paddleboard on Hungry Horse Reservoir.
A quick search and we had the Quality Inn in Kalispell booked for $350 a night. It was the most inexpensive room in town. Sunday had us paying the same price for the same room. Monday morning, Tom immediately got on the phone looking for a mobile mechanic with time to look at our RV. He scheduled a Monday afternoon visit, we checked out, and headed for 4B’s restaurant, where we had the friendliest server. When she heard our dilemma, she took our number and offered to have her husband take a look. I found us a room at Timbers Motel that was a little less expensive at $250 a night. The husband of our breakfast server showed up just before the mobile mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed a hole in our radiator and confirmed he could fix it. He had to order the part, have it shipped, then it would take him 2 or 3 days to complete the work. The only tow truck around that could tow something of our size was a flatbed semi at the cost of almost $1500. And we were going back to Oceanside without our home. Again.
