For the last trip of 2015, we managed to reserve 3 nights at Kirk Creek, a NFS campground on the wild California coast. This is one of our favorite spots with spectacular views of the coast. We watched whales, dolphins, and beautiful waves.
After working on the kitchen remodel, we wanted a break. Since we’ve never explored the Eastern Sierras, off we went. This trip we did not make reservations, a first. Our first stop was Lone Pine, California, staying at the Lone Pine Campground, a NFS campground at the base of Whitney Portal. We had beautiful warm, fall weather.
Next stop was June Lake, a bit farther north on Highway 395. We found a great NFS campground, Oh Ridge, overlooking June Lake. The fall leaves were spectacular! Bodie, the ghost town, was really interesting and the hike to Parker lake was beautiful. The weather turned cold, 30 at night, and snow the last day there.
The day we left, the southern highway route was closed because of mud slides. So, we decided to take Highway 20, across Tioga pass. The pass was closed the day before because of snow, but it was cleared for our trip across. Another beautiful day.
We left the river and headed south past Mt. Hood and on the Collier State Park, north of Klamath Lake and about 30 minutes from Crater Lake. From here we returned home to finish the kitchen remodel.
After we left Yakima, we stayed on the Oregon side of the Columbia River at Memaloose State park on the bluffs overlooking the river for two nights and then moved east, arriving at Ainsworth State park for a few more days exploring the river valley and Mount Hood.
Next on to Yakima, Washington and Sportsman State Park. Driving across the state was beautiful, although the last couple of hours before arriving in Yakima, was surprisingly dry! The campground was beautiful, wooded, and with lots of water.
From Silver Falls State Park in Oregon, we traveled to Fort Worden State Park near Port Townsend, Washington. The SLOTraders had the annual get together in Port Townsend and we stayed at Fort Warden. We whale watched, clammed, hiked, and eat some great meals.
I’m behind with posts, so these catch up for our 2015 summer trip that started in July and took us to the North West again, Oregon, Washington, and the Columbia River Valley. We had great traveling weather except for the very high temperatures when we returned through Northern California. It sure is dry on the left coast…
We stopped in Corvallis, Oregon to see Lu and Joe’s remodeled kitchen and then to Silver Falls State Park, west of Salem, Oregon. This is a beautiful gem of a park, although like most camping today, you have to reserve a long way in advance.
Our last stop on our winter trip was Big Bend State Park, south of Laughlin, Nevada. It is a new park in the state system and only a couple of miles from my brother’s winter condominium. We hiked to the Davis Dam and visited some of the sites in Laughlin, didn’t gamble though! From here we took off for home to California to enjoy some of the rain we were having.
Here are some images form our visit:
Overflow camping on the Colorado River at Big Bend State Park, Laughlin, NV
Our site at Big Ben SP, Nevada
Big Bend State Park Campground
Steve and Donna at Davis Dam, Laughlin, NV
We continued our winter trip to Catalina State Park on the edge of Tucson, our first real visit. In the two days we managed to ride our bikes on some of the extensive bike paths, hike, and visited our old friends, Ron and Jackie. The landscape around the city beautiful, with the desert just beginning to bloom.
Here we are:
Catalina State Park
Catalina State Park
Our site
Our hike along the river
After our stay in Phoenix, we traveled to Picacho State Park, about an hour north-west of Tucson. We’ve watched the Four Corners Unit of the WBCCI camp here over the past several, years so we thought we’d check it out for a couple of nights. It is a great park with Saguaro Cactus throughout the area, even in the campground. We hiked to the peak one day, a hike labeled “strenuous” that really was! Beautiful views so it was worth it.
Here are some of our images:
The campground below Picacho Peak
Our site
Judy at the top!
The view
Evening sunset, Picacho State Park, Arizona
Traveling with Ari ll ... 