Tag: Dog

We’re headed to Alaska (+1 This Time)

I’m sure many of you probably thought we were done traveling, in fact we’re just getting started. In fact the entire time Victoria was pregnant people said “Oh you’ll be settling down now” and I thought, “You don’t know us obviously.” Victoria finished her nursing assignment a few days ago.  I was the stay at home dad/business owner.  Now I’m excited to say we are finally going to take that road trip to Alaska we’ve been talking about. I’m so glad to be on the road again, we haven’t been traveling since we went to Ecuador when Victoria was just pregnant. We’re eager to get back on the road and Victoria is happy she will be able to spend more time with Zygi while he is still a baby.

If you want to know what routes we are taking, so do we. We’ll be traveling the same way we always do. Just a general idea of where were headed, Anchorage and Fairbanks, and the next place or two that we’ll be stopping. We already bought the Milepost and will be reading it along the way. We usually drive a couple hours, 3 to 5 hours and then spend 3 to four days there. We plan to spend four months on the trip two there, two back. We’re not sure where we’ll be going when we get back but we’ve been thinking about Reno. The first place we’ll be stopping is Lake Shasta where we’ll be boondocking right on the lake for $10 a night.

Other than that any of you that aren’t friends with us on Facebook I’m going to post some pictures of Zygi and the places we’ve been Pacifica and some places around Modesto(uh…). We’ll be posting every couple days during the trip just like we always have while traveling. If you have any suggestions on where we should go or what we should see, please comment.

Bryce Canyon National Park + Kodachrome and Escalante State Parks

It was a pretty long  (and desolate, but beautiful) drive from Moab. I actually set a new record, there is a sign on I-70 that there are no services for 110 miles. My previous record was coming through eastern Wyoming ten years ago with my buddy Justin Mercer where there was a 70 mile stretch on I-80 without services. Luckily it was the usual divided highway that everyone knows as an interstate, there were places in Wyoming and Kansas on that previous trip where the interstate went to a two lane highway(I haven’t see that on this trip at all)! It was quite a mountainous drive on I-70 and I hope to come back and do some boondocking in that area. It seems like you might really be able to get away from other people 😉

Anyways since it was late we missed going to the BLM visitors center in Cannonville. Luckily we had picked out an area in the Days End Directory. You just continue south past the BLM visitors center on main street for ~2.5 miles and then turn onto a good gravel road called Yellow Creek. However when we got there you could see where a number of pullouts had been but they were not usable anymore. A little further down the road we were able to find a spot but I’m still not 100% sure that it wasn’t private land. We were in for a great sunset though(check out the pictures).

The next day we went to the BLM visitors center because you need a free permit to camp in that particular area. When we got there the ranger(BLM people are called rangers too, right?) informed us that it may rain and that the road can get real sloppy if it does and we could be stuck till it dries back out. That didn’t sound good so we went in search of another spot, this time scouting without the trailer since we’d already dropped it. We ended up choosing a spot off of FR117 a few miles outside of Bryce Canyon, there were a number of good spots for any size rig along here. If we were to do it again I would have went a bit further up and taken the second left, there was a sweet spot about 0.25 mile up that road, also suitable for any size rig. As a plus this area was not in that red clay and would be just fine to drive on if we got rain(We didn’t).

Once we got situated we decided to go ahead on to Bryce Canyon National Park. For whatever reason Victoria wasn’t expecting it to be as spectacular as the previous National Parks. However it ended up being her favorite. The views from the rim are simply spectacular and the hiking is very easy. The trails down into the canyon are moderately difficult but you feel like you’re on another planet hiking among the Hoodoos. Victoria said she felt like a goldfish in a fish tank, lol. An interesting fact about Bryce Canyon is that it’s not actually a canyon, it’s a series of giant natural amphitheaters along the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Either way, it sure is unique.

The next day we went to Kodachrome Basin State Park. They have 10 or 15 miles of fairly easy hiking with both spectacular views and geology (as usual for around here). Lucky for Marilyn since it was a state park she was allowed on the trails so she could get some exercise after sitting around all day after we were at the National Park. There are 67 large “Sand Pipes” plus a short slot canyon. The slot canyon made a fantastic place to eat lunch. It was roasting outside but in the canyon not only was it shaded but it was also damp and cool. An interesting fact about Kodachrome Basin State Park is that after it was named the state changed it to  Chimney Rock State Park because they were worried about Kodak suing them. However a few years later they were able to change it back after Kodak gave them permission to use the name of their famous film. The name was fitting because the colors here were just amazing, the red and white of the rock, the green of the plants, and the blue of the sky all combined into a shocking display of color.

The last park we visited was Escalante State Park. It was about an hour drive from where we were camped but Victoria had been dying to see a petrified forest since we set out from Jacksonville. The hike was fairly short and easy but there was plenty of petrified wood to see. Make sure you do the second loop, it’s steeper but it also has the majority of the petrified wood. The variety of colors contained in the petrified wood is amazing. It was quite hot out while we were hiking and it was great to be able to jump into the lake afterwards. They had an interesting display in the visitors center filled with letters and pieces of petrified rock that they had taken and then sent back because it brought them bad luck. It apparently did it’s job and kept Victoria, a rockhound, from trying to take any home, lol.

Utah is an amazing state with an amazing variety of scenic landscapes. No where else has such a concentration of National Parks, 5 all within an hour or two of each other. On top of that most of the land around the National Parks is also public land providing an amazing array of places to hike and camp. We’ll be back here for sure!

 

Hell’s Gate State Park

After Washington’s wine country we continued our trip east and our next stop was Hells Gate State Park in Lewiston, Idaho. It is located on the Snake River at the entrance the Snake River Gorge, the deepest gorge in the US. The parking spots for the RVs were very large as were the sites themselves, you never felt crowded. Although it was a very dry area the park was very green with many trees from the constant watering. It felt like an oasis. Depending on your spot they had full hookups and an obstructed view of the river and surrounding hills.

Surprisingly it also was the most technologically up to date park we’ve stayed at. It had wifi internet that actually worked(There is no router in loop A so stay in B if you need access). It was provided by an outside company and cost $3 a day, or less the more days you purchased. They even had a yearly pass you could buy that was good for any Idaho State Park that provided internet for $20. I wish more parks would charge a couple bucks for internet and actually provide something useful rather than offer it free and be so slow you can’t even load a web page much less upload photos or watch a video. Another cool feature was the signs at the start of their trails had a Q code that would download a copy of the trail map to your phone. What a fantastic idea!

The trails within the park lead you up to the top of the surrounding hills and then down along the river for a total loop of about 5 miles. It was quite scenic but it was so hazy that we couldn’t see for much distance. Apparently the entire Northwest is currently on fire and the smoke from those fires is what was causing the haze. The fires also caused us to divert up north to get around them for our next stop.

We also had to go kayaking on the Snake River, of course. I didn’t want to have to use a shuttle service so I came up with the plan to chain our bikes down river at the pull out. That way we could just ride the bikes back to the truck and then go pick up the kayak. This was a great option because there is a bike path all along the river, it’s a great area for a bike ride. The water was surprisingly warm, a balmy 75 or so. It was refreshing to jump in but not so cold that you couldn’t breathe. Although I chained the kayak up, Victoria was afraid that someone would steal it(We had someone steal both our kayaks a few years ago). This turned out to be a great motivator for her, I’ve never seen her keep up such a great pace, lol.

I’d also like to give shout out to Commercial Tire in Lewiston. The brakes on the trailer were squeaking so I brought it there to get checked out before we headed into the real mountain roads. They jacked it up, took a look, said they were in great shape, greased the bearings, and then didn’t charge us for any of it.

Next up, bookdocking in the wilds of Idaho 🙂

 

Portlandia

This past week Victoria had a couple days off in a row so we decided we’d go see something in the area. I needed to go to Portland because I had eye surgery before we left and I needed to go to my last check up. In Jacksonville they told me they had an office in Seattle but when we were almost here I called them and lo and behold the closest office was in Portland! That was alright since on the way up here we were only able to spend one night in Portland after a long day of driving (truck problems in Coos Bay, it’ll be my next article probably). Even having only been there one night I could tell it was a town I’d like. The neighborhood we went to have dinner off Mississippi Ave. was full of old homes, young people, and good cheap restaurants you could walk to. In short it reminded me of my neighborhood, Riverside/Avondale, in Jacksonville. The park we stayed at was also only 5 miles from downtown and apparently only a mile or so from their excellent train system.

We decided not to bring the RV this time however because after the cost of diesel, campground fees, and just the hassle of setting up and breaking down everything we thought it best to just rent something. Doing so would also allow us to stay even closer into town. We ended up using AirBNB for the first time. For those of you who aren’t aware this is a vacation rental service. Where it differs from most other services, such as VBRO.com, that I have used is that you don’t have to rent by the week for most places. They also offer places where you can just rent a room in a house with other people or even just a couch. Not our thing but if you were traveling alone it would be a good way to meet others. Really not too much different from shared rooms in hostels but probably a lot nicer.

We ended up renting a one bedroom apartment in the basement of a nice older home. It was actually very similar to the apartments I rent in the basement of my historic home, lol. The process in general was similar to other vacation rental services but AirBNB seems to be a more in your business. I had to give them my social security number and they cross referenced that info against my Facebook page somehow. Then after paying the owner wanted an introduction. It all seemed like a bit much just to rent an apartment for two nights. I mean, I’ve rented 500k+ homes with a lot less hassle.

The apartment was called Pied-a-Terre; PDX and was very nicely decorated and stocked with everything from shampoo to coffee. It was immaculately clean, I thought, clearly the owners must be anal retentive. They confirmed this and their passive aggressive nature after we had left by accusing Marilyn(Marilyn!!!!!!) of scratching up their window sill. When I explained that although she is a dog, she is only a four pound chihuahua they cut off contact. I guess they realized that it would be physically impossible for her to even reach the 4 foot high window sill much less scratch it, lol. Not to mention Marilyn has never scratched up anything, she prefers to sleep :). Anyways, it was well worth the hassle and was cheaper and much much nicer than a decent hotel room. We were also only 2 blocks away from a train station that would have you downtown in 10 minutes or so. All in all I highly recommend it.

The first night we got in a bit late because the traffic in Seattle is outrageous, all day, everyday. Their rush hour apparently runs from about 7am to 7pm. So we decided to take the train a couple stops up and get some food and beer at one of the many micro-breweries in Portland. We got sausage and bread with fondue cheese and pickled onions and a pretzel. All of it was excellent. I’m not much of a beer drinker but Victoria gave it the thumbs up. Then we took the train up a stop and walked around the neighborhood a bit and got some pizza.

The next day we wanted to head downtown to check out the food trucks(of which there are hundreds) and just walk around. We went and had some excellent Hawaiian food and a gyro. The selection of trucks was amazing, Thai, Indian, Georgian(the country, not the state, lol), Polish, hot dogs, grilled cheese, Chinese, Mexican, etc. So much to try, not enough stomach to fit it into. I love when you get good, unique food for a reasonable price. We also had to go over to Voodoo Donuts to try out their famous and outrageous offerings. I had a bacon maple doughnut with a literal slice of bacon on it. Victoria had a pretty tame creme filled doughnut, both were excellent. Take a look at their website to get an idea of the crazy donuts they have. Besides the bacon there were pretzels, cereal, and much more as toppings.

Now for the bad. Portland is absolutely infested with homeless people. I don’t think it is any exaggeration to say that there was well more than a 1000. Now Victoria has never been to the west coast so she used to think Jacksonville had a lot of homeless people. I however have been to San Francisco so I know what the situation can be like out here. I think the people and cities are so overly generous and hospitable to the homeless that they attract them from all over the country. Portland is certainly right up there with San Francisco and it puts Seattle’s homeless population to shame. I don’t think they actually have more homeless people than Seattle, I just think Seattle does a better job of setting up homeless ghettos and keeping them out of the main tourist areas, in large numbers at least. Portland is the opposite of this. On every corner there is a band of ten homeless people smoking and begging.

What I find even more sad is that compared to the homeless out east the majority of the ones out here are young, under the age of 30, in good shape health-wise, and seemingly not bat shit crazy. Maybe the proper term isn’t homeless but vagabond? It seems they just do not want to work. In the nice several mile long river front park there were at least 200 homeless people sleeping. On top of all that, these were the most entitled, aggressive, and just plain rude homeless people I have ever seen, their attitude even put the ones in San Francisco to shame. While eating our doughnuts no less then three healthy but dirty twenty something homeless people came up, asked for us to buy them doughnuts, and then were indignant when I refused. It’s one thing to ask for change politely on the street or hold up a sign and another to come into a place of business and demand something(Either way they won’t get anything from me as I don’t think it actually helps them). Unfortunately someone sitting across from us got up and gave them one of her doughnuts, and that was after he had been rude and aggressive. That’s just causes more of that behavior. A bit later several others came and dug through the garbage feet from paying customers in the middle of the day.

Portland is a truly a very cool, urban, and artistic city but the severe homeless problem is going to scare off a lot of people, both tourists and potential residents. The sheer number and audacity of them compares to nothing I have seen before. There were much less homeless people in the downtowns of third world countries I have visited. However, I have to say that if Victoria and I had a choice we both would pick Portland over Seattle. The main reason for that is the traffic situation in Seattle and the amazing public transit system in Portland. It also helps that Portland has an RV park only five miles from the city center whereas in Seattle we are 20 miles out, through heavy traffic. Seattle seems like a great town but the suburbs of Seattle are just like suburbs everywhere else (Only with more asian stores) 🙁

Voodoo Doughnuts 

TriMet – Portland Public Transit

AirBNB

Road Trippin Doggie

Hello! I’m a doggie named Marilyn, aka Maribell. Dis is my first blog I’ve ever typed. I heard some of you wanted to know how I fealt about dis trip. Momma said that people always ask about me and how I’m doin. It took some getting used to, but I’m happy and content now.

When I first left home in Jacksonville, I was kinda sad. I was upset about leavin my big pillow, my couch and all the familiar schmells outside. I even miss da mailman, even though I barked at him everyday. Momma only let me bring two of my friends – lion and boyfriend. It took me almost 2 months before I “danced” with boyfriend, dats how sad I was. It took me a few weeks to get over leaving home. I tried to bite people I didnt know and would bark a lot at every noise outside the RV.

Ridin in the truck is fine. Momma velcrowed a small pillow on the center console of the truck so I could sit comfortably in between momma and papi like I always do. I never get sick ridin in the car, Papi always takes me everywhere wif him so I’m used to it.

Every time we stop, I get out of the truck and start sniffin around. I get so confused because a lot of times we are always going to a new place and I can’t schmell the same schmells. It gets really frustratin. One thing I worry about is the grass. Lots of times the grass has stickers and they hurt my feets. Papi has to dig them out of my foot fur and den I’m afraid to walk in the grass. Some grass is nice and some isn’t.

After a while I started to feel better. As long as I’m wif my momma and papi I am happy. My favorite place in the RV is on top of the couch. I like to look outside da window, to see what all is happenin. I also like the carpet in the RV it is nice and sof. As usual, when people see me dey always compliment me on how purty I am, dat perks me up. I already know I’m bootiful since momma tells me all the time. I heard momma saying that we were going to go to Canada soon, I caint wait to see what the grass is like there! I never been outside the country before! Whelp, thats all I have to say about livin in the RV. Let me know if you have any questions or advice for doggies on the road. Buh Bye!

Maribel