June 16-17 - Fort Stevens, OR, Canon Beach

Left Tillamook and drove to Fort Stevens State Park. Will be here for 2 nights. 

Drove immediately to the beach to look for sand dollars. When Jillian was here, she found several. We weren’t as lucky. Found lots but the sea gulls had already pecked them. We’re going back tomorrow morning to see if we can find whole ones before the sea gulls wake up. 

There was a mist coming off the sand that made it look like the twilight zone. I didn’t capture it very well though. 

The Peter Iredale ship wreck that ran ashore on 1906, headed for the Columbia River. 

For our entertainment in the evening, we played Skyjo. 

And ate Tillamook Carmel swirl ice cream sandwiches 

Tuesday morning we walked the beach 2 miles one way looking for whole sand dollars, only found half

dollars.  😢

Took a drive to Astoria to get more chowder and a beer from Astoria Brewing Company. Both were delicious. Sat outside to watch the barges in the Columbia River.

Visited the Astoria Column. 

The Column is a testament to the natural riches of the Pacific Northwest. 

There are about 155 spiral steps to the top that give 360 degrees view of Astoria. 

Back at the RV, we decided to have a fire and just relax. We already have 19,000 steps in today from our walk on the beach, walk around Astoria and a hike in the State Park. Saw some pretty flowers. I think they are Lady gloves. Our only wildlife was the banana slug. 

Had to look at the map to make sure we were going the quickest way back to the campground. Didn’t need extra steps today. 

Tomorrow we head to Washington state. 

March 15 - Santa Rosa State Park, Santa Rosa NM

Beautiful area with large campground. Cedar trees and cholla all around us. 

Cholla are just beginning to bloom. 

Took a short hike on the Shore Line trail before driving into Santa Rosa. 

Had a late lunch at the Silver Moon cafe, authentic Mexican food. The town is on Route 66. Unfortunately not much traffic here. 

Sunday we’ll keep driving southwest toward Magdalena NM with a stop at the Salina’s Pueblo Mission for a stamp on my Passport book. 

March 3 - Oak Mountain State Park-Pelham AL

When we drove to Gulf Shores in January , we stayed at Oak Mountain State Park. Since we liked it, we decided to stay there again. Lots more campers than when we were here before  

We hiked the Light Trail again for about 2 miles. We had blue skies and temps in the 60s so we put away our coats hoping we wouldn’t need them for awhile. We had a view of their lake. 

We watched the weather to learn more about the storms coming across the south. We decided to try to get an early start tomorrow to our next destination, Ocean Springs. We plan to stay at a Harvest Host, Cosy Rosy’s which is next door to the Shed, the best BBQ we’ve ever had. 

January 27 - Last Day at Gulf Shores

Mostly cloudy today but the temperature was 63. Started off our last day with our early morning walk with the dogs. 

Then a long bike ride around the trails. We saw an alligator , an eagle, and an armadillo. First time I’ve ever seen an armadillo in the wild. 

We really had a great time at Gulf Shores State Park. We biked over 75 miles and walked the dogs’ legs off. In fact, Lenny lost some weight because his harness is looser than when we got here. 

September 24 - Mackinac Island

Although it’s a gray day with the possibility of rain, we still decided to take the ferry across to Mackinac Island. Since there are no cars allowed on the island, we had hoped to take our e-bikes but at this time no bikes with a throttle are allowed so we just planned to walk around the island. 

The ferry boat was a little rocky over the water but no one got sick 😁. Water would splash up on the side of the boat from time to time. It’s about a 20-minute ride to the Shepler Docks. 

Once we arrived, we got our bearings and decided to see the fort first, following Ashley Cummings’ recommendations. 

Once we climbed to the top of the fort, the view of Lake Huron and Mackinac was impressive. 

The fort is an 18th-century fort and fur trading village, reconstructed based on historic maps. We walked around the fort and through the buildings, reading about the history. 

From the fort, we hiked to Arch Rock, another recommendation from Ashley. It was a nice walk through woods and the botanical garden. 

Arch Rock was formed over thousands of years by wind and water. It rises 146’ above the water and spans 50’ at its widest. 

Walking back towards town, it started to rain a little. We passed beautiful large houses, hotels and bed and breakfasts. 

We decided to eat at Michigan’s most historic  tavern, the Mustang Lounge. We ate soup on the porch and had a few beers. We met a young couple from Chicago and enjoyed talking about where we and they have traveled. 

Since it was still raining, we decided to take the ferry back to our RV. 

Tomorrow we drive to the Upper Peninsula. 

September 23 - Anniversary and Biking

The drive north toward Mackinaw City was sparsely populated and very little traffic. We were lucky to get a  campsite at Wilderness State Park right along Lake Michigan. The park is well maintained and about 11 miles from Mackinaw City where we need to catch the ferry to Mackinac Island. 

We drove into Mackinaw City to check out the ferry and to stop at a brewery. There is only one ferry running now because tourist season is over and the ferry stops around October 30. 

A stop at Rusted Spoke Brewery before going back to the campsite. 

Our campground has lots of hike opportunities so we took the bikes on a 12-mile ride along Lake Michigan. 

Yes Lenny and Banjo were with us. 

Sunset over the lake was beautiful. 

It gets chilly here at night plus there isn’t much ambient light so this spot is one of the dark sky areas to see the stars shining brightly.   

We are on the west end of the eastern time zone so it’s dark in the mornings till about 7:15. Good sleeping. 

July 5 - Fort Buford State Park, Williston, ND

As we drove to our next destination, we saw fields of canola growing and came upon this decoration at a roundabout. 

Sometimes we decide on a route based on what our Passport Book of National sites tells us. That’s what we did today. 

We left Saco Montana (mainly because the mosquitoes kept us inside) and drove about 4 hours to visit the Fort Union Trading Post in Williston, North Dakota. Fort Union Trading Post was the most important trading post on the upper Missouri River for 39 years, longer than any other post on the frontier. It was the center of a peaceful economic and social exchange between Plains Indians and white cultures. 

We decided to stay at Fort Buford State Park, which is at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. When we arrived, there was a wedding at the visitors center. They told us we could stay for the wedding but we chose not to. Quite an interesting place for a wedding. 

The mosquitoes weren’t as bad here as previously but there were still some buzzing around. 

Drove into Williston and just happened on a brewery, the Twisted Knuckle. We enjoyed tasting several different kinds, especially the In A Pickle Beer. You’re supposed to have it with tomato juice. 

You could definitely smell the pickle in it and taste it. 

Tomorrow we’ll continue moving south and east to pick up yet one more national site. 

May 29 - 30,000 steps in Bandon

One full day in Bandon so we had to do it all-beach and Bandon!! We first took the dogs for a hike around the campground. Luckily Bandon was only, 2 miles away from our campground .There wasn’t a trail but there was a wide area for bikes and walkers. 

We think this is an osprey nest. 

The Coquille River runs next to our campground. Part of it is the Bandon Marsh or as Bill calls it, a swamp. 

First store we saw was a wool shop!

A stop at Bandon Brewery for a beer and a cider. Bill didn’t like the beer but the cranberry cider from Rain Cidery was good. 

It was time to have some clam chowder for lunch at Tony’s Crab Shop. 

That was so good that we decided to get a quart of lobster bisque from the market for dinner. There was an interesting museum with sculptures made from trash out of the ocean. The artist and volunteers are trying to make people help people become aware of how important it is to place their trash in the proper receptacles.  

We visited a few shops and then taste some cheese and ann ice cream cone from the creamery for the walk back. 

Once back at the campground, we took a rest before walking to the beach. Saw this quote in the creamery. 

After a couple hours rest, we hiked to the beach one last time. 

Beth had given me a pair of toe socks. I tried them on this 30,000 step day and my feet didn’t hurt or get tired.