Westward Ho

 After Washington DC, we turned our nose west and headed out with any real destination in mind.  We had a vague idea of stopping in Branson Mo for a show and Picher Oklahoma where we have family history.

A storm our first night inspired us to stop and overnight at a Walmart in Virginia, right at the border into Tennessee.

We then crossed into Kentucky and while meandering along decided to visit Mammoth Cave National Park.  There was a Thousand Trails nearby that had room, so we updated the GPS and changed course.

We were at the Thousand Trails only for two nights.  We went up to the National Park the morning of the second day and unfortunately found that all the tours of the cavern were sold out.

Oh well.  But the grounds of the National Park were quite nice and Ginger got a good workout on a nice long walk.

After Mammoth, we got back on the road and again headed west.  We then made a wrong turn and ended up on the road to St. Louis.

We hadn't planned on going to St. Louis, but figured what the heck.

We got into a Casino RV Park just across the river from the Arch.  The Casino was undergoing renovation with most of the features you'd expect in a Casino closed - Just one bar and a corner Deli for food.  We decided the Casino wasn't really for us, so we took the Metro across the river to the Arch. 

The Arch was quite fascinating and you can ride to the top in little pods and experience one of the best views we have ever seen.  

We highly recommend it.

We have had a couple of mechanical issues.  

First, our steps broke.  A rivetted part came un rivetted.  We discovered this when we were preparing to overnight in the Walmart we mentioned above.  We got some nuts and bolts from the hardware section in the Walmart and proceeded to "bush fix" the steps.  The bush fix will probably hold until we get home.

The other major thing was that passenger side mirror glass fell out of the mirror while running down the highway.  The heater wires kept it from hitting the asphalt and we managed a probable permanent fix while in St Louis.  Just in case though there is a bit of duct taped helping hold the glass in for a while.

Duct tape makes it all better

Just  as we were getting ready to leave St.. Louis, the dog decided to puke on the bed.   While we have laundry equipment on board, the stuff that needed washing was too big.  That necessitated a 1.5 hour stop at a roadside laundromat.

We eventually made it to the Oklahoma border and decided to spend two days in a Casino RV park in Quapaw just outside of Joplin.  Other than the fact that the Downstream Casino is a very fine Casino/Hotel resort with an excellent (no sewer) RV park, the reason we stopped here was to explore the town of Picher Oklahoma where we have family roots

October 9. 2021

Michigan to New York

 We decided we were driving too much and took a 10 day stand-down in St Clare Michigan at a Thousand Trails just outside of the town.

We needed it.  The rig had racked up the need for a number of minor repairs and we were very tired.  The stop at the Thousand Trails gave us time to rest, get the rig repairs done (all DIY) and to do some local sightseeing.  We also used St. Clare as a general delivery address to get our mail forwarded to us.

Draw Bridge in St. Clare

We were close to Port Huron, so we went over there and took a lake/river tour on a boat out onto Lake Huron.  Walking around the beautiful town of St. Clare with it's river front boardwalk was also a very highly thought of activity.

We took a trip (quite a distance) to Frankenmuth, which we think is German for "Tourist Trap".   It was worth the trip just to see the the town and to enjoy their little river cruise on a stern wheeler.  They allowed our dog Ginger as a passenger - though boats are not Gingers favorite thing.

This is first place in Michigan we thought was over-priced.  I guess the Disneyland like experience is expensive.

Fully rested and repairs on the rig complete, we left St. Clare and proceeded along I-90 with a goal of getting to upstate New York.  We stopped at another Thousand Trails in Ohio, Kenisee Lakes.

This Thousand Trails is notably simply for beauty of park.  A lot of Thousand Trails are...ummm..rustic.  That is needing work to modernize or restore the amenities that are getting worn.  

That was not the case with this one.  Everthing was in pristine condition, with the grounds well maintained.  

We pulled in and did something we had never done before:  we extended our stay just as we checked in.

While at Kenisee Lakes we decided to back track a bit and drive the car to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. 

Long Live Rock!!

This was quite an interesting stop, with all the artifacts and history of the some great and some not so great musicians of the past.  It had a pretty liberal interpretation of the Rock and Roll since Johnny Cash's Tour Bus was parked out front as one of the exhibits.

Cleveland surprised us.  They apparently have done some serious urban renewal - particularly around the water front.  We were time limited (Dog are not allowed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Ginger was back at the Campground) and didn't get to explore much, but next time we are in the Cleveland area, we will.  This was a far cry from the "Mistake by the Lake" designation Cleveland used to have.

We we returned to Kenisee Lake we discovered that part of its charm is that there is nothing to do in the area.   There are some modern covered bridges in the area and some state parks by the water front, but the state parks are dog-hostile and therefore not visited by us.

We then continued our run along I-90 to upstate New York and Niagara Falls. 

Thousand Trails St. Clare Michigan

 Name:  ThousandTrails St. Clair

Location:  1299 Wadham Road, St. Clair, Michigan  48079
Sewer:  Some
Water:  Yes
Power:  20A/30A/50A
Cable:  None
WIFI:  Available only in the lodge
Cellular:  T-Mobile:  Fair. 
Comments:  Very pleasant TT near the Great Lakes

August  2021

This park is located just off of I-94 in St Clair Michigan and is home to a lot of seasonal RVs.  It is a very pleasant park, though section A is pretty close to the Interstate.

The park is older (like many of Thousand Trails offerings) but is apparently undergoing a lot of renovation.  There are signs throughout the park touting the "site upgrades" and the "exciting future amenities".

It is lush, with lots of lawn and very reasonable sized RV slots.  The lodge and pool are newer and well maintained.  A lot of the seasonals are there for the weekends only and the place has lots of kid running around.  On the weekdays it is very quite.

The staff is what makes this a notable ThousandTrails.  They seem to be very focused on providing a memorably stay for their quests.

While we were there, amongst many other things, was live music (two nights), a car show and most importantly, donuts on Sunday morning.  During the live music shows, a TT staff member dressed up a Big Foot and kept the kids amused while the parents enjoyed the music.

We were also surprised at the improvements that the seasonals did to their sites.  It is obvious that some of them had been there many years and were planning to be there many more.

Full hook up sites are a bit rare due to the large number of seasonals, but they are obtainable - particularly if one is willing to "get on the list" and move when a site becomes available.

The nearby towns of St Claer and Port Huron are both worth a visit.

We spent 10 days in the Park and we have marked it for a future return visit.

Thousand Trails San Benito

 Name:  ThousandTrails San Benito

Location:  16225 Cienega Road, Paicines, CA 95043
Sewer:  Yes
Water:  Yes
Power:  30A/50A
Cable:  None
WIFI:  Yes - very good.  Roughly $2.00/Day (we could stream video)
Cellular:  T-Mobile:  None.  AT&T is reported to be ok.
Comments:  Large RV Resort in the Central California

July 2021

This is a large RV resort located sort of near Hollister California.  It advertises 627 sites, but not all of which are RV capable.  Most sites have sewer connections - but a few do not.

Power is 30A with a large number of 50A.  There is water to every site.  There are quite a few pull-thrus.

There are a fair number of sites designated for "Tent" camping.  These seem to be sites that have "infrastructure issues", most likely electrical.  

Since it away from the ocean, it does tend to get a bit warm, so 50A for 50A capable RVs is probably a good idea.  Though in this authors opinion, the prettier sites are 30A.

like many of TTs campgrounds, this one is a older, but it appears ELS is spending money to refurbish the campground.  They recently re-paved some of the access roads, they've renovated and in the process of renovating the bathrooms.  While we were there the "Adult" Lodge and the "Adult" pool were closed for renovation.  We note new fire rings in a lot of the sites.

The family lodge and family pool were entirely sufficient given the low occupancy rate (not sure if the low occupancy is due to Covid or $4.10/gal regular)

We found the staff to be very friendly and accommodating.   They were very helpful when we needed to store the rig temporarily to go handle a family emergency.

It is within striking distance of Pinnacles National Park, Fremont Peak State park and the Hollister ORV area.  Slight longer to Monterey with is various attractions.

There is partial week store in the RV park and a "general store" in Paicines that looked pretty small.  Tres Pinos seemed to also have a small general store, so major provisions should be bought in advance in Hollister which is a bit far down Highway 25.

One of the fun things about this park, is the wildlife.  We are not talking about the partying septuagenarians,  but the local creatures.  The deer were not quite hand tame, but they had little fear of humans and were content to maintain a minimal distance.

Lots of quail...

a bunny or two...

A couple of feral pigs...

We didn't get a picture of the bobcat we saw, they are nocturnal and don't care for humans that much.  We didn't see any of the foxes or racoons that reportedly inhabit the area

A travel note:  We will be storing the RV at San Benito for a few days and then doing what we call a "Kamikaze run" to the Winnebago GNR in Forest City Iowa.  We will do 80 from California to Salt Lake City and then we will decide if the approach to Forest City will be from the Northern route or the Southern route.

...And Go!

 June 27,2021 and we finally started the USA tour.

We pulled out of Imperial Manor in Sacramento, wiping away a tear, and headed south.  we were supposed to go north to Bend Oregon, but 105 degree heat and a sketchy power grid convinced us to head instead to Laguna Seca in Monterey County to a) visit a grand daughter and b) enjoy the 65 degree weather.

Laguna Seca is one of RVers best kept secrets.  The campground is located above the world famous race track and while some people may consider that track noise a disadvantage, we consider it a bonus.  There is some low level noise from a nearby shooting range that the dog considers a nuisance.   Doesn't bother us a bit.

The campground is operated by Monterey County Parks and at $45.00 is one of the best priced options in the Monterey Bay area - Thousand Trails not withstanding.  It also has the advantage that you can usually get in there with little notice - unlike any of the other area campground.   Non-potable water (exceeds federal maximum for arsenic - very common on farmland these days.  A lot of people in the campground drink it anyway, the standard is questionable) and no sewers.  30Amp power.  

Caveat:  wife reminded me of the Monterey County Fairgrounds - which has RV sites.  We managed to get in there once during the AT&T open at Pebble Beach. - I didn't care for the RV sites that much, but beggars can't be choosers.

One other caveat:  During major Racing Events (NASCAR, AMA Superbikes etc) the county essentially cedes control of the campground to the event producer - who then rents out the spaces to their fans.  It is usually not possible (and probably very expensive) to get RV space during one of those events.  The ticket office told us that the RV spaces for some events are passed down in family inheritances.

We, unfortunately, had to cancel the run to Glacier National Park, Dubois Wyoming and the ESCAPEES convention at Rock Springs Wyoming.  We will remain in California until July 19.  We will stay at Laguna Seca until July 7, when we need to vacate due to the upcoming Superbike Race.  We are not sure where we will go for the 7 to the 15th.  (RV will parked outside our house 15-18).  Maybe Thousand Trail San Benito.

 Name:  ThousandTrails Ponderosa

Location:  7291 State Highway 40, Lotus, CA  95651
Sewer:  Some
Water:  Yes
Power:  30A/50A
Cable:  None
WIFI:  Not yet (Maybe soon?)
Cellular: Overloaded

Comments:  Beautiful river side RV park in the California Gold Country.

Date:  Winter 2020

This park is a short distance from the location of the original Sutter's Mill gold strike that set off the 1849 California Gold Rush.  It is located between  Highway 50 and Interstate 80 along CA-49 (Coloma Road).

A word of advice:  CA-49, in general, is not RV friendly.  This was the old wagon trail used to supply the gold miners and small gold rush towns until it was paved by the state.  It is known for being quite twisty turny.  When going to this RV park it is strongly recommended you approach from Highway 50 in the south.  This is an easy driving mountain route to RV park.  The approach from the north can be done, but in our 37 foot motorhome with toad there were some white-knuckle moments when coming down from Interstate-80.

Once in the park there are sites above the American River - some of which have sewer and sites along the river.  The sewer sites, like a lot of TTs are hard to get.  But the prettiest sites are along the river without sewer and TT charges an extra $5.00/day for those.  Sites set back from the river, but still very close to the river don't have a surcharge.

Most sites have water and power (30amp with some 50amp), though there are some "rustic" sites that appear to have neither.

We found that staff here to be very friendly and helpful.  Unfortunately Covid kept us for interacting with them very much or enjoying the pool or clubhouse.

We did a lot of dog-walking along the river.

The nearby Sutter's Mill  is a state historical park with reproductions of the mill and some restored pioneer village.  We were told that the docents there put on demonstrations of pioneer skill and crafts.  Unfortunately due to Covid, all the exhibits were closed.  It looked like it would a be fun place to take the kids

To the south along an easy section of CA-49 is the rustic town of Placerville (aka Hangtown), the center of the CA goldrush.  This town is worth the trip for the shops and rustic buildings.  In addition there is a "farm trail" you can drive that has wineries and local produce.

We have quite enjoyed both our stays here and plan to return.  

Watson Lake, Tetsa Lake and Whitehorse Yukon

After we pulled out of Liard, we proceeded to Watson Lake, Yukon.

Watson Lake is the home of the world famous Sign Forest.  This is a tradition that got started back in WWII when a homesick GI working on the original Alaska Highway made a milepost marker that included a arrow pointing and the distance to his hometown.

Watson Lake History

Over the years, travelers along the ALCAN have stopped and left their own signs for people to admire.  The town of Watson Lake supports this activity, dedicating land and wooden sign posts for people to hang their signs.  It has grown to probably an acre of densely populated signs.

Good luck finding any particular sign in there.  We tried to find the KYD (see you tube for the KYD stuff) sign, but had no luck.

All and all we found the Sign Forest to be a worthwhile and interesting stop, however I doubt we will stop there again until we have a sign to post.  Note to self:  Make it metal....

We did go to the Northern Lights Center across the highway from the Sign Forest and enjoyed their presentation of the Aurora Borealis.  This is a planetarium like theater and is quite good.

We stayed one night in a full hook-up RV park in Watson Lake.  All the RV parks are essentially parking lots with semi and full hookups.  Nothing remarkable there.

Tetsa River

We took off for White Horse the next day and overnighted in a RV park in the rural mountain area at the Tetsa River Lodge and RV park.  This was a rustic RV park where the water was supplied to our site via a garden hose and 15 amp power via an extension cord.  The generator did not sound healthy so we declined the electricity and lived on our own generator.

This place claims to have the "Best Cinnamon Rolls in the Center of the Galactic Cluster".  They may well be.  The Cinnamon Rolls earned them a spot in the RVs GPS for future stops.

Whitehorse

Most RVers consider Whitehorse a point along the way - They stop an Walmart, fill-up and are on their way. They are missing one of the most interesting places in Canada.

There are many museums in town, excellent restaurants and wonderful natural history.  One of my favorites was the "Worlds Largest Weathervane".  This is a real DC-3 mounted on a pole and is turned by the wind.

Whitehorse is the start of the Yukon River and one if its claims to fame is the worlds longest fish ladder.

Claire at the headwaters of the Yukon

The Worlds Longest Fish Ladder

Headwaters of the Yukon

We stayed in Whitehorse for about 10 days for logistical reasons, but we were not bored at all.  We will be stopping at Whitehorse during our return leg.

Liard Hot Springs

Laird Hot Springs Provincial Park is one of those incredible places you hear about along the Alaskan Highway.

During the 1942 construction of the Alaskan Highway, Laird was used for rest and recuperation of the troops - who would kindly once a week vacate the hot springs so the lady service people could use it.

After the war, the hot springs became a provincial park and a stop along the Alcan.

The government of British Columbia have turned this into an incredible must-do stop for travelers along the Alcan.  They have a large number of RV sites - unfortunately dry - that are large and comfortable.  They built a beautiful boardwalk (correction - rebuilt - The GIs in the 40s built the original) that snakes out over the warm water marsh leading to the hot springs and they also build a wonderful spring side bathing facility with changing rooms benches and toilets.

Liard Hot Springs

There is a faint sulfur smell from the hot water as it emerges from the earth.  The hot water keeps one end of the springs almost too hot, but as you get away from the source the temperature drops to more reasonable levels.  A tradition is to wade to the hot end and put a rock on the berm next to the water source.

Hot Water Source

Anyplace else in the world, this thing would be booked up solid years in advance.  It is truly one of the special places on earth.  It's remoteness keeps it accessible.

You can get a reservation for one of the RV spots, but the park keeps a large percentage of them on a first come first serve basis.  We got there just minutes after the park filled up.

Fortunately they have overflow parking in the rest area across the Alcan.  It costs the same as staying in the Park and it is one of the few rest areas on the Alcan that does not permit overnight parking otherwise.

So we paid our $28.00 Canadian and parked in the overflow.  But the next morning we were first in line and got a very nice back in spot.

All spots are dry - there was one water tap and a hand pump (really) for potable water.  There was no sanitary dump.  The rest rooms were all outhouses.

We think this helps keep the place accessible.

Liard will get another visit on our return to California - and anyother time we are on the Alcan.

Manchester Beach California July 4, 2016

Some relatives came out to escape the heat Arizona by staying at a small resort in Point Arena California.  Since we didn't think we could also stay there (turns out we could have), we planned an RV trip to the Manchester Beach KOA - about 5 miles north of Point Arena.

We looked at the map for the best road.  We knew it *was not* California 1 north of San Francisco.  That road is twisty-turny enough to challenge the mini-cooper.

Instead we chose US-101 North to Route 128 to about 20 miles north of Manchester Beach.
So we tried it.

The road is somewhat twisty and there are a couple of sections where there is a sharp drop to the side, but it was navigable.  Just not my favorite road.

We had a short jog on highway 1 south the Manchester Beach KOA.  The short jog on 1 was sufficient to reassure me that highway 1 and RVs do not mix well.  There was one 180 degree hairpin that a)  If there had been traffic on other lane we would have been screwed and b) I wasn't real sure the coach had enough power keep going up.

But, we made it.  The KOA at Manchester beach is a very nice RV park (aren't all KOAs?)
Point Arena Lighthouse is nearby and the very good and friendly Rollerville Café which claims to have the "Last coffee till Hawaii" lies on the road to the lighthouse. 

Less palatable was the Bird Café and Supper Club in the town of Point Arena. 

Overpriced - perhaps too sophisticated for my palate (and everyone else in our party of 6) and will not get a return visit from us.  Their wine was pretty good though.

We also toured the B. Bryan Preserve just outside of Point Arena.  This preserve is operated by a couple to try and preserve some species of Giraffes that are endanger of becoming extinct.  They offer tours of their operation riding around in vintage Land Rovers.  They also have zebras and other animals. 

The highlight of the tour is the Giraffe kiss.  They give you a piece of vegetable to hold in your mouth and the great and gentle creature will reach down and take it from your mouth - giving you a gentle kiss.
We highly recommend this tour and good karma that comes from supporting these people in their cause.

The only other thing of note that occurred was the failure of the front blinds on the RV.  Our coach has two large, electric roller blinds on the front windshield.  The solar shade - a semi transparent blind, fell as we were lowering them at the campsite.  We noted then that the night shade - the opaque shade - was off its roller.  Holding it we could roll it up and down.  The solar shade was beyond home and with a couple of cable ties (every RVer should have a bunch of these) we tied the blind up and out of the way pending repair.

Even though we were somewhat discouraged by the 128 road, we put Manchester KOA on the return visit list.  But we remained convinced there has to be a better way to get to Mendocino and Fort Bragg.