travel

Family Fun in Bozeman, MT

The continuing adventures of the Blue Turtle now bring us from Craters of the Moon into Montana! My sister Kari was having a baby, so all the sisters descended upon Bozeman, and the Summers brand of fun and hilarious chaos commenced.

As anyone from a large family knows, it’s impossible to quantify the specific goings on of family time together. It’s just a continuously-morphing cloud of gabbing, laughing, playing outside, putting out the occasional fires, more gabbing, eating meals, more fires, board games, staying up too late, and—if there’s any remaining time—cleaning up.

With that in mind, this post will simply be a massive photo gallery. Because all I can say for sure is that we parked in Mom’s driveway, we were there for somewhere around three weeks, and in the meantime, this happened:

Thank you, tiny Elora, for being born and giving us all an excuse to get together and play! I missed capturing a lot of the action when the phone wasn’t available—if you can believe it—but there you have the general bullet points.

So with that we say goodbye to Bozeman! We were sad to leave, but adventure calls. . .

Craters of the Moon ROCKS!

Pardon the pun, but seriously. What a cool landscape!

We drove into the park and were disappointed to find that the road was closed to vehicles in the snowy season. Luckily the sun was shining and, even with the impressive wind, the hike down the road was completely comfortable and the dramatic scenery felt all the more magical considering we were the only people in sight.

We came across a nice rocky rise that we thought looked like it would be a fun climb. And yes it was! Although the next time Andy asks me as we leave the Turtle if I think I’ll want my gloves, I’ll likely say that I do. Climbing through snow and icy volcanic rock—brrr! Once we got to the top, the already-vigorous wind really picked up force. I had to press myself against the side of the rock to prevent myself from actually blowing right off the side of the cliff!

After we hiked down, Andy showed us what he’s really made of. Pure muscle.

Ok, it’s volcanic rock. But impressive all the same!

I said as we drove past all the crazy cool rock formations, “Wow, it’s like an alien landscape or something. . .” to which Andy replied, “Yeah, like the moon?” Ahhhh, riiiiight. Aptly named, sirs!

And with that, we drove on down the road toward Bozeman, MT.

Breezy Twin Falls, ID

Hello everyone!

We’ve had our hands so full the last few weeks with family fun and Turtle projects that there was just no extra time to place them on a keyboard. So let’s get updated!

We left Bend on Friday (in March—yikes, it’s been a while!) and headed to Boise to visit Cord, an old friend of Andy’s, and his family. We had some pizza, a rousing Pokemon demonstration, and a jaw-dropping sunset. Unfortunately, I’d still been taking my time getting a new phone at the time, so my photos for this portion of the trip are lacking. They pick up down the road, I promise!

The next day, we landed in Kimberly, Idaho to spend a few days with some longtime family friends of Andy’s family, Roger and Mary. Although Andy had to work the whole time we were there, they were such generous hosts and we had an amazing time visiting with them and seeing the highlights of the Twin Falls area. Meanwhile, Gracie was having the time of her life watching the chickens run around outside the Turtle while Scout had staring contests with the cats and won. Every time.

Did you know that just off I90 at Twin Falls is the Snake River Canyon? I didn’t!

Roger, Mary, Scout and I took a walk along the edge of the canyon while they filled me in on the history and geology of the area. The view is simply stunning, and they showed me the ramp where Evel Knievel attempted a jump there in the 70’s. Apparently loads of people base jump off the Perrine Bridge year-round, and on the west side of the bridge there’s a golf course in the base of the canyon that you can drive down to, if you’re into that kind of thing. I just liked the look of it from up top!

We also took a lunch break trip down to the Herrett Center at the College of Southern Idaho to check out their awesome mammoth skeleton replica, a photography exhibit, as well as bunches of other interesting things that we had to just quickly glance at due to our short time frame. The Herrett Center a great spot to go spend some time if you’re ever in the area!

Speaking of great spots, Roger and Mary’s was a haven on the crazily windy Idaho plains. Between the delicious meals they cooked up for us, the thoughtful and interesting tours, the one accidental super-late night gabbing, and a sound cribbage victory for the ladies, the entire stay was relaxing and lots of fun! Thanks so much for the wonderful hospitality Roger and Mary! 🙂

After we left their house, we stopped by Shoshone Falls on our way to Montana. I got a little dizzy on the grated viewpoint, and the blasting wind didn’t help things in that department, but the view was worth it.

The main takeaway for me is that before we come back to Idaho, I’ll have to hone my cribbage skills so Mary won’t have to pull the weight for the team, and I won’t have to rely so much on beginners luck. . .

Broken Down In Bend, OR

Though the title of this post is a bit of a spoiler, what it doesn’t reveal is what an awesome week we’ve just had! Breaking down has never been so fun.

We spent our last day on the coast in Newport, and turned eastward on our way to Bend. My brother-in-law’s sister Becky and her husband Mike recently moved there, and we were looking forward to seeing their new place and having some time to catch up with them. On our way, we stopped in Corvallis where Andy went to graduate school, and had lunch there and toured the campus. Then as we continued on over the Santiam pass, we got a surprise:

SNOW!

It was lovely. More so for me as the passenger, but Andy did a great job driving and enjoyed testing the tires on new terrain. The Turtle did well on the snowy passes, though at one point we stopped to chain up just to be sure we wouldn’t slide around too much as we climbed higher.

The snow slowed us down quite a bit, but we made it to Bend in one big blue piece. Becky and Mike made us a delicious dinner and we had a great evening!

The next day, the plan was to go to lunch with Becky and the kids, but as we pulled out of the driveway, the Turtle coughed and died right in the middle of the road! When we got home, Mike towed us to a spot by the driveway, and there we sat while the boys got down to some troubleshooting.

Gracie did almost nothing to help fix the Turtle.

If you’re planning to break down in Bend, I very highly recommend doing it in front of Mike and Becky’s house. We had an awesome few days! Becky is an incredible cook, and spoiled us with delicious meals and even baked us a batch of cookies to take on the road! We got to see more of Bend by way of trips to various auto supply stores, and spent lots of time with Mike and Becky chatting over yummy Bend brews. Scout and Ben quickly became best friends and Scout followed Ben everywhere he went. I think they exchanged emails before we left. Though Andy and Mike were feeling discouraged about not being able to discover the source of the Turtle problem, we managed to have lots of fun in the meantime!

Bend has a bunch of breweries that we like and had wanted to check out, but thought we’d miss due to our original timeline. Well, we had time now! We went to have a beer at Crux on Thursday, and even after seeing bagpipers out front, it took us a minute to realize it was St. Patty’s Day!

It was a gorgeous sunny day, and we gabbed with the locals while watching the adorable little step dancers in their sky-high curly wigs.

A day or two before, we’d also had lunch and a beer with Becky and the kids at Sunriver Brewing, then checked out 10 Barrel Brewing just up the road. We read books, tried Devan’s seriously tricky 1st grade math puzzles, hauled rocks, threw toys for the dogs, and played with paint swatches. Fun!

So you can imagine our disappointment when the Turtle got fixed on Friday morning! Mike and Andy had replaced the ignition coil, the ignition module, the ignition switch, and even put in a new distributor. After all that, it turned out to be a plug that had been pulled loose but didn’t disconnect fully, so it was nearly impossible to see the problem. But now we have lots of new parts under the hood!

We were so sad to have to say goodbye. We loved getting to spend more time with Becky and Mike, who were so hospitable and lots of fun to be around. Thanks so much for everything, you guys!

Oh, and Scout says hello to Ben. 🙂

Catchin’ Some Crabs on the Oregon Coast

As I mentioned in the last post, while on the coast we’ve been on a mission to catch ourselves a crab dinner! And on the Oregon coast, we have primarily Dungeness, which is a meatier, sweeter crab than all the others. It’s YUMMY.

We’ve learned a bunch since we first dropped our rented crab pot over the 12th Street bridge in Seaside. And as we just attended the Crab Races in Garibaldi today—yes, that’s a real thing—this is an appropriate time to discuss what we learned and if we ever caught anything. So let’s talk crabs!

While we were in Seaside and Wheeler, we talked to loads of locals who were happy to share their knowledge with us. And here’s what we discovered about the best way to catch crab:

Drop your pots at high tide
Crab rings are the very best
Drop your pots at low tide
Crab traps are the very best
Always use only chicken for bait
Always use only fish carcasses for bait
Always use a combination of fish and chicken for bait
Never try for crabs after a storm
It’s best to try for crabs after a storm
. . .You can see where I’m going with this.

It’s likely that there’s a very best way to catch crabs all the time, every time. What we ended up liking best, after numerous trials, was a simple combination of a crab trap, chicken odds and ends and fish carcasses, and dropping our traps in whenever we felt like it—because you really just never know when a crab will be dropping by.

We left Wheeler with no luck, but right as we were leaving we met a guy who mentioned that if we were interested in some delicious crab and fantastic people-watching, that we should look into the Garibaldi Crab Races that were happening the following day. I said “WHAAAAAT? We’re going.”

So we did. But first, we had to stop at Hug Point, which we had passed by on our way north. If you’re driving by, do not miss this! We thought initially that it was a fair hike around the rocks to get there, but it takes all of 4 minutes. And it’s breathtaking!

Fun times were had by all—mostly Scout I think—in the driving rain and unpredictable blasts of wind! The Oregon coast is so wild and dramatic when it’s stormy.

Then we got to Garibaldi, and had to wait until the next day to see crabs race. So we parked near the marina, and dropped our pots off the pier.

We parked overnight in the misty parking lot there, after asking permission from a shop owner on the pier. He said people do it all the time, so we settled in for some coastal boondocking.

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast at Fisherman’s Korner, we headed to the Crab Races. They did not disappoint.

Six crab “coaches” volunteer to race a crab. They are allowed to coax the crab down the ramp any way they like, though the preferred method seems to be pounding the ramp, to get the crab to fall into the net at the bottom first. There are prizes, and varying categories for entries. Andy participated, but his crab was a real bum. He barely even moved, despite Andy’s superb coaching job.

They sold whole Dungeness crabs for just $10 each! We shared one, and took one for that night’s dinner too, in case we hadn’t caught anything in the meantime.

The good news is, that we DID catch one! And it just so happened to be a keeper. HOORAY!

The following night, we ate the freshest crab cakes you can ever imagine. A successful crabby weekend, and a happy way to wrap up our time on the coast, as we’re now headed inland on our way to Montana!

The Oregon Coast: Cannon Beach and Astoria

In our third installment of the Oregon Coast catch-up blogs, we begin our new day in the tent camping sites just south of Wheeler, Oregon. Gracie was running around outdoors, having the best time of her life since October, when she was a free range kitty.

The weather had turned from mild to stormy as we left the park and headed north toward Astoria. We had made plans with our friends Rhema and Lisa to spend the weekend near there at Fort Stevens State Park, so we moved slightly more quickly than normal along Hwy 101 to cover more ground. We did, however, have to make a quick stop on our way through Cannon Beach. While researching places to see along the coast, I’d discovered Cannon Beach Hardware and Public House, and we had to check it out. Plus we had a number of items on our hardware store list, so it was a win-win!

It’s an adorable little pub on one side, and a hardware store on the other. You can take your beer along with you while you shop, so of course we did! For lunch we shared the pastrami melt, after rave reviews from some of locals who informed us that they brine and smoke their pastrami in-house. The same people also highly recommended the meatloaf sandwich, but after having the pastrami melt we’re still going to have to get one again next time we’re there. Sorry meatloaf. It was just sooo freakin’ tasty!

We met Rhema, Lisa and Kona dog at Fort Stevens and got settled into our site for the evening. The following day, we drove into Astoria with a mission: to see the Astoria Column, get stickers and beers from both local breweries, visit the Columbia River Maritime Museum, and pick up some oysters to cook at the camp site. We did it all!

First we climbed the 164 steps to the top of the Astoria Column. The view is amazing from up there! Though my fear of heights made it a short trip for me. They sell glider planes at the gift shop that you can throw from the top, and there were a number of planes laying in the grass surrounding the column. We grabbed them and rebuilt them to see whose modified plane would fly farthest.

Rhema’s was the winner!

Lisa is not really a miniature person; it’s just the perspective. 🙂

We then went to Fort George brewery for a beer and clams, Andy and Lisa pegged their pants on a bet (just including that to explain a few upcoming photos), and then we were off to the Maritime Museum!

They had a rope-making demonstration set up, where you use the old tools to make your own rope! Gracie thanks Rhema and Lisa for letting us have the rope Lisa and Andy made; it’s a new favorite toy.

We also got to tour The Columbia, a ship that served as a floating lighthouse beginning in the 1950’s and was decommissioned in 1979.

Then we stopped by Buoy Brewery for some dinner and beers, and to see the adorable sea lions through the window in the floor to the pier. I wish I’d taken a photo! Since I still don’t have a phone, my photos are a compilation of the ones taken by Andy, Lisa, and Rhema, and none of us thought to take one of the sea lions! I also don’t have any photos of the delicious oysters from NWWP Fish Market that Rhema and Lisa made that evening. But they were so yummy! Lisa’s butter sauce was so tasty that Andy and I included the remaining butter in all our meals the following few days.

It was a great weekend! Thanks to Rhema and Lisa for making the trip out to see us, and of course thanks to Kona for putting up with us and wearing Andy’s hat. 🙂

The Oregon Coast: Manzanita and Wheeler

Where we last left the much-belated blog update, we were boondocking on a stormy cliff just north of Garibaldi. Not a typical Sunday morning in the old life! We keep talking about how funny it is that we’ve gotten used to not knowing where we are every morning when we wake up!

It was Valentine’s Day, and we spent it the best possible way—walking around and admiring the tinier towns on our way up the coast. We eventually made it to Manzanita, one of my favorite towns on the Oregon coast. We had lunch at a super-tasty Mexican restaurant called Left Coast Siesta. They are best known for their well-stocked hot sauce bar and display of over 500 hot sauce bottles, but I love going there for their enormous, yummy burritos.

He was commemorating Valentine’s Day with the heart, but he also loved the burrito. After lunch, we walked down the beach with Scout in the blustery wind and rain.

I was delighted to find the beach covered in Valentine’s love notes written in the sand! Some were sweet, and some were hilarious.

We packed the wet dog back into the Turtle and backtracked a bit to reach our RV site, just south of Wheeler. As we checked in, the manager saw our rig and said that due to our small size, we were welcome to stay in the tent camping sites if we wanted. And of course we did!

The tent camping sites followed a winding road into the trees, and there was not a single soul around. We had the whole place to ourselves, but still had water and electric hook-ups so Andy could work. The best part was that since we were so isolated and there was no traffic or other foreseeable dangers around, we got to see how Gracie would do on her own outside.

It was the best day she’d had in months! We were also so pleased to see how well she did. I thought with her first taste of freedom, she’d be gone for a whole day before coming back as she remembered her outdoor kitty roots, but she stuck right with us. She followed along on walks with Scout up all around the tent sites, and came running every time she was called. She would even race off with Scout when we’d throw the frisbee for him, and then follow him back after he caught it.

FREEDOM!

The other great part about this spot was that we were a quick 20 minute walk from Wheeler, so one night we walked into town and had some fish and chips and a few beers at the Tsunami Bar and Grill. Our bartender Justin was stellar! He gave us excellent suggestions on beer and food, and was friendly and attentive the whole time. Thanks Justin! (It’s been a while since we were there, so if I got your name wrong, I apologize!)

Additionally, due to our isolation, we could work on projects all day. While we did have some rain, a few days were clear enough to work outside and get the Turtle in ship shape. And as we saw how great Gracie continued to respond when called, she got to spend whole days outside. She’s like a whole new cat now!

Spoiler alert: We’re going to be back in this same spot in a few days! I’ll continue the expedient updates so we will soon be caught up to present day in Seaside, but in the meantime, here’s a picture of Scout trying to get us to play fetch with an enormous stick.

The Oregon Coast: Netarts and Tillamook

As you can see, it’s been some time since our last post! We’ve been keeping ourselves so busy exploring and better learning the ropes of full-time RV life that computer time has fallen by the wayside. We’ve been making our way north up the Oregon Coast, and as of our last post we’d just left Pacific City. Since then, a lot as happened!

So instead of trying to fill a post with all the goings-on of the last few weeks, I’ll break it down into bite-sized pieces so you don’t feel like you should get school credit for all the reading you just had to do. In the next few days, I promise to get you all caught up on what we’ve been up to, and by the time I get to our current spot in Seaside, hopefully part of the tale will include us catching a bunch of crabs! (We’re still working on that part.)

All right, so after leaving Pacific City, we made our way north, stopping along the way to take advantage of the Scenic Viewpoints that we often just drive by in the interest of time.

I also took some time at one of the viewpoints to wash and dry the sand dollars I had picked up on the beach in Pacific City. I couldn’t get the camera to capture the view in the window, but use your imagination.

Neither of us had been to Netarts before, so we drove up to check out the bay we’ve heard so much about. It did not disappoint!

Apparently it’s also a good place to get oysters.

While we were there, we stopped to have a beer at the bar right on the bay while the sun set, and planed where we were going to stay for the night. I came across a web site called overnightrvparking.com that has been a real game-changer! It’s a site where users report areas that are legal to park and stay the night. You can look at a map of the area you’ll be around, and it lists the spot to park, directions and coordinates, and any amenities such as restrooms and potable water.

Most of the places are rest stops and view points, and the site operator verifies the legality of every report that comes in, so you can be sure that you’re well within the law to stay there. I can’t tell you how much we love this site! It’s $25 a year, but for us it’s well worth the cost. Since we primarily only stay in RV parks so that we can be hooked up while Andy works, it’s so nice to pace ourselves however we like and be ensured we have a spot to park and stay the night as we make our way slowly to a destination. That night we stayed at a rest area south of Tillamook with loads of grass for Scout to run around and a little river running by. It was safe and quiet, and best of all, free! Plus we can plan ahead where we’re going to stay ahead of time, instead of driving all around looking for a spot or paying for a camp site or something.

Pardon the long-winded report there, but we’ve so appreciated the site, we hope others living a similar lifestyle will be able to benefit from it as well. (I swear I’m not getting paid for this endorsement—but now that I think about it, I should be, considering how many people I’ve told about it! Did I mention we love it?)

Anyway, the next morning, my head popped off the pillow when I realized that we were headed to Tillamook, and you know what that means. . . the Cheese Factory! When you’re doing yoga and they tell you to clear your mind and meditate on pure happiness, mine is a toothpick loaded with “squeeky cheese” samples at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. But first, we went to the Tillamook Air Museum, which is super interesting and fun to check out! Also, huge.

Do you see that little twig at the bottom? That’s Andy.

It’s a blimp hanger they built right before WWII to house blimps that were used for spotting submarines and other coastal patrol. There used to be two, but one burned down in 1992. They’ve filled the hanger with lots of old planes and cars, but even just going to see the building itself is worth the trip.

They also have a “Mini Guppy” cargo plane you can go inside. I should have said it was a Star Trek set, because that’s what it feels like and maybe you would have believed me.

After leaving the museum, we happily arrived at the Cheese Factory, where I took no pictures because my hands were full of cheese samples! We left with an actual grocery bag full of cheese. (This is the part where I explain that I really, really love cheese, but I think you’ve probably inferred as much at this point, so I’ll just move past it.)

That evening we found another viewpoint on our new favorite website, and spent a windy night on a rocky cliff overlooking a stormy ocean, which is where I’ll leave you for now.

Stay tuned for Valentine’s Day in Manzanita!

Our Last Days in Pacific City

As excited as we are to see what the lies ahead of us on our journey, as we were going over the pre-flight checklist on our last day I found myself feeling wistful to leave Pacific City! Even though Andy had to work every day we were there, including the weekend, we were able to wring every drop of fun out of that little town. And we made a name for ourselves on the pool’s check-in log, with our name filling nearly every other line on the list!

Our friends Kelly and Jason came to visit over the last few days, and we introduced them to the pool and hot tub, Pelican Brewery, and the incredible views on the beach. With their help, we discovered the superbly tasty fish and chips at the locals’ favorite hangout, The Sportsman’s Pub (skip the high prices on that menu item at Pelican), as well as the scrumptious fish tacos and scratch margaritas on the deck of BJ’s Tacos. They stayed in a nice little cabin on the same site we were staying, where we had room to play games and watch the Super Bowl. We had an unbelievable stretch of sunny 65 degree days while they were here, so we got plenty of beach time and even a few farmer’s tans!

The sunsets each night were breathtaking.

Sadly, the day after this sunset, my phone took a lethal swim. It had been in my coat pocket on the edge of Kelly’s bed, and when I wasn’t looking it slid off the bed and right into the dogs’ bowl! It sat there for the precise amount of time necessary to completely crash. I lost a bunch of photos, and am still working through that grief.

On our last day, the rain and fog rolled in, giving us a misty, moody final walk down the beach.

Scout ran up and down the sand dune three times, and was still ready to take on the remainder of the beach.

We assured him that we were only leaving one beach to reach another, grabbed some coffee, and hit the road for the next stop on the journey!

We Made It!

We’re here!

On Sunday we arrived at Pacific City, Oregon for the first leg of our exciting new life.

It was a bittersweet farewell from Portland, which was to be expected after living there for a combined 17 years! Portland holds a very special place in both our hearts, and it would take nothing more than a thrilling new adventure to convince us to leave such a unique and beautiful city.

January 30th was both the last Saturday of the month and my birthday, so shortly after noon we left our cozy slice of Sauvie Island and headed to my sister’s house in Washington. There we got to hang out with two of my three sisters, along with their husbands and all 8 combined kids! I was in sister/auntie heaven. The following morning, after a delicious pancake breakfast for me and a (requested) leftover pot roast breakfast for Andy, we said our tearful goodbyes and hit the road.

About a week earlier , we had purchased a Groupon for the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, and stopped there on our way to the coast. If you’re ever in the McMinnville area, I assert that it’s worth the seemingly-high ticket price to check the place out! You can easily spend at least 3 hours there, and more if you see a show in the theater or go to the water park. They have a waterslide that starts at the top of a Boeing 747! (Check it out at http://evergreenmuseum.org)

In the interest of time we didn’t do the water park, but we got to walk inside the Spruce Goose, take a tour inside a B-17, and see an SR-71 right up close.

We arrived in Pacific City just in time for the wild hail storm hitting the coast, and checked into the park. The following morning we were lucky enough to get a bright and sunny start to our stay here! Andy had work to do, but over his lunch break we took Scout down to the water for some border collie beach fun! He was grinning from ear to ear, bounding down the beach and back, jumping up to spring off our legs, and then would bolt away for another lap. It was hilarious!

The rocky coastline makes for a dramatic backdrop! It’s also a lot of fun to climb around on. Scout made it to the top and back five times before we made it halfway up. This really is the happiest I can ever remember seeing this dog. He was having such a nice time he even let me catch a few photos of him.

We have a nice little spot for our tiny house right in the middle of the park. It’s a clean and friendly place, and as a extra bonus, the grounds are home to dozens of wild bunnies!

We also have a great pool and spacious hot tub, which we have been taking full advantage of. Our new schedule allows us pool time before breakfast, during lunch, and after Andy finishes working. Andy gets so excited about pool time that his new work uniform consists of a warm hat, sweater, hiking boots. . . and swim trunks.

On our second day here, we opted to stay in the hot tub for the entire duration of Andy’s lunch break, so afterwards Scout and I took a trip down to the beach by ourselves. The sky was mostly overcast and the wind was incredible! It was stunning and invigorating.

The waves were crashing and pounding on the horizon, and they whipped up the frothiest sea foam I’ve ever seen! A wave would push mounds of foam on to the sand, and then the wind would push it in peaks sideways down the beach. When I tried to pick it up in handfuls, it would vanish instantly in a wisp of airy bubbles. It was magical.

We endlessly marvel at how unbelievable it is that after working so hard over the last year, our vision has finally become a reality. It was incredibly hard work, but our dream to make our lives more about quality time together outside is now our real life! We’ll keep you posted on the goings on of the upcoming week, but so far it has been made up of relaxation, lots of laughing, and especially much more time for days like this:

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