Our Route - Summer 2019

RATING: ♦♦♦♦♦

The route for the Summer 2019 season covered 2,000 miles, which was even longer than the 1,400 miles we did in Spring 2019. We started at the Winnebago Service Center in Central Oregon, traveled up to Washington to visit Becky’s brother Dennis and his wife Laura, and then returned to Southern California for more repairs at Redlands Truck and RV Center.

Along the way, we visited Portland and the Columbia River Gorge, Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula, Los Angeles and Hollywood, five Thousand Trails RV parks (Seaside, South Jetty twice, Chehalis, Lake Minden, and Soledad Canyon), three SKP RV parks (Evergreen Coho, Timber Valley, and Park Sierra), and four+ National Parks (Mount St Helens, Olympic, Lewis and Clark, Yosemite, and Sequoia).

In many ways, this was the most scenic season we’ve experienced so far. We thoroughly enjoyed the Oregon Coast and the Western Sierras, and hope to visit again.

Unfortunately, the season ended as it began, marred by expensive repairs. We spent $3,000 to replace the refrigerator cooling unit in September after spending $8,269 to replace our leveling jacks in July. So far this year, we’ve been in the shop seven times for a total of 19 days and many thousands of dollars. The biggest advantage of the nomadic life is the level of freedom it allows. But the high cost of repairs, in both time and money, seriously threatens that freedom.

Our Route - Spring 2019

RATING: ♦♦♦♦♦

The route for the Spring 2019 season was our longest so far at 1,400 miles. We  started in Southern California and ended in Central Oregon, traveling mostly along US-395.

It was also our most expensive season in terms of repairs. We spent $2,400 for the brakes at Redlands Truck and RV in Redlands CA, $1,400 for the radiator at Freightliner Northwest in Coburg OR, and $3,500 for the leveling jacks at the Winnebago Service Center in Junction City OR. And the jacks repair is not yet done. 

But all in all, it was a memorable season. The drive along the Eastern Sierra on US-395 was spectacular. We got to see the super bloom at the California Poppy Reserve in Antelope Valley CA, and to test our boondocking/dry camping skills on government land at Sawtooth Canyon, in Lucerne Valley CA, Alabama Hills in Lone Pine, and Pleasant Valley in Bishop CA.

It was also our first time moochdocking on a driveway (at our friends’ summer cabin at the Shack in Walker CA) and boondocking on a casino parking lot (at the Kla-Mo-Ya Casino in Chiloquin OR). Both experiences were quite nice.

We only used our Thousand Trails membership twice, two weeks at Bend-Sunriver in Bend OR and one week at South Jetty in Florence OR. Normally we try to use Thousand Trails about four to six weeks a season to keep the camping costs low. But the dry camping, which was mostly free, helped a lot. 

And frankly, in many ways we preferred the experience of dry camping over staying in a commercial campground. It’s hard to overstate the beauty of a place like Sawtooth Canyon or the Alabama Hills, despite the lack of hookups. And the two weeks we stayed at Bend we didn’t have a sewer connection, which is nearly as inconvenient as having no hookups at all.

This probably ranks as one of our most scenic seasons ever.  The majestic Eastern Sierra of California and the rugged Oregon Coast are world class. We were also pleasantly surprised by the abundance of volcanoes we encountered, many under the protection of the National Park Service. The Lava Beds National Monument in Northern California along with the famous Crater Lake National Park and the less famous Newberry National Volcanic Monument in Oregon stand out. 

If it hadn’t been for the multiple repairs, it would have been a perfect season. But we keep reminding ourselves that repairs are all part of the lifestyle and we are grateful for the opportunity to see our beautiful country.

Our Route - Winter 2018-19

RATING: ♦♦♦♦♦

We started the winter season off still in Yuma AZ. We then drove up to Quartzsite AZ for the annual RV boondocking convergence in January, with a wonderful side trip up to Lake Havasu AZ for their balloon festival.

In February, we met up with sister, Debbie, and brother-in-law, Reed, in Palm Desert CA. We then headed south to El Centro to get ready for our caravan to Baja California, Mexico with the Escapees Mexican Connection. We met up with the group at Potrero CA, and crossed the border at Tecate.

Our first stop was a few days at a zoo in the Mexican wine country of the Guadalupe Valley. We then headed down to the La Jolla Beach Camp just south of Ensenada BC for 10 days. The weather was cold and rainy, but we still had a good time and made some wonderful friends.

We then took a side adventure with a smaller group from the caravan across the Baja Peninsula to San Felipe BC. The drive was harrowing, but the weather improved considerably, and we had a perfect five days on the beach.

Sadly, on the way back to the U.S., our towed car caught on fire, and was a total loss. But we are grateful that no one was hurt, and the motorhome survived with only superficial damage. We crossed back at Mexicali, and bought a new car in El Centro. We then retraced our steps along the Salton Sea to finish up the season with three relaxing weeks at the Thousand Trails in Menifee CA.