Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, The Tetons, Dinosaur National Monument, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon! One national monument and four national parks with the twins! What great hikers they are! PawPaw was in his happy place doing what he loves and sharing the experiences with Brian, Silas, and Emmett!

From Missoula, we headed to Wisdom, MT, population 87! Mike and Heidi arranged for us to stay at one of their friend's properties for a couple of nights in Wisdom. It is located in a 60-by-20-mile area referred to as “The Big Hole.” Everywhere you look, all you see is prairie. Houses are several miles apart. The night is pitch dark, setting the stage for spectacular stargazing. We made fast friends forever with Guy and Whitney. They were perfect hosts for our relaxing stay under the big sky. Guy took us out in his side-by-side on an adventure looking for elk, fox, and antelope. We saw several herds in the dusk of the evening. There was a baby fox sleeping on the roof of a deserted shed. Can’t wait to go back, maybe in October on our way back to AZ.

Every time Tim sees an RV pulling a small trailer, he grins and says we need to look into that. “We could get a screen house and be able to sit outside and have shelter, and you can bring your recliner camp chairs and get a Blackstone!” I just roll my eyes. First, they are ugly and wouldn’t match our van! Of course, it would have to be the same color. I can’t have something that doesn’t match. Plus, I do not like towing anything. He says they are so small I wouldn’t even notice it that much.

On June 1, we headed into the Potato State of Idaho. We spent our last night in Washington in Clarkston, WA, on the Snake River. Across the river was Lewiston, ID. We were on the same path that Lewis and Clark had taken. We found a Walmart that allowed overnight parking, close to the river. We both woke up to a horrible stench we assumed was coming from our sewer pipes inside the camper. I got up and poured water in the sinks and drains, hoping that would resolve it. After no relief, we decided it must be the river.

We’ve had a wonderful  drive from Truckee to the California coast. Landscapes were so incredible! 

We spent 4 nights in Fort Bragg area.  Great bike trails along the coast and beach walking. Lovely views of the coastline from our van.  I wanted some good fresh seafood so we drove into Ft Bragg and went to the wharf. We were driving down the winding hill and I had a de Déjà vu moment! It turns out we had stopped there in 2023. Ended up eating at the same place! 

We have been trying to visit national parks whenever we can. We just added Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite, bringing our visits to 40 of 63. Hetch Hetchy is in the northwest top of Yosemite. It is not as well visited as the main part of Yosemite but shouldn’t be missed if you’re there! The beauty of all three parks was beyond imagination: spring flowers, beautiful meadows, Sequoias, and snow-capped mountain peaks. We have visited 40 parks so far

Curmudgeon began his descent into the Grand Canyon on Thursday, the 17th, from the South Rim. He camped overnight at Cottonwood Campground. The temp at the bottom was 90. He said it was a struggle going out on the North Rim Kaibab Trail. It was wet and muddy, and temps changed drastically by the time he set up camp. There was snow at the top, and that night, the winds were so strong that he actually had drifts of snow inside his tent. He didn’t sleep well. Had frozen shoes, his water pouch was frozen, and sleeping bag and tent were wet. He hung them on bushes to dry that am. He had 36 miles to go.

Curmudgeon is almost finished with the AZ Trail. He has been hiking 20-25 miles a day. Got to the S rim of the Grand Canyon late Monday afternoon. They had a couple camp sites reserved for thru hikers. He said they had several tents on each site. He was spending 2 nights there.

Curmudgeon has been on the AZ Trail for 12 days. The first four days were a struggle. He was in the mountains and carrying too much weight. He had packed two weeks' worth of food, but typically, he only carries five days' supply. He wasn’t sure where the off-trails to a town would be or how far off the main trail he’d have to hike to get to the nearest one.

Chris and Deb joined us for a week on March 11 for a week. Beth Monroe O’Brian came over on the 15th and visited with us for awhile.  She lived by Deb growing up and they had fun talking about old neighbors and friends.  Beth has been a full time RV’er for 8 years. Tim and I love getting information and advice from her! She is a wealth of knowledge!

Today is March 3rd and we have been on the road since Jan 3rd! Time has flown by and everyday has been amazing! The sun has been shining and the temperature 70’s and 80’s during the day and cools down to 50’s at night. We have visited with family and friends, made many new friends and become accustomed to living in our Cass B!

We had a great couple of days with Chris and Deb in Cardiff by the Sea! Of course, we played games and cards. Walked at Mission Bay one morning—what a beautiful area!

Deb surprised me with an early birthday treat: Crème Brûlée. Always my favorite; I could eat it every day!

We have had a great week! Last Sunday we left Quartzite and headed to Imperial Dam. It is a Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA); our $40 permit for camping at Quartzite was good through the 26th at all LTVA campsites in the Yuma area. We arrived at the Dam early and found a great spot to set up. We hopped on our bikes to check out the area.

Limited and more thoughtful development.