After coming down the mountain from Crater Lake, I happened a small Moose Lodge in a tiny town (Gold Hill, OR) on the Interstate. I have a week to burn and this Moose Lodge is a great place to do it with speedy Wifi, 120v power, and a great group...
Oregon’s only National Park, Crater Lake is the caldera of a destroyed volcano, Mount Mazama. The lake is more than 1,940 feet deep making it the deepest lake in the United States, the second deepest in North America and the ninth deepest in the world. At the Western side of...
Living in a van, over regular RV, comes with some inherent bonuses; We are smaller making us more mobile. Our fuel costs are generally lower. Vans are cheaper to maintain and easier to work on ourselves. There are numerous reasons (all valid to one degree or another) to choose a...
Silver Falls State Park is a state park in the Oregon about 20 miles east-southeast of Salem. It is the largest state park in Oregon with an area of more than 9,000 acres, and it includes more than 24 miles of hiking trails. Its 9-mile ‘Trail of Ten Falls’ runs along...
Fort Vancouver was a 19th-century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson’s Bay Company in the company’s Columbia District. Since I was staying a few days in Vancouver, I went to visit the old fort… actually it is a full scale replica...
Mt St Helens needs no introduction does she? I do not need to give any history on the youngest and most recently active volcano in the Cascade Range, but you are welcome to read up on the eruption from May of 1980 if you like. I drove out to the...
Some of the largest and oldest trees in the Washington Cascades stand in the Grove of the Patriarchs. The Grove resides on it’s own island where the Ohanapecosh River separates it from the mainland. These ancient Hemlocks, Cedars, and Douglas firs make the rest of the trees around appear to...
The Box Canyon Loop is only a half-mile paved trail. In terms of difficulty, it does not go far on the scale. But in terms of concentrated splendor, it jumps right up there. The trail not only crosses a deep river gorge but follows a glacier’s path. Along the trail...
Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning six major rivers. – www.nps.gov I spent the afternoon touring Mt Rainer National Park… at least the southern...
This morning I am making the trek into Mt Rainer National Park following the government shutdown ending. Unfortunately I must wait to complete my afternoon’s work. I am parked at a local park where I will leave the trailer for the day while I go up in just the van....
