tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44574917225495711022024-03-15T18:09:49.673-07:00Trekking with the BsJoin us as we travel across this amazing country. Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.comBlogger355125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-65536332930809666322023-03-14T17:38:00.003-07:002023-03-14T17:38:53.490-07:00Cuenca, EcuadorAn Expat DestinationThe morning after returning to Quito we boarded an hour-long flight to Cuenca. Driving up the winding roads would have taken several uncomfortable hours for almost the same price.On our flight to Cuenca, we didn't have a gate until 30 minutes before our flight. We all headed to gate A3. Then it changed to D3, we followed the herd headed downstairs. As soon as we got to D3, it Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-86256852647816256312023-03-08T22:18:00.002-07:002023-03-08T22:18:30.780-07:00Mindo, EcuadorHeading to a cloud forestIf we were going to go to Ecuador, I was going to see some birds in a cloud forest. Mike got his wish to go to the Amazon. My turn.We hired a driver to take us 2 hours to Mindo from Quito which was arranged by the Platinum Toucan Suites where we stayed during our 3 days in the mountains. They also arranged for a guide to take us birding at 6am. Boy, did he deliver. We sawMike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-27065010075668035362023-03-04T20:49:00.000-07:002023-03-04T20:49:21.519-07:00Heading into the AmazonThe Napo RiverOur tour of Ecuador was short but jam packed. We had an early wakeup call every morning to a tasty breakfast waiting for us. The accommodations were special. If we had stayed in the same places on our own, we would have spent much more than the cost of the tour.Heading up the Napo River in the Amazon to our beautiful lodge, La Casa del Suizo overlooking the Amazon River.Tena, Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-70711394449629927022023-02-26T20:34:00.004-07:002023-02-26T21:41:12.502-07:00 Yes, we did a tourIt is now 5 months since we started this adventure. Now that we are taking time to look back, I am so glad that I took the time to write down some thoughts each day.Planning this visit was making my head spin. We finally booked an 8 day Gate 1 Travel tour making it less stressful and more affordable than on our own. The guides were very informative even though the pace wasMike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com2Ecuador-1.831239 -78.183405999999991-30.141472836178846 -113.33965599999999 26.478994836178845 -43.027155999999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-65605262282356344832023-02-25T15:07:00.001-07:002023-02-25T15:54:29.948-07:00We are back...It has been quite a while since my last post. Once we limited our travels to mostly camp hosting over the past couple of years. Our stories became a bit redundant. I began looking over notes that I made on our travels and we realized how much we had already forgotten. It's fun reliving some of those memories here.We found ourselves making plans and reservations and turn around and Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-59935941656009012132021-08-16T15:32:00.004-07:002021-08-16T16:02:35.641-07:00Lake Wenatchee, WA Another state parkOur plans this year have been constantly changing due to the heat and fires in Oregon. We chose hosting this summer since so many campgrounds ae closed and many more people camping making finding last minute sites difficult to find. We hadn't previously volunteered in Washington and didn't know what to expect.With a lot more last minute openings this year for camp hosts, Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-78330409057722694442021-08-14T12:35:00.001-07:002023-02-25T15:08:03.245-07:00Smoking tires!! Canby CottageMike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-44333614914034485872021-07-08T14:31:00.004-07:002021-07-08T14:49:12.373-07:00Tumalo State ParkAnother Oregon State Park We love the little town of Sisters and the bakery is pretty darn good too. When you pull into the Old West town of Sisters, you feel like you’re making a getaway. This friendly little outpost in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains draws visitors for its profound natural beauty. It was a good stop while we waited to start hosting at Tumalo State Park.Sisters Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-18545272437101800352021-07-04T16:14:00.000-07:002021-07-04T16:14:35.200-07:00Hood River, Oregon Catching upWe have had very limited WIFI, so I haven't written the blog in a couple of months. The email notifications come across differently now since Blogger changed its format. I will do a short post now to see how it goes now.We left Valley of the Rogue State Park and headed north to the Columbia River Gorge. But first made a stop at the Wooden Shoe Tulip festival while staying at Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-58989852127234283402021-04-24T09:30:00.001-07:002021-04-24T09:30:17.328-07:00Valley of the Rogue State ParkWildflowers Everywhere! Leaving the cool coast of the Pacific Ocean, we arrived in the warm Rogue River Valley with temps in the 70s. We had heard some negative reviews about hosting at the Valley of the Rogue State Park but wanted to check out the area. If it was too bad, we could always leave. We actually enjoyed our time here very much. We were placed in the F Loop which is the Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-15656902629325819052021-04-16T12:00:00.003-07:002021-04-16T12:00:54.501-07:00Bandon By the SeaAcross the BridgeAcross the Coquille River bridge from Bullards Beach State Park is the small coastal town of Bandon which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. We thought the weather might be too dreary since we arrived the middle of February. What were we thinking? We lucked out and only had a few days of rain. Bandon's boardwalk has a unique collection of beautiful marine life sculptures. The Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-63058157265153695002021-03-29T16:15:00.000-07:002021-03-29T16:15:14.544-07:00Bullards Beach State ParkGetting Oregonized18 years ago, we snowshoed up Vail Pass and married ourselves. That was a perfect start to our unconventional life. It was a happy anniversary to us!After agreeing to camp host on Oregon's coast for the month March, we were informed that we would need to arrive 10-14 days early to quarantine since we were coming from out of state. That had us arriving February 18th. What in the Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-91021865704693889842021-03-20T15:16:00.002-07:002021-03-20T15:16:54.933-07:00Driving through CaliforniaCaliforniaSpending the summer on Vancouver Island wasn't looking promising for us. We canceled our reservations and looked for a new plan. California "closed down" and we couldn't extend our stay in Hurricane, UT because the Inn was full. Bullards Beach's host coordinator had contacted us to see if we were interested in hosting. We threw caution to the wind and signed up for March on the Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-88646697316130424792021-03-14T12:09:00.000-07:002021-03-14T12:09:01.151-07:00Valley of Fire State ParkHappy CampersI am catching up on the blog since the past couple of months have been a happy whirlwind. Getting back out and exploring has been breath of fresh air. Traveling is a little different than in the past but still good.Heading west from St George, Utah, we would be passing the 40,000 acres of Valley of Fire State Park. The bright red Aztec sandstone outcrops contain petrified trees Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-60881805824263918062021-03-08T14:25:00.000-07:002021-03-08T14:25:43.526-07:00Snow Canyon State Park An Amazing Park!This is our final post of our busy 3 weeks in Utah's southwest corner and could have gladly stayed a month to enjoy the hiking and cycle trails. We had several trails to explore on our last day. Petrified Dunes TrailPetrified Dunes in Snow Canyon State Park is right in the heart of the park and are incredible rolling mounds of petrified Navajo Sandstone. No need Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-19857463880432560022021-03-03T15:31:00.001-07:002021-03-03T15:31:32.802-07:00Zion National ParkZion Zion National Park was Utah's first National Park and a 20 minute drive from Hurricane. It was the off season so the shuttles weren't running, so we drove right in. The town of Springdale outside of the Park was still sleepy. The parking lot for the Emerald Pools Trail was empty when we arrived. Score! We had hiked this trail on a previous visit and it was still a nice Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-76736499539955037622021-02-22T17:32:00.000-07:002021-02-22T17:32:01.833-07:00Red Cliffs National Conservation Area More St George HikesThe Red Cliff National Conservation Area, 15 miles north of St. George is a real treasure with 25 moderate trails ranging from 1.1 to 17.1 miles and from 2,929 to 5,121 feet above sea level. The sunshine made hiking with temps in the 50s and 60s very pleasant. With so many to chose, here are a few that we tried.Turtle TrailThe Turtle Trail wasn't well marked and we Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-56735658783408939752021-02-19T14:34:00.000-07:002021-02-19T14:36:36.999-07:00St George, UtahGetting Oriented in Utah Three Falls Trail, Hurricane, UtahWe have enjoyed spending the past 7 winters in Arizona. But we have had enough staying in the same RV parks for the past 11 months and we were itchy to move on. We had reservations at the Wild Willow RV Park in Hurricane and were looking forward to something new. We didn't mind the new snow as we headed out on our first hike a Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-42708299600239818592021-01-13T09:50:00.003-07:002021-01-13T09:50:44.328-07:00Heading South of TucsonTubac and San Xavier MissionI appreciated the comment on the last post from Laura from Chapter 3 Travels. Just think: some day this will all be behind us, and everyone will share their stories about how they made it through the crazy year of 2020. "Remember when there were toilet paper shortages and highways were blocked by checkpoints?" Weird to think about, but some day.... Finally, aMike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-73236874860378326082020-12-27T12:57:00.001-07:002020-12-27T12:59:15.706-07:00Counting downRememberingThis strange time has given us plenty of time to reminisce about places we have visited over the years. As Jim Croce starts singing, memories start flooding back. Like having Sunday brunch overlooking the Potomac River and Watergate Hotel in Washington DC or taking ferries to Alaska or in Italy. One memory leads to another as the I Heart Radio playlist cranks Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-73790545975381063272020-12-04T14:32:00.001-07:002020-12-04T14:32:35.484-07:00Mt Lemon Catalina HighwayBefore starting our drive up the Catalina Highway up Mt Lemmon, we downloaded the University of Arizona's Mount Lemmon Science Tour app.The free hour long audio tour app produced by the University of Arizona College of Science, is available to accompany the drive up the Santa Catalina Mountains Highway near Tucson. From the Sonoran Desert at the bottom to the pine forest at Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-60031802886943890202020-11-25T17:32:00.003-07:002020-11-25T17:54:04.015-07:00Tucson, ArizonaGetting a feel for the areaBefore retiring, I had contracts to work in Tucson at Tucson Medical Center (loved it) and University Hospital )not so much). The city continues to draw us back and has grown along with the traffic. I can't imagine how it would be with Canadian snowbirds. Far Horizons RV Park is less than 1/3 full for this winter season.Celebrating Dia de Los MuertosThe Heirloom FarmersMike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-17709633495715446112020-11-02T06:40:00.002-07:002020-11-02T06:40:35.419-07:00Being responsible Repairs Driving our home on sometimes rough can cause damage. Our grey tank (dishwater) developed a leak that was getting worse while dry camping. We to got an appointment for the middle of October and took it even though it was still hot. The temp was 102F degrees but we were relieved to get the crack taken care of before the leak got worse. It was also a good time to have a condo as Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-30169606728562485032020-10-10T19:03:00.000-07:002020-10-10T19:06:47.115-07:00Northern ArizonaTaking our timeFlagstaffSpending 5 of past the past 6 winters in Arizona for work, we would make a brief stop in Flagstaff. With no reason to rush to Mesa and record heat, we booked three night at the Flagstaff KOA. Hiking the Fatmans Loop Trail from the campground was a delight with plenty of rock formations and views. We had spent so much time away from cities, I was ready for Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457491722549571102.post-40377835694054227242020-10-01T21:19:00.000-07:002020-10-01T21:19:43.828-07:00North Rim of the Grand CanyonHiking the RimWe were glad to have new batteries for the heat on the cold nights at an elevation near 9000 feet. Our last night was 32 F. It would have been warmer 30 miles away at Jacobs Lake with internet. But we liked being closer to the Grand Canyon much better.First we headed to Bright Angel Point which is the most popular viewpoint at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, since the other Mike & Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15715028795468185263noreply@blogger.com10