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Destination Unknown
  • John and Kimberly Haviland
  • John and Kimberly Haviland

Destination Unknown

Traveling in our van in search of the setting for the next chapter of our lives. Making sure to have a blast along the way. Leggi altro
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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore
    1

    Changing the Dream

    9 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    Well, it has been a rough few days. We have done nothing but drive and mood swing. Years of dreams and planning were tossed in the trash when I, totally out of the blue, announced I would not deal with the humidity. Surprise to me…absolutely crushing to him. The economic gains the southern states could afford us would allow us a much more fluid lifestyle. Extensive travel and further investments were taken off the table by heading back west.

    So needless to say, the heavy guilt I will carry for years to come had me either crying or VERY defensive! John was not outright blaming me, but I was finding it in everything he said or did. Plus…since I destroyed our master plan, we had no idea how to start over. We didn’t even know where we were headed. It did not make for a pleasant drive! I’m pretty sure we got divorced somewhere between Laramie & Soda Springs, WY!

    Thankfully, John brought it back home. When we stopped for the night he grabbed me with a huge hug and said, “We need to make this about us, Wherever we end up, we’ll be fine because we’re together.” (Which of course turned me into a blubbering idiot…again!)

    So after a much more cheery drive today, we are staying overnight in Burley, ID. We are at a harvest host location that is on the banks of the Snake River. Very pretty view. We enjoyed drinks and a steak dinner. Not a bad day. We will figure out what we are doing tomorrow, tomorrow.

    ** FYI: When we saw the gas prices steadily going up as we headed west, John started creating a Go Fund Me page. 😉    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore

    Southern Idaho

    10 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F

    We decided to revisit Twin Falls Idaho, since we both liked it while visiting in May. We had discounted it because of the short summer… But I guess I will take that over a humidity filled one.
    Drove through town a bit and had a killer picnic lunch down in the Snake River Gorge. The weather was perfect!
    We started heading to Boise with the intention of grabbing a campsite for an overnight on the way. Driving through this part of Idaho has really surprised us. We knew it was high desert, but we didn’t realize how stark the hills were. No trees. Not very appealing to either one of us.
    We are staying at a boring campground about 40 min south of Boise tonight. We will visit with Larry (John’s brother) for the next day or two if he has time. It will be interesting to see if the scenery changes as we approach Boise.    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore
    Southern Idaho
    Southern IdahoSouthern IdahoSouthern IdahoSouthern IdahoSouthern IdahoSouthern IdahoSouthern IdahoSouthern IdahoSouthern IdahoBoise in the distance.Downtown Boise2Larry with Tiki. He hand raised her and she clearly loves him.1Visiting on Larry's farm.❤️

    Checking out southern Idaho ( Boise)

    11 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    Left our overnight stay at Three Island State park on the Snake river and headed towards Boise. Stopped off in Mountain Home ID and gave Sassy an oil change and tire rotation. Mountain Home was a cute little town.

    Southern Idaho is nothing like Kimberly and I imagined. Picture Interstate 5 in the Central Valley and check out all the pics below. Flat, dry and kind of ugly. I always pictured trees and thought Boise would be like Tahoe. Not so much. It is absolutely beautiful along the edges of Snake River though.

    We stopped in Boise to get our cell phone bill figured out. Hour plus in t-mobile but they took care of us. Downtown Boise is nice.

    Then off to Twisted District brewing for lunch. Their specialty, besides beer, is hotdogs (sausages). Kimberly had the elk habanero sausage and I had the rattlesnake/rabbit habanero sausage. Very good!

    We then drove out to Middleton to brother Larry’s farm where he gave us a tour of the place. Super cool but way to much work to do for me to want a farm.

     Boise area not really for us. Too expensive now, a ton of traffic and too flat and dry. We are staying at Larry’s for a couple of days, then maybe head north where there are actually trees or head to Oregon.    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore
    1
    1

    Middleton, Idaho

    13 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 93 °F

    Just chilled out at Larry’s for a couple of days. Had Mexican for lunch yesterday (not as good as Sonoma County), but the Margaritas were worth it. Larry then took us on a drive north along the Payette River to the Black Canyon Reservoir, which would be nice for water skiing.

    As you head north and get to Horseshoe Bend you start getting into trees and it gets super beautiful. As you continue to follow the Payette river you get some nice rapids up to class three that would be fun to kayak. We followed the river all the way to Cascade lake and stopped for a beer before heading back.

    Watched a beautiful sunset and the barn owls flying around.

    Today we just sat around. Kimberly cleaned the van and we did laundry. Larry drove us into Middleton for lunch and than back to his place where we just sat around. Larry made us a great supper and bought Drumsticks because he remembered Kimberly wanting ice cream.

    Larry is off to Oregon tomorrow to visit friends so we will be heading out as well. Heading north to check out Oregon and Washington.

    We weren’t very good about taking pictures.    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore
    Rob & Vicky told us about an awesome BBQ truck in Kennewick, WA. Nummy!Mount RainierPit stop on the Hood River.2Hood RiverHood RiverHood RiverDriving west from Hood River, ORHeading west by Cascade Locks, ORNo water, no electric, disgusting toilets and momentarily pretty before the mosquito hoards hit! 🤬

    ID, WA, OR High Desert

    14 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Long story short, we left Larry‘s farm in Middleton Idaho early this morning to check out towns on the Columbia River along the Washington/Oregon borders. Honestly, if you want to see what the majority of the country we saw today looks like… See my previous pics of southern Idaho. Very sparse dormant grass land. It all pretty much looked the same until we started driving along the Columbia River gorge.
    We really liked The Dalles (don’t know how it’s pronounced). Hood River was cool too. Both are too expensive right now, but maybe someplace to revisit when we’re done traveling?
    Unfortunately coming back West has added the ‘too damn many people’ obstacle to our travels. In the south, we had our pick of campsites as long as it was a weeknight. Since crossing the Rockies, we’ve been having a little difficulty finding spots. Frustrating…but we will figure it out, like we have before. In a crappy campsite tonight with no power or water. And guess what else? Tons of mosquitoes! You know?… Those things we were so worried about in the south but never saw a single beastie? Ironic!
    Thankfully this area is breathtaking! AND we are fine without electric. Our ceiling fan is keeping the van brisk, since there is no humidity and it cools down at night. Can’t wait to explore more tomorrow!    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore
    Sternwheeler paddleboat "Columbia Gorge" arriving at the dock.
    The "Columbia Gorge".John heading to the top deck while touring the sternwheeler "Columbia Gorge".Just a cool view that looks like it's out of The Game of Thrones!Portland in distance while crossing the Willamette River.

    Cascade Locks to Portland

    15 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    We left our icky campsite this morning with the intention of slowly making our way into Portland. We were going to stop in towns that looked interesting. Just as we came into Cascade Locks there was a visitor center with typical tourist shenanigans. John and I decided to book a 2hour tour on the sternwheeler paddleboat. Very cool and a nice break from driving.
    We drove through the town of Troutdale and found a great river for recreation. We found parking and scrambled down the embankment to investigate the Sandy River. Beautiful water, but again, real estate on the river is just out of our grasp. Still something to revisit if real estate continues to stall.
    Entering Portland was a bit jaw-dropping for me. John knows a lot more about the unrest here in past years. (But I have to say, even he was shocked by the numbers of encampments and transients.) Nice neighborhoods with little cottages and manicured lawns with giant tarp, tent, and cardboard box encampments across the street or in the medians. Shopping carts, clothing and garbage strewn about. Very unsettling. Tons of graffiti. Sorry if I sound callous, but I want no part of a city that allows that. Portland and it’s immediate suburbs would be a “no” for us. It’s a real shame because downtown Portland is gorgeous!
    Showered at Planet Fitness and staying the night in the Cracker Barrel parking lot. We scored a cat sit and have to be there tomorrow morning.    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore
    Bank of windows overlooking Portland area.View from formal living room.Zoomy little Smart car.Horse Brass Pub

    Portland Cat Sit

    17 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Arrived at our cat sit in Portland yesterday. Beautiful home overlooking the Northwest Forest Park & Industrial Districts along the Willamette River. Zack, our charge, is a handsome boy, who loves hanging with us. He is a bit talkative when he wants his breakfast (at 5am 🤬), but quietly climbs back into bed to cuddle when he’s finished.

    Our hosts generously offered the use of their Smart car, since our van would be impossible to park at most restaurants/breweries. Headed to Portland’s Eastside today to visit the Horse Brass Pub. Very authentic pub with amazing fish & chips! Nummy!

    From there we drove through downtown…stopped at a small taproom and grabbed Chinese to go for supper. While waiting for our food, we walked to a very popular ice cream parlor, Salt & Straw. We wanted to get a pint of ice cream to go. You will never guess how much the pints were… $11.75!!!! Can you believe it? For 2 cups of ice cream?

    We will be here until Wednesday and then head south (we think?) We have discounted Washington due to it being sunny or partly sunny for only 56% of the year.    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore
    1
    Hitting River Pig Saloon!Happened upon a super cool water feature in a park downtown.Searching for dessert.John driving the Smart (clown) car

    Still in Portland

    19 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Last full day of our cat sit in Portland. Yesterday we had a lot of downtime. Snuggled with Zack, watched a couple of movies and put a puzzle together.
    Today we caught up on laundry, started packing up a bit and then went downtown for a couple of happy hours.
    All in all, we enjoyed our time immensely. A great kitty sit!    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore
    Brew Coffee & Tap House1Just for your viewing pleasure!😝Osprey nest is ginormous on the train trestle.He finally tore the other arm off after I told him I could NOT look at him anymore!

    McMinnville - Albany, OR

    20 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    After cleaning and packing up the van, we left Portland around noon. We passed by a little town named Dundee on our way to McMinnville. We were both very excited when we drove by, but pulling into town we realized it was nothing but tasting rooms. Too bad there aren’t stores or services available, because it is a beautiful little area!

    McMinnville was a nice little town, but for some reason, neither one of us particularly warmed to it. Driving from there to Salem, the countryside looks very much like Sonoma County, but a bit greener. Lovely mountain views in the distance on all sides. We both liked the area very much.

    Once we got into Salem we happened into a local beer and coffee joint. The owners were on site and we chatted extensively with the lifelong Oregonians. They gave us helpful advice on some of the future areas we are looking at, as well as suggesting some of their favorite places in Oregon. It’s very heartening when we meet up with people like this. We never quite feel like it was by ‘chance’!

    One of their Highly recommended towns was Independence, so off we went. We would not have gone through this town on our planned route. I am glad we deviated, because we both really liked it!

    Our Harvest Host for the night was 15 miles down the road in Albany. Not as cute as McMinnville or Independence, but still a cool place. We had the best Chinese food that we’ve had in decades at a seemingly shit hole (from the outside). Inside was spotless and the food was phenomenal!! The owners did all of the serving and cooking. Very sweet!

    We are parked along the Willamette River at Deluxe Brewery and Distillery. I’m looking forward to falling asleep to the light rumbling of the freight train down the road. Very soothing to me for some reason.

    **Pics are random while driving along. Wanted to show examples of the land. Of course we always forget pics of towns! 🙄    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore
    Early morning leaving Albany, OR
    Driving from the west to the east in central Oregon.Three SistersPitstop in Sisters for drinks!1Crazy mounted heads everywhere!Three Sisters11

    We’re just a mess!

    24 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F

    We headed back east to check out Sisters, Redmond and Bend. Sisters is a super cool little town and is very touristy. Headed to Redmond which is a lot bigger and has a nice downtown area.

    We stared to head east to check out a reservoir but decided to start heading south as we know we like that part of Oregon.

    We drove through Bend because we have already been there . It was crazy how much Bend had grown since we were there five years ago. Super great area with tons of outdoor activities to do.

    Oregon is on our short list of places we like. Unfortunately the cost of living sucks, though it is not as bad as California.

    We ended up just driving all the way down to Reno to see Susan and Christian.

    We have thought about heading south to check out northern Arizona in the mountains near Prescott. We are also thinking about heading back to Colorado to check out Durango in the south west part of the state.

    We have a house sit back here in Reno on August 18th so would need to get back here.

    We are thinking of renting a place in Reno for a while to try a figure out what comes next. We have also thought of starting our international travels after the start of 2023 and not worrying about where we will try and settle down in the US.

    Kimberly and I are sitting in Sassy now trying to see if we will hang out here until our house sit for three weeks or head south towards Arizona.

    We will keep you all posted.    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore
    Sunrise leaving Reno.
    Nevada hills.Utah Salt FlatsPrice, Utah area.Something Healdsburg PD doesn't have to deal with! 😁

    Déjà vu!

    27 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 93 °F

    Loved seeing Susan’s new apt. They have done a great job with it! Super comfy. Now that we’ve snuggled up with our girl for a bit, we’re feeling up to task!
    Yes, you guessed it…we decided to head south and explore Flagstaff - Prescott, AZ just as the governor declared a state of emergency urging residents to shelter in place due to flooding & mudslides!
    Oh boy! We didn’t even know that July was their monsoon season. 😬

    Neither one of us is thrilled that we are backtracking over hundreds of miles, but at this point, there’s do it or don’t. John keeps griping about his “déjà vu’! Back in May we showered at the same Planet Fitness, got gas at the same gas stations and stayed overnight in the same town. Tomorrow morning we will be in Moab AGAIN. (See what he means?)

    We are staying at a truckstop in Green River, Utah tonight and will visit Durango, Colorado first. Of course, they are getting tons of rain as well. At least we will be able to see the area?
    Wish us luck!    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore
    What used to be McPhee Reservoir recreation area.
    Cortez, CO down below.Leaving Cortez.Mesa National Park Cortez, CODriving to Durango.Close to Durango.Close to Durango.DurangoNew Mexico storms.New Mexico storms.New Mexico storms.New Mexico storms.New Mexico storms.Maybe 'no' on Arizona?? Boring!Yikes...see?!?

    Durango, CO - Arizona

    28 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌧 70 °F

    We left Green River Utah this morning and headed towards Durango Colorado. Drove through some beautiful country. The town of Cortez is located about 40 minutes west of Durango. I really loved the area, but the McPhee Reservoir is dried up to almost nothing. 😕

    Durango is a super cool town! John loved almost immediately. Very quaint downtown with lots of fun food & bev options. The Animas River running alongside is pretty!
    Unfortunately, the landscape felt a little to ‘closed in’ for me. I like to be able to see ‘out’ and Durango is pretty much hemmed in on all sides by mountainsides. Makes me feel a bit claustrophobic.

    Durango and Cortez would be a little too remote for our future travel plans. It would be over a 6 hr drive to Denver International.

    We left Durango heading towards some of the mountainous regions closest to Phoenix International. Massive storm systems pounded in the distance all around us. The skies were breathtaking!!! The clouds, colors and patterns were artwork. Thankfully we skirted all of them until late evening. We only drove through 2 short monsoon cloudbursts. A little bit of white knuckling it for 10 minutes or so.

    We will crash in the Walmart parking lot in Taylor, Arizona tonight.    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore
    Show Low
    Show LowHeberHeberDriving to PaysonDriving to PaysonLeaving PaysonOn our way to Prescott.Driving into Prescott Valley. (Just west of Prescott.)PrescottPrescottPrescottPrescott. (I would sooo make friends with someone to secure one of those seats every Friday night!)PrescottTiny lake for paddleboarding on edge of town.Prescott - Lake Watson.Prescott - Lake WatsonLeaving Prescott.Leaving Prescott.

    Busy Day!

    29 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌧 66 °F

    Man does it feel like we did a weeks full of exploring in one day! Felt like a relatively successful one as well!

    Who knew that parts of Arizona were stunningly beautiful??! Quite a surprise to us. Temperatures consistently 75° to 85° during the summer. Some light - moderately heavy snowfall, that quickly melts in winter. Lots of potential. Unfortunately, as expected, not a lot of river or lake availability.

    Here’s a rundown of our discoveries. We started the day in Show Low and slowly traveled west/northwest throughout the day:

    Show Low: Nice landscape. Nice little town. Too remote.

    Heber: Landscape getting more forested. Super cute local businesses. Good vibe. Nice people. Still too remote.

    Now we started driving through serious mountain areas. So pretty! We couldn’t believe it was Arizona!

    Payson: Ok, this will be an easy one for those of you in California to understand. Think South Lake Tahoe, but minus the gazillion tourists and the gorgeous lake. Enjoyed a great breakfast for lunch at a tiny café with a big sign across the front window that said, “We love our law enforcement and military veterans!” Super friendly people. House prices are a bit high for being so remote.

    Prescott: In love!!! The landscape and surrounding area have all the best bits. The downtown proper has that old frontier mountain town vibe. Lots of fun food/bev options. To the west there are rolling hills with more open meadows. And just north of town there are cool red rock and granite formations for hiking. There are two tiny reservoirs on the edge of town. One we could paddleboard in, but neither one of them have water clean enough to swim in. There are a couple of tiny lake options… But they would be a bit of a drive. Still thinking about this one.

    Decided to skip Sedona because we would love it and not be able to afford it. Besides, even less water!

    We are staying in the Cracker Barrel parking lot. I much prefer these over Walmart because they feel safer to me. Not here! We are usually one of 2 - 6 campers parked in the back lot. This lot is jammed full of everything from ginormous motorhomes to Honda Civic‘s full of pillows and blankets. Sometimes I’m glad John has his nug!    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore
    Flagstaff
    FlagstaffDrinks & wingsDrinks & wingsFlagstaff

    Lazy Day in Flagstaff

    30 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    Flagstaff is a great little city! High scores on the walkability factor. Endless little restaurants, bars, breweries, coffee shops, candy shops, trinket shops. Lots of quaint little patio areas to eat or drink. The train runs right through downtown proper (a lot)…which I adore!

    John went ahead and explored the area on foot while I stayed in the van and caught up on some phone calls. By the time I was ready to join him, in true John fashion, he knew exactly where to take me and all points of interest. We went to a super cool bar owned by a woman for over 20 years. She had a lot of Flagstaff knowledge and history. Very fun and reasonable drinks!

    Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be on my radar for a permanent home. Perhaps you’ll find me petty, but I’m not a fan of the crowd here. Lots & lots of ‘I don’t need to wear deodorant’, skirts made of hemp, ‘we’re going to save the world, what are YOU doing?’, types. Not a fan.

    Very happy to have snagged two nts at the south rim Grand Canyon Mather Campground. Heading up tomorrow morning. We have never been and I’m very excited!!!!    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore

    Grand Canyon!!!!

    31 luglio 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌧 70 °F

    We are at Mather Campgrounds in the Grand Canyon National Park. We haven’t actually seen the canyon yet. Took most of the afternoon to get our bearings and empty out all of our tanks in the van.
    We had reserved two nights, but after entering the park, decided to extend it for two more. We will be here hiking and exploring until Thursday morning.
    Beyond excited!    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore
    Brady Bunch anyone? 😆

    Grand Canyon Day 2

    1 agosto 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    There isn’t a whole lot to report. The Grand Canyon speaks for itself.

    We took the Bright Angel trail 1.5 miles down and then back up. The sun sure gets hot early and you can definitely feel the elevation.🥵

    Had a drink in the Village and took advantage of the laundry facilities. Grilled up a nice steak dinner for the first time in weeks. Perfect weather!    Leggi altro

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandDestination UnknownViaggiatore

    Perfect Ending

    2 agosto 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 99 °F

    Well, when the alarm went off at 4 AM… I almost shut it down. I am so glad I didn’t! Sunrise at the Grand Canyon fills your soul!

    After taking it in, we went on a few short hikes and grabbed some breakfast… It was still only 9:15am! We decided that the sunrise was hard to beat. It felt like a fitting end to our journey.

    We will head to Sonoma County to grab my car, clean out Sassy and put her up for sale.

    We still don’t know where we want to relocate… Nothing felt quite right. We will be spending the winter in Reno to spend time with Susan. Hopefully we will head to Southeast Asia for a few months sometime early next year.

    We thank all of you for following us through our roller-coaster ride. Knowing you were out there caring about us, meant the world!!

    Stay tuned! We’ve only just begun!    Leggi altro

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    Fine del viaggio
    2 agosto 2022