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Chris-crossing the Country
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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the CountryПутешественник
    Road runner strutting down the road in front of our rvMusic entertainment at SandsPond at Sands with view of mountains and palmsEaster with the kidsGamble HouseRose BowlJoshua TreeArch RockHeart RockSkull RockView from top of Mt San JacintoHiking pathSnow on Mount San JacintoTahquitz Canyon hiking trailTahquitz Canyon waterfallHiking path in Tahquitz Canyon

    California - Desert Hot Springs

    11 мар.–26 апр., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    We spent 6 weeks in Desert Hot Springs, Ca. beginning March 11 to April 24. The first four weeks were at Sands RV and Golf Resort which has amazing amenities; 9 hole golf course, 8 pickle ball courts, a pool, 2 hot tubs and events throughout the week. We arrived toward the end of snowbird season and things were winding down but we did attend a musical performance put on by resort residents, played water volleyball a few times and Kevin golfed once. Unfortunately it was extremely hot the first week we were there (98 to 106 degrees) and then extremely windy (30-40 mph gusts) there after, so we never did play pickleball. We left for 12 days to help Tom and Tina move their sailboat from St Thomas to The Bahamas and then to Pasadena, thus the total active time there was about 2 weeks. We had a nice view of mountains and palm trees, especially once the class A’s in front of us left. For my birthday we went to a fabulous restaurant in Palm Springs; Eight4Nine. We also went to Tropicale for lunch to meet up with Kris and Hillary Gustafson. It was interesting to hear about their experiences as RV travel influencers; they said people would recognize them and at times almost stalk them. Yikes! Easter weekend we went to Pasadena to spend it with Sydney, Evan and Christian. We walked to the Rose Bowl stadium from their house with the dogs then walked the path around the stadium, approximately 3 miles. We toured the Gamble House (of Proctor and Gamble fame) that was built in the early 1900’s. The architecture is beautiful with detail carved wood panels and Japanese influence throughout the house. On April 11 we moved to Catalina Spa and RV Resort, just a few miles down from Sands. It was nice but we wished we had just stayed at Sands. On April 14th we drove to Joshua Tree National Park. There are several park entrances and I chose the farthest one from us so we could drive through Twentynine Palms as I always wanted to see it; I thought we might pass the marine base but it is further out. Also that entrance was closest to the more well known rock formations; arch, heart and skull. The other areas seemed to be mostly rocks and cactuses and we had seen plenty of that already. We hiked for about 3 miles then had lunch in Twentynine Palms.
    For our next hike we rode the Palm Springs Arial Tram to the top of Mount San Jacinto State Park. The tram goes 8500+ feet up from the base and rotates 365 degrees, allowing a full view of the landscape. The hike at the top was beautiful and a nice reprieve from heat and cactuses! We hiked past pine trees, streams and snow patches!
    Our final hike in Tahquitz Canyon was located on the Aqua Caliente Indian Reservation and led to a 60 foot waterfall. It was a good hike with rocks to climb up and over but not strenuous.
    We did a lot of fun things while we were in Desert Hot Springs but the heat at the beginning (a climate anomaly supposedly) and the frequent high winds (standard) made for an unpleasant stay in general. The topography of the mountains around Desert Hot Springs puts it in a wind tunnel. Conversely Palm Springs is just outside the wind tunnel and while we were having 30 mph winds, Palm Springs had 4 mph winds! No doubt that’s why it was built in that location.
    We tried to leave a day early to avoid driving in high winds; as Kevin was pulling out of the site I noticed the mud flap had come off on one side and was dragging. We fixed that and then noticed a problem with the system air pressure and saw that the chassis was hitting the rear wheel. A Mobil Truck and RV tech was sent out (thankful for roadside assistance who found one nearby and qualified) and they confirmed it was a bad airbag on the passenger side. They had to go a Freightliner service center close to LA to get a new one. Fortunately they were able to fix it that day and we were able to leave early the next morning.    Читать далее

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the CountryПутешественник
    St. Thomas
    99 Stairs built in 1700'sBlackbeard CastleStatues in Blackbeard plazaCharolette Amalie Harbor3 QueensRainbow after the stormBarracuda! Tom reeled this in and threw it backSailing past lower BahamasSunset from the waterHello George Town!George Town, new establishment from 2024Monument Beach, Stocking Island ExumasFollow the Sun, Harmony, Southern Cross at Coconuts Club

    Side Trip with TnT Sailing

    24–31 мар., Американские Виргинские острова ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    We took a side trip to help Tom and Tina move their 53’ Benateau sailboat from St. Thomas USVI to George Town in The Bahamas. We left LAX on Tuesday, Mar 24 on a 1:00 am redeye flight to Houston, then caught a flight to St Thomas. We got lucky on both legs of the trip with up grades to first class. We arrived in St Thomas at 1:00 pm local time with a fair amount of free alcohol in our system 😄 We went to dinner on the island that night and in the morning walked up the “99 stairs” to view Blackbeard’s Castle, which is really just a watchtower. It was built by the Danes in 1679 and believed to have also been used by Blackbeard in the 1700’s. The stairs were also built by the Danish to connect the harbor with the town. After breakfast and souvenir shopping in Charlotte Amalie we set off for The Bahamas. The first 24 hours was relatively mild with some cloud coverage but not enough wind to fully sail. The second day and night brought rain and lightening and a rough passage; rough enough to cause one crew member seasickness despite wearing a patch. Day 3 cleared up and around 2:00 p.m. we were able to pull both sails out and turn the motor off. For the next 52 hours we sailed without the motor, except for a brief period to out run water spouts. This is by far the longest amount of full on sailing with no motoring that we have done. Winds varied around 15 knots Friday to Saturday and picked up around 20 knots thereafter; we were able sustain an average speed of 7 knots. We sailed past Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Turks and Caicos and around the lower Bahama Islands. By Saturday night we were sailing around Crooked Island and then along Long Island on Sunday.
    At 6:50 Monday, March 30, the motor was turned on as we pulled into the Exuma inlet, anchoring next to Stocking Island by 8:00 pm. We traveled approximately 735 nautical miles.
    The next day we went to Coconuts Club on Monument Beach and were able to catch up with Stephen and Mary Beth from SV Harmony who have been in George Town for a few weeks. That night we stayed at The Exuma Yacht Club and Marina so that we could catch a cab at 6 am to the George Town airport. From there we flew to Nassau, then had a flight to Houston, then another to LAX. Unfortunately we did not get upgrades on any of the flights back to LAX!    Читать далее

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the CountryПутешественник
    Quick stop at a wine bar before the comedy show
    Hollywood BlvdGrauman's Chinese TheaterGrand dogs Ricky and RonnieComedy ShowBakersfield site

    California - San Dimas and Bakersfield

    26 апр.–2 мая, Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    From Desert Hot Springs we went to San Dimas, about 40 minutes from Sydney and Evan’s house in Pasadena. We spent a day with them being tourists on Hollywood Blvd to sightsee the Walk of Fame and Grauman’s Chinese Theater. For lunch we went to a taco place in Silverlake; their old neighborhood in Los Angeles. In the evening we went to a comedy show at a local spot that Evan has photographed. The next night Sydney joined us for dinner on the RV. The campground we stayed at was located on Bonelli Bluff and it had a very pretty view.
    Next we went to Bakersfield for 2 nights with the intent to hike Sequoia National Forest. Kevin obtained a consulting opportunity and worked in the morning so instead of hiking we found a bike trail. Unfortunately that turned out to be a fail, the view was not pretty and large black bugs frequently hit us in the face. On the positive side we had a nice end site with a lot of grass that Pepper enjoyed laying on and soaking up the sun and sights.    Читать далее

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the CountryПутешественник
    Coarsegold Rodeo
    Dorval Estate WineryGrizzly TreeBachelor and three gracesMariposa TreeClothespin TreeMariposa Cabin 1864The Fallen Monarch, first recorded in 1840; actual date unknown.Drive into Yosemite2Vernal FallNevada FallHalf DomeBridalveil FallTunnel View; El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridal Fall, Cathedral Rocks

    Yosemite National Park

    1–8 мая, Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    On May 1st we began what I consider our start to visiting the north western US national parks. Our first park visit was Yosemite National Park and we stayed on the south side of the park, in the town of Coarsegold, at an Escapees Park called Park of the Sierras. It is a nice park in the sierra mountains that is run by escapee members who are very friendly. We played pickleball once and went to a potluck dinner for Cinco de Mayo. The second night we went to the Coarsegold Rodeo. It was a 2 day event that really made us appreciate how big and elite the Houston Rodeo is. We browsed the vendor tents, bought large cans of local beer and watched probably 3/4th of the rodeo. Most of the participants couldn’t finish their event, which is what made us realize how elite the cowboys are that make it to HLSR. It was fun to participate in a small local event. The next day we visited Dorval Estate Winery. The wine tasting was very laid back with a flight of wine that we enjoyed at our own pace. We sat outside and watched kids chase the chickens that roamed the property! On May 4th we drove to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite NP. It was a bit drizzly and foggy but a smooth hike with incredibly large and interesting Sequoia trees. The fog gave the hike a different vibe that turned out to be awesome as shown in the pictures. We walked past several fallen trees that displayed the massive width of the tree, plus enormous trees hundreds of years old. We waited a day for the weather to clear up and on May 6 drove another hour into the park to hike the Mist and John Muir trails to see the 317 foot Vernal Fall and the 594 foot Nevada Fall. We went at an optimal time in spring when the water was strong from the snow melt; the Merced River and waterfalls were both flowing rapidly. The views were stunning with the mountains all around and rushing water from the falls and river. After hiking to the top of Vernal Falls we continued on and came to the top of Nevada Falls and from there we began our decline back down. The hike was the most difficult one we’ve done to date, the combined elevation and stair climb was very steep going up to the top of Vernal Falls and to Nevada Falls. After that it was all downhill and we saw great views of Half Dome.
    On the drive back we stopped at Tunnel View for a picturesque view of El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridalview Fall and Cathedral Rocks.    Читать далее

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the CountryПутешественник
    Peirano WineryPeirano won a HLSR wine awardDowntown LodiCayman-Suisun Winery in Suisun ValleyBlue Victorian WineryDan, Lara, Cindy and usDan and LaraMankasMankasTestarosa WineryUnderground entrance into Tesoro'sMark, Luke, Amelia and usGarden on Mark and Amelia's vacation homeRedwoods on their propertyMore garden with view of the Bay Area

    California- Lodi

    8–12 мая, Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    We had a lot of fun in and around Lodi, Ca. Lodi is known for its Zinfandel wines due to the dryer climate that is better for the grapes compared to Napa and Sonoma where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay do well. (Though I tasted several excellent Chardonnays.) Lodi is not as touristy as Napa/Sonoma and the wine tasting prices are very reasonable. We arrived on Friday, May 8 and went to Michael David winery after we set-up as it was only a 5 minute drive from the RV park. We sampled 4 or 5 wines and bought a bottle of Zinfandel and a Chardonnay. On Saturday we went to Peirano Winery and sampled about 12 wines for $10! We found most of the wines to be enjoyable and very reasonably priced. They offer a special to get 50% off on a case plus tasting fees waived. Needless to say we bought a case! After that we walked around downtown Lodi and stopped at Smack Pie for a pizza, which was yummy. As we were walking back to the car Kevin spotted a place called Bricks and Hope and the next thing I know we meandered in there for a drink.
    Sunday was Mother’s Day and we drove to Suisun Valley (known for Petite Sirah) to meet up with Kevin’s nephew Dan, his wife Lara, and Cindy who is the mom of Dan’s friend that is currently deployed. They are stationed at Travis Air Force Base there in the valley. We did wine tastings at Blue Victorian and Mankas Gardens, both owned by the Vezer Family. Cindy’s son Drew is a member and got us free tastings at both places with a personalized reserved library tasting at Mankas. We then had lunch at Mankas Grill. While there Dan joined the wine club and we took advantage of a 6 bottle wine discount. Finding spots for 20 bottles of wine in the RV was a challenge but we figured it out! On Monday we drove 2 hours and 20 minutes to Los Gatos to meet Kevin’s college friend Mark, his wife Amelia and their son Luke for brunch, then visited Testarosa Winery for a tasting. They took us to their “vacation” home that they recently bought that has 2 acres of amazing sculptured landscape and overlooks a reservoir with the Bay Area in the background. They are in the process on redecorating it and are bouncing between homes. Next they plan to tear down and rebuild their current house.    Читать далее

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the CountryПутешественник
    Corning, Ca
    Olive PitWhiskeytown lakeLunch stopFlowers along the trail. California BuckeyeLady Banks RoseSacramento RiverFlowers along Sacramento RiverWoody's Brewing Company and pubFall River Brewery

    California: Corning-Redding

    15 мая, Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    We spent Tuesday May 12 through Thursday May 14 in Corning, CA. It calls itself “Olive City” due to all the olive trees grown in the area. Kevin wasn’t sure why he picked the location as there was not much around. We researched going to Lassen Volcanic National Park but the major road was still closed for the season. There were 2 wineries in the area but both were open on weekends only. In the end I think it was good to chill for a few nights after all the fun we had in Lodi. On Wednesday I took an informal 4 mile walk along Main Street checking out sights and places for dinner. Later we walked to the Olive Pit store and bought olive oil then had dinner at Mariscos Las Hacienda.
    We relocated about 46 miles up the road to Redding on May 14, it’s a much bigger town than Corning and has a lot of hike and bike trails, shopping and eateries. It’s also close to lakes and mountains. On Friday we drove to Whiskeytown Lake and hiked 6 miles on the Davis Gulch Trail that “meanders in and out of small canyons” and follows the lake. The total elevation was about 200 feet with slight inclines up and down. Saturday we rode our bikes on a trail that was nicely paved along the Sacramento River. The path had a lot of curves with inclines up and down. Toward the end we stopped at Woody’s Brewing Company for a beer then went to Fall River Brewing Company where there was live music.    Читать далее

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the CountryПутешественник
    Our campsite in Grants Pass
    California RedwoodsTunnel of treesLighthouseCoast and mountainsCrater LakeCrystal clear blue waterTrain MuseumPullman TrainInside a PullmanRotary Snow PlowWine trainLog cabin built in 1870Old CaterpillarThe Mighty McGiffer log loader.

    Oregon

    17 мая, Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    We arrived in Grants Pass, Or. on May 17 with the initial intention to visit Ted and Paula. Unfortunately timelines got crossed and they flew to Turkey a day before we arrived. Another reason for going to Oregon was to see Crater Lake. Oregon is absolutely beautiful with mountains and pine trees everywhere. We stayed at Riverpark RV Resort with a site looking at the Rouge River. It was a beautiful location, we could see the river from the kitchen window; unfortunately the maple bugs and Cottonwood pollen at our site put a little bit of damper on the experience. While in Grants Pass we drove to Crescent City, Ca to see the Redwoods and the coast. It was about a 90 minute drive and the closest point to the RV park of all our stays. We hiked the Grove of Titans in Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park. It was a beautiful drive into the park then an easy 2 mile hike that circled around large redwoods and was filled with ferns on the ground and some on the trees. After that we drove to Battery Point Lighthouse. We were not able to visit the lighthouse as it’s only accessible during low tide. Oddly there is a museum in it but you have to time that to low tide to get to it! It was a pretty coastline and we popped into Sea Quake Brewing for a local taste of brew.
    There are several wineries in the area of Grants Pass and I picked Edenvale as it had a comedy show that we went to after the tasting. The red wine was good but high in sulfites as we both got a headache. The Chardonnay was horrible! Another night we attempted to go to a new place called “Steam Distillery” that the RV park owner recommended but they were closed, on a holiday weekend no less! Instead we went to Code 4 Taphouse and had one drink but it wasn’t really our vibe so left and went to The Horny Goat Gastro Pub, which was more our style. On another night we went to Abby’s Pizza only because Kevin went there 40 years ago when visiting Ted over Christmas break. On May 24 we drove to Chiloquin and stayed at Waterwheel RV Park on the Williamson River. The drive to Crater Lake was beautiful with tree lined roads and a gentle but noticeable incline up the mountain. It’s still spring that high up and the park is not fully open but we went on a sunny day and were able to view the entire lake. I was so excited I felt like a kid when we got to the parking lot - I couldn’t wait to see it! It is as breathtaking as the photos; the blueness of the lake and the volcano rim around it is like nothing else you’ll ever see. In another area of the park are views of pinnacles; cylinder shapes of harden ash created from gases escaping from the flaming hot ash that erupted from the volcano 7700 years ago. We also hiked into the park and crossed over several snow patches and springs. With the rest of our time we went to the Train Mountain Railroad Museum and Collier State Park to tour the logging museum, both up the road from the RV park. The train museum is the largest in the world located on 2200 hundred acres with 32 miles of 7.5 gauge railroad track that train enthusiasts can bring their trains to run on. We only saw a small part of the property but it was impressive. The Logging Museum taught about the history of logging from the cutting of trees using hand saws and ox drawn carts to power driven equipment and transporting by trains. Most impressive was a log loader built in 1900 to accommodate loading logs onto trains. It was rolled over the tracks, its wheels pulled up to allow a flatbed to roll under it then a boom lifted logs onto the flatbed. There were seven log cabins pulled from various locations around the area to display how people live, one of which was built in 1870 and lived in up to 1955.    Читать далее

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the CountryПутешественник
    Lake Tahoe
    Start of hiking trailFurther into the hikeThe hike was a mix of ground plants and treesWild flower - snow plantLupin flowerBiking with PepperReno Public HouseThe Loneliest Highway in AmericaNear the town of AustinNear the town of Eureka, NVEureka, NVRanch in ElyTrain Tunnel, ElyTrain going into tunnelTown of Ely, NVIntersection of Hwys 50 and 93. 50 goes up the mountainHighway 93Celebrating Kevin's birthday

    Nevada

    29 мая–2 июн., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F

    We arrived in Nevada on Kevin’s birthday, May 29, and as customary went to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate. We stayed in the town of Verdi; a few miles outside of Reno and on the border of California. Kevin looked at Google Maps and saw that our RV was literally on the Nevada/California border! With that said we again drove to California to visit Lake Tahoe. It’s very pretty with blue water surrounded by pine trees and mountains. After visiting the lake we drove to a state park and did a dog friendly hike with Pepper.
    On the second day we took the RV in for an oil change. To kill time we went to a coffee shop shop then rode our bikes along the Truckee River. It was a nice path and easy to ride. Since we had Pepper with us I put her in the backpack and took her on her first bike ride! She did well; didn’t try to jump out or move around too much. On our last night there we drove into Reno to a cocktail lounge in Midtown for a drink. It was a nice little place, not busy at all as it was a Monday night.
    On June 2 we started our drive to Utah on Highway 50; noted by Life magazine in 1986 as “ The Loneliest Highway in America”. It has 4 small towns in a span of 286 miles. We stopped in Eureka, the third town, for the night (and thankfully it was only one night!). The next day we drove to the last town, Ely, where we turned onto Highway 93, which is equally as vast and more void of civilization than Highway 50. The land scape went from sagebrush to mountains spotted with trees and back again. We drove past ranches with cows in the distance along most of the drive. All told we drove 549 miles. We arrived in Utah at 1:51 pm on June 3rd and within a few minutes had cell service again.    Читать далее

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the CountryПутешественник
    Start of Kolob Taylor Creek trail
    Larson Cabin 1930Western WhiptailCreek crossingDouble ArchSnake in the waterScout Lookout TrailCondors at Scout LookoutLooking down from Scout LookoutVirgin RiverAlong Virgin River trailVirgin River trailVirgin River WaterfallPetroglyphsHadrosaur Dinosaur footprint

    Zion National Park

    4–6 июн., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    We stayed on the north side of Zion National Park in New Harmony, UT; a five minute drive to Kolob Canyon. Kolob Canyon has fewer tourists than the south end of the park where the main visitor center is located. On June 4 we hiked the Middle Fork Taylor Creek Trail to the Double Arch in Kolob Canyon. It was a moderate trail that switched back over Taylor Creek more times than I could keep count- maybe 20 times each way? We passed two log cabins built in the 1930’s and beautiful red rock formations. The arch at the end was large with 2 layers (hence “double arch”) that created an echo. The next day we drove to the south side to hike. We got there at 7:45 and the parking lot was almost full; luckily I talked to the ranger in Kolob Canyon who suggested we get there no later than 8 am. From there we took the park shuttle (no cars allowed on the park roads) to stop 6 to get on the Scout Lookout via West Rim trail. It’s rated hard by All Trails and I would agree based on the steepness; the only breaks were as you circled around one of the numerous switchbacks! Luckily there were no stairs and it was a paved path; that’s why I rate it second hardest to Yosemite. The lookout view at the top was pretty with red rocks higher up and condors soaring in the sky. We took the shuttle back to the base, ate lunch, then hiked the Virgin River trail that started at the base. At the top of that trail is a large alcove that provides relief from the heat, and a waterfall that you see from the backside. Our last excursion was to Parowan to see petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks. They are roadside historical sites about 35 miles from New Harmony and down a 2 lane road that goes through Parowan Gap; which is a gap in the Red Hills formed by a stream 15 million years ago. At some point the stream dried up and Native Americans passed through it leaving signs in the rocks. About 2 miles further down the road is another small roadside marker where the dinosaur tracks are. There is a marker by each track to help identify it; which was very helpful as they are not easily recognizable to a lay person.Читать далее

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