Yosemite's South Entrance and the Sequoia

October 28

Today, day 3 for our stay at Yosemite and we made a trip to the south entrance where we strolled through a stand of Sequoia trees, these guys are big and old, very interesting to see, pictures cannot capture the enormous size of these tress, absolutely awesome.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/YosemiteDay3#

Yosemite Valley and Hetch Hetchey

October 27


Yosemite National Park, day 2, we keep being surprised by this country, we see new sites that make it hard to go back to the RV and today was such a day, we actually drove 85 miles to a new view that we may have missed had we “followed the group”. The day started with a site seeing trip to Yosemite Valley, we spent a good portion of the day hiking to places like Yosemite Falls, El Capitan and the Yosemite Valley then, with Anne looking at the Park map, found a spot in the northwest corner that was really something to see, especially for me, a hydro dam that also provided fresh drinking untreated water for San Francisco, we did get back to the RV.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/YosemiteDay2#

Yosemite's Glacier Point

October 26

Today was a road trip day, we left Petaluma and our last look of the Pacific Ocean in our rearview mirror and 238 miles later we are sitting at Yosemite’s door. We took advantage of an early arrival to visit the park as we were told that it may rain in the lower elevations tomorrow, that means snow in the higher elevations and we should see the Avalanche point vista today, we did, WOW.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/YosemiteDay1#

Trip to San Francisco

Today we went on a guided tour of San Fransisco, we had a great time, stopping at all the great spots, the Golden Gate Bridge, Haight Ashbury, Chinatown, The Presidio and the list goes on, if you get to Petaluma, you need to do the tour.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/SanFransisco#

The trip to Pentaluma

October 24

After talking to some people we left Golden Rule Campground headed for the Petaluma KOA, we usually try to avoid the KOA campgrounds because of budget considerations but we had a good reason for going to this one, it had a tour trip into San Fransisco which meant I didn't have to drive and I could look around, we made to Petaluma and reserved our spaces on the tour bus.

Mendocino Gardens

October 23

Today was trip to the Botanical Gardens in Ft Bragg, the trip took us over route 20, I’m sure that at times we saw our own taillights as we came around a lot of hairpin turns in the 35 miles that took us an hour to travel. The gardens were pass “their time” but it was still a great couple of hours walking through the garden’s path that eventually brought us out to the ocean. While we were in the garden’s shop we heard that a blue whale had been hit by an exploration boat and the whale was killed and came to shore not far from the gardens the Tuesday before.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/MendocinoGardens#

South on Californias 101

October 22


Today was a road trip day; we drove down 101 to Willits, Calif. If your looking for it on the map, find Ft Bragg on the coast then slide your finger to the right, eastward along 20 for about 35 miles. We found a campground so far down in a canyon that we where considering turning around, we didn’t turn because we found no place to turn but we eventually found the place, nice and quite and for a very reasonable price considering the price of State Parks.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/GoldenRuleCampground#

Trinadad Coastline Trip

Today we first went to the Samoa Cookhouse and Museum. The Samoa Museum was a small bur nicely done museum featuring a large wooden ships wheel and name placards of some ships that went aground near Samoa, Calif. A hike was next up, we hiked to a lighthouse, a very nice and rewarding hike that we recomend to anyone who passes through the area, the view of the ocean and the seaport was great.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/CalifCoast#

Avenue of the Giants

Today was an short trip to the ocean and checking out another lighthouse right here in Trinidad, Calif. then a very nice ride down old route 101, a real cliffhangar, in some places the road was one lane, the side nearest the ocean slide away, Anne was not all that comfortable but "lived" through it. Once back on the new route 101 we headed south for the "Avenue of the Giants" where we saw the the giant redwoods driving a 20 mile long scenic byway. A little shopping and we're back home for the evening.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/RoadToAveOfGiants#

A day in Bandon, Oregon

October17

A slow day today, we got caught up on the washing and bought a few essentials for the RV. We visited the Bandon “Old Town” down on the waterfront and had a great clam chowder. I'm eclosing some sunsets.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/PacificSunset#

Route 101 to Bullard State Park

October16

A short road trip today, 127 miles to Bullard State Park we did a short trip for fear that we would show up at Crescent City, California to late and we would not have had a space and Bullard State Park offers a lot of sites to check out including the Pacific Ocean. We got to Bullard early enough to go to a lighthouse and get an ear full of Bandon history and how the lighthouse played a vital role for the town’s trade.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/Route101ToBullardPark#

A trip to Devil's Punchbowl

October 15

Today started out with a trip to Devil’s Punchbowl and while there we watched the Coast Guard doing some rescue exercises. We then went to town so I could get a hair cut and after we went back to the lighthouse we visited late yesterday and ended the day with a walk on the beach were Anne tried to outrun the waves coming in and lost, went back to the RV and she changed out her shoes and jeans, don’t mess with mother nature!!!

Oregon's Aquarium

October 14

Oregon’s Aquarium was at the top of the agenda for today, talk about a nice aquarium, we watched while trainers feed the sea lions and walked through an underwater glass tunnel and saw many exhibits of different fish. A short stay at a lighthouse with the promise of going back tomorrow, we just ran out of time today and they were closing the lighthouse for the night.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/OregonCoast#

Oregon Aquarium

October 13

Today was a short drive, 127 miles but it was raining and the wind was blowing all the way. We stopped in Newport, Oregon to visit the Oregon Aquarium and to more beach walking. Anne is ready to checkout the seals on the beach. We got to Beverly Beach State Park and no one was at the check-in desk, a sign read “go find a site that is not reserved and register for that site and for no more than two days” we did just that and settled in, went shopping for food, came back sat down to diner and someone showed up saying they had reserved the spot 7 months earlier, we went searching again and it’s 1830 and no one has kicked us out.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/NewportOreArea#

Movin on out

October 12


Today is called the “day before” where we do the washing, clean the windshield and clean the inside of the RV to get ready to move. One week in the northwest of Oregon has brought us up to speed on Lewis and Clark, their discoveries, how and where they lived. Before the history lessons though the first thing we did was to head for the Pacific Ocean and the last thing we did today was to spend some hours at the ocean.

Seaside Aquarium

October 11
Nice easy day today, we went to Seaside, about 15 miles away, visited an aquarium then went back to the Ocean shores next to the campground and finished the day with a trip to the David Russell Battery

Tillamook and Cannon Beach

October 10


Today we traveled Route 101 as far south as Tillamook stopping at Cannon Beach for a couple of hours, the beach was beautiful, a stop at the Tillamook lighthouse view point was next on our agenda, we found the lighthouse to be about 1.5 miles out at sea so we were only able to look and take pictures. Once in Tillamook, we visited a cheese factory bought some cheese and had some ice cream, all in all, not a bad day.

Oregon's Lighthouses

Today a trip to lighthouses was in order and so we started our lighthouse tours in Washington State. A tour of North Head Lighthouse was our first stop, we were able to go to the top of the lighthouse and we meet a Host who gave us more information than we asked for, very interesting. After visiting North Head, we went to a second lighthouse, Cape Disappointment lighthouse, there we watch a presentation on Lewis & Clark’s expeditions in the years between 1804 and 1806 then hiked to the lighthouse itself where we weren’t aloud inside but what a view of the Pacific coastline. We had some extra time so we stopped off at Fort Columbia, also in Washington State.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/LighthousesFtColumbia#

Astoria Oregon

October 8

The order of the day was a trip to Astoria where we visited the Columbia River Maritime Museum and we saw some exhibits of some old ships and videos of US Coast Guard rescue boats on a training mission. The last thing we did at the museum was to board the lightship Columbia and get a feel for how the crew lived for two weeks at a time Just after lunch, we left for a climb up the Astoria Column, 164 steps to an observation deck 125 feet above Coxcomb Hill which is 600 feet above the Columbia River, really breathtaking.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/AstoriaAndFortClatsop#

Fort Stevens and Area

October 7

Today was a mix of a trip into history and an afternoon watching ships come into the Columbia River. We started the day with a short trip to Fort Stevens, a civil war, WW1 and WW11 coastal defense fort that was fired upon by a Japanese submarine, nine shots and nine misses, the only time the continental US was fired upon. One of the features of the fort was the use of “hidden guns” that recoils to a hidden position after firing. Standing in an observation tower overlooking the Pacific Ocean was a really great experience, we watched ships entering and leaving the Columbia River, much like we do on the St. Lawrence River, it was great.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/FortStevensAndThePacific#

Road to Fort Stevens

October 6

Road trip, today we left Aurora for the Astoria area, we took I-5 north to route 26 then it was on to route 101 to Fort Stevens in Oregon’s North West. The drive took us around the city of Portland with some hectic driving but we managed, going through some very pretty forests on route 26 quickly made the drive around Portland a distant memory. The weather is holding for us, the sun is shinning and all is well for the rambling-roys.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/RoadToFortStevens#

Oregon Gardens

Well today really was Anne's day, we started by going shopping at an outlet mall, she manage to find some clothes she needed, then we went to the Oregon Gardens and spent the rest of the day there, I have to admit, even at this late date, the gardens where well worth the trip.
.http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanneroy/OregonGardens#

Today was kind of cool and gray so we used the time to go to an aviation museum that houses Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose and a lot of other vintage aircraft along with the US space program’s Titan’s launch room, orbiting and lunar modules. We where able to go aboard the Spruce Goose and get some neat pictures, even though the camera can’t really show the actual size of the airplane. Anne took some lessons while we were there!!!

Champoeg State Park

October 2


We where told Champoeg State Park is a beatiful campground,this is a great understatement, we where however, aloud to stay just Thursday evening as the place was booked for the week-end so we will have to move tomorrow.

Fort Klamath, Or.

October 1


Well, the weather caught up to us last night, we woke up to a frozen water line from the outside bib to the RV, I disconnected and we used the water from our storage tank to get cleaned up and do dishes, we headed out to McMinnville, Oregon, home of Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose.

Crater Lake

September 30

Today weather was worst than yesterdays, the rim road was mostly ice and for a smart driver, was a no-go. A trip to the Lodge was in order so we did just that, there where a lot of sites to see from the Lodges trails and we took advantage of them. As we left the Park a hail storm came through so we decided, enough of this New York weather, let’s head down the mountain, 23 miles away the weather turned in our favor.

The Pinacles at Crater Lake

September 29

What can we say? Crater Lake access road is covered with snow and the Ranger at the Kiosk asks “can you drive on ice?” not what I wanted to hear but went forth and took the trip around the RIM and we ended up seeing the lake, there where a few moments when the fog and snow cleared and we where at the right place. After a few side trips and listening to the video presentation we headed back to the RV for the day happy that we did get to see the Lake. We lost the camera's battery power so the Crater Lake pics will come later, these are the pinacles near the lake.

Trip to Crater Lake

September 28


We’re off to the Crater Lake in Oregon, got to say that because there are two Crater Lakes and we definitely told that. We finally got to the park only to be turned around as far as camping was concerned, the camping was closed, so back down the mountain and Anne found us a spot to stay and we took a well deserved break. Anne ordered a pizza from the camp store and we hunkered down for the night. This is a picture of one of the small mountains we saw along the way.

Virginia City, Nev

September 27

Today brought us to Virginia City and a visit to the old west. Anne got her picture taking with a couple of the “locals” and we visited some of the mining and train museums. There are hundreds of miles of tunnels under Virginia City, some of which are accessible, with a tour guide, we chose not to go, the cribbing is a hundred year old timbers and it’s a matter of time…..

Lake Tahoe

September 26

We spent the day driving around Lake Tahoe visiting Emerald Bay having lunch on the beach and dinner in So. Lake Tahoe. The views we had coming back to the camper going over Rose Mountain where fantastic, many switch-backs and deep canyons on the passenger side.

Donner Pass

September 25

Friday morning and we’re off to Emigrant Pass and the Donner Lake area, we read about the Donner party and their life that winter. After lunch, we went to Lake Tahoe, spent the afternoon in Lake Tahoe and ended the day at the Gold Dust restaurant and casino.

The trip to Reno

September 24

Today we drove to Reno, settled in then went to the strip, all the traffic on the strip was on foot, Street Vibrations week-end was on, 16000 motorcycles, live bands and all kinds of motorcycle equipment and food vendors. Lots of iron.

The Ruby Mountains

September 23

We went to Lamoille Canyon for the day, had lunch with Bern and Pat and took in the view, again a wonderful experience. Anne wanted those flower photos, gatta love her.

The road from Layton to Elko

September 22


We left Layton and headed for Elko, Nevada for an overnight on our way to Reno While in Elko we met Bern and Pat from Cooperstown, NY and they told us about Ruby Mountain and the Lamoille Canyon drive.

Salt Lake City

September 21

The day started with meeting Norman at their house in Farmington, and then it’s on to Salt Lake for a second day and a visit to the Mormon Tabernacle, amazing woodwork, and on to the Mormon theater, also an amazing structure.

Antelope Island

September 20

We spend one more day in Layton and visit Antelope Island State Park in the Great Salt Lake, we saw a lot of bison, antique buildings and, of course, wonderful views, an interesting fact, the lake’s average depth of 33’. Anne is walking on the edge!!

Reunion with Norman "Joe" Brouseau

September 19

A train ride to Salt Lake brought us to a Farmers Market that was really interesting, local food and art that is beautiful and a live band, enough for one day. Norman Brousseau, a close friend from back in our growing up in Vermont, took us out to dinner and we began to reminisce about “the good old days”, lot of fun

We're off to Leftbridge

September 18

Went spent today getting the passenger side windshield, we picked-up a stone back in Alberta and the break got worst so we made arrangement to have a new windshield installed

Colter Bay and Bear Lake

September 17

We leave Colter Bay headed for Salt Lake City. Our travels bring us to Bear Lake, a spectacular lake the lays on the border of Idaho and Utah with an overlook that is “to die for”. The road takes u to Logan Canyon road, a really awesome ride that has wonderful views, the things you see when you don’t plan.

Jackson Hole

September 16

A short ride from the Grand Tettons is Jackson Hole, the town has several arches made of Elk antlers, really cool. The new aerial tram was great, a beautiful ride to the top of the highest peak and spectacular view of the mountain range, “wish you where here”.

The Grand Tetons

September 15

Rain forced us to spend part of our day inside so we went to a Ranger interpretation on the Native American life before the European influence, rough life. The Ranger also let us know the favorite Elk spots in the area along with the best viewing times, we saw at least 40 Elk at around 7:30 PM and right from the comfort of our car.

Trip to the Grand Tetons

September 14

We’re off to the Grand Tettons; we manage to get a spot at Colter Bay, a State Park where we “dry camp”. The Tettons are amazing; everywhere we’ve been so far we find that each area of the US has its own beauty, lots of hiking and boating, and, allot of bison, some elk, we saw five. No them ain't no cows!

Yellowstone National Park

September 13

The ride through Yellowstone to the Grand Tettons was plagued with construction, we had been notified but we didn’t drive this far to not see the Tettons. I'm sure you'll agree the ride was worth it.