Las Vegas (Lake Mead) NV

I am setting up my new blog for our trip this summer and I realized I had not finished updating the pictures from last trip (luckily I kept a journal!)

On July 3rd we arrived at Lake Mead National Park. The site was gorgeous and it was a full moon. Here is the view from our camper on the first night.

The next day we rode to the Hoover Dam.

And later we went to Fremont street and visited a few casinos. We are not big gamblers, so when Pat put $3 in a machine at Treasure Island and won $56, we felt like big winners!

Calico ghost town

While driving from Fresno to Las Vegas I spotted a sign for a ghost town. I convinced my husband to stop. Here are a few pictures of the old mining town.

The sign on Town Hall lists population changes throughout the years. Here are some of the figures: 40 people on 1881, 1,200 in 1887 and 800 in 1890.

Here is a picture of the old schoolhouse.

Fresno, CA

On June 30th we traveled over the Siskiyou mountains from Oregon to Fresno, CA. We were not happy about paying over four dollars a gallon on the otherside of the mountain range. The RV park was located in the suburbs of Fresno, so we were close to shopping and ~50 miles from Yosemite National Park. The next day we enjoyed a ride through the park.

One final note about the drivers in this park. First, unlike Yellowstone, drivers were not considerate enough to use the pullovers to allow traffic to pass. Second, when approaching a sharp turn it is wise to remove your foot from the gas pedal instead of repeatedly pressing the gas and then slamming on the brake. Anyone looking to make some money should consider selling brake pads in California!

Grants Pass, OR

We arrived at the Moon Mountain RV Camp on June 28th. This is one of the best private RV parks we have visited. The next day we decided to ride to the Redwood National park. It was a very chilly day but we enjoyed looking at the blue water and rocky beaches in Northern California.

We visited a place in the Redwood forest called Trees of Mystery. I took a gondola ride above the tree line to enjoy the view. Here is a picture of some of the trees. I couldn't even fit the whole tree in my camera frame.

Elma, WA

We arrived in Elma on June 26th. We decided to ride the coast up to the Quinault Reservation. The coastline is dramatically different from the coast in SC, because it is hilly and heavily wooded. You are also allowed to have fires and drive on the beach we visited. Quinault had a very nice tribal beach but it was closed to the general public.

North Cascades National Park

We arrived in Winthrop, WA on June 22nd. Our site was located on a private lake outside of town.

Winthrop is a great little town with a western theme. We enjoyed the candy shop, brewery and winery.

After visiting the town, we spent a couple of days riding through the North Cascades park. I have never seen more breathtaking views! My pictures do not do this place justice. We had hoped to kayak on Diablo lake which is glacier fed, but we did not have the proper gear to keep us warm. People have gotten hypothermia in the summer on this lake! The lake is a beautiful emerald green color.

My main goal this summer was to visit a glacier, so we drove up Cascade River road to do just that! On the way up we saw the Cascade river:

We also saw many waterfalls:

And valleys:

Of course we saw a glacier! When we first arrived I told my husband to check his brakes because I kept hearing a screeching sound. He thought he heard a child screaming. I decided to investigate and walked to the edge of the mountain. When I looked over I found the source, it was a red fox! Both of us took off running the opposite direction! We even witnessed a piece breaking off of the glacier. It sounded like a cannon! I thought this picture looked better in black and white.

So, as you can tell Washington is now one of my favorite, favorite places! The drinks in the Old Schoolhouse Brewery was outstanding, the ripe cherries were huge and delicious, the people were great and the scenery was second to none. If you stop at Big Twin Lake RV park, tell Bob and Mo hello. They are regulars every summer.

Osburn, ID

We arrived in Osburn after a nice drive from Yellowstone. Lookout Pass on 90 west was a little steep, but we made it over. The RV park was very nice. We would definitely return! We decided to ride our bikes on the Coeur D' Alene trail over to The town of Wallace. Wallace is an old mining town with an interesting history. The picturw below was taken on the trail between Osburn and Wallace.