This is a blog about a boy, his girl and their van. I'm Christy. My husband, Jim, and I live in Park City, Utah, where we recently became empty nesters. All our children are grown and most of them live in Arizona except for Brock, who attends college an hour away from us in Utah. Now that it's just the two of us, Jim and I decided to get a Sprinter conversion van so that we could go play. We had Outsidevan in Oregon do the conversion. For many months, while the conversion was being done, we anxiously awaited our first trip in the van. On the Outsidevan website, they name all their vans once they're completed. So, the whole time our van was being converted, we tried to think of names for her. We thought of lots of different names until one day when I told Jim a story. I shared with him that, ever since we met 17 years ago, the zodiac sign Gemini made me think of Jim because whenever I'd talk about us, I would always say, "Jim and I....." So, our van is named Gemini.
Monday, February 29, 2016
I flew into Portland International Airport early in the afternoon and got my bag from baggage claim. I then walked outside to get some fresh air. I'd forgotten to text Jim that I'd landed but, once I stepped outside the airport, even before I called him, I could see him in the van about a quarter of a mile away. The van is so large (22 1/2 feet long and 9 1/2 feet high, to be exact), that long before getting to the curb, I spotted him! He picked me up. I got in. And the adventure began!
Jim driving up to the curb at the airport
We stopped first at Target and REI in Hillsboro to get some supplies and then headed west toward Cannon Beach. We stopped for dinner at Blackbird in Manzanita. I had Brussel sprouts that were too bitter to finish, but the crab cakes I had afterward were yummy. Jim had the fish with white beans and said it was good too. We then drove to Nehalem Bay State Park. It was raining, cold, windy and dark and there was almost nobody else at the campground. It did not feel welcoming at all, but we went ahead and got a camping slip from the kiosk and filled it out so we could drop it off the next morning. We spent a little time getting the portable toilet set up, a definite necessity since the van does not have a bathroom! I found the instructions terribly confusing, but Jim was able to figure it out.
As soon as that was done, I opted to get to bed because I'd been up since 2:45 a.m. and needed sleep! I put the fitted sheet on the van mattress, then got my jammies on and snuggled into my lovely sleeping bag. I read a bit before falling asleep and, in the driver's seat at the front end of the van, Jim did too. I'm reading Second Suns right now, a book about the project to repair and cure preventable blindness in developing countries like Nepal. Jim came to bed a little while afterward and we both slept well. I didn't even need to get up to use the terribly confusing toilet during the night, which was a bonus.
Nehalem Bay Campground
We just can't get enough of those awesome moss-covered trees!
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
We woke at 7 a.m. and walked to the campground bathroom to brush our teeth, etc. There was a wind storm advisory that day that our sister-in-law, Karen texted Jim about. She lives just outside of Portland and had seen it on the news. We were going to stick around the campground to get organized, but we were concerned enough about the wind that we got started earlier than we'd planned. Jim chose to come to the Oregon Coast in 2007 when that coast experienced the 100-year storm. This storm carried with it winds that were reported to have been as high as 130 mph and it blew down the 206-foot-tall Klootchy Creek Giant, the largest sitka spruce tree in the U.S. So, Jim has a healthy respect for the very destructive winds of the Northwest Coast that is borne of a storm he experienced firsthand.
We drove first to Wanda's in Manzanita and had breakfast. Jim had Eggs Benedict and I had smoked salmon and spinach Eggs Benedict. Both were DIVINE.
Jim enjoying breakfast at Wanda's
We introduced ourselves to Kyle, the restaurant manager at Wanda's, who asked if the van outside was ours. We told her that last night had been our first night in it and she got emotional on our behalf because she was so happy for us. She said that tooling around in a van like that someday is her dream. She said that, at her house, they've been researching vans. She asked if it was 4WD and we said it was. She congratulated us and wished us well. The food at Wanda's was so delicious and the atmosphere so perfectly retro and quaint that I told Kyle we'd take her restaurant with us if we could. She jokingly said she'd love to come and we all smiled. What a great way to start our first full day on the road!
We went into Flamingo Jim's in Rockaway Beach and got a picture of Jim there. I bought a hat too! When we drove through town, we saw a sign on the marquis of Upper Crust Pizza that said "gluten free pizza and beer" and we joked that only in 2016 would we see such a thing posted on a restaurant sign.
Jim and the flamingos at Flamingo Jim's
Jim braved winds down the coast all day long that gusted as high as 65 mph. It was exhausting for him and unnerving for me! We stopped at Yaquina Head State Park in Newport. We went into the interpretive center and Jim went to take pictures of the waves and walk up to the top of the lighthouse. I stayed in the van for the last part because the winds were so stiff that they almost knocked me over.
Did I happen to mention that the winds were 65 mph???
A hat kept my hair out of my face so I could enjoy the beautiful Oregon Coast!
We stopped for an early dinner at a fish spot in Newport.
We had clam chowder and some yummy fried fish. I love vacation food!
The GoPro we brought with us wasn't charging and I can return it to Amazon because I bought it from them. So we stopped at Fred Meyer to get a new one. Jim stayed in the van and read while I got the new camera and a few more things for the van. We then drove a bit farther and found the Washburne Campground. We met the caretakers and then found a nice camp site near a creek.
It took us three tries to find the perfect spot, but it was great!
I think that, for a relaxing vacation, van camping really can't be beat. Today was stressful for both of us; for Jim because he was driving in the heavy winds and for me because the winds were freaking me out. If I'd known I needed to bring Xanax on this trip, I would have! Still, we are stopping where we want to stop and eating where we want to eat. And even though the center kitchen drawer broke after only 24 hours and I haven't had a shower today, I'm glad we get to relax and vacation this way.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
I got up and went to the campground bathroom. I must've been pretty bleary-eyed because I was sure that the restrooms were NOT marked "men" and "women" because the signs by the doors all showed pictures of men AND women. I figured out too late that these were the handicapped signs, meaning men OR women can come into any bathroom to help a loved one. So I walked into a bathroom that had urinals and, though I was completely confused, I wasn't phased in the least. A bathroom is a bathroom and I had to go! I explained to Jim that the bathrooms were co-ed. He disagreed and showed me they weren't when we walked by them later. I was so embarrassed. After getting changed, we walked down the trail to the beach. When we first got there,
went to take a walk on the beach. Jim was standing on a log and told me to get up on it. Of course, I said no and immediately proceeded to slip and fall into the muddy sand that covered the rocks I stepped on. The log would've been a better option! I was not happy about getting dirty first thing in the morning, but oh well! We walked about 1/4 mile down the beach and then came back up to another trail down there.
It looks like I'm advertising the GoPro; I just didn't want to get it dirty!
The trail we took up from the beach led us to Highway 101 which we crossed before finding another trail back to our campground. We then got showered at the campground and took off for the day. We drove through lots of little towns. Thankfully, the winds had largely died down and it was much more relaxing. We took the bike route at Coos Bay and wound around before stopping in Bandon for lunch. This bike route is much more scenic and there is much less traffic. When we got to the little blue Bandon Fish Market, we each had a delicious fresh crab salad. Jim also had a fried fish taco. The salads were much more delicious than the usual fish market fare because they used real mixed greens instead of iceberg lettuce, so I was happy. We drove through the rest of the bike route that went through Bandon before cutting back over to the 101 and heading further south.
Coos Bay
I never thought graffiti was sweet before, but this changed my mind.
We kept driving south and, as the afternoon wore on, the winds increased. By 4:30, we pulled into the Jedediah Smith Campground and parked for the night. It was cold and rainy, but quiet and beautiful. The Smith River was in front of us and the Redwood Forest was majestic all around us.
Jedediah Smith Campground, looking up
Smith River
I'm not a great photographer, but my camera is a rock star!
Thursday, March 3, 2016
We woke up early and walked down to the Smith River. The mists of the morning dipped down through the redwood trees and the river. That, along with the ducks making their way from the shore to the water, made it a beautiful start to the day. After our short walk, we stopped by the campsite of Ray and Carol Williams from Canada. Jim asked Ray how he liked his GMC Canyon truck and we chatted with them for 10-15 minutes. They were very nice.
Klamath Overlook
Paul Bunyan and Belle.....and me
We drove to the Stout Fork Hiking Trail and stopped at the Klamath Overlook. We met a local there who told us about Oregon Whales, an organization run by Carrie Newell in Depoe Bay that does excellent whale-watching excursions. We decided that that would be a good thing to do the next time we're in that area. We saw a mama whale while we were there with at least one baby calf. After spending a while watching the whales and getting a picture of me with Paul Bunyan and Belle, we headed to downtown Klamath to look for some lunch. We were told by some locals that the Country Club Bar and Grill had good burgers so we stopped there and had some. And they were good! The cook adds horseradish and honey to his fry sauce and it made all the difference!
We drove for a couple more hours, then stopped at the Prairie Creek Campground. The ranger there, Arwen, gave us some good advice about campsites, so we found space #57 that she'd talked about, which was by the creek, and called it good. We drove back to where Arwen was and reserved our spot with her. She recommended Albee as a good place to stay the next night and Patrick's Point for whale watching. After that, we drove to the Carruther's Cove Trail. It was a 3 1/2-mile round trip and quite steep and muddy. We also forgot to bring the water, so we did the entire hike without any! The end point of the hike was the beach, but the distance from the sand to the water was about a half mile so, because we were concerned about getting back to the van before dark, we took a picture there and turned around to head back up the hill to the highway.
The end of the Carruther's Cove Trail
It was quite a long haul without water. My shoe actually almost came off once because the mud was so deep and sticky! But, when we got back to the car, my shoes were still on. And that first taste of water was heaven!
We stopped at the campground showers on our way back to our campsite and paid a quarter for each minute. The outlets in the bathrooms weren't working, so my hair had to air dry. Ugh....that is definitely not my best look! We then went to our campsite and got comfy. Jim had a protein bar for dinner and I cut up an apple and ate it with cottage cheese....yum! We then read and relaxed before bed, which was a lovely way to end the day.
Friday, March 4, 2016
We left the campground at about 7 this morning because we'd showered the night before. We drove along the coast and stopped at Patrick's Point, where we took the trail that took us to the top of a rocky overlook. It was easily one of our favorite experiences of the trip because, there, we watched the waves crash into the coast. It was quite a dramatic show!
We then got back on the road. In Eureka, we stopped at Target to get a few things. We then found the Hole in the Wall Deli, where we each got crab salad sandwiches, which they only have on Fridays. It was Friday, so we got lucky. The owner of the store was super nice. We then took the 101 to the Avenue of the Giants and took that windy, narrow road through the beautiful redwood trees. We stopped in the forest along the side of the road, set up our van table and ate our sandwiches for lunch. They were yummy and it was beautiful!
We continued south along more very windy roads. We were going to take Highway 1 all the way south to Carmel, but the weather report called for more high winds and lots of rain there. We also talked to the host of a local state campground at Fort Bragg and he said the forecast was correct. He also said that his campground was going to be closed the next night due to these winds and torrential rains, so we changed course there.
We instead took Highway 26 inland to Clearlake, which was a pretty drive along the lake, but we didn't take the right highway to reach the campground where we wanted to stay. So, we drove a little further. Because the road was narrow, night had fallen and it was raining hard, we stopped in tiny Middletown. We couldn't find anywhere to park the van, not even a WalMart! We decided to take a chance and we stopped at the Middletown Bible Church parking lot in hopes that we could stay there overnight. The wind, rain and dark had taken their toll and Jim was ready to be finished driving for the day.
When we got there, there weren't many people there and I was worried that whoever was in charge of things wouldn't let us stay in their parking lot overnight. So Jim put on his coat and ball cap and walked toward the church. As he did, I bowed my head and said a humble but somewhat urgent prayer that the person Jim spoke with would have their heart softened and that we'd be able to stay there. Jim spoke with the first person he saw in the parking lot, a nice Hispanic gentleman who was about to walk into the church with his family. Thankfully, my prayer was answered and the man said he thought it was fine for us to stay there. The parishioners at the church were having some kind of a Friday-night worship party and their music and celebrations lasted until about 10 p.m.. Jim let me go to sleep at 8 and he stayed up until the coast was clear. I am grateful for answered prayers.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
This day was our dog Zero's 12th birthday. Our son, Austin, adopted Zero when we moved to Utah, so he sent us this birthday portrait of him. What a cutie he still is!
Jim woke me up this morning at 5 but I forgave him because he let me go to bed early! We got our clothes on and took highway 29 toward Calistoga. It was a narrow, windy road but, if it weren't dark and rainy, I'm sure the landscape would've been beautiful. We will have to come back here sometime! As the sun came up, we arrived in Napa, California. There are vineyards as far as the eye can see and it was beautiful! Jim stopped and asked for a recommendation for a good breakfast place for us and we were directed toward the Jefferson Cafe. The food was good and we were thankful to get a hot, fresh breakfast in our bellies. We then went through Sacramento and headed toward Bishop on Highway 50. We drove through South Lake Tahoe and took a selfie by the lake.
South Lake Tahoe
We got into Bishop mid-afternoon and, rather than being the bustling climbing destination that Jim had heard it was, it had dwindled quite a bit to become a very sleepy town. We found Brown's Town Campground and pulled in to camp for the night. It was older, but clean. The town of Bishop is flat, high desert with mountains all around and it and it has kind of a western vibe. I spoke with Sherrie, the campground manager, and got a parking spot paid for. We then went out and found a place to eat at Aaron Schat's Roadhouse on Main Street. We hadn't showered in two days. We had also driven pretty much straight through for those two days to avoid the 2-3 feet of snow that was forecast for the Tahoe area. We were pretty fried. I had only done my hair and makeup once this week, so I was getting pretty tired of feeling like a boy (no makeup + hat = boy). I don't mind wearing a hat, but wearing one every day gets to me eventually! Anyhow, we ate early at about 4 p.m. and then went back to the campground. There, we got showered and organized. Wow, did THAT feel good! We relaxed for the rest of the evening and went to bed early.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
We got up this morning and went to church in the Bishop Ward. When it was time for the bearing of testimonies, I felt my heart pounding and knew I needed to bear mine. So I did. This happens to me sometimes in places we visit, though I don't know why. I'm glad for the opportunity, but it's a nerve-wracking experience for me. We got in our van after sacrament meeting and drove to the spot on the side of the road next to a farm where we'd seen several new lambs the day before. There, we changed clothes and got a few pictures of the lambs. They were so cute!
A sheep and her 3 lambs in Bishop play follow the leader
Then we went to get gas and dinner. I don't like buying food on Sunday but we needed to eat. So, we waited in line at the Copper Top BBQ and enjoyed their food in the van.
The best BBQ in the U.S., except for Jalapeño Buck's
After eating the BBQ, we drove toward Death Valley. The scenery on the way was breathtaking!
King's Canyon State Park
Death Valley is a barren place but the wild flowers were in bloom.
In Death Valley, instead of having a yellow brick road, parts of this desert look like they're blanketed with a yellow carpet and the road goes through the middle.
We stayed the night in the Sunset Campground, across the street from the Furnace Creek visitor's center. This is our campsite here. It wasn't the prettiest place, but we slept well.
Sunset Campground
Jim lost his Kindle reader sometime in the 24 hours before we got to Death Valley and, though we took 30 minutes to look for it, we still couldn't find it anywhere....so frustrating! The desert at night is very peaceful. Before bed, Jim took me outside to see the sky. It was blanketed with stars and took my breath away.
Side by side sleeping bags + Jim = happiness
Monday, March 7, 2016
We woke up and quickly changed clothes. We decided to start driving toward Badwater, the spot that has the lowest elevation in North America.
How low can you go?!
Jim on the Badwater Salt Flats
Badwater Salt Flats selfie
I asked Jim a couple of days before Death Valley if he'd take me to Disneyland because I thought that most of Arizona wasn't on Spring Break until the following week. Jim doesn't love Disneyland, but I most definitely DO....I am a Disney girl through and through. And, because Jim loves me, he said yes! So, after visiting Badwater, we headed toward the Southern California Coast. We drove through a lot of desert to get there, but we arrived into Newport Beach early Monday afternoon. We drove straight to Chronic Tacos in Newport Beach where Jim got some Mexican food for us. We then walked to our favorite donut shop, which is right next door to get apple fritters and cream puffs and drove straight to the beach. Because it was the middle of the day and the middle of the week, there were few people around. It was also very windy. So we got a front row seat at our favorite beach and we parked in a spot next to the sand, where we proceeded to eat our yummy food INSIDE the van while we enjoyed the beautiful view.
Newport Beach near Pier 48
Chicken taco
Apple fritter....this picture makes me hungry!
Afterward, we drove to the Newport Dunes RV Park and got checked in. Then, we got showered and dressed. After 6 days of roughing it, I have to say, it was REALLY nice to be able to get dressed and look like a girl again! We then relaxed for a while before going to our favorite Newport Beach restaurant, Cucina Alessa, for dinner. Both our meals were delicious!
Here is my dinner of scallops and sautéed vegetables.....yum!
Jim sent this picture of the Pappardelle Bolognese to some of the kids. They were seriously jealous.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
We woke up bright and early. I got dressed and did my hair and we drove toward Disneyland. We got parked in the regular parking lot and took the tram to the park. We quickly got our tickets and went to the first aid station on our way into the park to get Dramamine in hopes that Jim could avoid getting queasy when he rode the rides. He got kind of queasy anyway, but he was a trooper. It got crowded in both parks by 3 p.m. because, unbeknownst to us, Tempe, Arizona DID have their Spring Break while we were there. Still, I am glad we got to go!
After our day at Disney, we drove to the Bolsa Chica State Park Campground, where we'd made a reservation for the night. It's basically a very long parking lot that backs right up to the beach. I was unsure about staying there but, once we got settled, it was perfectly fine! I've learned that, generally, people at campgrounds want to enjoy their natural surroundings peacefully. It's a very comfortable way to vacation and, rather than feeling vulnerable and agitated, I've found that camping at places like this feels quite safe. After parking the van, we took a quick walk on the pavement near the beach and watched the sun set. It was a beautiful way to end the day. We drove the van to Mesa the next day and spent a few weeks hanging out with the kids in the warm Arizona spring weather. But this was a great first trip of many more Adventures With Gemini yet to come!
S
