- COVID and Fire Tour 2020 — Introduction
- A quick stop at Mt. Rainier
- A short visit to Mt. Hood
- An interesting (and largely eventful) time at Newberry National Volcanic Monument
- Lava Beds National Monument
- Fire Evasion!
- Avoiding Vegas — and loving it!
- Kickin’ Route 66 and the Grand Canyon
- Migration — Communities that share the land on their way to somewhere (like us!)
- Red Rockin’ Utah’s (and a little of Arizona’s) National Parks and Monuments
- The journey home and final thoughts
Since the COVID-19 outbreak in March, we have been quarantined — initially in Puerto Vallarta and now at our home in San Juan Island. During that time, we have had to postpone trips to the Galapagos, Machu Picchu, South Africa and Botswana, and New England. I’m not complaining (well, maybe whining a bit) because we are safe and have been quarantined in some of the most beautiful places in the world. But, as a Travelin’ Fool, my need to travel has been building. So what to do? Our answer is to do an extended road trip in our truck camper. And, of course, this means continuing our “slams,” trips around the West, visiting a variety of national parks, monuments, etc. Of course, this will be a challenge, recognizing the rapidly shifting COVID restrictions in various states; not to mention the multitude of forest fires that are cropping up all over the West. Consequently, I plotted out three courses to get to Utah, where we will meet our friends to visit a number of the parks/monuments there. The first route is a Pacific Coast route — down 101 until we reach Central Coast California and then head east. The second is a “get to the other side of the fires quickly” route where we head east to Montana and then head south through Wyoming. The third (our favorite) is the “east of the Sierra Nevadas” route which will take us to the largest number of parks/monuments, some very varied scenery, and a lot of hot springs! The third is the one we plan to start out on, fully recognizing that we may have to divert along the way.
To keep as safe as possible, we want to stay away from civilization to the extent practical. That includes minimizing our stays in RV parks, which tend to be pretty densely populated. But in order to do that, we need to be able to “dry camp” or “boondock,” something we don’t have a lot of experience with. After a lot of research, it seems like a key component to that is the availability of power, and the best way to accomplish that is to install solar panels, higher capacity batteries, and an inverter on our rig. After some inquiries, however, it appears that we were the last people to figure this out as nearly every installer is booked out for 1-2 months and that does not square with the need to get out there — now!
We ultimately found someone up in Lynden, WA (a ferry ride and short drive from home) and headed up there — only to find out that the panels were backordered and wouldn’t arrive for over a week. Of course, this is after we paid for said solar panels. Needless to say, there was more than a little tension in the room. After threatening to close down the deal, the proprietor made a series of calls around the region and found everything he needed and had them shipped for Saturday delivery. I should mention that we are very close to the Canadian border and, at a time when only essential travel is allowed, our installer (who must be a dual citizen) has found a way to go back and forth, doing work on both sides of the border!
While waiting for the work to be done, we spent time exploring the areas around Lynden, Bellingham, Blaine, and Birch Bay. We also got to spend a socially distanced evening with friends in Bellingham. You always have to make the most of the situations that you are presented with and I think we have done a pretty good job of it.
Well, we faced an unexpected delay in the arrival of the solar panels, so we found ourselves waiting around for another day in the Bellingham area. Rather than just moping around, we decided to take a drive up to Mt. Baker. It’s always so energizing to see the natural beauty that surrounds you there. It was a great way to spend the day and it provided a “preview of things to come” for the rest of our trip. Late this evening, we got the call that the installation is complete, so first thing tomorrow, we will pick up the rig. Yay!
Anyway, now that we are fully “empowered,” we are hitting the road. I hope you follow us during #COVIDANDFIRETOUR2020! Since we won’t have a lot of cell coverage along our route, updates will come in dribs and drabs, but so be it!
First stop — Mt. Rainier National Park. Andale muchachos!
This entry was posted in National Park/Monument, Travel, United States, Washington
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
