Oh lovely readers, it feels like its been so long, but it has not even been a month! I know I left you hanging with a a tease that we were about to be heading East, but, alas, life loves to through surprises in your path.
We have spent the last month visiting friends, family, doctors and mechanics. It has been a crazy whirlwind of activity since we left the ferry in Bellingham, WA. First, a couple of quick “shout-outs” and recommendations to share.
- We were so impressed with the Bellingham Mercedes Dealer and Service. We had managed to hit the 20k mile service mark at the end of our Alaska jaunt, so we had stopped as soon as we got off the ferry. They were GREAT! No problem handling our RV, and they were quick and thorough. Everything was refreshed and we are informed our brakes still look brand new and the tires can go for much more adventure. We were in and out of there in about two hours. They may be a ways off, but we will likely strive to be near them the next time we are scheduled for service.
- Our first night we spent at the Angel of the Winds Casino RV park. We fully expected to pull up to the far parking lot of the casino and camp for the night, but were directed instead to the park a couple of miles a way. Let me tell you, this place has figured out how to encourage gamblers to stick around! Turns out, this park is brand new (opened May 2024) and it is beeeeyuuutiful! They have walking trails, Pickleball courts, an indoor swimming pool and workout facility. Plus the complimentary shuttle to get you to the casino whenever you want. Only thing missing was a golf course, and its likely in the plans! Had we known, we would have planned more than one night. Well, there is always next summer!
We spent the next few nights visiting friends and family. Another shout out goes to my brother-in-law Rob Casanas who had spent the time preparing a lovely spot for us to park the rig on their property. We felt so welcomed, and it’s nice to have a safe spot to land. We were there just long enough to further enjoy the Woodinville Wine area – my Mom, Karen, lives there and my Sister, Carrie, lives real close by. It is truly a destination event, SO MANY wineries to choose from, it can be VERY overwhelming. But it sure is fun checking them out a little at a time!
We were very grateful to have a safe spot for Moses (Dale’s name for the rig after he handled so well during our Alaska adventures), because we had plans to fly back to Phoenix for a week, primarily to take care of doctor appointments. One of the little realities of life on the road, you still need to maintain a “domicile state”. For now, we are still Arizonians, mostly because we haven’t really decided on an alternative. As Arizonians, all of our medical care is still set up for there, so off we went. Bottom line result, Dale has a torn meniscus that was seriously impacting his enjoyment of our adventures, and it’s time to get it surgically cleaned up. After the doctor confirmed that diagnosis, we spent the rest of the week reconnecting with our Trilogy friends. One thing is for sure, one week is NOT enough time to see and spend quality time with everyone we want to see and spend quality time with! But, another huge shout out goes to our friends Doug Maselli and Terri Potter. We already know them as incredibly generous and loving hearts, and they invited us to use their home for our stay, as they were up in Tahoe. We are so blessed to have such friends!
Our return to Washington and Moses, continued our visits with family and friends. A couple of nights in Selah to see Dale’s Mom and Brother and Sister-in-law, then a couple of nights in Sandpoint, ID to see his Sister and Brother-in-law. One more shout out here, as an RV spot has been built on their beautiful property that rivals the best places we’ve stayed! Flat and paved, full hookups and a view of the lake. They sure know how to take care of their guests! And then we received the call from the doctor’s scheduler about Dale’s procedure. October 16, is the big date, and between, pre and post procedures, we knew we would need to be in AZ for the whole month.
I tend to be a planner, so it took me a bit to get past the sudden altering of my envisioned trek along the Yellowstone Trail and stop in Sandusky, OH to do Cedar Point Halloweekends (look it up). But, ya know, things happen for a reason, and as it turns out this was a good change!
We took the route south through Idaho – one more stop in Macall, ID to visit our friends, the Pope’s and make some tacos. Then down to Utah. Hey! This was a chance to to revisit the last three National Parks located there- and now my passport is stamped with visits to the Big 5.
In one LONG day of driving, we visited Capital Reef NP long enough for me to stamp the passport. The main road cuts through the park so you get a decent taste of the geology the park is famous for. Which was good, because the scenic drive further in was under construction and would have made our LONG day even LONGER. But we made it to our camping spot in Moab in time for a late dinner. Moab always surprises us with its crowds and popularity. We stayed at the KOA, a KOA no more special than every other one we’ve stayed at, but they are able to charge 2-3 times what others charge, just because they are in Moab…..even hotels are more expensive!
Dale’s knee was hurting, so the idea of driving to Arches and Canyonlands so I can stamp a passport, and doing even short hikes was not very appealing. So I went on a hunt for a shuttle or tour I could join. I was lucky to get a seat in a backcountry 4×4 tour through the parks. It wasn’t the hiking I expected, but it could not have been more fun! A full day of “overlanding” in a Toyota LandCruiser, we went on dirt roads and passes (one named Pucker Pass – for good reason)through the parks that .1% of tourists ever see (according to our guide/driver anyway). There was so much rocking, rolling, and jiggling that my Apple Watch registered a full day of hiking! And I got my passport stamped. Three more NPs down!
We had initially planned on heading down through Mesquite, NV and Las Vegas, but when the forcasted temps called for 110+, we opted for the cooler route through Colorado. Our friends Janine and Mike Marr call Salida, CO home. Sitting at 7500 feet elevation it was sure to be cooler than NV! We drove through the gorgeous fall colors of the hills of Colorado, and spent a oh-so-fun weekend with Janine. Sad that Mike had previous plans with friends elsewhere, but we had fabulous weather, and managed to get nine holes in while Janine was off working. Add to that the bonus of joining her at a couple of free seminars being held by their local community theater group. It was a fun time, though it takes me a bit longer than a few days to get used to life that high up! In addition to cooler temps, and fabulous friend visits, the CO route added the bonus of one more National Park stamp…The Great Sand Dunes National Park. It’s an impressive natural phenomenon, and I’m glad we got to see it. But those who know me well, know that beach walking is very low on my favorite things to do…..sooo, this could have quickly become one of my worst nightmares!
We rolled into “our home for the month” in AZ on October 1. And again, after a lot of back and forth on RV reservations, our fabulous friend Dave offered up his home for the month. Again, we will never take for granted the blessings of friends like we have. And now that we are settled for a whole month, we are BUSY setting up that quality time with EVERYONE we want to see. So we expect the month to go fast – and we’ll likely need a break from our break! Our current plan for our route in November is a slow roll through southern New Mexico, Texas, and Arkansas on our way to Nashville for Thanksgiving. That will add 5 more national parks in our near future! And for those of you wondering. There are 63 US National Parks, as of today. I’m only counting the parks that we have visited since I started collecting stamps (we have several we need to revisit!), and as of right now we have been to 32. More than halfway there!
And now we settle in for the month of October, dear readers. I’ll be back in November when the adventure continues! For now, I send all of you my love and gratitude.
Yours, Lady Wanderingwise
Weise's Wanderings 
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