Sonoran Sunshine
I was all set to spend another winter in southern California, but the Airstream gods had other plans. On my way through Vegas, the electrical system decided to stop working—as in: no solar, no batteries, no 12V, no 120V. A quick check on the “interwebs” found the closest authorized Airstream service center in a place called Apache Junction, Arizona. So I headed to Apache Junction, a town in the metropolitan Phoenix area. It turned out the electrical converter had stopped—well—converting. The guys at Dillon’s RV City replaced the converter, fixed a leak in the roof,...
Read MoreLand Yacht Harbor of Melbourne
Land Yacht Harbor of Melbourne (or LYH as the residents call it) is an RV park in the Orlando area of Florida. I use the term RV park loosely, as it is really more of a close-knit snowbird community built around RVers. Airstreamers built the park in the 1970s, and up until a few years ago, only Airstream brands were allowed to stay. They have since relaxed their rules and let in SOBs (Some Other Brands) -- their words, not mine -- but over 80% of units at LYH are Airstreams.
Read MoreTha Gaol Agam Ort, Alba Nuadh!
The second province on my tour of the Canadian Maritimes is Nova Scotia. As much as I loved Prince Edward Island, I think Nova Scotia is my new favorite. Technically a peninsula, mainland Nova Scotia is nearly surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. As such, everything seems to revolve around the sea. (Hence, all the photos of boats!) While PEI was incredibly rural, Nova Scotia has many more urban areas, particularly Halifax. I was pleasantly surprised by this capital city. The geographical location alone makes it noteworthy. Add the historical culture, the friendly people, and the vibrant...
Read MoreJe me souviens
Not only is French an official language of Canada, it is the only official language in the province of Québec. As such, French is extremely prevalent in Ottawa (Canada’s capital city), Montréal, and Québec City; three of my favorite cities in all of Canada. The many dialects of Canadian French are different from traditional Metropolitan French in France, but it all sounds the same to me! With my rediscovery of the French language, I understand much of the written word, but it is next to impossible for me to speak it or understand the spoken dialogue. No matter, for the...
Read MoreBigger IS Better, Eh!
OK, so I know what I said about Yosemite, and I know what I said about Yellowstone, and I know what I said about Glacier. Forget it all! None of them can really compare to the unparalleled size and beauty of the Canadian Rockies, specifically Banff National Park and Jasper National Park. I spent most of my time in the towns of Banff and Lake Louise. Banff is a trendy town about an hour west of Calgary, Alberta. Why is it called Banff? It comes from Banffshire, Scotland, the birthplace of one of the major financiers of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Lake Louise (named after the daughter of...
Read MoreFall in Vermont
Do you like apples? Do you like apple cider? Do you like apple cider donuts? Do you like small towns? Do you like friendly people? Do you like small towns full of friendly people? Do you like rolling hills, mountains, and change in elevation? Do you like?… yeah, yeah, yeah, you get the point! Vermont is an interesting state. It is the second least-populated state; it has the smallest capital city; and no other state has its largest city as small as Burlington (around 40,000 people). This small town atmosphere is refreshing. Vermonters are just some of the nicest people I have ever met. I...
Read MoreThe Goonies, Gastronomy, Golf, and a Goose
I am writing this near the shores of the Pacific Ocean — in front of a campfire — at Harris Beach State Park, easily my favorite of all the campgrounds in Oregon. It is a fitting way to end my exploration of the great state of Oregon. Oregon, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. First, one of the best movies of the ’80s, “The Goonies,” was filmed in Astoria and Cannon Beach. Who doesn’t love that movie? Second, fresh, local, incredible food is available from undiscovered vendors at farmers’ markets in downtown Portland. Pair it with a bottle of wine...
Read MoreGood Night, Seattle
It has been a crazy busy last few weeks. I left the Airstream at Elwha Dam RV Park (just outside Port Angeles, Washington) and flew back to Chicago. I was relieved to return a week later with everything just as I had left it: in the middle of the woods — unhooked — just running off the solar panel. During my stay in Port Angeles, I was able to see a little bit of Olympic National Park. It is very scenic, but just doesn’t compare to Glacier or Yosemite. Inching my way closer to Seattle, my next stop was Port Ludlow, Washington. A sleepy little town west of Seattle, it has a golf...
Read MoreO Canada!
I just spent the last week in British Columbia, Canada, and absolutely loved it! With the metric units, a little of the French language, “loonies”, “toonies”, and “.ca” web addresses galore, it was an exciting adventure. It all started with a checkpoint at the U.S./Canada border in Douglas, B.C., just north of Seattle on I-5. According to the “real-time” digital sign, the wait was supposed to be “up to 5 minutes”. Clearly, the sign lied. I waited in line with hundreds of other motorists for almost half an hour until reaching a pair...
Read MoreMountains, Mountains, Mountains
After months of anticipation, I finally got to test out the Touareg and the Airstream in the mountains. Admittedly, I still haven’t done the tallest peaks on my itinerary, but I got up over 7,500 feet with some serious ascents and descents. My first mountain stop was in Park City, Utah. I actually had forgotten it was on my route, and had no plans to stay there until I rolled through on I-80. I pulled up Google Maps, picked the first campground on the list (Park City RV Resort), and ended up staying a couple of days. I toured Olympic Park, visited the trendy downtown, and even drove to...
Read MoreWillkommen in Amana Colonies
Alright, boys and girls, time for a quick history lesson. In the early 1700s, two men with Lutheran backgrounds traveled throughout Germany and Switzerland forming small congregations of followers. They believed in a peaceful, quiet way of life and strictly followed scripture. By 1855, this growing community had over 1200 members, and was forced to find land in America. A group found attractively priced farmland in eastern Iowa and built a village. They chose to call it Amana, which means “to remain true”. The village (and six other villages in the surrounding area) were all part...
Read MoreMiss Michigan
After logging 1600 miles around the state in the last two weeks, I can safely say I have seen all Michigan has to offer! And, yes, I will miss it. Instead of leaving Michigan last week as originally planned, I decided to stay and use my brand new annual vehicle permit for Michigan state parks. After leaving the Battle Creek area, I cut back across the state through Ann Arbor. I see why they call it “The Big House”. No, I didn’t get thrown in prison. The University of Michigan football stadium; that place is enormous! I stayed on the shores of Lake Erie at Sterling State Park...
Read MoreI’ll Take One Pastie To Go, Please
I must have passed a dozen signs in the Upper Peninsula for these things called “pasties” (no, not those kind) before I finally stopped to try one for myself. It turns out a pastie (rhymes with “nasty” but is oh, so good) is a folded pastry filled with meat and vegetables. Somewhat of a tourist attraction in the U.P. these days, it was originally a convenient staple for the miners in the 19th century. Mmmm, tasty! After my hearty lunch, I crossed over the magnificent Mackinac Bridge to spend a few days in northern Michigan. My favorite towns were easily Petoskey,...
Read MorePicture Perfect
Right on the cliffs of Lake Superior, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore definitely ranks as the most scenic–and remote–spot on my journey thus far. To get there, I drove from Chicago, up through Wisconsin (thanks for the fine amenities, Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Ray), through Cedar River, Escanaba, and Manistique in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and into the national park near Grand Marais. Once in the park, the first 11 miles or so were a nice and easy jaunt along a paved highway. Simple, right? Then, out of nowhere, the pavement suddenly turned into a one-lane dirt road cut right...
Read MorePlenty of Pokagon and Potawatomi
I spent the last two nights at Pokagon State Park in the northeastern corner of Indiana. Although the camp sites themselves only offer basic electricity, the rest of the park has plenty of activities and facilities (e.g. bike trails, fishing, hiking, horses, toboggan run, etc.). Who doesn’t like a good ol’ toboggan run? For state parks in the Midwest, this is a good one. I spent many, many hours at the Potawatomi Inn because of the free Wi-Fi. AT&T and Sprint aren’t doing so well out here. I learned another valuable lesson on the first night here – don’t be an...
Read MoreFrom Yale to Penn State
I left New Haven today to head back through Chicago. Right now I am staying in the middle of the woods at the Bellefonte KOA campground minutes from Penn State. I am pretty much set with free Wi-Fi and basic hookups. This place is perfect; the owners are incredibly friendly, the site is well marked, and it is centrally located near I-80. I will definitely be back! By the way, other campgrounds take note. While parked at a rest area in New York, I used my iPhone to search ReserveAmerica, reserved the exact pull-through location at the Bellefonte KOA in Pennsylvania, paid in advance via credit...
Read MorePassing Grades
Well, I successfully made it from Chicago to New Haven, CT! After one denial to stay at a Wal-Mart parking lot (the toothless workers freaked me out anyway), one night in a rest stop off I-84 (right next to the State Police), and one night in a park surrounded by mobile homes (again, toothless neighbors), I am so glad to finally have a quiet and scenic spot at Hammonasset Beach State Park. This is my first self-sufficient multi-night stay (i.e. no electric hookup, no city water, and no sewer). It will be a great test to see how long the tanks and batteries will last! Another little test was...
Read MoreMembership Has Its Privileges
Spending last night in a Wal-Mart parking lot was actually great. It was quiet, paved, level, and free! And in the morning I stocked up the Airstream with some groceries. [Mental note: I am spending way too much time at Wal-Mart.] I will definitely do it again; however, tonight is something completely different. I found a sweet place in western Pennsylvania that has one rule – Airstreams only. I love it! I counted around 25 different Airstreams on the 60 acres here at Penn Wood Airstream Park. The scenery is absolutely beautiful! Goodbye flatland of Illinois/Indiana/Ohio, and hello...
Read MoreSt. Louis – Uhhh, Wait – Galena, Here We Come!
The beauty of this whole adventure is the ability to change plans on the fly. With the weather in St. Louis not cooperating at all, we changed our destination to Galena, IL. After a late start from Chicago and surprisingly bad traffic, we didn’t pull into Galena until well after dark. And, with all the pull-through spots taken, I was forced to back into our spot (without scaring too many of the neighbors). Thank you, Kim and Max, for acting as human guideposts! Other than an embarrassingly noisy hitch, everything has gone rather smoothly. Seriously, I have to do something about that...
Read MoreTested the Waters, Literally
It is getting close to my departure date, so I figured it was about time to actually spend some trial time in the Airstream. I successfully made it through two days and one stormy night in my new aluminum home; parked in a campground just outside Joliet, IL. I didn’t think it would ever stop raining, but everything (and everyone) held up just fine. Talk about crazy weather for my first night in it! Even the Touareg is all wired up and ready to go. Steve at US Adventure RV is the man! I got the chance to hook it up myself and take everything out for a test drive (with adult supervision,...
Read MoreWhere Is Kyle Now?
Recent Lifestream
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I'm at Tall Chief Encore RV Resort (Fall City, WA) http://t.co/kK1qlRna
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I'm at Quality Press (Seattle, Washington) http://t.co/ZHEQqh45
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Love it when someone else does the driving @ M/V Kaleetan (Washington State Ferry) http://t.co/0LTiNAGg
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Every RV park/campground needs one: a propane truck that drives right up to your front door, er, propane tank. That dude just made my day!
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Port Townsend architecture @ Port Townsend, WA http://t.co/udUnyJtE
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1800s architecture of Armitage Ave. in Lincoln Park + mountains and water of my hometown of Bigfork, MT = Port Townsend, WA. Awesome!
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Posted Port Townsend architecture.
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What a cool campground/marina! Seaplanes, sailboats, ships, snow-capped Mt. Baker all out my front window. [pic]: http://t.co/tVrAhZpT
Recent Photos on Flickr
Golfed in 48 U.S. States So Far
Golfed in All 10 Canadian Provinces
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