What a fantastic 2nd day of driveway crashing Sarah and Paul’s lovely home.  Not certain which is the case here…, that we do not want to leave, or that Sarah won’t let us! 😉 Lazy morning spent drinking coffee, catching up on school and finalizing/securing guardianship, wills and powers of attorney.  Heck of a thing to do while mid adventure!  Sarah and Jim hit the town and made Costco and grocery runs while Savannah and i knocked out school.  We planned our next few days itinerary and then took an epic bike ride through the hills of Eagle, CO.  This place is loaded with mountain and biking trails, absolute paradise for the outdoor enthusiast. We road 11 miles up, down and all around town, followed by steaks on the barbie and insanely awesome dinner table conversation.  We have also fallen in love with the area.  I will have to presently tuck this in my back pocket for later processing… lol and gear up for the next adventure.  Looks like the next stop is Jackson Hole, WY. 

PS…Brent and Esther we are getting closer.. see you soon and Happy Birthday to that little guy of yours! Cheers.. 🙂

PSS.. Sarah.. don’t forget to FEED THE BETA!!!! AND give him BIG “fish kisses”.. lol.. Fishy, SCORED! haha

We woke up to upper 30’s, Savannah loved that she could see her breath!  We were all so excited to head to Eagle, CO and see our Dear friends Sarah and Paul Baker!  We met her and her husband in the islands years ago and have stayed in touch.  Unfortunately Paul is “down island” at this time taking care of his boat while suffering from the latest mosquito born illness “Chikungunya”.  So we had Sarah all to ourselves!  It’s hard to feel sorry for Paul… 😉

We arrived to Eagle mid morning just in time to park our RV in the driveway of their GORGEOUS home and head down the Eagle CO Airport for a car and airshow!  Was really cool to walk the tarmac again, it’s been over a decade since i have piloted an aircraft into that airport.  So many changes!  The runway has been extended, and i’m pretty sure the mountain shrunk! We enjoyed classic cars, vintage aircraft, pulled pork sandwiches, and seeing more of the local flare of folks walking around. 

After the show we loaded up the dogs (I’m sure Ella has a twin now!…”Haley”, they are official BFF’s!) and headed to Vail for some hiking to the top of the Vail Mountain.   Almost 4 miles of UP! Absolutely gorgeous hike through the wooded area switch backing across the ski slopes. We arrived a bit out of breath as the hike and Vail Mountain rises from 8,120 feet (2,476 m) to 11,570 feet (3,527 m), giving a vertical height of 3,450 feet (1,052 m).  Needless to say we parked it on top of the mountain and enjoyed the views, brews and great conversation!  It was the first time i have ever heard Savannah say… “are we almost there”… more than once.  What trooper!

Post hike we rode the gondola down WITH the dogs full of giggles and possibly oxygen deficit, maybe it was the brews at 2 miles high??! Then we walked through Lions Head, Beaver Creek and Vail Village with a stop at Dobson’s ice arena where the NHL practice.   Needless to say after dinner we all crashed pretty hard, but not with out some kitchen island time eating home made cookies!  We love you Sarah!

What an absolutely fantastic day!  In the AM we had to break camp and move to another site, even closer to the river…! We worked on school and then went for an epic 6 mile run (Savannah riding along on her bike).  The pathway paralleled the Crystal River and with gorgeous views of the 12,995ft Mt. Sopris, lots of biking passers by with friendly morning greetings.  Ideal running conditions… cool temps, low humidity and gorgeous views- i love this place! During the run i kept studying the Crystal River.. shallow and bouldery, but also runs right past our camp site with easy put ins for shuttling.  Soooo it got me to thinking, this would be a great practice run for Savannah on the SUP!  Everyone seemed on board with the idea and before we knew it wetsuits were donned and boards loaded!  Talk about cheap entertainment!  Jim and I took turns shuttling the jeep up the road a few miles,  dropping in Savannah and her Dad or me, then drive down and meet them and do it all over again.  SUPER fun! After rafting the Colorado the previous day, i REALLY wanted to paddle it, so I suggested we head that way.  Savannah was totally STOKED with the idea and i was giddy with her enthusiasm and no fear attitude to do this!  Jim put us in just below “Shoshone” up river from No Name, Co (that’s really the name of the town).  We had left the bikes at the camp site, but that didn’t stop Jim from coming to find us!  He rented a bike from the outfit that took us rafting the previous day and hit the trail that ran along the Colorado River to find us and take some amazing shots and got a really awesome bike ride in!  This was truly an epic adventure with my daughter.  I knew she was confident and i had confidence in her navigating the waters, which made it less worrisome for Mom… lol and we just had a blast!   Towering canyons, trains, and trails made for some surreal paddling. The river was swift and a few areas with class II rapids.  I let Savannah go down a few in front so she could say she navigated on her own and she did great.  Savannah informed me that sup’ing rapids in a river was “WAY BETTER” than surfing …. and she wants to move to Colorado.  Yay!!  You don’t have to ask me twice!  Following our River adventures was a riverside cold one… or two and a tasty cast iron dinner on the fire and a spectacular moon rise over the mountain.  Life is so good.  PS… there is also a video. 🙂

While driving through Kansas was not as boring as one would think, arriving to mountains was greater than our expectations! Even with the delays in Denver and through the first tunnel on i-70, and one more heavy delay near Georgetown, where we witnessed a horrific 3 car accident the drive West was spectacular.  Also learning our RV’s capabilities to downshift on the 7% downhill stretches of steep gradient!  (They probably don’t make brakes like they used to!)  All still makings for an amazing Rocky Mountain welcome!

We arrived to our campground just before midnight and chose our site in the dark.  We could hear the river, but had no idea what we would wake up to.  Well… we woke up to mountain paradise….literally.  Nestled in a valley,  and feet away from the Crystal River, just outside the small town of Carbondale.  We also woke up with 2 cats, 2 dogs, a fish and kid in our BED because it was in the upper 40’s in our RV!  ,

That morning we took in the sites and drank our delicious hot coffee along the river bank.  Mid morning Savannah took her first required online Calvert Academy virtual class, along with 100 kids from all over the world.  Before class they were all chatting it up, boasting about their current locations. 

After completing Savannah’s lessons for the day, we ventured out for some white water rafting on the Colorado River!  The morning sunshine warmed things up nicely.. mid 60’s and gorgeous.  However the rafting proved to be a little different story!  Once we hit the water a small, very COLD squall blew through with 20 kt winds and temps dipping in the lower 50’s, making for a cold wet windchill factor!  However the cold was quickly forgotten as we navigated class III rapids, surrounded by the canyons, trains, and bike paths.  Absolutely gorgeous, despite the drizzle, sleet and cloud cover!

Rafting was followed by a riverside campfire, mountain sunset, delicious dinner, and smores!

 Maybe we ARE easily entertained! Finding the Great Plains and Kansas fascinating!  The vast space, windmill farms, oil derricks, acres of sunflowers, prairies and grasslands are easy on the eye.  You need the mind set of admiring cloud formations…. 🙂 

We departed MO on the late side as we had to get some maintenance issues addressed on the RV.  Pulled into Salina, KS early evening and enjoyed an eclectic left over dinner.  This morning we were up early and pulled off an amazing run on a dirt road, wheat field maze.  The sun was glowing off of the wheat and you could see for miles, and all you could hear was the crunch of gravel beneath your feet.  Took a few photographs near by the campground and also had a bunny photo bomb the T-Pee! Before pulling back onto I-70, we visited the first Starbucks  off I-70 if you were driving from the West.  Guess we have to wait for Denver for next one! lol  

Planning on arriving Rancho Del Rio on the Colorado River for the next few days before heading up to Yellowstone National Park.  Internet will be a necessity tomorrow AM as Savannah needs to attend her Calvert Academy virtual class.  We have found doing school on the road is not as easy as one might think.  We both get a little RV sick, but I’m sure we will acclimate.  Otherwise after dinner school may be in order!  I love the myth that home schooling can be done anywhere (yes it can) but that is tough when there are so many fun things to do and see at the same time!  We will be digging for the discipline to get it done.  Luckily we started a month early which offers some extra flexibility.

I have to give a huge shout out to Sarah Baker.  She is a long time friend from the islands who was born and raised in the CO area… she has the inside scoop and sending oodles of information on where to stay, how to drive and not catch the RV on fire! ;)! My personal camping concierge!

PS.. The 2 dogs, 2 cats and one fish are doing great and so far no issues with kitty box odors. whew.

What an awesome FREE RV B&B ;)!! Sunset arrival to Grandma’s house, cold ones in the fridge, home made lasagna, and a cool night for sleeping opened up. Heck, we should just stay here for the entire trip ! Would city ordinance allow a fire pit? Always good to be home, loving our front yard camping!

Pensacola Beach Yacht Club Rocks!  What a treat to show up at the PBYC for our pre -trip celebration with amazing friends, farewells and safe travel wishes for our RV~ ROAD TRIP!  We are truly blessed.  Thank you!

Never traveled with a feline companion… but considering Sitka is reaching the golden years we just didn’t have the heart to leave her behind.  Converting the mudroom at entrance of RV for the “kitty Porta- Potty.”  It even has a drain whole to easily clean out while using the recyclable wonder boxes which might prove to be great fire starter ;).. !  I think she will thoroughly enjoy the trip.  That is if we all don’t choke on her hair, she is shedding badly in this Panhandle heatwave! She’s 14 years old and still going strong, only problem i for see is she’s going to want to drive….

Less than a week away and we hit the road.  It’s been a rather crazy couple of weeks juggling home schooling, traveling to regattas and down sizing our pull behind camper to a full on rock star, class A motor home!  Downsized and upgraded all in one!  Dogs, kitty, Betta fish and kid will be much more comfortable during our Vancouver, Alaska, West Coast journeys.  Not to mention no more back seat truck sickness while trying to school and drive!  Marking off the to do items rather quickly including the mundane items like haircuts, Dr’s apts., doggy health certificates, new glasses, Mac purchase, dry foods provisions and the list goes on.  Our dining room table looks like a imminent yard sale with the staging of clothing for all sorts of weather conditions we’ll encounter. Which includes on and off the water, trails and general Glamping.  All the while brainstorming where all of this will be located in the RV! Pretty excited the kitty will have her own personal head…. the mudroom converted to kitty box-brilliant.  Happy Camping and stay tuned.