Lady Dog's 2009 RV Misadventure Ends In Disaster - Colorado's Grooved Pavement Did Us In

[Pat Daly]

Well, it was a Misadventure after all. Colorado's grooved concrete pavment almost killed us and destroyed both Miss GMC Yukon and Miss Funfinder, our bumper pull travel trailer; They have ended their days in a wrecking yard in the high desert of Colorado. I guess a fitting place to end it all after so many good miles under their tires. We are home at the cabin safe, unhurt... except for major bruising and still a little shook up. Don't know if "we'll get back on the bumper pull horse" and head back down the trail again, like the cowboys say. See more in our Colorado Grooved Pavemnet RV blog with photos if you're interested. Friends, watch that grooved pavement and keep on going down the road... safely, and maybe a little slower. Special thanks to all the I70 Colorado Eastbound drivers who helped pry us from the rig and to the Limon Fire Department, emts, I70 highway cresw, "Wrecker Guys" and to the Colorado state troopers. Thanks so much to you all. The End. August 09 Pat, Linda & Lady dog

We had a wonderful time visiting with VK today and touring the vintage restored trailers. This is something we have looked forward to for a long time! Oooh they are so wonderful and the restorations are done properly. We actually got to see a vintage Hanson that is in the process of a one year "frame up" restoration. Very exciting! Currently their restored 66 Aladdin is for sale in the goodoldrvs.com classifieds. If you go to see it your will take it home! I also enjoy reading VKs good words in the Repairing Yesterdays Trailers blog. What fun!

I went fishing yesterday at Agate Pass to apply Troy's saltwater fishing techniques. I did not catch anything. Maybe I should have taken better notes. I had a good time anyway. There is a nice rv campground one mile west of Agate Pass in Washington State.

Guide and all around outdoorsman Troy Dettman held the class and shared his 20 years of knowledge with us. Maybe we will catch a fish if we follow Troy's teaching! Troy's web site is troysflyfishingtrips.com

Here are the recommended flies for rvers to use when flyfishing the saltwater for cutthroat trout.

Just had to get out of the trailer today so i decided to take the class on Saltwater Cutthroat Trout Fly Fishing. The class was at a great little flyfishing shop called Peninsula Outfitters in Poulsbo, Washington. Capt. Bill Drewry owns the place and is pretty salty guy and wayyyy knowledgeable about how to hook up.

Today we went to the Farmers Market and Linda and Lady dog picked some delicious local produce while I listed to the band. We went down to the harbor so Lady could bark at the "water dogs" that barked back. Lady was surprised! When we went up to the Eagle Tree Trailer park to see some other friends who just arrived in their classic Ideal bumper pull travel trailer. Eagle Tree is a very nice park in the tall pines. p>

Pictures of vast Southern Wyoming and the huge Snake river in Idaho and at the Oregon border. We'll we're headin on another one of our RV Misadventues with a 2,063 mile rv trip with Linda, Lady dog, Ms Yukon - our trusty suv and Miss Funfinder test bumper pull travel trailer. We left the cabin in Oklahoma, pulled through the hot, flat lands and pretty nice folks in Kansas to the Colorado state line, dry camping at Walmart just like last year. Then on to the pretty little town of Fort Collins, Colorado where we'll return in fall for some fly fishing for the browns and rainbows. We decided to take highway 84 north and west out of Fort Collins pulling through some very remote regions including Northern Colorado, Souther Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, the extreme eastern part of Oregon then across the Columbia river at the tri cities area, on through the wine country of eastern Washington, over the Cascade Mountain Range stopping at Issaquah, Washington for our favorite chocolate. then on the Superferry out of Seattle across Puget Sound which is like a mini ocean cruise to the pretty little harbor town of Winslow Washington where we are now. Got some nice photos of some of the big county in Wyoming, Lady dog and Linda overlooking the huge Snake river in Idaho, Wine Tasting in the Shadow of the Cascade mountain range in the "Yakima valley"... just before the pull over the Cascade Mountain range, crazy kite surfers and boats we saw on the ferry crossin the salt water of Puget Sound. This will be our base camp for a month or so as we look at vintage trailers, vintage bus conversions and a few vintage wooden boats to possible add to our "freedom camping fleet". Highlights of the trip so far have been seeing lots antelope in Wyoming, surprising lack of people at the campgrounds we have stayed at, the sheer vastness of this remote part of our country and how visually striking our wilderness areas are; Note-we need to do everything possible to protect our wilderness and we saw lots of indications of BIG intrusions by oil and gas companies plowing roads right through wilderness and prime wildlife wintering grounds. Now don't get me wrong, I like the sound of that gas engine or a turbo diesel spooling up to pull those good old rvs up those grades, but some of the stuff we are seeing is just sheer greed and distruction. In the old days we use to spike the trees and burn out the bulldozers but nobody's got any guts or convictions anymore. We loved pullin through the rocky mountain and northwest state on highway 84; a GREAT big open highway, very little traffic, enough fuel stations, tons of dry and paid campgrounds and some eyeball popin scenery. We recommend it for folks goin west or west to midwest. We'll be returnin on the same route to chase those pesky Colorado trout in fall after the pilgrims have all returned to their jobs and we have everything pretty much to ourself... the way we like it! Note on goin through this part of the country... you better have a diesel dually, or gas rig with lots of pullin power and real honest to god brakes that work. We pull over 11 7% grades that were up to 14 miles uphilll long and kinda mean twisty highway goin down the otherside. As we say in Oklahoma "this ain't no country for old men"... or rigs that ain't in top shape. So far we are really excited about a fageol bus conversion, a silverstream and a fishing trawler conversion that we have found... thanks folks here for referring them to us! So far, I've been able to keep my wallet in my pocket. We'll see.... Next week we get to meet and visit community member VK north of us and we're really lookin forward to that. Check back here and we'll be postin pictures mostly every week.

[Pat Daly]

Crossin the Big Lonely Southern Wyoming. Headin Home

[Pat Daly]

Dry Camping on the Yakima River in Washington State. Headin home. Only 1850 miles to go.

[Pat Daly]

Today Lady dog wanted to go see our great friends Sue & Cam at their long time home on Vashon Island, Washington. In 1792 Captain George Vancouver named Vashon Island after his friend Captain James Vashon. Lady dog loved their deck overlooking Puget Sound and playing with their dog Smoky. We could not belive how nice their completely remodeled waterfont home is. Too bad the narrow road that leads to their house is too small for rvs. Otherwise, we know where we would dry camp next year! We were treated with a Sunset as we cruised back to camp on the Washington State ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island. End of another camping adventure in paradise. Tomorrow we hitch up Miss Yukon and prepare to return to Montana and Colorado.

[Pat Daly]

Today Lady dog said she wanted to tour the RV parks on Washington States Olympic Peninsula. Can recommend them highly. A little remote, campgrounds under the pines sloping down to the salt water beaches. At one beach in Sequim (pronounced Squimm) we looked across the Straight of Juan DeFuca and cound see Vancouver Island in Canada. Lady like playing with the seagulls on the shell beach.

[Pat Daly]

There are lots of things to see and do within 10 miles of Bainbridge Island where Lady dog is staying. We discovered at hotel that seemed lost in time near Hood Canal bridge on a saltwater bay. Lady dog said that the bay was just right after her swim and chasing sticks. One thing we never have to worry about when rving is the "tide". Here it can be up to 15 feet between high and low tide. Jeff and Tia learned that when they climbed the ramp to the boat dock. Normally the boat dock is even with where we took our picture. I have stayed at some KOA's (krummy outdoor adventures) that I think the rv pad was leveled by the person who controls the tides... never level. Lady dog is sitting on the swing showing me how to bootleg some wifi for todays posting.

[Pat Daly]

Yesterday we went to Butler Farm on Bainbridge Island to get organic produce with our good frieds Marsh & Jackie Terry. Marsh and Jackie subscribe to the farms harvest throughout the year. The farmer grows the crops, harvests them and puts them in the shed. Then you just go to the farm shed and select the produce you want that day. Sooo fresh and good and locally grown and about half the price of lower quality produce at grocery stores. Lady dog asks why everyone doesn't do this. To get to the farm we were told to go past Frog Rock and turn down the road by the Wind Machine. Then the wind comes across the bay it powers the wind machine and the rocking chair. Lady told me to mention to you that Bainbridge Island is kinda "arty".

[Pat Daly]

Yesterday we took the ferry and drove around Lake Union in downtown Seattle. Lady dog wanted to walk in Gasworks Park and see downtown in the distance and then she wanted to see these houses on lake union that float, or as we call them "Houseboats". Lady dog decided that Houseboats are very cool and she wants one.

[Pat Daly]

Today we are leaving Bainbridge Island and driving south to see Mount Rainier. A little About Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is in western Washington and was established 1899. The central feature is Mount Rainier at 14,411 ft high, a dormant volcano and the highest peak of the Cascade Mountain Range. It's on the western edge of the range's crest line, Mount Rainier has the largest single-peak glacier system in the United States outside Alaska. A total of 26 major glaciers cap the peak and extend down the mountain's slopes. The park receives heavy annual precipitation, which supports the growth of thick forest below the timberline at about 6500 feet. Vegetation includes such tall species of trees as Douglas fir, western hemlock, Sitka spruce, and western red cedar, as well as numerous varieties of wildflowers. The wildlife includes mountain lion, bobcat, elk, bear, deer, and mountain goat.Maybe we'll see some today! Mount Rainier was named in 1792 by the English explorer George Vancouver after British Rear Admiral Peter Rainier. The Native American name for the mountain, Tahoma, meaning “The mountain that was god.” The first successful ascent was made in 1870. the park covers 368.1 square miles. Mount Rainier is visible to us just about anywhere we have camped in Washington it is sooo Big! It's a must see when you are up this way.

[Ronda and Hal Gunnison]

Hi guys pictures are beautiful!!! esp those of Lady Dog!!! If you know of anyone going to UTE, we have a deposit of 163.00 that they would not refund us but said they would allow us to use it later (yea, like it's around the corner) or a friend could use it and they could pay us. We'll even discount it just to get some of our money back!! Have a great trip. I'll call you soon!!! Love Ronda and Hal and furbabies!