Away we go...

 And away we go.....the last few weeks have been a bit hectic getting ready to hit the road.  There was moving out of our Bend home, moving into our 5th wheel, prepping for a year of road schoolin, and getting a business ready to operate semi-autonomously for eight months.  But after all that, we are indeed on the road and now writing this post from Sandpoint, Idaho.  

We would like to thank our good friends Jay and Rachel for letting us crash at their east Bend home RV pad and letting us ease into the RV lifestyle.  And after a few days at my parent's home in Sisters while the RV had a few minor repairs completed we rolled out of town on September 10th for our first two nights in Walla Walla, Washington.  A town we absolutely love and actually used to own a home in .

We signed up for Harvest Hosts a few months ago and got to spend our first night at Isenhower Cellars.  Turns out the owner, Denise, was our realtor when we sold our Walla Walla home years ago....very small world, indeed!  The next night was spent at Elegante' Cellars, also in Walla Walla, which is run and operated by Doug Simmons.  After purchasing a good share of wine, we had to try and escape the increasing smoke from the NW wildfires and head north towards Coeur d'Alene and Silverwood Theme Park in nearby Athol, Idaho.  Silverwood is an impressive amusement park with fun rides, affordable and tasty food, and well worth a trip.  




Our last day in Athol, we drove east into Montana to ride the famous Hiawatha Trail, which is one of the premier Rail to Trails bike routes in the USA and it didn't disappoint.  It is a nearly 15 mile ride (mostly downhill) that goes through ten tunnels and crosses seven sky high trestles.  The first tunnel is 1.66 miles long through an entire mountain!







The first week has had it's up and downs to be sure, as we have adjusted to shared small space and homeschooling on the road, but we have all voted to carry on, as the rewards definitely outweigh the negatives.  We are now exploring the Sandpoint area for three days and then off to Glacier National Park and West Glacier RV Park tomorrow.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 18, 2020 at 12:17 PM

    so great! thank you for taking the time and starting this, looking forward to following along with you guys. prayers for all things trip related!

    ReplyDelete
  2. G and MSeptember 18, 2020 at 6:40 PM

    So good to hear from you. I love this going along for the ride, so to speak. Jeff is doing well. We have the pain under control and are both learning how to do the transferring again. Dr. very pleased with outcome. So grateful to be this far in the process but some long days ahead. Be safe. Much love to all, Memmie (for Papa too)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Matt and Elsa NelsonSeptember 18, 2020 at 9:37 PM

    Yay Labharts!!! You guys are dominating this. I’m so excited to live through you and your amazing adventures!! (Btw, that Hiawatha Trail...it’s on our bucket list! I can’t wait to hear more about it.) You’ve already done so much!! Press on!
    Hugs,
    Elsa

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownSeptember 27, 2020 at 2:09 PM

    The pictures are amazing and I'm the memories are even better. I look forward to hearing more about your adventures.

    ReplyDelete
  5. sarahSeptember 28, 2020 at 12:14 PM

    Thanks for creating this, you guys!!!! I am going to hate follow you as I sit at a desk and winter is coming. Teasing. I am going to love following you and love you from my desk. XXOO

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Life on the Road

Image
Today, we roll out.  It’s an interesting lifestyle – life on the road.  We just get settled, maybe meet a few fellow families and then we move on.  We are nomads, we are vagrants, we are wanderers, we are adventurers.  Most we meet on the road are those new to the retirement lifestyle.  They have worked their whole lives and this is their big break - their escape from the working world.  Some have been RV’ing for many years, but I would guess to say most are relatively new to the lifestyle and have purchased new trucks and trailers or motorhomes.  Why are there not more who have been RV’ing for years?  They’re probably a myriad of reasons for this, but I can speculate.  Some may realize the lifestyle is not for them or miss their friends and family at home.  Some may say living in a small space without the amenities of home is too restricting.  Others may probably feel like they have seen everything they have wanted to see and are r...
Read more

The Badlands and the Midwest

Image
The Badlands in South Dakota are a unique place.   It’s a relatively small area of the state marked by beautiful wind and water erosion.   Think Zion meets Salt Flats, where light colored deposits have built upwards over millions of years like a layer of cake and are now being eroded down at the rate of one inch per year to create beautiful landscapes, exposing fossils, and colorful rocks. Our plan was to spend 2-3 nights boondocking on a ledge overlooking the Badlands, just outside the National Park .   It was another spot we found on Campendium that many reviewers ranked as one of the best boondocking locations in the US and we were blown away, figuratively and literally.   After visiting the iconic and kitschy WallDrug , in Wall, SD, we drove about six miles south on Highway 240 and turned east on a gravel road through a rolling grass pasture.   As we climbed up the road, we spotted RV’s perched up on a ledge higher up.   Coming around a corner, we wer...
Read more

Ohio Amish Country

Image
There are very few Amish people in Oregon, if any.  Yet, in Ohio and Pennsylvania, there are over 75,000 Amish people in each!  Understanding the Amish culture was something we were all interested in and wanted to learn more about. While in South Dakota the kids had spotted an Amish family at Wall Drug and later asked us if they were dressed up in "character" for some sort of play or show.  We took this as a sign that we all needed a bit of education on this unique culture in America. While passing through Ohio, we made an effort to head a bit south into Central Ohio to explore the Holmes County area, where the largest Ohio Amish populations live.  We were fortunate enough to spend the night on the Yoder Amish Family Farm outside of Walnut Creek.  It's a working farm and dates back to late 1885.  Eli and Gloria Yoder purchased the farm in 1972 with the hopes of sharing the Amish culture and people with visitors.   Everything the Amish do is to mai...
Read more