2015 - In our rearview mirror

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.  We hope everyone is surviving the holidays. Though it has been colder than expected, we are really enjoying our time in Lake Tahoe. This New Year's Eve, we took a midday lake cruise on the M.S. Dixie II. While paddling through the icy waters and looking at the jagged landscape, we started talking about our year and came up with a list of superlatives for some of our most and least favorite places and parks we've visited this year. We've done most of our traveling in 2015 and have had some really amazing stops. I'm never sad to see a year end. A new year reminds us that it is exciting to look forward to tomorrow again, to start over, even if you're doing the same exact thing you did yesterday, there's anticipation in the air. And although I love the sentiment of this holiday, I'm definitely not big on the celebration. We are happy to be bringing 2016 in with take-out Thai, Trainwreck (Amy Schumer's movie) and a bottle of champagne (of course). We' may or may not make it to midnight..

Cheers to what once was and what soon will be

Love - B&D

The Best of 2015

Greatest Adventure - Big Bend National Park, Texas

Our crazy backcountry camping trip on the rough dirt road in the untamed desert

Best Hike - Guadalupe Peak, Texas

Loved the view from the highest peak in Texas

Favorite City - Santa Fe, New Mexico

Great art, food and beer

Favorite National Park - Crater Lake, Oregon

Total "wow factor", absolutely stunning

Least Favorite National Park - Pinnacles, California

Not that we didn't like the park, just simply wasn't our favorite

Best Beach - Gulf Shores National Seashore, Pensacola, Florida

Hidden gem with perfect white sand

Most Romantic - Napa Valley, California

We were here for our 4 year anniversary, so I suppose we made it especially romantic

Best Food - New Orleans, Louisiana 

Poor boys, oysters, crawfish, need I say more? 

Wildcard - Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

Unique, beautiful and totally wild

Most Interesting - Mesa Verde National Park Colorado

Mysterious and amazing history and Native American culture

Best Caves - Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

A truly spectacular underworld 

Best Beer - San Diego, California

Hops, hops, hops and more hops

Best Wine - Paso Robles, California

Free tastings for everyone!

Favorite State - Colorado

The terrain, the people, the Rockies, Coors, we couldn't love Colorado more

Least Favorite State - Alabama

Not much to say for 'Bama' but hey this beach looks nice

Best Stop Overall (as in, we could live/own property here)

Brian's pick - Lake Tahoe

Danielle's pick - Ashland, Oregon

With all the amazing places we've been, there is only more to look forward to. Thanks for reading and keeping up with us through our domestic journey. More on Lake Tahoe next year!

On the road again! (Ashland re-cap)

Seasons Greetings! Brian had a successful tour at sea and returned home safely late last week. We spent a long weekend in Ashland and now we are en route to Lake Tahoe as I type. We'll be spending Christmas week on the south end of the Lake and exploring the local ski mountains. Shortly after the holidays, we are taking a two week trip to Hawaii (Santa came a little early for the Watsons). We are vacationing on the Big Island for one week and another on Maui. These islands are home to the three National Parks in the state. We're bringing all our camping gear so we can experience the south Pacific islands under the stars, in the rain, on the beach, on the side of a volcano or wherever else the wilderness may call to us.

Before completely moving on, I just want to express my sincere love for Ashland, Oregon. I had such an enjoyable time laying over in this Rogue Valley town. The vibe is earthy and of a waste not, want not attitude. The people are made up of outdoor enthusiasts, artists, wealthy, poor, stoners, modern day hippies and college kids and all move to a beat of their own. I got to spend time with girlfriends that I may never have otherwise had the chance to. We had so much fun exploring all the hiking trails in the area, tasting all the amazing local wine and beer and meeting new friends. I attended the Rasa Yoga Center daily and gained so much in mind and spirit with the great variety of classes and instructors. I would also like to comment on the fact that Oregon is one of the only states that still enforces full service at the pump. It is quite the treat to have someone pump your gas and wash your windshield. The service in general deserves a standing ovation. Between the Chevy dealership, RV repair shop, tire store and gas stations, each one was a pleasant visit, affordable and good quality service. I will miss the Shop-N-Kart grocery store, the witty signs transients hold on street corners, the wine, Grizzly Peak, Puck's Donuts, Growler Guys, Paddington's (snooty accent required), First Fridays, skiing Mt. Ashland, Jackson County Public Radio and so much more. But, as the urban legend goes, once you drink the fizzy water packed with sulfur, bicarbonate and lithium from the fountains in Ashland's downtown plaza, you will always come back.


Here are a few of my favorite shots...

View of a smokey Rogue Valley and Mt. Ashland from atop Grizzly Peak

Mt. McLoughlin

Motley crew hiking Roxxy Ann Peak

My homegirls - Sam and Emily

Emily and Laney Bird

Cascade Range

Pilot Rock

Autumn's turn on Grizzly Peak

 Dead Indian Memorial Road

Warbler and a Rainbow

Lower Table Rock

Double rainbows end in Medford

Sam and Spencer

Lower Table Rock looking to Mt. McLoughlin

Next Stop: Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Oregon Part II: Crater Lake National Park

It's seasonably warm here, nearing the 80's during the day. We kick on the AC in the afternoon and then in turn put on the heat first thing in the morning to take the evening's chill out. I love fall. This place reminds me of Vermont, in a way, with its rolling hills and small towns nestled between valleys. There is some foliage here but nothing compared to vibrant frondescence of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. It is also very very dry, which is also uncommon here but most of the Pacific Northwest is in a severe drought. It's funny being a New Englander, I am always expecting unpredictable weather, when the days are sunny and clear day on end, it seems odd to me.

It was another perfect day, like every other, on our drive to the the 6th inducted park to the National Park Service, Crater Lake National Park. We drove a ways up in elevation so the temperature dropped to the mid 60's. "Whoa" and "wow" were the immediate verbal reactions to all of us upon seeing the electrifying blue color of the lake for the first time. Indian legend says the mountain bluebird was grey before dipping into the waters. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States, 1,943 feet deep to be precise. According to the Park Service, it is also considered to be the cleanest large body of water in the world. Two species of fish call Crater Lake home, rainbow trout and Kokanee salmon, which is a landlocked version of sockeye salmon. The lake was actually a volcano called Mount Mazama. It erupted 7,700 years ago and collapsed in on itself, creating the caldera. It is thought that this major eruption was the largest in North America in the past 640,000 years. There were later, smaller eruptions, creating Wizard Island, which is actually another small volcano within the lake. The crater was eventually filled in with rain and snow. The annual snowfall for the area is 43 feet! Though, last year the park only received 16 feet, an all-time record low. Hello climate change.

As much as we would have liked to camp and spend more time at the park, it was a perfect day trip. We drove the 33 mile loop around the circumference of the lake, stopping at various turnouts to to sightsee and to hike. We hoofed up to the fire tower to get the best and highest view of the giant crater. We also had get down to the water's edge, which there is only one access point to do so. We followed the switchbacks down to the icy blue water, not looking forward to the climb up. Brian was determined to jump in so he, of course, did a backflip off a rock ledge into the clear abyss. Well, I couldn't leave my man hanging, so I stripped down to my skivvies and jumped in too. It was absolutely freezing but totally worth it. We headed back in the late afternoon to meet Emily back at the camper for a crockpot chicken soup dinner.

Brian received his flight itinerary to go back to work so we spent the next day running errands and getting things in order. Our least favorite day. Though, we did sneak in a wine tasting to take a load off. I made Brian his favorite dinner, chicken marsala, and then we set our alarms to 0300 so Brian could get to the airport for his 0530 flight to Tampa.

I am all settled in my temporary home at Glenyan RV. My site has FULL hookups! Originally I was supposed to be located in a site with only power and water. Learning that I now have sewer absolutely made my day. It's the little things in the RV world. I've found the NPR station on the radio, applied for a couple seasonal jobs and have fallen in love with the area. I will also start planning our next leg of the trip, which is still very much up in the air. Right now our outlook is to go to Hawaii for Christmas. We're still unsure of all the details, including how long we will go for, how we'll travel around there, and how many islands we might visit. We are also thinking of doing an inner loop south to interior California and parts of Nevada. We are trying to dodge the winter the best way possible. Brian is out for 60days, it was a short trip home and now a short trip out. He and his relief are splitting the holidays so Brian will work Thanksgiving but will be home for Christmas. Overall our trip up the west coast was good. We had a lot of issues and things were very stressful at times but we saw some amazing things and met some great people. Of course, just as things are back to normal, we have to end. Hopefully we can pick up right where we left off.

Thanks so much for reading and voting for us in the Find Your Park Centennial Project Contest. We really appreciate all the support and love from our family and friends. We love and miss you all. Stay tuned for more adventures with B&D. 

Wizard Island

They found a frame. 

Brian's backflip into the lake. Crazy SOB!

Yes, I jumped in too. 

Phantom Ship: Crater Lake's "other island" resembles a ghostly tall ship. The island is as tall as a 16-story building and is made of erosion-resistant lava, 4000,000 years old, the oldest exposed rock within the caldera. 

Oregon Part I: Caves and Grapes

Driving north and away from the coast on a meandering road through the mountains, I'm not sure if the feeling was more comforting or discomforting to be headed to our final destination. Comforting in the fact that we've survived this trip and excited to finally be moving on to a new state yet discomforting in the way that Brian will be back to work shortly and we still had service repairs needed for the trailer and had not officially locked in a spot for me to stay for the next two months. Luckily, things have been working themselves out, as they always seem to do. The guys at Trailer and RV Parts Warehouse did an awesome job beefing up the leaf springs on the trailer and giving Brian peace of mind about the axel, tires and overall weight of our hideout (which is way under by the way). Did I mention the heater broke too? Yeah, well, they fixed that and ordered our wheel cover piece that that crazy dog ripped off back in Paso Robles. While the Hideout was being worked on, we drove around looking at the different RV parks in the area. Most were very unsightly and right on the highway. They were also all booked. We finally found a secure spot for me at Glenyan RV Park in Ashland. I will be moving the trailer there on October 16th and will stay until mid December when Brian comes home. At the moment we are staying at Emigrant Lake Park, which is just beautiful. Unfortunately they only allow a 14 day maximum stay, otherwise, this is where I would be. I have two friends in the area who have also recently moved here. Emily, Samantha and I trained together in Seattle to be observers back in 2012. Emily is going to graduate school here at SOU and Sam is traveling back and forth to the Gulf of Mexico for the fall for work but will eventually be out here full time and looking for a new job. We will have a great time together.

We made good use of Brian's last couple days on the west coast and the last few days of our trip. Emily's cousin, Ryan, a Northeastern student, flew out for the holiday weekend and together we did the southern Oregon tour. On Saturday we stayed local and went wine tasting at two great places. Did I mention we are in wine country? Lucky me. We took a tour of Eden Vale Orchards, where we ate grapes right off the vine, (I had no idea how delicious they were!) as well as tasted our way through the entire process of winemaking. It was awesome and an absolutely beautiful day for it. We also visited Dana Campbell Vineyard, which had a lovely view, delicious Viognier and outdoor games! We continued on to downtown Ashland to some funky places and barhopped our way back home. Brian was the DD. Lucky him. The next day we took a drive down to Oregon Caves National Monument. After signing up for the 1330 tour, we checked out the coffee shop located in the their historic inn. It was like taking a step back in time to a real 50's style diner, we of course, ordered their milkshake, which was more like a giant sundae. The cave was very cool, literally. The average temperate is 44 degrees. We learned that the marble rock in the cave was a product of tectonic activity. Also, that the cave was once a tropical reef that was pushed under the continental edge to a depth of 12 miles and then uplifted to 4,000 feet about sea level. There was some human influence/defacement in the cave, but not nearly as bad as we've seen in some of the other cave systems within the National Parks. It was a very enjoyable tour.

To end the day we drove down to the Redwoods so Ryan could get a glimpse of the monsters and step into California for the first time. We brought miscellaneous picnic items like cheeses, crackers, party mix and blueberries to snack on while we sat on a blanket on the river bank. But after a long day and still a drive ahead, we left as the sun set.


Sunday we'll drive up to Crater Lake National Park to spend the day. Ryan will join Brian and I while Emily has classes and work to attend. More then.

Emigrant Lake:

Eden Vale Orchards:

The winemaker!

Dana Campbell Vineyard:

Corn-hole!

Oregon Caves National Monument:

Our very enthusiastic tour guide, Scott

marble

Names from the past

a bat!

Smith River at Jedediah State Park

Ryan and Emily

Mmmm..