Friday, May 31, 2013

Next Trip

Shortly after getting back from our trip to Casa Grande, Arizona, the Grand Canyon and The Valley of Fire, I started thinking about our next trip.  I knew we wanted to get the house ready for the market as soon as possible, and going off in the Alfa for two or three weeks at a time was not the best way to accomplish that.  It seems every time we take a trip, many days are lost in preparing for departure, and then when we get home again, in getting settled and back to work.

So we decided to do as much as we can and look at somewhere to go in a few months.  We may take a short weekend trip in July, or do some driveway camping and sleep in the Alfa for a night or two, but our next multi-week jaunt will not be until mid-August. 

Looks like a cool place to visit in August (picture from web)

We will be going up to Olympic National Park in Washington.  

There are a number of  campgrounds operated by the park service, but none with hookups, and most of them have a 21' length limit for RVs. 

I did find one that did have hookups inside the park. It is run by the park's concession company much like the ones we stayed at in Death Valley and the Grand Canyon.  It is at Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort.  There are only 17 RV sites.  I actually made the reservations in April, and at that time there was only one spot available big enough for our 35' Alfa for the week I wanted. I'm glad I looked into it then and didn't wait. There are other RV parks we could stay at in the area, but they are outside the park and we would have to drive in each day.

Although we are not averse to boondocking for a night or two when we are traveling from place to place, we do like to stay at established campgrounds with hookups when we want to settle in for several days. I think it's good practice for full timing when we will probably plan our stays for weeks in one place. We dry camped in Yosemite for five nights last fall, and I found it disturbing that we had to run the generator for several hours every day.  I respect the people who are tent camping and want to enjoy a quiet, clean air environment.  I know if I was a tent camper I would not appreciate a big Class A running a smelly diesel generator at any time of the day. So, until we get solar, I guess we had best stick to places with power. Water and sewer are less essential.

I suspect we will drive up there in two days, stopping overnight at a Walmart or Lowe's.  I'll be looking into other interesting destinations on our way back south, but leave the plans very open.  If all goes well, the house will be on the market by then and we will be free to take our time getting back.  Or better yet, we will get an offer while there and have to hurry back to finish getting rid of stuff before a closing!

Well, we can dream can't we?

11 comments:

  1. Olympian NP is lovely...and BIG! Don't miss the parts of it that are along the coast. Port Angeles is a great base for exploring the area. You can take the ferry for a day trip to charming Victoria. In Port Angeles, I'd recommend the county park on the straight....Salt Lick, I think. It's just up the road from where we stayed. Happy trip planning!!

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  2. Olympic NP, of course. Darn iPhone!

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  3. Fort Flagler State Park on the Puget Sound has a campground I think you could fit it.

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  4. We've never been there so I'm really looking forward to your pictures of the area. Fingers crossed already for the house.

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  5. that is our 'neighbourhood'..well sort of in a round about way! enjoy the planning stage!

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  6. Boy do we remember the pull of the road fighting the work to prep the house.

    But don't feel guilty, you need those weekends away. The house will sell when it's the right time! :c)

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  7. It may not be a dream.

    When we left Georgia for Florida in December, the house was on the market. I told Al I wanted to get a contract while we were gone, but not until March because I didn't want it to ruin my winter.

    Guess what? We got an offer and contract in March! I got my winter vacation and still got the house sold.

    It can happen.

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  8. Dreaming of the future is what makes the future take place.

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  9. Olympic NP sounds beautiful and I bet August is the perfect time of year! With four pups that need AC, we don't boondocks much either...we leave them in the MH for up to 6 hours.

    Keep on dreaming!


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  10. I love my little townhome in Las Cruces, but look forward to traveling to the Pacific Northwest during the summer...

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  11. Olympia sound like a wonderful destination. We didn't have enough time to spend in that area and it is high on my list for our return trip someday. You'll be surprised how quickly August will be here. Good luck with the house.

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