This statement has always been a fascination to me. I guess I am one of those folks that tend to live as close to the moment as possible without stepping in my own mess.
Night before last one of those magical times that life happened right before us while we were making plans to go fishing.
We left the Teton Valley and started our trip back South and East. We will be back in Denver tomorrow night if all goes well and the fishing isn't too here on the North Platte River in Saratoga, Wyoming.
But the real story is from a couple of nights ago. We had no reservations at any campgrounds when we left Driggs Idaho. We ventured over Teton Pass which was the steepest both up and down of any of the 14 passes we have encountered on the trip. It was a solid 10% grade for at least 5 mile up and then longer going down the Jackson Hole side. But Red Rooster did a great job of pulling Andiamo over the hill.
Arriving in Jackson to shop and get some fuel for the truck was like a couple of kids from the backwoods being dropped in times square. We were shocked at the pace and the people we encountered. Getting into the gas station was like trying to fit 10 pounds of flour in a 5 pound bag. We were glad to be out of there as soon as possible.
We followed the Snake River south to Hoback Junction before deciding on a whim to head more easterly. We came up and over the hills and dropped down into Pinedale, Wyoming. What a great place with great people and amazing Mexican food!!
When we pulled into our campground on the Green River we were itching to fish since we had been off the water for almost a week. As we were scouting the place to fish we came upon a couple of fellows that were sort of sketchy looking and disheveled and carrying what appeared to be a gun! YIKES
We cautiously said our hellos from a distance and at that point they started walking right toward us all the while hiding the gun. They introduced themselves as Steve and Allen from England. At that point they produced a BB gun that had been made up to look like an old west rifle. Come to find out these blokes were pretending to be wild west cowboys. They were hilarious.
After a short chat Steve asked us "Have you ever seen anything that you cannot explain?" This started a spirited conversation about UFO's and all sorts of other things. They had been to several well known "Sci-fy"places including Marfa, Tx to see the the "lights" and they were asking everyone they met the same question they asked us.
Charlotte and I agreed instantly that they should join us for dinner. When we asked they were ecstatic because all they had to eat was little sausages and stale bread.
Charlotte and I managed to catch one "keeper" size Rainbow Trout and we added that to fresh Halibut from the market in Jackson Hole and some Carne Asada that I had marinated. We also fried a huge skillet of Yukon Potatoes with Shallots and Garlic. All this was topped off with our best box wine and some of their cheap whiskey. What a grand time we had together.
The next morning they were still blown away by the meal we put together. We exchanged emails and sent them on their way with a small bag of fishing flies for them to put on the caps. They thought mine were really cool. In exchange they gave us a small splinter of wood from the windmill that James Dean climbed in the movie Giant in 1950's. In turns out both of our buddies were huge Dean fans.
So there you have it. While wer
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
We made it!!!
We have finally reached our goal of The Grand Targhee
Bluegrass Festival here in Driggs Idaho. It’s been quite a journey to this
point. We have covered over 7200 miles, camped in over 30 places, fished over
25 rivers and creeks, spent more money on fuel than I expected, and met some
amazing people in both meanings of the word.
Now we are enjoying listening to some of the best bluegrass
and Newgrass bands in America today. We decided the traditional mountain music
played by Foghorn Revival is our favorite so far.
It is Sunday morning and everyone at the festival seems to
be moving slowly for some reason. We are slowly getting into our “festival
mode” and trying to decide when to head over to the grounds.
Our camp spot is located on a hill overlooking the main
camping area that is filled with all sorts of car camping and tent camping
festivarians. Our view is to the west so we get the sunsets that have been
spectacular.
Yesterday we hiked in the morning before heading over to
listen to the music. We have met folks and families from all around this region
of the country. Tomorrow we begin the final leg of our first big adventure trip
to the Northwest part of America and Canada. We are setting our sights on a
road trip to Alaska next summer. Stay tuned.
We are both a little sad because Jojo the pretty good dog is
in a kennel while we party down. I am sure she will be ecstatic to see
Charlotte tomorrow and somewhat glad to see me.
We intend to be in the Denver area until the snow flies in
late October. Our time will be spent playing with kids and grandkids, playing
music with friends and assessing the “true needs” of all the stuff we have in
the camper. I am sure that at least 25% of my stuff will be heading to a thrift
store near you. :-P
Andiamo,
C,C,and J
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Don't talk to Strangers
I think I must have heard my mother tell me this a thousand times when I was young. After repeated scolding for talking to anyone that we did not know personally. So I learned at an early age not to trust strangers or speak to them.
As I grew older I began to think about this statement and challenge it. Any of you that know me will agree that I am usually the first to speak to a stranger or as I like to think, a friend that I haven't met yet.
Meeting folks along our path over the past two months has been one of the greatest parts of our journey. Sure the countryside is awesome, but somehow those pictures don't stick in my brain like the memories of sitting at a gas station in Ritzville, Washington, chatting with a guy that loved our truck and wished his Dodge had the white gold trim and then learning about the wheat harvest from this man that worked for the railroad in the area. We learned about a one mile circle of track that is used to fill the grain cars during wheat harvest because there is so much wheat being brought into the silos. Amazing trivia.
Or meeting Bill and Alene in Lethbridge, Alberta at the RV park. Bill is legally blind so Alene does all the driving. They live 6 months in Canada and 6 in Arizona. What I remember about them was their generosity. They offered us coupons for discounts at the food mart and gave us a voucher for two free nights stay at an RV Park near Vancouver ( which we used and got three free nights and saved us over $150 in fees).
Or Dennis the manager of the oil changing operation in the back of Walmart who told me all about his love for Dodge trucks. We chatted about how Canadians and Americans view each other based on the media and not on first hand experience.
We met Peter at a laundromat in Kimberly, British Columbia and found out he and his family had lived on a sailboat for 10 years. He told us of live on Vancouver Island and the hefty price they charge you to ferry your RV over and back. We also learned that his son Dillon was on his way to becoming a world class mountain bike racer and had is eyes set on the Olympics at some point.
Last night we spent time with Tony and Annie, two amazing people from Boise, Idaho. We talked about everything from how to back up a 5th wheel trailer to how to use enriched uranium to replace the aging dam systems along the Columbia River. We are both proponents of setting intention and how it shapes our reality. We were definitely kindred spirits. Tony is currently learning how to teach folks to play gold using a different part of their brain! We know we will see these folks again someday on the road of life.
So the life lesson for me in this is to trust your gut when going through life and don't allow your preconditioned notions control your behavior. Challenge your thinking when you notice yourself following some set of rules that were poured into your brain many years ago.
It's been said that life happens while we are making plans to do something. So today, allow yourself to meet a stranger along the road and maybe you will find a kindred soul.
Andiamo!!
Coy, Charlotte, and Jojo the pretty good dog
As I grew older I began to think about this statement and challenge it. Any of you that know me will agree that I am usually the first to speak to a stranger or as I like to think, a friend that I haven't met yet.
Meeting folks along our path over the past two months has been one of the greatest parts of our journey. Sure the countryside is awesome, but somehow those pictures don't stick in my brain like the memories of sitting at a gas station in Ritzville, Washington, chatting with a guy that loved our truck and wished his Dodge had the white gold trim and then learning about the wheat harvest from this man that worked for the railroad in the area. We learned about a one mile circle of track that is used to fill the grain cars during wheat harvest because there is so much wheat being brought into the silos. Amazing trivia.
Or meeting Bill and Alene in Lethbridge, Alberta at the RV park. Bill is legally blind so Alene does all the driving. They live 6 months in Canada and 6 in Arizona. What I remember about them was their generosity. They offered us coupons for discounts at the food mart and gave us a voucher for two free nights stay at an RV Park near Vancouver ( which we used and got three free nights and saved us over $150 in fees).
Or Dennis the manager of the oil changing operation in the back of Walmart who told me all about his love for Dodge trucks. We chatted about how Canadians and Americans view each other based on the media and not on first hand experience.
We met Peter at a laundromat in Kimberly, British Columbia and found out he and his family had lived on a sailboat for 10 years. He told us of live on Vancouver Island and the hefty price they charge you to ferry your RV over and back. We also learned that his son Dillon was on his way to becoming a world class mountain bike racer and had is eyes set on the Olympics at some point.
Last night we spent time with Tony and Annie, two amazing people from Boise, Idaho. We talked about everything from how to back up a 5th wheel trailer to how to use enriched uranium to replace the aging dam systems along the Columbia River. We are both proponents of setting intention and how it shapes our reality. We were definitely kindred spirits. Tony is currently learning how to teach folks to play gold using a different part of their brain! We know we will see these folks again someday on the road of life.
So the life lesson for me in this is to trust your gut when going through life and don't allow your preconditioned notions control your behavior. Challenge your thinking when you notice yourself following some set of rules that were poured into your brain many years ago.
It's been said that life happens while we are making plans to do something. So today, allow yourself to meet a stranger along the road and maybe you will find a kindred soul.
Andiamo!!
Coy, Charlotte, and Jojo the pretty good dog
Monday, August 5, 2013
Along the trail
We have been following the life of Lewis and Clarke for the past week and continue to be amazed at what they accomplished in their discovery of the Pacific Northwest. They were some tough hombres for sure.
This morning we are sitting along the banks of the Salmon River about 12 miles south of Salmon Idaho. We drove here from a tiny spot in Idaho called Cataldo, which sits along the banks of the Coure D' Alaine River. It may be the most beautiful stretch of river I have ever seen. The fishing was so so but the people were amazing.
We strolled into the metropolis of Pinehurst, Idaho on Saturday to find "Pinehurst Days" in full swing. Their were people from all walks of life walking up and down main street. The big event was a car show that would rival any anywhere. There were hot rods from 1930 to the 90's. My favorite was a 1950 Mercury Montego that was painted black with purple flames. It was awesome. You can see some pics of the show at www.smugmug.com/taters
They had kettle corn and brats and beer and all sorts of local artists, including someone that made art out of old guitar strings. We stopped in at Barneys pretty good grocery and True Value Hardware for some staples to take back to Andiamo.
On our way down hwy 93 out of Missoula Montana we stopped at one of the many fishing access points along the river to see if we might catch a fish in the Bitteroot River. Charlotte met and elderly fellow that informed us the river was closed everyday after 2pm because of the heat and how warm the water gets during the day.
This fellow turned out to be a living legend in the Bitteroot Valley. He is a famous fly tier, guide, and fly box builder named John Foust. He was wearing red suspenders,and very old and oily Orvis hat and smoking a winston cigarette. He showed us the most beautiful fly box I have ever seen and told us how he makes them and the materials he uses. To me he seemed a little sad as he stared out across the river and spoke of how it was around here 25 years ago.
John also told us about his role in the movie "A Rive Runs Through It" and how Robert Redford paid him $300 per hour to assist in the catching of the famous huge fish in the movie. That fish now hangs on his wall at home with a picture of he and Redford.
We are finding the joy of just following our guts and instincts about when and where to stop. Charlotte has found us some amazing places to camp along the way as well as where to find good pie and bad coffee. Tomorrow I will tell you about the little hamlet of George, Washington. I am not making this up.
Today we have labeled Lewis and Clarke day. We are heading into Salmon to the museum and then up to a pass between Idaho and Montana on the continental divide that they crossed with some native american chick, but I can't spell her name. Should be fun. We must also find a laundrymat which is always an adventure as well.
We are continuing to learn about life on the road. It is not as easy or romantic as I make it sound. There are challenges and problems to solve almost everyday. But it's worth the ride.
Once again, thanks to everyone for following our crazy adventure along the roads of life.
Andiamo!!
Coy, Charl, and Jojo the OK dog
This morning we are sitting along the banks of the Salmon River about 12 miles south of Salmon Idaho. We drove here from a tiny spot in Idaho called Cataldo, which sits along the banks of the Coure D' Alaine River. It may be the most beautiful stretch of river I have ever seen. The fishing was so so but the people were amazing.
We strolled into the metropolis of Pinehurst, Idaho on Saturday to find "Pinehurst Days" in full swing. Their were people from all walks of life walking up and down main street. The big event was a car show that would rival any anywhere. There were hot rods from 1930 to the 90's. My favorite was a 1950 Mercury Montego that was painted black with purple flames. It was awesome. You can see some pics of the show at www.smugmug.com/taters
They had kettle corn and brats and beer and all sorts of local artists, including someone that made art out of old guitar strings. We stopped in at Barneys pretty good grocery and True Value Hardware for some staples to take back to Andiamo.
On our way down hwy 93 out of Missoula Montana we stopped at one of the many fishing access points along the river to see if we might catch a fish in the Bitteroot River. Charlotte met and elderly fellow that informed us the river was closed everyday after 2pm because of the heat and how warm the water gets during the day.
This fellow turned out to be a living legend in the Bitteroot Valley. He is a famous fly tier, guide, and fly box builder named John Foust. He was wearing red suspenders,and very old and oily Orvis hat and smoking a winston cigarette. He showed us the most beautiful fly box I have ever seen and told us how he makes them and the materials he uses. To me he seemed a little sad as he stared out across the river and spoke of how it was around here 25 years ago.
John also told us about his role in the movie "A Rive Runs Through It" and how Robert Redford paid him $300 per hour to assist in the catching of the famous huge fish in the movie. That fish now hangs on his wall at home with a picture of he and Redford.
We are finding the joy of just following our guts and instincts about when and where to stop. Charlotte has found us some amazing places to camp along the way as well as where to find good pie and bad coffee. Tomorrow I will tell you about the little hamlet of George, Washington. I am not making this up.
Today we have labeled Lewis and Clarke day. We are heading into Salmon to the museum and then up to a pass between Idaho and Montana on the continental divide that they crossed with some native american chick, but I can't spell her name. Should be fun. We must also find a laundrymat which is always an adventure as well.
We are continuing to learn about life on the road. It is not as easy or romantic as I make it sound. There are challenges and problems to solve almost everyday. But it's worth the ride.
Once again, thanks to everyone for following our crazy adventure along the roads of life.
Andiamo!!
Coy, Charl, and Jojo the OK dog
Monday, July 29, 2013
Back in the USSA
Yep, you betcha. We are back from the land of Canucks, Labatt's Blue, Molson Canadian, and great fishing, eh.
Canadians have this interesting little colloquialism that they use in everyday speech. At the end of a sentence they will often say, eh?. So they turn declarative statements into aquestion. It's really odd and sort of fun to play along. An example would be something like this, "Looks like a storm is brewing, eh?" At first we weren't sure if you are required to respond to the question or simply nod and agree. We have done both.
We spent three weeks bumbledickin around some of the most beautiful country this country boy has ever seen. Towering peaks, deep canyons, wild rivers, Grizzly Bears, Black Bears, Big Horn Sheep, and a couple of Pygmy Nuthatches are just a few examples of the wildlife in Western Alberta and Southern British Columbia.
Charlotte was in Wino Heaven in the Okanagan Valley, near Oliver, BC, which boasts of over 100 wineries. We visited several and decided that Canadian wine is good, some very good, but lacking the full body of California wines. But hey, what do I know, eh. It all tasted like really yummy fermented grapes to me.
We rolled back into the USSA in Sumas, Washington and spent four days on a little lake near Snohomish, Wa called Flowing Lake. We visited with Charlotte's best friend from High School, Sharon Wade and one of my best buddies from the Islands, Jordan Barrows and his main squeeze, Rebecca Gerhart, joined us for a night of laughter and giggles around the campfire. Jordan brought Canadian contraband in the form of Ling Cod and King Salmon fillets as well as some cold smoked salmon jerky and a bottle of fine wine from the big boat where he is the executive chef. We ate well that night.
One of the big highlights of the trip for Charlotte was eating at Ray's Boathouse in Seattle. She claims it is her favorite restaurant in the world. It was a remarkable meal of Halibut steaks, Penn Cove Mussels, followed by dessert of three Port wines paired with chocolates, enjoyed looking at Puget Sound at sunset. It don't get much better than that amigos.
Yesterday was agreeably the worst day of our trip. We spent over 4 hours in stop and go traffic going 50 miles! It was hot, tempers were short and four lanes of traffic going nowhere. Every person in Seattle was leaving town. It was like a mass exodus of humanity. Just Awful. The only redeeming part of the day was pulling into Cabelas parking lot and finding a Sani-dump station that you can use and it took credit cards!! Only good old Cabelas would think of that. Got a love it.
Now we are 40 gallons of poo and 40 gallons of waste water lighter!!
Speaking of poo. Charlotte says we have talked more about it in the last 7 weeks than she has in her entire life. Gotta love it. When you carry your poo everywhere you go it becomes a big part of your conversations.
We are now visiting with Charlotte's friends Peggy and Marilee in Olympia Washington. They have a nice little farm outside of town so we are back to the quiet of being away from the highways and crowd noise that is a constant in RV Parks around the world. They are great hosts. We have spent some time just hanging out on their back deck among beautiful flower and veggie gardens.
Today we head east after traveling basically North and West for almost two months. We will start fishing in earnest again this week near the Metropolis of Sprague, Washington. Look it. My buddy from long ago is taking us to a "special" trout stream that nobody knows about. Sounds interesting, eh?
Then on to Driggs Idaho for the Grand Targhee Bluegrass festival. Ye Ha!
We have learned much in our 6,000 miles we have logged to date. We are experiencing each other in a very contained environment and both of us seem to be loving it. We commented recently that neither of us has felt cramped or overcrowded to this point. That is pretty amazing, eh?
Andiamo!
Capt Coy, Ms Charlotte and Jojo
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| Great Beers in Olympia, Wa |
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| Halibut at Rays Boathouse in Seattle |
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| Fun Times over IPA's |
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| A gift wine from Charlotte's friends that she says is one of the best Cab/Sav's she has ever tasted. That is saying alot if you know Ms Charlotte |
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| Flowers from Peggy's garden |
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
News from the North Country
Well it's been a few days since we let you know what we are up to these days. We have been noodling around the mountains of the Kootenay Valley in Southern British Columbia. It is breathtaking.
We found a funky little moutain community called Kimberly, BC. It's about two hours north of the US border nestled in the high alpine region on St Mary's River. We have been heading up to the lake at the head of the valley to fish at dusk, which at this time of year is about 10:00 PM. We have been dry fly fishing and catching native Cutthroat Trout and Rainbow Trout. They are beautiful fish but a little on the smallish side for my taste.
Kimberly is known as a Bavarian Community with one of the largest (and underrated) ski hills in British Columbia. The town took on a Bavarian theme not because of the European influence but rather as a Chamber of Commerce idea in the late 70's to attract more tourists. It worked. Kimberly boasted the largest working Cookoo Clock in the world. And if you put a "loonie" in the till, (or a buck in the machine) Happy Hans will come out of the open doors and yodel for you. It's was quite amazing to watch the faces of little kids and us as Hans did his thing in the town square.
We also spent one day on a guided fishing trip to the famous Bull River. We had an epic day. we rafted 22 miles of river in about 10 hours and caught at least 50 Wild Cutthroat Trout. Our guides Bernie and Jeff were typical laid back troutbums and new buddies by the end of the day. The Bull runs about 100 kilometers out of the high mountain wilderness down into the Kootenay River which runs into the Columbia, etc, etc.
This morning we are traveling westerly to eventually end up in Vancouver BC. If it is meant to be. Charlotte thinks I would enjoy seeing the city and hopefully the salmon fishing or Steelhead will be running the rivers when we get there.
We stopped and fished the Moyie River this morning for a couple of hours and touched at least 20 fish, the largest being a 16" Cutbow Hybrid Trout. It was beautiful. We also caught our share of native Brook Trout which are the prettiest fish in the world in my opinion. We have some pics but our camera dropped into the water for the 3rd time and we are not sure it can survive a third baptism in a cold river in BC.
Last night was one of the most magical on our trip so far. When we were preparing for our daily dusk fishing outing we heard someone playing the Accordian in the campground. Before we knew it we were doing a Polka in front of our camper. Then we went up river and caught a couple of Cutthroat which we brought back in threw on the barbie for an amazing dinner of just caught trout and coleslaw Charlotte made along with a little Rex Goliath Wine followed by the best Bing Cherries cut up in ice cream for dessert!!! Heavenly
We will be cruising around wine county in the Okanagan Valley for the next four days It should be big fun. As you all can imagine, Ms Charlotte is stoked for this part of our journey. More stories to follow in a day or so.
All the best to all of you and may you find what you seek in this world!
Andiamo!
C, Me, and J
We found a funky little moutain community called Kimberly, BC. It's about two hours north of the US border nestled in the high alpine region on St Mary's River. We have been heading up to the lake at the head of the valley to fish at dusk, which at this time of year is about 10:00 PM. We have been dry fly fishing and catching native Cutthroat Trout and Rainbow Trout. They are beautiful fish but a little on the smallish side for my taste.
Kimberly is known as a Bavarian Community with one of the largest (and underrated) ski hills in British Columbia. The town took on a Bavarian theme not because of the European influence but rather as a Chamber of Commerce idea in the late 70's to attract more tourists. It worked. Kimberly boasted the largest working Cookoo Clock in the world. And if you put a "loonie" in the till, (or a buck in the machine) Happy Hans will come out of the open doors and yodel for you. It's was quite amazing to watch the faces of little kids and us as Hans did his thing in the town square.
We also spent one day on a guided fishing trip to the famous Bull River. We had an epic day. we rafted 22 miles of river in about 10 hours and caught at least 50 Wild Cutthroat Trout. Our guides Bernie and Jeff were typical laid back troutbums and new buddies by the end of the day. The Bull runs about 100 kilometers out of the high mountain wilderness down into the Kootenay River which runs into the Columbia, etc, etc.
This morning we are traveling westerly to eventually end up in Vancouver BC. If it is meant to be. Charlotte thinks I would enjoy seeing the city and hopefully the salmon fishing or Steelhead will be running the rivers when we get there.
We stopped and fished the Moyie River this morning for a couple of hours and touched at least 20 fish, the largest being a 16" Cutbow Hybrid Trout. It was beautiful. We also caught our share of native Brook Trout which are the prettiest fish in the world in my opinion. We have some pics but our camera dropped into the water for the 3rd time and we are not sure it can survive a third baptism in a cold river in BC.
Last night was one of the most magical on our trip so far. When we were preparing for our daily dusk fishing outing we heard someone playing the Accordian in the campground. Before we knew it we were doing a Polka in front of our camper. Then we went up river and caught a couple of Cutthroat which we brought back in threw on the barbie for an amazing dinner of just caught trout and coleslaw Charlotte made along with a little Rex Goliath Wine followed by the best Bing Cherries cut up in ice cream for dessert!!! Heavenly
We will be cruising around wine county in the Okanagan Valley for the next four days It should be big fun. As you all can imagine, Ms Charlotte is stoked for this part of our journey. More stories to follow in a day or so.
All the best to all of you and may you find what you seek in this world!
Andiamo!
C, Me, and J
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
It's Raining!!!
When it rains in Canada it really rains. Three weeks ago in this area it dropped 100mm of rain in 48 hrs. I have no idea how much that is, but the locals were amazed and it caused major problems in the area.
The Trans Canada highway was washed out in several places, many million dollar homes were washed downstream. So Charlotte and I are driving downstream looking for one of those houses to pack up and ship to Montana.
A rain day for us is a day to pause and reflect, eat and watch a movie in Andiamo. We watched Finding Forrester last night and were very entertained. Dinner was left overs for me and a nice pan fried piece of Sole for Charlotte. Charlotte made a chocolate run so we could eat Reeses Pieces and popcorn during the movie. I was supposed to clean up the dishes but got caught up watching a documentary on film editing and lost track of time.
Today we are heading out to ride the highest gondola in North America and hopefully hike down back to Banff. We shall see as the clouds are starting to gather as I type this note.
Life on the road is starting to settle into somewhat of a routine as we get to know one another better as well as the cycles of being road warriors. We have met some fine folks along the way too that make RV living so much more fun and interesting.
Not much else to report today. We are working on our next month of travel and it looks like we are heading west through British Columbia to Vancouver then down to Seattle before driving east back to Idaho.
All the best to our friends and families!
Andiamo!
El Capitan, Charlotte and JoJo the Magnificent.
The Trans Canada highway was washed out in several places, many million dollar homes were washed downstream. So Charlotte and I are driving downstream looking for one of those houses to pack up and ship to Montana.
A rain day for us is a day to pause and reflect, eat and watch a movie in Andiamo. We watched Finding Forrester last night and were very entertained. Dinner was left overs for me and a nice pan fried piece of Sole for Charlotte. Charlotte made a chocolate run so we could eat Reeses Pieces and popcorn during the movie. I was supposed to clean up the dishes but got caught up watching a documentary on film editing and lost track of time.
Today we are heading out to ride the highest gondola in North America and hopefully hike down back to Banff. We shall see as the clouds are starting to gather as I type this note.
Life on the road is starting to settle into somewhat of a routine as we get to know one another better as well as the cycles of being road warriors. We have met some fine folks along the way too that make RV living so much more fun and interesting.
Not much else to report today. We are working on our next month of travel and it looks like we are heading west through British Columbia to Vancouver then down to Seattle before driving east back to Idaho.
All the best to our friends and families!
Andiamo!
El Capitan, Charlotte and JoJo the Magnificent.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
The Last thing you want to see in the woods in Canada
Ms Charlotte and JoJo and I arrived in Banff, Alberta a couple of days ago. To my Colorado friends, Banff is like Vail 25 years ago. Lots of money, pretty people, and hippies. Awesome place. We fit into the latter of the three by the way in case you were wondering.
Our first full day was spent hanging around downtown and people watching. The best of the best in show was a 60 something lady in full Cowgirl regalia including Chaps. She was also wearing see through white pants sans undies. She might have been "working" but we were not sure. Charlotte said she had a really nice Hat, but I didn't notice.
We found our new favorite hangout as well. A coffee shop called "The Second Cup" with great coffees and views for people watching without being 'Arkansas Obvious'. You know what I mean too if your from Arkansas.
We finally headed back to camp as we call it and made home made pizza and drank a little red wine from a box. Those of you that know Charlotte must be amazed that she would allow box wine to touch her lips. We have actually found some that meets her very lowest standards for drinkability.
It is amazing how light it is until WAY past my bedtime. The other night I woke up and looked outside and I could have identified a friend walking by across the street at 11:15 PM. So star gazing has not been on our list of "things to do" lately.
Today we decided to get our lazy butts in gear and go for a hike along Lake Miniwanka (I am not making this up) and have a picnic. We found the trailhead and started our gradual climb up to a viewpoint of a glacier or something else. About 20 minutes into the hike we came upon a group of people standing int the trail pointing with looks of terror on their faces. Yep, you guessed it, a Grizzly Bear. I thought this bear was beautiful but Charlotte had other thoughts.
I took a few steps ahead of the group and started talking to it while Charlotte took several steps back and got behind a guy from Japan with his pepper spray cocked and ready to shoot. I was told that chatting with them in a calm, strong, loud voice is the best way to deal with a bear in the woods. Let it know that it needs to move along and that we both can share the outdoors. This bear was not responding according to the bear management manual at all
When I started talking she looked at me and then snorted and looked back and whistled. I knew exactly at that moment this bear was not alone. A cute little Grizzly Bear Cub came down from the tree and ran up on the trail. It was at this moment I realized I was talking to the second most feared wild animal in the world, a momma Grizzly with her very young cub that could not have weighed more than a hundred pounds. Mamma was not a huge bear but was most likely in the 500 pound range. Did I mention that they were both less than 30 yards away.
It was time for me to employ the second response to a bear if response number one does not work. Start walking away slowly. Then at some point make sure you can outrun somebody else in the group. I knew I could not outrun Charlotte, but I would bet money on the old Japanese dude. We made our way back to the truck so I could change my shorts. I just made up the last part. But it was amazing to see the sight of a truly wild animal and her young trying to use the same footbridge with hundreds of other people today.
When we got back closer to the truck we found a yearling Big Horn Sheep on the road between a bunch of cars going by. He was scared &$^less. He finally got in line and ran across the one lane bridge with some cars in front and back of him. It was quite the sight.
Charlotte has become quite the resident rodent whisperer. She charmed a Canadian Ground Squirrel as well as a very large Chipmunk up to eat out of her hand. This is a capital offense in Canada, so PLEASE do not call the Royal Canadian Mounties and turn her in.
We are finally getting back to fishing tomorrow. If the weather holds we are planning a two hour hike into a high mountain lake to fish for native Cutthroat Trout and some Bull Trout as well. Can't wait. We are stopping in to get some pepper spray in case you were wondering. I also have my sawed off 12 gauge shotgun that I carried when fishing in Alaska few years ago. It may join us for the hike.
We are not sure where our next destination will be. Alaska has been in the running but I think we are getting too late a start before the snow flies up there. So heading south to tour more of the Canadian National Parks or driving more west to Vancouver is popping up. We will be hanging here for at least another 5 days.
Thanks for following our adventure. We recommend it to everyone. It's amazing to get up and not know where you are going that day. Very strange in many ways.
Life lesson from the road today. Don't always rely on the text books when it comes to dealing with wild animals! They are WILD animals.
Andiamo!
The road gang.
PS - In case you want to see pictures of these grand creatures, you will have to wait until next bear sighting because our little hiking camera has decided to operate randomly. Today was a "not working" day. It was working just fine before dropping it in the Yellowstone River last week. Darn.
Our first full day was spent hanging around downtown and people watching. The best of the best in show was a 60 something lady in full Cowgirl regalia including Chaps. She was also wearing see through white pants sans undies. She might have been "working" but we were not sure. Charlotte said she had a really nice Hat, but I didn't notice.
We found our new favorite hangout as well. A coffee shop called "The Second Cup" with great coffees and views for people watching without being 'Arkansas Obvious'. You know what I mean too if your from Arkansas.
We finally headed back to camp as we call it and made home made pizza and drank a little red wine from a box. Those of you that know Charlotte must be amazed that she would allow box wine to touch her lips. We have actually found some that meets her very lowest standards for drinkability.
It is amazing how light it is until WAY past my bedtime. The other night I woke up and looked outside and I could have identified a friend walking by across the street at 11:15 PM. So star gazing has not been on our list of "things to do" lately.
Today we decided to get our lazy butts in gear and go for a hike along Lake Miniwanka (I am not making this up) and have a picnic. We found the trailhead and started our gradual climb up to a viewpoint of a glacier or something else. About 20 minutes into the hike we came upon a group of people standing int the trail pointing with looks of terror on their faces. Yep, you guessed it, a Grizzly Bear. I thought this bear was beautiful but Charlotte had other thoughts.
I took a few steps ahead of the group and started talking to it while Charlotte took several steps back and got behind a guy from Japan with his pepper spray cocked and ready to shoot. I was told that chatting with them in a calm, strong, loud voice is the best way to deal with a bear in the woods. Let it know that it needs to move along and that we both can share the outdoors. This bear was not responding according to the bear management manual at all
When I started talking she looked at me and then snorted and looked back and whistled. I knew exactly at that moment this bear was not alone. A cute little Grizzly Bear Cub came down from the tree and ran up on the trail. It was at this moment I realized I was talking to the second most feared wild animal in the world, a momma Grizzly with her very young cub that could not have weighed more than a hundred pounds. Mamma was not a huge bear but was most likely in the 500 pound range. Did I mention that they were both less than 30 yards away.
It was time for me to employ the second response to a bear if response number one does not work. Start walking away slowly. Then at some point make sure you can outrun somebody else in the group. I knew I could not outrun Charlotte, but I would bet money on the old Japanese dude. We made our way back to the truck so I could change my shorts. I just made up the last part. But it was amazing to see the sight of a truly wild animal and her young trying to use the same footbridge with hundreds of other people today.
When we got back closer to the truck we found a yearling Big Horn Sheep on the road between a bunch of cars going by. He was scared &$^less. He finally got in line and ran across the one lane bridge with some cars in front and back of him. It was quite the sight.
Charlotte has become quite the resident rodent whisperer. She charmed a Canadian Ground Squirrel as well as a very large Chipmunk up to eat out of her hand. This is a capital offense in Canada, so PLEASE do not call the Royal Canadian Mounties and turn her in.
We are finally getting back to fishing tomorrow. If the weather holds we are planning a two hour hike into a high mountain lake to fish for native Cutthroat Trout and some Bull Trout as well. Can't wait. We are stopping in to get some pepper spray in case you were wondering. I also have my sawed off 12 gauge shotgun that I carried when fishing in Alaska few years ago. It may join us for the hike.
We are not sure where our next destination will be. Alaska has been in the running but I think we are getting too late a start before the snow flies up there. So heading south to tour more of the Canadian National Parks or driving more west to Vancouver is popping up. We will be hanging here for at least another 5 days.
Thanks for following our adventure. We recommend it to everyone. It's amazing to get up and not know where you are going that day. Very strange in many ways.
Life lesson from the road today. Don't always rely on the text books when it comes to dealing with wild animals! They are WILD animals.
Andiamo!
The road gang.
PS - In case you want to see pictures of these grand creatures, you will have to wait until next bear sighting because our little hiking camera has decided to operate randomly. Today was a "not working" day. It was working just fine before dropping it in the Yellowstone River last week. Darn.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
O Canada!!!
Well we finally made our initial long term destination, Banff Canada. It may be the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Granite mountains surround this quaint little village. I am sitting in a coffee shop (not Starbucks, which is across the street) looking at a church spire with the back drop of Mt Rundles behind it. Amazing!
We arrive yesterday after a long travel day made much longer by a couple of truckers that collided and left an oil spill on the highway. Two hours of sitting in the truck playing our new favorite game "Heads Up". You can get the app for a buck. We saw a family playing in a bar and fell in love with it. Check it out.
Ms Charlotte was not pleased about the fact that our campsite only had electric and no water or sewage. As she says, "We have talked more about poo in the last month than in her entire life".
It's true, poo is a daily conversation about this like "if it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down". Very stimulating and educational chat. It seemed a bit unfair to be paying about $50 per night to camp. But after checking the local hotel rates and seeing a Day Inn nightly rate of $280 we relaxed a bit. But hey, it's Calgary Stampeded Days so everything is inflated.
Our nicest experience yesterday was stopping for "push" and some lunch. The diner was called Humpty's. We did not expect much, but were delighted when they brought Charlotte one of the best "Veggie Burgers" she his eaten on the trip. My Spinach salad was delicious as well. Go Figure.
So the life lesson from the Road is "Don't judge a restaurant by it's name or looks".
The fishing is not happening since the rivers are still blown out from the recent floods. We crossed sections of the interstate that had been completely washed away by the raging torrents coming down from the mountains. It reminded me of the Big Thompson flood in Colorado in 1976.
Canada is also one of the cleanest places I have ever been. Not even cigarette butts on the ground at stop lights. Amazing. Like the Canada Party folks say, Canada - America only better.
I am beginning to understand why folks like becoming Expats up here. Just don't ask me to convert 116.9 cents per liter to US prices. For me it's impossible. So I just say pump and pay and move on my way.
We have logged almost 4000 miles and we've only been on the road a month. And we have fished at least 10 major rivers and 8 creeks. Life is good.
You can see a bunch of pics at
http://taters.smugmug.com/Other-1/Unfurled-Montana-Paradise/30356387_Kj5MrD
Also, Ms Charlotte is a Canadian Celebrity. She was interviewed by the local news channel in Lethbridge, Alberta about coming up to Canada after the floods. She is deciding whether to post it so you can see it or not. JoJo was a star as well. I was off getting the oil changed in the truck so I missed it all.
Andiamo!
Capt, Char, Jojo
We arrive yesterday after a long travel day made much longer by a couple of truckers that collided and left an oil spill on the highway. Two hours of sitting in the truck playing our new favorite game "Heads Up". You can get the app for a buck. We saw a family playing in a bar and fell in love with it. Check it out.
Ms Charlotte was not pleased about the fact that our campsite only had electric and no water or sewage. As she says, "We have talked more about poo in the last month than in her entire life".
It's true, poo is a daily conversation about this like "if it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down". Very stimulating and educational chat. It seemed a bit unfair to be paying about $50 per night to camp. But after checking the local hotel rates and seeing a Day Inn nightly rate of $280 we relaxed a bit. But hey, it's Calgary Stampeded Days so everything is inflated.
Our nicest experience yesterday was stopping for "push" and some lunch. The diner was called Humpty's. We did not expect much, but were delighted when they brought Charlotte one of the best "Veggie Burgers" she his eaten on the trip. My Spinach salad was delicious as well. Go Figure.
So the life lesson from the Road is "Don't judge a restaurant by it's name or looks".
The fishing is not happening since the rivers are still blown out from the recent floods. We crossed sections of the interstate that had been completely washed away by the raging torrents coming down from the mountains. It reminded me of the Big Thompson flood in Colorado in 1976.
Canada is also one of the cleanest places I have ever been. Not even cigarette butts on the ground at stop lights. Amazing. Like the Canada Party folks say, Canada - America only better.
I am beginning to understand why folks like becoming Expats up here. Just don't ask me to convert 116.9 cents per liter to US prices. For me it's impossible. So I just say pump and pay and move on my way.
We have logged almost 4000 miles and we've only been on the road a month. And we have fished at least 10 major rivers and 8 creeks. Life is good.
You can see a bunch of pics at
http://taters.smugmug.com/Other-1/Unfurled-Montana-Paradise/30356387_Kj5MrD
Also, Ms Charlotte is a Canadian Celebrity. She was interviewed by the local news channel in Lethbridge, Alberta about coming up to Canada after the floods. She is deciding whether to post it so you can see it or not. JoJo was a star as well. I was off getting the oil changed in the truck so I missed it all.
Andiamo!
Capt, Char, Jojo
Montana Madness
We have spent the past week in Montana driving the blue
highways and enjoying fishing the North Platte, Yellowstone, Mill Creek, Big
Creek, and the Missouri.
It has been much fun and very frustrating at times. I have
prided myself in being able to catch fish just about anywhere, but these huge
rivers and creeks have knocked me down a few notches.
The time passes quickly each day we fish and my frustrations
mount as I am baffled by the bugs and waters of this great state.
So ….. we are heading to Canada tomorrow for a couple of
weeks to see if trout up der are more interested in our offerings. We will work
our way up to Banff over the next three days to spend a week in the park
fishing and exploring.
Ms. Charlotte is needing a spa day to get herself back into
looking her best after hanging out with me for a month in a camper and fishing
and hiking in 90+ degree temps.
I am considering not fishing for a few days to regroup and
find my inner trout once again. Being skunked on two creeks and one river are
not sitting well with the Capt.
We are adjusting to life on the road. It is not as easy as
it looks or may seem, but it’s worth it to be able to stop and read all the
“point of interest” signs along the way. When I was a kid we never ever gave a
thought to stopping to get out of the station wagon to read a sign. That was
just out of the question. So over the years when I took my family on trips,
stopping to read a sign was out of the question. Like father like son. We were always just in too big
of a hurry to take time out of our soooo important lives to do such a mundane
thing and “lose time” on the trip.
But all that has changed now. We are taking a much slower
pace and it’s getting slower every couple of days. We love the area around
Craig Montana that we decided to stay an extra day fishing and messing around.
When I went into the office to pay, the guy asked,
“Were you one of the people playing guitar last night?” when I said yes, he handed back the credit card and said the stay tonight was on him for helping keep up the spirit of the park. What a great bunch of people.
“Were you one of the people playing guitar last night?” when I said yes, he handed back the credit card and said the stay tonight was on him for helping keep up the spirit of the park. What a great bunch of people.
So the Missouri Valley here in Northern Montana is in the
running to become our new part-time home after we finish noodling around this
part of the world for a couple more months.
We are getting very sketchy cell service up here and Wi-Fi
is a gift. We will add pics when we get closer to a bigger town.
Andiamo!!
Capt Coy, Ms. Charlotte and JoJo
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Fishing Montana
The first time I laid eyes on the river it seemed like your
typical river with bends and long straight stretches lined with Cottonwoods
along it’s banks.
But then I stepped into the river for the first time and
felt the icy cold waters from high in the Rockies flowing across my waders. The
river seemed much bigger now that I was standing in it.
As I began to make my way to a spot that looked like it
might hold one or two of the famous Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout the first thing
I realized was how slick and slimy the rocks were on the bottom. It’s been said
that wading the Yellowstone is like walking on bowling balls barefooted with
axle grease on your feet.
Other than one or two other smaller rivers, the mighty
Yellowstone may be the slickest river I have ever waded.
Charlotte and I pulled into a small campground along the
river at the bottom of Yankee Jim Canyon and set up camp along in the trees not
more than 75’ from the river. We could here it gurgling and see it running past
our campsite.
We decided to get into the river just downstream and
realized within a few minutes that I had made a mistake in thinking we could
just walk along the edge around the next bend and find a nice spot to start
fishing. My buddy JB Klyapp had mentioned a nice little riffle just down the
way.
We spent about a half an hour struggling to keep one another
from slipping and being forever pulled down the river to our own personal
destiny. It was scary to say the least.
After much spirited conversation about my choices of places
to fish we crawled up the bank and under a barbed wire fence to walk above the
river down to our fishing hole.
When we arrived JB and his wife Lynnae were fishing the best
spot as only a good guide would do. We moved downstream and started chucking huge
Salmon flies into the swift current. On my third cast I hooked and landed a
nice 16” native “cutty” as the locals call them. It’s golden color with reddish
blue dots along the lateral lines made my smile. When I saw the telltale bright
orange stripe under its jaw I knew it was a cutthroat.
Not long after that, Charlotte landed a nice 16” cutthroat
as well. The Salmon flies were everywhere. They are like grasshoppers on
steroids. These things are like miniature 747’s and they seem to love clinging
to you and crawling inside your shirt and under your hat and behind your
sunglasses. It is a little creepy to say the least.
When I looked into the setting sun, the sky is filled with
flies. Mostly giant Caddis flies and the 747’s. It is a fisherman’s dream to be
on the stretch of river when the flies are so thick it looks like the
Apocalypse.
Just before we quit for the day I found a riffle that held
many fish and managed to land a 20” German Brown trout. Many others won the
battle and will be carrying some of my precious flies in there lips for a
couple of days.
As we walked back to camp we talked about how amazing
Paradise Valley is and how fortunate we are to be here together.
Tomorrow we are heading up to Mill Creek in search of big
fat Brook Trout and then come back later in the day to fish the Salmon Fly
hatch again.
This is Paradise for sure.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Whiskey to Wild West
Yesterday was a travel day in Andiamo. We ventured across the most desolate areas I have seen in many moons from Thermopolis, Wy to Cody Wy. Stark landscape between two huge mountain ranges. But in the middle of nowhere we stumbled onto the Wyoming Whiskey Company distillery. We spent an hour with Gary touring the facility. It was awesome to say the least.
Wyoming Whiskey is true bourbon whiskey made from limestone filtered water, local corn, barley and wheat cooked together, then aged in charred white oak barrels before the golden love is bottled and sold. This is good sippin whiskey for sure. Check it out at www.wyomingwhiskey.com
We tried to buy a case, but they make so little of this precious stuff they would only sell us one bottle per person. They are averaging only 8 barrels a week! They cannot keep up with the demand at this point and are adding another 4 fermenters to the distillery soon.
So next time you pass Kirby, Wy population 97 (if company is in town) stop in for a tour and taste of some mighty fine moonshine. It's located 12 miles north of Thermopolis, Wy.
After a wonderful tasting we headed out to Cody and stopped in Meeteetse, Wy for lunch along the
Grey Bull River. Then on to Cody and a wonderful time at the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum. Charlotte got some amazing pics of a Great Horned Owl and Peregrine Falcon they were showcasing at the museum. She was totally in her element with these birds. You can see more pics at http://taters.smugmug.com/Other-1/Unfurled-Road-to-Cody/30213915_KJ577f
We are heading further north this morning through the NE corner of Yellowstone National Park to our next stop which is 5 days fishing on the mighty Yellowstone River!!! Heee Yaaaa. And hanging our with friends in Emmigrant Montana.
Andiamo Amigos
Coy,Charlotte and JoJo
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Wyoming Whiskey is true bourbon whiskey made from limestone filtered water, local corn, barley and wheat cooked together, then aged in charred white oak barrels before the golden love is bottled and sold. This is good sippin whiskey for sure. Check it out at www.wyomingwhiskey.com
We tried to buy a case, but they make so little of this precious stuff they would only sell us one bottle per person. They are averaging only 8 barrels a week! They cannot keep up with the demand at this point and are adding another 4 fermenters to the distillery soon.
So next time you pass Kirby, Wy population 97 (if company is in town) stop in for a tour and taste of some mighty fine moonshine. It's located 12 miles north of Thermopolis, Wy.
After a wonderful tasting we headed out to Cody and stopped in Meeteetse, Wy for lunch along the
Grey Bull River. Then on to Cody and a wonderful time at the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum. Charlotte got some amazing pics of a Great Horned Owl and Peregrine Falcon they were showcasing at the museum. She was totally in her element with these birds. You can see more pics at http://taters.smugmug.com/Other-1/Unfurled-Road-to-Cody/30213915_KJ577f
We are heading further north this morning through the NE corner of Yellowstone National Park to our next stop which is 5 days fishing on the mighty Yellowstone River!!! Heee Yaaaa. And hanging our with friends in Emmigrant Montana.
Andiamo Amigos
Coy,Charlotte and JoJo
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Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Hot water and cool fishing
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| A critical piece of support for the project |
We have spent a couple of days in Thermopolis, Wyoming. It boasts the largest mineral hot spring in the world. We spent our first evening soaking in the thermal waters. Feeling fine and frisky we fished all day yesterday and were skunked. It has been a few moons since the captain caught no fish in a day of plying the water.
So we decided to take a day off from fishing a spend a little time on Andiamo. The first project of the day was to install our new awning. It looked like a two hour job max. Not! It took a full six hours and the brain power of my new best friends, John from Florida, and Phil from Washington State. After many trials and tribulations I can say with confidence that our new awning works flawlessly!! What a great feeling to solve a problem and make a little progress toward getting our new home in full working order.
Ms Charlotte was a domestic goddess today. She washed all our dirty clothes, cleaned the floors, and washed the dog!! I think she deserves a night on the town. We are heading out for Mexican food and some of the local night life here in Northwest Wyoming.
Tomorrow we are heading up the road to Cody Wy. and the Buffalo Bill Museum. More fun to follow.
Andiamo!
Ms Charlotte, Captain Coy and JoJo the clean dog
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| Does this hat make my head look too big? |
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| Really smart people working together |
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| My new best buddies |
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| AAAAHHH Finished product!! |
Monday, June 24, 2013
On the Road Again
Howdy from Western Wyoming.
Home of Cowboys, cows, sheep and big fish.
We ventured across the great prairies of central Wy yesterday. We stopped at Independence Rock and stood on the Oregon Trail. The rock was a landmark that was used as a halfway point sign for travelers going from St Joe Missouri on their way west to Oregon to seek fame and fortune. If they did not reach the rock by July 4th, they were in trouble because the snows in the Rocky Mountains would surely fall before they reached the far west.
It was an amazing feeling to stand where these weary travelers walked and see their names chiseled into the granite rock. I felt very fortunate that our "Conastoga Wagon" is a 34' Camper with all the comforts of home. I really could not fathom how difficult it was for our ancestors to trudge across over 1000 miles of prairie grass just to come over a hill and see the Grand Tetons looming in front of them. It was a beautiful sight for us, but maybe not so for the wagon trains.
We are camped in an RV park along the Big Horn River in Thermopolis Wy. It is the home of the world's largest mineral springs. We soaked our weary bodies in the waters last night after a long hard day on the trail. ;-p
Today we start fishing the Big Horn. Yippie. A new river for me and some big ole fish just waiting to eat our flies. pics to follow.
Life Lesson from the Road - Developing patience. I do not need to stop and pick up everything on the side of the highway what looks useful. I had to bite my tongue as we passed a brand new sewer hose laying along hwy 220. It was all I could do to keep from turning Andiamo around in the middle of the highway to go back and pick it up. I did get a nice "noodle" that had blown out of someone's boat the other day.
Andiamo!!
Capt Coy, Ms Charlotte, and Jojo
Check out our latest pics at
http://taters.smugmug.com/Other-1/Unfurled1stDayOnNorthPlatte/30113162_gnqD77#!i=2588900087&k=5JPV2D7
Home of Cowboys, cows, sheep and big fish.
We ventured across the great prairies of central Wy yesterday. We stopped at Independence Rock and stood on the Oregon Trail. The rock was a landmark that was used as a halfway point sign for travelers going from St Joe Missouri on their way west to Oregon to seek fame and fortune. If they did not reach the rock by July 4th, they were in trouble because the snows in the Rocky Mountains would surely fall before they reached the far west.
It was an amazing feeling to stand where these weary travelers walked and see their names chiseled into the granite rock. I felt very fortunate that our "Conastoga Wagon" is a 34' Camper with all the comforts of home. I really could not fathom how difficult it was for our ancestors to trudge across over 1000 miles of prairie grass just to come over a hill and see the Grand Tetons looming in front of them. It was a beautiful sight for us, but maybe not so for the wagon trains.
We are camped in an RV park along the Big Horn River in Thermopolis Wy. It is the home of the world's largest mineral springs. We soaked our weary bodies in the waters last night after a long hard day on the trail. ;-p
Today we start fishing the Big Horn. Yippie. A new river for me and some big ole fish just waiting to eat our flies. pics to follow.
Life Lesson from the Road - Developing patience. I do not need to stop and pick up everything on the side of the highway what looks useful. I had to bite my tongue as we passed a brand new sewer hose laying along hwy 220. It was all I could do to keep from turning Andiamo around in the middle of the highway to go back and pick it up. I did get a nice "noodle" that had blown out of someone's boat the other day.
Andiamo!!
Capt Coy, Ms Charlotte, and Jojo
Check out our latest pics at
http://taters.smugmug.com/Other-1/Unfurled1stDayOnNorthPlatte/30113162_gnqD77#!i=2588900087&k=5JPV2D7
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Just the two of us ..... we can make it if we try ..... just the two of us
Finally after many months of planning and trial and errors, and more errors than trials, Ms Charlotte and I have headed North from Denver to Central Wyoming to fish.
When we started planning this grand adventure during last winter, fishing, birding, family, and friends were all on the radar.
We have seen all of our families recently and I have learned more about birds in the past couple of months than I ever dreamed I would and now ..... finally we are fishing.
We are now alone on our adventure of getting to know one another better and falling deeper in love every day. She is amazaballs!! (her word, not mine)
We pulled into my favorite fishing spot in North America yesterday about 5. It's called Grey Reef for some unknown reason that nobody around here can explain. I can tell you it ain't grey. The Oregon Trail runs right through our camping area. How cool is that??
We had plenty of daylight to set up camp, make more mistakes, and then head down to the South Platte River in Central Wyoming to settle in for some serious fishing.
The three Reservoirs that make up this fishery were built in the early 1900's to provide water and power to farmers all along this stretch of river. Inadvertently, they created some of the best trout fishing streams in the world right here smack dab in the middle of Wyoming. Who'd a thunk it.
In the fall, huge brown trout come up out of the cold deep waters of the three lakes into the river to spawn. Rainbow trout do the same thing in the springtime. We missed the spawn, but there are plenty of healthy fish to tempt us at this time of year.
We hooked 9 fish last night and did not put one in the net. That was both exhilarating and frustrating to a guy that loves to net fish.
The this morning we hit paydirt. Charlotte, hooked, fought, and landed at 20" Rainbow on her very first cast. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. By the look on her face, I think I got me a fishin' woman!!! She was thrilled to land such a quality fish. She fought it about 10 minutes and landed it after it made 6 long runs. She looked like a pro.
As you can see by the picture below, she does need a little coaching on how to hold a nice fish for a picture. Trust me when I tell you it was a solid 20" fish with at least a 12" girth. In the neighborhood of 4 lbs.
We are resting this afternoon as the Wyoming sun is brutal today, the longest day of the year. Happy summer solstice to all!!
We will be here for another couple of days then head northwest to fish the Big Horn River near Thermopolis, Wyoming. More fishing stories to follow.
Andiamo!!
From Charlotte, me and JoJo the Magnificent
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When we started planning this grand adventure during last winter, fishing, birding, family, and friends were all on the radar.
We have seen all of our families recently and I have learned more about birds in the past couple of months than I ever dreamed I would and now ..... finally we are fishing.
We are now alone on our adventure of getting to know one another better and falling deeper in love every day. She is amazaballs!! (her word, not mine)
We pulled into my favorite fishing spot in North America yesterday about 5. It's called Grey Reef for some unknown reason that nobody around here can explain. I can tell you it ain't grey. The Oregon Trail runs right through our camping area. How cool is that??
We had plenty of daylight to set up camp, make more mistakes, and then head down to the South Platte River in Central Wyoming to settle in for some serious fishing.
The three Reservoirs that make up this fishery were built in the early 1900's to provide water and power to farmers all along this stretch of river. Inadvertently, they created some of the best trout fishing streams in the world right here smack dab in the middle of Wyoming. Who'd a thunk it.
In the fall, huge brown trout come up out of the cold deep waters of the three lakes into the river to spawn. Rainbow trout do the same thing in the springtime. We missed the spawn, but there are plenty of healthy fish to tempt us at this time of year.
We hooked 9 fish last night and did not put one in the net. That was both exhilarating and frustrating to a guy that loves to net fish.
The this morning we hit paydirt. Charlotte, hooked, fought, and landed at 20" Rainbow on her very first cast. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. By the look on her face, I think I got me a fishin' woman!!! She was thrilled to land such a quality fish. She fought it about 10 minutes and landed it after it made 6 long runs. She looked like a pro.
As you can see by the picture below, she does need a little coaching on how to hold a nice fish for a picture. Trust me when I tell you it was a solid 20" fish with at least a 12" girth. In the neighborhood of 4 lbs.
We are resting this afternoon as the Wyoming sun is brutal today, the longest day of the year. Happy summer solstice to all!!
We will be here for another couple of days then head northwest to fish the Big Horn River near Thermopolis, Wyoming. More fishing stories to follow.
Andiamo!!
From Charlotte, me and JoJo the Magnificent
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Friday, June 14, 2013
All is well in Pooville
The day was all hot and sticky,
The captain found something icky
He thought it was gross and so stinky
and realized it was poo on his pinky
So he found some plasti mend
and applied with gusto - amen
When it finally dried and
The poo back inside
Andiamo was ready to ride
Yes folks it true, I was able to repair for $40 what would have been at least $500 at the shop to replace a bad waste water holding tank!! Yippie
It did take about 10 hours total of my time
But hey -- who is counting.
Life back to some semblance of normal here in Colorado.
We are getting booted out of our campsite this AM with weekenders that made reservations last January.
So we are heading up the hill, also known as I-70, to Hot Sulphur Springs, which is a lovely little hippy dippy type area with great hot springs, free camping!!!!!, and of course fishing. Then back down to Denver for a few days to say good bye to friends and family until we return in late summer.
Yesterday was great fun with Grandkids Grace and Caleb at the beach on Cherry Creek Reservoir. Building mud structures, making new friends, laughing, and splashing in the chilly waters. Then daughter Morgan and husband Seth dropped by for dinner and conversation while the kids, dirtier than a Manhatten Sewage worker, played until dark with their news best friends. It was a magical evening until the mosquitoes decided to join the party.
Thanks again to all that read our little adventure blog,
Andiamo!
Captain and Ms Charlotte and JoJo the wonder dog
The captain found something icky
He thought it was gross and so stinky
and realized it was poo on his pinky
So he found some plasti mend
and applied with gusto - amen
When it finally dried and
The poo back inside
Andiamo was ready to ride
Yes folks it true, I was able to repair for $40 what would have been at least $500 at the shop to replace a bad waste water holding tank!! Yippie
It did take about 10 hours total of my time
But hey -- who is counting.
Life back to some semblance of normal here in Colorado.
We are getting booted out of our campsite this AM with weekenders that made reservations last January.
So we are heading up the hill, also known as I-70, to Hot Sulphur Springs, which is a lovely little hippy dippy type area with great hot springs, free camping!!!!!, and of course fishing. Then back down to Denver for a few days to say good bye to friends and family until we return in late summer.
Yesterday was great fun with Grandkids Grace and Caleb at the beach on Cherry Creek Reservoir. Building mud structures, making new friends, laughing, and splashing in the chilly waters. Then daughter Morgan and husband Seth dropped by for dinner and conversation while the kids, dirtier than a Manhatten Sewage worker, played until dark with their news best friends. It was a magical evening until the mosquitoes decided to join the party.
Thanks again to all that read our little adventure blog,
Andiamo!
Captain and Ms Charlotte and JoJo the wonder dog
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Attacking the Leaking Pooper
It's not everyday that one gets the opportunity to play with raw sewage. It's not everyday that one gets to crawl under a camper where this raw product has been leaking onto the concrete and put one's hands and fingers around slimy, nasty, poo-filled areas. This is just not something we get to do everyday.
However, today is my day to do such an activity. As soon as I finish typing I will be putting on my chemical warfare suit, aka a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, and crawling under Andiamo with a grinder and drill to remove all the "residue" around a crack in our sewage line.
Sure I could pay someone else to do this, but I would be depriving myself of this experience. And as you all know, I am all about the experiences life offers us. This is just not one that would have volunteered for unprovoked.
Ms Charlotte will be providing moral support and tequila if needed for this activity.
I have tried many different ways to fix this type of problem in the past with little success. On other campers I have used JB Weld, Epoxy, Steel Putty, Epoxy Putty, Liquid Nails, Elmer's Glue, Gorilla Glue, and chewing gum. Nothing works.
My buddy and sometimes cohort in "projects", Doug "the master RV mechanic" Pollock has sworn that the only thing that works on black plastic is this stuff called Plasti-mend. It's sounds like something out of a children's book, but Doug says it works. But first you have to grind away all the other stuff that didn't work including poo residue build up around the aforementioned crack.
I find it rather humorous that my sewage problem is referred to as a "crack". Just sayin'. Anyway, back to the story.
Since it was 156 degrees here in Denver yesterday, I have decided to spend the early morning hours today under the camper on by back before the concrete becomes so hot you could fry some bacon on it.
More to follow after my first attempt at "preparing the crack for repair". I think I would rather be going in for hemorrhoid surgery to fix my own crack than what I am about to attempt.
Stay tuned for more fun and games (and pictures) from the road...
Andiamo!
Captain Poo Bear and Ms Charlotte
However, today is my day to do such an activity. As soon as I finish typing I will be putting on my chemical warfare suit, aka a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, and crawling under Andiamo with a grinder and drill to remove all the "residue" around a crack in our sewage line.
Sure I could pay someone else to do this, but I would be depriving myself of this experience. And as you all know, I am all about the experiences life offers us. This is just not one that would have volunteered for unprovoked.
Ms Charlotte will be providing moral support and tequila if needed for this activity.
I have tried many different ways to fix this type of problem in the past with little success. On other campers I have used JB Weld, Epoxy, Steel Putty, Epoxy Putty, Liquid Nails, Elmer's Glue, Gorilla Glue, and chewing gum. Nothing works.
My buddy and sometimes cohort in "projects", Doug "the master RV mechanic" Pollock has sworn that the only thing that works on black plastic is this stuff called Plasti-mend. It's sounds like something out of a children's book, but Doug says it works. But first you have to grind away all the other stuff that didn't work including poo residue build up around the aforementioned crack.
I find it rather humorous that my sewage problem is referred to as a "crack". Just sayin'. Anyway, back to the story.
Since it was 156 degrees here in Denver yesterday, I have decided to spend the early morning hours today under the camper on by back before the concrete becomes so hot you could fry some bacon on it.
More to follow after my first attempt at "preparing the crack for repair". I think I would rather be going in for hemorrhoid surgery to fix my own crack than what I am about to attempt.
Stay tuned for more fun and games (and pictures) from the road...
Andiamo!
Captain Poo Bear and Ms Charlotte
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Poetry Reading
Most of you most likely don't know that I write a little poetry and do a little storytelling. But if you do know me, you know that I do love to tell a good story.
Last night in Denver I was featured Poet/Storyteller at Stage C, which is a local Denver institution. The venue last night was the famous Mercury Cafe, a funky restaurant bar with a venue for performers. It's a throwback from the 70's for sure. Lots of tapestries and Christmas lights everywhere.
We arrived early and had a wonderful dinner with the couple that started Stage C a number of years ago, Marcella Skogen and Wayne Massi.
Since most of you weren't there, I thought I would share the first piece I read. It's about searching the highways across America looking for an old fashioned honest to God service station. They are few and far between. If you know of one of these places please let us know. We would love to stop by and filler 'er up.
I hope you enjoy........
Last night in Denver I was featured Poet/Storyteller at Stage C, which is a local Denver institution. The venue last night was the famous Mercury Cafe, a funky restaurant bar with a venue for performers. It's a throwback from the 70's for sure. Lots of tapestries and Christmas lights everywhere.
We arrived early and had a wonderful dinner with the couple that started Stage C a number of years ago, Marcella Skogen and Wayne Massi.
Since most of you weren't there, I thought I would share the first piece I read. It's about searching the highways across America looking for an old fashioned honest to God service station. They are few and far between. If you know of one of these places please let us know. We would love to stop by and filler 'er up.
I hope you enjoy........
The
Road Seems so easy
when
looking at it from the comfort of my home.
Reality
always seems to show up a little differently than in my dreams.
Sometimes
harder --- but mostly just... different
On
the maps all the places appear to be closer together than I expect it will take
us to cover that piece of ground.
The
maps don’t really give you much information about the turf between the dots on
the paper. That is where the action is!!
Tiny
diners along the blue highways selling coconut cream pies and velvet pictures
of Elvis alongside “official” jackets with NASCAR emblazoned across the back.
We
pass along abandoned service stations that gave up trying to compete with the
big chain outfits like Roadrunner, Quick Mart, Kum and Go, U-totem, Tote and
Poke, -- the list goes on forever.
But
we keep looking for one of the good old boy stations where someone greets you with a red rag
hanging out of their back pocket and a cigarette hanging out of the corner of
their mouth.
With
their names displayed proudly across their hearts – gas station attendant names
like Leroy, Gus, Sparky, Joe bob, Clarence and Boo.
We haven’t found one yet, but we will keep
looking for a real gas station that sells Peppermint Patties and Chicken Stix.
Andiamo!
Capt Coy and Ms Charlotte
Saturday, June 8, 2013
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
When we started our adventure we knew that it would not all be wine and roses. It did not take long for the reality of being on the road pulling 16 thousand pounds down the highways at 60 plus miles per hour.
Our first day on the road was a short one. Thank God. We left Hot Springs, Arkansas after having new tires put on Andiamo, our 34' camp trailer. We headed west to Daisy State Park on Lake Greeson which is only 50 miles from home. We stopped overnight there for Ms Charlotte's going away party with Weyerhaeuser Lumber. They had fried catfish, homemade coleslaw and all the fixins. Just a great evening.
When we opened the camper after our first 50 miles, it looked like a bomb had exploded inside. There was stuff scattered everywhere. Lessons learned in the fine art of stowing all gear before heading out on the road. Thankfully nothing was broken and only our pride was bruised.
The second day on the road was quite eventful. That is a really nice way of saying a rough one. Andiamo is not a new camper. She is 11 years old and even though everything works, not everything works perfectly.
As we were cruising along just 30 miles south of Tulsa we heard a Whoooooshing noise that came from the camper. It occured as we were going under an overpass, so my problem solving brain instantly decided it was nothing more than us driving through puddled water. That didn't seem to satisfy Ms Charlotte. She looked back and saw what was left of our awning flapping against the side of the camper. I looked into the mirror and saw the remnants of the metal attachments bouncing around along the interstate. The sound I mentioned was the tearing of the fabric on the awning away from the supports. Not a good sound at all to hear at that moment.
We were Extremely fortunate that this mishap did not occur when we in heavy traffic in Tulsa or what was a problem could have become a disaster.
We were able to stop the rig in a perfect place to be able to assess the situation. We both remained surprisingly calm and decided the best thing to do was to rip the remaining canvas down from it's attachment to the camper. Then we pulled the remaining pieces of the metal awning together and used bungy cords to fasten it to the side of the unit.
We we got back in the truck we were both able to laugh at our plight and decided to put a large warning sign on the back of the camper that tells everyone to stay 500' back because we are RV Rookies!
The only real bright spot in the situation is that we now have a very nice ground cloth to put under our tables.
One of the life lessons for me here is to not take anything for granted. The old latches on the awning had loosed and opened from the road vibrations. I remember wondering a couple of weeks ago if these latches might need a little reinforcement, but did nothing about it. Hopefully I will not do that again. I vow to pay attention to that little voice in the back of my head.
Day three on the road produced no mechanical failures that we are aware of, and we cruised into Denver, Colorado last evening just in time to get our camp set up and enjoy a glass of wine as the sunset over the Rockies.
We plan on spending at least 10 days here to celebrate my birthday with my kids and grandkids. That should prove to be a great time. If they ask me what I want for my birthday, I will tell them a nice awning!
The Captain and Ms Charlotte
Our first day on the road was a short one. Thank God. We left Hot Springs, Arkansas after having new tires put on Andiamo, our 34' camp trailer. We headed west to Daisy State Park on Lake Greeson which is only 50 miles from home. We stopped overnight there for Ms Charlotte's going away party with Weyerhaeuser Lumber. They had fried catfish, homemade coleslaw and all the fixins. Just a great evening.
When we opened the camper after our first 50 miles, it looked like a bomb had exploded inside. There was stuff scattered everywhere. Lessons learned in the fine art of stowing all gear before heading out on the road. Thankfully nothing was broken and only our pride was bruised.
The second day on the road was quite eventful. That is a really nice way of saying a rough one. Andiamo is not a new camper. She is 11 years old and even though everything works, not everything works perfectly.
As we were cruising along just 30 miles south of Tulsa we heard a Whoooooshing noise that came from the camper. It occured as we were going under an overpass, so my problem solving brain instantly decided it was nothing more than us driving through puddled water. That didn't seem to satisfy Ms Charlotte. She looked back and saw what was left of our awning flapping against the side of the camper. I looked into the mirror and saw the remnants of the metal attachments bouncing around along the interstate. The sound I mentioned was the tearing of the fabric on the awning away from the supports. Not a good sound at all to hear at that moment.
We were Extremely fortunate that this mishap did not occur when we in heavy traffic in Tulsa or what was a problem could have become a disaster.
We were able to stop the rig in a perfect place to be able to assess the situation. We both remained surprisingly calm and decided the best thing to do was to rip the remaining canvas down from it's attachment to the camper. Then we pulled the remaining pieces of the metal awning together and used bungy cords to fasten it to the side of the unit.
We we got back in the truck we were both able to laugh at our plight and decided to put a large warning sign on the back of the camper that tells everyone to stay 500' back because we are RV Rookies!
The only real bright spot in the situation is that we now have a very nice ground cloth to put under our tables.
One of the life lessons for me here is to not take anything for granted. The old latches on the awning had loosed and opened from the road vibrations. I remember wondering a couple of weeks ago if these latches might need a little reinforcement, but did nothing about it. Hopefully I will not do that again. I vow to pay attention to that little voice in the back of my head.
Day three on the road produced no mechanical failures that we are aware of, and we cruised into Denver, Colorado last evening just in time to get our camp set up and enjoy a glass of wine as the sunset over the Rockies.
We plan on spending at least 10 days here to celebrate my birthday with my kids and grandkids. That should prove to be a great time. If they ask me what I want for my birthday, I will tell them a nice awning!
The Captain and Ms Charlotte
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
YIKES!! It's time to go
Today is our last day getting everything ready to head out on the road tomorrow. So many things to do in the next 24 hours.
Our "list" is down to about 10 items. The big ticket items are checked off, but the little stuff will eat up our day today. When we started planning there were over 30 items on the list! It will feel great to lock the house later today and move into our new portable home.
When we looked at all the "stuff"(Charlotte has another name for it) we didn't think it would all fit, but sure enough it did. Plenty of "shoe space" for Queen Charlotte. That would have been a deal breaker. Also, enough room for my fly rods, gear, belly boat, and two grills for manly cooking on the road. Also was able to get my tools in there as well. Trying to decide if I should take me mig welder too. I know I will want it if I don't have it. So many choices, so little time.
Trying to decide what pictures to take to put on the limited wall space has been a challenge as well. It's amazing all the thoughts that go through our minds as we are trying to make these kind of decisions. Everything seems so very important initially but most of it fades into the back ground quickly.
Perspective changes our decision at every turn. I hope to write more about this later when I have more time to sit and reflect. But today is Go Day.
Thanks again for your interest in our madness. Any tips or ideas for living the Gypsy Lifestyle are appreciated.
Andiamo!!!!!
Coy and Charlotte and JoJo
Our "list" is down to about 10 items. The big ticket items are checked off, but the little stuff will eat up our day today. When we started planning there were over 30 items on the list! It will feel great to lock the house later today and move into our new portable home.
When we looked at all the "stuff"(Charlotte has another name for it) we didn't think it would all fit, but sure enough it did. Plenty of "shoe space" for Queen Charlotte. That would have been a deal breaker. Also, enough room for my fly rods, gear, belly boat, and two grills for manly cooking on the road. Also was able to get my tools in there as well. Trying to decide if I should take me mig welder too. I know I will want it if I don't have it. So many choices, so little time.
Trying to decide what pictures to take to put on the limited wall space has been a challenge as well. It's amazing all the thoughts that go through our minds as we are trying to make these kind of decisions. Everything seems so very important initially but most of it fades into the back ground quickly.
Perspective changes our decision at every turn. I hope to write more about this later when I have more time to sit and reflect. But today is Go Day.
Thanks again for your interest in our madness. Any tips or ideas for living the Gypsy Lifestyle are appreciated.
Andiamo!!!!!
Coy and Charlotte and JoJo
Monday, June 3, 2013
Getting Ready
Starting a 4000 mile journey is easy. You just get in the truck and head out on the road. However, preparing for that journey is another story all together.
We have been planning this adventure now for about 5 months. We bought an older 5th wheel camper we have named "Andiamo"or "Let's Go" in Italian. Then we had to get a newer truck to pull the 34', 15,000 pound beast. This turned into purchasing a new Dodge 2500 with a diesel motor. Those of you that know me know that I would never purchase anything new especially a vehicle. But I think we made a wise choice in getting a truck that has a full warranty and such, and it's a damn nice truck.
We are now down to what clothes to put into a 4' wide closet. Charlotte is moving from a walk in closet, so she has many harder choices to make than me. Having said that, I had to go through 19 fly rods and choose 6 that I would take on the road. That was tough.
The other aspects of leaving are deciding what to do with birds, dogs, the house, etc. Fortunately, friends have stepped in to help us in with all of this stuff. So we are now down to one dog, Josephina, a ten pound miniature Schnauzer.
Other choices include what spices to take and what tools to take in a limited amount of space. We are moving from 2500 square feet into less than 400 square feet. We really are putting 10 pounds of flour into a 5 pound bag. It's not easy, but we are getting there. We have two more days to put the finishing touches on the whole shebang and then we are off on Wed.
We so appreciate those that are following us on our blog. We hope to make it fun and entertaining as well as enlightening. We are living our dreams being Rewired not Retired.
Bon Voyage,
Ms Charlotte and the Captain
We have been planning this adventure now for about 5 months. We bought an older 5th wheel camper we have named "Andiamo"or "Let's Go" in Italian. Then we had to get a newer truck to pull the 34', 15,000 pound beast. This turned into purchasing a new Dodge 2500 with a diesel motor. Those of you that know me know that I would never purchase anything new especially a vehicle. But I think we made a wise choice in getting a truck that has a full warranty and such, and it's a damn nice truck.
We are now down to what clothes to put into a 4' wide closet. Charlotte is moving from a walk in closet, so she has many harder choices to make than me. Having said that, I had to go through 19 fly rods and choose 6 that I would take on the road. That was tough.
The other aspects of leaving are deciding what to do with birds, dogs, the house, etc. Fortunately, friends have stepped in to help us in with all of this stuff. So we are now down to one dog, Josephina, a ten pound miniature Schnauzer.
Other choices include what spices to take and what tools to take in a limited amount of space. We are moving from 2500 square feet into less than 400 square feet. We really are putting 10 pounds of flour into a 5 pound bag. It's not easy, but we are getting there. We have two more days to put the finishing touches on the whole shebang and then we are off on Wed.
We so appreciate those that are following us on our blog. We hope to make it fun and entertaining as well as enlightening. We are living our dreams being Rewired not Retired.
Bon Voyage,
Ms Charlotte and the Captain
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Starting The Gypsy Lifestyle
This blog will assist us in letting everyone know who and where we are on the planet. It will also help you in staying connected with us along the highways and byways of life.
If you would like to follow our journey, please join us.
We are just like you. People that are curious about learning about what is out there on this great planet. We define ourselves as being Rewired, not Retired.
We are grateful to be in a place in life that we can pull the proverbial plug on living in a home attached to a piece of real estate. We are heading out this summer in our not so new 34' 5th wheel we have named "Andiamo" which means "let's go" in Italian. Our hope is to see what lies north and west of Arkansas.
Our journey will take us to Colorado for a couple of weeks then up to Immigrant, Montana for some trout fishing the later part of June. From there we head due north to Banff, Alberta, Canada for a couple of weeks. Then it's back into America through Idaho. We stop in Driggs, Idaho August 7-12 for the Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival. Then it's back to Colorado to fish until the snow flies. Who knows where we go after that.
In this blog we hope to write about who we meet, what we see, and what we learn about ourselves and life. So ... join the fun.
Gypsies are defined as nomadic people that live an unconventional way of life and travel without a specific destination. I would say that pretty much sums us up.
So please follow Ms Charlotte and me as we drive along the blue highways in search of adventure.
Capt Coy
If you would like to follow our journey, please join us.
We are just like you. People that are curious about learning about what is out there on this great planet. We define ourselves as being Rewired, not Retired.
We are grateful to be in a place in life that we can pull the proverbial plug on living in a home attached to a piece of real estate. We are heading out this summer in our not so new 34' 5th wheel we have named "Andiamo" which means "let's go" in Italian. Our hope is to see what lies north and west of Arkansas.
Our journey will take us to Colorado for a couple of weeks then up to Immigrant, Montana for some trout fishing the later part of June. From there we head due north to Banff, Alberta, Canada for a couple of weeks. Then it's back into America through Idaho. We stop in Driggs, Idaho August 7-12 for the Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival. Then it's back to Colorado to fish until the snow flies. Who knows where we go after that.
In this blog we hope to write about who we meet, what we see, and what we learn about ourselves and life. So ... join the fun.
Gypsies are defined as nomadic people that live an unconventional way of life and travel without a specific destination. I would say that pretty much sums us up.
So please follow Ms Charlotte and me as we drive along the blue highways in search of adventure.
Capt Coy
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