2013-08 Leigh Lake, Grand Teton NP

Our KOA's owner Stuart suggested Leigh Lake and we are so glad he shared this little gem with us! We arrived very early in the tetons to get our backcountry permit for a campsite on Leigh Lake, but unfortunately would not get a spot that first night. So we spent our first night at Colter Bay Campground (Jenny Lake and Signal Mountain were also full). We had stayed at Colter Bay years ago in the RV and had a grizzly bear in our campsite. Glad for no such appearance this time when we're in a flimsy little tent!

Our second night, we packed up the kayak and headed to Leigh Lake. After paddling up String Lake with your gear, there's a portage to Leigh Lake and then paddle to your reserved campsite. We camped at the foot of Mt Moran at the mouth of a stream on a beauiful lake, in site #14B (there are about a dozen campsites on the entire lake). It was a fantastic site, only accessible by boat, and we had both deer and bear in our site overnight. Great experience...peaceful, quiet, and relaxing. Wish we could do it again!

This is a very special place.
pics from Leigh Lake trip

2013-07 Swindler - Blair family reunion

This was a great success - so glad so many folks made it to the reunion, and it was a wonderful visit. A big huge thank you so Sue and John for hosting the event!
Family Reunion Pics

2013-07 UT - Tony Grove Campground, hike to White Pine Lake in Logan Canyon

It has been unusually warm this summer so we were seeking high altitude camping. Tony Grove is over 8000 feet in Logan Canyon, so that's where we headed. It's about 45 minutes to this canyon which runs between Bear Lake and Logan, UT, then another 20 or so to the campground. It is a beautiful drive. Once again, got the last walk-in campsite available, and it also happened to be the best of all the walk-in sites! Really enjoyed this place (though the campground was not well kept, did not have potable water available, and the restrooms were a disgrace). Gary enjoyed swimming in the lake while I hiked the short trail around it. Then the next day we hiked from our campsite over to the trailhead and then we enjoyed the hike to White Pine Lake. http://logancanyonhiking.com/whitepine.htm   Well, let's say I enjoyed it while Gary mumbled and grumbled about the heat. (It was a bit warm even at this altitude - the sun would bake you quickly). Still, I say the very worst day hiking beats the best day in the office!!!

pics from Tony Gove Lake and White Pine Lake trail

2013-06 Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Jackson WY

We took the tent one weekend and headed up to the tetons, stayed at Jenny Lake Campground. info on Jenny Lake campground. This is a busy place but the trails around the lakes are fantastic. Would like to stay here again to hike more of the trails! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Lake We hiked along String Lake  and over to Leigh Lake to scope out the kayak portage, so that we could return on another trip and backcounty camp on Leigh Lake. Wow, what a gorgeous place. Stunningly beautiful.

pics from our stay at Jenny Lake

2013-05 Lava Hot Springs

Lava Hot Springs is managed by the city of Lava Hot Springs, and is very well maintained and beautifully landscaped, though we found the pools to be a bit too hot for all-day relaxing. The river is very popular for tubing, though looked a bit dangerous early in the season. http://www.lavahotsprings.org/ 
We will be back to this spot.

our pics from Lava Hot Springs in May

2013-05 Finally arrived in Montpelier, ID for our summer gig

We're here for the summer working at our first KOA. Very lucky to work 4 days on, 3 off so we can go exploring. We have several hot springs to check out, hiking trails, and a few touristy spots including caves, fossil digging, an excellent Oregon Trail museum, and of course, Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks all within striking distance.

Pics from our wanderings around Montpelier

2013-04 Utah - Hot Springs Resort in Garland UT

We used our RPI membership to stay at this very nice hot springs resort in Utah. It was a nice treat after all the hiking. :-)

pics from Hot Springs Resort

2013-04 From Pahrump to magnificent Zion National Park

We stayed for a couple nights at a Coast to Coast park (also recently became a KOA) while exploring Zion's Kolob Canyon which we had never visited/ We hiked Taylor Creek Trail and checked out the double arch alcove. The entire hike was scenic, following the creek and surrounded by fabulous Navajo sandstone walls. We also spotted smoky the bear on a 1000-foot rock face. http://www.protrails.com/trail/300/

pics from Zion Kolob Canyons - Taylor Creek

 

We moved from the RV park into Zion's Watchman Campground for several nights - so lucky to find a campsite open! Zion is still one of my favorite places. We did tons of hiking and it was fantastic. I can't imagine ever being bored there, and we still haven't done all the trails. The only disappointment was that we were unable to traverse very far up the Narrows because of high water flow.

Pictures from Zion NP

2013-04 Thru Laughlin/Bullhead City, and then Pahrump

We headed from Havasu up through Laughlin, stopping briefly at the same little park in Bullhead City we've stayed at before, and then onward to Pahrump. Our next door neighbor in Pahrump, John, told us he also was heading up to Montpelier ID to sell his jerky on the roadside. (We ended up visiting with him a few times there on the Wyoming border.)
pics from our brief stays in Bullhead City and Pahrump

2013-04 Heading north, a couple days in Havasu

We tried out one of our discount parks on the way north, stayed in Havasu for a couple nights. Spent some time on the lake and going up canyon - next time though, we would love to stay on the island right on the water!
Havasu pics

2013-04 Time with Family in Redlands, Yucaipa, Balboa Island and Huntington Beach

We were very happy my brother Steve and his family came down from BC to visit, spent some time with mom in Yucaipa and visited with Angie and Ray, Rick, Angela and Robert in Huntington Beach. It was fantastic but way too short! Hope we can all get together again soon...

Lots of great pics and great memories!

2013-04 Final visits this year to Sky Valley and Caliente Springs, Desert Hot Springs

We really enjoyed these two resorts and were glad Ray and Kay could visit us to enjoy them as well. Hope we can be back in the future to stay here once again! Absolutely this nicest pools and hot tubs ever!
Pics from Sky Valley and Caliente Springs Resorts

2013-04 Hanging out in Coachella Valley

We enjoyed hiking in the Coachella Valley Preserve (http://coachellavalleypreserve.org/), and at the Whitewater Preserve (whitewater preserve website). Both are terrific places to visit in winter / early spring.

Went to a car show in Palm Springs, and a college softball tournament in Cathedral City. We met up with family in Pomona for the Drag Races, which was a lot of fun. Tried to get the most out of our final weeks of this winter in SoCal.

Pics from early spring in SoCal