74 Camping Locations
Running Tally since April 2023
The Amazing Gap Year Adventures are complete ... but there is so much more to explore, so it's not over yet.
You are never too old to Explore the Possibilities!
(click on any post below to see more details, status updates & pictures.
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Where are Cia & Corky?
We don’t always have connectivity, but you can track us via our Garmin inREACH satellite feed. This should follow us globally, as long as we have powered the device and have it turned on! Corky&Cia Now Where we are targeting:…
57 of 63 National Parks visited: Just completed Alaska’s Kenai Fjords by boat, Denali by plane, Glacier Bay by boat, Lake Clark & Katmai by floatplane.
Unbelievable beauty!
Alaska’s National Parks are beyond amazing : we just visited 5 that need to be on your bucket list ….
36 States / Provinces 2023-2024
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
We spent a couple of lovely weeks dog sitting in Carmel, CA and it was a nice little break from the camper life. We were able to take many walks along the beach and through the magical town of Carmel-by-the-Sea.…
Happy Anniversary Gap Year
We are celebrating our one year anniversary of our Gap Year Adventures. It has been a wonderful year, and will continue for awhile longer.
Hot Springs National Park and Buffalo National River, Arkansas
Hot Springs NP is a unique national park with a town nestled in the center with historic bath houses from the 19th and 20th centuries. We had a chance to be pampered in one of the active bath houses. Buffalo…
Total eclipse 4/11/24
Robinson Point: Mountain Home Arkansas – what a wonderful experience!!!
2 National Parks (total 50), National Parkway & Battlefield
New River Gorge & Shenandoah NP in Virginia and West Virginia, Cowpens Battlefield in South Carolina and Blue Ridge National Parkway in Virginia & North Carolina. We visited more ancestors at Cowpens National Battlefield in South Carolina. (Washingtons, Butlers and…
Adventures in North Carolina
Moore’s Creek Battlefield, Densons Creek Golf Course and March Madness are some highlights so far. In Moore’s Creek we have a relative who led the battle (Colonel James Moore) that began the victories for the patriots in the Revolutionary War.…
Badin Lake, North Carolina
Arrowhead Campground in the Uwharrie National Forest here in NC has been a quiet stay with few campers, wonderful hiking and walkable water access. Highly recommend. The Forest Service did a controlled burn across the road from our campground and…
Myrtle Beach State Park, South Carolina
What a wonderful campground oasis on the beach that is surrounded by high rises and condominiums. They nicely kept a small slice of the original land on the South Carolina beach to hike, camp and enjoy.
Florida Georgia Line
We had a wonderful three months in Florida and now we are headed North. We are currently on the Florida Georgia line staying next to St Mary’s River at Crooked River Campground. Wonderful kayaking trails and beautiful Cumberland Island National…
Punta Gorda FL area: we’ve been busy!
We have settled into a new RV Campground near Punta Gorda FL for a month and this has given us a chance to golf, kayak, hike, airboat, tour monuments and state parks, learn new games with neighbors and dine by…
Highlands Hammock State Park
Natural Florida at its best! Terrific variety in the trails and birding was amazing. We counted no less than six families of the elusive Florida Scrub Jay and hiked 15 miles during our stay and sat out a number of…
Lake Manatee State Park
Outstanding park, trails, reservoir access and campground. Close to Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch for amenities. In between raindrops, we enjoyed the trails and birdwatching.
South Florida, Encore Miami Everglades
We needed a base camp in order to visit Biscayne National Park and launch to Key West for a flight to Dry Tortugas National Park. We were pleasantly surprised at the hospitality and amenities of this destination RV Park. It…
Dry Tortugas National Park – Fort Jefferson: near Key West, Fl
What a great experience! We flew from Key West to Dry Tortugas NP via seaplane. The pilot flew very low so we could see shipwrecks, sea turtles, sharks and multiple keys along the way. Fort Jefferson, the primary purpose for…
Landmark achieved: From one corner to the other…
We made it to Key West and are scheduled to fly to Dry Tortugas NP tomorrow. But today we touched the southern most point in the Continental United States. It is hard to believe we were in the Pacific Northwest…
Biscayne National Park, Florida
Biscayne NP is the largest of the Maritime national parks and is 95% water. It is home of the northern most keys (islands) of the Florida Keys. We kayaked and hiked along the Red Mangroves along the shoreline and keys.…
Sarasota Florida Family Visit : Cinnamon Rolls, Birding Walks, Pickleball, Golf and many card games …
Wonderful visit and stay with family at their beautiful home in Sarasota, Florida. We moved out of the SHA Trailer for the week and greatly enjoyed the luxury of our suite. Birding at the Celery Fields on a rainy morning…
Oscar Scherer State Park, Osprey Florida
We are loving a well deserved long stay at one of our favorite Florida State Parks, Oscar Scherer. We have hiked many miles already and spotted 100’s of species of birds. The most notable and the nesting bald eagles and…
Turtle Beach on Siesta Key
Enjoyed some windy weather, mixed with a couple of heavy rain and stormy nights. Walked the beach, biked to the village, exercised, enjoyed the windows being opened and visited with family and friends. Great food at Ophiela’s, Bonjour French Bakery.…
Manatee Springs State Park, Florida
What a nice setting near 72 degree fresh water springs that allow the Manatee to live there all year round . We did get glimpses of them, wonderful sea cows as they call them. This was a quick one night…
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Florida
This is a fantastic state park along the Northwestern coast of Florida, definitely repeatable! We could have stayed a long time if we didn’t have places to be. Lots of hiking and biking trails, fresh water lakes, sand dunes and…
San Antonio, Texas
Biking and walking through the historic Missions, beautiful Riverwalks and fun Botanical Gardens during the holiday season was magical. We definitely enjoyed our visit to San Antonio while visiting family in the area. We stayed a little longer than expected…
Big Bend National Park, SW Texas
Our campground is situated next to the Rio Grande river, which is the US / Mexico Border. The vast desert and large mountain ranges are a unique site to see. We were able to enjoy ancient hot springs that are…
Guadalupe National Park, SW Texas
Frijole Ranch Hiking Trail was an amazing reminder of the strength and tenacity of our ancestors to survive. There is very little water in SW Texas but any springs that existed the pioneers found.
How many US National Parks have you visited?
There are 63 official National Parks in the USA. We have now visited 46 NPs (just completed Guadalupe & Big Bend in Texas) with more planned for this winter. All are beautiful and unique. Click through to see the check…
Las Cruces, NM: Golfing & Hiking
New Mexico State University Golf Course and Dripping Springs National Monument were definitely highlights.
Here we go, in pursuit of 70 degree weather.
This is our path for the next month. We will visit two National Parks on our adventure south, Guadalupe and Big Bend National Park. ….
Sweet Home Colorado: Quick Recap
What do the numbers 6, 12, 16 & 4 represent?
Click through to see if your guesses are correct.
Delta, CO: Devils Thumb Golf Course
What a discovery! Harvest Host location – Great gravel parking area to camp for a night and golf the next morning, it’s a beautiful course with dramatic views.
Color in Utah Mountains!
We were surprised at the beautiful red color smattered in the Utah mountains. Gambel Oak puts on a Show!
Utah Lake State Park, Provo, Utah
We’ve pointed towards Colorado and full day of driving. We targeted Utah Lake state park as a good layover stop. We were fortunate to get one of the last sites on a Friday night. Sept 29, 1 night. Electrical, Water.…
Sun Valley, Ketchum & Hailey, ID
Beautiful North Fork Campground NPS. 8 miles north of Ketchum, ID. We are here late season and the Aspen have already turned, but still very beautiful. A walk up site, what we would call first come first serve. We selected…
Victor, Idaho near Driggs
Teton Valley Resort – RV & Cabin Campground Delightful find with access to Driggs and Grand Targhee Ski Resort. Facilities are amazing. The RV site was comfortable and level. It was exposed (no trees) but the weather was pleasant. What…
Grand Teton National Park, WY
Always magical to drive along the Grand Teton NP range. We found a wonderful narrated driving app called Guide Along (details in a separate post), made the drive very educational, learned and saw more than we would have going on…
Lewis Lake Campground, Yellowstone NP
Sep 21, 1 night, dry-camp $ We really enjoy the NPS sites. We get a senior rate (usually $13) and these established sites are in terrific forest areas. This location was in a wooded area, access to a boat ramp…
Guide Along: Very helpful driving guide for our National Park Visits
We enjoyed a driving app called Guide Along that provided so much wonderful information and recommendations, utilized GPS vs Cell or Wifi, so we never lost connection. Made our Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park adventures even better!
Yellowstone NP, WY
Not our first time, but we sure saw so many things we hadn’t seen before. What an amazing park. Hydrothermal activity everywhere, beautiful lakes, rivers, waterfalls, canyons, snow dusted mountains and wildlife. We even caught Old Faithful erupting on video…
West Yellowstone, MT
Yellowstone Park Mountainside KOA, Sep 21 & 22, site C125. Weather is turning and we still have a few locations we are visiting in the region. We can’t pass up an opportunity to visit Yellowstone National Park. We had hoped…
Three Forks, MT
Three Forks KOA Journey, Sep 19 & 20, Electric & Water $$$ We had a challenge locating a comfortable camping location in our target of Bozeman, MT. Frankly we are a bit gun shy since Sandpoint, ID and the trains.…
Hungry Horse Reservoir & Glacier National Park, Montana
Emery Bay Campground, site #7 for 2 nights outstanding location Kayaking – failed morning adventure with whitecaps and wind, steep climb up-to campsite. Beautiful evening trip, calm & beautiful. Glacier NP, McDonald Lake hike along the glacial water pebbled beach…
Whitefish, Montana
Friday– Gondola up and hiked down Whitefish Mountain the 4.5 miles. Beautiful rocky mountain vistas, foliage and views of the continental divide and the valley. Saturday– checked out downtown for breakfast (Loula’s), lake shore, library, community center and markets. Cute…
Sandpoint, Idaho
Cute downtown and beautiful setting on Lake / Reservoir. Train, Trains, Trains! This was a surprise to us. While Corky grew up accustom to train sounds, this was freight train sounds all night and day. Campgrounds- we moved 3 times…
In search of a potential new “Home Town” for the family.
Our current travel plans include Sandpoint ID, Whitefish MT, Bozeman MT, Driggs ID, Ketchum ID to determine if any of these towns could become our new family compound home. We have a long list of requirements to meet: skiing, water,…
Visit with DNA Cousin in Spokane!
As you probably already know, Corky is an active ancestry enthusiast. YDNA (father’s, father, father, father…) connected the two with clues to connect our paternal lines. They were incredible hosts, inviting us into their historic 1913 home and showed us…
Lake Spokane (River), WA
Upon returning from Colorado, we gathered our camper SHA at the Spokane airport (GEG) and headed north. Our objective the Spokane river for kayaking. We stopped for a late lunch at 291 brewery and eatery. Surprised at the quality of…
Lake Spokane, WA: What a treat to watch coots and a young eagle learning to fish
Fun to watch the coots run across the top of the lily pads. I was watching an immature eagle perched above me in the tree surveying the lake … then the young eagle decided to go fishing, rare sight to…
What is the difference between a RV Resort and a Campground?
What we are finding, is that the closer you get to an urban setting, campgrounds and options become fewer, expensive and more questionable. Our objective is not to be in a mobile home park with a lot of long term…
Quick trip back to Colorado
Flew from Spokane to Denver for a long weekend, specifically for the premier weekend performance of Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music”. The first theater show of the season. We share a 7 performance series with friends. This cast is outstanding,…
Spokane, WA on the way to Colorado
We made our way to Spokane, WA to prepare for a midday flight on Wednesday to Colorado. We have a theater tickets with friends Katie and Mark to the Denver Center of the Performing Arts and a series of 7…
HH: Elk Heights Distillery, Ellensburg WA
Making our way from Mount Rainier to Spokane, we requested a stay Harvest Host Elk Heights Distillery. As this was a Monday, their operation was closed but Master distiller Eric gave us a private eight sample tasting and tour of…
The Dalles Campground: Mount Rainier, WA
National Forest north of Mt Rainier National Park We arrived later than expected due to a stop at Camping World for hitch service. About an hour and a half outside of Seattle. Supply stop in Enumclaw. Beautiful site (#25). Rain…
Mount Rainier- the 5th National Park
We took the day to drive the volcanic Mt Rainier in a modified loop throughout the park. Cia enjoys driving mountain roads but the 1920’s era can get narrow. We ventured from our camp-ground (the Dalles- just outside the park)…
North Cascades NP: Washington
The current wildfires burning in North Cascades, especially the Sourdough Fire, smoked out our desire to stay in our reserved Newhalem Campground site. We made a day trip to the park and were only able to visit for a couple…
We had a little wrinkle in our travels…
Our poor Tahoe blew its engine, having 176,000 miles on the odometer. This happened just as we crossed back over the US Border. We luckily made it safely to a dealership in Bellingham, WA, 20 miles from customs. We received…
Bellingham, WA and Bellingham RV Park
Post Border crossing Plan B: with the Tahoe engine failure and forest fires in the North Cascades NP, we were required locate an overnight location near the dealership. We used one of the test drives to challenge the towing capability…
Vancouver Layover Night
Not all campgrounds are outstanding, but necessary, convenient or the only option. This was an easy access after taking to the Ferry. We crossed the ferry from Victoria area to Vancouver. We rolled into the Tsawwassen RV location. RV Resort…
Location Planning
For those interested in the particulars of our locations. Questions we have received: Do you reserve or just show up? How do you select you locations and specific campsites? There is something said for having the freedom of impromptu traveling,…
Fort Victoria RV Park
Aug 17-21, 2023, Full Hookup $$$ City of Victoria and wharf access by car or bus! Clean and friendly facility. Back-in site with wonderful shade. 70-75° weather. Butchart Gardens & Tea-time Whale watching cruise tour Self- administered walking tour Dutch…
Whale, Sea Lion & Seal Watching: Victoria, BC
Wonderful adventure launching from the Victoria Harbor. We sailed the waters between Washington and Vancouver Island for a half a day and saw many whales, sea lions and seals. Prince of Whales was the boat tour company – we would…
Butchart Gardens: Victoria, BC (A definite bucket list location)
A gorgeous day at the most unique and overwhelmingly beautiful gardens. We enjoyed meandering through the explosive color and serene water features of each garden area. We also had the great fortune to experience a classic high tea in their…
Beaches in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, BC
The beaches of BC are gorgeous. We had the chance to see both high and low tides, morning and evening. The tide pools were special to view during low tide.
China Beach & Campground: Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, BC
Splendid location, secluded yet accessible. This is indeed a highlight of the trip and worth repeating. We stayed 3 nights, beginning Monday, Aug 14. Upon arrival via the ferry fro Port Angeles, we were off to our adventures on Vancouver…
Avatar Groves: Port Renfrew, BC (Scenes from the original Avatar movie were filmed here)
This crazy hike boasts the gnarliest tree in Canada. It is currently closed to the public but we couldn’t resist going into this amazing grove of rooted trails, broken stairs and gnarly trees outside of Port Renfrew BC on Vancouver…
Ferry crossing from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, BC
SHA (Still Horsin’ Around) first international crossing. She was a bit worried as we drove into the belly of the ship.
ELWHA Dam RV Park
Post Olympic NP, we headed towards Port Angeles for 2 nights and a Monday morning ferry. It was nice to have easy accessibility to laundry, supplies and even took in a movie, Oppenheimer… 3 hours?!? This RV park had nice…
Port Angeles, WA: Kayaking in the Bay with my love.
Thankfully there were very few waves to surf …
We are enjoying the late summer in PacNW, perfect weather! We visited 4 National Parks in the last two weeks, viewing dramatic wildfire burn, beautiful coastline, serene clear lakes, huge towering trees, waterfalls, & thick green rain forests.
Currently we are traveling via ferry to Victoria, BC for a week and then back to the US to visit North Cascades and Mount Rainer.
Olympic National Park (WA): The hikes through the forests are magical …
We stayed in Sol Duc Hot Springs Campground in the northwestern part of the park. There are so many magical hikes to experience. The rainforest ferns are taller than Corky, the ancient groves mystical, the numerous waterfalls, rivers and lakes…
Sol Duc Campground: Olympic National Park, WA
Nice campground, with relaxing hot springs and even room to play bags, which we both need some serious practice to hit these mini corn hole boards. (More info coming ..)
Broken Arrow Campground
We had a Sunday night near Crater Lake NP is a pleasant national forest campground across the road from Diamond Lake. This was a primitive CG, so no hookups but did have access to water and vault toilets. Sunday at…
Best Harvest Host camp site so far: Blue Heron French Cheese – Tillamook Oregon.
Top notch Harvest Host with upward of 50 free sites! General store allowed us to fill our refrigerator and bellies with Charcuterie. Barn yard was enjoyable to view the goats, chickens, alpaca, cows, lama, geese and a really loud bird…
Crater Lake National Park (OR): The Water is soooo Blue.
Our pictures are never enhanced, so what you see is reality. This park was very crowded and there really isn’t much more to do than view the amazing crater and lake. It’s worth a stop but one day is plenty…
Redwood National Park (CA): There are four state parks included in the NP. They include spectacular views of Coastline, meandering Rivers, and Towering Ancient Groves.
Kamp Klamath, Klamath CA
We selected this private campground to best access the diverse areas of Redwood NP and state parks. We arrived on Friday, Aug 4 for 2 nights. It was a uniquely secluded campground along the Klamath River, just inside the Pacific…
Lassen Volcanic National Park (CA): Lassen Peak last erupted in 1915. The Dixie fire from 2021 burned almost 70% of the park. Yet it is resilient and beautiful. The geothermal pools let us know that it’s not “if” it will erupt again, it’s just a matter of “when” …..
Sorry for the “Gap” in Posts. Very little Cell or Wi-Fi connection in the National Park & Forest areas.
Unfortunately our Starlink experienced a fatal cable accident, however, Corky was able to repair, but, the tall tall trees make it impossible to receive satellite reception … so still sporadic.
Hot August Nights – Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada has certainly worked hard on their town and the wonderful Riverwalk District. Reno, currently has the Hot August Night Event in full bloom with concerts and markets through out the city. The I-80 corridor between Denver and Reno…
If you see this tire cover – give us a little honk to say hello.
Contract Pending …
Quick Roadtrip to Minnesota
We are taking a short break from our camper trailer, driving to Minnesota to visit friends and family, with two National Parks thrown in for fun (click thru for pictures). 1. Theodore Roosevelt National Park, 2. The Voyageurs National Park,…
Loveland, CO
We spent a fews days at an RV campground outside of Loveland next to the Big Thompson River. (RiverView RV – a fairly old campground but a good spot on Highway 34 on the way to Estes Park.) We truly…
Stagecoach Reservoir – Oak Creek, CO
Another wonderful Colorado location, Stagecoach State Park about 20 minutes outside of Steamboat Springs. Our campsite is right next to the water which gives us the ability to launch our kayaks right from our campsite. Less campers due to the…
Steamboat Lake – it’s B E A utiful
It’s been cloudy and rainy, but still wonderful. Our camp site has a perfect view of the lake. Our new nomadic home is treating us well. We have our extra set of solar panels set up, our Starlink satellite wifi,…
Our new Oru Origami Kayaks …
We executed our maiden voyage of our new Oru foldable Kayaks on Steamboat Lake. Packs into an 18 lb self contained box. The water was calm and clear. (click into post for more pictures)
3 Great Food Stops in Steamboat Springs …
Steamboat Springs – Yampa River is running very full!
On the road again 5/30/23 – 6/22/23. Exploring Steamboat Springs for three weeks …
1st Stop is the Holiday KOA in Steamboat Springs – what a great location. The Yampa River next to our campsite is running fast and high – click through for pictures.
Follow Cia & Corky on their Gap Year Adventures
You are never too old to Explore the Possibilities ! (Some ask “Why Cia & Corky”) ….. Jere grew up being called Corky so he is going to return to his roots. My name is Marcia (sounds like Garcia). I…
Our first Adventure is complete 4/21/23 – 5/2/23
Our first adventure was cut a little short – we have a leak in our roof at home and need to go repair, so we headed back to Denver via Albuquerque & Taos, NM to visit some Weliver cousins. (We…
Phoenix, AZ – Great Visits & 1st Place
We were able to visit long time friends and nieces & nephews while in Arizona, which made the trip wonderful. The purpose of the AZ target on this adventure was to support our niece while she competed in her first…
Superior, AZ – Boyce Thompson Arboretum
The desert is in bloom. We found this wonderful botanical garden east of Phoenix, it’s an oasis definitely worth a visit. The cactus, succulents and trees are all blooming.
Apache Junction, AZ – KOA Campground
Our first full hookup! We connected the water lines and flushed out the winterizer, connected to the sewer line and electricity for air conditioning. Livin the life now. It’s supposed to be 100 degrees tomorrow so we will appreciate all…
Dewey, AZ – Quailwood Golf Course
Last night was our first Harvest Host stay, nice little golf course, served $3.00 beers and a great club sandwich. We parked next to the driving range for the night, along with a Leisure Van and a long 5th wheel…
Sedona, AZ – West Fork Oak Creek Trail
A wonderful 8 mile hike with 26 water crossings, no bridges, just ankle to knee high water. Great experience and beautiful unique scenery. Click into this post for more pictures…
Sedona, AZ – Pine Flat Campground
We are in a beautiful campground outside of Sedona in Oak Creek Canyon. We are next to the river in a gorgeous limestone and sandstone canyon – shades of red and white throughout. As seniors we receive amazing discounts on…
Durango, CO – Oasis Campground
1st Campground with our new Camper Trailer. We are working out the kinks and needs, overall a great start. Good thing there was a Walmart near by. (Click through for further pictures.) We don’t have water hookup yet due to…
We will miss you Dillon! 4/20/23
We love you Dillon very much and thank you for all our adventures together. You brought us so much love and happiness! 4/20/2023 (he was approximately 15 years old and had a wonderful life)
New Home on Wheels
This will be our home for several months as we discover the country and experience new adventures. ORV | Creek Side 19MKS Outdoors RV Manufacturinghttps://www.outdoorsrvmfg.com › creek-side-19mks
Our Home is ready for a new Family!
A wonderful family home for many generations. Click here to see more details. We pulled the home off the market to complete some major improvements and have listed once again. Keep fingers crossed and positive energy flowing!!
Stay Connected
We want to ensure we stay connected with our family and friends, that’s why we are doing this blog.
Reduce the Clutter
“Sell, giveaway and eliminate as much as possible”, that is our current mode. We are only storing the things that bring us joy for the next chapters of our life. We are making our Gap Year Adventure as light as…
Be mindful of the animals
We know this is a stressful time for the animals. We need to make sure we take time to comfort and care for their needs as well. (Click into the post to see more…) Dillon is in his final journey…