Author Archives: lisablackwell

Vancouver: Green, Green, It’s Green They Say

Posted on June 19, 2022 by lisablackwell

People keep asking us, now that the pandemic is winding down or at least becoming endemic, if we will sell the Winona Rider. They also ask with raised eyebrows and incredulous looks if I really like traveling in it or if I am just being a good sport about it. The answer is that we still love traveling in the Rider. We have now been to 18 states and Canada with a total of around 26,000 miles so far. We have our routines down and don’t make nearly as many mistakes as we did at first. We get to see friends that we normally wouldn’t see and places that we know we wouldn’t see and we actually still really like spending time together after all these years!! Our living space is tiny but some of that is freeing and stress-free. So, yes we are keeping the Winona Rider until at least the year Brad turns 66 and he does his much-anticipated Route 66 ride!

All of that being said, when we started planning this three-week trip, I was pretty adamant about staying at a hotel once or twice. I knew that getting out of the van would also be relaxing and freeing! So I used my “Bring Fido” App and booked us two nights at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver. For such a nice hotel, it is completely pet-friendly and very welcoming to our two dogs. I am actually a little shocked about that. I am also like a little kid in a candy shop in our hotel room ordering up room service, taking long hot showers, using a blow dryer, and admiring all of the extra perks and views our room has to offer. I used my brother’s logic when he splurges on things. If you take the cost of the two nights at the Fairmont and divide them by the 14 days of our trip, the cost looks actually reasonable.

But I digress over my giddiness of being in a hotel room. Today’s blog is about Canada and our stay in the beautiful city of Vancouver. The last time Brad and I were in Vancouver was fifteen years ago for a Sales Conference with Wells Fargo. We fell in love with the cleanliness and the beauty of the city back then. Our visit had a lasting impression on me because our friend Jenny Clark was able to book my boyfriend James Taylor as the performer for the sales conference attendees. Jenny made sure to let me have some time to chat with James and the picture is still framed and in our house!

My love for James is steadfast! Here is when he made eye contact with me at Red Rocks!

But back to Vancouver, we left Vashon Island and had no problem getting on the ferry this time. We drove a couple of hours and had a lovely walk and stroll in the town of Bellingham and then had lunch by the water. After lunch, we headed up to the Canadian border where we waited for a good long hour to get across. Those of you who have traveled with us know about the Blackwell Curse — whatever line Brad picks will take the longest and that’s what happened to us again at the border. We are used to that happening so took it in stride.

We arrived in Vancouver and checked into the Fairmont looking a little bit like the Clampetts from The Beverly Hillbillies. We had our van and all of our camping belongings and our two dogs as we walked in with the finely dressed hotel guests. The hotel couldn’t have been nicer as they problem-solved where to park our Van and greeted our pups with dog biscuits, a water bowl, and a dog bed.

Ralphie snuggling in his personal dog bed. He likes the Fairmont, too!

Vancouver is incredibly clean and green — literally and figuratively. It plans to become the greenest city in the world. Vancouverism is the city’s urban planning design philosophy and is characterized with a large residential population living in the city center near the water with the creation and maintenance of green park spaces. Vancouver also has a Greenest City Action Plan with the goal of becoming the Greenest city in Canada and the world. The action plan has ten discrete goals to build a green economy, green buildings, green transportation, access to nature, zero waste, clean air and water and to increase the amount of locally grown food. Their efforts are obvious everywhere you go and we know that our friends Mike and Mary Frandsen would give their efforts a big thumbs up. We didn’t see a single piece of trash to pick up on our walks which would also make Mike very, very happy.

Even our room key reminds us to be green.

As for the color green, everywhere you look and walk is green. We spent the day today in Stanley Park (Vancouver’s equivalent to Central Park) and walked about six miles with the dogs, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds of Vancouver and taking in all of the green-ness. Stanley Park is a densely forested 1000 acre public park surrounded by waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. It has frequently been listed as one of the best parks in the world. The photos tell a better story than I can so here are a few from our day walking around Stanley Park

Hard to believe we are near a large city

Stanley Park Bar and Grill–great lunch spot

Totem Poles from various First Nation Tribes

As the sun sets on a great couple of days in Vancouver, we are ready to drive East to Banff via Blind Bay and Salmon Arm in the morning. No more hotels for at least ten days! Wish me luck!

Sophie and Ralphie getting the sunset pose down!

Categories: Travel | Tags: Airstream, Dogs, RV, Travel | 1 Comment

Portlandia

Posted on June 17, 2022 by lisablackwell

We woke up to a sunny day in a field of hazelnuts on Wednesday with plenty of power. We had a really easy day ahead of us so we took our time and caught up on the news, played Wordle, did our Spanish on Duolingo, and returned some emails. A typical morning for us except we often don’t find ourselves in a hazelnut grove doing these things.

Our first event of the day was a wine tasting at Domaine Drouhin. We learned about this wine on a barge trip in Burgundy a few years ago when we received a tour at the Joseph Drouhin winery in Beaune, France. The wine was delicious and the story of the winery even more fascinating. The over 100-year-old winery has miles of caves running under the city of Beaune. During World War II France was being overrun by the Nazis. Joseph Drouhin knew that his winery would be a target of Nazi looting so he built false walls in the cave and hid his most expensive wines behind them. His eight-year-old son even placed spiders on the walls every night to build webs so the false fronts looked old. He then left the cheap stuff to the Germans to take. Not being wine connoisseurs, they gladly took the bad wine and lost out on all that delicious juice behind the walls. After tasting that wine and hearing the old tales of glory, our quest was on to go to their sister winery in Oregon.

Domaine Drouhin in the Willamette Valley was started by Veronique Drouhin, Joseph’s granddaughter. She was sent to America to be tutored in winemaking in the 1980s. Of course, this young woman wanted to come to California to surf, hang out on beaches, and learn winemaking. But, her family had other ideas and sent her to Oregon because the climate and soils were much like Burgundy. Well, she didn’t surf much but she did learn winemaking very well. In our opinion Veronique, to this day, is making the best Pinot Noir wines in Oregon.

This is our second time at Domaine Drouhin and we loved it just as much as the first time. In fact, we luckily got the very same server from two years ago. Her name is Katie and she is the best wine story-teller we have ever met. We remembered each other from last time (even though she changed her hair color from blond to brunette) and chatted and drank the mid-day away.

Are we in France or Oregon? Hard to tell!

After about 2 1/2 hours of wine tasting, we realized we better get some food in our stomachs and headed to McMinnville- a darling town in the heart of Pinot Wine Country. We settled in for some salmon and iced tea and enjoyed the sights and sounds of this cute, small town.

You have to love a Town that has a Sustainable Living Festival

After lunch, we were off to Portland. I have never been to Portland and it is a city I have always wanted to see. My only impression of Portland is from the show Portlandia and this infamous clip that made the rounds several years back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErRHJlE4PGI I like chicken but I am not ready to name it Calvin and visit its farm!!! Clearly, I need more experience with the city of Portland!!

After working our way through the city of Portland, we found our RV park on the West Side of Portland, identified our spot for the night, and turned around and went back near the city to have dinner with Jon and Sally Cohen. Jon is a fraternity brother of Brad’s from the University of Colorado and is a master at staying connected with people. We have seen him frequently throughout the years and have always had a wonderful time. Jon and Sally welcomed us to their charming home complete with a thriving vegetable garden and brand new landscaping. We hoped that Ralphie and Sophie would behave and not dig up the new plants and flowers!!

The highlight for me was hearing about Sally’s Little Library of Kindness in her front yard. This Library is not your everyday Little Free Library like mine. Sally’s library is colorful with an accompanying bench so her patrons can sit down and read or peruse her book selection. She encourages Compassion Through Literature with the mission of sharing books about different ages, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities, family structures, nationalities, and more! Sally has now been given a grant by the local professional soccer team, the Portland Timbers, and Little Libraries of Kindness are being built all over the city of Portland. I loved everything about her mission and realized I really need to up my game with my own free library when I get home! John Grisham…you are out of the library upon my return!

We had a great time catching up with Jon and Sally, talking about the past and and today’s current events. The great thing about old friends is that it doesn’t take long to pick up right where you left off.

Jon and Sally brought in a great Pacific Northwest Seafood Meal for us.

A pic by the Winona Rider before we headed out!

We were off to Washington the next day. A state the Winona Rider has not experienced!

Categories: Travel | Tags: Airstream, Harvest Hosts, Oregon, RV, RVDogs, Vanlife, Wine | 3 Comments

Following in Footsteps

Posted on June 14, 2022 by lisablackwell

Brad and I are heading out on an almost three-week trip on the Winona Rider to Banff, Canada and back. This has been a dream trip of mine since my parents went in the 80’s and loved it so much they did another trip in 1995. (My brother and sister have also done a BackRoads trip to Banff so clearly I had some making up to do) On the last weekend that I was with my Dad at Easter this year, we looked at all of his pictures from his past trips to Banff and he was so excited that Brad and I were following in his footsteps. He was eager to read our blog after we sat and looked through all of his pictures from 1995 (My Dad was a great photographer.) He told me all of the places I needed to see and visit. His itinerary was very close to ours on this trip so indeed I feel that I am following in his footsteps. Sadly, my father passed away last month. Yet, I can’t help but feel that he and my mom are with me on this adventure.

Mom and Dad’s Itinerary in 1995…they started at our house in Northen California

Our send-off this morning was full of joy and hugs and artwork. We stopped by the kids and grandkids homes on our way out and they gave us good-bye hugs and waves! We promised to send pictures of Canadian roly poly bugs to Max (his favorite thing) and we gave Maile and Noa a little joy ride around Waterman Circle in the Winona Rider. Maile greeted us with the brand new haircut that she did herself yesterday while Katie was at a wedding shower. She’ll be going to a professional tomorrow to try and tidy up the variety of lengths that are now Maile’s hairstyle! There were a couple of tears on my part as we waved good-bye and gave the horn a good honk.

Max showing his latest Roly Poly before we go!

Maile sporting her new DIY haircut from yesterday!

We set off for Medford Oregon today with a Harvest Host destination of EdenVale Winery. It was a beautiful six hour drive with Mount Shasta out of our window for a lot of the drive.

We did have one unfortunate mishap or shall we say grim reality of our trip. We filled up with Diesel Gas. Our gas total was a shocking $133 and we only had about 3/4 of a tank to fill! Ouch!

We had a little stop on the way in Ashland at the bread store that we have discovered in previous trips. We are going to try and emulate Brenda and Chris Dittmore as they bike through Europe by buying and consuming delicious pastries along the way. Our only problem is we won’t be burning the calories that Brenda and Chris are doing. We’ll be driving six hours while they are cycling! Ooops!

Our Harvest Host location at EdenVale is just one big exhale. The property is beautiful and expansive and we have a vineyard and a 100 year old barn as our backdrop. Tonight, we went back and forth from enjoying our beautiful view of the vineyard to enjoying the Warriors victory on our television! Life is good back on the road…crazy gas prices and all!

It’s mandatory to have a wine-tasting at the Winery! Would be rude if we didn’t.

Our traditional first night meal of wine and cheese

A Warriors Victory to make the night complete!

The Winona Rider, a hundred-year old barn and a Southern Oregon backdrop

Categories: Travel | Tags: Airstream, Dogs, RV, Travel | 8 Comments

Lessons from the Road, Lessons in Life

Posted on July 28, 2021 by lisablackwell

The last load of laundry is put away and the mail is all opened. Before we move on to our next project and say “What Van Trip?”, we thought it would be a good idea to share our lessons learned from our second month-long trip in the Winona Rider. We visited 14 states in the past month. I checked off two new states; South Dakota and Minnesota and we both checked off two new National Parks; The Badlands and Wind Cave.

We have been to 19 states total in the Winona Rider–14 on this trip!

Here are our lessons learned from Round 2 on the Winona Rider:

Trust your van (and driver) and have an optimistic outlook about being on the road.

We had three things go wrong before we got out of Danville. I thought they might be omens for the trip. Brad just concluded we got all of the mistakes done at the beginning. Brad was right.

‘Tis a Gift to Be Simple, ‘Tis a gift to be free

Keep it simple and downsize. Don’t worry about hair products or blowdryers or shaving. Make-up is a thing for a different world. We wore a lot of the same clothes because it’s just easier. Wear sunglasses in all of your selfies. Our dinners were very simple ones with minimal dishes and plastic wine glasses. Yes, Hall Wine still tastes as good in plastic glasses…almost. Simplicity is freeing.

Be a planner and spontaneous at the same time.

I am a planner and sometimes a bit rigid with my schedule. It is necessary to have reservations during peak travel times but there are also times when you have to be ready to be spontaneous and make changes. We changed a few locations during the trip and that allowed us to visit with a childhood friend in Ketchum, Idaho and stay at a farm house in Montana. We went off our route to see Lake Winona in Minnesota and Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. It added an hour to our day but it was totally worth doing. New rule for me: Be a plan-taneous person or a spontaneous-er.

Be aware of the number of days you are on the road and the days and dates when you are driving.

We kind of blew some of our travel times by traveling through Chicago on Fridays and coming home from Nevada/Tahoe on a Sunday. You get the point. Also, we undercounted the days we would be on the road and ran out of wine on the last night (the horror!) and you can ask Brad about his mis-counting of his underwear.

Audio Books and Podcasts make the driving through long stretches in Nevada and Wyoming more tolerable.

We listened to the book “Running with Sherman” and enjoyed the Podcast from NPR, called “How I Built This”. We found a station on Sirius Radio called Road Trip Radio but Brad nixed it after hearing the country song “She thinks my Tractor’s Sexy” for the fifth time. You can never go wrong with Spotify. We were in the Van together for over 5500 miles. It’s good to have other things to listen to besides our own voices.

Routines save us from ourselves.

We follow a lot of routines when we get to a new spot and when we leave. My favorite personal routine is the one where Brad makes me French Press coffee before I get out of bed. Brad’s favorite routine is when we share a beer when we get to our camping spot after a long drive. Routines also help us from driving off with our awning out (well, we did that once), leaving the dog bowls, or even worse leaving Ralphie. We make our bed every morning, do all the dishes, clean and vacuum daily. It’s a small space and will overwhelm you if you don’t keep it tidy. We do ALWAYS forget to turn on the Hot Water before we shower or do dishes so we still have room for improvement.

Nature is Healing.

When we weren’t driving, we were out in nature. Some days we were outside 90% of the time. Our times on screens were minimal except to write this blog or text our kids and friends. Hiking on new trails is good for the soul. Sleeping in our van with neighboring rescue goats, fireflies, chickens, and chipmunks was peaceful. We slept like babies almost every night.

Dogs are joyful traveling companions.

Our dogs really got into the lifestyle. They found their spots in the van when we traveled and were thrilled to run around as soon as we parked. Every new location had new smells and places to run and explore. Harvest Host spots are better for dogs because there are few people and the owners usually have dogs as playmates. Yes, sometimes they can be a bit stinky (Lookin’ at you Sophie) or wander to other campsites and go missing (that would be Ralphie) but overall they made the trip a lot of fun! Just be aware that there is virtually no hiking with dogs in National Parks so you need to find trails in nearby State Parks.

Harvest Host is our favorite but there is a place and time for RV Parks.

When we stay at Harvest Hosts, we get the privilege of staying in grapevines in wineries, a beautiful meadow, or near a fun brewery. We are usually the only RV there. Sometimes there is one other van but no more. The dogs don’t have to be leashed and everyone is free to stretch out. RV Parks are less private and and a little noisier but they have the advantage of having all of the amenities like water, power, dump stations, and cable. It’s good to do a combo of both and both in moderation just like in life.

Slow this Thing Down

Life is busy and full of to-do lists and meetings and events back home. On the road, you have a chance to go slower and simpler. Slow mornings drinking coffee and relaxing evenings looking at the sunset are part of every day. Eating lunches at parks in small towns like North Platte, Ashland, Anita,or Schereville gives you a chance to see a small sample size of the people who live there and what they do for fun and recreation. Playing the dice game “Farkle” or working on a crossword puzzle together are luxuries we don’t do often during our busy life at home in Danville. It is really nice to live the slow life for a few weeks out of the year.

Hope you enjoy these lessons we learned from Round 2. We thought we might only keep the Winona Rider for one season but it seems now we are hooked on traveling in our 6ft by 20ft long, 120 sq foot Van. We aren’t exactly turning into Fern from “Nomadland” but we do feel like “One of those lucky people that can travel anywhere”

Categories: RV, Travel | Tags: Airstream, Dogs, Harvest Hosts, Hiking, RV, Travel, Wine | 2 Comments

Badlands, Black Hills, and Buffalo Jams!

Posted on July 24, 2021 by lisablackwell

The main destination of our trip this week is South Dakota. I have never been to the Dakotas. Brad spent two years of his early high school years in Rapid City and was anxious to show this beautiful area to me. None of it disappointed and we had many delightful surprises along the way.

We started our journey at Badlands National Park. We drove from the Eastern end of South Dakota starting with fertile farmland to arid prairies to this unbelievable force of nature called the Badlands. The Native American tribe — the Lakotas — named this area Mako Sica meaning very eroded or bad land and the early French fur traders called the badlands ‘les mauviases terres a traverser’ or bad lands to traverse. Imagine early settlers traveling across the flat grassy plains and coming upon this magical geologic mystery of towering rock spires. We drove the scenic Badlands Loop and got out at as many scenic overlooks as we could. Dogs aren’t allowed to hike on the trails of most National Parks so we had to stick to the overlooks. We were fine with that because by the time we went sight-seeing the temps were in the mid-90’s. Here’s a few of our favorite Badland scenes. In a place like this, pictures really don’t do the area justice.

Brad does all of the planning for our RV trips. Some of you might enjoy that little detail because until we got an RV, Gracie Forman, his right-hand person at Wells Fargo and I have done all of his travel planning. He pre-warned me that our RV spot for the night might not be up to our standards but it was in a GREAT location because it was close to the Badlands. Suffice it to say that if all of our overnight spots were like the RV spot near the Badlands, we would probably be selling the Winona Rider when we got home! We made the best of it and enjoyed our air-conditioning and really good WiFi and called it a night.

The next day we were off to the Black Hills but first we had to make a stop at Wall Drug. What a crazy place that is. You have to visit it to be able to describe it. Wall Drug Store began in the 1930’s as a place that offered free ice water to travelers. You can’t miss the location because there were at least 100 billboards telling us where it was and what they offered. We really wanted that 5 cent cup of coffee they advertised but the line was so long that we decided to pass and just enjoy the spectacle. There were cowboy hats, ice cream cones, coffee mugs, buffalo-skin coats, little license plates with your name on them – pretty much any cliche souvenir you can imagine.

Wall Drug goes on for blocks and blocks!

From Wall, we drove to Rapid City and stopped at Brad’s high school—Douglas High. Brad attended school there his freshman and sophomore years. The façade had changed but after walking around, he still remembered certain classrooms and areas he used to hang out as a young 15 year old. We drove by Ellsworth Air Force Base where his Dad was stationed and stopped quickly to look at the outdoor Air and Space Museum at the Base.

Brad re-living his youth at Douglas High

A Huey helicopter similar to the one Brad’s Dad flew when stationed at Ellsworth AFB

Next we decided we were up for Mount Rushmore. We weren’t sure how busy it would be but were delighted to see that the lines were short and the parking was plentiful. We did a quick Chevy Chase tour of the Monument. (Dogs aren’t allowed up close) We took a selfie and patted ourselves on the back for our lucky timing! It really is impressive and worth your time to visit.

Time for lunch and Custer State Park in the Black Hills. The Black Hills were named by the Lakota tribe because of their dark appearance from a distance, as they are covered with evergreen trees. Until I visited, I had always thought they were named that because the hills were actually black. Duh! Of all of the parks we have seen, Custer State Park has to be one of the finest. There is so much to see and do and such variety of terrain. Our first day we had a picnic lunch at a lovely lake and then headed towards the Visitor Center to get our bearings. Funny thing though when you are driving through Custer State Park, you never know when you will get stuck in a buffalo jam. And stuck we got!!! There were at least 100 buffalo when we turned a corner on our path. They were everywhere—in the pasture, on the road, in the hills. None of them were going anywhere quickly. In fact, they seemed to relish in the fact that they were stopping lines of cars on both sides of the road and they were not about to move. We sat there for about 45 minutes wondering how we ever were going to get through but one-by-one each car took their turn navigating through the bison.

Buffalo Traffic Jam…These guys weren’t going anywhere fast!

The Native American term for buffalo or bison is Tatanka. The buffalo are held in high regard by the Lakota people and the species are respected as a symbol of the divine. After seeing these creatures up close, you really do understand their magnificence. Of course, my husband just wanted to sing the CU Fight Song and call out Ralphie every time he saw them because that’s what Buffs do.

After our buffalo jam and a few more walks in the park with Sophie and Ralphie, we headed to our campground for the next three nights. I know that Brad was holding his breath that this one would get my approval and luckily it far exceeded it! We got one of the most picturesque spots in the place and have enjoyed a very peaceful, private camp site these past three nights. We were surrounded by pine trees and a real shower! I know I shouldn’t mix nature with a modern facility but when you are showering in a tiny wet bath in the Sprinter Van, a real shower is akin to heaven. I think I have enjoyed my three showers here a little too much!! We have been able to walk the dogs outside of the campground and see the sunset every night. We also have fun seeing everyone’s different RV’s and tents. They certainly do come in all shapes and sizes from Monster RV’s that are up to 45 feet long to Retro ones that are complete with a white picket fence and matching outdoor furniture to small pup tents that can only fit a single person. Our neighbors at our campsite are from Boulder and live in the area Brad and I bought our first condo. (What are the odds?)

Sophie and Ralphie going on a Sunset Stroll

Cute Retro RV…We really need to up our game!

Can’t even imagine driving and parking this monster

The last two days we have had slow mornings and leisurely evenings with some great morning hikes, picnic lunches at lakes, and a little sightseeing thrown in. We did another quick Chevy Chase tour of Crazy Horse Memorial (they were building this memorial well before Brad lived here and are still not close to finishing) and we did a couple of lovely picturesque drives on Iron Mountain Road and Wildlife Loop. Our excursion on Iron Mountain Road was averted when we got caught in some pea-sized hail (and Brad hates peas). We quickly turned around and felt great pity for all of the motorcyclists who were finding cover under the trees. On our way to Wildlife Loop, we got caught in a shorter Buffalo Jam- these guys were on the move this time. We also got to see Pronghorn antelope, Prairie Dogs, more Buffalo and delightful, playful Burros.

Lost Trails Hike…Just a man and his dog(s)

Beautiful waterfalls on the Lost Hills Hike

Crazy Horse Memorial…Will it get done in our lifetime?

Another Buffalo Jam…These guys were on the move this time.

Brad, Can we bring this cute donkey home?

Hail Storm!

The Black Hills and Badlands are one of the most awe-inspiring places we have been. It has been so nice to “drop anchor” here for three days and take our time seeing the sights and enjoying nature. And, yes, I’ll never forget the great showers and my husband calling all of the buffalo on the road “Ralphie”. Go Buffs!

Categories: RV, Travel | Tags: Airstream, Buffalo, Dogs, Hiking, RV, South Dakota, Travel | Leave a comment

Sleeping With Goats in Nebraska

Posted on July 1, 2021 by lisablackwell

After a busy couple of days in Boulder seeing friends and getting the van stocked for our next few days on the road, we headed out early Wednesday morning for our first Harvest Host destination of the trip: Shepherd’s Rest Goat and Sheep Rescue in the Village of Pickrell, Nebraska—Population 199.

When we arrived at the beautiful 100 year old farm, we were warmly greeted by Jen; the owner of the property and hero goat rescuer. We have been listening to the book “Running with Sherman” by Christoper McDougall in the van and there were a couple of chapters about the wonderful qualities of goats so we were primed and excited for our visit.

Jen has over sixty goats with cute names like Oreo, Bam-Bam, Inigo Montoya, Lovey, Eleanor, and Sven on her property and she knows each one, their back-story, and calls them by name. She also has a miniature cow –Moose, a mini horse — Minnie Winnie, four baby red foxes, some deer, sheep, and nightly tree frogs. Jen runs only one of three goat rescues in the United States. The other two are in the East and West Coast so she rescues goats mostly from the middle part of the country. She told us when she turned 50, she decided she could either take it easy and drink margaritas on a cruise ship or she could pursue her passion and rescue goats. She chose the latter!

She has over 60 goats on her property that she has rescued right now.

We seemed to have a staring contest going on with these guys.

Sophie meeting Moose, the mini cow and a very large sheep!

Wanted to take this little one into the Van with us!! Why not add a goat to our menagerie?

Jen rescues goats that have been neglected or abused and rehabilitates them while providing a goat sanctuary in her beautiful setting. She also educates the public about goats and sheep as therapy animals and provides animal assisted therapy to nursing homes and assisted living facilities nearby. She said she felt her animals truly helped many people get through covid lockdowns who were alone and without family. Jen also has monthly goat yoga classes here on the farm complete with meditation paths around the farm. What a peaceful oasis!

We were all by ourselves in a forest setting for the evening. I will take a Harvest Host setting over a crowded RV Park any day of the week! So glad we found out about them. We ate dinner while watching the sunset and the fireflies put on a fireworks show for us. As we went to bed, the sound of the tree fogs serenaded us to sleep.

Sophie and Ralphie back posing for sunset pictures

All in all, Shepherd’s Goat Rescue was one of our favorite stops yet. If you ever find yourself in Pickrell, NE or even Lincoln or Omaha make sure to make the trip to visit Jen’s Goat Rescue Sanctuary. On weekends, you can play with the goats and even do some goat yoga!

Here is Jen’s website in case you are interested in finding out more. We made a donation so she could rescue a few more cute little critters. Now we are off to a winery in Marenga, Iowa for our next adventure!

https://www.shepherdsrestrescue.com

Categories: RV, Travel | Tags: Airstream, Dogs, Goats, Nebraska, RV, Travel | 1 Comment

Nelson Family Vineyards

Posted on May 22, 2021 by lisablackwell

We spent two days at an RV Park in Avenue of the Giants before driving to Nelson Family Vineyards. Our hikes around Avenue of the Giants were amazing even though most trails once again don’t allow dogs. We were resourceful and found trails that did even though we needed to drive to Eureka for one of them. The Elk River Trail in Eureka was everything you could want in a trail so we weren’t disappointed. Because the temps were chilly and windy, we were forced to eat our dinners inside. We were pretty impressed with ourselves that we could cook and serve dinner for four people and three dogs in a Sprinter Van. It definitely was like a game of Twister but we enjoyed ourselves and had good food and, of course, great wine!

We spent one lovely evening in Nelson Family Vineyards-the last night of our trip. Nelson Family Vineyards is south of Ukiah right off of 101. It’s a beautiful 2000 acre ranch that has been family owned and operated since 1951. Not only does it have 200 acres of vineyards but it also has 37 acres of Bartlett Pears, 7 acres of Christmas tree with a few donkeys, and 300 olive trees. We had a wine tasting outdoors in a lovely setting looking at Redwood Trees and acres of vines. Not only did we buy some Sauvignon Blanc but we also came home with Honey, Balsamic Vinegar Reduction, and some Olive Oil.

Donkeys and Christmas Trees at the Ranch

The best part of the visit was our RV site. We were in the middle of the hills and the vineyards in an extremely peaceful setting. The site can have up to 15 RV’s but we were lucky and only three RV’s showed up for the evening. We had a lovely charcuterie dinner and watched the sunset over the vines.

Not being natives of California, Brad and I are continually amazed at the beauty of this state and the many places we still have yet to see. Sometimes we pinch ourselves that we both were lucky to end up living in a place with so much natural beauty and diversity.

And once again, our Harvest Host visit reaffirmed why we enjoy them so much. We had a vineyard almost to ourselves and woke up (after 9 ½ hours sleep!) to only the sounds of birds and a few critters. It was a good way to end our week.

We were all Ralphie at the end of this trip!!

Categories: RV, Travel, Wine | Tags: Harvest Hosts, Nelson Family Vineyards | 1 Comment

The World of Harvest Hosts

Posted on May 20, 2021 by lisablackwell

We are back for a weeklong trip on the Winona Rider! It’s our first real van-life adventure of the year. We are traveling with our good friends, Mike and Mary Frandsen and their dog Mojo who rented a sprinter van for the week. Our trip this week is taking us to Lassen Volcanic National Park and the Avenue of the Giants in Northern California with stops in between along the way. Instead of blogging every day that we are in the van this year, we thought we would highlight the places we stay with Harvest Hosts. After all, we are experts now and it wouldn’t be nearly as amusing to our readers if we no longer had van mishaps…even though I am sure a few of those will happen from time to time.

First, a little information about Harvest Hosts to jog your memory. Harvest Hosts is a membership program for RV owners that provides access to a network of wineries, farms, breweries, golf courses, museums and even an alpaca farm. We love staying at Harvest Hosts locations because we are able to get to know the owners, have a personal new experience, and there are usually only one or two RVs at a time visiting for the night. Most of these places are small businesses and in a year that we all need to support small businesses get back on their feet, we thought we would highlight them. Maybe if you happen to be in the area, you can visit them with or without an RV.

Our first Harvest Hosts location of the year was a place called Smiling Dogs Ranch in Kelseyville, CA near Clear Lake. Their write-up said “Need to love dogs and wine” so, of course, we had to book a night there. We were greeted by Scott and Susie and their dogs Coda and Gelato. It was a bit chaotic at first with the dogs getting used to each other and barking and sniffing, as dogs will do. They became fast friends once they got acquainted. Scott served us a vast variety of wines that he makes with his vineyards on the property and grapes he buys from others in the Lake County area. They all have adorable smiling dog labels and are named after many of their dogs, past and present. Our favorite was Sophie’s Choice for obvious reasons.

Brad drinking wine with Sophie, Coda, and Gelato

Scott showing off Sophie’s Choice-named after a beloved Samoyed

Scott and Susie live on a little slice of heaven surrounded by grapevines, beautiful Italian Cypress Trees, and a multitude of birds and critters along with, of course, their smiling dogs. We took a late afternoon walk amongst the vines to see all of the views and barbecued out by their barn for our dinner. It’s a perfect place for a sunset and Sophie, Ralphie, and Mojo (the Frandsen’s new puppy) posed perfectly for the picture.

Mojo, Sophie, and Ralphie enjoying the sunset

We slept like babies in the quiet of the vineyard and were awakened with a pot of fresh coffee. Susie and Scott also roast their own coffee. Susie served us banana muffins and even had a bouquet of flowers from her home for us and dog treats for the dogs. Coda, the young Samoyed, was at our doorstep wondering if Sophie and Ralphie could come out and play. They happily obliged and ran freely in their expansive grounds. I think the dogs were the saddest of all when we had to pack up and leave.

Our morning breakfast complete with freshly roasted coffee

If you are ever in the Clear Lake area, make a point to visit their Smiling Dogs Tasting Room on Main Street in Kelseyville…Or better yet, if you have an RV, make sure to book an overnight stay at Smiling Dog Ranch. And don’t forget to bring your pups…They will thank you for it and it will put a smile on everyone’s faces.

Categories: Travel | 3 Comments

Lessons we Learned on the Winona Rider

Posted on August 22, 2020 by lisablackwell

Now that we are home from our maiden voyage on the Winona Rider, I thought I would share some lessons learned about traveling around the country. Brad and I traveled 5600 miles in four weeks and went to 13 different states racking up over 150 hours in our Sprinter Van. Although we spent some time in our Boulder condo and at the Winona Lake cottage, we did have enough time on our own in the Winona Rider to learn a thing or two.

Simplicity is freeing. It was unbelievably freeing to live life simply while in the Winona Rider. Brief showers, no makeup, hair in a ponytail and a hat, and rotating between three or four outfits. Our dinners were simple with very minimal clean up. Even though we had some really good wine, we used plastic wine glasses so Brad didn’t spend hours shining up his wine glasses like at home. Yes, you heard me right….plastic wine glasses!

Conservation is necessary and important. We had to conserve everything because we were not going to RV Parks and were not plugging in anywhere that we camped. Conserving fresh water was key so we didn’t have to keep stopping to find water. We did the shower routine we learned on The Andiamo in our sailing days. Turn on water. Get wet. Turn off water. Lather up. Turn on water. Rinse off. Minimal water used….minimal time! Our tiny bathroom converted into a wet shower so you didn’t want to spend that much time in there anyway.

Our biggest issue was battery power. We didn’t have enough to feel comfortable each night plugging in devices and using power around the van so we were very careful. One night we left the refrigerator door slightly ajar and woke up with Zero Percent Battery Power with warning lights flashing at us. Never a good thing. We patiently waited for the sun to come up to get some solar to help power up the RV. It was a race between the refrigerator running and the sun shining that morning. I really got into all of the solar power vs. battery numbers after that day!

Routines are Good. We figured out our roles and routines early on and then refined them along the way. We had a morning routine where Brad got up and took the dogs out and made me coffee and then I slowly got up! Everyone who knows me knows of that truth. We figured out the timing of cleaning up breakfast and dinners, making and un-making the beds, when to take showers, and when to charge our devices. Our best new routine that we developed was having a beer together when we first got to our new camping spot. We started doing this after the harrowing drive in Kansas with the wicked thunderstorm and decided it was a worthy routine after that!

One of Lisa’s birthday presents. And, it’s true.

Dogs are great traveling companions….most of the time! Sophie and Ralphie really did well on this trip. They assumed their positions in the RV and were very patient on the days we had long drives. They slept like champs and loved the wide open spaces wherever we camped. We did have a few issues, however. For one thing, Ralphie is a wanderer and we frequently had to go searching for him as he slowly wandered off to check out a venue that looked more interesting. We nickname Sophie the Velcro Dog so we never had a problem with her wandering off. Unfortunately, Sophie got a little case of diarrhea when we were in Boulder the first time and poor Brad had to take her down three flights of steps to the nearby park every two hours for two nights in a row. Luckily, after some rice and pumpkin added to her diet, all was well. Our only other issue with the dogs was when my Dad announced he didn’t allow dogs in the Lake Cottage upon our arrival. We did our best to do a dance where the dogs went out to play or on a walk when my Dad was in motion. Ralphie and my Dad ended up being fast friends so it was almost a win!

Sophie got tired of posing after her many photo sessions.

You meet really interesting people even during a Pandemic. Although our main goal was to go to places without people because of Covid, we did encounter some really interesting people and their stories at the Alpaca Ranch. We met one woman who is the founder of the African Library Project and has started over 1900 libraries in sub-Saharan Africa. She lives in the Bay Area and, of course, we connected to see how we can participate in the future. We also met a few other couples who had sold their homes and were living in their RV’s for the foreseeable future and traveling the country. We met a few novices like us who bought their vehicles during the pandemic and were on their own maiden voyages. People were from all over the country and were trying to travel the safest way they could figure out during this troubling time. We also re-connected with some good friends and family along the journey. We appreciated them all for welcoming us into their backyards with our two crazy dogs and a van that scraped up their driveways. We book-ended our trip with the Frandsens and Dittmores in Tahoe and can’t thank them enough for their hospitality and we are thankful that their neighborhood bears didn’t want to have a midnight snack in our RV.

A nice visit with Gracie and Arthur Forman

We stayed with Chris and Brenda Dittmore (and new puppy Rimy) on our last night of the trip.

We Loved Our Wide Open Spaces. Wow, this country really is beautiful. We loved waking up every day to a new place for a sunrise and sometimes a different place for a beautiful sunset. Almost every place we stayed at had Wide Open Spaces and we felt so fortunate to just sit outside by our van in the mornings and evenings and look at the beauty around us. The beauty wasn’t only in Montana but we also enjoyed our stays in Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa. There is a lot of beauty to see everywhere in the United States. It felt good to appreciate it and not be in a hurry or fly over those places.

Masks should be federally mandated everywhere. We were very aware of the mask issue in each state we visited. Places like Colorado who have one of the lowest infection rates in the nation had 99% mask compliance. People even wear masks while cycling and hiking in Colorado. Other states seemed to have very optional mask-wearing ordinances. Sadly, most of the states with the worst mask compliance were also those who were seeing surges in cases. We saw large weddings, a large party, and people in stores without masks. Hard to believe that wearing masks has become a political issue and not one about health… but I digress.

Lisa and Joan hiking in the mountains near Boulder

We slept like babies. We both haven’t slept this well since before Trump became President. Our bed was very comfortable but there was something about the fresh air and lack of distractions that made us both have the best sleeps of our lives. The dogs slept amazingly as well. Ralphie slept with us and Sophie was right by our feet and would only get up and start pawing us when the sun rose.

A sense of humor with your spouse is helpful. Things went wrong. We both made mistakes. I kept leaving the light on in the bathroom draining our much-needed battery. Brad mistakenly left the water running in the sink somehow filling up the grey tank and over-flowing the shower. We went up some harrowing roads with hairpin turns and we backed out of a few driveways and made our mark in the streets. Sometimes it got hot and buggy inside the van and we wished for air-conditioning. And yet, we enjoyed figuring it all out and laughing about it. We laughed and sang and talked a lot. My phone never seemed to work so there were no outside distractions or negative news about the world. It was nice to take a break from it all for once. (Although we did make sure to catch the Democratic Convention whenever we could find it on one of our devices. Some things are worth the exception!)

A month is a long time to be away from home and the grandkids. We loved our time away but couldn’t wait to get back to see Max, Maile, and Noa. (Oh, and their parents, too)

A lot changes in a month. California has had record heat and lightning strikes and now fires, smoke, and unhealthy air. Kamala Harris became the Vice Presidential Nominee. Steph moved into a new apartment in New York. I announced my retirement from the Town Council. A rat decided to take up residence in our home while we were gone. Sophie has doubled in size. Noa has changed dramatically with his moving and smiling and cooing. Maile is in the process of starting remote pre-school and learned how to swim across our pool and jump off the diving board while we were gone. Max turned three and has become even more curious about the world. His favorite word is “Why?” We FaceTimed almost daily but as everyone now knows, FaceTime or Zoom is not the same as being there in person. It felt great to arrive in smoky Danville this afternoon. I was filled with gratitude about being able to go on this journey with Brad.

A smoky Lake Tahoe. Normally you would see mountains and crystal blue water.

The first thing we did after unpacking was to take a really long shower and start planning our next (shorter) trip! We may not blog in the future now that we are thinking we are pros but we will post some more sunset pictures along the way this fall.

Categories: Travel | Tags: Colorado, Dogs, Hiking, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, RV, Travel, Wine | 3 Comments

At Long Last . . . Winona Lake

Posted on July 31, 2020 by lisablackwell

We made it to Winona last night in time to get a boat ride and watch the sunset. The sun doesn’t set here until after 9:00 so we were able to unpack, eat dinner, and get out on the lake.

Brad driving the pontoon on our first night at Winona Lake

Sophie wasn’t so sure about this boat riding thing

Ralphie, on the other hand, took to it like a pro

Dinner on the lake included a beautiful Brunello di Montalcino served with classic

As many of you know, I was born here and spent every summer of my childhood at Winona Lake, Indiana. Our lake house has been in the family since 1937. My Dad was seven or eight (he’s not quite sure) when he moved here and he has spent every summer here since. I was born here in 1958 and have done the same except for that pesky little summer where Brad and I got married. Brad knew that part of his wedding vows included an annual trip to “The Lake” and he hasn’t broken that promise.

Winona is the place where we are at our happiest. I love being on the water and walking along the streets of the Village. Brad always has a big smile when he is driving our boat along the shore. At Winona, time has a way of standing still. Things have definitely changed along the years. Generations have come and many have sadly gone, but there is a sameness and a peacefulness that remains. As we have sheltered in place in Danville, Brad and I would frequently talk about how wonderful it would be to be on the lake and just isolate ourselves at Winona. More importantly, we needed to see my Dad who turned 91 this summer. My Dad and I have always been close…we get each other and enjoy spending time together. When we were both much younger, we spent a lot of time on the lake together. My Dad would get up before work and I would get up early before whatever I was doing and we would play tennis together in the mornings. Tennis has always been my favorite sport because of him even though he beat me practically every time — even when he was well into his 70’s.

My Dad and I on the pontoon boat in the summer of 1959

My Dad and I on the pontoon boat in the summer of 2020

And, what is a day at the lake without a Dairy Queen Buster Bar

That’s the background to how the RV idea began. Brad made it happen and now here we are with the two dogs and my Dad (Incidentally, my Dad hates dogs. More on that in another blog). COVID-19 is a reality here in Winona because no place is truly untouched by the virus. Indiana has a mandatory mask policy because their cases are going up. The per capita rate here is actually almost identical to Danville’s.

Our kids and grandkids are not here with us. My brother and sister and their families couldn’t make it. Usually, we are cooking for 15-18 people. This summer there will just be the three or four of us for dinners and patio wine tasting. It is not safe enough for the rest of our family to fly here or even to drive. The virus and our government’s policies have robbed all of us from family traditions and chances for multiple generations to get together to laugh and play and dine and play games and “assume the position” in lawn chairs at the end of the evening. Sadly, there will be no reunion this year.

We are going to treasure every single day we are here this summer because one thing we have learned during this pandemic is to never take anything for granted. Not days at the lake, not family reunions, and not times with your 91-year-old-Dad.

Post Script: While digging through old pictures this morning, I found a special family service that my Aunt Barbara and Uncle Russ did at the lake in 1992. Their description of Winona is as perfect as it gets. (Paraphrased and updated slightly by me)

“This place–Winona Lake–this cottage–are symbols to us of a whole host of meanings and feelings connected with family. There are other places, other houses, other memories no less important. But these are the ones that all of us share. The “Stauffer” cottage is a reminder of all our families and their experiences. It represents to three (now four) generations of descendants of Irene and Bob Stauffer. It represents crazy times and creative times, happy days and miserable ones, a family’s strength and its failings, its original circle and its growing circle, its joy and its grieving. It is a symbol of a wider community–a group of people whose lives got entwined on the shore in lasting ways.

Categories: Travel | 9 Comments

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