Welcome to our

2021 Western Trip

with Ernie Tortuga, our Sprinter van

Welcome to Pandemic World. COVID has disrupted people and their lives around the world, including ours. Last year we had a relatively short trip to Colorado and Utah ostensibly to pick up a new bike for me, though we enjoyed some nice parks and got to spend time with some friends, masking all the way.

Before the Pandemic arrived, the plan was to visit my sister last year, who lives with her hubby in Port Townsend Washington. I also wanted to enjoy Rte 2, a highway that seems to be pretty much the complete opposite of its numerical predecessor. We still want to see them, so this year's plan is an update of that plan, counterclockwise around the country rather than clockwise, and avoiding the Southwest in the depths of Summer.

Last year we took a shorter trip and didn't need to plug in for the whole trip. We did a couple times, more because we wanted to make sure it all worked (and so we could use both the electric skillet and Instant Pot at the same time). Our upgraded solar capacity and second alternator made a huge difference. It gives us more flexibility for where we spend our evenings, in dispersed camping in national forests and more rustic campgrounds. Two hundred watts of lithium battery is proving enough for all our (non-A/C) needs.

The plan this year is to drive North and head West across the top of the US to Washington, then South to Lake Tahoe, then East to Colorado, before returning home to Florida. As in the past we will try to avoid making any more reservations than we have to, so we don't feel stressed to keep to a schedule. We've gotten better with our planning, so last year we actually pretty much kept to the Plan. We'll see if that continues!

Everything we're reading is that our travel will be more challenging than previous years. After a year of isolation, the parks are reportedly packed and reservations are nigh impossible to get. Hopefully we will find boondocking spots and enjoy the nature. We will have our bikes and SUPs, and with luck we'll get to use them wherever we end up each evening. The news is also reporting the severe drought and heat in the West, so we may regret not having A/C in Ernie. We may be more challenged than in past years.

Plan, Year Six.

Our mission is Port Townsend, WA, avoiding traffic and cities, and appreciate as much natural beauty as we can find. My sister and her husband live there, and we really want to see them. So Leg One is to meet up with Reb and Wayne.

We start from Northeast Florida, and head North, visiting my brother, and some parks before heading across US 2 to Glacier and Northern Cascades National Parks, and then down to Port Washington.

If the border is open we'd like to take the Port Angeles Ferry to Victoria BC, but that doesn't look like it will happen. Regardless we will leave Port Townsend and make our way to Lake Tahoe to visit friends before driving across Utah and Wyoming to Boulder to see friends and family.

The drive home from Boulder will hopefully include mountain biking parks and relatives. We need to be back in Florida for Suwannee Bicycle Association's inaugural Twin Rivers Dirty Thirty bike event, and Sharon needs to be back to coordinate the SBA Fat Tire Festival in White Springs October 21-24.

So this is our initial plan. It will change right up to hitting the road, and then the actual will perhaps bear some vague similarity to the plan. As we drive, Sharon will decide if our destination is acceptable, or whether she finds another that is more appealing to her (or not full - we tend to make reservations later rather than sooner). With the dire warnings about travel this Summer, we may find that we may be scrambling at the last minute regardless. We also aren't sure how long we'll stay at each spot, it will depend on how much Sharon wants to do at each place.

Reality is what it is...

We are planning. Until we hit the road, there is no reality for this adventure, just anticipation.

Blogging about our experience.

My thoughts as we progress through this adventure. The list below is my lame attempt to keep this simple. Entries are in doc format to make my life simpler.

Seeing the United States from our Tortuga Sprinter.

Click to our photo albums. We will be trying to document our process and the beauty we find during our travels. We'll be adding albums as time and beauty allow. The best pictures will be in our year-end calendar, which will be printed by PrintingCenterUSA. Drop a comment for a chance to pick up one of our calendars at the end of the year!