Kayacking

CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK – CALIFORNIA

Our life goal is to visit as many National Parks as we can. National Parks draw you in with splendid beauty, history and protected wildlife. We chose Santa Cruz Island as the park rangers advised it had lots of hiking, animal life and spectacular cliff edge views.

Channel Islands National Park comprises 5 ecologically rich islands off the Southern California coast. Anacapa Island has trails to a 1932 lighthouse and clifftop Inspiration Point. Santa Cruz Island’s many sea caves include the vast Painted Cave. Santa Rosa Island features rare Torrey pines. Thousands of seals gather at San Miguel Island’s Point Bennett. Southernmost Santa Barbara Island draws nesting seabirds.

We began by pre purchasing our tickets the day before through Island Packers Cruises – 805-642-1393 – info@islandpackers.com. You are required to call for reservations and they fill up fast. Super friendly and very helpful people, from making reservations to boarding the boat. At $52.00 a person for round trip tickets it was a bargain, Highly recommend.

So the very early morning began our trip. Up at 5 am packed a lunch, snacks and water bottles for a full day. Water is available at several camping sites but no food, snacks or vending machines available. This is a very remote and protected island twelve miles from the mainland. The catamaran ride from Island Packers dock to the island was spectacular. Smooth sailing, lots of dolphins diving out of the water following our boat on either side. As we approached the island I felt like I was in a Jurassic Park movie. The dock was safe but rustic and no building in site just beautiful hills blooming wildflowers and the deepest green terrain I have ever witnessed. Just approaching the dock was breathtaking, wow what would the rest of the island be like.

We opted to join a 2 hour ranger walk to get a real feel of the island. Highly recommend as he directed us to trails and viewing of wild island foxes, explained the abundance of wild flowers and the protected island scrub jay, also where to view the world largest sea caves. After the tour we set out on our own following the trail map the ranger provided us. The trails were well marked and led to pristine beaches, views of rugged mountains, pure paradise. We decided to stop and have lunch on a cliff overlooking a sea lion rookery and sea caves. Hard to eat when the Ravens wouldn’t stop begging us for food, but rules are do not feed the animals, the birds just dont know the rules. As we continued our hike we periodically came upon small gray foxes as large as house cats and were not frightened by us all which gave us great photo opportunities. The island fox is only found on 6 of the 8 Channel Islands and found nowhere else on earth. They would walk up to you within feet without any fear and they are adorable.

No cell coverage allows for shear peacefulness of this island with only the sound of the rhythmic waves, salty breezes and over 2000 species of plants and animals made us want to stay for longer. We had a full day of hiking over 6 miles and it was now time to head back to the dock. What a wonderful day and we would definitely do this again, possibly a different island next time.

CHEERS FROM JUST AROUND THE BEND

LAKE MEAD AND BOULDER CITY ARIZONA AND NEVADA

Boulder City was not what we expected. I thought dry, hot desert, nothing to explore, BORING, well that was not the case. I didn’t realize that a mire 4 miles from Boulder City was Hoover Dam and the expansion bridge which went across The Colorado river was incredible. After the Highway bypass was finished the cities staff went to work revitalizing the town and they did a great job. New bike paths, parks, and a nostalgic downtown with original neon signs. Boulder is one of the few Nevada cities that gambling and prostitution is illegal. This puts a relaxed persona on the town. There was a art and wine tour with live music downtown when we were visiting in February. The park on the way down to Lake Mead has resident Mountain Sheep hanging out in the park for great photo opportunities. We stayed 2 nights at the Elks Lodge RV park with Full hookups for members only. We moved over to Boulder Campground which is part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area ran by the National Park Service.The very scenic sites were 10 dollars a night for senior pass holders and 20 dollars for young folks. There is 2 more campgrounds on the Nevada side and more on the Arizona side of the Lake. There is also some dispersed sites on the lake for free BLM camping. A plus to the campground is a 38 mile paved bike loop which goes along the lake, up towards Henderson and loops back to Boulder City. We had fun in the city and the Hoover dam was fascinating. We were reminded of the Selma Hayek movie Fools Rush In. Boulder won our hearts with great people and a fun nostalgic town. We will be back.

Until our next Adventure CHEERS FROM JEFF AND lIZ AT JUSTAROUNDTHEBEND.BLOG

You are probably wondering where are these Nomads headed to next – Well its to DEAD HORSE RANCH STATE PARK SEE YOU THERE!!!!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_6367.jpg — ARCTIC FOX LOGO

Redwood National Park CALIFORNIA

From Brookings, Oregon and a mere 30 mile drive the Redwoods begin. Large and empowering giants standing guard on the edges of the Redwood Highway with vista views of the Pacific Ocean. What a beginning to our next ADVENTURE.

You are in Redwood National Park. If you travel north of Elk Country RV park past Berry Glen and turn west on Newton B Drury scenic parkway and stop at the combined California state park and national park visitors center. You can then proceed for 10 miles of amazing redwood trails and vistas.

NOTE: We hadn’t expected that all of the National Parks throughout our journey would be closed due to Political issues, so our adventure was condensed. The National and State Park volunteers and Rangers are so accommodating and helpful they want you to have a wonderful experience in spite of political issues. The main trails to lots of huge Redwoods were closed, Visitor Centers and some restrooms depending on if they fell under State or Federal.

Despite the closers we did get to see a lot of The Redwoods and many large trees and definitely felt the Redwood experience.

Until Our Next Adventure – Cheers from JUST AROUND THE BEND

NEXT STOP NAPA VALLEY CALIFORNIA

Grand Teton National Park

Words haven’t been designed to explain the beauty of the Tetons. We have traveled to a lot of amazing National Parks, for this one Jeff and Liz are finally out of words to describe.

We left Phillips Lake campground where if you remember we met up with are goods friends and camped. Jeff with his traveling brilliance came up with a great idea of since we were already halfway to The Grand Tetons, why not just head that way. Long story short we did just that and now here we are camping at Gros Ventre Campground – site B99, just spectacular. At $15.00 a night (golden age pass) we stayed for a glorious 13 days. Now this is dry camping, so our solar really came in handy as the nights got down into the high thirties. But the views from every angle were priceless. Gros Ventre is just yards from the Snake River and sometimes inches from Bull Moose. Gros Ventre Campground has over 300 first come, first serve sites with one loop of full hookup ,one for employees only, one tent only no generators and one group Loop. Always Remember National Parks have strict rules on pets so check regulations before you come. BE BEAR AWARE. Bring bear spray and carry it at all times. It is much cheaper to buy at home than in the Tetons.

So much to do, the pristine bike trails are a must and kayaking the many lakes as well as the Snake River will leave you with endless memories. A word to the wise..hit the lakes and trailheads early which means by 8 am.Those happy campers can clog a parking lot like a bird getting the early worm. You can find yourself parking on the road side where allowed and hiking an extra mile or more to the trailhead parking lot. Also the best photo opportunities of nature and wildlife are early. Moose and Bears are not much for luncheons. Our Bull Moose showed up at 5:30 am by our campground and left by 7:00 am for the river wilds.

If you get burnt out of nature things to do there is always the town of Jackson to explore.You can shop, eat and drink to your heats content. Jackson is very popular, traffic and parking are a challenge. We did find some great Bakeries, Ice cream and really enjoyed Snake River Brewery which had a lot of healthy choices of pub food which we found to be much better than our local Bend Oregon Breweries. The town also has numerous Art Galleries and Museums.

Until our next adventure – CHEERS from JUST AROUND THE BEND _ Jeff and Liz

Snake River

Sequim Bay State Park- Washington

Sequim Bay State park is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Hiking through pristine forests, biking the Olympic Discovery Trail, which runs right through the middle of the park, or go kayaking in the Bay. The park itself is well maintained with state of the art restrooms and token showers. Absolutely the cleanest grounds we have ever experienced and the staff and ranger so nice and helpfull. We chose site 83.

Amenities : Firepit, picnic table, water available and a million dollar view of the bay. We paid $30.00 a night. Quiet, pristine, I rate this park a 8.

Things To Do:

We Geocached at John Wayne’s Marina. With breathtaking views we sat for sometime taking in the busy boat traffic and watching the crab fisherman bringing in their catches of the day. Sequim is also known for the longest sandbar, a mere 5 1/2 mile walk one way-well maybe next time. Don’t forget the Lavender farms, there are many, Purple Haze Lavender Farm was our favorite and their lavender ice cream – Soooo good. There is also cute boutiques for fun shopping, bistros and good coffee shops. We also found the best bakery ever ” Pane dAmore” with fresh bread made daily, their whole wheat sourdough bread is amazing. I am sure I am forgetting lots of things to do, but if you visit Sequim this will give you a good start.

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See You On The Road Cheers From Just Around The Bend♥♥♥♥

Dillon Falls Oregon Kayaking Adventure

Today we are kayaking with our friends Dave, Jen and their cool dog Mocha from Enterprise, Oregon. One of our favorite kayak floats is a scenic and relaxing stretch of the Deschutes River just below Dillon Falls. With 78 degree weather , a swift cold current and wildlife abundant you could not ask for a more perfect kayaking day.

Mocha

Dave and Jen

Directions:

From Bend, OR: Travel 7.9 miles west on Cascade Lakes Highway (46), then 2.6 miles south on Forest Road 41. At this junction there are signs to direct you to Dillon Falls and to a decent boat ramp. Day use pass is required.

Dave, Jen and Mocha

Just Beautiful

Nu Canoe adventures

We splashed our kayaks into the cold water and headed upriver towards Dillon Falls. The current was strong and we had to work at rowing hard and staying in unison, but as we approached the falls maybe a mere 1 mile paddle it was worth it. The Roar of Dillon Falls one of the mightiest Falls along the Deschutes River can be heard well before one sees it. Strange on this perfect fall day we were the only paddlers on this stretch of the Deschutes River.

A very popular area for Anglers, just ask Dave, he has caught many German Browns in this stretch of the water. Believe me he knows where the fish are hiding, with catch and release his style, he stays true to the environment.

Dave

Can you see the fish

Riding the rapids

Beautiful

Dillon Falls

Watching an Eagle

A LITTLE HISTORY:

The Falls named for Leander Dillon, who came with his family from Chico California in 1885 established a Homestead along the river, where he raised stock. Dylan later lost his land when his claim was denied. He moved to Prineville in 1890.

Cheers Until Our Next Adventure From Just Around The Bend

Join us as we explore Whidbey Island in Washington State and stay at our first Harvest Host Destination – stay tuned♥♥♥

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