The Trip

This section is here to simply chronicle our steps. Look for updates along the way.
Before leaving we signed up for Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome (now partnered). For $125 we purchased a years’ membership that gives us access to around 6000 sites (wineries, farms, kind neighbors, historical sites, businesses). Dry camp for free with the understanding that we will support their business.

2/19: NRA Whittington Center in Raton, NM - 33k acre ranch set aside for hunting, competitive gunplay and camping, a beautiful high desert campground fairly vacant for our first night. Gorgeous star-field and kind staff. As we were the only people staying here that we could see we were able to spend some time organizing our camper and making it our own. It looks like we will take the long way to California as the weather is calling for snow. So off we go to the south and will head across NM and AZ to our destination.

2/20: Black Mesa Winery in Velarde, NM - our first Harvest Hosts stop and it was wonderful - Alec served us and Jerry, the owner was a great host.

2/21: Harvest Host, Black’s Smuggler Winery in Bosque, NM - We met Tony the owner and enjoyed a great chat with him and others while enjoying a glass of cider.

2/22: Rob and Carol Disque in Hillsboro, NM - dear friends who had lots of helpful advice on RV living for us and a wonderful meal. So good to stop and see friends.

2/23: Walmart in Deming, NM - We got caught up in a crazy dust storm where they closed down highway 10. So we holed up in the parking lot between two 18 wheelers and stayed snug in our camper.

2/24: Harvest Host, Birds and Barrel Winery in Wilcox, AZ - Monica the owner was wonderful and we enjoyed the mountain views and stars.

2/25-28: Ironwood Forest National Monument in Tucson, AZ - dispersed camping in the desert. First time we were able to sit and stay for more than a night. We had beautiful weather and a stillness that’s hard to find. This was the beginning of our decompressing from all we left to what lies ahead.

3/1-3/2: Renovation Church in Phoenix, AZ - Ready and rejuvenated to join the world again we had dinner with Steph’s high school friend Lari and her family. Lots of memories and laughs that evening! Stayed in the church parking lot where they attend. So kind to let us set up and chill. Next we got to meet up with Pete and Jackie Kuyper in Scottsdale for dinner and a goodbye as we head for CA finally.

3/3-3/5: Rivers End Campground in Santa Clarita, CA - This campground is about as close to LA as you can get so we stayed here and could leave the camper as we drive into LA daily to get a lay of the land. And visit our daughter Abby of course!

3/6-3/14: Rising Tide Ranch in Vista, CA - Friends of Charlie in CO with the Sanctuary Shower Ministry, Buck and Terra let us come stay on their Sober Living Ranch. This place and these people are amazing and we had the most wonderful time. This was a great home base for all we did in San Diego and Oceanside. Visiting Brother Benno’s, Bread of Life, and San Diego Rescue Mission were highlights.

3/15: Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington, CA - Treated ourselves to a stay at the beach as we figure out our next destination.

3/16-3/20: Harvest Host, Manana Ranch in Murrieta, CA - We stayed at Ginger’s place 5 nights in the hills SE of LA. Spent some amazing days in Lake Elsinore with the Dream Center folks and some quiet nights before moving toward the big city once again. Brett and Haley were amazing to connect with and see their vision for Dream Center and their city.

3/21-3/22: Buck’s childhood friend Scott in Malibu, CA - Back to LA area and stayed at a beautiful spot overlooking the vast Pacific Ocean. Got to know Scott and walked the beach guessing what’s next. Scott introduced us to the Cream’wich Ice Cream Sandwich. This has changed our lives.

3/23-3/24: Harvest Host, Kathy’s Stop in Altadena, CA - Met Kathy and Kevin who were getting their house ready to Airbnb the next day. We offered to help as we know how much work that is! and spent the afternoon with them cleaning and raking and talking life.

3/25: Harvest Host, King Richards Antique Center in Whittier, CA - Stayed in their parking lot in LA as we were headed nearby first thing in the morning to hand out food with another DreamCenter in downtown LA.

3/26-3/28: Back at Rivers End Campground in Santa Clarita, CA - Some quiet out of the city to add to our blog. Worked with Dream Center visiting people and praying for them in the projects.

3/29-4/9: Thousand Trails-Soledad RV Camp in Acton, CA - We have decided to get a basic membership to Thousand Trails which allows us to stay in any of their campgrounds in CA 14 days and then we have to leave for 7 days and can come back or move to another campground for 14 days again. This way we always have somewhere to stay at least half the time. This will help us not having to spend so much energy on where we will sleep every day. Finding places to shower and sleep is actually pretty exhausting so we are happy to find this solution. At some point we may be able to swing upgrading to the elite membership which allows us to stay in the campgrounds three weeks at a time and just move to a new one, never having to find alternate camping arrangements!

Our time here was spent writing and updating our blog. We also visited Dream Center in the LA projects and helped with food delivery on multiple occasions. Met some amazing folks. We were privileged to visit Homeboy Industries during this trip as well as handing out water on skid row in LA.

4/10-4/18: Back to Rising Tide Ranch in Vista, CA - Our friends were taking a much needed family vacation so we came back to keep an eye on things while they were gone. Chris spent time with the men here and led a bible study during our stay. We visited Brother Benno’s once again and went to church on Easter. Also were invited to a baptism in the ocean. It was a wonderful event being included in something so special. Got to spend our last day in San Diego enjoying the day.

4/19-5/2: Back to Soledad RV Camp in Acton, CA - Met new friends at the campground who are from Woodland Park and spent lots of time getting to know them. Such a great family to hang with! Abby came to visit us at the campground. Spent the day in Santa Barbara for my birthday riding bikes on the beach. Visited the Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row. What an amazing place! Talked to Tim, the Director of Philanthropy and heard the amazing story of this place. Established in 1891, this is the oldest mission in LA and the largest Rescue Mission in the US with 1,000 beds. This ministry is right in the middle of Skid Row and doing incredible work. We met the CEO Andy Bales who is truly a gem. We met lots of people working on this issue. Our visit also brought us to some new friends north of LA who know our friends in Charlottesville, VA. Small world! This is probably the last we will see of this area for awhile but we will remember all we saw and everyone we met while here forever.

5/3-5/4: Giessinger Winery in Fillmore, CA - Small town with train running right through and lots of local shopping. Had a tasting while enjoying The Bakery Boys live music.

5/5: Harvest Host, Stanger Wines in Paso Robles, CA - Roger and Lori gave us a tasting and the most lovely conversation. Just a beautiful view on the hill overlooking the vineyards.

5/6: Harvest Host, Locatelli Vineyards in San Miguel, CA - Met other harvest host guests while here and enjoyed time in town writing.

5/7: Harvest Host, Vines on the Marycrest in Paso Robles, CA - Victor and Jenny were our hosts and we enjoyed some great conversation about history and genealogy with our wine tasting.

5/8: Harvest Host, Adelaida Botanicals in Paso Robles, CA - Mother’s Day! Went to Highlands Church outdoor service and met the pastor, James. Went to lunch and an art gallery and window shopping in town. Talked to all my kiddos!

5/9: Harvest Host, Four Sisters Winery in San Miguel, CA - Beautiful spot to stay! Worked in town and visited the used book store. Found ECHO, which is an old Motel 6 restored for emergency shelter use.

5/10-5/20: Thousand Trails-Rancho Oso RV Camp in Santa Barbara, CA - Our stay here included no internet, one flat tire on the camper, no heat one night, some great conversations with Kevin at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, Skye and Rebecca who brought someone to the mission for help, Linda at Viking Press to get our new business cards, Daniel at the motorcycle museum, Hilary at the vintage store, and George and Sarah who stayed next to us at the campground. A great week indeed! Drove to see our Abby for the last time and said goodbye for awhile as we begin our trek north.

5/21- Lake Cachuma Campground in Santa Ynez Valley, CA - Enjoyed a nice day in Solvang writing and off to this campground. Had live music in the evening and we had great fun listening and dancing with the other campers.

5/22-5/23: Morro Strand Bay State Park in Morro Bay, CA - We are on our week of moving around finding places to stay each night. We managed to find two open nights at this state beach. Were able to head into San Luis Obispo for supplies and to look around this pretty town. Got to walk the beach and see the sunsets over the pacific.

5/24: Harvest Host- Escalar Wines in Templeton CA - We showed up on the hottest day here so far. So while we longed for the beach we ended up meeting Eric and Michelle who own this winery and gave us a tasting and great conversation. We watched the sunset as the evening cooled down and enjoyed our evening with these two!

5/25: Harvest Host- Dark Stellar Winery in Paso Robles CA - Beautiful winery and great staff! Met Troy who served us and heard his story. Met some other Harvest Hosters Dan and Stephanie and Rick and his wife. Had such a lovely time talking to them about homelessness and a million other things!

5/26-5/28: Ragged Point, CA - This resort lets you rent a parking space and we found one off by itself. Got to park on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean for three nights. The most beautiful view so far! No internet or phone service but had a car show one afternoon and live music another. Had to get our brakes done on a Friday afternoon but Javier Auto Service in Cambria kindly took us in and fixed them so we weren’t stuck all weekend. Met Jerry at the Mexican restaurant while waiting for the car to get fixed. Wonderful conversation. Met Irma back at Ragged Point and talked about our trip and life, so lovely to share in people’s stories.

5/29-5/30: Thousand Trails- San Benito RV Camp in San Benito,CA- Got here and pretty full because of the holiday. Found one spot open and moved to a new one after the Memorial Day travelers exodus. This was not our place and though we were supposed to be here two weeks we decided to move on. The closest town was far and made working and blogging difficult. Miraculously found space at another Thousand Trails farther north where our new friends the Andersons are also staying. Hoping to be there for 10 days.

5/31-6/9: Thousand Trails- Morgan Hills RV Camp in Morgan Hills CA - So beautiful here and a much better fit. Can jump into the nearby town of Gilroy, best known for the annual Garlic Festival since 1979. We were able to reserve for the 10 days and feel very grateful! We caught up on lots of admin having had no service or internet for a few days. Found Compassion Center one morning and met Tim, Executive Director. We found out Tim lived in Charlottesville, VA as we did and knew a few of the same people and places. What a coincidence? Had a great meeting and learned about the needs in Gilroy. We also visited the nearby town of Morgan Hills and spent a lot of time writing. We got to hang out with our friends the Andersons who were also at the campground and here we had to say good-bye as they are heading back to Colorado for the summer. Our dear friends the Knutsen’s son Zach is in Santa Cruz so we headed out to see him one morning. It’s been a few years and was awesome to catch up and meet his girlfriend, Marissa! Zach grew up with our kids so we rehashed old stories and memories. All in all our time here was restorative and productive.

6/9-6/17 Michael and Jean Jefferies in Mill Valley, CA - This is our first time to not be staying in the Silver Streak. We are north of San Francisco at Chris’ sisters house. They left the 11th for a three week vacation so after a lovely two days we are now staying in the house with our nephew Andrew. We are so thankful for their good friends Jim and Maureen who generously allowed us to leave our camper in their driveway while we are here! This is so helpful in a big city area. We spent this week on a few different projects. Spent time with our nephew, time in the Mill Valley neighborhood, in nearby towns and San Francisco. We went to the Tenderloin area as it is called, similar to Skid Row in LA. There were not as many tents but the feel of the area was gritty and messy, maybe even more dangerous feeling in ways. We wandered into a ribbon cutting ceremony of a new affordable housing unit going up by TNDC (Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation). This place will house 70 folks. The goal is to not just provide housing but meet other needs for healthy living as well. Having a rooftop garden and playground and nearby fresh produce is all part of the ways to not just provide shelter but meeting the needs of the whole person. We saw Chris’ brother and wife in nearby Piedmont and enjoyed a community night outdoor comedy show. Chris painted our propane tanks which has been on the list since we left and lots of discussion about the next steps heading into Oregon. Thanks to Maureen, we got a meeting with Mary Kay Sweeney and Paul Fordham who are CO-Executive Directors of Homeward Bound. This was such an informative meeting for us and amazing to meet these two! Mary Kay has been in this work for 40 years and the two of them are wonderful. Our Patreon account was deleted by Patreon while we were here and unretrievable so we have worked on setting up a new one for those who are kind enough to support the work we are doing.

6/18-6/19- Harvest Host- Quiet Acre Stopover in Ferndale, CA - What a beautiful valley! We stayed her two nights and enjoyed this small towns hospitality. Met great folks and had some good conversations. We went to Ferndale Community Church for Father’s Day and met Daniel the pastor and Dan as well as others. Loved talking to Daniel about our project and his experiences. Had lunch and sat at the beach and talked to some kids, even Patrick calling from Germany! Nice day indeed.

6/20- Harvest Host- Edenvale Winery in Medford, OR - Have finally made it into Oregon. Stayed in Medford at a lovely winery. Had a long drive here so relaxing before we head out again for another long day of driving. A beautiful spot to land.

6/21-6/22- Humbug Mountain State Park near Port Orford, OR - This is one of the most beautiful campgrounds we stayed in. We chose a spot next to the path to the beach. You just walk down this path and as you come out of the tall grasses it opens up next to a river running under a bridge and flows into the ocean. Spectacular! The seals were playing in the surf, the birds were on the rocks and the sun setting completed this amazing scene. We stayed here two nights and met a sweet woman next to our campsite and spent time at the library in Port Orford working. A little hard to leave but we know there is so much more to see!

6/23-6/26- Thousand Trails- South Jetty RV Park in Florence, OR - Drove up the coast to our next stop. This campground has massive trees and is beautiful. We found a great spot and camped there the first night. When we woke up the next morning we realized the campsite was so covered in trees that there was no sunlight. So we decided to find a different site with more sun. Mission accomplished. We moved and then headed into Florence to see the town. We also explored Eugene during this stay. Chris was under the weather this week so we were fortunate to be in one place and not moving every night. We laid low, rested and wrote a lot.

6/27-6/30- Harvest Host- Kenbo’s Place in Corvallis, OR - Making our way further up the coast we couldn’t help but stop at Heceta Head Lighthouse. A beautiful walk and amazing views. This is one of the prettiest and most photographed lighthouses on the coast. Perched atop 1,000 foot cliff its beam was first illuminated in 1894 and can be seen for 21 miles. The staff there was just lovely, and are all volunteers who were such a treat to visit with. Arriving at our new home for four days we met Kenbo. He led us to a beautiful spot next to a horse pasture where the horses came to visit us each morning and evening. He was kind enough to show us around his workshops which were legendary as he has everything you need to work on cars, wood, metal or sewing. We spent time in Corvallis and Salem. We met John at Arches Shelter, Lauren at HOAP (Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program)and Moises at Union Gospel Mission. A lot of people doing good work here. We also had to replace our truck battery during this visit. That required a drive to Albany so off we went and just bit the bullet and hit Target, Walmart and Home Depot as well for the other items we needed. A couple long days here but well spent. We readied our camper for our next adventure.

7/1-7/4- All American Vintage Trailer Rally in Salem OR - Only an hour to this destination we headed there with excitement. Our first trailer rally! We arrived along with 50 other vintage trailers and spent the day readying it for the show. We put up new curtains finally and spiffed everything up. The rally was open to the public for the three day holiday and anyone was welcome to come inside and see all the ways people decorate their trailers. We enjoyed meeting lots of people and showing off our Silver Streak. We were the only ones there who were living full time in our trailer! The weekend was filled with making new friends and hopeful promises of running into each other at more rallies. We were glad for this reprieve as the stories of Portland continue to be told and all the homeless situations that await us there.

7/5-7/8- Tony and Betty Campbell’s in Hillsboro, OR - Met up with an old friend from Colorado Springs and his wife Betty. They graciously let us park in their driveway. We spent the next few days in and out of Portland. We saw a beautiful city that was still recovering from the riots of 2020. We could see the damage and the empty spaces from businesses moving out as well as a bustling city moving back toward beauty. Though there were moments of sadness at what had transpired here there was also energy in a place this beautiful. We met with Adam at Union Gospel Mission and Chris, Aubrey and Brian at the Portland Rescue Mission. We met a lovely team from PDX Saints who deliver food and supplies to the camps each week. We talked to many people on the street and to basically anyone who wanted to chat including Gabriel from Child International and John who we ran into multiple times as who can resist a slice of pizza from somewhere called Sizzle Pie! We were able to see the house that Betty renovated for her ministry Exposed Hope. This is a safe haven for women who have been lost in the sex trafficking world. The women that escape need a place where someone can help them get on their feet. Betty provides this haven and the tools to make their way on their own healthy and strong. During our stay Betty received a call from two girls who were running from their pimp and needed help. They were a few towns away and she made a plan for them to take the rail to where we would be waiting and the safe house. We waited for them at the station for quite awhile that night. Betty said it’s common for them to not show. They could have gotten spooked or caught or just too afraid to try. These girls had been taken from a party in Arizona and been in captivity for two years. Her phone stays on for these calls that can come at anytime. Right now her safe house has 5 women recovering. This was a whole new world for Chris and I to venture into and we learned so much. Maybe more than I wanted to know about what goes on on the streets. I am glad that someone has a heart for this ministry like Betty does. After a lovely dinner and a fire pit til 1:30am our last night we got up for breakfast together and said goodbye to our old friend Tony and our new friend Betty hoping it would not be another 13 years til we meet up again.

7/9- Harvest Host- Mill Lane Winery in Tenino, WA - Making our way to Seattle we stopped here for the night. Stayed in a beautiful field with a train that we thought ran right through the field as well! But hey it’s only one night so we made the best of it. Tried their unique Elderberry and Espresso wine which was pretty good if you like a sweet red wine. Off we went the next morning toward the big city.

7/10- Harvest Host- North 47 Brewery in Tacoma, WA - On our way to our stay I surprised Chris with a visit to the LeMays Car Museum in Tacoma. How could we pass this up? Truly a must see for a car lover like my husband. After four floors of old beauties we headed to our resting spot. This stay was a parking lot at a brewery where the space was a coffee shop drive thru that had closed. So we pulled up to the window and set up for the night. We enjoyed the locals at the brewery and a quiet evening. Ideally we could just roll down the window in the morning and order a latte but that was just wishful thinking. Instead we headed out for our much anticipated stay for more than one night. Changing sites every night is a bit wearisome.

7/11-7/15- Thousand Trails- Thunderbird RV in Monroe, WA - Monroe is a small town near Seattle. Our campsite is next to the Skykomish River where we could sit and have coffee in the morning before the chaos begins. We traveled into the vast landscape of the Seattle area many times. We visited the famous Marketplace where the fruit and flowers are abundant and you want to buy everything you see. We saw many of the neighborhoods as well as the inner city. Met up with our dear friends Jim and Angie at their new house in Normandy Park. Spent a lovely evening catching up with old friends. Visited small towns nearby and accidentally found the Snoqualmie Falls. We parked and went to see what all the hubalub was about. Just an amazing 268 foot waterfall to view! Apparently this is the site from which the popular TV show Twin Peaks was filmed. This waterfall is believed by the Snoqualnie people to be where “prayers were carried up to the Creator by great mists that rise from the powerful flow.” The mists rising from the base of the waterfall are said to serve to connect Heaven and Earth. This waterfall is visited by over a million people a year from all over the world. And here we were.

7/16- Dan Connelly’s in Kirkland, WA - Visited Dan who Chris has known for 45 years! Had great conversation and happened to be there on a night he was performing at a local bar. Great time catching up.

7/17- Harvest Host- Golden Ears Cheesecrafters in Maple Ridge BC - Dusted off the passports and made our way into Canada. This stop was a fun shop with every kind of cheese, baked goods, handmade brats and so much more. Lucky we arrived in plenty of time to shop and chat with the ladies working. Got some German brats for dinner and chilled for the night.

7/18- Harvest Host- The Hat Doctor in Merritt, BC - Made our way into the mountains for this stay. Met Greg and Carole who hosted us and took the time to show us their workshop. Carole repairs and hand makes Beaver skin cowboy hats. Her shop has antique machinery she uses to make your custom hats. Just beautiful workmanship. They have horses and the place to park is looking out at the grand mountains.

7/19- Harvest Host- Crowsnest Vineyard in Cawston BC - This beautiful spot to stay had a restaurant and bakery as well as wine shop. We enjoyed the beauty while chatting with the locals about the area. We made sure to purchase their famous sourdough bread and a savory sausage roll for our early morning departure.

7/20-7/24- Harvest Host- My Piece of Heaven in Polson, MT - What a gem this place is. Patty has opened her space to travelers and is so gracious. We spent five nights here on Flathead Lake. We arrived after 11 hours on the road but we stopped to see our friends the Vilgiates in Spokane, WA on the way so made it fun. Our stay here was spent writing and figuring out what is next on this journey. There were nights on the deck with Patty, her daughter Shelly and other boondockers hearing stories and times around the big campfire. Met Isaac and Kenan straight from Ireland playing guitar at the lake and invited us to their show that night. Great Irish music and fun. Went to the Samaritan House Shelter and met Parker and Caleb. Had great conversation with Parker about what’s going on here and so lovely for Caleb to share his story with us. This was a hard place to leave for sure but we hope to visit again when we are back this way.

7/25-7/26- Harvest Host- Cloudview in Stevensville, MT - Our kind host, Ed, let us stay on his lovely property with an amazing view of St. Mary’s. We got into many deep discussions around homelessness with him during our stay. Our truck battery died here but we met Travis T-dog who worked on it for us. We are feeling the urge to head back to Colorado for a short minute and will make our way to see what this part of the journey is about.

7/27- KOA in Montpelier, ID - This day was one for the books. But at least all that could go wrong happened in one day and now we can get on with life. Between the battery, alternator, brakes and a blow out it was one heck of a day but we made it to our campsite and were able to let go and relax under the stars thanking God we were safe after all that had happened today.

7/28- KOA in Craig Colorado - Went to town and got two new tires for the trailer and off we go toward Colorado after 5 1/2 months. And though we have experienced almost no rain our entire trip it began to rain when we hit the CO border. Listened to the rain falling and began preparing for transition back to home.

7/29-? Quarterhouse in Woodland Park, CO - Back home for much needed maintenance on the cabin and to figure out our next move. Happy to be back but still wanting to be on this journey and finish our project. Hope to be back at it, visiting shelters and writing again soon!