Shortly after we purchased the Alpha Uno my mom came up with the idea of going on her own RV road trip with her good friend Lyse. I suppose we were a bit of an inspiration. If you can’t tell, that is my mom on the left and Lyse on the right.

Continue reading “Lovey and the Cowgirl Go West” →

Long before we decided to trade in the Alpha Uno for the new Alpha One, we had been invited to a 4th of July campout by our good friends Devon and Jaimie. Devon and Jaimie lived next door to us for at least a year before we finally met them. Then one winter Portland actually experienced a decent snow storm and the whole neighborhood got snowed in. We live at the top of a steep hill, practically made for snow sledding. So me and Brandon grab a few beers, stick them in the snow to keep cold, and search the garage for anything resembling a sled. We came up with a large metal dish intended to catch ashes from a BBQ and a chair cushion taped to some cardboard. Our sleds were an epic failure but we were entertaining enough to draw our neighbors outside to watch. We offered them some beer and the opportunity to try out one of our terribly ineffective sleds and we’ve been friends ever since. Another neighbor saved the day with some real sleds shortly afterward. Continue reading “America’s Birthday” →

We probably both realized that our current RV wasn’t going to cut it the moment we decided we were going to go for the long haul. But neither of us said anything. Instead, we spent about a month discussing various modifications and storage solutions that would make the Alpha Uno work. NOTE: Alpha Uno has become an easy way to differentiate between the first RV and the new RV.

The finally straw for the Alpha Uno came when we took our recent trip to Manzanita. We had finally acquired all of the parts to tow the Jeep and this would be the first test. We need to be able to tow a vehicle for many reasons: there are places that we just can’t take an RV and yet want to see, safety in case the RV breaks down, and ability to make quick supply trips without breaking camp, etc.

After driving to Manzanita and back we learned that the Alpha Uno was capable of towing the Jeep, but just barely. We seriously struggled up the steep inclines on the way to the coast.  The RV is rated as capable of towing 3500 lbs and the Jeep weighs in at 3400 lbs. We made it, but it was an eye-opening drive.

We stopped for dinner after we dropped the RV off at storage and we both finally said out loud what we had both been thinking: we’re gonna need a bigger boat. Continue reading “We’re gonna need a bigger boat” →

We planned a special trip this weekend to celebrate my birthday. At the recommendation of my boss, we decided to visit Nehalum Bay State Park and the little Oregon beach town of Manzanita. My boss has been visiting Manzanita for many years and couldn’t say enough nice things about this adorable little town. Lucky for us, we were both able to take Friday off from work so we would have some extra time. We really appreciated the extra day because this was also going to be our last trip in the Alpha 1. Continue reading “Manzanita, Oregon” →

Ainsworth State Park is a small park nestled in the Columbia Gorge, less than an hour outside of Portland. There is a small loop of RV sites and a small loop of tent sites. The sites themselves are also small. We were closer to our neighbors than we have been anywhere else. We were also next to a highway and a train track.  The trains didn’t blow their horns but they did come by in the night. I imagine the Parks Department was trying to fit as many sites as they could into the available area, with a mountain to the south and a river to the north, with waterfalls on either side. On the plus side, the park offers full hookup and is surrounded by beautiful trails to giant waterfalls. We are also very close to Hood River, one of our favorite towns in Oregon.

The Columbia Gorge is famous for lots of things, on of which is windsurfing. The Gorge formed by the Columbia River creates a sort of wind tunnel that makes for incredible wind surfing. Or so I’ve heard. We haven’t actually tried it. I’m guessing the water is still pretty chilly. We came here because we knew it was beautiful, close to home, and actually had a spot available at the last minute. Yay! Continue reading “The Columbia Gorge” →

We recently had the pleasure of hosting both of Brandon’s grandmothers at the same time. They became very good friends after his parents got married and really enjoy traveling together. They are currently on a roadtrip through the western United States. They came to visit us after driving through California and before heading south again to visit Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.

I have known Brandon’s maternal grandmother for years now. We all call her Nina. But this was my first time meeting his paternal grandmother. She goes by Oma. It was so much fun to finally meet her! This was thier first time visiting Oregon so on Saturday we took them to one of our favorite towns, Hood River, and one of our favorite wineries, Marchesi’s Vineyard. On the way there we stopped at Multnomah Falls. Overall, a fantasic day. Continue reading “Oma and Nina” →

Silver Falls State Park has been recommended to us over and over again. The park is about an hour and a half south of Portland and is supposed to be beautiful, but also very popular. As usual, we didn’t plan far enough in advance to get a reservation. We arrived around 7:30 pm and got the very last spot available. However, this spot was their “emergency overflow” spot and they would only let us stay there for one night. We would know the next afternoon if there was a cancelation and we could stay a second night. We took Rudy for a walk, made dinner, and got some sleep. If we were only going to have one night at Silver Falls we would need to make the most of our day on Saturday. Continue reading “Silver Falls State Park” →

I think the title says it all. After ten years together, Brandon proposed. And I said yes! The wedding will be in Texas next spring. More to follow.

Coleman had to take off right after our weekend at Champoeng, but Cody got to stay with us a little longer before heading on down the road. Brandon and I both have regular 9 to 5 type jobs so Cody had to entertain himself during the week days while we went to work. He was a good sport about it though. He even did the dishes and walked the dog. Best house guest ever! Seriously. Even if he wasn’t one of our closest friends, this guy would be invited back any time.

Brandon and I both took off work Friday and Monday so that we could finally take the Alpha on a bonafide journey. For our first big trip we’re going to see something that none of us has actually seen – the redwood trees in California! Continue reading “Big Damn Trees” →

Our friend Cody and his girlfriend Jaz have spend the last six months hiking across New Zealand on the Te Araroa trail. It was a pretty epic adventure. They carried all of their belongings on their backs as they walked 1,800 miles across an entire county. They saw some beautiful scenery, met some wonderful people, and came to really appreciate the high quality of U.S. hiking trails. You can read about all of their trials, tribulations, and shenanigans on their blog at http://feedaweta.blogspot.com.

We have known Cody a very long time. He was friends with my older brother when we were little kids and was one of Brandon’s closest friends in high school.  We were thrilled when we learned that Cody was going to come visit us as soon as they returned to the states! Jaz and Cody flew into L.A. from New Zealand. She was going to stay in California to visit family while Cody came north to visit us. Continue reading “Cubans and Whiskey” →