On the afternoon of February 8th, our early retirement officially began. For those just catching up, we aren’t retiring from all work for the rest of our lives. But we are done with our full time careers—at least that’s the…
Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness: Swamp & Steamboat Lakes Backpack day 4 (return to civilization), Aug 2018
I heard Jason moving and saw his Kindle light come on. It was pitch black outside and the dull glow of the Kindle looked light a spotlight. I fell back to sleep for a bit and finally heard him say,…
Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness: Swamp & Steamboat Lakes Backpack day 3 (Steamboat Lake), Aug 2018
Happy 40-something birthday to Jason! What better way to spend the special day than by visiting a new Eagle Cap Wilderness lake? After a quiet night at Swamp Lake, we were crawling out of the tent at 5:00 as the…
Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness: Swamp & Steamboat Lakes Backpack day 2 (Swamp Lake), Aug 2018
“It got cold last night and everything’s covered in dew”. It was a little after 5:00 and just barely starting to get light. I reached out of my warm down sleeping bag and felt the outside surface. It was wet with dew. On summer…
Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness: Swamp & Steamboat Lakes Backpack day 1 (Copper Creek Meadows), Aug 2018
Beat the crowds on the eastern side of Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness by visiting lesser known Swamp and Steamboat Lakes Distance: 27 miles round trip Type: out and back Difficulty: moderate with approximately 4,350′ total elevation gain Best Season: July…
North Central Idaho’s Fish Creek
Great late spring hike with abundant wildflowers, pretty creek views, and some interesting history Distance: 8.5 miles roundtrip to Obia Cabin Type: out and back Difficulty: moderate with 700′ elevation gain Best season: late spring – early summer *watch for…
North Fork Asotin Creek: Our Home Trail
You are all but guaranteed to see bighorn sheep on this easy, family friendly trail just half an hour from the Lewis-Clark Valley Distance: we usually hike 6-10 miles roundtrip, but you can do more or less Type: out and back Difficulty: easy Best season: spring and…
RV Life: Our Jeep Becomes a Toad
Back and forth it went the first five months of 2018, do we buy a fifth wheel or class C motorhome? The latter prevailed due to maneuverability and ease of setup; more importantly, this meant we could keep our Jeep! To accomplish this it would need to be converted into a towed-vehicle (toad). We…
Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness: Main Eagle Backpack day 4 (return to civilization), July 2018
Final day of our four day backpack into Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness. It had been another peaceful night at Bear Lake. Our only company was the doe that visited us again for the second night. We had a 6.5 mile…
Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness: Main Eagle Backpack day 3 (Lookingglass Lake), July 2018
Day three of our Main Eagle backpack in Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness. We woke around 5:00 to another clear morning with mild temperatures in the low 40s. It has been a peaceful night at Bear Lake. Like the previous night…