San Diego (and the surrounding area) definitely has my attention. The geographic diversity and climate changes of the beaches, valleys, mountains, and desert are refreshing. So far, I have checked out downtown, Point Loma, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Torrey Pines, East County, and Julian. And there is still more to see!

I really have enjoyed my time in the San Diego area. In fact, I like it so much, I plan to stay here at least another month!

Here are some of the sights on the “quick” westbound drive from the panhandle of Florida to the coast of California.

Mississippi/Louisiana Highlight: Leaving (to be fair, didn’t go to New Orleans — yet)
Texas Highlight: Salt Lick BBQ (yes, it is that good)
New Mexico Highlight: Carlsbad Caverns (never have I seen anything like it)
Arizona Highlight: Catalina Mountains (not bad for a desert)
Nevada Highlight: Wolf Creek Golf Club (jaw-dropping vistas)

• Apr 28 Remember to secure latch, so blender doesn’t fly out of pantry and shatter lamp
• Apr 29 Remember that lighted cabinets will singe pillows if stuffed absolutely full
• May 2 Remember to lock cargo container, so two backpacks don’t fly out on open road
• May 2 Remember to empty gray water tank, so shower doesn’t back up with water
• May 3 Remember that shower rod can’t hold bag full of heavy items
• May 4 Remember that dirty dishes left in enclosed space will eventually smell like death itself
• May 20 Remember to crank up stabilizer before moving, so it doesn’t rip completely off
• Jun 9 Remember the weight of the awning will snap the bar right off if it slips
• Jun 27 Remember to check hitch stabilizer, so it doesn’t fall off driving down the road
• Jul 4 Remember to make an advance reservation for all popular holiday weekends
• Aug 8 Remember to remove sunglasses and concisely answer Customs agent to avoid detainment
• Sept 10 Remember to back up s-l-o-w-l-y and watch for cement walls that suddenly appear
• Oct 31 Remember to secure all liquid containers — say, red wine — before driving down the road
• Nov 2 Remember to make sure dump station isn’t clogged before attempting to dump black water

Vermont is an interesting state. It is the second least-populated state; it has the smallest capital city; and no other state has its largest city as small as Burlington (around 40,000 people). This small town atmosphere is refreshing. Vermonters are just some of the nicest people I have ever met.

I was lucky enough to see the fall foliage of the state with friends who came to visit from Chicago. We stayed near the shores of Lake Champlain at Apple Island Resort. We camped in the middle of the forest at Quechee State Park. We took a tour of the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury. (By the way, the number of cow puns on the tour is “udderly” ridiculous!) We hiked in the middle of the incredibly scenic Smugglers’ Notch. We spent a day in Vermont’s version of a metropolis – downtown Burlington. We stumbled upon a hidden gem of a restaurant in South Hero. (It’s called Blue Paddle Bistro. Go there. You won’t be disappointed.) We visited Woodstock, “the prettiest small town in America”. We found some culture at a museum, toured an expansive farm, and visited a working orchard – all in Shelburne. Did I mention we had apple cider donuts?

Of all the states I have visited, Vermont is definitely one of my favorites!

So what have I been doing for the last three weeks? Well, to name a few: I saw Bruce Springsteen play to a sold-out crowd at Giants Stadium; I valet parked the Airstream and stayed at a suite in Atlantic City; I caught up with friends near New York City and outside Boston; and I had weekend guests for the fall colors of New England.

The next three weeks should find me back to the peace and solitude of talking to myself as I slowly make my way back to the West coast. So, look for updates with higher frequency. In fact, I am working on photos and stories of the beautiful state of Vermont right now.

It all starts at 7AM sharp when a guy with a John Deere tractor picks up the Airstream at the Terra Port (a free campground for Airstreams needing service) and tows it in to the Service Center. Then, one of the technicians comes out to talk over the list – the list of stupid things I have done while on the road: oh, things like a bent step, a hole in the underbelly, a broken shower rod. And then there are the minor annoyances: a sticky dead bolt, missing rivets, a bad battery, a broken black water sensor. That’s what happens after 20,000 miles in five months! After two days, we were able to cross off all 12 items on my list.

With the Airstream in the back service area, I took one of the daily tours of the factory next door. Surprisingly, around 20 other people showed up for the tour, but only a handful were current owners. The others were simply curious. The tour was incredibly enlightening. Plus, I felt a connection whenever I saw other 23′ Internationals on the factory floor. The only problem – now I want to upgrade to a bigger, better, newer model! I got a few photos of the outside with my iPhone, but absolutely no cameras were allowed inside. Speaking of photos, the crew was very impressed with some of the upgrades in my Airstream. They brought in a few people to take photos of my custom-built desk. Who knows? Maybe a future production model will include my design ideas!

So, anyone who happens to be near I-70 and I-75 in Ohio, make a slight detour north to visit the Airstream factory. And, all Airstream owners, definitely take your Airstream here. I promise, it is well worth the drive. Hey, they even have a gift shop with all kinds of Airstream merchandise!

7AM Wake-up Call

Entrance to Service Center

Vintage Airstreams Out Front

Wally Byam's Gold Trailer

Oregon, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. First, one of the best movies of the ’80s, “The Goonies,” was filmed in Astoria and Cannon Beach. Who doesn’t love that movie? Second, fresh, local, incredible food is available from undiscovered vendors at farmers’ markets in downtown Portland. Pair it with a bottle of wine from any one of the hundreds of vineyards and wineries in Oregon, like Yamhill Valley Vineyards. So good! Third, the same temperate climate that makes great wine is the same temperate climate perfect for lush, green golf courses playable year-round. The best one I played was Langdon Farms Golf Club in Aurora. Finally, Howard Hughes’ famous airplane, the “Spruce Goose,” is at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville. I was so happy to stumble upon this museum — like “kid in a candy store” happy!

I know Oregon sometimes is associated with pot smoking hippies and a rainy climate, but there is also much, much more the state has to offer. (For the record, I didn’t see too many hippies, didn’t smoke any pot, and only felt a little rain.) Here is a sample of the photos I took as I followed Highway 101 from Astoria down to Brookings, with a side trip into the Portland area. OK, time to watch a copy of the “The Goonies” that I found on the internet!

Inching my way closer to Seattle, my next stop was Port Ludlow, Washington. A sleepy little town west of Seattle, it has a golf course (which I had to play), a marina, an excellent pizza place (Cucina Pizza), a surprisingly well-stocked convenience store, and, well, not much else. It is pretty quiet there; a perfect place to spend the work week! Yearning for some culture, I drove over to Bainbridge Island, caught the ferry, and met some friends in downtown Seattle. Overall, I loved my short stay in the Emerald City. Growing up in northwest Montana, I have been there several times, but it was nice to be back and look at it from a “possible place to live” point of view. I am happy to say, it is definitely on the list!

I left the Seattle area to head down Highway 101 and get closer to the coast. I was looking forward to a spot near the ocean, a spot to relax, a spot to do some laundry.

Have you ever had one of those vacations where the location just didn’t match the brochure? After I fought the Seattle-Tacoma traffic with periods of rain thrown in to mix it up, I finally arrived in the Bay Center, Washington area. Expecting to find a “quaint fishing town,” instead I found a few run-down buildings, one restaurant (technically, since it did look like it served food), a tiny store, and a campground. There was nothing else around for dozens of miles. As I drove into the campground, the first thing I noticed was a family — actually, almost an entire village — camped out under some tarps. They had “Whiskey Tango” written all over them; my immediate thought, “I feel sorry for the person next to them!” (You can see where this is headed.) I checked in, got my assigned spot right next to the aforementioned family, and proceeded to back into my spot as they took photos of me. I don’t know who was loudest: the unruly children, the cackling mother, or the whining dog. To make matters worse, I swear I was in the “Bermuda Triangle” of campgrounds. I had no cell service, no internet, no television, and — most importantly — no good food. I spent the entire night patiently waiting for sunrise, and left early the next morning.

Next stop: Oregon!

Panoramic view of Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park

According to the “real-time” digital sign, the wait was supposed to be “up to 5 minutes”. Clearly, the sign lied. I waited in line with hundreds of other motorists for almost half an hour until reaching a pair of border patrol officers ready to ask me dozens of questions like, “Where did you stay last night? Where were you before that? How long have you been on the road? How much money do you have in the bank? How much money do you have in your wallet? How do work out of an Airstream? Why are you coming to Canada? Do you mind pulling over there and emptying the contents of your pockets on the hood of your car?” You know, the usual. Obviously, I had absolutely nothing to hide, but I must have looked suspicious, so they asked me to wait inside with the other “degenerate failures” while they searched every square inch of the Touareg and the Airstream – for an hour. They apparently took everything out of the back of the Touareg because the gate wouldn’t shut correctly when I finally got back from my “time out” corner. I noticed they also looked at the photos on my digital camera and even looked under my mattress. And, get this, someone from the border patrol looked up my blog, read a few of the posts, and browsed through a few photo slideshows! I only realized this after I noticed several server log entries from “The Government of Canada” at the exact time I crossed the border. So, in a way, this blog totally helped prove my legitimacy. The officers were very official the entire time, but for the rest of the day I was annoyed that I had somehow “failed” a test. That annoyance soon subsided, because the rest of my time in Canada was awesome!

I spent some time in the Lower Mainland and then on The Island. For all you out-of-towners, the Lower Mainland is the region surrounding Vancouver. I stayed just outside of Vancouver, in a town called Fort Langley, apparently the birthplace of B.C. I made a couple of visits to downtown Vancouver, and even made it up to Whistler. The entire metro area of Vancouver has spectacular mountains that overlook the ocean. Vancouver itself is a vibrant metropolitan city centered on outdoor – specifically marine – life. I’m sold! It is absolutely 100% the type of city I could call home. But wait, there’s more!

Another incredible city is Victoria, on Vancouver Island (or simply The Island as the locals seem to call it). Airstream in tow, I boarded a ferry at Tsawwassen and landed at Swartz Bay, just north of Victoria. My base camp was Weir’s Beach RV Resort, just south of Victoria. Steps from the ocean, I regularly saw sea lions, eagles, and deer from my front window. (I have yet to see a whale in the Pacific Ocean!) I highly recommend Weir’s Beach RV Resort. The staff is friendly, the grounds are immaculate, and the views of Victoria and the Pacific are spectacular. I plan to go back to The Island and will definitely return to Weir’s Beach.

A week after I first arrived in Canada, I took another ferry from downtown Victoria, B.C. to Port Angeles, Washington. Even with inspections by U.S. Customs in both cities, this time it went smoothly. I had to answer a few questions, fill out some paperwork, and show the inside of the Airstream before boarding the ferry. Then, after arriving back in the States, I had to answer a few more questions, but was pleasantly surprised to “pass” the test this time.

I fell in love with the entire province of B.C., and fully intend to return and explore more of its beauty. That will have to wait for now, as I spend the whole week in Chicago – this time as a tourist.

After feeding my addiction, I crossed the border into the state of Washington, following the curvy, mountainous highway through towns with names like Tonasket, Omak, and Okanogan. With the record-setting hot weather, wildfires kept popping up all over the region. In fact, the haze was so thick, I couldn’t get much of a charge from the solar panel. I pretty much drained the batteries, and spent one night in an uncomfortably hot Wal-Mart parking lot, irritated that I hadn’t chosen a campground with electricity.

The next morning I sought out a place far, far away from the smoke and haze. I remembered driving through a unique – if not “touristy” – town of Winthrop as a kid, so I headed in that direction. It is a tiny town with an Old West theme, tucked away in the middle of the Cascade Mountain Range. I found some free Wi-Fi, and worked out of the very modern Airstream in the very old-fashioned Winthrop all day long.

It just so happened, my very next stop was another town with another theme: Leavenworth, Washington. In the 1960s, Leavenworth – a town on the edge of collapse – transformed itself into a Bavarian village to revitalize its economy. The crazy thing; it totally worked! I really enjoyed the vibe of the entire town. From the sounds of oom-pah music in the streets to the tour guides dressed in lederhosen, I forgot I was in the middle of Washington.

Next stop: a place with another theme entirely; a place where it is often OK to go “100″ down the highway; a place where “35″ is a pretty high temperature; a place called Canada! Stay tuned…