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42nd Stop - Moses Lake, WA

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Blog Post #53 - Written February 20, 2026 Stay: August 22-23, 2025 Since we couldn't make it to La Grande, OR, to visit my sister, Laurie, she decided to bring her younger kids up to Moses Lake to spend the weekend with us!  We stayed at a city park with access to Moses Lake itself.   Setting up here was probably one of the most memorable.  The sites were non-descript and tight, so we just kinda guessed where our spot was.  Once we were stabilized (we had to use all of our blocks plus a few logs we scavenged from neighboring fire pits haha, because our back end was hanging out over a steep hill) and ready to hook up utilities, we discovered that the utility box was on the opposite side of the trailer.  And way up by the front of the trailer... We thought we were prepared, having an extra length of electric cord.  But, since this was the first time we faced this situation, (and since we bought all our stuff in total naiveté), we did not realize that an ...
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41st Stop - Coeur D'Alene, ID

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Blog Post #52 - Written February 24, 2026 Stay: August 18-21, 2025 Our campground in Coeur D'Alene was so much fun.  It was on Blackwell Island, a small island surrounded by the Spokane River.  The river flowed straight into Lake Coeur D'Alene.  Right on the beach, the kids found a bush full of perfectly ripe blackberries.  And so, the obsession started.  We collected more blackberries, intended for syrup, pancakes, and cobbler.  This was an "any waking moment we weren't exploring" activity.  And so, the kids started to recognize blackberry bushes all over the campground.  While exploring, they found the fairy garden, again full of magic and delight. And apple trees.  While they could have used a couple more weeks to ripen, the kids collected buckets and bags full of apples. And so more cobbler and toppings were made. Gary's favorite apple find ... "quarter-red" We took our kayaks out along the island. There was a sweet rope swing that Gary t...
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40th Stop - Ruby's Place: Clinton, MT

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Blog Post #51 - Written February 20, 2026 Stay: August 17, 2025 After a beautiful drive through the winding mountain roads, we made it to our next pitstop in Clinton, MT. Again, we were only here for one night, but the kids thoroughly enjoyed this little spot.  Our 'Boondockers Welcome' host welcomed us with his happy dog, so the kids played fetch while Gary and I set up.  Then they spotted a chokecherry tree.  They gathered berries in a drawstring tote bag (terrible idea) and were so excited to make chokecherry syrup like Grandma Butler.  We didn't quite have enough, so we mixed them with some of our leftover blackberries for a delicious syrup. Right next door was a pretty cool skate park.  So we took the kids over with their bikes.  They had a great time, and no one wiped out too bad.  There was an easy loop around the rim, along with pits that got deeper and deeper.  Z and Q were pushing their limits going down some of the steep sides.  We...
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39th Stop - Whitehall, MT

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Blog Post #50 - Written February 20, 2026 Stay: August 16, 2025 When I booked our Harvest Host stay (one night pitstop) in Whitehall, I never would have guessed how dear this little town would become to us.   We pulled into town and our first thought was, "Wow! I feel like we've been here before!"  Turns out, we had.  When we left our campground in Dillon for Special K Ranch, we drove right through the little downtown area of Whitehall.   Our camp spot for the night was in an alley behind one of the local churches.  Only felt a little bit sketchy... But we maneuvered ourselves and only stuck out a little bit into the alley.  We saw some locals riding their horses past our trailer as they went to and from the bar around the corner. Good 'ole western towns. Since we had some daylight left, we checked out the Western Legacy Museum, a cool spot that displayed fossils found by locals, gems and rocks, and other historical finds.  The kids all got t...
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38th Stop - Special K Ranch (MT)

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Blog Post #49 - Written February 17, 2026 Stay: August 13-15, 2025 After Craters of the Moon, we stayed one night in Dillon, MT and then started our long drive to Special K Ranch, about 30 miles west of Billings.  In order to break up the long, monotonous drive, we decided to stop at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman. Apparently, Montana didn't appreciate us calling it boring, since while we were driving, something flew in through my open window and hit me on the neck.  I thought it was just a rock until my neck started burning.  Then something started wriggling inside my shirt.  After a brief freak out, I found a bee had blown in the window, stung me, and fell down my neckline.  It didn't make it... We made it to the Museum, which was full of exhibits of dinosaurs, old cars, and all sorts of critters you'd expect to find in the Rockies.  Fun fact: Juvenile Triceratops horns face down as they mature, then they shift upwards as they become adults. ...
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