The Paw-Friendly “Big City” – Boise, ID

Yup, we’re in the “big city” now!

A relaxing river-stop on the downtown Greenbelt

So yours truly is (one again) getting up to no good on her own while hubby is away. That means it’s just me and the paws…the paws and I, and we’re doing it all in “big city” Boise. I place this in inverted commas because Boise is one of the few capitals we’ve travelled through that doesn’t feel large at all. There’s a mere 200,000 or so souls living here, a modest-sized downtown and pretty much all the shops and conveniences you’d expect. But what sets this place apart and makes it special is the nature. Right behind the city high-rises, and in fact even through downtown itself there are massive dedicated areas of green all for the benefit of humans and paws…and that gives the town a whole different feel.

On the trails in the Boise foothills

Boise City boasts over 850 acres of parks and natural areas and backs up against the fabulous Boise foothills, a 130-mile network of scenic and loose-yourself-in-the-mountains trails. These areas are not only human, bike and paw-friendly, but many of them have dedicated off-leash trails! That’s a total rarity in big cities and for passionate doggie-lovers like me it’s akin to finding ice cream in the desert….a total treat! I’ve not even come close to exploring all the spots, but figured I would share two of my favs:

1/ Boise Greenbelt

The awesome Boise Greenbelt

In 1964 some bright guys had the foresight to hire some other bright guys to create a continuous “green belt” of public lands stretching the entire length of the Boise River. The outcome of this awesome idea was a totally green, totally preserved 22-mile bike/hike/walk trail through the very middle of town. Genius! Our RV park (Boise Riverside RV Park) just happens to sit right on the Greenbelt so pooch and I have been hopping out of bed and onto the trails everyday. They’re leash-only, but there’s tons of access points to the river where you can unofficially go for a dip and a splash. This trail also happens to be a popular fishing spot, a great bike-path and part of the Idaho Birding Trail so there’s a bit of something for everyone.

2/ Boise Foothills

Tons of off-leash friendly trails in the foothills

The Boise Foothills pretty much engulf the entire northern view of Boise and huge parts of it are public land. What’s ultra-cool is that they’ve designed a big portion of their trails as off-leash friendly so doggie and you can both amble along in nature in total freedom. These trails are not only clearly marked on the maps, but they’re marked on-trail too so there’s never any question of whether your untethered pooch is legal. Polly was pretty much trained to be an off-leash doggie so we seek out these kind of places wherever we can. One our our fav spots is the Old Fort Military Reserve which is only ~15 mins drive from our park and encompasses a huge 460 acre sub-section of the larger foothills. This time of year it’s bursting with glorious yellow blooms and the ridgeline gives sweeping views of downtown. There’s even a dedicated fenced-in off-leash dog park and archery range on-site. Pretty cool!

There’s tons of other pooch-friendly areas around town including 9 other off-leash dog parks and a good selection of paw-happy restaurants (we may well hit one before hubby comes home). Between everything out here it’s one of the paw-friendliest spots I’ve been and that always gives it extra points on my scale.

A rather brilliant sunset at our RV park

As to getting up to no good? Well, I’ve been ordering packages on Amazon and have received several new Benchmark Atlases (very exciting for me), a new vacuum (on the way…very exciting for the rig) and new empty boxes (very exciting for the cats), plus I’ve been dabbling with motorized needles and thread. The latter sounds dangerous I know, especially for me, and I really have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m pretty sure the outcome will be something to blog about. Hope springs eternal ya know….

Brilliant yellow in the foothills

Polly poses with downtown Boise in the background

A happy cat

Pretty weeds

Morning walk on the Greenbelt

Gorgeous flowers

Top O-The World At Flag Mountain – Desert Hot Springs, CA

A postcard from the mountain top

Apart from the fabulous sunsets one of the things I really love about the desert in the winter is hiking and when the conditions are right it’s one of the best solo adventures you can have. I do some of my best thinking while I hike (as does pooch, no doubt) so it always puts us at ease with the world….and gives me fodder for blog posts.

Well conditions finally got right. After almost 10 days of sizzling hot weather here in Desert Hot Springs the temps finally broke a couple of days ago. It was not an easy transition. The desert is a moody gal and made her summer exit in grand style by knocking us around in with a massive wind-storm before finally, begrudgingly, letting the winter climb in.

Flag Mountain summit

So yesterday morning the sunrise dawned to a brand new world. Cool valley temps (50 °F =10 °C), brilliant blue skies and not a gust of wind in sight. As soon as I opened that window Polly and I looked at each other and knew it was time to go hiking. There are actually a ton of really cool hikes to do around Desert Hot Springs. Unfortunately many of the better known spots, such as the Indian Canyons are barred to dogs which obviously makes them a no-go for us, but lots of the mountains are crisscrossed with hidden trails plus there are county preserves (Mission Creek & Whitewater Trail) which are pooch-friendly.

The sign from the top of Flag Mountain

But one of my fav spots is a ~6-mile round-trip to Flag Mountain right here from the RV park. I discovered it last year from some Canadian RV neighbours and it’s become one of my absolute favorite hikes in the area. Not only is it well hidden, but it’s strenuous enough to give you a good workout and leads to a fabulous view of the entire valley from the top.

Taking in the view of San Jacinto Mountain from the trail

So Pooch and I headed out to conquer the trail with a spring in our step and the warm morning glow of the desert sun at our backs. We had the entire mountain to ourselves and took our fine time getting to the top. The valley of Desert Hot Springs and the surrounding cities stretch for miles providing a seemingly endless flat landscape dominated by the lovely 10,834 foot San Jacinto Mountain in the background. It’s a glorious feeling -> hiking in the still winter air, breathing in the dry scents and watching the horizon drop beneath us.

Panorama from the glorious summit

When we finally got to the top we were elated and spent. The summit flag had seen a year of unrelenting desert winds and was a mere ghost of her former glory, but it was still exciting to see her mark the top. And despite my hopeless sense of direction we made it the entire way (and back) with nary a miss-step on the trail (well, there was that ONE side-trail I accidentally took in a completely contrary direction on the way home, but these are but minor details).

A great morning, a fine hike and the beginning of my beloved desert winter. Life is good today!

P.S. For directions to Flag Mountain see my post from last year HERE. For those w/ a GPS the mountain part of the hike starts at approx. 33.935785,-116.434275 (you can walk thro’ the desert from Sam’s Spa right to the start of the hike).

Walking the ridgeline

Who knows the stories that are buried here?

Take the unknown path, says the trail

Just another gorgeous trail view

The beginning of the trail is marked with these small flags

Posing on the trail

Bye Bye Beautiful Bandon, OR…For Now…

One of the many steps to the gorgeous Bandon beach

Tony’s crab shack has good, casual seafood

We’re down to our very last day here at Bullards Beach State Park which also means our very last day by lovely Bandon. We’ve been totally swept away by this place, not just for its natural beauty but also for its soul. Call it a good vibe, a homey coziness or just plain cuteness, this little town of just over 3000 has fast become one of our favorite on the Oregon coast.  It’s the kinda town is just the right bit of in-between -> it’s got the whole basket of a small-town feel yet still boasts a wealth of restaurants and cafés, miles of stunning beach, an artsy boardwalk, old-fashioned downtown, weekly farmers market and so, so much more. Whether you’re tide-pooling by the sea-stacks, horse-back riding on the beach, crabbing in the river, sampling local chocolates, enjoying the local cranberries, hunting history at the museum (the best $2 deal in town!), eating fish taco’s at Tony’s Crab Shack or dressing up for a gourmet dinner at Alloro there is really something for everyone.

Paul poses on the Bandon river boardwalk

We’re not the only ones who think so either. In 2010 Budget Travel named Bandon one of  top 10 “Coolest Small Towns in America” and our RV buddies Lu & Terry definitely agreed when they rolled through last week (and that’s not just because they got to spend time with us….although I admit our company is particularly charming). Everyone who comes here seems to fall for the vibe and the more time you spend here you more cool little corners you discover.

Polly plays on Bullards Beach….she’s ready for golf too!

Oh and did I mention the golf? With Paul’s back issues he’s not been out hitting balls, but has been drooooling at the opportunity. There are no less than 3 great golf resorts right here including the top-rated Bandon Dunes, relaxed Bandon Crossings and the cherry ontop of the gooey chocolate cake Old Bandon Golf Links where you can bring your dog to play. YES, golf with doggie!! Paul fluttered and swooned in heavenly love when he discovered that one, and we’ve sent several of our RV neighbours out there to enjoy the fun.

We’ve LOVED this job!

And our month here? It’s been awesome! Not only do we love this area, but our lighthouse job was fun, interactive and ever-stimulating. We’ve met folks from all over and all kinds of interesting characters -> a real (honest-to-goodness) lighthouse keeper from the Alaska boonies, locals who’ve lived in the area for generations, a Mormon family from Utah who spoke Danish, a lighthouse-lover who travelled all the way from India, a guy who survived a near-fatal accident (and was told he would never walk again…he made it up the tower BTW). Oh, the list goes on. I’m always fascinated and inspired by these folks. It’s like seeing a slice of life each and every day, and I get to absorb a piece of this wonderful human spirit just by being here!

Yup, we’ve been seduced and fallen hard, so much so that we’ve already decided to come back. We signed up to host again next year same job, same time, same place. So although we may be saying bye bye Bandon, it’ll really be adieu because baby…we’re most certainly coming back!

A view of mosaic on the artsy boardwalk

The cute Bandon port

Old town Bandon street-light

Horse-back riding by the beach sea stacks on Bandon beach

Cranberries are a local speciality…and you can taste at least 50 versions in here

A great sunset out the RV window at Bullards Beach State Park

Paddle-Boarding & Casino-Docking – San Diego, CA

Check out that pooch-perfect paddle-board form, baby!

This past week we’ve been bouncing around a bit including a paddle-boarding session (with Polly) in Mission Bay and a week-end Casino-docking (yes, I’ve just invented the term and its’ brilliance shines through in the fact that you actually understood me, right?). As an RVer both are no-doubt scintillating stories, but we’ll start with the fun stuff first.

We towed Polly out to Aqua Adventures in Mission Bay on a fine, calm morning for something we’ve been wanting to do for ages -> our very first session paddle-boarding (and by first I mean for ALL of us!). This neat little outfit is right on the water, offers great deals on rentals and are proud members of MyPaddleDog.com -> in other words the perfect combo for newbie water-lovin’ pooch-haulin’ folks like ourselves!  And I have to admit it totally lives up to its reputation.

Paul and Polly hang-out after the paddle

Aqua Adventures welcome doggies on-site (even have a few of their own there), throw in a free doggie-life-vest as part of the rental and even gave us a bunch of treats to help encourage doggie on her way. Now, Polly wasn’t exactly overjoyed by the idea of standing on a board, but with alot of support and treat-cajouling managed to get on, and by the end of about half an hour on the water was a sure-fire paddle-dog. And it was SO MUCH FUN! We’re planning an encore performance this week and may even take advantage of the monthly deal which they offer at the rental center for more practice. If you’ve got a pooch and are in the area, DEFINITELY give this a go!

Casino-docking for the night in San Diego

The other event of the week was our week-end Casino-docking ~10 miles inland. We were in-between park bookings and needed to find a couple of nights to park for free. Now in San Diego this can be a bit of an issue, especially for “beast-size” like ourselves. Walmarts in the area have signs prohibiting overnight parking, and San Diego City officially prohibits street parking any kind of recreational vehicle overnight, usually defined as 2 am to 4 am. The law is poorly enforced and we’ve seen many RVs hang overnight (especially here in Mission Bay and on quiet streets in neighborhoods), but we decided we wanted something with less hassle.

In come Casino’s to the rescue!

Oh yes, THIS is Casino-docking too. Can you spot the RV? (hint: far left center)

I call it Casino-docking and it’s not something we do often, but in San Diego it’s one of the easy and legal ways to park for a few nights for free. Most Casino’s in the area allow it, absolutely any size RV can fit and many Casino’s will even allow more than one night as long as you call ahead. Alot of spots will give discounts or freebies if you sign up to the Player’s Club too.

Cha-ching! Bring home the chips baby!

It may not be pretty, but it sure is spacious!

There is a ton of variation between Casino’s on how big the parking is, which ones allow RVs or even what the rules are but Casino Camper is a fabulous little resource for sorting it all out. In our travels we’ve come across great free Casino parking in Albuqueque, NM, location-perfect coastal Casino camping in Florence, Oregon and our new huge, relaxing spot in San Diego (yes, I’ll be reviewing the site we stayed at next). Just another great little “freebie” resource for RVers on the road.

5 Reasons to RV Snowbird In San Diego

Playing with pooch at Fiesta Island

I have to admit that San Diego is a darn nice place to get stuck for a while. It’s the kinda spot where everyday is an “ooooh, it’s just sooooo nice today!” kinda day. It’s one of the many reasons we decided to slow it down for a few months here and in fact it’s so glorious that I think you ought to try it too. So in that light, let me give you 5 reasons why…

1/ The Weather, The Weather, The Weather

Just another perfect forecast

The near-pristine weather in San Diego would probably suffice 5 reasons alone for most folks to winter down here. And it really is true. As long as we’re not having an El Niño moment (which brings out the wet), your typical winter day will be just around the perfect 60-70°F (15-20°C), beautifully sunny, low humidity and clear skies. And, as long as you stay by the coast, you can enjoy similar weather almost year-around.

2/ Winter Is The Low Season

Half-empty for winter at Mission Bay RV Park

For some inexplicable reason (at least to me) winter is considered the low-season for RVing in San Diego. Every other SW location (AZ, CA) gets bombarded and rates ramped for winter snowbirds, but here in San Diego it’s peace and quiet. What that also means is that you can get some great park discounts. Now, this is city camping so don’t expect ultra-cheap but you can spend a month in green Santee Lakes for $670 (+electric) or a month in peachy-prime bayfront/beach property at Mission Bay RV Resort for $800 (elec. included). San Diego has also got some great county parks worth the visit. We’re in Mission Bay right now (I’ll be doing a full review soon) and half the park is completely empty.

3/ It’s Super Dog Friendly

Hanging out at Coronado Dog Beach

A rig parked for the day on prime beach at Fiesta Island

San Diegans love their pooch’s and there are lots of ultra-dog friendly beaches along the coast as well as tons of in-land hiking and a plethora of fun pet events throughout the year (the Ugly Dog Contest and Dog Surfing being just a few).

And then there’s Fiesta Island which I venture to declare may well be the most amazing city dog spot in the world! The entire island is a pristine urban escape dedicated to off-leash pooches and offers miles of beach, water and trails right in the center of Mission Bay. It’s open from 4AM-10PM, allows beach-front fishing & campfires and has so much space and sand you can even park your RV right on the shore for free (it’s the nicest day-parking spot for RVs in the city, in my mind). It’s dog-gone RV pooch heaven and we go there literally everyday!

4/ City, Beach, Mountains – You Got It All

Hiking in the remote Santee hills just 15 miles from downtown

Gorgeous Sunset Cliffs in La Jolla

One thing you’ve got to love about San Diego is the variety. From coastal beach to mesas and beautiful rolling hills it’s really got it all. Downtown San Diego is a city, but the rest of the coast sports little “coastal communities” that all have their own special vibe and cater to surfers, kayakers, shoppers and beach lovers. So, taking a day-trip to laid-back Ocean Beach is a whole different experience than going for a jaunt to upscale La Jolla. Should you want to get away from it all just drive ~15 miles inland to Mission Trails, hike for a day in a slew of great areas or drive an hour to the desert for complete and utter isolation. For those with kids San Diego has the added attraction of Legoland, Sea World, and (my personal favorite) The Wild Animal Park.

5/ It’s A Golf-Lovers Dream

San Diego's impressive map of Golf Courses (from golfnow.com)

Now, I didn’t really expect golf to make my top 5, but Paul’s newfound interest in the sport has made me a rather interested side-observer. As it turns out San Diego has over 90+ Golf Courses (!!)within a 40-mile radius including an impressive array of public courses. You can play like a PGA pro in coastal splendor at one of the finest municipal courses in the nation at Torrey Pines, or go for an easy and cheap game ($30 or so a pop) at any one of the many Executive Courses around town. If you’re flexible on your tee-times you can get great deals at golfnow.com, and if you don’t golf (like me) many of the courses are scenic enough that they’re even worth the ride around in the cart.

So, did I manage to tempt you?