It's not a slow car, it's a fast house

After a ferry ride from Vancouver Island to the mainland we crossed the border and headed for fun times with friends and family in Washington and Oregon. We had dates and events booked, which meant keeping deadlines and rolling with a schedule again!

Our first campsite back in the USA (camped in the USA) helped us transition back to that busy lifestyle.   This was a state park with a campground that was packed full

Then we stopped in the industrious city of Mukilteo  and spent some quality time with family    A trip to downtown Seattle reminded us of just how good our lives are! 

The entire reason we were in the Pacific Northwest was an Oregon wedding. The time had come for us to celebrate with the glorious couple.  It was an opportunity to socialize with fancy folks, and try to shake the wrinkles out of our van-life dress up clothes.  But not to move too far from van-life: while attending the wedding and related festivities, we parked in a borrowed driveway. We have had a little bit of success with a website resource called (this link will open in a new window)  Boondockers Welcome.   I think that we are not the typical visitors on this website, but it may help some of you find a place to stay someday. This one worked great for us, as it was about 4 miles from the wedding in an area with no RV parks!

While we were in Oregon we had to see the Spruce Goose. In case you didn’t know, Mike is an airplane fanatic!  The Evergreen Air and Space museum does not disappoint such a person.  And we were able to camp in the parking lot overnight and prowl the outdoor displays after dark!   This museum was serious about energy savings, though. Check out this sign in the bathroom  no lengthy delays on the toilet allowed here!

Using Instagram we were able to coordinate a meet up of PNW van owners who were passing by. We all met in the parking lot of the museum. Mango made a new friend  and we scored some awesome new stickers  We love meeting van people on the road and these folks in the PNW are always welcoming.

Our final stop in Oregon was in Astoria. We have a friend that runs a beautiful AirBandB there (here is the link if you are ever in the area Cute rental in Astoria Oregon )  We learned about the history of this little town and enjoyed the beautiful views.   Astoria has some delicious restaurants and coffee shops. And then there is this one. (Astoria café 2 hours) The food was okay, but waiting 2 hours for a meal was a bit much! Nonetheless we enjoyed our visit to this historical river city!

The next morning we crossed the loooooonnnnnng bridge across the Columbia River  and started our exploration of the Olympic Peninsula.   Follow us through this beautiful Pacific Northwest and stay tuned as we turn East and the South to Arizona!