Portland Fleet Week took place this weekend during the Portland Rose Festival. There were U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Royal Canadian Navy ships that were parked along the river front. We didn't tour any of the ships, but we did get an up close and personal view of all of them. We even listened to a Navy Captain give information about their route from Portland and through the Columbia River. All of the ships were parked along the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, and a small festival with art and food trucks was also flanked along with the ships. We spend the day walking along the river front, enjoying the festivities and walked along some of the streets in Portland. We love Portland so much and this is just one more great thing Portland has to offer.
We woke up the following morning and got on the road towards Williams, California. Again, it was a beautiful day and we were able to see areas we saw when we moved from Arkansas to Oregon back in 2004. It was nice to see a lot of the area again, and see things that most people take for granted, like California poppies growing along the median.
We didn't stop anywhere and tried to make good time getting to Williams, and the moon was full and glowing the whole way once the sun went down.
We made it to Williams around 9:00 p.m. Jeff said he was going to go ahead of call it a night from driving. This area of California is pretty bare with sights, but the sunsets were amazing! I have always said that nothing beats a west coast sunset.
Williams, California 🠊 Homebase
We woke up in Williams around 8:00 a.m. We ate breakfast and cleaned up the bus. We also got all the animals situated for the ride home. We planned on driving straight through from Williams, California, to Oregon without stopping.
As we crested the hill near Mount Shasta we got a great view of the snow-covered mountain. It was such a beautiful day that we saw the shadows in the snow along the mountain's sides.
We also got a great view of Black Butte along the highway towards the base of Mount Shasta.
We reached the summit of the Siskiyou mountain range and as we crested the top there it was; "Welcome to Oregon" sign greeted us. We were glad to be back in Oregon after such a long trip, but we were sad to end our time on the bus already. We all decided that living on the bus for long periods of time is definitely doable.
And before we knew it, we were getting off of Interstate 5 headed towards home base. It was a great trip and one we will be taking again soon. We can say now that we saw the solar eclipse twice. Once in Oregon in 2017 and then again in Arkansas in 2024. AND, we traveled to see the 2024 eclipse in a converted school bus. What a wonderful chapter to add to our book of life!
We woke up in Williams, Arizona, and headed directly to the Grand Canyon. The earlier you get to the park the better finding parking for the bus, and actually cars (little tip). Once it gets closer to 9:00 a.m. parking at the Grand Canyon is few and far between closer to the visitor center, so keep that in mind if you plan a trip there. We pulled into the parking area on the south rim and there were already other buses and RVs taking up a lot of spaces. We found a good one close to the entrance and cleaned up the bus and had breakfast. We got the ducks and Eleven situated and were inside the park by 10:00 a.m. We had a good spot in the parking lot, so even if we wanted to go back to the bus at any time, i.e. to have lunch, we had that opportunity.
We spent a lot of time around the Visitor Center and checked out everything we could. I ended up buying a holiday ornament for the tree this year, and I've gotten into a good habit of picking up an ornament whenever we go somewhere so I can remember the trips we take during the holidays, too.
The representation of the Native Americans in the architecture of the Grand Canyon was everywhere around the park. I loved how they were added to the walkways to remind you of the original caretakers of the area.
When we made our way down the walkway, and no matter how many pictures you see of the Grand Canyon it didn't take away from the magnitude of it all seeing it with your own eyes. I couldn't believe how it made me feel. It was almost as if I was floating on top of the canyon and was one with the Earth. It was such a humbling experience that all three of us felt.
This was the first time for all of us to see the canyon in person, including Hardy. He was able to look over the edge, and no one time did he back up, or look scared. I truly think he loves adventures as much as we do.
The day we arrived at the Grand Canyon we couldn't have asked for a better day, or better weather to see it. It wasn't hot, and it wasn't windy. We timed it just right while traveling through Arizona.
Skylar's Instagram story from our visit. Hardy is his buddy, so of course he is the star of the post. He was having just as much fun as we were.
My young boys looking handsome.
We stayed at the Grand Canyon for several hours, had lunch, and explored the entire southern rim as much as we could. We loaded everyone back up, cleaned up from lunch, and headed back out on the road. When we arrived at the Grand Canyon the parking lot had about 10-20 people in it. When we left there were about 200-250 cars, even ones parked along the side of the road leading to the park. We were shocked at how many people arrived after only two or three hours. Everyone else wanted to see the Grand Canyon on such a beautiful day, so we were glad we got there early and were leaving before it got busier.
We droved around the Grand Canyon park for a bit to see different areas of the southern rim. Of course, as soon as we saw this train we had to stop. We have a steam train that runs a short excursion in our own city, but seeing one specifically for the Grand Canyon was really cool, and Skylar loved every minute of it.
We left the Grand Canyon Nation Park around 1:00 p.m. and we were back on the road towards Seligman, Arizona.
We have a travel book of obscure places to see before you die and one of those places was right on our route back to Oregon. Roadkill Cafe was one of the stops we had planned to see along Route 66. Even though it's just a hole in the wall place, it's worth seeing at least once. The Roadkill and O.K. Saloon barrels were the star of the show there, for sure!
Hardy is always being a good sport. He doesn't care, as long as he is with us and we are having a good time.
The mini western town they had set up was fun. There were signs and plaques all over that had jokes and puns. The sun was going down towards the end of our visit, so we decided to get back on the road towards California.
We crossed the California Stateline around 11:00 p.m. When we came into Needles, California, it wasn't just hot, it was hot hot. We felt the temperature change immediately in the bus. We were all tired, but glad we were just one state away from homebase. We arrived in Ludlow, California, around midnight and decided to boondock it at a busy truck stop for the night. We don't have solar panels on the bus yet, so boondocking it right now is out of necessity rather than choice. We were so tired from the day that the sounds of the truck stop didn't even bother us. Tomorrow we head towards Williams, California, and will be just a little bit closer to Oregon.
Life at a "Swell's" pace is a lifestyle and travel blog chronicling the life and travels while living in Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley. It is mostly written by Shelly HW. Click the image to learn more»
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