WOW Wanderlust on Wheels Archives

WOW – Washington Pickle Trains and the Great Coulee Dam

Posted on June 8, 2026June 8, 2026 by mewalsh1

We reluctantly left the Northern Cascades and headed toward Leavenworth, a German-themed town just over Steven’s Pass. We headed down from the pass through the Tumwater Canyon. Our plan was to stop in Leavenworth for an hour or two then continue on to a county RV park just outside of Wenatchee. We have found the county parks we stayed in to be very nice and usually cheaper than the private campgrounds. Unfortunately, , we couldn’t find a place to park with the camper in Leavenworth and it looked a bit touristy, so we pressed on to Wenatchee River County Park. This park seems to cater to seniors. It was extremely clean and had numerous rules about age of your RV, putting mats on the lawn, and not allowing clotheslines It was tobacco free (a good thing).. Despite, all the rules, the sites were all drive-thru and it did have full hookups and a laundry and a good price so we were very happy. It was right on the Wenatchee River, just before it joined the Columbia. When we pulled into our site, we saw that our nuclear engineer friend, Mick and his wife were camping next to us.:)

Almost everywhere we camped on this trip was near railroad tracks. We were getting used to hearing trains pass by once or rwice a night. The tracks near Wenatchee were especially busy and, because they crossed street near our campground included a loud train whistle every time a train went by. In the morning we were able to get a look at the trains and their cargo and found train after train carrying airplane fuselages. After a quick search on Google, we found that theses are called ” pickle trains” due to the bright green protective anti-corrosion coating applied to the train bodies. The trains are manufactured in Wichita, Kansas and travel by rail to the Boeing assembly plant in Renton, Washington. It was really cool to see the planes on the train.

Pickle Train (Boeing 737) on their way to Boeing from Wichita for further assembly

We left Wenatchee and decided to stay on Route 2 instead of getting on I 90. The backroads are much more interesting and frankly we don’t travel much faster than 55 mph anyway.

Waterville,WA – so flat for miles and miles

The terrain in eastern Washington is very different than the mountains and coast. It is very dry and very flat for miles and miles. We took a 30 minute detour to check out the Great Coulee Dam. It is quite impressive with a large (empty) Visitor Center. I guess touring dans is not popular anymore. The dam is the largest concrete dam in the US and was built to provide energy and irrigation. Unfortunately when they built it they did not include fish ladders because the dam is 550 feet tall and this blocked migratory salmon from accessing the Upper Columbia river for decades and this affected the indigenous populations in the area who relied on salmon. Fortuntaely there are several fish hacheries and salmon have been reintroduced into the upper Columbia River. We enjoyed the Visitor Center and learing about the history of the dam.

Banks Lake – just to soutwest of Coulee Dam created for irrigation

We drove thru Spokane and into Idaho. We planned to stay at an RV park in Wallace and ride a couple of bike trails over the next couple days before going to Glacier National Park

WOW- Olympic National Park. Part 2 – Exporing the wonders of the Hoh Rainforest

Posted on May 30, 2026May 30, 2026 by mewalsh1

After enjoying a coffee and breakfast at our new favorite campsite on the bluff of the Pacific, we packed a lunch and headed north on Highway 101 to the Hoh Rainforest.

Shortly after turning off the highway, the trees seemed to be even more lush with Spanish moss everywhere.We followed the Hoh River to the end of the road and the Olympic National Park Hoh River Visitor Center. Donna got her national park stamp and we headed out on the Hoh River Trail. This trail goes 17.4 miles to Glacier Meadows with views of Mount Olympus and the Blue Glacier. Our plan was to walk as far as we could – maybe to Tom Creek and then turn around.

Walking thru the rainforest was amazing and pictures just don’t do it justice. We stopped often to take photos, look at trees and just breath. After a couple miles we crossed a bridge over a small stream and stopped for lunch.

As we were getting ready to head out again after our lunch break, a couple of rangers came around the corner with two horses and a couple mules. Apparently another mule had fallen off the bridge we recently crossed and they were having difficulty getting it back on the trail. It was loaded down with food and supplies that they were planning to deliver to a trail crew about 8 miles further up the trail . They tied the horses up in front of us and asked us to stay put while they tried to get the young mule back on the trail. Fortunately, it was not hurt but was frightened. While we waited, we were able to talk with the other hikers and share stories. They were from Liverpool, UK, Detroit and Olympic, Washington. The woman from Olympic had applied to work for the state of Maine but heard back from the state of Washington first so took the job here.

Trying to get the mule back on the trail

After a great day of hiking we headed back to the camper to have dinner and watch the sunset. So much natural beauty in one day!

View of sunset out the window while lying in bed in our camper

WOW – Columbia River Gorge – Wonderful!

Posted on May 24, 2026May 24, 2026 by mewalsh1

Low railroad bridge clearance entering Cascade Locks Marina and Campground

We left Boardman for the short drive to Cascade Locks in the Columbia River Gorge. Although it was only a two hour drive, it was an adventure due to the incessant wind. The wind was blowing 30 mph with gusts up to 60 mph. Apparently this is common along the gorge. We had to drive slowly as our camper was constantly buffeted by the strong winds and swaying despite our weight distribution hitch and anti-sway bars. We stopped for coffee en route and talked with a guy on a motorcycle who told us he was stopping for the night despite the fact that is was only 1:00 pm as he found it too dangerous to drive his bike in the wind

Camping at Cascade Locks Marine Park and Campground

We arrived at the Port of Cascade Locks Marine Park and Campground in the early afternoon and were pleasantly surprised. The campground, run by the Cascade Locks Port is a hidden gem with only 18 campsites for small RVs with electric and water hookups and a separate tenting area which mostly serves Pacific Crest Trail Hikers. There is a campground host available on a part time basis and flush toilets and it is beautifully landscaped. There is even a historical museum on site. It It is located at the marina right on the Columbia River and in walking distance to several restaurants and breweries. It is not well advertised and there were only 2 other campers there.

After we set up camp and had lunch, we enjoyed a walk around the park and checked out the river. The Port also serves as a wedding venue and there were a couple weddings in progress. For supper, we decided to check our one of the breweries and had appetizers for dinner. One of the weddings at the port ended up at the same brewery. Apparently having llamas at your wedding is popular according to the waitress and we watched as the bride and groom posed with the llams.

View from our site of lock on Columbia River with Bridge of the Gods in background

Bike Ride on Historic Columbia River Highway Trail and Walk over the Bridge of the Gods

The next morning, we got up and headed out for a bike ride. The Historic Columbia River Highway had a trail head close to the campground. We headed over, hoping for a 20 mile round trip ride. It is a beautiful trail along the river which goes thru tunnels and over bridges with great views. There was a sign indicating the trail was closed ahead for a landslide but we decided to go as far as we could. We went about 5 miles and then came to the landslide. It was quite a large landslide. We reluctantly headed back.

There was no way we would make it thru this landslide

We headed over the check out the Bridge of the Gods. This is a toll bridge for cars but pedestrians and cyclists can cross for free. It is a route used by hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail to cross the Columbia River. It was too early in the season for thru hikers. It is a 5 month hike and most hikers are in this area in August. The Bridge of the Gods was featured in the movie “Wild” based on Cheryl Strayed’s novel “Wild”.

It was scary but thrilling to walk over the bridge. There are no breakdown lanes, but also not much traffic. The bridge has steel grates that you can look thru as you are walking and see the river raging 140 feet below you. It was also windy. We walked across single file to Washington and back over to Oregon. The views from the bridge were great.

Most beautiful dump station we have ever seen

We enjoyed our stop at the Columbia River Gorge and would definately like to return to the area. It is so beautiful and so many hikes and bike rides that are available. Our next stop is the Oregon Coast!

WOW – Traveling on the Oregon Trail thru Idaho

Posted on May 21, 2026May 21, 2026 by mewalsh1

The Oregon Trail is a 2170 mile trail that connected the Missouri River to Oregon City,Oregon. Most of the western part of the trail was mapped by Lewis and Clark between 1804 and 1806. In 1843 ,an estimated 700 – 1000 emigrants left for Oregon in wagon trains. This mass exodus across the west was called “the Wagon Train”or the “Great Migration”. We followed the trail almost all day after leaving Salt Lake City. At a couple stops we even saw the original ruts made by the wagon train wheels. I can’t traveling all that way in a bumpy wagon.

Our first stop was Twin Falls Idaho on the Snake River. We pulled into a campground that was free of charge on the north side of the Snake River. We decided to leave the trailer there for a few hours while we checked out the canyon without worrying about parking with the camper. The terrain is so flat there we couldn’t imagine where the canyon was. We drove out of the campground and as we crossed the bridge into town we were amazed to see the very deep canyon with the Snake River at the bottom. We parked the truck and headed to the edge to check things out

Free campsite at Ricketts RV Camp at snake River Park.

View of Snake River Canyon under the bridge

We were amazed at how deep the canyon was (500 feet). . I felt like it could have been a National Park. Apparently this was the area where Evil Knievel attempted to jump across the canyon in his rocket-powered motorcycle in 1977 but didn’t make it. I remember seeing this on TV but didn’t really know where it took place. Luckily his parachute deployed and he wasn’t hurt.

Next we headed to Shoshone park and the Shoshone Falls. They are often referred to as the “Niagara of the West” as they are 45feet taller than Niagara Falls. We drove to the park which is at the bottom of the cannon. Apparently spring is the best time to see the falls as water is diverted for irrigation in summer. This year was a low snowfall and we were told they are usually even more thunderous this time of year.

We debated spending the night at our free campsite but decided to drive another hour or so. We stopped at the Y Knot Winery RV Park for the night and decided to check out the wine tasting and restaurant. We later found it there was a state park just down the road called Three Island Crossing State Park that had camping. This was the site where emigrants on the Oregon Trail would attempt to cross the Snake River across three sand bars. Apparently there were many casualties. We headed over there to check it out after dinner. It was a beautiful and very peaceful campground with a large Oregon Trail interpretation center. We would definitely stay there if we are out this way again.

WOW (Wanderlust on Wheels) – Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Posted on May 16, 2026May 16, 2026 by mewalsh1

We left West Virginia and headed south thru a bit of Virginia and into Johnston City, Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains. Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited park in the country and when I revised my trip Deep Creek Campground was the only campground in the park I was able to book. It is located in the southern part of Great Smoky Mountain National Park, in Bryson City, NC. It turned out to be a good choice. It is much less busy than other parts of the park. There was a trail to 3 different waterfalls from the campground. My daughter, Adriana and her partner Micah met us at the campground and set their tent up next to our camper. We had a great visit.

Deep Creek Campground opened for the season the day we arrived. While we were setting up camp, we met a wonderful couple a little older than us from Vermont. They told us they had been in a motel in Gatlinburg for a few days while recovering from an illness and that it was very crowded and commercialized. They were very happy to be in this part of the Smokies. We had a lot of fun talking with them multiple times during our stay and even exchanged addresses the day we left. We met another young guy who told us about a great campsite in Olympic National Park we should check out and a WW II D-Day alumni veteran who told us how he used to come to the campground all the time with his wife who had recently passed away. We enjoy meeting other campers. Most folks are friendly and they are always impressed that we love in Maine 😊🌲

On one of the days there, we took a ride up to Newcomb Gap and hiked a bit of the Appalachian Trail on the border of Tennessee. The views were amazing.

Appalachian Trail in NC – only 1972 miles till Katahdin!

Newfound Gap – border of NC and Tennessee

Great country folk duo with baby (and Sasquatch)

Fun times with family in the Smoky Mountains

Exploring New River Gorge: Our Adventure in West Virginia

Posted on May 11, 2026May 11, 2026 by mewalsh1

Our plan was to leave Maryland and drive to Watoka State Park in West Virginia to ride our bikes on the Greenbriar Rail Trail which is supposed to be awesome. However, we woke up to pouring rain and as we looked at our route saw there were a lot of mountains and a two lane windy road to travel on in the driving rain. With at least 12 hours of rain in the forecast, we revised our plans and decided to drive directly to the New River Gorge National Park on the interstate. We will come back someday to do the Greenbriar Rail Trail.

Rainy Day in West Virginia with terrible visibilty –

There are only backcountry campsites at the national park so we decided to camp at a private campground adjacent to the park. The Outpost at New River Gorge Campground did not disappoint. It was a great campgound, with trails directly into the park. It is run by some really nice young guys who also have cabins for rent and weekly bluegrass music throughout the summer. While it wasn’t completely wooded and our site was in a field (well landscaped), the bathrooms were very impressive – I would even call them spa like. :). We would definately return to The Outpost at NRG campground and recommend it to others.

The Outpost was in the town of Fayetteville, WV (also known as the “coolest small town”) which is in the northern part of New River Gorge National Park – in walking distance to the impressive bridge over the New River. The bridge spans the 876 foot deep New River Gorge and was built in 1977. It is the longest steel arch span in the western hemisphere and the third highest bridge in the US. The first morning we were there,the sun came out and we took a walk from the campground to the bottom of the bridge. It was a bit steeper and longer than we had planned but we took plenty of breaks. We met a guy on the trail whose company had supplied the steel for the bridge. For those who enjoy heights, you can walk across a cat walk just undernearth the top of the bridge that is 2 feet wide (for $80 ). They attach harnesses and cables for safety. The guy we met on the trail and his wife walked across the day before. While John wanted to walk across, we decided to pass. My palms were sweating as they were talking about it.

Look closely and you can see a group of walkers under the bridge

We checked out the Visitor Center later that day and drove down a small one way road to the bottom of the gorge, over the old restored bridge, and up the other side where we ended up back at the campground. It is hard to believe before 1977, this was the only way to get across the gorge.

A bit of Maine at the bottom of the New River Bridge!

We feel so small next to this giant RV – but we like ours better 🙂

We really liked our time in West Virginia and hope to be back. There are so many natural resources there to explore!