After graduating, Jackson spent the summer driving to and through Baja Peninsula, Mexico to surfing, reading, playing guitar and practicing his spanish. Here’s the video he put together after the trip with his original music.
Summer Roadtrip to Banff Canada!
Michelle, Oso and I hit the road at the beginning of June in 2025 to Banff Canada. Michelle had been before with the Concierge crew, but I had not but had always wanted to go. It was our first extra long single roadtrip with our vintage ’68 trailer ‘Summer’ where we spent 13 nights in the campgrounds and one night in the fabulous Chateau Lake Louis.
We used ChatGPT to help us plan the trip and it worked quite well! Great recommendations on places to stay, things to do and roads to get there. Our itinerary is below the picture gallery for those interested in the route. Lots of interesting observations:
- SO beautiful up there! I thought the North Cascades were stunning (and they are) but the Canadian Rockies are another level. Being there in early June with lots of snow on the upper parts of the mountains made it extra fabulous. The drive between Banff and Jasper was world class including the color of the river – glacier dust blue-green.
- Jasper burned last year with major forest fires. The park where we stayed was burned, but all of the infrastructure was rebuilt. New roads, facilities, buildings, etc. There were even herds of calving Elk in the park and we believe one gave birth near our site.
- Lots of people visiting from outside Canada and renting RV’s. We saw so many in the parks from the three major companies that rented.
- The town of Banff was especially lovely with a range of great restaurants, interesting places to visit like the Bow River Trail, Sundance Canyon, beautiful parks and the view from the hotel/spa at the top of the mountain. Michelle and I rented e-bikes and cruised all of the tourist spots – re-enforced my desire for an e-mountain bike!
- The Chateau Lake Louise was a highlight of the trip for many reasons. 1) So luxurious! We love a really well staffed and appointed hotel. 2) They upgraded us to a view room so we had a fabulous view of the lake and mountains behind. The changing light through the day was particularly spectacular. 3) It was Oso’s first time in a hotel and he was pampered and was extremely well behaved – everyone loved him. 4) We had dinner in the bar and got some back of the house scoop on the drama of 800 people living on site in employee housing/dorms – love some good tea…
- Michelle and I had a blast! Lots of games, great food, meeting new people, partying at random spots and enjoyment of the time to ourselves.
Our Banff Roadtrip Itinerary
Day 1: Seattle to Osoyoos (Full Hookups)
- Drive: ~5 hours
- Stay: Nk’Mip Campground & RV Park (Full hookups, pet-friendly)
- Activities:
- Relax by Osoyoos Lake, which is dog-friendly.
- We partied at the Cantina on the property and met fun Canadians while dancing to a funk sisters duo.
- Visited a local winery
- Dining: Have dinner at 15 Park Bistro, with stunning views of the lake.
Day 2: Osoyoos to E.C. Manning Provincial Park
- Drive: ~2 hours
- Stay: Lightning Lake Campground (No hookups, pet-friendly)
- Activities:
- Hike the Lightning Lake Loop Trail with your dog. This lake had little prarie dogs popping up their. heads
- Enjoy canoeing or fishing on the lake.
- Dining: Cook at your campsite.
Day 3: Manning Park to Revelstoke (Full Hookups)
- Drive: ~4.5 hours
- Stay: Revelstoke Campground (Full hookups, pet-friendly)
- Activities:
- Visit Mount Revelstoke National Park for a scenic drive or short hike.
- Explore the quaint town of Revelstoke.
- Dining: Try The Quartermaster Eatery for local dishes.
Day 4: Revelstoke to Banff (Full Hookups)
- Drive: ~3 hours
- Stay: Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court (Full hookups, pet-friendly)
- Activities:
- Settle in and explore Banff’s town center.
- Walk the Bow River Trail with your dog.
- Dining: Have dinner at The Bear Street Tavern, which has a dog-friendly patio.
Days 5–7: Banff and Lake Louise
Day 5: Banff Exploration
- Stay: Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court
- Activities:
- Hike Johnston Canyon (dog-friendly, on-leash).
- Relax in Banff’s dog-friendly Central Park.
- Dining: Cook at your campsite or enjoy another local restaurant.
Day 6: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise (No Hookups)
- Stay: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise (Pet-friendly hotel)
- Activities:
- Stroll the Lake Louise Lakeshore Trail with your dog.
- Enjoy the luxurious amenities of the Fairmont.
- Dining: Dine at the hotel’s Fairview Bar & Restaurant.
Day 7: Banff Relaxation
- Stay: Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court
- Activities:
- Visit the Bow Valley Parkway for a scenic drive.
- Hike the dog-friendly Fenland Trail near town.
- Dining: Enjoy dinner in Banff or at your campsite.
Day 8: Banff to Jasper (Full Hookups)
- Drive: ~3.5 hours (via Icefields Parkway)
- Stay: Whistlers Campground, Jasper (Full hookups, pet-friendly)
- Activities:
- Stop at Peyto Lake, Athabasca Falls, and the Columbia Icefield along the way.
- Settle in and explore the town of Jasper.
- Dining: Try Jasper Brewing Co. with its dog-friendly patio.
Days 9–10: Exploring Jasper
Day 9: Maligne Lake and Valley
- Stay: Whistlers Campground
- Activities:
- Walk the Maligne Lake Lakeshore Trail with your dog.
- Explore Maligne Canyon Trail.
- Dining: Cook at your campsite or dine in town.
Day 10: Jasper Exploration
- Stay: Whistlers Campground
- Activities:
- Visit the Path of the Glacier Trail at Mount Edith Cavell.
- Relax in Jasper’s town center or take another dog-friendly hike.
Day 11: Jasper to Kelowna (Full Hookups)
- Drive: ~6.5 hours
- Stay: Bear Creek Provincial Park, Kelowna (Full hookups, pet-friendly)
- Activities:
- Relax by Okanagan Lake.
- Enjoy wine tasting at a dog-friendly winery.
- Dining: Try The Train Station Pub in downtown Kelowna.
Day 12: Kelowna to E.C. Manning Provincial Park (No Hookups)
- Drive: ~3 hours
- Stay: Lightning Lake Campground (No hookups, pet-friendly)
- Activities:
- Enjoy a short hike or spend time at the lake.
- Stargaze in the evening.
Day 13: Manning Park to Deception Pass State Park (Full Hookups)
- Drive: ~4.5 hours
- Stay: Deception Pass State Park, WA (Full hookups, pet-friendly)
- Activities:
- Explore the beaches and dog-friendly trails in the park.
- Dining: Cook at your campsite or dine in a nearby restaurant.
Day 14: Deception Pass to Seattle
- Drive: ~1.5 hours
- Activities:
- Take a final walk along the beaches or trails before heading home.
- Had dinner with David and Nancy Harto the night before heading home
This plan balanced trailer convenience, scenic beauty, and opportunities to relax with your dog while enjoying the best of the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Rockies! It worked out great!
Jackson Has Graduated!
The whole fam-damily went to Salt Lake to see Jackson graduate from University of Utah. Michelle organized a lot of moving pieces to bring several generations of family together to celebrate. We were able to stay together, celebrate together and meet up with some of Jackson’s friends including the first friend he made at school and current group of buddies. Super fun and a great ritual for the big transition to real adulthood.
Jackson is off to Baja for surfing and then to the cabin in Mazama for hunkering down and recording an album. Who knows what is next!
Below is a gallery of photos from the event, travel and weekend activities including a fun night listening to Will and his band – Will was Jackson’s first friend in Utah and they played music together for years.
Link to the full Google Photos album – https://photos.app.goo.gl/xJPeboiS18eeCS2G7
[embed-google-photos-album link=”https://photos.app.goo.gl/xJPeboiS18eeCS2G7″]
Lake Margaret Hike – 2024
The original pick for this hike was Big Heart Lake, but with nasty weather creeping in, Greg called an audible with Johnny G. to go to the East side of the mountains to a lake recommended by John’s son Quinn – Lake Margaret. It was a great call as the 7 of us had really great weather for hiking, fishing, frisbee-golfing, bourbon tasting, cribbage and day hiking. We got a little drizzle in the evenings, but nothing major.
John Dossett picked up John Howell and Patrick Boyer from SeaTac on his way up from Portland and the four of us met with Greg, Ralph and Johnny G. at the Party Barn (Ralph’s place) in Leavenworth. We headed in for the ~10 mile hike to the lake – took us a little over 6 hours. The first 4.5 miles or so had a slight up but was mostly along the creek with several broken bridges that had to be navigated around (see the pics). The next 5.5 was a long slow grind up to Lake Margaret. The mushrooms along the trail were amazing! There were some people already up there on a Thursday night but we found some good enough spots to sleep for the night.
The next day Greg, Ralph and Johnny G. bagged Cape Horn with a 6 hour round trip day hike while the rest of us hung out and played cribbage, explored Lake Margaret and fished like crazy! So many hungry trout. We all caught as many as we wanted but only kept the big ones for dinner. At one point Patrick said he caught 30 but only kept 7. The other thing that happened was that the group camping in the big group site left so we moved in and took it over – perfect alpine lake group campsite. That night was a really nice fire, grilled fish and bourbon tasting! John Dossett was the winner this year with a Portland based bourbon called Freeland. Scott had a close second with a Willet Pot Still Reserve.
The next day we all hiked up to Lake Mary which got us another 2,500 feet of elevation and killer views of the top of the Enchantments and the rain clouds parked on the West Side of the Cascades. Pat and I spent the day fishing and catching around Lake Mary while the rest of the guys played some epic frisbee golf. We saw a momma Marmot and two of her babies running around on the side of the hill just up from the lake as well. After the hike back we had another lovely evening with some light rain, medium sized fire and som more fish on the grill.
The hike out started about 9am and took us 5-ish hours. Cold beers awaited us at the trailhead and then we headed back to Ralph’s to re-group and then into Leavenworth for some snitzel, brots and more beers. Great trip! Click here for the full photo album on Google.
Lake Margaret as viewed from the hike up to Lake Mary
Summer of Summer (The Trailer)
Michelle has wanted a vintage trailer for a decade. We started receiving the Vintage Trailer Magazine (Rescue, Restore, Rally!) and drooling over the pictures of shiny Spartans, brilliantly painted canned hams and marveled at the people/outfits/decorations of the crowd hanging out together at vintage trailer rallys. This could be a fun crowd to hang out with now that the kids are out of the house.
We bought a 1964 Aladdin from Shannon’s sister in June of 2019 (and a new pickup truck to pull it) to see if we would like the experience. We pulled her around Washington, Oregon and Utah for three years while leaving it in Mazama over the winter to serve as an extra bedroom/office during the winter. She went to concerts at the Gorge, dropped off Jackson at college, and served as our home away from home at dozens of camp grounds. But, we never felt comfortable taking it to a rally – needed too much work! We had to make a decision on what to do with the Aladdin when we could see the road through the floor under the seats.
Michelle found Summer – a 1968 Frolic – on a vintage trailer classified ad and did the research. It had some work done already and was in good shape, had a bathroom/shower, original fixtures for the kitchen and two doors (very unique). We drove to San Jose and purchased the trailer and were hooked!
Originally Orange in color and decorated with hippy 60’s prints inside, Michelle set about to transform the trailer into her own. With lots of sewing help from our friend Sherri in Mazama and the work of Down River Trailers in Winlock Washington, she was transformed into a beautiful, comfortable and modern functioning trailer that we spent over 20 nights in during the summer of 2024.
Summer at Kim’s Fourth of July Hootenany in summer of 2024.
Summer of 2024 Travels
It was a packed summer with the trailer starting with a weekend trip with Tom Sciortino to Walla Walla for some wine tasting and celebration of Michelle’s birthday.
We then went on a 12 day road trip to Kim’s place for 4th of July, Diamond Lake in Oregon to hang with Michelle’s cousins/neices/nephews, Bend Oregon to stay and refresh with Greg and Jacquie for our anniversary, Spokane with Tom and then four nights in Montana camping up the Blackfoot river and going to the Jason Isbell show outside of Kalispell.
Vintage Trailer Rally’s
We attended our first two vintage trailer rally’s this summer. We were invited into the community by Jeremy and Rene from Down River Trailers (they also run the two we went to) and made some friends immediately. The first was Nile Valley Rally outside of Naches at the John Schrick Community Park. This was a small rally and the perfect way to experience the experience. The theme was Hatfields vs McCoys and we had a blast. About 50 trailers were there, we parked right along the river next to Fred and Tami (new trailer friends), got in some fishing/golfing and a LOT of fun.
Scott dressed up as part of the Hatfield’s at the Nile River Rally.
The big rally was up in Lynden, Washington the week after Labor Day. Almost 200 trailers attended and it was awesome! The theme was Mid-century Palm Springs so lots of flamingos, blow up pools, fun outfits. We met many more people and a lot of the same friends from the Nile River Rally. Barbara Fasser and three of her friends showed up to cruise the trailers and old cars. It was a LOT of eating and drinking and laughing.
What a fun summer with Summer! New places, new experiences, new friends.
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