PeeWee’s Big Adventure in Review, by Terry and Annette

At this half-way point, we think it’s time to look back on the four months since we left the security and comfort of our beloved home on Spinnaker Drive in Longmont.  We tried to come up with categories that are important to us and interesting to you.  It’s been quite an experience, most of it very good.  So here we go with PeeWee’s Big Adventure in review.

Favorite Campsites:Terry and I both loved Olympic National Park and our campsite there.

T: roomy, rustic, right on the river

A: super remote and near great hiking opportunities

Best Golf Experiences:

T: Old Works in Anaconda MT. We stumbled upon this great course and I played well.

A: Circling Raven in Coeur d’Alene ID. I started out not so well, but I rallied and had a blast!

T/A: Battlement Mesa golf club in Parachute, Colorado with Matt and Lindsay Kelly. These kids were so much fun and GREAT hosts while we stayed with them in Palisade CO.

Best overall experience over one week:

We both agree that Half Moon Bay/San Francisco with Stephanie and Jack was an all around great time!

T: I got to play golf with Jack and connect with him in a new way.

A: My girl. ‘Nuff said. Love you too, Jack😉

Most Memorable Drive:

T: Douglas Pass driving up toward Dinosaur CO. Pretty treacherous and very early in my RV experience. No photo because we were deep breathing.

A: I would say driving out of Longmont, looking at Long’s Peak and watching Terry drive PeeWee and the Toad as we left our beloved Colorado. Very emotional for me.

Runner Up: We agree that crossing the Golden Gate Bridge was a real rush!

Least Favorite Overnight Experience:

No question. Spending the night at Les Schwab Tires in Coeur d’Alene was not fun. At all. The bright lights and noise of the parking lot and the impending purchase of 6 new tires did not lend itself to a good night’s sleep.

Runners Up:

Crescent City CA. Foghorns and barking seals All Night.

Lake Alva MT. Too close to the forest fires. We slept with one eye open and left early the next day.

A: I’m detecting a pattern; I guess us oldsters need our sleep.

Memorable Hikes:

T: Grand Teton hike that started with a boat ride across Jenny Lake. Other hikers saw moose, but we weren’t so lucky.

Yellowstone tributary hike. Rushing rapids and cool temperatures at the lowest part of the hike.

A: Hiking Cutthroat Lake in the Cascades. Stunning fall colors and mountain peaks. Watching Terry catch a trout!

Oregon Dunes 5 mile trek to the Pacific Ocean. Gorgeous golden sand dunes and the bonus of reaching the ocean.

T/A: Reaching the summit of Lassen Peak. Exhilarating!

Scary Moment:

T: being so close to the fires in Lake Alva, Montana. I woke up in the middle of the night with helicopters buzzing overhead.

A: when I almost fell out of the raft into the Yellowstone river. Ok, so it was the lowest water level of the year. And I had a life jacket. Also, the possibility of finding a scorpion in my shoes.

Before the trip started, what did you expect that never happened:

T: I thought we would establish a base camp and then go off into a more remote area with the tent. We never did.

A: I thought I would kill Terry in his sleep. I never did. I thought I would increase my running mileage. I never did. I thought I would find a place to live that I liked better than Colorado. I never did.

Being on the road I miss:

T: never ending conference calls (yuk-yuk).

Golf with the guys, live music, sports.

A: My family, friends, a home with my own shower and laundry. No photos of laundromats and campground showers.  EEEEWW.

Ok, I may have gotten a little carried away with the photos there, and there are so many more that I could have posted, but I bet you understand how important our people are to us.

So now we are spending the holidays in our apartment in Chicago. We will send out additional categories and reviews while we are here in one spot for a while. In the meantime, GO Bears!! 😳