The drive from Tingley Lake Estates RV Park in Klamath Falls OR to Cal Expo RV Park in Sacramento CA would be about 300 miles and would take just over 5 hours according to MapQuest; however, my elective 1.5 elapsed time adjustment factor would make the trip closer to 7 ½ hours. Fortunately, about 225 of those miles would be on interstate highways with no side roads, traffic lights or villages where I tend to drive more cautiously and, thus, more slowly. I comfortably could jack up my speed to 60 or 65 on the Interstate, would cut 30-45 minutes off the trip time and would arrive at the RV park before the office closing time of 5 PM. (Despite getting poorer gasoline mileage at the higher speed, my fuel window when pulling the Pilgrim is ... read more

The drive from Shady Firs RV Park in Randle WA to Sisters Creekside Campground in Sisters OR would be just under 300 miles and about 5 hours per MapQuest. There is a shorter route that takes two-lane roads the entire distance. Were I not pulling the Pilgrim, I would have taken that route, but I now opt for the easier Interstate highways when pulling the trailer particularly when it’s raining and the roads are wet, just as I found them on October 15, 2014. The first and last portions of the drive (about 150 miles total) would be on two-lane roads anyway. U.S. 12, which is the location of Shady Firs RV Park, took me from Randle to I-5, and OR 22 and U.S. 20 took me from Salem OR to Sisters where I completed the ... read more

According to MapQuest, the drive from Coeur d'Alene ID to Pasco WA would be about 175 miles and would take about three hours. I got a mid-morning start under beautiful skies. I crossed the border into Washington, breezed through Spokane and found my way south on U.S. 395. For the most part, the terrain was rolling high plains and not very scenic. In this instance, I’m in total agreement with Rand McNally. Also, I should forewarn my regular followers that, although I usually try to place photographs next to its accompanying narrative, that normal routine just plain ain’t gonna happen this time, folks. We here at KLDG apologize for any inconvenience this might cause our readers. Irene (my GPS) directed me to the Franklin County RV Park. The area around the RV park is a vast ... read more

I noted in the Helena blog that the drive west from Helena on U.S. 12 has a 6-7 mile stretch that goes through 6362’ McDonald Pass. The first two trips through the pass t’was just me and the Dodge Ram but not this time – this time, I had the Pilgrim in tow as I headed for Missoula MT! Initially, there was a lot of downshifting and upshifting by the transmission; but after about two miles the Ram and my accelerator foot got dancin’ to the same fiddler at a whopping 35 mph! Slow-moving vehicle lanes on steep grades are a good thing! I just turned on the four-ways and let her purr – well, growl actually might be more accurate. There was no new snow to report at the summit, and that was just fine ... read more

I decided to use I-15 for the drive from Pocatello ID to Butte MT. Even without traffic lights and reduced speed zones, the drive was almost 4 hours per MapQuest so that calculates to 6 hours per PokiemanLarry. Most of the route is designated by Rand McNally as scenic and much of it is exactly that. I guess I’m getting spoiled by frequent exposure to phenomenally scenic routes. Perhaps I should refrain from elective scenic drives – I don’t think so! I arrived mid afternoon at the 2 Bar Lazy H RV Campgrounds (I didn’t ask) and was given a space in the rear of the park, but I had an EXCEPTIONAL view. The space was small and required three inches of shimming to level the Pilgrim, but being in the rear of the park provided ... read more