Holiday Cheers!
From Liz, Dan and Don
Despite lockdowns and pandemic surges, 2021 turned out to be a year of reconnecting to family and friends, thanks to having an RV. In addition to two multi-week road trips, we regularly used Sally (salir in Spanish means to go out) to transport our bikes or paddleboards to fun locations in the Bay Area and as our own portable bistro. In early December, we spent two weeks in Baja California for adventures on and in the Sea of Cortez. And on the home front, we finally installed a beautifully designed front yard with California native (drought tolerant) plants, just in time for the rainy (fingers crossed!) season.
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2021 Events and Travels
X RV + Skiing = New Adventures!
Since Sally is a 4x4 with the insulation to handle the cold, in February we drove her up to ski Mt. Bachelor, Oregon. Connected to an RV hookup, we enjoyed 5 days of great snow within walking distance to the ski lifts! Our ritual Memorial Day holiday in the Mammoth area was equally convenient thanks to the flexibility to park in designated (free) wilderness locations.
X April RV Trip to a Phoenix Wedding
This long-awaited trip was the main incentive for getting our RV sooner rather than later: fewer worries about coronavirus when we have our own transportation and lodging. It was a great family reunion for the Kiblers -- and a big relief when the young set who caught COVID recovered with no long-haul effects. The two days we spent hiking the south rim of the Grand Canyon were icing on the cake!
X Our Epic Friends and Family RV Road Trip
This was a long-planned cross country vacation to reconnect with people after months of pandemic travel restrictions. Dan's cousin Rob and high-school buddy Scott both hosted us at their homes in Michigan and Ohio, respectively. At grandson Tyler and Erica's wedding, we were finally able to meet our great-granddaughter Rosie, born in March 2020. And who wouldn't enjoy a week on Kimberly and Rich's yacht on the Jersey Shore?
- Eastbound Highlights: NPs, Friends, Relatives
- Wyoming, Mt Rushmore and the Badlands NationalPark
- New Jersey: Tyler and Erica's Wedding
- New Jersey: Week on the Muckenfuss Yacht
- Connecticut Circa 1600s
- Adirondacks, NY: Fish Ponds Camp
- Caledonia, NY: Labor Day Weekend with Tom & Nancy
- Westward ho: New York to Colorado
- Moab, UT: Arches National Park
- Moab, UT: Canyonlands National Park
- Moab, UT: Biking, Hiking Dead Horse Point
- Baker, NV: Great Basin NP, Journey's End
X Home and Hometowns
The green hills of spring didn't last long this year before the drought and fire season hit California hard. But with everybody vaccinated, we embraced home-state opportunities for recreation and get-togethers. Don joined us in the RV for a weekend at the Miller homestead, where we had a BBQ with John and Carlyn. They are proud grandparents this year, and we got to meet baby Kennedy when we caught up with Monte and Brayden over Thanksiving weekend as the Millers celebrated Dad's 93rd birthday. In June we flew to Seattle for Uncle Ned's delayed memorial, reconnecting with Dan's cousins and doing a bit of sightseeing. Sadly, we also lost Uncle Fred this year. Both lived well into their 90s!
- Winter Hike, Las Trampas Ridge
- Miller Get-Together in SLO County, CA
- Morning Paddle on Merced Slough, Seattle
- A Meditation on Glass - Chihuly, Seattle
- Hiking with Dad
- San Francisco Sojurn with Anna
- Front Yard Conversion to California Native Plants
- Miller Thanksgiving Weekend
- A Gorgeous Weekend Near Lodi, CA
X A December Adventure in Baja California
We finally got the timing right to join Zephyr's Baja California Kayaking Adventure on the Sea of Cortez in early December, followed by another week on our own (not in the RV).