California Nevada Oregon

April 2021

  1. Seattle
  2. Portland
  3. Napa Valley
  4. Yosemite National Park
  5. Carrizo Plain National Monument
  6. Valley of Fire State Park
  7. Death Valley
  8. Mono Lake
  9. Lake Tahoe
  10. New Bullards Bar Reservoir
  11. Alvord Desert
  12. Painted Hills

Day 1: The lure of the nomadic life

We’re on the road in a Cabana van again!

When our last trip to Utah ended and we had to return our rented camper van, we weren’t ready. After a taste of van life, we were completely hooked. The fact that we could happily live in such a small space, with so few possessions, felt liberating and freeing. The fact that we could so easily reach places of such extraordinary beauty — and bring our house along — felt like the ultimate travel experience. While on the road, we met other enthusiastic campers who told us fascinating stories of trading a traditional city life for a nomadic one, and we could definitely see the appeal. Maybe we’ll live in a camper van one day? Seems entirely possible.

Anyway, we’re on the road again and that wonderful feeling of freedom has returned! We drove south today, making a quick stop in Portland for a delicious lunch at Handsome Pizza (which lives up to its name), then a brief but exciting diversion to a place we’ve always wanted to see: The Airplane Home! It’s exactly what it sounds like — an actual airplane that ingenious Bruce Campbell has turned into his permanent home. It was no easy feat to move the old Boeing 727 into its current site and to remodel its interior to make it livable, but the result is remarkable: a futuristic home nestled among the towering evergreens of a serene forest! And from an environmental perspective, isn’t it better to reuse than to recycle? We think so.

Airplane Home, near Portland.

Day 2: Mount Shasta, jacarandas, and the geometry of wine country

The drive from Oregon to California’s Bay Area was a masterclass in diverse landscapes. We passed rivers, hills, and the imposing, snow-covered Mount Shasta that commands the horizon from nearly every angle. Bright yellow forsythias, intensely purple jacaranda trees, and playful orange poppies punctuated the landscape along the way like nature was showing off its full color palette. We followed the I-5 highway most of the way, but occasionally took detours through more scenic backroads because there’s only so much highway driving anyone can handle before needing a little variety.

And toward the end of the day, we arrived in Napa Valley, California. Most people come to Napa for the wine, but we came for the drone photography and the food. (We’re not opposed to wine, but truthfully, we’re much more enthusiastic about carbohydrates and aerial perspectives.) This region’s gentle rolling hills are etched with parallel rows of grape vines, resulting in an unusual juxtaposition of natural and structured shapes — geometry you can practically taste. Flying our drone above the vineyards allowed us to see the emerging spring crop from a different perspective. So beautiful. As for the food, there are so many tempting restaurant options here that we could spend a week just eating our way through the valley. Today we shared a wonderful vegetable-topped flatbread and a creative salad at the Boon Fly Cafe in Carneros, and we’re already mentally planning tomorrow’s food itinerary.

Life is good.

Napa Valley.

The grape vines were just starting to show new growth.

Day 3: Fog, Thomas Keller’s garden, and dining with actual humans

We got up early today with ambitious plans to catch sunrise over the vineyards, but the weather had other ideas and served us fog instead. Thick, mysterious, atmospheric fog. The beauty of the vineyards was not diminished though — if anything, the fog added a cinematic quality to the place, like we were wandering through a dream sequence in a very upscale wine commercial.

The rest of our day was a proper gastronomical feast. For us, no other food experience beats eating fruits and vegetables just picked from the garden. Therefore, our eyes lit up when we came across renowned chef Thomas Keller’s vegetable garden in Yountville. This garden supplies his restaurants across the street, The French Laundry and Bouchon Bistro, and is so meticulously arranged that it looks like the vegetables themselves are trying to impress you. We had to capture it from above with the drone (after obtaining permission, because we’re not monsters). Lunch was a no-brainer: we crossed the street and ordered some of those same vegetables at the Bouchon Bistro. Both the concept and the flavors were exceptional — “local food” takes on a whole new meaning when “local” means “from the garden just across the street.” The vegetables tasted like they were still pondering their former life in the soil.

Dinner was also a very pleasant experience, though in a completely different way. Longtime friends David and Sylvia met us in Sonoma to enjoy some well-executed Portuguese dishes at LaSalette. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the first time in a year that any of us had dined out with friends, and it felt almost surreal to be eating with actual humans, in person, face-to-face. It felt like a glimpse of normal life returning, and we’re looking forward to more social activities and shared meals as vaccination rates increase.

The French Laundry’s vegetable garden.

Day 4: An English muffin investigation and a kaleidoscope of butterflies

We were curious to know if Model Bakery’s famous English muffins are overhyped, so we started the day by conducting some very serious investigative journalism. The verdict? They lived up to their reputation. Possibly exceeded it.

We then set out in the direction of Yosemite National Park, stopping for a hike on Hites Cove Trail, a narrow path clinging to the steep slopes of the valley carved by the South Fork Merced River. Along the trail, we saw wildflowers of all shapes and colors, which at this time of the year seem to attract equally varied butterflies. We took our time exploring this trail, slowing down to notice the small things: metallic green bugs that look like they’ve been dipped in chrome, leaves that look like the inside of a kiwi (nature is weird), and pink wildflowers that spiral around other plants to reach the sky like tiny determined mountaineers.

The butterflies were our favorites though. Every time we crossed another small creek, a congregation of butterflies would take flight at once and circle around us in an absolute flurry, as if we’d just walked through some sort of enchanted Disney movie. We laughed out loud because it reminded us of Aunt Elizabeth’s dramatic entrance scenes in the TV show “The Great” — except instead of being terrifying, this was delightful.

In the late afternoon we drove through Yosemite Valley on the way to an RV camp, giving us a tantalizing preview of the park. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough!

Hiking Hites Cove Trail.

Day 5: Birthday waterfalls, Ansel Adams envy, and Tunnel View (twice)

We celebrated Eric’s birthday today by exploring Yosemite National Park, which is basically the best birthday present nature could offer. We walked several of the trails in the main valley, where stunning views await around every turn. There are so many outrageously tall spectacles of nature here: the imposing cliffs, the towering evergreen trees, and the enormous waterfalls that make you feel pleasantly insignificant. It must have been even more incredible to the first humans who set eyes on this landscape — they had no warning, no context, no Ansel Adams photos to prepare them. We, on the other hand, arrived fully briefed by decades of iconic photography, and we were still absolutely awestruck.

We ate our picnic lunch at Tunnel View, where we were treated to a sweeping panoramic view of the whole valley including El Capitan, Bridalveil Falls, Cathedral Rocks, Half Dome, and a giant forest covering the valley floor. No wonder John Muir spent so much time trying to save this place. The view was so beautiful that we returned to the exact same spot for our picnic dinner and lingered until dark, because why settle for seeing perfection once when you can see it twice? What a great day!

Yosemite Valley, as seen from Tunnel View.

Yosemite Falls.

Day 6: Flying spaghetti monster lake

We enjoy visiting national parks, but nothing comes close to the happiness we feel when exploring lesser-known off-the-beaten-path places. That’s why we were so looking forward to visiting Carrizo Plain National Monument. It’s a little-visited gem of a park with softly undulating hills, plains of straw-colored grass, and a bright white mineral lake in the middle that looks like it belongs on another planet. And most importantly: no crowds, no traffic, just open space and silence. Soda Lake is genuinely magical — with its branching arms extending in all directions, its shape reminded us of the flying spaghetti monster (may you be touched by His noodly appendage). There are some higher vantage points where the lake can be enjoyed from above, but we enjoyed the perspective given to us by the drone the most, because it really showcased the otherworldly patterns.

We spent the afternoon driving the van on dirt roads without seeing another soul. Not a single person. Just us, the Cabana, and endless open space. We parked for the evening a long way down one of these remote roads, and felt truly at peace as we watched the sunset from a rippling field of grass overlooking the lake. As darkness set in, crickets serenaded us and millions of stars gradually came into view — the kind of star-filled sky you only get when you’re far from civilization and light pollution.

Soda Lake in Carrizo Plain National Monument.

Day 7: Sunrise flight, the Temblor Range, and Vegas (just for pizza)

Today we awoke before dawn so that we could fly the drone and capture photos of Carrizo National Monument at sunrise. Worth it. The meandering tendrils of water and mineral deposits shimmered in the morning light, and the sculpted foothills surrounding the valley were beautifully illuminated in shades of gold and amber. We explored the park for half the morning, reluctant to leave this peaceful place, then drove up into the Temblor Range to the east, winding our way through steep hills and ravines.

By midday we had emerged into California’s central valley, a dramatic shift from remote wilderness to endless orange groves and vast industrial farms. We continued driving all afternoon, rolling into Las Vegas with our music blasting as the sun was setting. We’ve been to Vegas many times before, so this time we only stopped long enough for yummy Neapolitan-style pizza at Settebello — treating the entertainment capital of the world as essentially a convenient pizza stop — and then moved on. We headed for a dispersed camping site on BLM land outside of Valley of Fire State Park, where we were glad to set up camp after a very long day of driving.

Driving through the Temblor Range.

Day 8: Making every minute count

Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada is open from sunrise to sunset, and we definitely got our money’s worth: we entered the park just as the sun was rising and didn’t leave until the light was fading from the sky. We were basically the first ones in and among the last ones out. The park is small, but it’s absolutely chock full of interesting sights. We saw 4000-year-old petroglyphs (casually ancient), slot canyons, mountain goats perched on impossible ledges, caves, and rock formations of shapes and colors beyond our imagination. Seriously, the geology here looks like it was designed by someone with access to a very creative color palette and no sense of restraint.

We enjoyed several short hikes and found photogenic scenes everywhere we looked. The Fire Wave rock formation is probably the most popular sight in the park, and for good reason — its alternating red and white stripes create beautiful curving contour lines that look almost painted on. Most people reach the Fire Wave by hiking from a busy parking lot along a well-traveled trail through wide open terrain. We were glad we found a different approach from the less-well-known but far more beautiful Pastel Canyon trail, which took us through a pink-hued slot canyon to an easily traversed rocky slope. Getting to see the Fire Wave while also experiencing the slot canyon felt like a bonus level in a video game. We enjoyed the view as the sun went down, then headed back to the van to find a campsite, tired but thoroughly satisfied.

Elephant Rock in Valley of Fire State Park.

Fire Wave.

Day 9: Parking lot picnics, extreme elevations, and nature’s art palette

After our brief but fascinating stay at Valley of Fire State Park, we headed back to civilization (if that’s the right word for Las Vegas) for a quick resupply mission. We lingered just long enough to stock up on groceries and eat a “parking lot picnic” brunch — one of the more glamorous aspects of van life — then we hit the road again. Traveling westward, we re-entered California and headed for tonight’s campsite in the tiny town of Shoshone near the south end of Death Valley. We took care of some van chores and relaxed in the breezy campsite during the afternoon, strategically avoiding Death Valley during the hottest part of the day. The valley is hella hot — the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 134°F (56.7°C), measured in 1913 in Death Valley. We had no desire to challenge that record.

Late in the afternoon, we drove into the park by way of Route 178. This is a less-traveled but quite scenic back road, which rises over 3300 feet (1000 m) above sea level before descending to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. That’s a vertical drop of over 3500 feet (1066 m) — your ears will pop. The floor of the valley here is covered by a huge salt flat, glaring white and otherworldly. After driving for a while next to this blindingly bright expanse, the road finally ascended the ridge and led us to Artists Drive. We cruised around this scenic loop road until we arrived at Artists Palette, where each of the triangular hills and mountain peaks nearby is colored a different hue by volcanic deposits of various compounds — iron oxides, chlorides, and manganese creating an unexpected rainbow in the desert. This made a perfect stop for some sunset photos, and then we headed back to the RV park for the night.

Artists Palette in Death Valley.

Day 10: From pastel canyons to snow-capped mountains

We got up early today to ensure that we were at Zabriskie Point just before sunrise. Totally worth the early alarm. It was incredible to witness the landscape reveal itself, as the sun gently illuminated the bizarre geological formations in front of us. Layers of red, orange, and yellow rock formed pointed peaks, sprawling badlands, and snaking valleys, all in perfect balance. The whole scene looked like something out of a science fiction movie, except it’s been here for millions of years.

Once the sun was up, we drove along Twenty Mule Team Canyon, where a narrow gravel road threads its way between pointy hills in a variety of pastel colors — pinks, greens, and purples that seem impossible in a desert landscape. We finished our morning by visiting the sand dunes at the northern end of the park, where the fine golden sand created mesmerizing ripple patterns, and then hit the road again.

In the afternoon, we drove west and then north to Mono Lake. Along the way, the landscape changed dramatically. The Joshua trees and dust devils we’d gotten used to for the last several days gave way to snowy mountain peaks, evergreens, and lakes. It felt like driving through multiple climate zones in a matter of hours. We arrived at Mono Lake in time to enjoy sunset from the South Tufa viewing area. Tufa are irregular limestone towers produced beneath the surface of the lake, and these particular formations are visible because the water level has decreased over the years. Their funky shapes — somewhere between coral reef and alien architecture — make for interesting photos at sunset.

  • Mono Lake
  • Night: Dispersed camping near Mono Lake

View from Zabriskie Point, Death Valley.

Another view from Zabriskie Point.

Twenty Mule Team Canyon.

Tufa formations at Mono Lake.

Day 11: Birthday in the wild West

Today is Bea’s birthday, and there’s no better way to spend it than taking a road trip together in a camper van! (This is not sarcasm — we genuinely can’t think of anything better.)

We left the Mono Lake area early in the morning and decided to pay a visit to Bodie, a ghost town from the gold rush days that has been frozen in time. The town looks like a Western movie set, except it’s completely real (think “Westworld,” but with authentic decay instead of robots). Gold was discovered in large amounts in 1875 when a nearby mine collapsed, quickly attracting prospectors, miners, and practitioners of the oldest profession on Earth. It also attracted outlaws, and Bodie became known as the most lawless, trigger-happy town in the west. Then in 1881, once there was little left to be mined, the town’s population declined steeply and people just… left. What remains of this uninhabited town is a living museum: wood and brick houses that contain all the artifacts of the time still intact — furniture, bottles, tools, even wallpaper — telling a vivid story of living on the frontier during a wild and chaotic time in American history.

After Bodie, we continued to the southern part of Lake Tahoe in Nevada. We spent the afternoon exploring the rocky shore of the lake, marveling at the impossibly clear blue water, and then had a tasty, healthy, and casual takeout dinner at Sprouts Cafe Tahoe. Later we checked into our super nice campsite, where we enjoyed the tranquil evergreen forest that surrounds the lake. A pretty excellent birthday, if we do say so ourselves.

Bodie ghost town.

Day 12: Turquoise fractal lake, COVID solitude, and drone freedom

We visited Bullards Bar Reservoir today, an off-the-beaten-path lake that is so stunning it deserved the detour from our itinerary. This lake gets busy in the summer season, mainly due to recreational boating and fishing. But in April, during the COVID pandemic, on a weekday, we had the entire area to ourselves. Complete solitude. And unlike in most of the parks we’ve visited over the past week, drones are actually allowed here! We were particularly excited to fly our drone at Bullards Bar because of the water’s intense turquoise color, the fractal-shaped shores that look like mathematical art from above, and the never-ending coniferous forest surrounding the lake.

We enjoyed a short hike along the lake shore and a leisurely picnic lunch at Dark Day Campground (ominous name, lovely spot), which seems like a great place to return to for a longer stay in the future. But today we needed to restock our supplies for the rest of the trip, so we drove into Reno for groceries and dinner. Back to civilization for a few hours, then back to the wild tomorrow.

New Bullards Bar Reservoir.

Day 13: Gambling on good weather

Alvord Desert in Oregon is our kind of place and has been on our bucket list for a long time. This enormous dried-up lake (or playa) is a land of extremes though, and the conditions aren’t always right for a visit. In the summer it’s scorching hot; in the winter it’s freezing cold; in the spring the sudden rains make its surface impossibly muddy; and in the fall you may or may not get lucky with the conditions. Basically, visiting Alvord Desert requires careful timing and a bit of luck. We’ve been watching the weather obsessively for the last several days, and even though spring is not the ideal time to visit, we decided we’d gamble on it. And aren’t we glad we did! There hasn’t been any rain for a while, and there isn’t any predicted during our stay, so the surface of the playa is dry and we can drive and camp on it. In addition, the weather is as perfect as it gets around here… although even the most perfect weather is a bit extreme: we were wearing T-shirts around 6 pm, put on all our layers around 7 pm, and it will get below freezing during the night. Temperature swings are real out here.

When dry, the surface of Alvord Desert cracks in the most interesting geometric shapes, somewhat similar to the hexagons seen on the surface of salt flats. We had fun driving the Cabana on this endless plain of cracked earth, eating a nice dinner with an unbeatable view (literally just us and the desert for miles), and taking photos at sunset. We’re super excited to spend the night in such a remote and unique place.

Alvord Desert.

Day 14: Moonlit playa, 100 miles of nothing, and striped hills

We usually cover the windows of the Cabana with blackout shades to sleep, but last night in the Alvord Desert we didn’t need the privacy and we wanted to enjoy the view, so we left them open. The moon illuminated just enough of the landscape to make it feel like we were on another planet — a peaceful, quiet, utterly alien planet. It was a genuine thrill to wake up in such a magical place, so far from anyone else. We could have stayed longer.

The drive between the Alvord Desert and our next stop, the town of Mitchell, was spectacular. The road was narrow and winding, yet smoothly paved, and we were treated to views of rolling hills and open plains covered in sagebrush and desert vegetation. Towns were few and far between — for one stretch, we didn’t encounter any towns or intersections for over 100 miles (160 km). That’s a lot of nothing. Good thing we planned ahead when it came to filling the gas tank! Arriving in Mitchell, we had a great lunch at Tiger Town Brewing. They serve well-executed American pub food and have a very pleasant outdoor patio seating area with fun music playing in the background.

After lunch, we drove the short distance to Painted Hills — a small park tucked away in south-central Oregon that is infrequently visited but absolutely worth the detour. The hills here are striped with layers of rich rust-colored minerals alternating with tan rocks, geological evidence of climate change over millennia. These intensely colored hills are nestled among the pale green of the surrounding desert vegetation, creating a beautiful contrast that looks almost too vivid to be real.

Painted Hills.

Day 15: Culture shock

Today was the last day of our road trip, and so we headed for home. But not without one final stop in Portland to experience some more of the food scene there. This time, we sampled dishes from two places that are conveniently next door to each other: crepes from Frog & Snail, and fried egg sandwiches from Fried Egg I’m In Love. Both places were excellent. Fried Egg I’m In Love gets extra points for making us chuckle over the witty music-inspired names for the items on the menu, like “Free-range against the machine,” “Smells like protein spirit,” and “Sriracha mix-a-lot.” We’re suckers for a good pun.

In total, we spent two weeks on the road, covering more than 3500 miles (5600 km) through four states. After that much time living in a camper van, arriving home felt a bit surreal. Our house felt big. Really big. Maybe even unnecessarily big? The shower felt luxurious. The bed felt enormous. And having more than one room suddenly seemed extravagant. It takes a while to readjust to “normal” life after living so simply on the road.

Thanks for following along on our journey. We’re already looking forward to the next adventure!