COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023
SEVEN HEAVENLY NATIONAL PARKS
WASHINGTON STATE HIGHLIGHTS
LINCOLN’S ILLINOIS
USS ALABAMA BATTLESHIP MEMORIAL PARK
Hideaway Ponds RV Resort Gibson, Louisiana FALL DESTINATIONS
Holiday Park Resort Kelowna, British Columbia
Yuma Lakes Resort Yuma, Arizona
CONTENTS
TRAVEL 9 SEVEN HEAVENLY NATIONAL PARKS TO VISIT IN WINTER By Dave G. Houser
CHAIRMAN OF CAMPING WORLD HOLDINGS Marcus Lemonis CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Matthew Wagner EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT GOOD SAM ENTERPRISES Will Colling COAST TO COAST Bruce Hoster CCRPresident@coastresorts.com MARKETING DIRECTOR Kristin Moser EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Dee Whited SENIOR DESIGNER Aubry Meyer BUSINESS MANAGER Christina Din ACCOUNT COORDINATOR ReAnne Funk COAST MEMBER SERVICES 64 Inverness Drive East Englewood, Colorado 80112 800-368-5721 info@coastresorts.com COAST TO COAST WEBSITE CoastResorts.com
18 WASHINGTON STATE HIGHLIGHTS Text by Emily Fagan Photos by Emily and Mark Fagan 22 LINCOLN’S ILLINOIS Story and Photos by Richard Varr
COAST FACEBOOK PAGE Facebook.com/CoastResorts
VOLUME 42, NUMBER 4. Coast to Coast (ISSN 1093-3581) is published quarterly for $14 per year as part of annual membership fees, by Coast to Coast Resorts, 64 Inverness Drive E., Englewood, Colorado 80112. Coast to Coast Resorts assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manu scripts or artwork. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any method without prior written consent of the publisher. ©2023 Camp Coast to Coast, LLC. Coast wing logo is a registered trademark of Camp Coast to Coast, LLC. The GOOD SAM ICON, and Dream. Plan. Go. are registered trademarks of Good Sam Enterprises, LLC and used with permission. Unauthorized use of Coast’s or Good Sam’s trademarks is expressly prohibited. All rights reserved. PRINTED IN THE USA. COVER PHOTO:
28 FEEL THE POWER OF PATRIOTISM AT THE USS ALABAMA BATTLESHIP MEMORIAL PARK By Paula Loehr
DEPARTMENTS 4 RESORT UPDATES 32 RV REVIEW
RESORT PROFILES 6 YUMA LAKES RESORT Yuma, Arizona 7 HOLIDAY PARK RESORT Kelowna, British Columbia 8 HIDEAWAY PONDS
RV RESORT Gibson, Louisiana
LAKE CHELAN, WASHINGTON BY EMILY AND MARK FAGAN CTC63598 - 092023
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 2
“ IF YOU’RE NOT HAPPY, I’M NOT HAPPY. ” "If you're happy, I'm happy."
Need anything? I’m here to help. CALL MY OFFICE 866.232.8790 or Email me at MarcusVIP@goodsam.com Call my office 866-232-8790 or email me at MarcusVIP@goodsam.com I'm here to help.
Marcus Lemonis Chairman and CEO
Marcus Lemonis Chairman and CEO Camping World and Good Sam
Camping World and Good Sam
CTC60136 - 0221
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 3
RESORT UPDATES The 2023 Coast to Coast Resort Directory is packed with everything you need to navigate the network of Coast to Coast Resorts and Coast Good Neighbor Parks. To keep members up-to-date, each issue of Coast magazine includes any updates that have occurred since the last issue.
DELUXE RESORT TERMINATION
Ohio Indian Lake Resort-Venture Out Resorts, Huntsville (page 149)
Texas Holiday Villages of Medina, Bandera (page 159)
DELUXE RESORT UPDATE
Illinois Woodhaven Lakes, Sublette (page 127) Check in time changes from 24 hours to noon
GOOD NEIGHBOR PARK UPDATES
Nebraska The Four Seasons RV Park, Elm Creek (page 198) New web address: https://www.the4seasonsrvpark.com/ South Dakota Gate City Events & Lodging, Canton (page 202) New telephone number: 605-214-4604
NEW PREMIER RESORT
Illinois Blackhawk Valley Resort-Venture Out Resorts 6540 Valley Trail Rd, Rockford, 61109 Phone (989) 671-1125 Email wecare@ventureoutresorts.com Website www.ventureoutresorts.com/blackhawk- valley-resort/ RV notations: Includes full hookup RV site Additional fees: Honey wagon $20, taxes Season: Year-round
GOOD NEIGHBOR PARK TERMINATIONS
Georgia River Vista RV Resort, Dillard (page 190)
Texas Acacia RV Park, Alamo (page 205) Big Valley RV Resort, Donna (page 206) Carefree Valley MHP & RV Resort, Harlingen (page 207) Citrus Valley MH & RV Park, McAllen (page 208) Magnolia Village MHP & RV Park, Donna (page 206) Gateway MHP & RV Park, Raymondville (page 209)
Washington Glacier Peak Resort, Rockport (page 213)
RESORT UPDATES
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 4
NEW GOOD NEIGHBOR PARKS
Ohio Baylor Beach Park Water Park & Campground 8777 Manchester SW, Navarre, 44662 Phone (330) 767-3031 Email baylorbeachpark@yahoo.com Website www.baylorbeachpark.com RV notations: 2024 Coast discount 10% Rate includes 2 adults and full hook-ups Additional charges: Tax 9.5% Season: May 1-October 15 Washington Stargazers RV Resort 800 E Simcoe Drive, Goldendale, 98620 Phone (509) 773-7827 Email stargazersrvresort@gmail.com Website www.stargazersrvresort.com RV notations: Coast rate 15% discount Rate includes 2 adults and full hookups Additional charges: Tax 8.3% Season: Year-round
Arizona Phoenix Metro RV Park 22701 N Black Canyon Hwy, Phoenix, 85027 Phone (623) 582-0390 Email info@phoenixmetrorvpark.com Website www.phoenixmetrorvpark.com RV notations: 2024 Coast rate $49.50 - $58.50/night Rate includes 2 adults, full hook-ups Additional charges: Pets $1/night Season: Year-round
Florida Vero Beach Kamp 8850 N US Hwy 1, Sebastian, 32958 Phone (772) 589-5665
Email office@verobeachkamp.com Website www.verobeachkamp.com RV notations: 2024 Coast discount 10% Rates include 2 adults and full hookups Additional charges: Add’l adult $5/night, add’l child $5/night, dump fee $25 Season: Year-round
Indiana Honey Bear Hollow Family Campground 4252 W 200 N, Peru, 46970 Phone (765) 473-4342
Email dennis999888@hotmail.com Website www.misthavenresort.com RV notations: 2024 Coast discount 15% excludes holiday weekends Rates include 2 adults and full hookups. Additional charges: Add’l adult $7/night, add’l child $5/night, tax 7% Season: April 15-October 31
RESORT UPDATES
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 5
RESORT TYPE: Deluxe LOCATION: Yuma, Arizona SEASON: September 15 - May 15 WEBSITE: www.coloradoriveradventures.com
YUMA LAKES RESORT
Just minutes from the sights and sounds of Mexico
With 13 challenging golf courses, Golf Digest has ranked Yuma the 7th best city in the U.S. for golf. Other off-site experiences include venturing out on a Colorado River tour. See a live show at the Yuma Territorial Prison State Park or view history from one of the oldest cultures at the Cocopah Indian Museum. The year-round, warm sunny weather, huge blue skies over rolling sand dunes and the peaceful Colorado River draw thousands of visitors each year. The Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park is loaded with hiking trails and interesting sections to explore. Visit the view deck to take in the stunning views of the Colorado River or head to the guard tower to capture the sight of Yuma East Wetlands restoration. To learn about the history of the area, the Sanguinetti House Museum is the right place to go. A gift shop filled with antiques adds to the charm of the museum. The greenery makes it a scenic spot for photo opportunities.
Once you pull into Yuma Lakes Resort in Yuma, Arizona, you’’ll find it’s the perfect place to forget your cares as you choose to camp among the shade trees. In addition to relaxing at your campsite, you may fish for bass in the resort’s stocked lake or check out the activities at the clubhouse and mingle with others. Tennis, off-roading, hunting, water sports, hiking, spectacular scenery, sightseeing, and more are all closeby. In addition to the lake, you can relax and unwind at the Jacuzzi and / or the heated swimming pool. The whole family can enjoy the miniature golf course or learn how to play Bocce Ball. If visiting nearby Mexico is in your travel plans, Yuma Lakes Resort can help you there. There’s a weekly caravan from the Yuma resort across the border to Colorado River Adventures’ El Golfo RV Resort in Sonora, Mexico.
RESORT PROFILES
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 6
RESORT TYPE: Classic LOCATION: Kelowna, British Columbia SEASON: Year-round WEBSITE: www.sweetlife.com
HOLIDAY PARK RESORT Find fun at this 67-acre playland
Founded in 1983 by Saul Sigal and Jody LaFontaine on the shores of Duck Lake just north of Kelowna, British Columbia, Holiday Park Resort has grown from an empty field to a year-round destination for travelers, vacationers, retirees and permanent residents. A strong team of 60-75 full and part-time employees is dedicated to ensure that everyone who visits or lives here year-round enjoys all the resort has to offer. It used to be impossible to miss the turn in for the resort. Visitors were told to “Just turn where the 70-ton sailing ship sits.” The boat served as the famous landmark for Holiday Park Resort until April 1, 2020, when tragically, the historic landmark was lost to fire. Once onsite you’ll never be bored, unless you want to be. The resort is divided into three sports centers, each with pools and hot tubs. The Family Activity Center includes a children’s playground, activity area with billiards and
games, and an adult and children’s craft shop. Play shuffleboard and horseshoes. Seasonally, rent canoes, sports equipment, and bikes. At the Woodlands Adult Recreation Centre play tennis, pickleball, and basketball. There’s free lessons available for beginners. If you’re close to the Recreation Centre, enjoy a sauna and exercise room. Meet new friends on the dance floor. It’s also where you can make an appointment at Holiday Park Hair Care. After all that recreation, maybe you don’t feel like cooking. Stop in at the Blue Schooner Café for delicious home cooking at its finest. Frozen meals and take-out available. Holiday Park Resort is fortunate to have the Okanagan Rail Trail running right alongside the resort. A few steps out the gate and you’re on the scenic trail that stretches the entire length of Holiday Park, along Duck Lake and further south toward Kelowna.
RESORT PROFILES
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 7
RESORT TYPE: Classic LOCATION: Gibson, Louisiana SEASON: Year-round WEBSITE: www.oceancanyon.com
HIDEAWAY PONDS RV RESORT Experience Cajun “joie de vivre” at Hideaway Ponds
If you want to experience life as a Cajun under magnificent oak trees, come down to the family- oriented Hideaway Ponds RV Resort in Gibson, Louisiana, where you can swim, fish, sightsee in the surrounding area, or just plain relax. Cajun permeates most everything you experience at this resort just 70 miles from New Orleans. And the food can’t be beat as local chefs experiment with herbs and spices to create some of the most flavorful dishes. It’s easy to experience the joy of living when parked under some of the country’s oldest oak trees at this beautiful resort. Drop a line in one of the two ponds stocked with catfish, bass, and perch or take a paddleboat ride in either pond. There’s more than fishing and eating, though. There’s a full-time activities director to help you fill every minute. Or you can just “set a spell” beside one of three pools: indoor, outdoor and kiddie pool, relax in the indoor Jacuzzi, or lounge in the 4,000-square-foot air-conditioned
clubhouse. Enjoy shuffleboard, volleyball, billiards, ping pong, playground, and mini-golf. Your well-appointed RV site includes 50 / 30 / 20-amp electrical service, sewage and water, cable TV and Wi-Fi, cement patio pad, picnic table and barbecue pit. If you want to venture off the resort, there are several local attractions close by. Hideaway Ponds is located between Morgan City and Houma, just an hour from downtown New Orleans. Close by are festivals, museums, zoos, aquariums, gardens, plenty of boating, fishing, swamp tours, the French Quarter, Mardi Gras, and great Cajun restaurants. Houma boasts the second largest Mardi Gras celebration in Louisiana with more than 10 parades. Also nearby is the Southdown Plantation House, a 19th century sugar plantation with manor house and museum. The Southdown Marketplace Arts & Crafts Festival takes place in the spring and fall.
RESORT PROFILES
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 8
SEVEN HEAVENLY NATIONAL PARKS TO VISIT IN WINTER
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 9
Seven Heavenly National Parks to Visit in Winter By Dave G. Houser
Although access to certain areas within the parks will be limited and you may have to plan more carefully in the face of challenging winter conditions, wintertime in snowbound parks offers a completely different and more tranquil experience. Keep in mind that some parks may require tire chains, so bring them along just in case. Congested paths and roadways give way to cross-country ski and snowshoe trails, mountain slopes become a backcountry skier’s paradise, and a frosty blanket of snow lends a fresh and photogenic face to an already beautiful landscape. There will always be a certain number of folks who seek the opposite in a winter getaway, looking to escape the cold for someplace warm and sunny. And, to be sure, there are plenty of national parks that fill that bill.
Map by William Tipton
It is often said that the best thing about America is her national parks. The story behind the creation of today’s wildly popular and highly esteemed network of 63 national parks began back in 1872 when President Ulysses S. Grant designated a steaming, bubbling, geyser-spewing landscape in the wilderness of present-day Wyoming as the world’s first national park. That would be Yellowstone, of course, a wonderland year-round but especially so during the frigid winter months. Blessed to have been born and raised in Cody, Wyoming — just 52 miles east of the park — your author knows and loves Yellowstone and has visited it dozens of times, summer and winter. As a teen back in 1955, he was among the first visitors to join a newly offered snowcoach tour of the park. Over including snowcoaches and snowmobiles, continue to serve as the only vehicles permitted on most Yellowstone Park roads from mid-December to mid-March. But we’ll get to more details about a winter visit to Yellowstone in a moment. Snow Vehicles (OSVs), While summertime will always be the most popular time to visit our national parks, winter visitation is picking up as more and more of us seek to avoid summer crowds in favor of some degree of solitude, open spaces and a more intimate interlude with wildlife and the natural world.
Cross-country skiing at Yellowstone National Park is the best way to see the park.
NATIONAL PARKS TO VISIT IN WINTER
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 10
So without further adieu, Coast to Coast suggests the following seven parks (both warm and cold) for a fun and fulfilling winter visit:
Yellowstone National Park Wyoming, Montana & Idaho
“From December to March, an Old Faithful eruption rarely attracts more than a dozen onlookers compared to hundreds who gather every hour in the summer,” says the park’s Public Affairs Officer, Morgan Warthin. Warthin, whose career includes stints at national parks throughout the West, goes on to note that “Yellowstone’s geysers, mud pots, steam vents and hot springs are even more spectacular in the frigid winter air, billowing steam up to 1,000 feet high against the frosty surroundings.” By December most park roads close with the major exception being the road that runs between the northeast entrance and Mammoth Hot Springs. Other roads become thoroughfares for skiers, snowshoers, snowcoaches and snowmobiles. Yellowstone is a huge park, spread out over 2.2 million acres, so unless you are a physically fit and experienced skier or snowshoer, the best way to visit the park’s many attractions — the famous thermal areas in particular — would be to join one of the numerous snowmobile tours. Daily tours are available, led by both park rangers and concessionaires, as are a limited number of self-guided tours. To make the most of a Yellowstone visit, we recommend taking a room at either Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel or Old Faithful Snow Lodge. From there you can join a day tour to Old Faithful — usually flanked by steam-frosted bison — to view the bubbling Fountain Paint Pots and watch the world’s most famous geyser blow steam with barely a soul in sight.
Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.
Have fun looking but don’t touch the bison in Yellowstone National Park.
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington The main reason to visit Mount Rainier in the off- season is obvious: it offers winter to the max. This 14,410-foot monster of a monolith, located 60 miles east of Seattle, sees upwards of 50 feet of snowfall per year. So no surprise that it attracts an eager contingent of winter sports enthusiasts seeking first-rate skiing, snowboarding, sledding and backcountry snowshoeing. Vehicle access to Mount Rainier during the winter is available only from the Nisqually Entrance in the southwest corner of the park. The Carbon River Entrance is open but the road within the park boundary is limited to skiers and snowshoers. Rainier weather can be erratic so it’s best to check the park webpage before venturing out to verify road status, trail conditions and climbing/wilderness permits. The Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center at Paradise is open on weekends only during the winter. Lodging is available all winter long at the National Park Inn at Longmire, as are meals at the Inn’s excellent dining room. The park’s four campgrounds close during the winter but permits are available for wilderness camping in certain areas.
For more information: www.nps.gov/yell 307-344-7381
NATIONAL PARKS TO VISIT IN WINTER
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 11
The most popular winter activity at Rainier for visiting families is sledding. While beautiful, the Paradise area features avalanche zones and deceptively steep drop-offs where sledding is unsafe. Therefore the official Paradise Sledding Area is the safest (and only) location where sledding is permitted in the park. It is, however, a huge area offering ideal sledding conditions. Ranger guided 2-mile snowshoe walks are available Saturdays and Sundays at 11:00 a.m., departing the Jackson Visitor Center. Snowmobiles are permitted along a 6.5-mile stretch of Westside Road and on the road loops at Cougar Rock Campground. Check with rangers at Carbon River Ranger Station for possible additional snowmobiling routes in the park.
Views of Mount Rainier are awesome winter or summer.
For more information: www.nps.gov/mora 360-569-2211
You’ll never tire of seeing giant redwoods.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, California Heralded as the Land of Giants, this pair of national parks, situated high in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California’s Tulare County, are home to forests of giant sequoias — the world’s largest trees. There are more superlatives. The 808,000 acres of wilderness protected by these parks represent an extraordinary continuum of ecosystems arrayed along the greatest vertical range (1,370 to 14,505 feet in elevation) of any protected area in the lower 48 states. As the most rugged portion of the High Sierra, the parks also form the core of the largest expanse of contiguous wilderness in California. Damaging wildfires followed by record snowfall and catastrophic flooding that washed out many roads effectively spoiled the 2022-23 winter season for visitors. But a massive repair project gives officials confidence that the parks will be up and running for the coming winter season. While Sequoia’s scenery is certainly compelling, people come to these two parks to see the trees
— and the giant redwood conifers are at their majestic best when draped in powdery snow. Hike, ski or snowshoe in snow-dampened silence to the General Sherman Tree — said to be the world’s largest tree. Estimated to be about 2,200 years old and standing 275 feet tall, Sherman is an impressive and unforgettable sight. Join a free, ranger-guided snowshoe walk (shoes provided) to see more sequoias in the Grant Grove area of nearby Kings Canyon National Park, including the world’s second largest tree, the General Grant Tree. Winter visitors wishing to spend more than a day at Sequoia can secure comfortable lodging at Wuksachi Lodge, located in the Giant Forest area of Sequoia National Park.
For more information: www.nps.gov/seki 559-565-3341
NATIONAL PARKS TO VISIT IN WINTER
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 12
In Death Valley National Park, trade snow covered peaks for rugged desert.
Death Valley National Park, California It would be a tough sell to extol the virtues of a location where summer temperatures average 120 degrees, where the very earth can cut like glass, and where what little water there is could poison you. And it is a place with the downright scary name of Death Valley — that a local newspaper described in 1907 as “having all the advantages of hell without the inconveniences.” So the first thing we must do is quash any notion of visiting Death Valley National Park between May and November due to the extreme heat — and get on with the many good reasons to go there in the winter. First and foremost are the park’s mind-twisting beauty and the other-worldly fascination of its landscape — not to mention its exotic plant and animal life and its alluring human history. There’s plenty to do here as well, especially during the annual Death Valley Encampment, slated this year for November 6-11. It’s the headline event of the year in the Valley and we’ll discuss it further in a moment. First, however, let’s talk a bit about the park itself.
Situated in the Mojave and Colorado Desert’s Biosphere Reserve along the California/Nevada border, a large chunk of the Valley was set aside as a national monument in 1933 and was upgraded to become a national park in 1994. The park is spread out over more than 3.3 million acres of widely differing terrain — ranging from 283 feet below sea level at Badwater Basin to 11,049 feet atop Telescope Peak — and it ranks as the largest park in the lower 48 states. The term “Death Valley” was coined in 1849 by immigrants who nearly perished while crossing the desolate basin as a shortcut to California’s goldfields. Best place to begin a visit to Death Valley is yet another ominous sounding location, Furnace Creek, the park’s largest settlement and home to the National Park Visitor Center where you can view exhibits, secure maps and brochures and consult with rangers on activities and road and weather conditions. Those things are important if you plan to tackle any rough back-country roads (where high-clearance, 4WD vehicles are advisable).
NATIONAL PARKS TO VISIT IN WINTER
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 13
Fortunately, most of the park’s major features can be reached via paved or well-maintained gravel roads. However, heavy rains last year washed out roads at a number of spots around the park. Repairs should be completed by fall 2023, but check with rangers to confirm current conditions. Furnace Creek also is the epicenter of park visitor facilities and accommodations, including the elegant Furnace Creek Inn and the 224- room Furnace Creek Ranch, a casual family- style motel. There’s a general store, gas station and RV campground as well, plus the Borax Museum, offering an excellent pictorial history and artifacts portraying the important role of borax extraction in the Valley’s past. You’d best plan on at least a couple of days to explore the park’s major attractions. Furnace Creek sits roughly in the center of the Valley so we suggest visiting points of interest to the north one day and those to the south the following day. Northbound on Hwy 190 from Furnace Creek, you’ll want to stop at Harmony Borax Works. This was an important mining site from which those famous Twenty Mule Team wagons originated. There is an exhibit at the site that features a pair of the old wagons. Farther along, you can stroll Salt Creek Interpretive Trail, a stretch of boardwalk along a seasonal saltwater creek that reveals some amazing plant life. Pickleweed and desert holly thrive in the salty water. At the junction to Stovepipe Wells you’ll find a sprawling 14-square-mile network of wind- sculpted sand dunes, some rising more than 100 feet, that serve as home to a host of desert wildlife such as kit foxes, coyotes, rabbits and a variety of lizards. You can hike among the dunes (trudge would be a better word) but keep in mind that temperatures on the sand surface can reach almost 200 degrees — even in the winter. So don’t overdo it and take plenty of water. As for points of interest south of Furnace Creek, make a serious effort to get to Zabriskie Point during or shortly after dawn. The early morning view out across multi-colored layers of ancient lakebed, tilted and twisted into weird badlands,
is truly breathtaking. A bit farther south, Dante’s View provides what many consider to be the classic Death Valley panorama, overlooking a broad sweep of salt flats reaching up to 11,049- foot Telescope Peak. Reachable from Hwy 178 south of Furnace Creek, Artist’s Drive is a one-way road that meanders eight miles through magnificent washes and mud hills so named for its palette of reds and yellows (iron oxides) and greens and violets (volcanic minerals) that literally paint the hillsides. Just a few more miles down the road is Badwater Basin, mentioned earlier as the lowest point (-283 ft) in the park, and the entire Western Hemisphere for that matter. If there’s still time for it after you read this article, you should plan to attend the Death Valley Encampment, November 6-11, 2023. Billed as one of America’s great festivals, the Encampment marks the historic 1849 crossing of Death Valley by pioneer gold-seekers bound for Sutter’s Mill, California — and forever remembered as the Forty-Niners. The event features dozens of activities, ranging from guided hikes and four-wheel-drive excursions to chili cook-offs, Western music and cowboy poetry readings. Most activities take place in and around Furnace Creek.
For more information: www.nps.gov/deva 706-786-3200
It’s not too hot for colorful wild flowers.
NATIONAL PARKS TO VISIT IN WINTER
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 14
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah Winter, spring, summer or fall — Bryce Canyon is one of the most stunningly gorgeous of all American national parks. But if you haven’t seen its iconic cinnamon-colored limestone spires and hoodoos dusted with snow then you owe it to yourself to plan a visit this winter. For the benefit of less active/mobile visitors, Bryce can be easily and comfortably toured by car. That includes the famously iconic Bryce Amphitheater, home to the park’s greatest concentration of irregular rock spires (called “hoodoos”) found anywhere on earth. Perfectly positioned viewpoints can be found all along the first three miles of the park’s main access road. After passing the Amphitheater, the next 15 miles to the road’s end are known as the Southern Scenic Drive. There are nine scenic overlooks and vehicle pullouts along the route that offer plenty of opportunities to study the geology and other natural features of Bryce Canyon. Join a ranger-guided full moon snowshoe hike, where your snowshoes are provided (November through March, snowpack permitting) or time your visit during a new moon phase for world-
class stargazing beneath some of the Southwest’s darkest skies. In fact, Bryce Canyon’s night skies are so dark that in 2019 it was designated as a Gold Tier International Dark Sky Park. Depending on weather conditions, you can hike, ski or snowshoe along the edge of the Amphitheater using the Rim Trail. Continue along the Peekaboo Loop for more strenuous adventures among the hoodoos below. See the “Hiking Trails” section of the park’s website for more trail details. A gala Winter Festival is staged in the park each February (usually over President’s Day weekend), featuring snowshoe tours, dancing, yoga and ski clinics, food tastings and activities for the kids. Unfortunately, historic Bryce Canyon Lodge is open only from April 1 to November 1 – so overnighting winter visitors must choose among several motels and resorts (including a Best Western) in nearby Bryce Canyon City.
For more information: www.nps.gov/brca 435-834-5322
Snow-covered hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park.
NATIONAL PARKS TO VISIT IN WINTER
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 15
the park by horse and carriage. Carriage roads, seasonally available for cycling and horseback riding, are open during the winter only to cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or hiking (as dictated by weather conditions). Given that it is sufficiently cleared of snow/ice, the 27-mile-long Park Loop Road serves winter visitors seeking to explore the park by car, providing access to popular areas such as Sieur de Monts, Sand Beach, Otter Point, Jordan Pond and Cadillac Mountain. Among the park’s myriad hiking trails, we can suggest two relatively easy ones that are usually open in the winter: the 1.7-mile Great Head Trail and the 2.2-mile Ocean Path Trail. Both offer spectacular views of rocky, cliff-lined shores and the roiling Atlantic Ocean. A final tip: Acadia’s only restaurant, the Jordan Pond House, is closed during the winter so guests are advised to bring their own food and drink.
Cross-country ski in Acadia National Park.
Acadia National Park, Maine Rightly heralded as the “Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast” on its NPS website, Acadia National Park protects the highest and arguably most scenic rocky headlands along the entire Atlantic coastline. Attesting to its breathtaking beauty are the more than four million visitors who visit the park annually — a figure that places Acadia among the top ten most visited of the nation’s 63 national parks. Truth is it’s too popular in the summer when crowds and traffic tie-ups make for a lot of wasted time and frustration. A winter visit can pose some challenges too — but crowding is definitely not one of them. Acadia is located along the mid-section of the Maine coast, immediately southwest of Bar Harbor. The park appears small on a map but it encompasses nearly 50,000 acres – most of it on Mount Desert Island – but also the Schoodic Peninsula, Isle au Haut and a few other outer islands. Touring the park is facilitated by 33 miles of paved road, 158 miles of hiking trails and 45 miles of graveled carriage roads. The latter roadways were designed and gifted to the park service in the early 1900s by wealthy philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, who wanted to properly travel
For more information: www.nps.gov/acad 207-288-3338
One of the most beautiful animals in Everglades National Park is the Florida panther (puma).
Everglades National Park, Florida From November to April, the subtropical dry season brings sunny, 70-degree days and a break from the pesky insects that plague South Florida’s wetlands during the rest of the year. Less precipitation also leads wildlife to concentrate at watering holes, increasing your odds of spotting the Everglade’s iconic alligators and wading birds like herons, egrets and roseate spoonbills.
NATIONAL PARKS TO VISIT IN WINTER
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 16
Such circumstances make winter the perfect time to explore the Everglades — a labyrinth of subtropical wetlands, mangroves, forests and prairies. It is an ecosystem that provides a robust breeding ground and habitat for an astonishing array of wildlife, including 360 avian species, hundreds of marine, reptile and plant species and 36 rare and endangered species like the American crocodile, West Indian manatee and the elusive Florida panther. Its grassy rivers and dense marshes also are home to the famed American alligator, plus some invasive introduced species, such as Burmese pythons, iguanas, parakeets, aquarium fish and a long list of alien plants. The Everglades comprise the largest subtropical wilderness in North America and the park itself (which protects only about 25% of the total Everglades region) is the third largest national park in the lower 48 states behind Death Valley and Yellowstone. Even more impressive is the Everglades’ international stature, having been declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1976, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, followed by a listing as a Wetlands of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of 1987. The Everglades is one of only three locations in the world to appear on all three lists.
The major points of interest for most visitors are found in the southern section of the park, accessed through the Main Gate at Homestead. Popular visitor pursuits in the park include bird watching, hiking, biking, fishing, boating (bikes, canoes and kayaks are available to rent), camping, guided tours and a variety of ranger- led programs. There’s one must, especially for first-time visitors, and that is the guided/ narrated two-hour Shark Valley Tram Tour. Following a 15-mile route through the “River of Grass,” this tour is a real bargain and the best way we know to gain some knowledge and perspective on this unique preserve. A variety of other boat tours, both bayside and backcountry, are available as well and can be booked at Flamingo Marina. Oddly, there’s no brick-and-mortar type lodging inside the Everglades park — but there are two large campgrounds (Long Pine Key and Flamingo), offering a variety of services accommodating both RV and tent campers. There’s also wilderness camping, available by permit only.
For more information: www.nps.gov/ever 305-242-7700
The Great Egret is often seen fishing.
NATIONAL PARKS TO VISIT IN WINTER
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 17
WASHINGTON STATE HIGHLIGHTS
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 18
Washington State Highlights Text by: Emily Fagan Photos by: Emily and Mark Fagan
Did you know the state of Washington is home to vast wheat fields, picturesque lakes lined with orchards, and a remote town that can be reached only by boat? We took our RV on a trip diagonally across the state from southeast to northwest, and we were enchanted by the beauty and variety of what we saw. Pomeroy - Artsy Charm As we pulled into the town of Pomeroy in southeastern Washington, our heads whipped around when we passed a gas station filled with antique cars and equipment. Two towering statues stood in their midst: a smiling cowboy and a woman in a red bikini. What a welcome! We’d arrived early on a Sunday morning just as a huge summer storm was about to unleash its fury. Running past the historic storefronts on the main drag, we took cover at the Blue Mountain Artisan Guild where the curator, Nancy, kindly let us in, even though the gallery wasn’t officially open. Blue Mountain Artisan Guild features artwork by local artists, and most of the paintings depicted scenes from around the area. Nancy provided a wealth of information about the town, and it turns out that a local resident owns the unusual gas station property we’d seen on our way in. His antique collection is actually spread throughout the town, especially old neon signs. As we wandered through town after the storm, we saw signs for an antique Greyhound Bus Depot, Savoy Ice Cream, Louisville Moving and Storage, and many others. A 1951 city bus was parked on a back street with the door open inviting us in. Inside, the luggage racks were filled with antique luggage. Three old gas pumps were nearby. A block away, the former Pataha flour mill has been converted into a church with a restaurant run by volunteers. Open Thursdays and Fridays from 11 to 2, guests can explore the old mill where the original wheat milling equipment still stands. We were captivated by the eclectic and artsy flair of Pomeroy.
In Othello, we happened upon a colorful parade.
Othello - 4th of July In the heart of southeastern Washington’s vast wheat fields, Othello’s lifeblood is wheat farming. It also turned out to be a fun place to celebrate the 4th of July. The whole town turned out for the big parade in the morning. Little kids were dressed up in red, white, and blue, and they zig-zagged at top speed to pounce on the candy that was thrown out to them by passing floats. Road and housing construction are also major industries in the area, and the parade featured truly gargantuan farming and construction equipment. Massive combines and tractors rolled past us followed by enormous backhoes and earth movers. Of course, the more typical baton twirling dance teams and marching bands took part as well, and a beautiful young rodeo queen waved at us from atop her horse. Othello’s population is predominantly of Mexican descent, and the huge fair in the town park after the parade featured booths selling all kinds of authentic Mexican street food rarely found north of the border. Signs for tortas and chorizo stood alongside jugs of horchata and jamaica, and long rows of plastic cups were overflowing with sliced mangos. Not to be outdone, the
WASHINGTON STATE HIGHLIGHTS
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 19
A museum at the far end of the park tells the history of the area which was first settled by a member of the Entiat tribe who sold the land to settlers. The town has moved twice since then, first when a fire destroyed the original buildings and again when the dam flooded the town’s streets to form Lake Entiat. Fruit, especially apples, has been a major industry in this part of Washington almost since the land was settled, and orchards and fruit company warehouses still abound. Timber was Entiat’s other mainstay industry for many years. A drive upstream along the scenic Entiat River took us deep into the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest where lumberjacks used to ply their trade. Today the sawmills are gone, replaced by several small United State Forest Service campgrounds. Chelan - Beach Town with Music Not far from Entiat, the waterfront town of Chelan spreads out along the shores of Lake Chelan. We found a public pebble beach on the edge of Dan Morse Memorial Park was a great place to take a picnic blanket and spend some time watching kids play in the water. In town, a few streets away, tourists out window shopping in the boutique shops with ice cream parlor treats in hand gave the whole area a fabulous summer beach vibe. Our favorite place to while away a few hours was the Chelan Riverwalk Park. Paved walking trails wander between shade trees just above the dam, and one loop trail takes walkers along the water’s edge between two bridges. The Riverwalk Pavilion is a beautiful open-air stage with naturally elevated theater seating on a grassy hillside in front of it. We were lucky to catch an evening concert there. What a sight to see the sun set behind the hills as the orchestra played stirring music.
Colorful jars draw parade goers to various food stands in Othello.
booth next door offered more familiar fare: pulled pork and brisket sandwiches. We strolled, food in hand, to the far end of the park where a skateboard tournament was in full swing. Brave kids swooped from one embankment to another, soaring into the sky and doing twists and turns in the air. Entiat - A Beautiful Lakeside City Park In north-central Washington Lake Entiat was created in 1962 when the Rocky Reach dam was built in the mighty Columbia River. As we walked along the banks at dawn, the water was as smooth as glass. Vineyards and fruit orchards on the far shore created a lush green carpet at the base of the arid hills. Salmon season had just opened, so the lake was teeming with anglers hoping to make a big catch. The salmon hadn’t arrived from their journey from the ocean up the Columbia River just yet, but everyone was enjoying a morning of peaceful fishing anyway. Entiat City Park hugs a long stretch of shoreline on the lake and is a hub of activity each summer. Wide grassy lawns, tall shade trees, and kid- and kayak-friendly access to the water make this park a beloved favorite among Washingtonians. Entiat is halfway between Seattle and Spokane, and the campground at the city park is a popular place for RV vacations and family reunions.
A popular spot is Lake Chelan and its signature pebble beach.
Night life at Chelan is the Riverwalk Pavilion.
WASHINGTON STATE HIGHLIGHTS
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 20
Stehekin - Boat-in Only! At the far north end of Lake Chelan, 51 miles from the town of Chelan, a tiny community in the foothills of the North Cascades called Stehekin can be reached only by boat or by a very long hike or horseback ride. We took the Stehekin Ferry to this remote village for an overnight, leaving our RV in the ferry’s parking lot. After a 1 hour 45 minute boat ride through stunning mountain scenery, we arrived at Stehekin Landing and climbed aboard a school bus (that had been hauled there by barge years ago) to be taken to Stehekin Valley Ranch 11 miles up the valley. On our way we stopped to see the spectacular Rainbow Falls. Stehekin was settled by intrepid homesteaders in the late 1880s, and descendants of the original families now operate both the Stehekin Ferry and the ranch. The ranch offers unusual lodging in log cabins and wagons, and meals are served communally at long tables in a huge room with vaulted ceilings and dirt floors. The food is out of this world. After our main course, a serving table was filled with a variety of homemade pies, and we were encouraged to eat as many pieces as we could handle. This was so enticing we each opted to have two slivers of different pies. Our only regret upon boarding the ferry to return to our RV the next day is that we’d liked to have stayed another few nights out there. Diablo Lake - What a color! The North Cascades are an immense mountain range with few roads heading in, making it very difficult to penetrate with an RV. However, the North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) passes by endless breathtaking vistas that are particularly jaw-dropping in the 30-mile stretch that goes right through the heart of North Cascades National Park. We were on the edges of our seats as the road swooped from one eye popping view to the next. Our favorite was the overlook at Diablo Lake Vista Point. There was
We boarded the Stehekin Ferry, parked among other pleasure boards, to visit a remote village.
plenty of room to park an RV, and a short-paved trail and picnic tables encouraged visitors to stay and savor the astonishing view for a while. In July, August, and September the lake is an extraordinary shade of aquamarine on sunny days. This is due to suspended rock dust particles that mix into the water during glacial runoff in the spring. This view is not to be missed but keep an eye out for the turnoff as you approach as it is not always easy to spot. There are plenty of other jewels that make an RV trip to Washington very worthwhile, but these lesser known gems were wonderful discoveries for us, and we hope they will be for you too!
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Map of these locations: https://goo.gl/maps/hgbzes4oiwMcMTw86
Pomeroy: http://www.historicpomeroy.com Othello: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Othello,_Washington
Entiat: https://www.entiatwa.us/
https://www.entiatwa.us/your_ community/history/index.php
Chelan: https://www.lakechelan.com/
Stehekin: https://stehekin.com/
Diablo Lake: https://www.nps.gov/places/diablo- lake-overlook.htm
At Stehekin Valley Ranch, we were invited to have as much pie as we could hold.
WASHINGTON STATE HIGHLIGHTS
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 21
LINCOLN’S ILLINOIS
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 22
LINCOLN’S ILLINOIS: Following his Footsteps in Springfield and Alton Story and Photos by Richard Varr
A teenage boy sits on a tree stump, his eyes staring blankly, deep in thought. He’s clutching a book of “Aesop’s Fables,” perhaps imagining a life that awaits him beyond his log cabin home in a rustic setting. I walk up to the boy with his dark eyebrows and thick brown hair, getting a feeling that if I spoke to him, he would talk back.
Lincoln portrayed reading by the fireplace.
The museum’s many artifacts include the skirt wife Mary Todd Lincoln was wearing when she was married, a doorplate and key from the Lincoln’s Springfield home, and many of his letters from day-to-day business. Soldiers’ uniforms and photos highlight the Civil War years, while the Slavery in America exhibit details the horror of how enslaved families were separated at auctions. Key historical documents stored inside the adjacent Presidential Library building include a signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation and a handwritten copy of the Gettysburg Address — displayed only on a rotating basis to preserve them. What I find most interesting, however, are the life-size dioramas of key moments in Lincoln’s life and presidency depicting, for example, his kids frolicking in his Springfield law office, his cabinet discussing the Emancipation Proclamation, and a sullen Mary Lincoln grieving for her son Willie who died in the White House. Figurines of Lincoln and a finger-pointing Stephen A. Douglas re- imagine one of the famous 1858 debates to win an Illinois U.S. Senate seat. And there’s the iconic scene of a young Lincoln reading by the fireplace. Yet what captures my attention the most is the diorama of the President and Mary Lincoln at the Ford Theater with assassin John Wilkes Booth lurking in the background, and the animated
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum depicts Lincoln as a young man.
“This young boy around ten years old in Indiana is taking a break during the day, reading for a few minutes and daydreaming about going out and exploring the world someday,” says Christopher Wills, Communications Director with Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “He did not like the life of chopping wood and raising corn. So, whenever he could, he was reading Aesop’s Fables, the Bible, and trying to connect with a bigger world outside.” We’re standing in front of the latex figurine of a young Lincoln, one of the many incredible life- like figures depicting the 16th President from childhood and his years in Springfield, to his final years in Washington. Lincoln spent his most formative and perhaps happiest times here, raising a family and working as a lawyer that had him traveling around Illinois. “Everything is very meticulously researched and placed,” continues Wills. “One of the great things about this place is the way it lets you step into Lincoln’s Life, to feel like you’re surrounded by it and right there beside him.”
LINCOLN’S ILLINOIS
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 23
audio-visual theater presentation, “Ghosts of the Library,” telling Lincoln’s story with stunning hologram-like spirits. Just a few blocks from the Presidential Library and Museum, I walk the same streets as Lincoln did outside his brown toned, two-story house within the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, a pedestrian area with 14 historic dwellings within several blocks. The Lincoln family lived there from 1844 until 1861. “This is pretty close to what the house looked like when he was moving to Washington,” explains Interpretive Park Guide Linsey Hughes. The interior was recreated according to an 1861 newspaper illustration and includes around 50 original pieces of furniture and other objects, and similarly matched carpet and wallpaper. The parlor has Lincoln’s original chairs with woven horsehair upholstery and footrests. “This is where he was approached by delegates from Chicago in May 1860, officially to ask if he would like the chance to run for president,” explains Hughes. Another highlight is an original “stereoscope,” a wooden box with eyeholes, making photos appear 3D. “That was Lincoln’s high-tech, state- of-the-art home entertainment system,” jokes Hughes, also noting the stairwell has the original wooden handrail. “It’s what Lincoln would use when he’s going up the stairs, so we like to say it’s the closest you can get to shake his hand nowadays.” His original corner desk sits upstairs in Lincoln’s bedroom. “We think it’s probably
where he wrote the House Divided Speech he gave here in Springfield,” continues Hughes, “and likely where he prepared for the debates with Douglas.” The Lincoln Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery is where the President is buried along with his wife and three of their four sons. A grandiose granite monument topped with an obelisk and statues houses the burial vault, reached through passageways lined with Lincoln sculptures, one of them a small bronze replica of the sitting President within Washington’s Lincoln Memorial. Because of the tomb, Oak Ridge is the nation’s second-most-visited cemetery after Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. A half-hour drive from Springfield leads to Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site, an open- air museum representing the rural 1830s village where Lincoln lived in his 20s. Reconstructed log cabins include a tavern, general store, schoolhouse, carpenter shop, and more. While in New Salem, Lincoln served as a captain in
The Lincoln Tomb Monument in Oakridge Cemetery is the second most visited cemetery, second to Arlington National Cemetery.
It’s fun to explore Lincoln’s Home and see how they lived.
LINCOLN’S ILLINOIS
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 24
A log cabin in Lincoln’s New Salem recreated village.
The Bressmer Baker House in Springfield.
ALTON’S CIVIL WAR TRAIL Following Lincoln’s footsteps in hilly Alton, Illinois, alongside the sprawling Mississippi River, leads to several historic dwellings and Civil War-era landmarks. I stand next to statues of a pensive Lincoln and a gesturing Stephan A. Douglas on the spot where the two politicians held the final of their seven 1858 debates for U.S. Senate. A plaque on the redbrick plaza reads that 6,000 spectators crammed the area to hear the great orators. Although Douglas won the election, the debates helped catapult Lincoln to national fame and to be elected president in 1860. As a traveling lawyer, Lincoln met with clients at the Ryder Building, a two-story stand-alone storefront that’s now a dessert café at 31 East Broadway, where he also gave a speech in 1840 praising Whig candidate and future president William Henry Harrison. While preparing for his debate, Lincoln set up his campaign headquarters at the colonial-style Franklin House at 208 State Street, what was then a hotel.
The Illinois State Military Museum in Springfield.
the Black Hawk War, became a lawyer and was elected to the Illinois State Legislature.
“We believe this is the turning point in his life,” says historic site interpreter Jane Carrington. “He did all kinds of odd jobs to earn his keep. He’s borrowing books and educating himself. By the time he leaves here in April 1837, he’s a legislator and a lawyer and on his way to Springfield to go into practice.” Other Springfield sites worth a look include the Old State Capitol where Lincoln served as a state legislator and delivered his famous House Divided speech; the Lincoln Depot where he departed by train as President-Elect; and the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices State Historic Site, now housing the Springfield Visitors Center. The Illinois State Military Museum includes an exhibit of Lincoln in the Black Hawk War. And the distinctive Bressmer-Baker House, a Lincoln- era Queen Ann-style Victorian manor, is a National Historic Landmark from 1853 with the only copper-topped turret in Springfield. Now a B&B, its parlors and bedrooms decorated with patterned wallpaper and antique furniture offer guests a feel for luxurious 19th-century living.
Statues of Lincoln and Douglas at the site of their 7th Debate.
LINCOLN’S ILLINOIS
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2023 | 25
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker