Traveling in a Bambi Airstream...

Some of you are aware that we are anxiously awaiting our new American Tug's delivery at the Factory in La Conner WA in about a month. I guess I may have talked about it here a little...

Some of you may be interested in our method of traveling from our home in New England to the Pacific North West. We have a website we maintain as we move along http://www.brucebeard.com.

We are always a little behind but my wife is always working on updating the site.
Hope this is ok to post here...
This is a picture of our little Bambi and the mighty Ram (with Cummins 6.7 of course!) at Cottonwood in Big Bend National Park a few days ago.
Bruce

P.S. We do post boating things here too so if for whatever reason I disappear from sight here on TF you can always find us.

The campground is a little crowded, but it looks enjoyable otherwise

Bruce B said:

This is a picture of our little Bambi and the mighty Ram (with Cummins 6.7 of course!) at Cottonwood in Big Bend National Park a few days ago.
Bruce

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Bruce, do you think you have enough truck to pull that big ole Bambi? How will you get over the mountains with that under powered rig?

Bruce, those who have visited your nice website will understand

Pilou, I was just funin' Bruce. He knows that I, too, am a 'Streamer, and pull my little bit larger trailer with more anemic power. I had seen his website, and subscribed today. I can't wait to see the gourmet meals his wife will turn out while camping

BTW, great picture. That looks so French. It makes me miss Quebec City (North America's little piece of Europe).

Moonstruck said:

Pilou, I was just funin' Bruce. He knows that I, too, am a 'Streamer, and pull my little bit larger trailer with more anemic power. I had seen his website, and subscribed today. I can't wait to see the gourmet meals his wife will turn out while camping.

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Don, I meant about the attached picture I posted here where I was walking my friends' Scottish-terrier. which is the reason I wrote "those who visited your nice website will understand", Bruce's Scottish-terrier are cute !

I subscribed his website as well.

Stream trailer is beautiful, + great truck, now I'm jealous !

BTW, great picture. That looks so French. It makes me miss Quebec City (North America's little piece of Europe).

Thanks ! It was in Antibes on last day of 2016, last grocery shopping before New Year Eve dinner aboard.

Greetings,
Mr. M. Other than my home town, Quebec City is my favorite of any I've ever visited in North America.

Recently in summer

Scottish terriers, Ram trucks and Airstream's!
Life is good...
We were out of cell/internet range for some time as we headed west and piled on the miles. We're in (mostly) sunny California now and headed up the coast.
Pepper and Mattie are happy to be here and we have good internet again.
Bruce

Pilou said:

Bruce, those who have visited your nice website will understand

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Cute pup!
Pepper and Mattie say "Bonjour!"

Moonstruck said:

Pilou, I was just funin' Bruce. He knows that I, too, am a 'Streamer, and pull my little bit larger trailer with more anemic power. I had seen his website, and subscribed today. I can't wait to see the gourmet meals his wife will turn out while camping

BTW, great picture. That looks so French. It makes me miss Quebec City (North America's little piece of Europe).

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I take a little ribbing for pulling a Bambi with the Cummins...
Gotta say though, I can't imagine going back to gas. This truck is incredible for towing. We are about 8000 miles into this trip and I can't believe how comfortable the entire driving experience has been. Due to the tiny size of our Airstream, everything we have with us seems to be in the truck. We are just about three hundred pounds below GVWR when hitched...
Awesome truck!
Bruce

Bruce B said:

Cute pup!
Pepper and Mattie say "Bonjour!"

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Bertie and Isla say "Merci et Bon Voyage !"

Great website, very professional, enjoy!

Bruce, on your way up North, stop a moment in Astoria.

Founded 200 years ago, Astoria is a little town with Scandinavian heritage on the Columbia River, just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean. With Victorian homes etched into hills overlooking the Columbia River, Astoria often referred to as “little San Francisco.”

It's a port city where the Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the last winter at the end of 1805 before returning home.

Astoria is the place of delicious fresh seafood, spicy shrimp, crab legs, tilapia, whiting, lobster tail, red snapper, porgy, salmon steak, salmon fillet. These saltwater sturgeon were some of the best sturgeon taste I've eaten !.

The Astoria–Megler Bridge, a cantilever steel truss bridge across the Columbia River, connects Astoria in Oregon and Point Ellice in Washington. The bridge is 4.1 miles long and is located about 14 miles from the mouth of the Columbia River. It is the longest truss bridge on the North American continent. The bridge was completed in 1966 and has one line of traffic in each direction.

Have a look at beautiful Tony Fleming's video cruising the Columbia river aboard "Venture".

https://vimeo.com/178412471

Home to more than 2,000 members of team Coast Guard, including active duty, reserve, civilian, auxiliary and families, Astoria was officialy designed as a "Coast Guard City".

Have a drink or coffee at Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa which overlooks the water. Built on the site of the former Union Fish Cannery, it was named "one of the top 25 hotels in the West" by Sunset Magazine.

Sunset in Astoria.

The Portland region has more floating homes than Seattle or San Franciso.

Thank you Pilou.
We have been traveling along on much of this trip with no idea where we should be heading next and at times we simply have no ideas. Astoria looks beautiful and it is now on our list. A quick check of our Allstays app shows multiple campgrounds in the area too.
We are heading in that direction soon!
Many thanks,
Bruce

That video was amazing...
I've bookmarked his videos and will continue to watch them.
What an interesting man.
Thanks,
Bruce

Bruce B said:

That video was amazing...
I've bookmarked his videos and will continue to watch them.
What an interesting man.
Thanks,
Bruce

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Thank you Bruce.

Do not miss a visit at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, count 2 hours on site, very interesting photos & interactive presentations, a must-see.

Yes Tony Fleming is a fascinating person. He is a man of great value both at professional and human level.

Tony Fleming's 65 "Venture" moored at Astoria marina, the Astoria–Megler Bridge in the background. (photo : Courtesy of Tony Fleming).

Pilou said:

Thank you Bruce.

Do not miss a visit at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, count 2 hours on site, very interesting photos & interactive presentations, a must-see.

Yes Tony Fleming is a fascinating person. He is a man of great value both at professional and human level.

Tony Fleming's 65 "Venture" moored at Astoria marina, the Astoria–Megler Bridge in the background. (photo : Courtesy of Tony Fleming).

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We are thinking that we will spend something like 3 days in Astoria.
We left Napa today and drove the Pacific Coast Highway north of there.
Absolutely stunning views! I have heard people refer to the road as a must see but that simply does not do justice to the drive. Simply amazing...
Bruce

Bruce B said:

We are thinking that we will spend something like 3 days in Astoria.
We left Napa today and drove the Pacific Coast Highway north of there.
Absolutely stunning views! I have heard people refer to the road as a must see but that simply does not do justice to the drive. Simply amazing...
Bruce

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Yes Bruce, I agree. Not as well known as the part from Morro Bay to Half Moon Bay - through Cambria, Hearst Castle in San Simeon, Big Sur, Carmel, Monterey, Santa Cruz - the Pacific Coast Highway north of San Francisco is noted for its spectacular beauty, you will find redwood, miles of wild coastline, marvelous seascapes and some secret wineries.

Bruce do you like to pick mushrooms ? Mendocino area, just about 4 hours north of San Francisco, is a good place. You can find porcini mushrooms in various habitats, even if mushrooms picking is a gamble, you should try it there.

Here are some pictures of one of our mushroom picking around Mendocino.

After cleaning & cutting, we cook them with olive oil, garlic, shawings of parmesan cheese, pasta. Since of course this is only for our personal consumption, we have to freeze or dry most of them ! We do all of that at the on-site staff canteen located in my friend's company headquarters, I trust that you know where I mean, also you should recognize one of my friends on the following pictures.

Pilou said:

After cleaning & cutting, we cook them with olive oil, garlic, shawings of parmesan cheese, pasta. Since of course this is only for our personal consumption, we have to freeze or dry most of them ! We do all of that at the on-site staff canteen located in my friend's company headquarters, I trust that you know where I mean, also you should recognize one of my friends on the following pictures.

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I love mushrooms!
Never tried picking any myself though.
We drove through the Avenue of Giants today, this was an almost surreal experience for me. Such beauty...
As I was driving Dorsey has all of the photos.
Bruce

Pilou said:

After cleaning & cutting, we cook them with olive oil, garlic, shawings of parmesan cheese, pasta. Since of course this is only for our personal consumption, we have to freeze or dry most of them ! We do all of that at the on-site staff canteen located in my friend's company headquarters, I trust that you know where I mean, also you should recognize one of my friends on the following pictures.

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We are finally in Astoria! There is even a bit of a break in the rain today so we will have good opportunity to move about and explore.
By the way, I read your last post and answered it when our internet was not at its best. I do indeed recognize our friend!
All of those mushrooms are making me hungry.
Now off to explore,
Bruce

Bruce B said:

I love mushrooms!
Never tried picking any myself though.
We drove through the Avenue of Giants today, this was an almost surreal experience for me. Such beauty...
As I was driving Dorsey has all of the photos.
Bruce

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Very glad both of you enjoyed the Avenue of Giants.

#1 It's Joe at the foot of the redwood tree, we were there all together last summer.
#2 I drove Joe's GMC Yukon Denali through Chandelier tree, only 1 cm on either side. Glad he guided me from outside

Welcome to Astoria

Bruce
Close to Mendocino and beside mushroom picking, my friends are also fishing Abalone.
Fishing abalone is allowed only during season, a California fishing licence is required according to strict regulations. Abalone cling to rocks, from wave-swept intertidal ledges to deep ocean reefs.
It's a delicious seafood but abalone diving is dangerous there, every year a few people die trying to pry these mollusks from the sea.

I may be away from TF for a while due to lack of time, I will follow your blog & keep in touch by email.

Meet the Tug!
https://brucebeard.com/2017/03/14/meet-the-tug/

Congratulations. She is absolutely stunning!