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Scott & Deb's
Full-timing Escapades!

<<< Scott is American; Deb is Canadian >>>

On this page we plan to tell you of our escapades! Where we've been, where we're going (? does any full-time RVer really know where they are going ? or when ? exactly!) and give you our thoughts, and/or helpful hints along the way. We will do it in chronological order, kind of like a diary. We hope to add pictures to some of the more memorable spots! If you would like to comment on a particular section or place, or perhaps you would like to share your escapades ... feel free to do so using the email link(s) below!

Welcome to Falcor's Findings is a page we made just for RVers. It is constantly being updated with new links that are important for our way of life. If we are missing something you think other RVers will benefit from, let us know via email and we'll check it out. This is also the page in which we have added [Reciprocal Links], if you would like to be listed send us an email with your URL!

Bookmark this site as one of your Favorites...come back often as we're always 'on the road again'. Tell your friends about us! Sign our guestbook and ... Happy Trails!

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Our Trips

After staying at our Coast to Coast membership campground in Gansevoort, NY, for a week, we got ansy! My brother had recently died and I desparately wanted to go back to Vancouver, BC to be with my sister and dad (although I'd lost a brother, I've gained another sister that I had only known of but never got to meet). So we bid fairwell to our sons and off to BC we went. We started west towards Vancouver, BC, Canada but before arriving there we visited...

Wyoming {8/95}: Jackson Hole, Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park (1st visited in 1988, the year of the fire!). Jackson Hole is my favorite town, at least to date! We stopped here so we could get a new exhaust system installed by Jardine Exhaust Co., they even let us park in their yard overlooking the town. We give them high marks for their excellent work and highly recommend their equipment. The town of Jackson is quaint but expensive. Lots of wildlife...coyote, elk, mule deer to name a few. And, it's close to Grand Teton NP which is yet another beautiful spot. Snow capped peaks and the like. Same with Yellowstone NP, this was our second visit since we'd been there through the 'fire of 1988' which was a far more spectacular memory than the current visit. The only thing I could think of was comparing the landscape to what it use to be, now it was much more barren! Still, the guysers and fumerils are a must see.

Vancouver, BC, Canada {8 - 10/95}: We spent the summer there and it was extremely hard for me to leave. Of course we did some siteseeing but most of the time was spent in mourning, I loved my brother dearly, still do --- I miss him. It's a heck of a way to begin your full-timing lifestyle isn't it? For those of you that would like to go to BC we'd like to tell you of some places that are 'must sees': Go to Buschart Gardens (near Victoria, on Vancouver Isl.) on a Saturday eve nearing dusk. Tour the gardens during daylight and then again when it's lit up at night. Stay until 9 - 9:30 pm when they'll put on the most spectacular fireworks show you've ever (or will ever) see in your life! It's one of my favorite memories of BC. Also, check out "The Grouse Nest Restaurant" on top of Grouse Mtn. MAKE RESERVATIONS! They have great food too. We went up (again at dusk when the deer were as close as just a few feet!), we walked around awhile and then went in for dinner. We were there on the weekend of Canada Day (July 1) and Independence Day (July 4) and were able to view a fireworks show from above it all! There's lots of other things to see and do but space limits comments now, if you want to go to BC email me for more info or check out the link I have on Falcor's Findings for more. From BC we moved onward to...

Washington, {10/95}: Wow, what a state! Olympic National Park and the Washington coastline were our first stops. In a word...breathtaking! The views, mountain vistas and rugged coast, are hard to explain so just go and see it for yourself! We also went to Mount St. Helens National Monument and Mount Rainier National Park, both volcanos! Fantastic! If you ever get the opportunity to go to Washington state don't miss these, bearing safety in mind! We took pictures and hope to add them later. The most impressive thing about Mt St. Helens is the absolute devastation that was still apparent 15 years after it had erupted. The landscape looks like a giant was playing 'pickup sticks' over the whole region! You have to see it to believe it. Mt Rainier was awesome as well. Depending on the angle you are viewing it from, you can see two cones on it's peak! From either mountain you can see other mountain peaks, such as Mt Hood (in Oregon)! Our 'Falcor's Findings' page has links to all National Parks and also to the Cascades Volcanic region and USGS Earthquake info, check them out!

Oregon, {10/95}: Besides yet more spectacular coastline, the place that sticks out most in our minds was the 'take your breath away' view at Crater Lake National Park! We took the Rim Road and it seemed forever to get to it but as we rounded the bend, there it was! It was positively one of the most awe-inspiring sights I've seen to date. I guess it was the anticipation of getting to the crater's rim. It too is a volcano that blew out and was later filled by a huge lake. It has a new cone growing up through the lake near the center of the crater. From there it was on to...

California, {10 - 11/95}: We went lots of places...Redwoods National Park, Lassen National Volcanic Monument, Sequioa-Kings Canyon National Parks, Yosemite National Park, and Death Valley! Well, you haven't lived 'til you've been sightseeing in California! Redwoods NP was, well...big, big, big, huge trees! They have the tallest and the widest trees (redwoods) in the world. All kinds of interesting stuff about how they have survived fires, odd shapes, etc. I've got a picture of me on a fallen tree in which you can hardly see me, I look like a squirrel does on a normal tree! Then there's Lassen NVM...well, it looks like Mt St. Helens only it blew 80+ years ago! Most of the 'matchstick' trees are gone now but the mountains haven't recovered in that there is a noticable lack of fully grown trees. It also has trails you can take to visit the fumerils (it resembles a cross between Yellowstone and Mt St. Helens). You can tell by the name that it too is volcanic! Well, now we're getting to my favorite place (and just in time for my 38th birthday!), Yosemite NP. I can't say enough about this place. My favorite picture of all was taken here in which there is a deer and a coyote laying within 10 feet of each other, just resting! I call it my "lion and the lamb" picture! El Capitan mountain is as beautiful as you would expect. We saw and heard alot of wildlife here and the scenery was diverse! And then there's S-KCNPs, well there are yet more big trees! I wasn't as impressed with this park as I guess I'd had my fill of biiiiiggggg trees. I enjoyed being close to the wildlife though. And, you may be interested to know that the drive-thru tree fell down years ago! On to Death Valley (after Nevada below) --- not at all what I expected! I though it would be flat and relatively barren, not so! It has mountains, lava beds, valleys, desert. We went from the lowest point on earth of 218 feet below sea level up to the famed Dante's Peak in which we had the most spectacular view of the whole valley, if you go there don't miss Dante's Peak! We went to the Devil's Golf Course (lava beds), we wandered in the sand dunes and just had a fantastic time. We had to go twice as the first time we had gone the park was closed due to the government squabble. We were in Pahrump, NV at the time so it wasn't hard to get there --- twice...

Nevada, {11/95}: We've been to Las Vegas! As well as Red Rock Canyon and Pahrump. Well, Las Vegas is first on the list 'cause it was the most spectacular...especially at night! What a city! The good news is lots to do, such as --- going to a 'jousting match' and eating dinner without utensils; visiting all of the terrific sites, especially all the unique buildings with their absolutely marvelous buffets. The bad news is you can see a green haze of smog over the city and after a few days you could feel it in your eyes and throat. Still, we'd do it again! Red Rock Canyon was nice. I particularily remember watching the Burros (wild kin of the Donkey). We also went to the town of Ryolite, NV to see the house made of glass bottles. And in Pahrump we visited the SKP park, but the most memorable thing about Pahrump is that it's not really noticable in terms of population until night time when it suddenly lights up from peoples' houses that you never knew were there! This is also where Art Bell, the radio talkshow host (of UFO, etc fame), lives and broadcasts from. You can find a link to his page from my Spirit page. Oh, and by the way...we never saw any UFOs even though we were close to the town of Rachel, NV and therefore near the famed secret military base known as 'Area 51'! Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam were relatively uneventful other than to say we've been there.

Arizona, {12/95}: From Grand Canyon National Park on to Sunset Crater, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. What a trip so far! The Grand Canyon was absolutely awesome. Here's a picture of Scaredy Scotty firmly grasping a light pole that is situated precariously close to THE EDGE OF THE BIG DITCH! And that's just what it is, a big ditch! Beautiful to say the least. Sunset Crater is a small volcano that barely makes the status of mountain at 1,000 feet. Still, it is a volcano and the surrounding scenery was worth the trip. Meteor Crater is near Winslow. It was featured in the movie 'Starman'. This crater was created by a meteor not volcanism. The meteor hit so hard and deep that they never found any fragments! The Petrified Forest was yet another place of interest. The 'petrified' trees apparently were covered by an inland sea, when the land raised up the trees remained in a peat bog. The actual tree matter was gradually replaced with minerals and now more closely resemble huge rock-like logs. The colors, textures and patterns of the trees will remain in our memories forever. We then went to the Painted Desert in which the landscape is dotted with what looks to be horizontally painted bands of different colors across the hills. Painted hills spring up all over the otherwise desert land, where pronghorn antelope roam freely. I'd like to add that we were going to stay and work in the Grand Canyon but decided that we wanted to get to Lakewood, NM to get our name on the waiting list for an RV lot there, so here we go...

New Mexico, {12/95 - 4/97}: We arrived in Lakewood at the Escapees Co-op to get on the waiting list. We bought our lot in March '96 and subsequently worked and lived there until April '97. It didn't work out for us so we sold our lot and moved on to Glacier National Park. But before we go to Montana, we'd like to tell you alittle about NM. For starters, the desert is really beautiful when in bloom. Summer was hot, upwards of 115 degrees F. Winters were mild, usually between 40 - 60 degrees F. Not much rain to speak of, or snow for that matter. Some of the places we visited were Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Ruidoso, Cloudcroft, Roswell and White Sands National Monument. Carlsbad Caverns was one of the highlights of our stay. Like most caverns it's mostly dark! But those spots that are lit up are beautiful. We even saw fossils in the rock formations along our tour through the caverns. Ruidoso and Cloudcroft are in the mountains at an elevation of 7,000 - 9,000 feet! No kidding...NM is not only desert, it has mountains too. We would go to these places to escape the desert heat since they were less than two hours drive away. Roswell, home of UFOs! No, we didn't see any UFOs here either --- except in the UFO Museum but I don't think they count. It's a quaint little town. One other place we went was White Sands NM, near Alamagordo. We took the dogs, bailed out of the car and scaled our way up the glistening white sand dunes! We had a great time rolling around in the sand with the dogs! Other fascinations were 'virga' (rain that streaks towards the ground but never hits) and 'dust devils'! The folks are friendly in NM but don't try to do any type of business transactions during the noon hour as every business closes at lunch! Now on to Utah (and then Montana)...

Utah, {4/97}: Zion National Park was on the way to Glacier and we couldn't resist swinging by. We didn't do anything but drive through it but we would like to stop there again sometime for a longer visit just because what we saw, which was beautiful reddish colored rock formations jutting up all along the road we drove on, was spectacular --- almost frightening because you feel rather encased by these jagged formations. The color was so brilliant! Do go if you get the chance, I'm sure you'll find lots more to do and see. Now to Montana...

Montana, {4/97 - 10/97}: Glacier National Park! We left NM to come here because we were offered jobs with the concessionair for the park (Glacier Park Inc.). Scott worked in the maintenance dept., I worked in the warehouse doing the accounts payable for all of Glacier's hotels, gift shops and restaurants (including the Prince of Wales in Waterton NP in AB, Canada). We had a busy, and at times tough, season. We made it through our contracts and were sad to see it close up for the winter. While in Glacier we saw all sorts of animals ... grizzly bears, elk, mule deer, mountain goats, sheep, and black bears to name the biggest and most impressive! We also lost a fellow employee from the warehouse. He went on a day hike and never returned! I tell you this so that you think before assuming anything in nature is simple! To this day it is unknown as to what happened to Matt! Always hike with a friend or two, always sign in at the trailhead, if you get lost --- stay put and hope/pray the rangers will find you in time! We were located in East Glacier Park which is in the Blackfeet Reservation. Although we were near the town of Browning (capital of the Blackfeet Nation), we chose to get our groceries in Kalispell which is 90 miles away, mainly so we could do other shopping as well. OK, it's the closest place to get our favorite popsicles! Heck of a reason to go 90 miles, eh! Glacier's scenery was beautiful with the mountains right behind the hotel (Glacier Park Lodge). The summer weather was mild, seldom up to 80 degrees F. Spring and Fall were 'crisp'. We would recommend you visit Glacier! After we left Glacier, heading to Florida, we stopped at a SPECIAL place of interest we'd like to tell you about...

Alabama & Missouri, {10/97}: particularily Foley and Sikeston. Ever had a roll throwed at ya??? That's right, a roll...hot out of the oven! Well, we went 50 miles out of our planned, and rather boring route (it mostly rained all the way to FL) to go to a restaurant called Lambert's Cafe. You may have heard about it, or read of it in a magazine. It took us the longest time to register in our brains what the billboards were trying to sell, they are green with a cartoon chef throwing a roll. The caption reads Lambert's Cafe --- Home of the Throwed Rolls!" You are forwarned! If you see this sign, GO THERE! It was fun, enough so that we hit two out of three of their restaurants. Oh, don't worry if you don't catch your roll (it drops on the floor or flies by your head) ... they'll throw ya another! Oh, one more thing... yes, we did visit the SKP park in Summerdale, AL and all we have to say about that place was boy was it muggy! Yes, in October. Other than that there isn't much to say. OK, you come from out of the mountains at an elevation of 5,000 feet with cool crisp air chasing you, when you get to Alabama all you can say is it's hot and muggy! It almost squashed us!!! Don't worry, were in Florida now (ugh! hot and muggy)...

Florida, {10/97 - 3/98}: We went to visit Scott's mom and spent our time there in Dunedin, FL. We stayed in a Mobile Home Park, Scott worked as a plumber and I worked for a short while as a cashier for KMart. Neither turned out to be a good experience and we were glad to get out of there. Although the weather was generally warm, we did want to mention that due to El Nino the rainfall had surpassed any on record! We often had a couple of feet of water on the road just at the bottom of our lot. And I guess I shouldn't forget to mention that we were too close to some wild tornados for comfort! We had just left Kissimmi (not the same campground that got hit though) that very day! We were also sick much more than usual, probably due to the humidity. We did do a couple of touristy things while there, namely Epcot which we had missed several years earlier due to a traffic jam but more interestingly we did go to the Everglades and took an airboat tour. Besides seeing mom, it was the highlight of our stay! A word of warning to those of you who travel and work --- if you need to get a FL license, tell the DMV that you DON'T HAVE A CAR! They asked Scott that same question and he said 'yes' in which he got the run around thereafter as they tried to make him register his vehicle then and there! You may email us for a more detailed list of complaints, we don't want to ramble on about it here and now! We have since heard that FL isn't the only state that asks this trick question so BEWARE! Some points of interest during our travels, after leaving FL, were: 1) We finally got to the SKP HQ in Livingston, TX; then on to Lakewood, NM for a quick visit in which we encountered a Rattlesnake while on a leisurely walk in the desert --- I mean really! Who expects to see & HEAR a rattler in March!?; and finally in Denver, CO we got snowed in, 26" worth! Thanks God for the catalytic heater!

We are HERE, {3/98 - to date}: Well, that brings you up to date on us! It took three leisurely weeks to get here from FL, this trip was 3,575 driving miles! We are back in Glacier for yet another summer of work and if there's anything new to tell ya, well that'll be in another six months (if you need to know exactly where we are, email us)! We did want to say that although not all states are mentioned here, we have been through 46/50, not bad, eh! Also, we plan to go to the Escapees Birthday Get-together in Great Falls, MT for the 1st weekend in July, maybe we'll see you there!? Press the BACK button on your browser to return to Falcor's Findings. Or, check out our other pages using the links below...

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Thanks for stopping by!

Scott & Deb



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