We landed this afternoon at Ely KOA Journey, pretty much right in the middle of Nevada, elevation, 6500 ft. This is just a stop-over for a night, but it really is a nice campground. We plan to drive around this after and check out the town.
From here we're heading north to Idaho. Our first stop is a place called Anderson Camp. We plan to spend a couple of days there so we can check out Shoshone Falls and what's left of Twin Falls
Click on "Top Panel" to see where are and where to next
As luck would happen, we arrived at the campground on a Sunday of a three-day Canadian holiday, so the campground was quite full. We drove into the campground and found no place to disconnect the dinghy and had to squeeze through the maze of cars and RV with the coach, car attached. Working our way to the back of the campground we didn’t find a single site deep enough to fit us until we got to an area that was backed up to the storage area which was previously designated for tents. The site was in a zoo of cars, boats, tents, and RVs, I was about to pass it up when Jackie decided it would be our spot. She had walked ahead of the coach to find a site while I was working my way through the maze. The campers around the site offered to move cars and boats and even guide us in. Based on the friendliness of the people around, we took a very tight spot with only 15 amps.
The campground was such a zoo and with a lack of phone and internet, we contemplated leaving the next morning. We didn’t. For a fee, the campground offered the internet and gave us a password that was good for just one device and 24 hours. On our second day, I got smart and set up my directional antenna and connected with a repeater and a router, which allowed us to connect any of our devices. On the last day of the holiday, the campground had thinned out a bit and it was more welcoming. We took advantage of the pool and explored the area a bit.
Our first venture out we went to Bridal Veil Falls and then to Hope to see the Othello Tunnels (being that it was BC Day, the tunnels were so crowded we passed on visiting them. Jackie wanted to do lunch at a real authentic Canadian restaurant, so she picked Tim Hortons, where we were expected to have a donut with our sandwiches. From there we headed to Harrison Hot Springs which was a neat touristy town with a beach, swimming lagoon, shops, and restaurants. Because of the smoke, we couldn’t see much of the beautiful landscape also, I had hoped to visit Devil’s Gate, but it was too close to the fires.
On a second outing, we drove just a mile or two from the campground to Teapot Hill trailhead. Round trip to the top and back was just over three miles and a thousand foot elevation change. The hike was very enjoyable because, on your way up the hill, previous hikers had left teapots of every variety semi hidden along the trail. I don’t really know what I’m going to do with 50 plus teapot photos, but oh well. We passed people of all ages, everyone having fun spotting teapots, forgetting the steepness of the climb. We even met one young lady with a teapot of her own to hide.
The visit turns out to be a success, smoke, holiday, and all. Most of the people we met in the campground loved it and come back to it over and over. On our way back across the border, we got some extra fun when we were detained for a half hour or so, while the border guards decided that even with a common name, I was safe to allow back into the states.
A Fraser Valley RV campground providing a fun getaway for all ages
Below is a link to the Thousand Trails Campgrounds that we have visited.
- Indicates Trails Collection Resort