Jul 102011
 

Def:

v.,  Virtual Camping:

Where half-a-dozen campgrounds are located within two hours driving distance of one’s home and 20 square miles of each other giving one the opportunity to relocate to another campground within a short distance to experience a totally new venue.


Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are gifted with many exploration opportunities with our mountains, rivers, streams, lakes, sounds, islands and oceans. 90 minutes from downtown Seattle, the upper Kittitas Valley and Wenatchee National Forest is one such destination with over a half-a-dozen “knock your socks off ” campground  venues within ballpark distances of each other.

We start our journey climbing over the always dramatic Snoqualmie Pass.  Up in the mountains we see B’s favorite ski runs still spotted with islands of snow and waterfalls are visible everywhere as they flow into swollen rivers from the glacier like snow pack received over the past winter. As we cruise down the leeward and eastern side, the clouds dissipate and the sun welcomes us to Central Washington.

Just before reaching Roslyn (famous for the filming location of Northern Exposure), we pull off Interstate 90 onto Golf Course Road which leads us to to our first Virtual Camping destination:  SunCountry Golf & RV.  From there your campground opportunities for exploration are endless.

Yakima river, Wish Poosh, Red Mountain, Salmon La Sac, Lake Cle Elum, Cle Elum River as well as the outskirts of Roslyn.


Activities within our 20 square miles include world class fly fishing, river and lake kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, mushroom hunting, award winning wineries and restaurants, horseback riding and of course, beautiful Suncadia, Washington’s premiere destination resort.  Here are a few pictures from dinner we had at Swiftwater Cellars which is located within beautiful Suncadia.

Swiftwater Cellars

Please click here for more photos our Airstreaming adventures

All of these campsites enjoy completely unique views, and experiences all within 20 square miles.  The relocation from one campground to the next is seamless and quick — virtual in nature.

The Wenatchee National Forest alpine wilderness is as spectacular as the Oregon Coast or the San Juan Islands as it is different.  You can easily spend a summer exploring the wonders of this virtual paradise.

Save fuel, time and resources:  “Go Virtual Camping.”

Jul 042011
 

The beauty of Airstreaming is that you can practically go anywhere your heart desires and still have your creature comforts of home wherever your destination may be. There are so many places in our beautiful America to explore and discover.  One way we like to Airstream is to find a nice campground and walk or ride our bicycles to our destination(s). We get our exercise and we have more time together which is always so nice.

One of our favorite destinations to visit is called Suncadia. Suncadia is located 90 minutes east of downtown Seattle so it is a great weekend getaway for fellow Seattleites. Suncadia does not have RV accommodations; however, there are quite a few spots around where you can easily camp and walk (or bike) your way into this beautiful golfing, fishing, hiking, biking, swimming, etc. community.

I have never had the opportunity to dine at the Swiftwater Cellars which is located within Suncadia.  Hubby sensed that I was in one of my “don’t feel like cooking moods,” and asked if I’d like to have dinner here.  “But of course!”   We had an incredibly delicious butter leaf wedge salad with blue cheese dressing, a savory gorgonzola tart alongside grilled ciabatta bread which was drizzled with an amazing sweet, thick balsamic vinegar and two crispy and rich dungeness crab cakes.  For dessert, B had a simple but so delicious vanilla ice cream with berries.

Our day was spent swimming, bicycling and dining at gorgeous Swiftwater Cellars with a pleasant and peaceful walk back home in the warm summer air to our camp where our Airstream awaited our return.

What a beautiful day.

Swiftwater Cellars at Beautiful Suncadia Resort