Mar 162017
 

I would slow down my pace as I walked Oliver past this sweet Airstream  during our visit to Crystal Mountain a few weeks back.  Just a few sites down from us, this Airstream captured my heart and I was absolutely dying to see the inside.  Fortunately I didn’t have to stalk the Airstream too long before owner Jenn opened up the front door and I was able to introduce myself to her.  She gave me a tour and shared her future vision of the interior with me.  I tell ya, I left completely inspired — and, goodness, does she have great taste!  If you look at the photo below, the front portion of the Airstream where you see the silver insulation — that will be covered with beautiful copper sheets and instead of having one dinette table, Jenn and her hubby Shane plan on installing two tables that can raise/lower to suit different situations — a coffee table and a dinette table both at the same time.  Very clever!  The interior is very light and bright that is complemented with beautiful white enamel pieces and copper accents.

This is not your typical Airstream however, this beautiful trailer’s sole purpose is that of a ski lodge.  Outfitted with a bench to store ski boots and a row of hooks to hang up ski attire (all which dry quickly thanks to the most adorable wood burning stove), this Airstream is an RVing skier’s dream come true.

Jenn was so sweet to send me a list of links to all of her favorite items she has in her trailer — to share with you because she believes in supporting all the local small vendors and local makers, “I’m happy to share,” she wrote.

So without further ado, let’s begin the tour!   Continue reading »

Jan 272017
 

This wasn’t where I meant to be this weekend.  I meant to be at home dusting off my workbench in order to begin working on some new jewelry designs for my Etsy shop.  But rather, sweet friends of ours phoned us up and invited us to come and visit with them at their cozy cabin in the woods near Crystal Mountain.  Needless to say, a trip to the cabin propelled the idea of silversmithing to the curb-and I was very okay with that.  I was, as a matter of fact, in need of a snow fix and boy, did Miss Mother Nature deliver ♥ Continue reading »

Feb 262014
 

Schweitzer Mountain Resort in Beautiful Idaho

Early Saturday morning we packed up the truck, hitched up the Airstream and hit the road.  Six hours later we arrived in Sandpoint, ID (from Seattle).  Our campsite for the next ten days would be at the Bonner County Fairgrounds.  I can see how in summer this place would be super busy!  The amenities here included water and electrical for all sites.  Two sites had full hookups (read: dump out) and those were #30 and #31.  If you plan to come in summer, make sure to reserve either of those two spots.  The bathroom and showers were immaculate and the grounds were well maintained.  All in all we were quite happy with our spot here! Continue reading »

Feb 142014
 

2013 in McCall Idaho

{Pic Above:  2013  Airstream Ski Trip To McCall, Idaho glamped at the McCall RV Resort and Northfork Lodge)

As I sit here writing this post, our Airstream is in our driveway hitched up waiting for us to take her away.

We’re heading to Idaho tomorrow morning for a ski trip and hubby just came over to me and announced that “It’s DUMPING in Schweitzer!”

Which is where we are going — and I can hardly wait for skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ice skating, tubing and so much more.

Finally a place with SNOW.

We LOVE Idaho!

If you want to follow us along on our adventure you can on Instagram and on Facebook too.  BIG blog posts will follow here on J5MM and on the Huffington Post too!

Stay tuned and follow us along !!

Continue reading »

Jan 292014
 

Over the past couple of years I’ve received a lot of emails inquiring about how we go about our winter camping adventures with our Airstream that it seems I should probably create a post about it.

Here’s a summary of our situation.

We live in the Pacific Northwest in the United States of America — specifically Seattle.  Seattle experiences a rather mild change of seasons with the average temperate in winter time hovering around the mid 40’s.  We do occasionally drop down to below freezing and we do experience snow every now and then.  This means, for us, in the colder months —  we need to keep a constant eye on the weather/temperature as we don’t (and never have) winterized our Airstream.  If temps drop down below freezing we head into the Airstream and turn on the furnace which in turn, keeps the Airstream and her pipes warm (and from freezing).

Seattle Photography via MonicaBennett.com

Continue reading »

Mar 152013
 

set 1

{ Written by Jeff & Monica }

By Jeff

You cannot visit McCall without snowboarding/skiing at Tamarack Resort.  Located near Donnelly, Idaho and about 30 minutes from McCall we arrive and are excited for our day ahead.

Tamarack enjoys a 2,800 vertical drop that is filled with open bowls, glades, challenging back country and high speed corduroy groomers and the views are nothing short of spectacular.

Monica, B and I arrived at Tamarack Resort early Thursday morning. The Sports Dome was bustling with guests signing up for lessons, a modest line for rental equipment and a great espresso bar that served us up some of the best coffee, ever.

Outside the temperature was a perfect 19 degrees F, no wind, crystal clear skies and four inches of new snow.

Monica signed B up for a private ski class while I joined ski legend Wolfe Ashcroft  for a guided tour through the trails and trees of Tamarack.  Wolfe led me in a game of cat and mouse through the variable mountain terrain.  I was no match for this world class skier. Short hikes  from the summit rewarded us with uncountable turns in untracked powder.

From the base, two high-speed quads whisked us back up to the top in minutes. Lift lines are nonexistent and the snow sports staff and locals treated us as close friends.

Tamarack’s terrain, quality of snow and breathtaking views are a recipe for success.

It was an epic day and B is still asking

“When can we go back to ski Tamarack daddy?”

110712_ SkiMtnMapKirk

Shots from the top (click to enlarge)

Tamarack Pano

Tamarack Pano2

Tamarack Pano3

By Monica

What hubby forgot to mention was that on this morning, when we stepped out of the Airstream and climbed into the truck it was – 7 degrees outside!  We had no  inkling it was that cold outside seeing how warm and toasty we were inside the Airstream.   I cooked a breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes while hubby showered and B got dressed.

Time and time again we are so thankful to have our Airstream.  Even in these extreme temperatures we are able to enjoy ourselves glamping!

When we arrived at Tamarack Resort I was completely taken with the beauty here.  The mountains and the clear blue skies just took my breath away.   I signed B up for private lessons while hubby took off to ski the mountain and check things out.

I took a walk down around the base of the mountain and through the village to take some photographs to share with you :)

If you thought Tamarack Resort was part of skiing history, think again.  The resort is open along with lift upgrades, snow making machines and groomers to ensure corduroy runs for all to enjoy.   I was thoroughly impressed with the shopping experience in the sports dome to the many dining options from Morels in the Lodge as Osprey Meadows to the Canoe Grill, Seven Devils Pub and Hot Shots Espresso that served us an amazing coffee.

{ B with his private ski instructor }

Inside the Sports Dome things were busy with gear fitting, rentals, lift ticket purchases, etc.

It was definitely very, very cold outside and I had Oliver with me, in my pack and well, he was getting cold too.  We decided to head over to the Lodge as Osprey Meadows and check things out over there.

The Lodge at Osprey Meadows is elegantly perched above Osprey Meadows golf course and Lake Cascade. Wood beams, native stone, hardwoods, and hand-wrought iron complement the lodge’s interior furnishings. The Lodge Hotel Rooms, Studios and Condominiums feature the latest in design and look out on to magnificent views of the outdoors so this would be a great place to stay if you wanted to ski Tamarack exclusively, if of course, you didn’t have your mobile ski lodge :)

View from the deck of the lodge.  Beautiful wouldn’t you say?

As we drove back to the Airstream at the end of the day we couldn’t help but reflect back on how beautiful our experience at Tamarack truly was.  People who live here, truly love living here.   They tell me they wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world.

And do you know what?  I am beginning to feel the same.  This piece of the world is truly such an amazingly beautiful place.

We arrived back at the Airstream to freshen up before heading to our Apres-Ski dinner reservations at Rupert’s.

That post, coming next :)

McCall Trip Roundup:

Part 1: Arriving ♥
Part 2: McCall Town Guide ♥
Part 3: Skiing Brundage Mountain and Apres-Ski at the Shore Lodge ♥
Part 4: A Snowmobile Adventure to the Burgdorf Hot Springs and Beyond ♥
Part 5: A Day at Tamarack Resort ♥
Part 6: Apres-Ski at Rupert’s in Historic Hotel McCall ♥
Part 7: A Culinary Adventure in the Forest ♥
Part 8:  Brundage Cat Skiing Adventures & Apres-Ski at the Pancake House ♥

 

Feb 062013
 

If you are a regular reader of J5MM you may have heard me mention that wintertime is my favorite time to be with my Airstream. Spending our days outdoors in the snow to retreat into our warm and cozy trailer at the end of the day is something hubby, B and I enjoy.   Once we get settled in, the boys either read or play games while I’m whipping up our apres-ski dinner menu.  Then after dinner we typically pull down the shades and watch a movie together.  This time it was especially enjoyable since we had our little pup Oliver with us.  He fits into our “wolf pack” Airstreaming family just perfectly!

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