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Hello fellow wanderers!

Last summer we stayed in Washington State for a couple of weeks to visit family (both of us are born and raised in the Seattle area) and most of our family still resides in Washington State. My sister and her husband took us to Monte Cristo Ghost Town which is one of their favorite hikes in the area. 

Monte Cristo is an old mining town that was established in 1891 in the North Cascade Mountains at an elevation of 2,762'. This town mined gold, silver and lead and at its peak there was a population of about 1000 people in 1894. The town pretty much died in the early 1900's. Mines dried up and this area is prone to avalanches and flooding.

In the 1950s-1960s Monte Cristo was used as a resort town for the wealthy. At this point, a new lodge and rental cabins were built. A fire in 1983 burned the lodge down and basically shut the resort town down. 

It has since become a favorite hike for everyone as the trail is not strenuous for the most part but it is a 5 mile trek out and 5 mile trek back for a total of about 10 miles round trip depending on how much wandering off and exploring you do in the town. 

There are quite a few old buildings left in the town including the rental cabins from the resort town period but further up the hill you will find Dumas St. which housed Monte Cristo's stores, hotels and houses back in the mining heyday. If you are a historical railway enthusiast you will also love this trail as there are still remnants of the old railroad and an old railway turntable still exists in town. Another fun fact: Monte Cristo was the first live mining camp on the western slopes of the Cascades. Oh wait, one more fun fact: the Trump family has ties to this old mining town but I will let you google that information. 

This trail head is located up the Mountain Loop Highway near Granite Falls and Darrington in the North Cascade Mountains. We hiked this trail in July 2020 and could not have asked for better weather and hiking conditions. 

Please, leave no trace while you are out wandering around and exploring these historical places. There are lots of relics left for everyone to see and explore so please do not take anything from this town. Also, as a side note, there are some private residences in the area so please be respectful of private property as well.

We hope you enjoy wandering off with us! Watch our Monte Cristo video on YouTube (Wandered Off - please subscribe) and if you have any questions or would like additional info about our hike, please leave a comment or send us an email.

We truly appreciate it!

Chris and Brandi 

Hello fellow wanderers!

In October 2020 we researched trails near Bridgeport, CA. It is about a 1.5 hour drive from our house and we came across the Barney Lake Trail. We started to search on YouTube to see what we could find and most videos just did not show enough information and some of the reviews of the trail were negative due to the fact that you have to park at Mono Village and walk through the campground to get to the Barney Lake Trailhead. So with that known, we decided to wander off anyways and check out this trail. And... we are so glad we did!

We took Highway 395 South from Nevada to Bridgeport, CA. You Take a right onto Twin Lakes Rd. right as you enter the town of Bridgeport. Follow it around to Twin lakes and make sure you get out and explore these lakes as well as they are also beautiful. The road ends at Mono Village which is where you will park. 

The trail is 9.3 miles round trip with an elevation gain of about 1200-1300'. The hike is beautiful as you make your way through the campground full of deer and pines. Of course, it was fall and during the pandemic so the campground was pretty much empty and we were the only ones there day hiking. We did see a group of guys that were headed out to go backcountry camping. I personally think they were crazy because it was cold during the day so I cannot imagine trying to stay warm at night and fires are not allowed in this area. 

As you make your way up and through the meadows full of fall colors, you will see the jagged mountains and lots of black bear scat. We always carry bear spray with us on every single hike, because you just never know what you might run into. Although, we have only ever seen a bear in Yosemite and nowhere else as of yet. You can watch that video of Tuolumne Grove on YouTube if you want to see the mama and her two cubs.

Once you get to the top where Barney Lake is, stop and take in the pure beauty of the entire area. It is absolutely gorgeous there and you have a perfect sandy beach to relax on. On the right side of the lake, the trail keeps going and connects to several other lakes and I believe it connects into the Yosemite trail system. There is an old grove of Bristlecone Pine trees on the other side of the lake that is a must see! Our 9.3 miles did include hiking to the other side of Barney Lake. 

Let us know if you need any other information on this trail. We highly recommend it especially during the fall for the seasonal colors! Please watch our Barney Lake video on our YouTube channel - Wandered Off. 

Thanks again for wandering off with us!

Chris and Brandi

Hello fellow wanderers!

Have you been to the Donner Pass train tunnels? This entire area near Truckee, CA has a grim and crazy past starting with the Donner Party getting stuck in an 1846 snow storm while they were headed to California. This unfortunate storm forced survivors to resort to cannibalism. 

The pass and everything around there was named after the Donner Party. There is a Donner Pass State Park that has a visitor center with interpretive trails that walks you through the Donner Party history. Make sure to stop by the park and Donner Lake during your visit to the tunnels. 

The Donner Pass Train Tunnels were built by Chinese Laborers over 15 months and completed in 1867. Five of these tunnels are still accessible, however, they are still located on Union Pacific land which is technically private land, not public. Although, the railroad has not enforced the no trespassing signs that are posted. 

The Transcontinental Railroad utilized these tunnels from 1868 to 1993 when the railroad was rerouted and these tunnels were abandoned. The tunnels have become quite the place to wander around and explore. Every tunnel has "street art" or graffiti and some of the art is quite impressive and has become a "normal" in these tunnels. Some visitors explore these tunnels just to see the art on the walls. 

The trail has an "unofficial" parking lot just west of the first tunnel across the street from the ski resort. The parking lot is technically located on private land as well but we understand that the owners do not tow anyone from there but no guarantees. Park at your own risk. You can also park at the Chinese Wall and climb up to the tunnels that way but we have not experienced that location yet and I believe this access is only available during the summer months when there is no snow.

The trail through the five tunnels is approx. 2.5 miles long for a total of 5 miles round trip. The tunnels are super icy in the winter so make sure you wear traction devices (we had no problems with traction on our shoes). We did witness a few people trying to make their way through and slip and fall. Also, make sure you have a head lamp or flash light as a couple of these tunnels can be very dark. 

The tunnels are around the elevation of 7000'. The trail only gains about 250' of elevation total. During the summer months please make sure you have enough water. The trail does not stop after the fifth tunnel. It keeps going and connects into a bigger trail system which we plan to explore during the spring months pending snow. We wandered through these tunnels the week of Christmas 2020.

Leave us a comment if you have explored these tunnels or the surrounding area. Thanks again for wandering off with us and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, like and share our videos with your friends!

Chris and Brandi

Hello fellow wanderers!

Mono Lake, if you have never been, is like another world. It is a saline soda lake that formed over 760k years ago in Lee Vining, CA. There are not enough outlets for this lake which is why the salt accumulates and creates these otherworldly formations. 

We decided to hike out to Black Point and explore the fissures on the North side of the lake. You will want to turn off of Highway 395 onto Highway 167 which is North of Mono Lake and then turn right onto Cemetery Road. You will follow a dirt road to the parking lot at the Black Point Fissure trailhead. We followed All Trails map and it led us right to it. We do recommend a 4WD or high clearance vehicle.

Now, when you get to the trailhead, you will only see an arrow pointing up the hill. There is literally no marked trail and you just make your way up the hill, after hill, after hill. It seems never ending until you are able to spot Black Point. Make your way around Black Point heading West and the fissures are located just little ways past the point. There is a main fissure which is the most popular one but make sure to wander around and check out the other fissures. We were able to find and hike through three fissures total. Be careful and make sure you pay attention and not fall into a fissure. 

We had seen all kinds of deer, rabbit and bird tracks in the snow on the way, however, in the main fissure, we noticed tracks resembling wolf or coyote. About half way through this fissure we both heard a very large growl which then Chris started to make super loud noises to scare whatever it was away. I carry bear spray with me on all hikes because you just never know what you might run into. 

The fissures are basically mini slot canyons that you can hike and climb your way through. We did not do much climbing as it was slippery with the snow on the ground. We did this hike right around Christmas 2020. The fissures are made up of volcanic rock and each fissure has its unique and different characteristics so make sure you explore each one. 

We took the hill straight up from the trailhead to the fissures and then on the way back we stayed on the lake side of Black Point and gradually made our way down to the lake. It is about a 500' elevation gain over less than an mile through sand and loose rock basically. The thorny bushes are everywhere so make sure you wear pants. It was pretty cold when we were there but I imagine this place to be roasting in the summer months so take plenty of water. 

Head to the lake before leaving and check out the unique salt formations along the shoreline. It is another world at this Mono Lake's shoreline. Such a beautiful place and if you can, stay for sunset! Our sunset shots in the video on YouTube are amazing! 

We hope you enjoy wandering off with us. Until next time.... leave no trace. 

Chris and Brandi 

Hello fellow wanderers!

Southern Utah is by far one of the most amazing places to hike and explore! Bull Valley Gorge is located near Cannonville, Utah in the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument and it is a must hike to add to your list! We stayed in Duck Creek Village while exploring this area for a few weeks. Cannonville is located just East of Bryce Canyon and Bull Valley Gorge is just South of Cannonville. You will need to drive up Skutumpah Road which is a dirt road for about 10 miles. We took our F350 and had no issues. We saw mostly SUV's and trucks but it was pretty quiet when we visited in October 2020 due to the pandemic. 4WD and high clearance vehicles are recommended and avoid the area if it is wet, you will get stuck! Quick recommendation, stop at the visitor center in Cannonville prior to heading up to the trail.

The trailhead can only fit a few vehicles so we kept driving up the road a little ways past the bridge and parked on the side. Before you start hiking, stand on the bridge and look down. You will see the truck that crashed back in 1954.Once you are at the trailhead, you will hike about a half of mile along the top of the slot canyon until you see a place where you can drop in and enter the canyon. We then hiked the canyon back to the bridge and a little further past the bridge. You can see this truck from below as well. We hiked a total of 3 miles and the only elevation gain you experience is dropping into the canyon which I believe is about 75'. I have seen reviews where families have had no problem hiking and exploring this canyon but we experienced an older group that turned around at the first big drop where you had to scale down a log that was standing almost vertical. So please make sure you are physically fit for this trail and have good shoes/boots. You will be scaling a lot of loose rock and climbing over boulders. 

History of the famous truck:       

• October 1954 crash
• Was an older bridge at the time and the truck stalled and rolled off the bridge
• Truck is wedged between the canyon walls
• All three men died in this horrible accident
• Bodies were recovered the same day
• Truck sits about 80' above the trail to this day                                             

We highly recommend this trail and a good camera! It is such a beautiful slot canyon to wander around in and explore. Please watch our YouTube video to experience the trail and the sighting of the truck! 

Thanks for wandering off with us!

Chris and Brandi                            

Hello all! As you know, we are new to the Tahoe area and we are out hiking as often as we can! We decided to head up to the East side of Lake Tahoe and hike down to Boater's Beach, then make our way over to Secret Cove eventually ending at Chimney Beach. We use a specific trail app that did not warn us about the "clothing optional" beaches. 

So lets get started shall we. We parked on the side of the road (NV-28) right above Secret Cove. There are several trailheads in this area that lead you down to the beaches but we wanted to do a loop and hit all three beaches in this area so we parked centrally. We took the trailhead down and to the South to Boater's Beach first. It was November so there were still some remnants of the early snow that we received earlier in the month. From what I understand, this beach is packed with boaters during the summer months. Today, however, there was one family on the beach enjoying their day. 

We then continued wandering North toward Secret Cove. As we came up to the South end of Secret Cove, I couldn't help but stand there and stare at the pure beauty of this cove. The water is crystal clear like the Florida Keys. You can see the boulders sticking up above the water greeting you with a beautiful welcome. There were only a few people in the cove at this time and we had not realized that any of them were naked. We stood there taking photos and videos of the cove overall, completely mesmerized by Tahoe's natural beauty! 

As we continued wandering up the trail headed North around the cove, Chris all of a sudden stops in his tracks and I literally ran into the back of him. When I asked what was wrong he said there was a naked man on the trail in front of us. So of course, what do I do? I took a peek. And yep... there was a naked man on the trail. So we just continued to look down at the cove until this guy made his way to where ever he was headed but what we didn't realize is that he was coming to talk to us. 

I forget his name. Not sure why.. its not like he was naked or anything. As he approached and started talking to us he started to put his pants on. Naive me, I asked the guy if he just did a polar plunge. The surface temp of Lake Tahoe is typically only 53 degrees. He politely smiled and said he comes up here often to swim freely. He continued on with an incredible personal story (not mine to tell) of why he does it and just how freeing it really is and at that moment, nothing else matters. He then proceeded to tell us that he checks the trail often for peeping toms and perverts with drones. I was still not picking up what he was putting down. As the confused look on my face grew, he then mentions the photos that we were taking and that this is a clothing optional area and apparently all of those beaches used to be. WOW. Was not expecting that! We apologized and explained that we had no idea being new to the area and that they really should put a sign at the South end of the cove where the trail overlooks the beach. We continued to chat with this guy for a few more minutes before continuing on our way around Secret Cove. Now we know where the name Secret Cove came from. 

On the North end of the cove there is a sign with a set of steps taking you down to the beach. Here, there is a sign that states "nudity is present" and "clothing optional". They need this sign on the South side! So being that we were just confronted by this guy, we decided to hit Secret Cove on our back from Chimney Beach hoping that the few people down there would be gone by then. So we wandered along the trail right next to Lake Tahoe and eventually made our way into the Chimney Beach area. 

There is a huge stone chimney on this beach, hence the namesake. Turns out, at the turn of the century, the Thunderbird Lodge was built down near this beach and the chimney is all that remains from the small 1920's caretaker's cabin. I included a photo of the cabin in our YouTube video. The lodge remnants are completely gone. So the story continues in the 1940's with the local casino showgirls frolicking topless at these beaches during the summer. The area then became public in the 1970s and in the 1980s TAN was created. TAN (Tahoe Area Naturists) was a group of people who noticed that everyone on the beach was naked except for the hats that they were all wearing. Still to this day, there is an honorary "Hat Day" annually on the third Sunday of August. From what I have researched, TAN also keeps the beaches clean and they work with the forestry service to keep the trails maintained. 

On this chilly November day, it is hard to imagine being naked on a beach but if I was to join in, this would be the spot! The natural beauty that surrounds Lake Tahoe is breathtaking! Someone or a group of people also decorated the chimney for the holidays. To sit back at that chimney and revel in the view that the caretaker had from his small cabin... if only this chimney could talk! 

We decided to hang out at Chimney Beach for over an hour waiting for the sun to set. Have you seen a Tahoe sunset in person? They are amazing! I thought Florida has the best sunsets that I have seen but Tahoe comes in at a close second! We have some amazing shots in our YouTube video. Please check out our channel and subscribe! 

Have you experienced a similar situation? Funny or not, at least the guy was very nice and cordial to us even though I am pretty sure he was making sure we were not taking photos of the nudists on the beach :-)

Our total hike was 4 miles exactly and the only elevation gain was going back up to the Jeep. We hope you enjoyed our wandered off experience. Please watch our video. The scenery is stunning!

Chris and Brandi 

We get asked this question often from friends who have RV's or who are looking into the RV lifestyle. We knew when we left Florida that we would be trading in our boat for an RV but we had no clue on where or how to start the research. A few months after Chris recovered from his brain hemorrhage, he obsessively talked about living in an RV full time and traveling the country. I, of course, thought he was crazy. But knowing our house in the Keys was on the market and we would be eventually headed west, we started to research as much as we could. My parents had a truck and camper when I was a kid but Chris did not have any camping experience except in a tent so we decided we should dive right in and head to the Hershey RV Show in Sept. 2019. We spent three full days looking at mostly fifth wheels (with the full time idea in mind). We looked at toy haulers, bunk houses, luxury larger fifth wheels and everything else in between. We literally looked at everything. We even wandered off and checked out Class As, Cs and tow behind trailers including Airstreams. 

We collected brochures from the RV's that we really loved. We took notes on our phones while talking to each manufacturer. We took a ton of photos and videos of our favorite RV's as well as features and upgrades that we really liked. Once we got home, we realized we were in information overload and extremely overwhelmed with all of it. We saw so much that we liked and wanted but did we really need it? We were not even sure what our budget was going to be once we sold the house and moved. We eventually also decided to buy another house so we were not going to be full time. So we decided to make a "must have" list to help narrow it down. 

What we did confirm is that a fifth wheel is what we wanted and we had it narrowed down to a couple of brands, Forest River being one of them. Here is our "must have" list: 

• King size bed
• Full size shower so Chris could fit (over 6' tall), no corner shower
• Bunk house
• Second bathroom
• Outdoor kitchen
• Self leveling
• Fiberglass exterior - all weather

So we ended up moving to Phoenix on a temporary basis while we further researched our permanent home location. We started looking in Phoenix and decided the market was not for us and started looking in the Reno/Tahoe area. We ended up buying a fixer upper that Chris could work on. So now we needed an RV to live in while he gutted the house and flipped it. We started visiting every RV dealer in the Reno area looking at inventory. At this point, we know what our budget is and we did not think that we could afford a fifth wheel anymore. But we needed something big enough for the two of us and my youngest daughter (who no longer lives with us) and two cats. 

Our search for the perfect RV (within our budget) officially started in February of 2020. We were holding out for an RV show in Reno in March hoping to buy at a discount. Well, as the pandemic started to become a thing, dealers started to close and the RV show was cancelled. We ended up at RV Country in Sparks, NV. The salesman had shown us tow behinds because that is what we asked to see not realizing we could afford a fifth wheel at this point in time. The tow behinds with our "must haves" were expensive. So then this salesman asked us if we were interested in a fifth wheel and we both said "can we afford one?". He took us over to the Crusader Lite. It checked off most boxes. It did not have a king bed or self leveling system and it is not all weather but it had everything else on our "must have" list. And because of the pandemic and everything shutting down, we got a huge discount on the fifth wheel and everything worked out for us in a weird "forced" kind of way. We are firm believers in everything happens for a reason!

We had traded in our F150 for a F350 prior to leaving Florida in preparation for towing some kind of RV so all we needed was the hitch which the dealer installed for us. Our Crusader Lite is 36' and is the 33BH. 

We had 50 amp power installed in the back of our house and hooked it up to power and water and lived in our fifth wheel stationary for three months while Chris flipped our house (we used the bathrooms in the house). Our plan was only two months but the pandemic delayed a lot of shipping of materials and trying to get sub contractors into the house was challenging as well. I work remote so I lived and worked in the fifth wheel for that three months and by the time we moved into the house, I did not want to. I was quite comfortable in the RV. 

It was quite the ordeal how we ended up with our Crusader Lite and definitely was not our first choice but we could afford it and after living in it for three months we absolutely love it and could not imagine having anything else. We had a great experience at RV Country and have not had any major issues with our RV (purchased in March and landed in our backyard April 1,2020). 

We spent one week moving into the house end of June and cleaning up the RV and packing it for our first actual road trip (6 weeks long). More to come on that in our next blog. 

If you would like to know more about our decision making process, research that we did, need some additional advice or think that we can help you in any way, please send us a message. We'd be more than happy to help! 

Thank you for wandering off with us! 

Chris and Brandi