Days #251-254 of Our Epic Trip

7-9-2024
H: 88°F L: 58°F
Thousand Trails Mount Vernon, Bow, Washington

We rested after our long day in Canada. Daniel set up drainage for our dishwasher and I made some food for the adventures we have planned tomorrow. Then we took the boys for a walk and continued training using the Gentle Leader and Halti head harnesses. This was the first time they walked for more than a few minutes without one of them trying to take the head harness off.

Daniel and Peter on a trail by Happy Vegan Campers

7-10-2024
H: 70°F L: 55°F
Thousand Trails Mount Vernon, Bow, Washington

We are spending the day on San Juan Island. We had to get up early to take the ferry over to Friday Harbor. It was a one hour ride to our destination. We stayed in the car with boys because we were sure how they would do on the ferry. By the end of the ferry ride both were asleep.

We started our exploration of the island by going to Fourth of July Beach. We had the beach mostly to ourselves which allowed us to let the boys off-leash. Peter had fun going in the water to check out the seaweed. I collected some rocks.

Next we visited the American Camp National Park where both the British and American military interacted on friendly terms including celebrating Fourth of July. According to the National Park Service, the British and Americans “in 1859 agreed to a joint occupation of San Juan Island until the water boundary between the two nations could be settled”. This standoff became known as the Pig War which was literally started over a pig and was ended when the US/Canadian boundary was determined by Kaiser Wilhelm I of Prussia. The story of the Pig War is pretty interesting.

We drove around the island and saw some beautiful views such as a freighter in the mist and a cool looking barn. We even saw a bald eagle.

Next we went to Roche Harbor, a small historic town and marina. We walked around the little village and then on the docks. It’s a very cute area with a lot of history. At one time they ran the whole area on generators which are still present. They also had very large lime kilns where they processed the lime from local quarries. We enjoyed walking through the small but beautiful garden near the marina. The Hotel de Haro was built in 1886, has one foot thick log walls, and was raised half an inch in 2013 for a concrete pad to be poured.

Our boat ride back was beautiful. There’s something fun about a ferry ride that makes me want to run among the cars and up and down the stairs like a little kid.


7-11-2024
H:76°F L: 53°F
Thousand Trails Mount Vernon, Bow, Washington

We went back to the cute town of Mount Vernon today and we saw a duck in a stroller. The white duck appeared completely chill taking in the sights of the town with his/her doting parents.

We also spoke with Ken, a witch and owner of In Good Spirits. He’s a neat guy who is following his passions. We encouraged him to consider switching to a whole food, plant-based diet for optimal health. We also asked about the best ways to cleanse any negative energy from our Tennessee property. He said land is very healing and our property is probably not holding onto anything negative from the previous owner.


7-12-2024
H: 78°F L: 50°F
Thousand Trails Mount Vernon, Bow, Washington

We had a relaxing day at the camper. Daniel worked on scheduling more campsites. We can schedule campsites 2-6 months in advance. Some campgrounds are so popular that they require Daniel to be ready to schedule at 8am on the dot. I’m so grateful Daniel handles all the logistics of our travels.


Stats

Expenses:

  • Tow vehicle fuel: $0
  • Campsite: $0
  • Camping memberships: $14.92
  • Food: $163.44

Miles driven: 136 (35.3 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0


Happy Vegan Campers

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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com

Days #247-250 of Our Epic Trip

7-5-2024
H: 80ºF L 52ºF
Thousand Trails Mount Vernon, Bow, Washington

We were up late last night so we just wanted to hang out and do stuff around the camper. It was nice to just enjoy the forest. We have been working with the boys on using a Halti head harness (or Gentle Leader for Marcel) so our walks will be more enjoyable. Peter doesn’t like it but is getting used to it quickly. Marcel bucks around like a wild dog or freezes. It will be worth the effort to help the boys feel comfortable with their head harnesses.


7-6-2024
H: 80°F L: 55°F
Thousand Trails Mount Vernon, Bow, Washington

We started our day with exploring Mount Vernon. We went to a farmers market and walked around downtown. We stopped at In Good Spirit and talked to a witch, Christina. She explained the difference between witchcraft and Wicca and told us about some of the things she has done as a witch. We love meeting people from all walks of life.

Mount Vernon Washington Farmers Market Happy Vegan Campers
Farmers Market at Mount Vernon

I had an eye exam today and picked out new glasses. I never thought I’d wear glasses full time but my eyes won’t tolerate contacts anymore. And… I need bifocals.


7-7-2-24
H: 84ºF L: 57ºF
Thousand Trails Mount Vernon, Bow, Washington

One thing we have come to notice about this area is that the people are not very friendly. There are actually terms for it: Seattle Stare and Seattle Freeze. As we have traveled and considered alternative options to our property in Tennessee, we have realized we have some criteria: a no income tax state, 20+ acres, great view, close to a big grocery store, forested area with big trees and, now, friendly people. You just can’t beat the friendliness of southern people. So as much as we love the evergreen forests blanketed with ferns and moss in Washington, Tennessee’s friendliness continues to make it our chosen state.


7-8-2024
H: 81ºF L: 59ºF
Thousand Trails Mount Vernon, Bow, Washington

We’re going to Canada today! We almost didn’t get through border security. Apparently only five states offer the enhanced IDs which allow you to cross the border in a car or boat and Tennessee is not one of them (we thought the REAL ID was the same thing). The Canadian border agent seemed a little exasperated, like she has had to explain this many times to Americans, but she finally let us through. Then we realized she may have pulled one over on us knowing we may not be able to get back into the US.

This area of Canada has a heat advisory today… it’s a high of 85°F. Those silly Canadians.

Our first stop was Queen Elizabeth Park where we walked through two botanical quarry gardens. The gardens and views from the park were wonderful.

Daniel and Kristin at Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver BC by Happy Vegan Campers

Next we went Granville Island and walked around. There were pricy shops and galleries and it was a very tourist-centric area. There were also marinas, one included houseboats which were cool to see.

Capilano Suspension Bridge was on our list but the tickets were $75 ($54.17 USD) each so we passed on that experience. The amount of people there was astounding. The frugal woman in me was cringing but the entrepreneur in me was wondering how much people would pay if we put a suspension bridge on our Tennessee property…

Next we stopped at Cypress Lookout. You can see Mt. Baker from the lookout.

Then we drove Squamish, BC and walked on the trail at the Squamish Spit & Estuary. It was so beautiful! We walked next to a big river amongst the evergreens and mountains. There were gorgeous wildflowers everywhere.

After a delicious buffet at Pizza Castle and Indian Curry (all vegan), we headed back to the US border. It’s never a good thing when the border agent rolls his eyes at you but we eventually made it back into the states and our cozy camper.


Stats

Expenses:

  • Tow vehicle fuel: $0
  • Campsite: $0
  • Camping memberships: $14.92
  • Food: $97.85

Miles driven: 314.8 (99.2 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0


Happy Vegan Campers

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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com

Days #242-246 of Our Epic Trip

6-30-2024
H: 74ºF L: 58ºF
Tall Chief Campground, Fall City, WA

We love our new campground! Big trees, lush vegetation, quiet… it’s perfect. It even rained last night – the quiet type of rain with sprinkles and occasional big drops falling off a tree. I’ve missed the drama-free northern rains. Storms in the southern- and middle-states were mostly over-the-top dramatic with high winds and tornadoes.

Happy Vegan Campers campsite at Tall Chief Campground in Fall City Washington
So peaceful

7-1-2024
H: 74ºF L: 58ºF
Tall Chief Campground, Fall City, WA

We ventured out to explore the area. We had passed by several cute towns on our way to the campground so we wanted to check them out. First stop was Snoqualmie Falls. It’s a big, beautiful water fall which has been used for hydroelectric power for over 100 years. We enjoyed views from the top and then hiked down to the river past the tubes for the power plant.

Next we went to two small towns – one right on the river and the other bordered by railroad tracks with old engines and other equipment on display.

One thing we have noticed about the area is how big the roses are. We found a rose “bush” that was at least 9 feet tall.

Snoqualmie Washington roses by Happy Vegan Campers
Very tall roses

7-2-2024
H: 69°F L: 51°F
Thousand Trails Mount Vernon, Bow, WA

We are traveling north to stay at a campground near Mount Vernon for two weeks. We have done a lot of traveling lately so we are excited to stay in one spot for a while. Our campsite is gorgeous – we angled the camper so we are looking toward the back at the forest.

We had Chocolate Dip tonight with apples we got yesterday. I got a Lemonade apple and Daniel got an Opal Sweet apple. Both are supposed to taste like lemon. We found they had a very mild taste but they did have a sweet lemony flavor.

Lemon flavored apples in Washington by Happy Vegan Campers

7-3-2024
H: 71ºF L: 49ºF
Thousand Trails Mount Vernon, Bow, WA

We hung out at our camper this morning and noticed a lot of people gawking at our campsite. Sometimes if we have enough space we like to park the camper so we have more privacy. Daniel put himself through medical school by driving a semi truck so he is really good at maneuvering the camper into just about any spot. I guess people can’t figure out how we got the camper into the position it’s in.

These beautiful flowers are all over!

Wildflowers in Washington by Happy Vegan Campers

7-4-2024
H: 76ºF L: 49ºF
Thousand Trails Mount Vernon, Bow, WA

Happy Fourth of July!! It’s also our wedding anniversary and Peter’s birthday/gotcha day! Peter was adopted in 2016 as a young adult so he is at least 9 -10 years old.

Today is a perfect 76°F, sunny (but our campsite is in the shade) and uber relaxing. We cooked food together and took the boys for a walk.

We ended the night with fireworks. We drove to Mount Vernon and there were so many big fireworks it was hard to know where to look.


Stats

Expenses:

  • Tow vehicle fuel: $0
  • Campsite: $22.26
  • Camping memberships: $18.65
  • Food: $76.31

Miles driven: 177.6 (90.5 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 3


Happy Vegan Campers

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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com

Days #239-241 of Our Epic Trip

6-27-2024
H: 80°F L: 61°F
Snake River RV Park, Huntington, Oregon

Today is a travel day! We are heading northwest into Oregon to stay for one night in Huntington.

We have been excited to see Hells Canyon but we thought it was about a 3.5 hour drive from where we are staying. Luckily, the owners of our campground, Cliff and Jeanette, told us that the beginning of the canyon is just outside of town! We drove on a small road, Snake River Rd., next to the river and saw beautiful vistas. There were lots of BLM boondocking areas on the road.

We highly recommend visiting Idaho and Snake River. It is a beautiful state and the river goes through gorges and canyons that offer spectacular sights. The river is also the border between Idaho and Oregon. Boise was clean and active. Add Idaho to your bucket list!


6-28-2024
H: 81°F L: 52°F
Wagontracks Campground RV & Storage, North Powder, Oregon

Daniel was invited to be an ambassador for American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) to work with medical schools. It is something he is really passionate about so we are excited that he has this opportunity.

We are traveling to North Powder, OR today for another one night stop. The campground owner, Steffi, was very warm and welcoming. She told us her family, the Ashwood’s, came to the area in 1879 on the Oregon Trail.

We also went to the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretative Center. We got into the museum for free since Daniel has an America the Beautiful Pass. The museum was in a cool building and had nice exhibits with information on what it was like for the Oregon Trail travelers although there was a significant amount of taxidermy. Within the park there are actual ruts of the Oregon Trail and we were excited to be able to stand on them.

While letting Marcel out it the middle of the night, I saw the Milky Way and a rainbow around the moon as a train passed by next to the campground. It was magical.


6-29-2024
H: 82°F L: 48°F
Tall Chief RV Campground, Fall City, Washington

We had a wonderful stay at Wagontracks Campground RV & Storage. Steffi, the owner, was so kind and friendly and we felt we experienced good ol’ customer service.

We are traveling into Washington today. We decided to make this a really long travel day so we got up early to hit the road. We did five charging stops and ten hours of driving. We passed by some really cute towns we plan on checking out during our stay in this area. It was a long day but we got to our next campground with plenty of time to set up and make dinner.


Stats

Expenses:

  • Tow vehicle fuel: $0
  • Campsite: $86.13
  • Camping memberships: $11.19
  • Food: $0

Miles driven: 674.2 (467.9 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2


Happy Vegan Campers

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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com

Days #235-238 of Our Epic Trip

6-23-2024
H: 100ºF L: 63ºF
Bruneau Dunes State Park, Bruneau, Idaho

We really needed a down day so we stayed in the camper all day. It was super hot today. We did work with an insurance agent, Shelli Dodson, at Sequatchie Valley Insurance LLC to get better rates on our car and camper insurance. And, wow, we got much better rates going with Erie Insurance. They only operate in mid- to south-eastern states but they have great reviews and are worth it if you are in their area of operation.


6-24-2024
H: 98°F L: 65°F
Bruneau Dunes State Park, Bruneau, Idaho

We decided to have a light but adventurous day. We found some things on Google map nearby that looked like they were worth checking out. We started by driving out to the middle of nowhere to the Bruneau Canyon Overlook. We drove miles of dirt roads and had a confused GPS but it was worth the effort to see this beautiful canyon with a roaring river.

Next we went to Shoofly Oolite, also out in the middle of nowhere on a dirt road. According to signs at the site: Oolite is sedimentary limestone composed of tiny ooids, which form when calcium carbonate precipitates in concentric layers around individual grains of sand. Wave action washed the oolites back and forth in the shallows of Lake Idaho. The Shoofly Oolite is one of the largest freshwater lakebed oolites known in the world.

It was really hot so we didn’t hike all the way up to the formations but we enjoyed our walk.


6-25-2024
H: 98°F L: 61°F
Bruneau Dunes State Park, Bruneau, Idaho

We stayed at camper most of the day. We recently got a steamer basket to go in our pressure cookers and we love it! It makes steaming veggies so quick and easy while preserving their nutritional value. Daniel said they are the best steamed veggies he’s ever had. I use the method recommended by Michael Greger, MD on nutritionfacts.org.


6-26-2024
H: 96°F L: 72°F
Bruneau Dunes State Park, Bruneau, Idaho

We drove to Boise, ID to do some exploring. We had a storm move past us over the valley while the sun was still shining. Everything had a golden hue.

We stopped at a potato hotel. Dolly the cow was the greeter. We found a treat dispenser full of sweet feed so she was eager to come see us and get her treat. The potato hotel traveled around the country before being retired in a field outside of Boise. It’s actually really cute on the inside. See pictures at the Airbnb listing.

Freak Alley Gallery was a cool and relatively clean alleyway full of graffiti art.

We stopped at High Note Cafe for a drink and nachos. We had heard that Boise is a great city and we agree. It was clean, vibrant, friendly, and very active for a Wednesday afternoon. Activity opportunities abound in and outside the city.


Stats

Expenses:

  • Tow vehicle fuel: $0
  • Campsite: $120.09
  • Camping memberships: $14.92
  • Food: $105.13

Miles driven: 281.9 (94.7 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0


Happy Vegan Campers

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com

Pressure Cooker Steamed Veggies (vegan, WFPB, oil free)

Happy Vegan Campers Pressure Cooker steamed veggies

We love veggies and we want to get the most nutritional value out of them as we can. So a recent posting on NutritionFacts.org had us rethinking how we consume some of our veggies. Cooking can destroy some nutrients but allow better bioavailability for other nutrients. The best method is cooking for the shortest time possible.

Equipment
  • Pressure cooker with 6 quart or 8 quart pot
  • Steamer basket safe for a pressure cooker
Ingredients
  • Choose as many veggies as you’d like. Our favorites steamed in the pressure cooker include: carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kale.
Directions
  1. Rinse veggies and cut into small to medium pieces depending on how dense the veggie is. For instance, I thinly slice carrots and chop potatoes into small pieces. I break broccoli and cauliflower into medium sized pieces. I rip kale into pieces which are bite-sized.
  2. Place all veggies into steamer basket.
  3. Pressure cook on high for 1-2 minutes.
  4. Do a quick release if you’d like the veggies to be slightly crispy. Wait 2-3 minutes to release pressure of you’d like your veggies to be softer.
Notes
  • If you do the quick release outside, it will prevent the hot steam from damaging your kitchen cabinets.

Based on Michael Greger, MD recommendations from NutritionFacts.org.

This post contains affiliate links which do not cost you anything but we may earn a small commission which may help offset the cost of this website.

Happy Vegan Campers

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com

Days #230-234 of Our Epic Trip

6-18-2024
H: 66°F L: 29°F
Holiday Hills RV Park, Coalville, Utah

We had a relaxing day at the camper. The weather was cool so it was nice to sit outside. We are leaving tomorrow so we did a ton of laundry and cooking.


6-19-2024
H: 77°F L: 40°F
The Hitching Post RV Park, Snowville, Utah

It’s a travel day! We are staying the night near the Utah border with Idaho. It was a great day to drive through Utah. Very sunny but not to hot. We had pretty views of the mountains from our campsite in Snowville, UT and enjoyed a full-ish moon.

We have some exciting news! We finally placed our order for the Tesla Cybertruck. Daniel got on “the list” for the Cybertruck in 2019. The truck has 11,000 lbs towing capacity so it will pull our camper with complete ease. We are going to keep the Tesla Model X too so we have a backup tow car and, since it has free supercharging, we will continue to use it for our adventure days of exploring.


6-20-2024
H: 92ºF L: 50ºF
Bruneau Dunes State Park, Bruneau, Idaho

It’s another travel day! We traveled northwest into Idaho. We stopped in Burley, ID which was one of our charging stops. We were helped by a friendly man, Matt, at the post office. He helped extend our mail forwarding.

We stopped at another supercharger in Twin Falls, ID and were just minding our business when we found something spectacular in the parking lot. It’s the Snake River Canyon and Perrine Bridge. The bridge is the only man made structure in the US which allows BASE jumping year-round without a permit. The bridge is 486 feet above the river. We saw two people getting ready to jump as we were leaving.

We are staying a week at the Bruneau Dunes State Park. There is an observatory here which we plan on visiting on Saturday.


6-21-2024
H: 95°F L: 58°F
Bruneau Dunes State Park, Bruneau, Idaho

We drove to Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve for a Full Moon Hike with a park ranger. We stopped in Twin Falls again to charge and we drove down into the canyon.

We watched the sun set on our way to Crater of the Moon. It was such a pretty drive and very sparsely populated.

Two thousand years ago, volcanoes erupted so violently that they tore themselves apart. The lava and parts of the volcano crater flowed to the area of the Craters of the Moon and eroded over the years. It was very pretty and the park is very well maintained. They have lava tube caves you can go in but we weren’t able to explore those because it was too dark.


6-22-2024
H: 102°F L: 59°F
Bruneau Dunes State Park, Bruneau, Idaho

It’s a hot one today but we did go for an early morning hike to the sand dunes. The Bruneau Dunes are the tallest freestanding dunes in North America.

We took a small adventure trip to see what cool things we may find. This part of the country has a lot of old signs which I have really enjoyed. We also stopped at an antique/consignment shop, The Calico Cupboard, in Glenns Ferry where the shopkeeper gave us a lot of suggestions on things to see and do.

In the evening we went to the Bruneau Dunes Observatory at our campground. We attended a nice presentation on space, stars, and the equipment at the observatory. We then went to view the night skies through a Planewave CDK 700 27” telescope and saw some nebulae. We also joined staff and volunteers outside who had some smaller telescopes set up to show us some of the star clusters mentioned in the presentation. My favorite is the ET cluster (NGC 457) in the constellation Cassiopeia. I also like the Fish Hook Asterism in the constellation Scorpius.

Happy Vegan Campers telescope at Bruneau Dunes State Park in Bruneau Idaho

Stats

Expenses:

  • Tow vehicle fuel: $0
  • Campsite: $167.80
  • Camping memberships: $18.65
  • Food: $9.89

Miles driven: 728.2 (319.8 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 1


Happy Vegan Campers

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com

Utah Campground Reviews

Utah is pretty and offers a lot of things to do.


Holiday Hills RV Park

Coalville, UT • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Full hookup

We stayed at this campground for 8 nights and paid $37.49 per night. It is right off the expressway but the road noise is not too bad. We were in site 30 which did not have any shade from trees. We recommend sites 22, 24, and 26 for shade and river views. There is a peninsula which you can access with a small foot bridge and we were happy to see them mowing the grass in this area during our stay. We would like to see a fenced in dog park on the peninsula. We did not use the bathhouse but our neighbors said it was in need of some work. (June 2024)

  • Great Salt Lake: Definitely worth a drive-by but we didn’t find any good areas to enjoy the lake without paying for state park entrance.
  • Echo Lake State Park: Reservoir and rail trail.

The Hitching Post RV Park

Snowville, UT • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Full hookup*

We stayed at this campground for one night. We paid $40.33. The campground was quiet and seemed well kept. The office is cute but there was no one there when we arrived. They do have a sign on how to self-register and pay using a drop box. We had been sent an email with our site number but when we arrived there was a boat parked in our site. We just chose another site. The hookups on our side of the campground were all in the front of the site – we could not connect our sewer hose without our camper hanging out into the road. We had to wait until morning to pull forward and dump. They have a dog park area but it is not fenced in. (June 2024)


Hog Canyon BLM Land

Kanab, UT • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Dry Camping

We stayed at this BLM area for 3 nights. Our site was right next to a river with views of cliffs. This area is part of an OHV Trail system so we watched multiple people take their vehicles across the river (and almost get stuck). This spot is close to town where you can get water at a gas station. (Apr 2025)

  • Best Friends Animal Sanctuary: This animal sanctuary is awesome! Take their free Grand Tour, eat a $5 vegan buffet at the Angel Village Cafe, and give lots of love to the animals.

Dave’s Hollow Dixie National Forest

Bryce Canyon City • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Boondocking

We stayed at this site for two nights. There are designated sites for you to choose from and they are all very nice. We chose site 16. We found free water at the transit station. 4 bars LTE with Verizon. (Apr 2025)

  • Bryce Canyon National Park

Fishlake National Forest

Torrey, UT • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Boondocking

We stayed at this site for two nights. Free EV charging was available close by at a bar. We got water from a gas station in town. It was quiet and peaceful although there was some traffic due to the ATV trails in the hills. (Apr 2025)

  • Capital Reef National Park: Stunning views and the Visitor Center has really well done displays on how the rock formations developed. We recommend driving down both canyons off the main road into the park.

Cotter Rd BLM

Moab, UT • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Boondocking

We stayed here for 6 nights. It is BLM land and very popular with the ATV crowd. We enjoyed seeing the trains go by our camper with radioactive waste from the uranium cleanup site near town. We got water from an Exxon in Moab. There are both Superchargers and free Level 2 chargers in town. We did not have good cell phone coverage (Verizon 1 bar LTE). (Apr-May 2025)

  • Arches National Park
  • Canyonland National Park

La Verkin Overlook Rd BLM

La Verkin, UT • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Boondocking

We stayed at this site for two nights. The area has several pullovers off the road and a bigger parking lot area that filled up in the evening. We had good cell phone coverage (Verizon 2 bars LTE). (May 2025)

Happy Vegan Campers

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com

Days #224-229 of Our Epic Trip

6-12-2024
H: 83°F L: 56°F
Holiday Hills RV Park, Coalville, Utah

Daniel has been working with a patient (for free, of course!) on improving health through whole food, plant-based eating. It has been very rewarding for him to help someone improve their health.

We drove into Salt Lake City to return the U-Haul and get a loaner Tesla. Daniel is having a lot of fun with the loaner because it’s a Model S Plaid – it’s very fast.

There is a fast moving river right next to our campground which we have enjoyed.


6-13-2024
H: 92°F L: 50°F
Holiday Hills RV Park, Coalville, Utah

We relaxed at the camper most of the day. Our power was flickering but Daniel found that our surge protector was faulty because it had gotten wet. So some relaxing, laundry, chili, and whole wheat bread took up most of the day. We did really relish sharing the shade and a drink with our neighbors, Max and Nancy. We talked about many topics and really enjoyed their company.


6-14-2024
H: 89ºF L: 59ºF
Holiday Hills RV Park, Coalville, Utah

We had leisurely coffee time this morning listening to the birds (there is a robin nest nearby) and looking at the hills and river.

Daniel picked up our car today. The repair involved changing out the 12 volt battery. Daniel put in a new 12 volt battery last October so we think this failure is related to the high-voltage battery failing two weeks ago.

We ended the evening by binge watching the rest of Bridgerton season 3 – definitely the best season yet. We can’t wait for season 4!


6-15-2024
H: 81°F L: 58°F
Holiday Hills RV Park, Coalville, Utah

It was a little cooler today so we took the boys for a walk on the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail. It was a pretty walk next to Echo Reservoir. Next we drove around and found the town of Echo and an old site of the Pony Express.


6-16-2024
H: 78°F L: 42°F
Holiday Hills RV Park, Coalville, Utah

We started our morning with coffee time outside and had a beautiful view of the mountains.

Happy Vegan Campers Holiday Hills RV Park Coalville Utah

After doing some laundry, the boys took Daniel and I for a Father’s Day walk. We found a new luxury golf course/residential area being developed. Supposedly, one of the putting greens will go over the side of a cliff. There are some other residents in the development which we conversed with but we just got one syllable responses, mostly “moo”.


6-17-2024
H: 80ºF L: 55ºF
Holiday Hills RV Park, Coalville, Utah

Peter had a vet appointment today for his annual vaccinations. He was afraid of the vet but the vet tech was super helpful. Marcel growled at everyone so he had to stay in the corner. He’s very protective of Peter and we refer to him as Peter’s guard dog.

Happy Vegan Campers dogs at vet in Salt Lake City Utah

Next, we drove around Salt Lake City and went to see the Great Salt Lake. Unfortunately, we didn’t find a place to stop and enjoy the lake for free. There was a state park but you had to pay an entrance fee to the park.


Stats

Expenses:

  • Tow vehicle fuel: $42 (U-Haul)
  • Campsite: $224.94
  • Camping memberships: $22.38
  • Food: $277.66

Miles driven: 536.4 (155.7 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2


Happy Vegan Campers

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com

Wyoming Campground Reviews

We did not spend much time in Wyoming so we don’t have many recommendations for activities in the areas we camped. We hope to return to Wyoming next year.


Terry Bison Ranch

Cheyenne, WY • ⭐️⭐️ • Full hookup

We stayed at this campground for one night. The sites are close together and you can hear road noise from the expressway. It was also extremely windy. We paid $32.77 for one night with our Passport America membership. They have many animals on the property and I have concerns about animal abuse. They have a very small pen filled with calves who looked sickly. I witnessed an ostrich pacing back and forth which generally indicates psychological distress. I think it’s sick to have children pet cows or any animal and then turn around and feed them those same animals at the on-site restaurant. (June 2024)


Elk Mountain RV Park

Elk Mountain, WY • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Full hookup

We stayed at this small campground for one night. The sites are small and may not fit a big rig. It was very quiet and we hardly saw any other campers. We loved hearing the nearby river. They have a fenced in area which we assumed was a dog park but it was not labeled as such. There was also what appeared to be a small junk yard on the edge of the campground. The cost was expensive at $50.89 for one night. (June 2024)


Point of Rocks Travel Center

Point of Rocks, WY • ⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Full hookup

We stayed here for one night. We were told on the phone a couple of months ago that the cost was $35 per night; however, when we arrived we were charged $40 with no explanation for the price difference. We loved hearing and seeing the many trains on the other side of the expressway. We also loved watching the prairie dogs. (June 2024)

  • Point of Rocks Stagecoach Station: Old stagecoach stop in Point of Rocks which operated from 1862-1868 until the railroad made it obsolete.

BLM Land

Rock Springs, WY • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Boondocking

We stayed here for one night for free. It was quiet and peaceful. The next morning we saw a camper van across the road and we had seen two RVs further down the main road. There are some ruts in the dirt two-track but nothing our Tesla couldn’t handle (see picture ). We had three bars for Verizon service. The biggest negative was all the broken glass on the ground. We picked up a lot of the glass but probably didn’t put much of a dent in the problem. We were worried our dogs would cut their paws. (June 2024)


Signal Mountain Campground

Moran, WY • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Electric only

We stayed for three nights at this campground and paid $58.28 per night. We stayed in site 34. There is access to Jackson Lake and beautiful mountain views from the campground. The sites are spaced far enough apart for some privacy. There is potable water and a dump station near the entrance. There is also a bathhouse and laundry. We enjoyed being right in the park and the major features of Grand Teton were within easy driving distance. We had good Verizon cell service (4 bars LTE). (Aug 2025)


Fishing Bridge RV Park

Yellowstone National Park, WY • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Full hookup

We stayed at this campground for three nights and paid $120 per night. We stayed in campsite E177 and booked our reservation 6 months in advance. This campground is run by a private company not the national park service. Campground was well maintained. There is a gas station, general store with mostly snack food, and an automotive repair shop near the entrance to the campground. We had 1-2 bars LTE Verizon cell service which worked well for us most of the time. (Aug 2025)


BLM Land

Red Gulch Scenic Byway, Shell, WY • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Boondocking

We stayed here for one night for free. We got water at a gas station in Greybull, WY and we charged our vehicles in Shell, WY. This BLM spot is in between these two small towns. We stayed in the parking/staging area for Red Gulch Byway but there are plenty of areas to boondock off of the byway which is a dirt road in good condition. There are also dinosaur tracks 5 miles down the road. The locals are friendly. We had one bar LTE with Verizon which provided intermittent cell service. (Aug 2025)

Happy Vegan Campers

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com