2024 Johnson annual RV trip!

[RiverDave]

And that wraps up last night!!! We left CDA at 11am..

We drove again through some of the most beautiful roads and country you could ever imagine.

This was one of the road work waits..

I’ll get Stacy to send me the pics and upload. Wait till ya see where we are at now??

 

[RiverDave]

Stacy’s pics from today.. some absolute awesome scenery on the 95! Not as good as the 200 coming down from Montana but breath taking.

 

[25Elmn8r]

x2! Amazing place. Is there a speed limit on this lake?

You may have done this place a disservice with this thread. It would have been better off not being shared on RDP or any other media outlet. I want to move there!

Dave and I had a conversation yesterday about why I don’t post more about the goings on here, and this is exactly why. I’ve said multiple times in different threads that just like Parker, Idaho is closed! And yes I know it’s hypocritical since we’re transplants as well. Only thing we ask is if you do come here, don’t try and change it to be like where you came from. Im speaking in general about anyone, not you specifically.

One thing to keep in mind is our boating season is pretty short. For example, first time we launched the boat this year was July 4th and the water was still pretty cold. The last couple weeks of ~100* weather really warmed it up. Other years we’re starting the season around memorial weekend.

 

[Sportin' Wood]

@RiverDave @RiverDiva Thank you for coming to visit, as we love hosting visitors. I want to recognize your commitment to your family and sharing this great nation every year with them and teaching them there is a whole big world out there. We did this with our kids and they adopted that sense of adventure to find the joy in travel. I think it is also valuable to share with them the different ways people live and that simple things like enjoying a view can provide value. Trust me your kids are making lasting memories of time shared with you.

@25Elmn8r I agree, please don't try and make the places you move like the place you left. We have very limited summer days, they hold a lot of value for us. We started Smoke season, so those amazing views are now clouded in Montana.

The Johnson's timed the trip perfectly.
It was nice to provide Beers to Dave for a change, We've been drinking his at events for years. Came back soon.

 

[angiebaby]

I'm so glad you guys got to go through McCall! Now when you read my book you'll have been there

Hwy 95 is one of my favorite drives. When we lived in Reno, that was the route we took to get to my parents' in Spirit Lake. Now we take Hwy 93 from Vegas to home as we are 3 miles off of 93. Every time we pull through the I-15/US-93 interchange I know I'm on the road that will take me home. I guess the 95 is the same for you guys. If you stay on that road and head south, you'll end up at home Kind of a nice feeling. They are both beautiful drives with lots of small towns. The 93 route is only 20 minutes longer than taking the interstate up for us. And we get to see real America.

 

[RCDave2]

There is a great rv park in mccall!

 

[mooseknuckles]

Departing McCall… Donnelly for Ragazza Di Bufalo

Not sure of your intended route… Stanley, the Sawtooths and Sun Valley…

Yankee Fork Gold Dredge

Redfish Lake has camping and boat rentals

 

[RiverDave]

Departing McCall… Donnelly for Ragazza Di Bufalo

Not sure of your intended route… Stanley, the Sawtooths and Sun Valley…

Yankee Fork Gold Dredge
View attachment 1407801

Redfish Lake has camping and boat rentals
View attachment 1407800

We are in Donnelly now!

 

[RiverDave]

So we are on our way south and looking for campgrounds and wait a minute.. Don’t Mike and Kandi live down here somewhere? (On a previous RV trip we were supposed to stop in but didn’t make it).

So welcome to Kramerica! Mike and Kandi live in their RV full time and spend half the year here and the other half in the RV community over by the airport in Lake Havasu..

They have a “bunkhouse” with laundry and bathroom etc.. and they have a shed that is a full fledged outdoor kitchen!

They also have Rv hookups all over their property. So they have people pass through on occasions, us being the latest!

 

[RiverDave]

It started raining pretty good last night.. but let it be known this team does not call the game due to rain.

 

[RiverDave]

Moved the party inside the Ikon.. I spy with my little eye “rdp”.

 

[RiverDave]

So I met a long long time ago when he bought this infamous Dana from at the time a guy named Tom that owned Dana boats.

 

[RiverDave]

That saga continued into the OCM Tim deal.. interesting side note Mike is one of two people that got a conviction on Tim.

One of the two things that actual thing that put Tim away was a conviction on a 4500.00 wrap that wasn’t installed and the judge gave him the max sentence of four years..

Anyhow moving on Mike aka @pieyed ended up with that Hallett 290 with the twin outboards.. since then upgraded to a 42 mystic that you will often see in Lake Havasu moored over by the bridge.

 

[RiverDave]

He recently acquired this boat which will be our weapon of choice for lake Cascade today!

 

[RiverDave]

@RiverDave @RiverDiva Thank you for coming to visit, as we love hosting visitors. I want to recognize your commitment to your family and sharing this great nation every year with them and teaching them there is a whole big world out there. We did this with our kids and they adopted that sense of adventure to find the joy in travel. I think it is also valuable to share with them the different ways people live and that simple things like enjoying a view can provide value. Trust me your kids are making lasting memories of time shared with you.

@25Elmn8r I agree, please don't try and make the places you move like the place you left. We have very limited summer days, they hold a lot of value for us. We started Smoke season, so those amazing views are now clouded in Montana.

The Johnson's timed the trip perfectly.
It was nice to provide Beers to Dave for a change, We've been drinking his at events for years. Came back soon.

We love it, and honestly it’s Stacy once a year thing that we are doing come hell or high water..

I don’t know why my old man never embraced RV life.. we rented one once and went to Yosemite and that was it.. lol.

We appreciate Paul’s and you and Angie’s hospitality!! This is our first Rv trip where we actively hooked up with rdp members at certain spots. Really changed the dynamic of the trip!

 

[RiverDave]

Dave and I had a conversation yesterday about why I don’t post more about the goings on here, and this is exactly why. I’ve said multiple times in different threads that just like Parker, Idaho is closed! And yes I know it’s hypocritical since we’re transplants as well. Only thing we ask is if you do come here, don’t try and change it to be like where you came from. Im speaking in general about anyone, not you specifically.

One thing to keep in mind is our boating season is pretty short. For example, first time we launched the boat this year was July 4th and the water was still pretty cold. The last couple weeks of ~100* weather really warmed it up. Other years we’re starting the season around memorial weekend.

Later tonight I am gonna spend a minute and type out what I learned with regard to Montana and Idaho and the locals vs the outsiders and culture etc..

Pretty wild! Lol

RD

 

[RiverDave]

But first breakfast and a bike ride to the lake..

RD

 

[RCDave2]

We pass thru riggins, mccall, and Donnelly all the time!

 

[RiverDave]

We pass thru riggins, mccall, and Donnelly all the time!

McCall is crazy money..

 

[rivrrts429]

Might have to put a mirror in front of that dogs mouth to confirm it’s still alive

The Dog is having a great time apparently lol

 

[RiverDave]

Shore lodge in McCall.. pretty cool spot!

 

[NicPaus]

McCall is crazy money..

Friend has a place there. I looked up the drive 13 hours. Then She mentioned They have there own plane to fly back and forth in. I need to make the trip one of these days.

 

[angiebaby]

Departing McCall… Donnelly for Ragazza Di Bufalo

Not sure of your intended route… Stanley, the Sawtooths and Sun Valley…

Yankee Fork Gold Dredge
View attachment 1407801

Redfish Lake has camping and boat rentals
View attachment 1407800

That drive from Cascade to Stanley in a Moho towing? Nope. Not me.

 

[RiverDave]

Friend has a place there. I looked up the drive 13 hours. Then She mentioned They have there own plane to fly back and forth in. I need to make the trip one of these days.

We were going to take the rdp jet but the kids wanted to bring their bikes and scooters.. lol

 

[RiverDave]

 

[RiverDave]

Dinner time!!

 

[NicPaus]

We were going to take the rdp jet but the kids wanted to bring their bikes and scooters.. lol

Kids always come first

 

[callbob]

Damn I was trying to figure out where to go after my wife passed away and now? Looks beautiful there but I don’t have the connections Dave has, or the money lol. Great trip and maybe someday before the reaper comes calling. Great pics and great time Dave. Enjoy it and the family while you can.

 

[mash on it]

@RiverDave and @RiverDiva .

Epic trip. Enjoying the pics.

That's all I got.

Dan'l

 

[angiebaby]

Damn I was trying to figure out where to go after my wife passed away and now? Looks beautiful there but I don’t have the connections Dave has, or the money lol. Great trip and maybe someday before the reaper comes calling. Great pics and great time Dave. Enjoy it and the family while you can.

Go everywhere, Bob! It’s a beautiful country with amazing people. Just try to stay off the interstate as much as possible. And read “Travels with Charley” before you go if you haven’t already

 

[callbob]

This is Charley my jeep and Moho dog..but I will try and read the book, thanks

 

[RiverDave]

This is Charley my jeep and Moho dog..but I will try and read the book, thanks View attachment 1408335

If you goto national parks download “just ahead” it’s totally worth it!

And I agree with Angie! Travel everywhere you can!

 

[RiverDave]

Our trip Is coming to an end and we have 800’ish miles to run home so the rest of it is mostly going to be running and gunning to get home..

We didn’t get out in the wooden boat yesterday because the wind was up in the morning.. we went to the lodge and had a huge lunch which resulted in food coma.. it was incredibly nice just having a lazy day around camp because we have Been running on the rev limiter for 3 weeks.

RD

 

[TeamGreene]

Our trip Is coming to an end and we have 800’ish miles to run home so the rest of it is mostly going to be running and gunning to get home..

We didn’t get out in the wooden boat yesterday because the wind was up in the morning.. we went to the lodge and had a huge lunch which resulted in food coma.. it was incredibly nice just having a lazy day around camp because we have Been running on the rev limiter for 3 weeks.

RD

Thanks for taking us along! Safe travels back to the oven that is LH.

 

[cofooter]

Looks like a great trip, would love to explore that area myself!

 

[Shane54]

We were going to take the rdp jet but the kids wanted to bring their bikes and scooters.. lol

Is the waiting list to borrow the RDP jet on the backside of the RDP trailer waiting list?

 

[DarkJuJu]

Hayden lake is where the ballers lived when I was a kid (mid 80s).

 

[RiverDave]

Is the waiting list to borrow the RDP jet on the backside of the RDP trailer waiting list?

We got plenty on here ready to charter if ya want to pay the bill. Lol

RD

 

[RiverDave]

Had an awesome lunch at gramma’s restaurant in cascade.. Rv parking across the street..

Drove through some beautiful scenery!! Wish I could have got pics. We are in Boise now hauling ass south.

 

[poncho]

Your friends have a beautiful spot with the small buildings, RV park/hookup etc.....Quite jealous

 

[Singleton]

Thanks for taking us along.
Picking out stops to add to our 25 trip.

Have you tried OpenRoaDS for diesel discounts?

 

[Havasu blue label]

Great vacation

 

[Willie B]

… Excellent indeed… And thank you …Sure wish I could still travel…

 

[RiverDave]

Thanks for taking us along.
Picking out stops to add to our 25 trip.

Have you tried OpenRoaDS for diesel discounts?

Never heard of it

 

[Singleton]

Never heard of it

I used it to fill up, before my RV broke. New Power Distribution Module is being ordered and I should be back to burning fuel in TBD.

OpenRoads saves you .25 to .40 a gallon. You just have to use certain fueling stations.

Open Roads

Open Roads is a fuel discount program open to anyone who purchases diesel fuel, whether it be a diesel pickup truck, RV, or a semi-truck.

myopenroads.com

 

[RiverDave]

So I have kept this thread in order for the most part as the trip progressed.. at the end I’ll post some stuff I either forgot or couldn’t upload due to internet constraints.

Big thanks to Mike and Kandi for letting us crash their compound for a couple of days of relaxing!

After dinner we took a golf cart ride down to the two beaches near their house and the launch ramp.

What an incredibly cool spot they have with a lake that close! Next time we gotta take the wood boat out!

If you are going to book a spot at Kramerica I would suggest booking in advance or bringing a top shelf alcohol to the reservation office (outdoor kitchen) for a better chance of formal tours and boat rides.

Amenities include - outdoor kitchen, full bar, bunkhouse with 1st class bathroom and laundry and above ground heated spa.

Hookups consist of 50 amp and water / sewer! Deer are regularly spotted in the surrounding areas, and wild horses with a surrounding yellow badge can be seen inside the park.

To become a member you must love fast boats, fast cars, and river lifestyle. If you are wound tight, regimented, and not down for whatever whenever this is not the place for you.

5 stars highly recommend!

 

[RiverDave]

Leaving Mike and Kandi’s

 

[RiverDave]

Crossing rainbow bridge.. it’s a little narrow. Mike says “it always seems whatever size rig you are driving is the same size coming the other way”. lol. We got lucky I guess no semi’s it would be a tight squeeze for sure.

 

[RiverDave]

Mike aka @pieyed told is to take a small detour off the freeway and check out this town.. it only ads like ten minutes.. at first I was thinking why? Then we ran up on the 1,000 waterfalls that are hot springs that drop into the river! Couple of small towns that are easy for fuel up’s and grab beer and ice for upcoming stop!

Was completely worth it!

 

[RiverDave]