Back in Florida

After a week of intensive gardening and cleaning in Georgia, we headed down to deal with our boat and house in Florida.  We have been away from both the Georgia and Florida houses for over six months, so lots of deferred maintenance waited for us both places.  The boat battery was totally dead, so our first stop today was at West Marine to get a replacement battery.

It is so much easier when we have a full time gardener to take care of the yard work.  The things we had to do at the Florida house were all inside.  Dust, a few spiders, a little bit of mildew, and we were really thinking about listing the house on vrbo.com.

We couldn't get the dishwasher working, so we went to Home Depot and got a new one - when it is delivered next Tuesday, the house should be ready to list.

I was able to get the TV's working and my mobile hot spot works really well.  The only thing we can't offer on the rental is internet service.  Hopefully that won't be too big a problem. 

We have been swimming laps every afternoon in the community pool.  The weather is perfect 85 during the day and 60ish at night.  Off for a boat trip tomorrow!

Conclusions from our VRBO trip

We have been toying with the idea of listing our Georgia house on the Vacation Rental By Owner site.  One of the goals of our trip across the country using vrbo rentals for our stays was to assess the program and see how our home stacked up against the homes we rented.  


Some conclusions of our trip.  All of the places we stayed were nice - very clean and a wonderful alternative to hotels.  Some differences:

1. They were all quiet - off the freeway far enough to allow for quiet nights.
2. They were all immaculately clean.  While most hotels are cleaned daily, they aren't cleaned with the same care as an owner gives.
3. Nearly all of the places we stayed had refrigeration.  This was great for us as it allowed us to pack a cooler full of perishables and get it from one point to another still frozen.
4. Most of the vrbo places we stayed had full kitchens which would allow less lazy people than us to prepare their own food.
5. It was really nice to have lots of room to spread out in the evenings like we do at home.  
6. Most of the places we stayed had washer and dryers available.
7. Three of the five places we stayed had plenty of room for another couple where both would have the privacy of their own room.
8. We saw some of the country we have never seen in spite of a dozen or more trips across the U.S.A.
9. The bed expense was about twice what it would be using a hotel for a couple of reasons - many required a minimum 2 night stay; many required a deposit (while we have gotten all of them back, it still was an up front expense.) Many tacked on a cleaning fee of around $100.  For a one night or two night stay, that adds considerably to the total cost.  The vrbo program is more suited to week-long getaways where that fee can be spread over several days.
10. It was hard to find vrbo rentals for one couple.  Many vrbo rentals sleep 10 or more, so the cost for one couple is high.  
11. Using vrbo for waypoint stops is a bit expensive, but to us, worth the extra expense.  We traveled for nearly two full weeks and arrived in Georgia rested with our laundry neatly folded and ready to put away.  It forced us to stay with a plan and not start bolting for the barn after two days on the road.

Last VRBO stop on our trip south

We took a break from VRBO rentals for the past few days as we stayed with Ron's brother in Iowa when we joined the gathering of the Crawford clan.  Ron hadn't been together with his sister and two brothers for ages, so it was a great time to catch up on everyone's family.  


Today, we left Iowa early for the last leg of our VRBO journey.  After an uneventful trip through Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee, we arrived at Ashland City, TN.  This charming little town sits on the Cumberland River about 20 miles northwest of Nashville.

This is the view from the restaurant we found about 3 miles from the VRBO rental.  We sat on the outdoor deck and enjoyed some good southern cooking while we watched the boats cruising up the river.

The house is in a rural location, one of many that sit along canals to the river.  The road is paved, but we would never have found it without the GPS as there is a maze of roads, most of which have Riverside in part of their name.

A small canal sits behind the house.

Spacious kitchen with full size appliances, and a gas fireplace.

The master bedroom is on one end of the house, with its own attached full bath.

2nd bath is just outside the door of the 2nd bedroom on the other end of the house, so it would be ideal for two couples to share.

Canal-side Cottage Near Nashville

We have been pleasantly surprised by the VRBO rentals all the way across the country.  All have been clean, off the beaten path, but close to the interstates, and nicely appointed. 

Moving Eastward, ever Eastward

The locals at the dining room at Saratoga Hot Springs Resort and Spa where we had breakfast suggested that instead of heading back to I-80 (about a 20 mile backtrack) we should take WY 130 up into the mountains and a shortcut to Rawlins. 
"There are a lot of moose to be seen up there," The promised.  That was enough to sell me, and when they said we would save 35 miles and that it was good pavement the entire way, Ron was sold too.  Since we hate to backtrack, we took their advice.

Even if the trip had been 40 miles further, it would have been worth taking.  As we headed up to the top of the mountain, we reached nearly 11,000 feet.  

Every mile was scenic - from the area around Saratoga where the Aspen leaves were a brilliant yellow to the mountain lakes at the top, to the miles of antelope herds as we came down the other side.

Back on I-80 after Rawlins and into Nebraska, where we saw miles and miles of corn and soy beans.

By the time we took several secondary roads to our next stop, and finally ended up on a sand road as we left Sargent, NE, we were beginning to wonder if there really was a lodge way out here.  The directions we had from Roxanne, the owner were good, and we came to the entry to the Comstock Lodge exactly where she said it would be much to our surprise.

Overlooking vast areas of farmland, woods, rolling hills, it is the perfect place to watch for game.  The lodge is primarily a hunting lodge, but Mitch and Roxanne, the charming owners, open the lodge to overnight guests for bed and breakfast stays.

From the massive entry throughout the three levels, the entire lodge is decorated with animal skins, mounted heads, and lovely hand-crafted wooden furniture.  

Decks around the lodge on all levels allow for peaceful sitting and reading while watching for game to pass by.  The property is huge, and populated with many species of elk, deer, and sheep.

Tonight I hear coyotes calling each other as I settle down for the evening.

VRBO listing link to Comstock Lodge

Saratoga, Wyoming

We love hot springs!  So when we are traveling, we always try to include at least one hot spring stop.  On our trip across the U.S.A. this fall, we have been fortunate enough to have two such stops.  The first we enjoyed while we were staying at a VRBO loft in Missoula (171639)


Tonight, we are at Saratoga WY at the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort and Spa.  (370861).  We have stopped at Saratoga Hot Springs hobo pool several times.  It is about 20 miles off I-80 and well worth the slight detour.  The hobo pool was donated to the town of Saratoga with the proviso that no fee ever be charged to people using the pool.  Located on the banks of the North Platte River, the pool is very hot - last time we stopped, we couldn't even get in the pool.  There were a few hardy souls who were lobster red anywhere the water had touched their bodies.  We did find a place in the river where the hot water flows from the pools that was comfortably warm, so it wasn't a wasted trip.  


This year, Saratoga fell on a spot where we wanted to stop for the night, so I clicked on the Wyoming map on VRBO.com, and found this resort listed.  We planned to stay two days, but the second day was booked solid, so we settled for one day.

This place is absolutely beautiful.  The main pool is about 95 degrees, with the teepees in the background each over a smaller pool. The smaller pools average 105 degrees.

The room is modest, but there are so many interesting lounge areas and places to spread out that even with a fully booked resort, we never felt crowded.

The entire resort is western themed, with some very interesting furniture, lamps, shelves, and even coat racks.  There are at least 4 different rooms with huge stone fireplaces and comfortable lounge chairs.

Chess anyone?  This cowboy and Indian chess set has huge hand- carved pieces.

We can recommend all of the VRBO.com places we have stayed so far:

McCall Idaho - Listing 149397

Missoula, MT - Listing 171639

Idaho Falls, ID- Listing 304070

Saratoga, WY - Listing 370861

To access any VRBO listing, go to VRBO.com 

Idaho Falls

Our poor little car is really looking piggy.  We are going to try to find a car wash tomorrow!  It is definitely still bug season everywhere we have been traveling.  Today our journey took us another 400 miles to Idaho Falls, ID where we had a condo reserved.

The scenery was mostly open prairie, with lots of antelope along the edges.  

We did pass Clark Reservoir about midway through the prairie.

Then we came to Idaho Falls, a really pretty town that mixes historical with progressive new buildings and old statues 

with new sculptures in roundabouts.

The white building in the background is the Mormon Temple.

One of the many benches in the riverfront park in Idaho Falls.

Our condo is a single story triplex, with a full kitchen, dining room, 

living room, 

three bedrooms, a laundry room, and a jacuzzi on the patio.  Nicely located on the edge of town where it is quiet, but close to everything.

Three or four couples could be very comfortable here!  This VRBO thing is really working well!

Lolling at Lolo

With a whole day to spend in Missoula, we first walked to the park outside the door of our condo building.

This is a very historic area as Lewis and Clark came through on their exploration of the western half of the country.

They were confused about which river they were following and ended up naming it several times.

Interpretive signs throughout the park by the river tell the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

After an excellent cup of espresso and a yummy orange crescent scone at Cafe Dolce we headed south from Missoula to Lolo Hot Springs.

Water in the main pool is around 85 degrees, which felt warm and nice even with the morning air temp at 58 degrees.  Inside the building in the hot pool, we checked the thermometer to find a temp of 105 degrees.

Perfect for lounging!

The lodge at Lolo - there are also cabins and campgrounds for both RV's and tents.  The hot spring is about 35 miles outside Missoula on Hwy 12.

Back in Missoula for the afternoon.

On To Missoula

Our adventure with our VRBO.com trip across the country began in earnest today.  After two days with family in Tonasket, WA, we headed to our first vrbo booking - a condo in downtown Missoula.






The clouds began to roll in on Sunday night, and Monday started out with clouds.  However, most of our drive across Washington, Idaho and into Montana today was sunny and warm.


There are many options for a route from Tonasket to Missoula.  Our GPS has one opinion, we had another.  After a futile attempt to turn us around and get us to I-90 asap, it finally gave up and started figuring out turns to Republic.

The drive is scenic whether we chose the highest mountain pass in the state (Sherman Pass - Highway 20) or took Highway 21to the Keller Ferry where we could connect to Highway 2.  We chose Highway 21, which really bothered Ms. GPS.  She tried for the entire drive from Republic to Keller to turn us around.  

Highway 21 is lightly traveled so we saw wild turkeys on the road, deer right next to the road, and beautiful views of the river for the entire trip.
By 9 a.m., we were at the ferry dock, where we could see the ferry on the other side of the lake.

On the other side, the GPS finally sorted out where we were and shaved 60 miles off our estimated route to Missoula.

Lake Roosevelt that we had just crossed on the free ferry in the distance.  We gained about 2000 feet in elevation as we drove the winding road from the lake to Wilbur, on Highway 2.

On I-90 out of Spokane, the views of Lake Couer d'Alene stayed with us for many miles.  Then we came to the Clark Fork river and crossed it at least a dozen times as it winds along between Idaho and Missoula.

We arrived at our condo for the next two days around 4 p.m.  Ross, the owner, met us and gave us a tour and all the keys we needed.  The condo is on the top floor of the Wilma Theater building and overlooks the Clark Fork river and park.  

There is an elevator as well as stairs to the 8th floor.  We took the elevator.
The condo is tiny - 400 square feet - but is clean and nicely equipped.  Since it is in the middle of the historic district, many shops and restaurants are within walking distance.

The view from the condo windows is really fantastic.  Wireless internet, full cable TV, and a small washer/dryer all make it very convenient.