Second Quarter Report

Miles Traveled this Quarter: 7,032

Gas Expense: $1,571.22

Route Traveled:

Overnight Type

Key Findings

The Betties put a lot of miles in the rearview mirror this quarter. We have also seen a whole lot of desert and dust. Traveling through the high desert canyon lands has imprinted indelible memories of big and ever-changing views. Our desert time lasted from May 6 to June 12. Due to the wet spring, there were lots of flowers in bloom! Many days we looked out across vast stretches of bright colors against scraggly rock and blue sky.

You didn’t ask for it, but here is the entire Desert Flower series. You can skip ahead if you want, this will not be on the test:

The Betties also leaned in to our country’s national parks and monuments, visiting nine in this quarter: Oregon Dunes Nat’l Rec Area; Joshua Tree Nat’l Park, Navajo National Monument, Canyonlands NP, Arches NP, Colorado Monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef.

From the graph above, you’ll see that housesitting was still an important facet of our travels, keeping consistent with QTR 1. This time, however, the sitting was only done in two places: Monte Rio CA (31 animals!) and Milwaukie OR. The Milwaukie sit will be the Betties longest: 5 weeks in Portland. Since the quarter ended while we were still on our house-sit, we will provide full details of this adventure on a separate report. We are pleased to report overall favorable feedback on our housesitting efforts, including five-star reviews on our online profiles, and an early request to return to Monte Rio for three weeks next August! (We need to meet with the Board of Directors before committing to activities in the next fiscal year, but it’s nice to be asked!)

The Betties kept this show on the road with support through Kayla’s part-time job. Remote work presents opportunities for unique working locations. Kayla took meetings and conducted interviews inside the car (but NOT while it was in motion), including for three hours one morning sitting in the cell phone waiting area of an airport (good cell signal there!); sitting on a stone wall outside of a public library; from inside the Bettie Mobile; and some terrific outdoor locations (see below).

Other Highlights

Spending time with some fantastic people!

Scenic drives: OR/CA coastline; Hwy 211 to enter east side of Canyonlands; Hwy 128 east from Moab along the CO River; Hwy 133 from Carbondale CO to Redstone CO; the drive from Grand Junction CO to Kenyon’s ranch; UT Hwy 170 from Torrey to Escalante (over Boulder Mtn at 9,100 ft); Capitol Gorge in Capitol Reef; Territorial Hwy between Sutherlin OR and Corvallis.

Long drives through vast stretches of nothing (a different kind of scenic!): Joshua Tree CA to Prescott AZ; Flagstaff AZ to Cortez CO; Across NV (Hwy 50, The Loneliest Road) 

Best campgrounds: Sue-Meg State Park near Acadia CA; Joshua Tree Lake RV Park; Navajo National Monument (free, first-come-first-serve campground); Highline State Park near Fruita CO; Sand Creek RV Park in Torrey UT; Land County Park on Fern Ridge Lake near Eugene OR.

Most unusual campsites: parking lot campground in Winchester Bay (near Oregon Dunes); Staying in Kenyon’s yurt 

Great hikes: Slickrock Trail in Canyonlands; Escalante River Trail to the Natural Bridge plus Devil’s Garden in Grand Staircase; Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden in Bryce Canyon; Cassidy Arch Trail in Capitol Reef

Favorite Diversions

Exploring whatever area we’re in, but top favorites were Monte Rio CA (west of Santa Rosa, near the Russian River, 12 miles from the Pacific coast), west-central CO (Palisade, Fruita, Grand Junction, and Kenyon’s 110,000-acre ranch), Escalante UT, Corvallis OR, and Portland. 

Learning about CO artist Frank Mechau and the history of Redstone.  

Fort Desolation Festival! The music of Pixie & the Partygrass Boys, Parker Milsap, Madison Cunningham, Shakey Graves, and Jamestown Revival. Plus THAT CORNDOG.

Hopping on the McMenamin’s Passport train and the quest for stamps. There are 118 total stamps (spread across 59 locations) – we’ve gotten 55 stamps so far this quarter!

Biking around Corvallis and Portland.

Celebrating a great day with a delicious beverage in a beautiful place.

Closing Thoughts

We hope you’ve enjoyed this highlight reel of the last three months. Our projections for the next quarter place a heavier emphasis on Midwest adventures, where we anticipate an increase in time with friends/family and a decrease in housesitting. We are truly grateful for your interest and support, and we look forward to providing continued (and more timely!) updates as our journey continues.

Sincerely yours, with love from: The Jet Set Betties!