Aug 11th to 18th - Washington state

Aug 11th - Sat - Spokane
We had a lazy morning at Skip & Kathy’s and then went to Ella Mae & Don’s to pick them up for a trip to Fort Spokane. It is only about a 70 mile drive so we were set up in the RV park at the Two Rivers casino/RV park/marina complex before dinner. After dinner we had to check out the casino and did not get back to the rig until midnight.

Aug 12th - Sun - Fort Spokane
Breakfast, casino and a sightseeing trip around the area after lunch back at the rig. Another visit to the casino convinced us all that we did not like this casino much. The slot machines take paper money or coins but pay out (less than $100) in coins. It is pain playing the coins or always cashing them in at the cashier.
I ended up a little ahead - made up Terry’s loses.

Aug 13th - Mon - back to Spokane
We left early and stopped at the Northern Quest casino in Airway Heights on the way back to Spokane. Played a couple of hours and then had lunch at the buffet. With the points on our player club cards, it cost Terry & I $3.10 for a good lunch. Played a while longer and then continued back to Ella Mae & Don’s. We parked at the curb and just slept in the 5th wheel without putting any slides out.

Aug 14th - Tues - to Ocean Shores, WA
Good friends Bill & Georgia (from Spokane) are staying in a state campground near Ocean Shores so we decided to join them for a couple of days. I did a load of laundry at Ella Mae’s before leaving so we left about 9:30 and expected to arrive about 4:30. Like many good plans, this one did not work.
Between Ellensburg and Cle Elem (on I90) we blew a tire on the 5th wheel. As we pulled to the shoulder to have a look, we saw a sign saying “Rest Area 1 Mile”. The blown tire was shredded so we limped to the rest area hoping that the remaining tire on that side would hold up as it had a 3 inch cut on the side wall. We changed to the spare and slowly drove to Cle Elem where we could not get Goodyear tires. Back to Ellensburg (23 miles) where we still could not get Goodyear tires so we settled for 2 tires from Les Shwab. They fit us in fairly quickly and we were back on the road with an estimated arrival time (Wanda) of 7:20.
Bill & Georgia had secured a site for us at the RV park and met us with a couple of Scotches! Barb & Larry from Monroe (our Alaska traveling friends) have a lot at Ocean Shores that they had offered to us for camping if we were in the area. Barb had emailed a permission slip so we went to the local McDonalds and paid for internet access to receive the slip. We then had the address of the lot and spent some time looking for the address in the dark but did not find it. Ask Bill how he likes HIS GPS system!

Aug 15th - Wed - Ocean Shores, WA
Found the lot this morning and determined how we could most easily park. Returned to the state campground, packed up and moved. Bill & Georgia had met a couple in the campground that they knew (Chuck & Cherie) so we invited them to join us for dinner. By the time that we picked up some firewood, hit the grocery store and unsuccessfully tried to fill propane bottles, it was time for dinner and a campfire.
We leaned back in lawn chairs for some star gazing and saw a great shooting star (meteor) and a fast moving satellite. Larry & Barb’s lot is on a canal (23 miles of them in Ocean Shores) in a quiet neighborhood. It is set up with water & electric for 2 RVs so we really enjoyed it.

Aug 16th - Thurs - Ocean Shores
Misty rain this morning letting us know why the area is so green. It cleared up mid morning so Georgia and I could do some shopping while the guys got propane and visited the casino so they would not have to join us for shopping. They did end up at a couple of stores after lunch! Back to the rigs for R&R after such a taxing day! Georgia and I walked a couple of blocks down the road and across the sand dunes to the beach. Lovely day.

Aug 17th - Fri - to Rochester, WA
Hard rain and a thunder storm last night. I made us all breakfast before we started packing up. The guys got rained on a couple of times as they were doing the “outside” stuff. We parted company with Bill & Georgia - they were heading to Richland, WA for sprint boat races and we were going to Rochester to see son Dean and his family. We got a spot at the Lucky Eagle Casino (cannot park at Dean’s) and had Dean, Jennifer, Victoria and Cameron over for dinner. Cameron is going to be 6 on Oct 31st and is very shy at first. But suddenly he will start talking and becomes quite the entertainer - kept us all laughing. Victoria is 13 and is as tall as her mother (5 ft 2 inches).

Aug 18th - Sat - Rochester
Dean & Jennifer had us and Jennifer’s parents (Jack & Marty) over for breakfast today. Then we drove out to see the 2 spec houses that Dean and Jack have built about 45 minutes from here. 2 very different houses side by side on 5 acres pieces of property - very nice.
The casino beat us up this afternoon. Terry found that we could get internet access in the motel across the parking lot so I can update the blog. Hate it when I get a week behind!