Sept 25th - Tues - to Miles City, MT
Terry was concerned about the snow forecast so we left rather than taking another day to tour the rest of Yellowstone. We have been to Yellowstone previously so have seen the loop that we missed this time.
We went north on 191 from West Yellowstone to Bozeman and then across I90 to I94. We stayed at Miles City. Not a very exciting drive today! The people parked next to us were from Spokane - originally just a few blocks from where we lived. Small world!
Sept 26th - Wed - to North Dakota
We had planned to stay at Dickinson ND and do some sightseeing but a viewpoint on the way in showed us the supposedly best view of the ND badlands so we decided not to stay there. We had read about a stretch of highway named the Enchanted Highway which was actually one reason for going to ND. A schoolteacher determined that a small town (Regent) needed some tourist attraction so he welded seven HUGE metal sculptures and placed them along a 32 mile stretch. Some of the figures are over 100 feet tall. They are amazing. They include grasshoppers (many - large & small), fish, a horse, flying geese, an “outlined” man on a rearing horse, a family (mom, dad & son), and pheasants. If I ever get captions on a bunch of pictures I will get them on my blog.
We were amazed at the many acres of sunflowers in this part of ND. And there are antelope everywhere. We ended up staying at Bowman in an RV park managed by the city. There was one tent and two other rigs in the whole place - it was quiet.
Sept 27th - Thurs - to South Dakota
Highway 85 south to Spearfish, then through Sturgis and Rapid City to our site near Hermosa which is about 15 miles from Mt Rushmore. We set up and then went to Keystone where we wandered the “old town” tourist shops and went to the Gutzon Burglum museum. He is the sculptor responsible for Mt Rushmore - very talented artist with many pieces all over the world. From there we went to view Mt Rushmore. We took a very narrow, windy road back to our campsite. It has “pigtails” to climb the hills. This is where the road goes under an overpass, makes a tight, climbing loop and immediately goes on the overpass that you just went under. There are also several one-lane tunnels with limited clearance. There is a wonderful view from the top and then you wind back down cutting the corner of Custer State Park.
I had a large grocery list but we didn’t go near any decent stores so we just stopped in Hermosa and picked up a couple of items to go with our ribs for dinner.
Sept 28th - Fri - Hermosa SD
Took a trip to Deadwood today. We went through Keystone where we stopped for breakfast. Then another windy road to Deadwood. And a beautiful sunny day.
Deadwood is an historic town that has capitalized on its gambling roots. Every establishment has slot machines! I won a bit of money right away by getting lucky on a mistaken max bet of $2.00. Terry also somehow hit max bet of $2.00 on the first spin on a machine and won $267. That kept him going with a lot left over and I went up and down to end up $37 ahead so it was a good day. We were there from 11 until 4:30 with a break to view a parade down the main street at 1 and we still did not go in all the places on Main Street.
We stopped at Albertsons in Rapid City on the way back and stocked up on groceries including ingredients so I could make Gayle Earling‘s “Salsa Salad“ - it is so good. The temperature was up to 83 today - feels more like summer than early fall.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Sept 21st to 24th - Challis, Yellowstone
Sept 21st - Fri - North Fork, ID
A cold that has been threatening me for several days finally got the upper hand yesterday. So Terry decided that we would stay another day here - the campsite and owners are really nice and I could take it easy and try to get rid of the cold. You can wash your rigs at your site in this park so Terry took advantage of that to clean both the 5th wheel and the truck. I caught up on the blog and did some much overdue backups on the computer. I was also able to swap a bunch of paperback books that I had read. Turned out to be a very productive day.
Sept 22nd - Sat - to Challis, ID
Short drive today to Challis Hot Springs Resort. From the Montana border you drive through narrow valleys. Then just north of Challis it opens up into a wide valley. Very pretty. There are a lot of large cattle herds and a few large hay farms.
We relaxed in the indoor (107 degrees) and outdoor (97 degrees) pools that are filled with water from the hot springs. They do not have the nasty smell often associated with hot springs and are very clean with water continuously running in & out.
Terry set up the satellite dish with no trouble at all. Then we had to go to the lobby to get wifi and download new keys for the receiver. Worked great after one more trip to the lobby for more info. Terry was tickled to have all his TV channels again. I didn’t even mind not going to the pools again as there were lots of families with kids there in the evening.
Sept 23rd - Sun - to Yellowstone
Had a big rainstorm last night with lightning and thunder. It rained off & on as we drove south. Terry checked the air pressure in the tires and discovered that we had a valve stem leak in a front tire on the truck. Little towns that we went through were all closed up for Sunday but we found a tire shop open in Idaho Falls and got it fixed. We stopped for lunch and had another huge cloudburst as we were eating that stopped by the time we had to walk back to the truck.
Nice drive to Yellowstone. Some bushes and trees are turning color and there was bright yellow and red scattered on the hills. We stopped at a PA park that turned out not to be honoring PA any more so we continued on to a National Forest campground 3 miles north of West Yellowstone. The spots are large, separated from each other and have 50 amp electric service for $20.
We spent over an hour trying to set up the satellite dish and could not get the signal!! Very frustrating. The antenna does pick up 3 channels so Terry had something to watch as the temperature kept dropping.
Sept 24th - Mon - Yellowstone Park
Spent the day in the park. It was cool but there was no rain. Some of the hills had a good dusting of snow and people are saying it is going to snow here tonight. The forecast is for temperatures below freezing tonight in West Yellowstone.
We did not see Old Faithful erupt. There was an hour to the next projected eruption when we were there and we did not want to wait. We did a lot of walking on trails to view mud volcanoes, water falls, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and misc steaming holes. We saw lots of buffalo, some elk & deer, no bear and lots of fly fishermen in the rivers.
We came back to the rig to pick up empty propane tanks and went back to town to get them filled. The first service station said they only filled tanks between 8 and 3. The guy said there was only one other place to get propane and it probably wasn’t open since it was 5:15 (he was right). We drove around some more and saw another service station with a propane tank that had weeds around it like it wasn’t used any more. We checked anyhow and just had to wait a few minutes while a guy came to fill our tanks. Another guy stopped with 2 tanks while we were there. He had gotten the same unhelpful response from the same station that we went to first.
A cold that has been threatening me for several days finally got the upper hand yesterday. So Terry decided that we would stay another day here - the campsite and owners are really nice and I could take it easy and try to get rid of the cold. You can wash your rigs at your site in this park so Terry took advantage of that to clean both the 5th wheel and the truck. I caught up on the blog and did some much overdue backups on the computer. I was also able to swap a bunch of paperback books that I had read. Turned out to be a very productive day.
Sept 22nd - Sat - to Challis, ID
Short drive today to Challis Hot Springs Resort. From the Montana border you drive through narrow valleys. Then just north of Challis it opens up into a wide valley. Very pretty. There are a lot of large cattle herds and a few large hay farms.
We relaxed in the indoor (107 degrees) and outdoor (97 degrees) pools that are filled with water from the hot springs. They do not have the nasty smell often associated with hot springs and are very clean with water continuously running in & out.
Terry set up the satellite dish with no trouble at all. Then we had to go to the lobby to get wifi and download new keys for the receiver. Worked great after one more trip to the lobby for more info. Terry was tickled to have all his TV channels again. I didn’t even mind not going to the pools again as there were lots of families with kids there in the evening.
Sept 23rd - Sun - to Yellowstone
Had a big rainstorm last night with lightning and thunder. It rained off & on as we drove south. Terry checked the air pressure in the tires and discovered that we had a valve stem leak in a front tire on the truck. Little towns that we went through were all closed up for Sunday but we found a tire shop open in Idaho Falls and got it fixed. We stopped for lunch and had another huge cloudburst as we were eating that stopped by the time we had to walk back to the truck.
Nice drive to Yellowstone. Some bushes and trees are turning color and there was bright yellow and red scattered on the hills. We stopped at a PA park that turned out not to be honoring PA any more so we continued on to a National Forest campground 3 miles north of West Yellowstone. The spots are large, separated from each other and have 50 amp electric service for $20.
We spent over an hour trying to set up the satellite dish and could not get the signal!! Very frustrating. The antenna does pick up 3 channels so Terry had something to watch as the temperature kept dropping.
Sept 24th - Mon - Yellowstone Park
Spent the day in the park. It was cool but there was no rain. Some of the hills had a good dusting of snow and people are saying it is going to snow here tonight. The forecast is for temperatures below freezing tonight in West Yellowstone.
We did not see Old Faithful erupt. There was an hour to the next projected eruption when we were there and we did not want to wait. We did a lot of walking on trails to view mud volcanoes, water falls, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and misc steaming holes. We saw lots of buffalo, some elk & deer, no bear and lots of fly fishermen in the rivers.
We came back to the rig to pick up empty propane tanks and went back to town to get them filled. The first service station said they only filled tanks between 8 and 3. The guy said there was only one other place to get propane and it probably wasn’t open since it was 5:15 (he was right). We drove around some more and saw another service station with a propane tank that had weeds around it like it wasn’t used any more. We checked anyhow and just had to wait a few minutes while a guy came to fill our tanks. Another guy stopped with 2 tanks while we were there. He had gotten the same unhelpful response from the same station that we went to first.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Sept 16th to 20th - WA state
Sept 16th - Sun - Rochester
Went to breakfast with Skip & Kathy and then went to Dean’s so Skip & Kathy could see his place. S&K left from there to go see Kathy’s Mom in Portland and we returned to the rig. Terry went back to the casino and played for hours to make another $20 or so. Much better than losing! I updated the blog - waiting for rain to let up to run over to the hotel lobby where I could get wifi - phoned Marg and relaxed with a book. I expected Terry to return to the casino after dinner but he was “gambled out” - and I expect didn’t want to walk over in the rain!
Sept 17th - Mon - to Spokane
Didn’t want to get going too early this morning and run into rush hour traffic on the freeway. We left about 9:30 and by the time we were slowed for freeway construction, stopped to dump the holding tanks, stopped for fuel and stopped to fix lunch, it was 4:30 when we arrived at Terry’s Mom’s (Ella Mae & Don) house. A drink, a nice dinner and a little TV and we were done for the day.
Sept 18th - Tues - Spokane
We got busy and pressure-washed Ella Mae’s house this morning while Don went off to work. Finished just as it started to rain again. After lunch, Terry & I went and did a little shopping and then took advantage of Ella Mae’s laundry room. After dinner I got really ambitious and hauled out the pressure washer again and cleaned the driveway. Of course, Terry & Don could not stand to just watch me work so they took turns too. It was dark by the time we finished (7:45) but thought we could check the results in the morning and redo bad patches.
Sept 19th - Wed - Spokane
Driveway looks fine so no redo-ing required.
We have been in contact with Claude & Val (friends from Canada) for the last few days. They were in Le Grande, OR getting some work done on their 5th wheel and were going to be heading north through Spokane. So we turned Bill & Georgia’s back yard into an RV park!! We stopped for some groceries, set up at Bill’s and then went golfing with Bill at a 9 hole executive course nearby. Golf not so good, the day & the company - great!
Claude & Val arrived about 3 - just before Georgia came home from work. We sat outside until it just got too cool and then moved into the house to fix dinner. After dinner and conversation, we introduced Claude and Val to Wii - an interactive computer game - and did a little golfing and bowling. It was a great day.
Sept 20th - Thurs - to North Fork, ID
Claude & Val wanted to get an early start today but I persuaded them to stay while I fixed breakfast for all of us - except Georgia who had to go to work after we kept her up so late. So they got out before 9 and we left shortly after and headed to Missoula, MT. From there we went south on hwy 93 with an eventual destination of Challis, ID. We made a 25 mile (each way) detour to Lolo Hot Springs but there was absolutely no one there so we turned right around and came back. Hwy 93 goes up a huge climb at the MT/ID border where there is a big ski resort - Lost Trail. Then it drops back down and starts following the north fork of the Salmon River. We passed a couple of small towns and then stopped for the night just south of North Fork at an RV park that I found in the Trailer Life book. Very nice place (Wagonhammer) right on the river. We got to sit out a bit before it started to sprinkle.
Went to breakfast with Skip & Kathy and then went to Dean’s so Skip & Kathy could see his place. S&K left from there to go see Kathy’s Mom in Portland and we returned to the rig. Terry went back to the casino and played for hours to make another $20 or so. Much better than losing! I updated the blog - waiting for rain to let up to run over to the hotel lobby where I could get wifi - phoned Marg and relaxed with a book. I expected Terry to return to the casino after dinner but he was “gambled out” - and I expect didn’t want to walk over in the rain!
Sept 17th - Mon - to Spokane
Didn’t want to get going too early this morning and run into rush hour traffic on the freeway. We left about 9:30 and by the time we were slowed for freeway construction, stopped to dump the holding tanks, stopped for fuel and stopped to fix lunch, it was 4:30 when we arrived at Terry’s Mom’s (Ella Mae & Don) house. A drink, a nice dinner and a little TV and we were done for the day.
Sept 18th - Tues - Spokane
We got busy and pressure-washed Ella Mae’s house this morning while Don went off to work. Finished just as it started to rain again. After lunch, Terry & I went and did a little shopping and then took advantage of Ella Mae’s laundry room. After dinner I got really ambitious and hauled out the pressure washer again and cleaned the driveway. Of course, Terry & Don could not stand to just watch me work so they took turns too. It was dark by the time we finished (7:45) but thought we could check the results in the morning and redo bad patches.
Sept 19th - Wed - Spokane
Driveway looks fine so no redo-ing required.
We have been in contact with Claude & Val (friends from Canada) for the last few days. They were in Le Grande, OR getting some work done on their 5th wheel and were going to be heading north through Spokane. So we turned Bill & Georgia’s back yard into an RV park!! We stopped for some groceries, set up at Bill’s and then went golfing with Bill at a 9 hole executive course nearby. Golf not so good, the day & the company - great!
Claude & Val arrived about 3 - just before Georgia came home from work. We sat outside until it just got too cool and then moved into the house to fix dinner. After dinner and conversation, we introduced Claude and Val to Wii - an interactive computer game - and did a little golfing and bowling. It was a great day.
Sept 20th - Thurs - to North Fork, ID
Claude & Val wanted to get an early start today but I persuaded them to stay while I fixed breakfast for all of us - except Georgia who had to go to work after we kept her up so late. So they got out before 9 and we left shortly after and headed to Missoula, MT. From there we went south on hwy 93 with an eventual destination of Challis, ID. We made a 25 mile (each way) detour to Lolo Hot Springs but there was absolutely no one there so we turned right around and came back. Hwy 93 goes up a huge climb at the MT/ID border where there is a big ski resort - Lost Trail. Then it drops back down and starts following the north fork of the Salmon River. We passed a couple of small towns and then stopped for the night just south of North Fork at an RV park that I found in the Trailer Life book. Very nice place (Wagonhammer) right on the river. We got to sit out a bit before it started to sprinkle.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Sept 10th to 15th - NW Washington
Sept 10th - Mon - to Forks
We drove to Forks this morning, checked in at the visitor info center and decided to go to an RV park halfway between Forks & La Push. It is a rustic park in the trees. Tried the park café for a mediocre lunch and then drove to La Push. Beaches are not readily accessible from there. I walked quite a ways on a path through a forest and still could not see the ocean.
Next we drove to Mora and enjoyed relaxing a while on Rialta Beach. Back at the park Terry tried to hook up the satellite dish. We have not used it for months and had no luck getting a signal and no luck trying to access some web sites for help.
Sept 11th - Tues - Forks
Enjoyed the continuing sunshine by driving to Neah Bay - about 1 ½ hours each way. It is a lovely drive and a larger village than we expected. The road to Cape Flattery (NW-most point of lower US) was closed so we couldn’t go there. We went into Forks for a bit of shopping, had lunch back at the rig and did some “fix-it” things. The RV park was mostly empty so there was no one to visit with, no TV for Terry and the weather was getting cool and windy so we decided to pack up and drive a ways to shorten tomorrow’s drive. We ended up back at the casino in Shelton as we knew we could park there and would have something to do for the evening. We had great Rueben sandwiches there for dinner and with a discount from signing up for their player card, a sandwich and a beer each ended up costing only $13 - great deal!
Sept 12th - Wed - to Puyallup
Took advantage of the inexpensive buffet breakfast at the casino before leaving for Puyallup which also helped us avoid rush hour(s) traffic on the freeway. There was no one at the RV park office so Terry called the number on the door and was told which site to use. We set up but the site was a bit short so we intruded on a small space behind us and our stabilizer on the front was on the road a bit. A car in the spot beside us was parked crooked (no one home) so Terry gave them a bit of room to get out. This made the other side where we had to park the truck quite small so Terry parked in the empty spot behind us. When Terry went to register, he was told to park the truck on our spot which put it right beside the steps. He told them how bad it was when he went to get change for the laundry so they gave us another spot which was longer. So we unhooked everything, put in the slides, moved a few feet and set up all over again!
We found a Costco to see about getting a couple of tires on the back of the truck. They seemed quite expensive so I found the receipt from Discount Tire in Spokane where they were quite a bit cheaper. We called the Discount Tire in Puyallup and they were cheaper but they did not have any in stock. The guy first said it would take 3 to 5 days to get them but when we said it had to be tomorrow he suddenly could get them by 8 am. We drove by and then he said it might be 9 before he could get them. We are going to the fair tomorrow so figured that would work.
Sept 13th - Thurs - Puyallup
No call from Discount Tire so by about 9:30 I figured we should head for the fair since the parking yesterday looked like a nightmare. We were early enough that there was lots of room in the city lot across the street, but unlike Spokane where the parking is free, here it is $8.00 for the day. In fact, the gates did not open until 10 so we had a short wait.
The grounds and fair are huge! We were there from 10 until 5:30 - on our feet except for a lunch stop and about half an hour to watch the “Mutton Busting” - kids riding sheep. Our feet and legs were very tired. We made use of a “JiggleFoot” machine which are all over the grounds. You sit with your feet on a platform which, for 25 cents, jiggles the heck out of your feet for a couple of minutes. Your legs and feet do feel better - for a short while.
We never did hear from Discount Tire!
Sept 14h - Fri - to Rochester
The reason that we hung around the northwest was to attend a surprise birthday party for our son Dean. It is his 40th birthday today and the party is tomorrow. I called him today to wish him a happy birthday and told him we were in Sequim when in fact we were ½ hour from Rochester. Dean said his family had all been sick but were getting better. They were going out for dinner tonight for his birthday.
We are staying at the Lucky Eagle casino again. We ran around looking for a birthday present for Dean and got some groceries. After dinner we had to visit the casino. It treated us quite nicely - allowed us to play for several hours on little money.
Sept 15th - Sat - Rochester
Spent the morning ironing, hemming a pair of pants, getting a veggie tray ready for the party and cleaning the inside of the truck. Skip & Kathy (Terry’s brother) arrived about 1 and followed us to Jennifer’s cousin’s house where the party was being held. Dean was told that Jennifer was taking him somewhere special (just the 2 of them) for his birthday. She blindfolded him and drove him around for half an hour so he would not know where she was taking him. He was indeed surprised when they took the blindfold off when he was in front of all his friends and relatives. We chit-chatted, drank and ate for the afternoon. We and Skip & Kathy left about 7. Skip & Kathy are staying at the hotel here at the casino. We had to visit the casino but it was very busy and we were tired so it was an early evening.
We drove to Forks this morning, checked in at the visitor info center and decided to go to an RV park halfway between Forks & La Push. It is a rustic park in the trees. Tried the park café for a mediocre lunch and then drove to La Push. Beaches are not readily accessible from there. I walked quite a ways on a path through a forest and still could not see the ocean.
Next we drove to Mora and enjoyed relaxing a while on Rialta Beach. Back at the park Terry tried to hook up the satellite dish. We have not used it for months and had no luck getting a signal and no luck trying to access some web sites for help.
Sept 11th - Tues - Forks
Enjoyed the continuing sunshine by driving to Neah Bay - about 1 ½ hours each way. It is a lovely drive and a larger village than we expected. The road to Cape Flattery (NW-most point of lower US) was closed so we couldn’t go there. We went into Forks for a bit of shopping, had lunch back at the rig and did some “fix-it” things. The RV park was mostly empty so there was no one to visit with, no TV for Terry and the weather was getting cool and windy so we decided to pack up and drive a ways to shorten tomorrow’s drive. We ended up back at the casino in Shelton as we knew we could park there and would have something to do for the evening. We had great Rueben sandwiches there for dinner and with a discount from signing up for their player card, a sandwich and a beer each ended up costing only $13 - great deal!
Sept 12th - Wed - to Puyallup
Took advantage of the inexpensive buffet breakfast at the casino before leaving for Puyallup which also helped us avoid rush hour(s) traffic on the freeway. There was no one at the RV park office so Terry called the number on the door and was told which site to use. We set up but the site was a bit short so we intruded on a small space behind us and our stabilizer on the front was on the road a bit. A car in the spot beside us was parked crooked (no one home) so Terry gave them a bit of room to get out. This made the other side where we had to park the truck quite small so Terry parked in the empty spot behind us. When Terry went to register, he was told to park the truck on our spot which put it right beside the steps. He told them how bad it was when he went to get change for the laundry so they gave us another spot which was longer. So we unhooked everything, put in the slides, moved a few feet and set up all over again!
We found a Costco to see about getting a couple of tires on the back of the truck. They seemed quite expensive so I found the receipt from Discount Tire in Spokane where they were quite a bit cheaper. We called the Discount Tire in Puyallup and they were cheaper but they did not have any in stock. The guy first said it would take 3 to 5 days to get them but when we said it had to be tomorrow he suddenly could get them by 8 am. We drove by and then he said it might be 9 before he could get them. We are going to the fair tomorrow so figured that would work.
Sept 13th - Thurs - Puyallup
No call from Discount Tire so by about 9:30 I figured we should head for the fair since the parking yesterday looked like a nightmare. We were early enough that there was lots of room in the city lot across the street, but unlike Spokane where the parking is free, here it is $8.00 for the day. In fact, the gates did not open until 10 so we had a short wait.
The grounds and fair are huge! We were there from 10 until 5:30 - on our feet except for a lunch stop and about half an hour to watch the “Mutton Busting” - kids riding sheep. Our feet and legs were very tired. We made use of a “JiggleFoot” machine which are all over the grounds. You sit with your feet on a platform which, for 25 cents, jiggles the heck out of your feet for a couple of minutes. Your legs and feet do feel better - for a short while.
We never did hear from Discount Tire!
Sept 14h - Fri - to Rochester
The reason that we hung around the northwest was to attend a surprise birthday party for our son Dean. It is his 40th birthday today and the party is tomorrow. I called him today to wish him a happy birthday and told him we were in Sequim when in fact we were ½ hour from Rochester. Dean said his family had all been sick but were getting better. They were going out for dinner tonight for his birthday.
We are staying at the Lucky Eagle casino again. We ran around looking for a birthday present for Dean and got some groceries. After dinner we had to visit the casino. It treated us quite nicely - allowed us to play for several hours on little money.
Sept 15th - Sat - Rochester
Spent the morning ironing, hemming a pair of pants, getting a veggie tray ready for the party and cleaning the inside of the truck. Skip & Kathy (Terry’s brother) arrived about 1 and followed us to Jennifer’s cousin’s house where the party was being held. Dean was told that Jennifer was taking him somewhere special (just the 2 of them) for his birthday. She blindfolded him and drove him around for half an hour so he would not know where she was taking him. He was indeed surprised when they took the blindfold off when he was in front of all his friends and relatives. We chit-chatted, drank and ate for the afternoon. We and Skip & Kathy left about 7. Skip & Kathy are staying at the hotel here at the casino. We had to visit the casino but it was very busy and we were tired so it was an early evening.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Sept 9th - Sequim, WA
Sept 9th - Sun - Sequim
We took advantage of another lovely sunny day by spending most of the day sightseeing - laundry can wait!
We drove to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Forest. By walking up a trail, you get a panoramic view of Port Angeles, Sequim, Straight of Juan de Fuca, Vancouver Island/Victoria on one side and the snow capped mountains in the park on the other side. Next, on to Lake Crescent to eat our picnic lunch. The mountains go right into a lot of the lake so the beaches are sparse and small. But it is beautiful and lots of people were swimming. From there we drove through Joyce back to Port Angeles and out onto the Ediz Hook which is a massive breakwater forming a protected harbor. Back to the rig to visit the dog and then on to the local casino. Very strange casino with 4 different tickets and cash machines. I was nearing my limit when I won $50 on a 25 cent bet so that bailed me out. Terry did not do so well and I did not cover his losses!
We took advantage of another lovely sunny day by spending most of the day sightseeing - laundry can wait!
We drove to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Forest. By walking up a trail, you get a panoramic view of Port Angeles, Sequim, Straight of Juan de Fuca, Vancouver Island/Victoria on one side and the snow capped mountains in the park on the other side. Next, on to Lake Crescent to eat our picnic lunch. The mountains go right into a lot of the lake so the beaches are sparse and small. But it is beautiful and lots of people were swimming. From there we drove through Joyce back to Port Angeles and out onto the Ediz Hook which is a massive breakwater forming a protected harbor. Back to the rig to visit the dog and then on to the local casino. Very strange casino with 4 different tickets and cash machines. I was nearing my limit when I won $50 on a 25 cent bet so that bailed me out. Terry did not do so well and I did not cover his losses!
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Sept 3rd to 8th - Vancouver Island to Sequim, WA
Sept 3rd - Mon - to Port Alberni
Got up fairly early and reluctantly said goodbye to Doug, Judy & Dennis and headed down island to Port Alberni. Marg & Dad decided to spend a couple more days with us - at Port Alberni and a trip to the west coast of the island (Long Beach).
It continued to rain while we drove and after we set up in the RV park. We chose the RV park because it had an indoor pool and hot tub. We had to squeeze into a very narrow spot (good thing Terry is a good backer-upper!) and Marg had to back over a cut off stump to get into her spot. The electric hook-ups are at the very front of the site and our connection is at the back of the rig so we can only get 110 as our cable is only 25 feet long and the park does not have a loaner 30 amp cable.
We toured Port Alberni in the rain - it is quite a large town. After dinner Marg & I went to check out the pool and were told that it was closed for the season! It closed at the end of August! Guess we learned to ask more questions when calling for a reservation.
Sept 4th - Tues - Port Alberni/Long Beach area
We drove to the west coast today. The road is narrow and windy so I am glad that we decided to leave the rigs in Port Alberni and just take the truck for a day trip.
The clouds cleared as we drove and it ended up being a beautiful sunny day. We stopped at the tourist center for some info and a park access pass and then drove first to Uclulet at the south end of beaches. Walked on the beach and checked out the Wickaninish Interpretive Centre. On the way north we stopped for a tailgate lunch and then continued on to Tofino at the north end of the beaches for a little browsing in gift shops.
On the way back down, we stopped at Radar Hill for a walk to an overlook from a site used by the army in WWII. Next was a walk on the Rainforest Loop trail - mostly boardwalks about .6 mile through a wonderfully lush forest with huge old trees.
Terry needed MEAT for dinner so we stopped for steaks and had a great meal. Even nicer was being able to sit out in the sun for the first time in a week!
Sept 5th - Wed - to Marysville, WA
It was tough to say goodbye to Marg & Dad knowing that we will not see them for many months. They could not get a reservation on the ferry to Horseshoe Bay so they left about 9 and were prepared to wait if necessary. We squeezed out of our site about 9:30 (had to move a huge barrel planter!) and headed south. We stopped at Chemainus to view the murals that are painted on the sides of many buildings in town. They are amazing and the sun was great for the walking tour. We had a nice lunch there also.
Our ferry was due to leave Sidney at 6 and we arrived there about 3 so we found a spot to park and wait for the ferry terminal to open. Had to go through US immigration before getting on the ferry.
We thought about driving through Seattle after we got off the ferry at 9 but Terry was tired so after clearing customs, we went to Marysville (about 1 hour drive) and stayed overnight in WalMart.
Sept 6th - Thurs - Marysville
We plan to go to the Puyallup fair but noticed the huge Tulalip Casino on our way in last night so decided to check it out. There is a large RV parking lot so after picking up some supplies at WalMart, we parked in the lot and did some gambling. Terry won a bit of money fairly quickly and my $40 lasted many hours so we ended up staying there all day and taking advantage of the free overnight parking. We had a great lunch buffet - one of the best I have seen/eaten - so only had a light dinner. I did take a break to spend some time with Dolly and make a couple of phone calls. Terry was still playing on the casino money at 9:30 pm when we called it a day.
Sept 7th - Fri - Marysville
We smacked our foreheads this morning as we thought “why do retired people have to go to a fair on a weekend?” and decided to spend at least part of the day in the casino again. Well, Terry continued to do OK and I lost another $20 (and a couple of “loans” from Terry) very slowly so we spent the day in the casino and part of another night in the casino lot. You can actually stay7 nights here and then have to leave for 30 days before spending 7 nights again. We took advantage of the lunch buffet again and totally skipped dinner this time.
We decided to get up about 2:30 and drive through Seattle in the middle of the night to avoid traffic. We were awake earlier so actually left about 2:20. What a great decision! There was construction on I5 at Everett with I5 north closed and south down to one lane. We cruised without any slowdowns to Shelton, saw a casino with other RVs in the lot, parked and went back to bed at 4:30.
Sept 8th - Sat - to Sequim, WA
At 9 we went in for a nice buffet breakfast and sat with a couple from Sequim that we met in the parking lot. A nice 2 hour drive brought us to Sequim where the first RV park was full. I called another park and they said they had one spot but we were looking for another RV park so said we would decide. In a few minutes we drove by and dismissed the 2nd park and arrived at the park that we called to see another rig in front of us taking the last spot! Luckily, the park has several “overflow” spots with everything but sewer so that is where we are staying. We are in trees, parked on grass and with lots of parking for the truck. The rest of the park is more “check by jowl” so we are happy that the spot was taken.
We went for a drive to replenish the all important alcohol supply and to do a bit of sightseeing. We knew this area was in a “rain shadow” from the Olympic mountains but were surprised to see such dry pastures.
Got up fairly early and reluctantly said goodbye to Doug, Judy & Dennis and headed down island to Port Alberni. Marg & Dad decided to spend a couple more days with us - at Port Alberni and a trip to the west coast of the island (Long Beach).
It continued to rain while we drove and after we set up in the RV park. We chose the RV park because it had an indoor pool and hot tub. We had to squeeze into a very narrow spot (good thing Terry is a good backer-upper!) and Marg had to back over a cut off stump to get into her spot. The electric hook-ups are at the very front of the site and our connection is at the back of the rig so we can only get 110 as our cable is only 25 feet long and the park does not have a loaner 30 amp cable.
We toured Port Alberni in the rain - it is quite a large town. After dinner Marg & I went to check out the pool and were told that it was closed for the season! It closed at the end of August! Guess we learned to ask more questions when calling for a reservation.
Sept 4th - Tues - Port Alberni/Long Beach area
We drove to the west coast today. The road is narrow and windy so I am glad that we decided to leave the rigs in Port Alberni and just take the truck for a day trip.
The clouds cleared as we drove and it ended up being a beautiful sunny day. We stopped at the tourist center for some info and a park access pass and then drove first to Uclulet at the south end of beaches. Walked on the beach and checked out the Wickaninish Interpretive Centre. On the way north we stopped for a tailgate lunch and then continued on to Tofino at the north end of the beaches for a little browsing in gift shops.
On the way back down, we stopped at Radar Hill for a walk to an overlook from a site used by the army in WWII. Next was a walk on the Rainforest Loop trail - mostly boardwalks about .6 mile through a wonderfully lush forest with huge old trees.
Terry needed MEAT for dinner so we stopped for steaks and had a great meal. Even nicer was being able to sit out in the sun for the first time in a week!
Sept 5th - Wed - to Marysville, WA
It was tough to say goodbye to Marg & Dad knowing that we will not see them for many months. They could not get a reservation on the ferry to Horseshoe Bay so they left about 9 and were prepared to wait if necessary. We squeezed out of our site about 9:30 (had to move a huge barrel planter!) and headed south. We stopped at Chemainus to view the murals that are painted on the sides of many buildings in town. They are amazing and the sun was great for the walking tour. We had a nice lunch there also.
Our ferry was due to leave Sidney at 6 and we arrived there about 3 so we found a spot to park and wait for the ferry terminal to open. Had to go through US immigration before getting on the ferry.
We thought about driving through Seattle after we got off the ferry at 9 but Terry was tired so after clearing customs, we went to Marysville (about 1 hour drive) and stayed overnight in WalMart.
Sept 6th - Thurs - Marysville
We plan to go to the Puyallup fair but noticed the huge Tulalip Casino on our way in last night so decided to check it out. There is a large RV parking lot so after picking up some supplies at WalMart, we parked in the lot and did some gambling. Terry won a bit of money fairly quickly and my $40 lasted many hours so we ended up staying there all day and taking advantage of the free overnight parking. We had a great lunch buffet - one of the best I have seen/eaten - so only had a light dinner. I did take a break to spend some time with Dolly and make a couple of phone calls. Terry was still playing on the casino money at 9:30 pm when we called it a day.
Sept 7th - Fri - Marysville
We smacked our foreheads this morning as we thought “why do retired people have to go to a fair on a weekend?” and decided to spend at least part of the day in the casino again. Well, Terry continued to do OK and I lost another $20 (and a couple of “loans” from Terry) very slowly so we spent the day in the casino and part of another night in the casino lot. You can actually stay7 nights here and then have to leave for 30 days before spending 7 nights again. We took advantage of the lunch buffet again and totally skipped dinner this time.
We decided to get up about 2:30 and drive through Seattle in the middle of the night to avoid traffic. We were awake earlier so actually left about 2:20. What a great decision! There was construction on I5 at Everett with I5 north closed and south down to one lane. We cruised without any slowdowns to Shelton, saw a casino with other RVs in the lot, parked and went back to bed at 4:30.
Sept 8th - Sat - to Sequim, WA
At 9 we went in for a nice buffet breakfast and sat with a couple from Sequim that we met in the parking lot. A nice 2 hour drive brought us to Sequim where the first RV park was full. I called another park and they said they had one spot but we were looking for another RV park so said we would decide. In a few minutes we drove by and dismissed the 2nd park and arrived at the park that we called to see another rig in front of us taking the last spot! Luckily, the park has several “overflow” spots with everything but sewer so that is where we are staying. We are in trees, parked on grass and with lots of parking for the truck. The rest of the park is more “check by jowl” so we are happy that the spot was taken.
We went for a drive to replenish the all important alcohol supply and to do a bit of sightseeing. We knew this area was in a “rain shadow” from the Olympic mountains but were surprised to see such dry pastures.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Aug 31st to Sept 2nd - Port McNeill
Aug 31st - Fri - Port McNeill
We took off today for a fishing and crabbing expedition. Dennis has a boat so we followed him to Rupert Inlet, about half an hour drive. He launched his boat and went with Marg & Nina to set crab traps while Terry, Dad and I drove around looking for a picnic spot. We ended up right back where Dennis launched the boat and a nice lady said we could set up right beside their travel trailer. Terry, Dennis & Marg went fishing but did not catch any salmon. The rest of us enjoyed a fire - more so before a short rain shower. Dennis got a couple of crabs which he cooked right there and we ate them with our lunch. He got one more crab when he went to pick up his traps.
We packed up as rain threatened again. Dinner was provided by Judy again (I could get used to this!) as we cleaned out the fridge of leftovers that were just as good as the first time.
Sept 1st - Sat - Port McNeill
Marg & Terry went fishing with Dennis this morning. It was pretty cool but not raining. They came home with one good sized (10 - 12 lb) salmon.
There was a charity event in town today with money being raised for needy families at Christmas. A convoy of restored cars and motorcycles left Port McNeill at 11 for a delivery run to Port Hardy. Doug & Judy rode their bicycles and Dad & I drove to watch the procession. When they returned from Port Hardy (about 2), a pig roast and dance began which Doug & Judy attended. We cooked salmon for dinner which we enjoyed with Dennis & Nina.
Sept 2nd - Sun - Port McNeill
Marg & Terry got up at 7 to go fishing again but the weather conspired against them. It poured and the wind drove the rain sideways so they didn’t even leave the driveway. So we had a lazy morning while I defrosted the freezer and cleaned the fridge - long overdue. Marg, Dad, Terry & I went to town for some groceries and to visit the tourist info center. After a late lunch we all got together to play our “golf” version of Horse Race.
We were getting jackets on so Doug could demonstrate his wood splitter when Terry saw that Dennis’ 6 pigs had got out and were heading across the yard toward the front of the house and the road. We should have had one person with a video camera to record 6 people and a “would be” herding dog trying to get the pigs turned around and back into their pen. Luckily Doug has done this before and grabbed the feed bucket to lead them back. But they had to be returned to their pen through the chicken pen to add just a little more excitement.
We intended to teach Doug & Judy to play Sequence but by the time we (mainly Judy!) made pizza for dinner and Dennis & Nina stopped by for a visit, it was 9 o’clock and time to retire to our rigs and give Doug & Judy a little time by themselves.
I cannot connect to Dennis’ wireless tonight so will have to go into the house tomorrow before we leave and post this blog.
We took off today for a fishing and crabbing expedition. Dennis has a boat so we followed him to Rupert Inlet, about half an hour drive. He launched his boat and went with Marg & Nina to set crab traps while Terry, Dad and I drove around looking for a picnic spot. We ended up right back where Dennis launched the boat and a nice lady said we could set up right beside their travel trailer. Terry, Dennis & Marg went fishing but did not catch any salmon. The rest of us enjoyed a fire - more so before a short rain shower. Dennis got a couple of crabs which he cooked right there and we ate them with our lunch. He got one more crab when he went to pick up his traps.
We packed up as rain threatened again. Dinner was provided by Judy again (I could get used to this!) as we cleaned out the fridge of leftovers that were just as good as the first time.
Sept 1st - Sat - Port McNeill
Marg & Terry went fishing with Dennis this morning. It was pretty cool but not raining. They came home with one good sized (10 - 12 lb) salmon.
There was a charity event in town today with money being raised for needy families at Christmas. A convoy of restored cars and motorcycles left Port McNeill at 11 for a delivery run to Port Hardy. Doug & Judy rode their bicycles and Dad & I drove to watch the procession. When they returned from Port Hardy (about 2), a pig roast and dance began which Doug & Judy attended. We cooked salmon for dinner which we enjoyed with Dennis & Nina.
Sept 2nd - Sun - Port McNeill
Marg & Terry got up at 7 to go fishing again but the weather conspired against them. It poured and the wind drove the rain sideways so they didn’t even leave the driveway. So we had a lazy morning while I defrosted the freezer and cleaned the fridge - long overdue. Marg, Dad, Terry & I went to town for some groceries and to visit the tourist info center. After a late lunch we all got together to play our “golf” version of Horse Race.
We were getting jackets on so Doug could demonstrate his wood splitter when Terry saw that Dennis’ 6 pigs had got out and were heading across the yard toward the front of the house and the road. We should have had one person with a video camera to record 6 people and a “would be” herding dog trying to get the pigs turned around and back into their pen. Luckily Doug has done this before and grabbed the feed bucket to lead them back. But they had to be returned to their pen through the chicken pen to add just a little more excitement.
We intended to teach Doug & Judy to play Sequence but by the time we (mainly Judy!) made pizza for dinner and Dennis & Nina stopped by for a visit, it was 9 o’clock and time to retire to our rigs and give Doug & Judy a little time by themselves.
I cannot connect to Dennis’ wireless tonight so will have to go into the house tomorrow before we leave and post this blog.
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