⁰June 23-28 – Spokane

Can't believe I forgot to include a visit from Chris & Anne (VVV) last Wednesday. They were driving from Ontario to Kelowna for a convention, contacted me and we set up a lunch date. We asked Harlan & Barb as well and decided to have lunch here as we are close to the freeway and it is more comfortable to spend time, chat & laugh than at a restaurant. They took a long break from driving and we had a great time.

We took the bike one day to look for yard sales in Liberty Lake. Terry had seen an ad on his phone for multiple sales but we couldn't find them. Probably didn't help that there was road construction making a heck of a mess on the main through road. So we went to the casino instead and stopped for lunch on the way. Nope, not a great casino day!

On another bike ride, we stopped to see friends Dale & Patsy (I used to work with Dale). We invited them for dinner that evening and had a great time catching up.

We had a big group of fellow Elks members/RVers at our site one afternoon. The bartender at the Elks club quit so with nothing going on there people ended up bringing lawn chairs and had many conversations going at once – sort of like VVV!

A couple stayed here one night and had a lot of fresh oysters that they had to get rid of as their fridge wasn't working. So Terry and a neighbor each took some (½ a bucket for us!) and kept them cold with lots of ice. The next day we cooked them on the BBQ and had people over to help us eat them. Dale & Patsy were at a car club meeting at the Elk building so they joined us as well. We had Bill & Georgia and Harlan & Barb over for dinner. Great evening with good friends!

The weather has warmed up a lot. We have had to use the AC for a few days but could do without it at night.

I forgot to mention that when my green card expired, so did my driver's license which is in Arizona as I got it there to get my motorcycle endorsement. I was going to change back to a WA license but the last time I renewed it here they wouldn't use our mail box address (used it on Terry's though!!!) and used Terry's Mom's address instead. So we decided to wait until we get back to Mesa and I'll get my AZ license then. So no driving for the whole summer!!

We have been shopping for bits & pieces and continuing to visit the casino without spending much money. We did run into Janice Stewart who I worked with and spent a little while chatting.  I got another haircut – same stylist but she was talking more this time so not as good!

We are leaving here on Friday the 30^th to head for Polson MT so I hope to keep up the blog a bit once we settle at Eagle Nest RV park for a month.

June 8th to 22nd - Spokane

So I'll start out with 3 missing days!!! When I was trying to catch up on the blog last time, I made notes on a calendar. I have a note on the 8^th that I have no idea what it is! On Sunday we had Harlan & Barb over for dinner and then the guys whipped the ladies at Sequence. The Elks lodge have “Taco Tuesday” so we checked it out. I had a good taco salad and Terry could barely finish 2 chili dogs. There was some iffy music provided by 2 guys and we did a few dances. On Thursday we went to dinner at Harlan & Barb's and they had us invite Bill & Georgia as well since we had spoken of them often. A great dinner (beer can chicken on the Traeger) and a great time.
Friday it was time for laundry again. I was not happy with the last laundromat and we remembered a different one from a previous visit and luckily it was much nicer. Also beside a Wendy's so we had lunch while the clothes were washing. We were hanging & folding when Bill & Georgia came in. They stopped at Wendy's for lunch and recognized the truck!
Saturday we took Harlan & Barb to sprint boat races at St John. After stopping for breakfast in Spangle, we joined Bill & Georgia and several of their and our friends. Bill & Linda Schoepflin also came so we had a fun group. Bill & Georgia's son Dennis has a boat. He moved up a class (unlimited) this year, had some problems with his boat and came in second. Beautiful weather. We went to Quest casino on Sunday and ran into Mike & Mary Lightfoot (I used to work at the same company as Mary). After chatting for a while, we proceeded to have our worst day yet at a casino. It was very crowded so probably won't go again on the weekend.
Our new awning arrived but it was dented by a fork lift so a Lippert rep got into the act to get another one out ASAP. Terry got a phone call on Friday the 16^th saying he could bring the rig in on Tuesday for the repair. Yep, the same day and time as my green card appointment!! Being a great friend, Georgia offered to take me to my appointment.
So Tuesday morning, we got up early to get the rig ready to move & dump the tanks since we don't have a dump at our site. Everything went well with my appointment and Georgia & I returned to their place just a few minutes before Terry. We all went to breakfast and then spent some fun time shopping for some items that Bill wanted for their new truck/5^th wheel. Georgia had invited us for dinner and when we got a call, we were able to pick up the 5^th wheel, take it back to the Elks to set up and then return for dinner cooked by Georgia. We had to pass on Sequence as it had been a LONG day.
The next item is new tires for the truck! Sometimes it never ends! We went shopping on Wednesday and have an appointment to get the tires installed on Monday. Today (Thursday) we decided that we needed privacy/sun screen panels for the back doors for when we have the deck out. If company sleeps in the back when the deck is down there is no privacy from outside. So more shopping and then sewing. Terry suggested on a couple of errands on the bike which was great to get him out of my hair for a while!
So I am kind of back to my rambling blog. Hopefully I will keep up a bit better and remember what the heck we did!

June 1-7 - Spokane
I got brave (& desperate) and got a haircut at Great Clips. I asked the stylist first if she was comfortable with short hair and showed her pictures that I took right after my last haircut with Holly (VVV). I got a decent haircut!! 
Ron & Terri and Dennis & Donna (Canadians who stay at VVV) arrived on the 2^nd to attend Julie's memorial. They stayed with Harlan & Barb and we were invited to have dinner with all of them. Harlan cooked a big pot roast with all the trimmings and Barb used my rhubarb cake recipe for a yummy dessert using rhubarb from her garden. The weather was wonderful and we played ladder golf after dinner.
Saturday was Julie's memorial at an Eagle's lodge in north Spokane. Julie & Larry had a park model in VVV. Larry passed away a year ago and Julie in December. The memorial was very nicely done and the attendance showed the large number of people who loved Julie. On Sunday, we invited Harlan & Barb, Ron & Terri, Dennis & Donna and Terry & Tena for drinks & dinner at our place. Brian & Natalie (Julie's daughter & hubby) came for a drink and accepted our invitation for dinner. Another couple from VVV – Alan & Dixie – stopped to visit but not for dinner. Yes, our rig was full!! 
Wed we went to visit Terry & Tena at Bayview. They moved to a different campground just a short ways from where they have stayed in the past and Terry M tried to help Terry set up satellite TV. Turns out there was a broken piece in an HDMI cable. We went to a cafe at the marina for an early lunch. Terry & Tena wanted to take us out in their boat but the water was pretty choppy which makes it really hard for Terry to get the boat back in the dock.
We have made a few visits to casinos and haven't spent much money. Winning would be better but not losing is always OK. Something to do when Terry says “I'm bored!”. 

May 21-24 - Long Beach WA

The rest of the days in South Beach were obviously uneventful. The weather still stayed nice so we could walk on the beach and ride the bike. We left Sunday for the drive to Long Beach WA where Barb Names (VVV friend) has a couple of lots very near the ocean. She was volunteering at the Eagles when we arrived so we tried to find her place. We did quite a bit of driving around and discovered – when Barb finished & met up with us – that we had driven right past her place. We backed in & set up in our private RV park. Barb's sister has a place across the street and another sister lives in town which is where Barb had her RV set up. Phew! Terry Hensley (VVV) arrived Monday to stay with us a couple of days. We enjoyed the large fire pit (no mosquitoes), drove into Long Beach for shopping and then another day for lunch, walked on the beach and generally kicked back and relaxed. Terry H left Tuesday. On Wednesday we took Barb to find a ramp to drive her riding lawn mower into a new storage shed. She ended up ordering one at the “everything you never knew you needed” store in town. Love that type of store!

May 25-30 - to Spokane WA

We got a reasonably early start on our way to Spokane. We took a break at the casino at Snoqualmie and then tried to find a place to park for the night. We drove into Vantage but the only remaining sites were too small so we carried on. I found an Elks club with RV parking in Moses Lake so that is where we ended up. It was a longer day than we normally drive so it was nice to settle for the night.

Uneventful drive on Friday and got set up at the Elks Club in Spokane Valley. Water & electric included and a dump station on site for $22 a night – catch up time!

Just for something to do we went to an RV show/sale put on by Blue Dog RV. The model we really wanted to see wasn't there as it had just been sold!

We met good friends Bill & Georgia Hughes for dinner on Sunday. I haven't yet included the incredibly stupid thing I did – again! I let my green card expire. We went through a mess when it expired 10 years ago so can't believe I did it again. Last time I had to fly to Spokane to have my picture taken & fingerprints done so we figured we would get it done when we got here. Wrong!!! Now I had to fill out an application online (Phoenix!) and wait for an appointment for the biometrics. My appointment in Spokane is on June 20^th so we are here for a while.

Another ugly item that I left out happened in the 1000 Trails campground in South Beach. On the second trip around the very narrow, winding roads looking for a site, Terry swung a bit wide on an acute corner and caught the rear awning on a tree which took it totally off! So we have been working with a dealer here trying to get a new awning. Finally got it ordered with a delivery date of June 13^th.

We went for dinner at Bill & Georgia's and saw the mess left from their huge storage building burning down in February. The main items inside were a newer truck, newer 5^th wheel and their son's boat which were all destroyed. It was so much worse seeing it “live” as opposed to some pictures. The insurance company is still waiting for some inspections so it has yellow tape that can't be crossed. They have received insurance money so bought a truck & 5^th wheel and will get some camping in this summer. Harlan & Barb (VVV) had us over for dinner on the 30^th and we sat outside afterward enjoying the gorgeous sunshine.

May 17-19 - South Beach OR

May 17-19 – South Beach OR

The last 3 days have been pretty similar. There is a huge, flat, packed sand beach across the highway from the RV park and we walked a long ways a couple of days. Huge rocks placed at the bottom of steep slopes to keep houses from sliding into the ocean are amazing. We tried to figure out how they were neatly put in place and could only imagine cranes from above before the houses were built. We took the bike to Newport again and walked along the docks where we had excellent clam chowder. We rode south to Waldport (a drizzle of rain that day) and picked Subway for lunch. Another visit to Newport & Walmart for groceries and to replace a sewer hose with pin holes. There was a lot of traffic when we started back so we followed some vehicles towards the water and had a nice scenic detour back to the highway.

We haven't met anyone in the park. A lot of the people come to fish – many with their own boats. Like neighbors who left in a noisy pickup at 4 am!! We are leaving Sunday and going to visit Barb Names in the Long Beach WA area.

May 12 to 16 - Oregon

May 12 to 16 – to OR

Here we go again with late blog posts!!! We had a long drive on Friday as I couldn't find an RV site in Sparks, Reno or Truckee so we continued on to the casino at Colusa CA. The casino was not really nice to us but we had a “free”, quiet spot to spend the night.

Saturday we had a bit of a scare when the truck started and then stopped right away when we went to leave. A security guy came by just then and went to get mechanic's phone numbers for us. Then Terry had a brainstorm, plugged in the diagnostic gizmo, cleared a code that was displayed and the truck started. We fueled up and drove to Brookings OR. The 101 highway is really rough in many places. In a one-way section, I looked to the left past big concrete barriers and saw a section of the highway that had completely dropped away. Terry needed a break so we stopped at – where else – another casino in Coos Bay. We stayed overnight at the Elks club in Brookings. We went over to pay and ended up having a couple of drinks with a nice couple (Lynn & Melba).

Sunday morning we went back to the Elks club as they were having breakfast for Mother's Day. Sausage, ham, eggs, potatoes, pancakes, English muffins, juice & coffee! We continued on up the coast to a 1000 Trails RV park just south of Newport. This was our first experience with 1000 Trails and we weren't impressed. We made a reservation but when you get here you are handed a map and have to drive around and find a site. This park has lots of trees so the map shows how long the sites are and if you can get a satellite signal. What a pain! We finally found a site, backed in and started the generator to see if we could get satellite. Just barely so we stowed the dish, pulled out and unloaded the bike – in the mud – backed up again, checked the satellite and set up. Time to relax & have dinner. I have developed a nagging cough so hope it doesn't stick around.

Monday morning was clear but cool. I coughed a lot during the night so I stayed in bed to read for a couple of hours after Terry got up. When I finally got going and found some cough medication, we took the bike to Newport which is about 7 miles away. We drove down by the wharfs and through town. We stopped at Walmart for groceries and cough syrup. We are pretty good at figuring out how many groceries will fit in the bike as long as we are wearing our helmets and jackets that are normally stored in the compartments. Back at the rig, I put stuff away and started a stew for a late lunch/early dinner. Rain started before we went to bed and continued all night.

Tuesday – Intended to post this yesterday when I updated the blog but couldn't get a good enough internet connection and forgot to take the computer when we went to Lincoln City in the afternoon. My cough is much better – gotta love Dayquit/Nyquil for getting some rest! Rain seems to have quit for now.

May 10 & 11 – Las Vegas

Wed - After coffee & games, we unloaded the bike and rode down the strip. We made a couple of detours – one on purpose and one accidental – and ended up parking at the Excalibur. We wandered around and played some slots – this time it was my turn to keep us from losing any money. When we got back, we loaded the bike and I made a late lunch before we went back to Main St Station casino for a while. Another walk back to the rig where I made large servings of strawberry shortcake which was our dinner. Then we went to Fremont Street to see the light & music show on the overhead canopy. It wasn't as good as others we have seen. It is nice to be able to walk to Main St Station & Fremont rather than trying to find – and pay for – parking on the strip.

Thurs – A quiet day today. Lazy morning, then some slots & walking and Loco Moco for lunch. I decided we better do a couple loads of laundry since there is a small laundromat here at the park and who knows when another will be handy. Heading north tomorrow.

May 5^th - 9^th – Prescott to Las Vegas

Fri – We took the bike and did some shopping this morning. I made lunch when we got back and then we goofed off. We went to the Elks for dinner & music. I had really good fish & chips, Terry had a so-so stuffed green pepper. We were really looking forward to some dancing and danced to 3 of the first 4 songs. Then the female singer switched to undanceable bluesy music, Terry's stomach didn't react well to dinner and we left.

Sat – The wind really came up overnight and is predicted to last a few days. We walked to a flea market a short distance away and were amazed at the amount of totally useless “stuff”. Lots of guns & ammo (?), rusty tools, jewelery and ancient household goods. Bought nothing. When we left the merchants were reinforcing the tie-downs on their shelters.

Sat - I made a late breakfast and then Terry decided to modify the GPS in the truck as the suction cup that holds it on a little bracket keeps letting go. He wanted to put in a couple of screws so intead of finding & running an extension cord for the drill that he would us an inverter that we've had for some time. The truck was running, he plugged in the inverter and is not even sure if he used the drill at all when the truck quit – and would not start again! We checked & double checked fuses and searched the internet for ideas before deciding that we better get a tow truck and see about getting it fixed. Of course on Saturday the dealership shops aren't open or open only half a day. We made tons of phone calls and Terry took the bike to a dealership. One mobile repair guy probably could have helped but he is waiting for back surgery so can't work. A couple of fellow campers had suggestions which we had already tried. Finally got a tow service which was working on the weekend and a very nice guy showed up a hour later and took the truck to a Chev dealer. Terry followed on the bike and had the guy drop the truck right in front of the door so they would have to do something with it first thing Monday. Being wound up, Terry had eaten nothing all day so I had dinner in the oven when he got back. We were rocked to sleep by the wind moving the rig.

Sun – The camp host came over this morning and told Terry that we could use his truck to move our rig if ours isn't back in time for someone to move into our site. About an hour later he came back and said the new person was here so we needed to move. We looked at each other in disbelief and informed him that we booked for a week and were leaving Monday. He checked his records and said “my mistake, the new guy is in the site beside you”. Someone suggested that perhaps the truck had “lost its prime” so Terry made a trip back to the dealership but no luck. We were lucky enough that our site was empty tomorrow so we went and paid thinking that even if we get the truck back today it will be too late to leave. Remainder of the day very quiet.

Mon – Terry was up early and at the dealership at 7:30. They couldn't do anything as the batteries were run down so Terry came back to wait while they charged. I had everything packed up and optimistically ready to leave. We got a call just before noon saying they couldn't find any problem once the truck was charged, started and put on the diagnostic system. We picked up the truck, went to WalMart across the road for groceries, stopped for a burger for lunch and fueled up the truck before going back to the Elks and relaxing. Lots of rain & wind in the evening & night.

Tues – Luckily it quit raining long enough to finish packing up and get on the road. Lots of road construction once we hit I40 but no delays. We stopped for fuel in Kingman and pulled into Main Street Station RV park around noon. We had lunch before going across the street to register for 3 days. We made a donation to the casino and then walked up & down Fremont Street. A little early for all the crazies but entertaining anyhow. Back to the rig to relax & have an easy dinner since I put a roast in the crock pot when I got here.