Nov 21st - Wed - Mesa
Our friend Chuck Kambouroff who lives in Phoenix came to visit today. He came to see us last year in Quartzite. It is so nice to be able to see old friends - and new friends - as we travel.
While we were having lunch with Chuck, I lost a large filling and the side of a molar. I managed to get into a dentist. He said it could not be refilled as there was not enough tooth and a crown would be $841. He had equipment where he can make a crown in his office in about half an hour - and it still costs that much!! We were already planning on getting some dental work done in Mexico. I’m not sure I can go that long with this broken tooth but we decided to wait until next week and check with another dentist. Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving and a lot of offices are closed Friday as well, there won’t be much we can do until Monday.
Nov 22nd - Thurs - Mesa
Started our Thanksgiving day with an unusual activity for this day - laundry!!
There was a Thanksgiving dinner (part provided by the park, part potluck) here at the park but we decided to go to the Gila River Casino instead. We prefer penny slots so we can slow the losses when we are not doing well. This casino had very few one cent machines and the 2 cent ones where not very nice to us! The buffet had a huge line and I did not want to pay $14.95 when I could only eat a few different items. So we left, licking our wounds, and went to Denny’s for an adequate turkey dinner.
Our neighbor Eileen told us about a lighting event at the Phoenix zoo so we waited until dark and went there. The display is great. It is called “Zoolights”. There are lights everywhere - trees, shrubs, buildings and freestanding animals. You do not see any zoo animals as they are all asleep - except for some zebra. There is Christmas music everywhere and a lot of the figures are “animated”. I did take a lot of pictures so will try to get them posted tomorrow.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Nov 18th to 20th - Mesa
Nov 18th - Sun - Mesa
We made breakfast for Barry & Yvonne before they left for home this morning. And then we kind of felt at loose ends with the empty spot beside us!
We rode our bikes around the park looking at park models that were advertised for sale on a bulletin board. There wasn’t anything that made us think that we would like to come back here each winter.
After spending some time on the computer/internet, we returned to the swap meet. There was only a little over an hour until vendors started closing down - supposed to be open until 4 but vendors were closing at 3 - so we didn’t buy anything else. Spent a quiet evening after dinner watching TV and making phone calls.
Nov 19th - Mon - Mesa
Terry spent a lot of time cleaning the 5th wheel today while I did fun things like shorten some jeans, cut Dolly’s toe nails and misc inside cleaning. Spent some time on the internet and visiting with some neighbors. Not too exciting but good to get things done.
Nov 20th - Tues - Mesa
Finished cleaning the 5th wheel and then finally completed Terry’s internet application for social security benefits. We found out that we could go to a local office with the necessary documents rather than having to mail an original birth certificate. So after taking advantage of the lunch offerings here at the park, we spent a couple of hours at the social security office getting everything done. Terry is SO happy that it is done.
Made a stop at Home Depot for some supplies and did some little fix-it items on the 5th wheel. Then Dolly drove our neighbor’s dog (Mindy) crazy with her “ignore all dogs routine” while we sat and had a drink with her owners Merle & Eileen.
We made breakfast for Barry & Yvonne before they left for home this morning. And then we kind of felt at loose ends with the empty spot beside us!
We rode our bikes around the park looking at park models that were advertised for sale on a bulletin board. There wasn’t anything that made us think that we would like to come back here each winter.
After spending some time on the computer/internet, we returned to the swap meet. There was only a little over an hour until vendors started closing down - supposed to be open until 4 but vendors were closing at 3 - so we didn’t buy anything else. Spent a quiet evening after dinner watching TV and making phone calls.
Nov 19th - Mon - Mesa
Terry spent a lot of time cleaning the 5th wheel today while I did fun things like shorten some jeans, cut Dolly’s toe nails and misc inside cleaning. Spent some time on the internet and visiting with some neighbors. Not too exciting but good to get things done.
Nov 20th - Tues - Mesa
Finished cleaning the 5th wheel and then finally completed Terry’s internet application for social security benefits. We found out that we could go to a local office with the necessary documents rather than having to mail an original birth certificate. So after taking advantage of the lunch offerings here at the park, we spent a couple of hours at the social security office getting everything done. Terry is SO happy that it is done.
Made a stop at Home Depot for some supplies and did some little fix-it items on the 5th wheel. Then Dolly drove our neighbor’s dog (Mindy) crazy with her “ignore all dogs routine” while we sat and had a drink with her owners Merle & Eileen.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Nov 16th & 17th - Mesa
Nov 16th - Fri - Mesa
The weather was back to beautiful so we cleaned the truck and then played golf at the same 9 hole executive course - Sunland Village East. I did terrible, Yvonne good, Terry not so bad and Barry was not happy with his game.
When we returned from golf we drove to the office to see if our forwarded mail had arrived. It was not there so we decided to stay a few more days to be sure we are here when it arrives. We were going to stay 4 more days until the lady at the desk thought we wouldn’t want to be moving on Thanksgiving Day so we said we would stay until the 23rd. When we got back to our site, our forwarded mail package was on the table by our door!
So then we had a lazy remainder of the afternoon and evening.
Nov 17th - Sat - Mesa
Today was “patio sale” day here at the RV park so we took a quick drive around to see if there was anything we “needed”! Then we went with Barry & Yvonne to the Mesa Marketplace Swap Meet. It is a large, covered sale that is open Fri/Sat/Sun in the winter. We had breakfast there and then walked and walked and walked. And did some buying - but not as much as Barry & Yvonne. We always see that they get into trouble when they are with us.
Terry worked on my squeaky bicycle brakes so we took a ride to check out the repair - not so much squeaking but not so much braking power either! We went to dinner with Barry & Yvonne. While we were waiting to be seated at the restaurant, we walked to Target and Yvonne found her double-boiler so she can make covered pretzels.
We all went to the dance at the park tonight - country band which was very good. Had to wear off dinner somehow!
The weather was back to beautiful so we cleaned the truck and then played golf at the same 9 hole executive course - Sunland Village East. I did terrible, Yvonne good, Terry not so bad and Barry was not happy with his game.
When we returned from golf we drove to the office to see if our forwarded mail had arrived. It was not there so we decided to stay a few more days to be sure we are here when it arrives. We were going to stay 4 more days until the lady at the desk thought we wouldn’t want to be moving on Thanksgiving Day so we said we would stay until the 23rd. When we got back to our site, our forwarded mail package was on the table by our door!
So then we had a lazy remainder of the afternoon and evening.
Nov 17th - Sat - Mesa
Today was “patio sale” day here at the RV park so we took a quick drive around to see if there was anything we “needed”! Then we went with Barry & Yvonne to the Mesa Marketplace Swap Meet. It is a large, covered sale that is open Fri/Sat/Sun in the winter. We had breakfast there and then walked and walked and walked. And did some buying - but not as much as Barry & Yvonne. We always see that they get into trouble when they are with us.
Terry worked on my squeaky bicycle brakes so we took a ride to check out the repair - not so much squeaking but not so much braking power either! We went to dinner with Barry & Yvonne. While we were waiting to be seated at the restaurant, we walked to Target and Yvonne found her double-boiler so she can make covered pretzels.
We all went to the dance at the park tonight - country band which was very good. Had to wear off dinner somehow!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Nov 13th to 15th - Mesa, AZ
Nov 13th - Tues - Mesa
Quiet day today. We do not get wifi at our site so we have to go to the office. Posted to the blog, arranged for our mail to be forwarded and checked out the women’s clothing sale at the “patio”. We went to the pool & spa with Barry & Yvonne in the afternoon.
We had baby back ribs with Barry & Yvonne for dinner today. Yvonne & I made a quick trip to the grocery store for a couple of items including white candy coating and pretzels. After dinner, I showed Yvonne how to make coated pretzels.
Nov 14th - Wed - Mesa
We finally got the satellite dish set up. We will be shopping for a new compass!! Terry had a hard time finding south again so we spent way too long trying to get it set up but finally got it done. Of course we then had to go to the office to get new decryption keys from the internet. After we had been watching TV for an hour or so, the signal was scrambled again (!?) so we drove to the office area to search for more keys which did work but only for some channels. This sounds like a pain, doesn’t it?
Barbequed steaks with Barry & Yvonne. They mostly go out to eat so it is nice to have their company while we are here.
Nov 15th - Thurs - Mesa
When we went to the office to access the internet for a new program for our satellite receiver, we also had to wander through the weekly “Country Store” sale here at the park. The new program totally fixed our satellite TV so Terry is a happy camper - literally!
We were scheduled to play golf today but it rained and was very windy so we canceled. Barry & Yvonne came over and we watched the movie “Happy Feet” on TV. It is the animated movie about penguins. Terry thought I was crazy wanting to watch it but it was fun.
Barry bought new golf clubs which he was dying to try so he & Yvonne went to the driving range (in the continuing wind and showers). Terry & I made a trip to the grocery store and then I started the pork chop dinner which we were all sharing tonight. Yvonne wrote out some recipes from my recipe box but Barry said he “will believe it when he eats it” about Yvonne doing more cooking.
Quiet day today. We do not get wifi at our site so we have to go to the office. Posted to the blog, arranged for our mail to be forwarded and checked out the women’s clothing sale at the “patio”. We went to the pool & spa with Barry & Yvonne in the afternoon.
We had baby back ribs with Barry & Yvonne for dinner today. Yvonne & I made a quick trip to the grocery store for a couple of items including white candy coating and pretzels. After dinner, I showed Yvonne how to make coated pretzels.
Nov 14th - Wed - Mesa
We finally got the satellite dish set up. We will be shopping for a new compass!! Terry had a hard time finding south again so we spent way too long trying to get it set up but finally got it done. Of course we then had to go to the office to get new decryption keys from the internet. After we had been watching TV for an hour or so, the signal was scrambled again (!?) so we drove to the office area to search for more keys which did work but only for some channels. This sounds like a pain, doesn’t it?
Barbequed steaks with Barry & Yvonne. They mostly go out to eat so it is nice to have their company while we are here.
Nov 15th - Thurs - Mesa
When we went to the office to access the internet for a new program for our satellite receiver, we also had to wander through the weekly “Country Store” sale here at the park. The new program totally fixed our satellite TV so Terry is a happy camper - literally!
We were scheduled to play golf today but it rained and was very windy so we canceled. Barry & Yvonne came over and we watched the movie “Happy Feet” on TV. It is the animated movie about penguins. Terry thought I was crazy wanting to watch it but it was fun.
Barry bought new golf clubs which he was dying to try so he & Yvonne went to the driving range (in the continuing wind and showers). Terry & I made a trip to the grocery store and then I started the pork chop dinner which we were all sharing tonight. Yvonne wrote out some recipes from my recipe box but Barry said he “will believe it when he eats it” about Yvonne doing more cooking.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Nov 10th to 12th - CA to Mesa, AZ
Nov 10th - Sat - Desert Hot Springs, CA
We played golf in the wind again. Not quite as windy as yesterday and still warm. We stopped for some lunch and then went to the Coachella Valley Preserve which is a couple of oases. The first oasis has an old cabin that is now a visitor center. The ground is muddy in some spots with boards for walkways. The palm trees are untrimmed which makes them very shaggy and “jungle-like”. We took a mile walk through the desert to the second oasis. There is actually a lake surrounded by palm trees and other vegetation. There are tiny fish called pupfish and very small crawdads in the lake.
We received a free dinner at the RV dining room with our sales presentation so Claude & Val joined us. We were still talking with others at our table when a karaoke session started so we stayed to listen. We couldn’t talk Val into getting up to sing!
Nov 11th - Sun - to Mesa, AZ
We said farewell to Claude & Val and headed to Mesa. We were to meet Barry and Yvonne from Hemet, CA for a week. Against all odds, we actually passed them on the freeway heading to Mesa! We both stopped for fuel at the AZ border - diesel is 30 cents a gallon cheaper in Arizona than in California. We didn’t follow Wanda’s instructions correctly but after a couple of goofs we arrived at the RV park. Barry had a prepaid reservation through Coast-to-Coast but the gate guard wanted him to pay for one night. Barry managed to convince the guy that he had already paid and would check in at the office in the morning since the office was not open on Sunday. Then it was our turn. We did not have a reservation as I was told when I called that there was lots of room in the pet section and we wouldn’t need a reservation. We finally were able to pay for one night and get a site. We were escorted to our spots to find that they were occupied! So we were assigned spots on the other side of the park and got settled in just in time for “happy hour”. Then we all went out for pizza.
It was brother Bob’s birthday today so I spent the rest of the evening talking to him and to Marg & Dad on the phone.
Nov 12th - Mon - Mesa
We walked to the office this morning to pay for our stay without knowing how large the park is. We are at the opposite end from the office buildings so it is quite a hike. There are about 1700 sites in the park - Valle del Oro. We started to walk back and a lady in a golf cart offered us a ride so we took her up on it. We needed to find the garbage so this time we took the bicycles and continued to ride all around the park. It is 2 miles around the perimeter roads.
We went golfing with Barry and Yvonne this afternoon at an 18 hole executive course. Stopped at a grocery store on the way back and threw some chicken on the barbeque. Barry & Yvonne came over and then some neighbors stopped by to see what the heck our “buddy burner” was. I wanted to catch “Dancing with the Stars” but we ended up seeing only the last half hour as some TV shows appear at the Central time which means they are an hour earlier than usual here.
We played golf in the wind again. Not quite as windy as yesterday and still warm. We stopped for some lunch and then went to the Coachella Valley Preserve which is a couple of oases. The first oasis has an old cabin that is now a visitor center. The ground is muddy in some spots with boards for walkways. The palm trees are untrimmed which makes them very shaggy and “jungle-like”. We took a mile walk through the desert to the second oasis. There is actually a lake surrounded by palm trees and other vegetation. There are tiny fish called pupfish and very small crawdads in the lake.
We received a free dinner at the RV dining room with our sales presentation so Claude & Val joined us. We were still talking with others at our table when a karaoke session started so we stayed to listen. We couldn’t talk Val into getting up to sing!
Nov 11th - Sun - to Mesa, AZ
We said farewell to Claude & Val and headed to Mesa. We were to meet Barry and Yvonne from Hemet, CA for a week. Against all odds, we actually passed them on the freeway heading to Mesa! We both stopped for fuel at the AZ border - diesel is 30 cents a gallon cheaper in Arizona than in California. We didn’t follow Wanda’s instructions correctly but after a couple of goofs we arrived at the RV park. Barry had a prepaid reservation through Coast-to-Coast but the gate guard wanted him to pay for one night. Barry managed to convince the guy that he had already paid and would check in at the office in the morning since the office was not open on Sunday. Then it was our turn. We did not have a reservation as I was told when I called that there was lots of room in the pet section and we wouldn’t need a reservation. We finally were able to pay for one night and get a site. We were escorted to our spots to find that they were occupied! So we were assigned spots on the other side of the park and got settled in just in time for “happy hour”. Then we all went out for pizza.
It was brother Bob’s birthday today so I spent the rest of the evening talking to him and to Marg & Dad on the phone.
Nov 12th - Mon - Mesa
We walked to the office this morning to pay for our stay without knowing how large the park is. We are at the opposite end from the office buildings so it is quite a hike. There are about 1700 sites in the park - Valle del Oro. We started to walk back and a lady in a golf cart offered us a ride so we took her up on it. We needed to find the garbage so this time we took the bicycles and continued to ride all around the park. It is 2 miles around the perimeter roads.
We went golfing with Barry and Yvonne this afternoon at an 18 hole executive course. Stopped at a grocery store on the way back and threw some chicken on the barbeque. Barry & Yvonne came over and then some neighbors stopped by to see what the heck our “buddy burner” was. I wanted to catch “Dancing with the Stars” but we ended up seeing only the last half hour as some TV shows appear at the Central time which means they are an hour earlier than usual here.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Nove 7th to 9th - Yuma & Desert Hot Springs
Nov 7th - Wed - Yuma
Another beautiful sunny day on the golf course. We played the same 9 hole par 3 - Joanne & I bettered out scores from the time before but the guys struggled a bit. We all stopped for breakfast on the way back to the RV park. Then we took a little trip to Mexico - just over the border from Yuma to Algodones. We parked and walked across the border. Joanne & George had been there yesterday to get new glasses but there was something wrong with Joanne’s sunglasses so they had to go back and asked if we wanted to ride along. We went to the optical store first and there was still a problem with the glasses so we had to go back in 2 hours. So we wandered through stores and Joanne haggled on loose “dresses”/bathing suit cover-ups for her & me. It was very hot so we passed the rest of the waiting time in a cooler bar drinking beer and margaritas. There was quite a line to go back across the border but it moved quickly.
Since we are leaving tomorrow, I asked George & Joanne to come over for hamburgers for dinner. This necessitated a quick trip to the grocery store and then we enjoyed our evening and the good company.
Nov 8th - Thurs - to Desert Hot Springs
We are joining Canadian friends Claude & Val at Desert Pools RV park in Desert Hot Springs for a few days. It took about 3 ½ hours to drive. It is a Western Horizon park so we agreed to attend a sales presentation in exchange for staying here “rent free” for 3 nights. We have been wanting to find out about camping associations so this is a good place to start.
Claude & Val came over after lunch and we caught up on news. Then we all cooled off in the pool and enjoyed the mineral water hot pools. Val cooked dinner so we continued our gab fest all evening.
Nov 9th - Fri - Desert Hot Springs
We attended the sales presentation this morning and then went to talk it over with Claude & Val and between ourselves. Decided that this is not the right time to join but it looks like a possible option.
After lunch, we played golf at The Sands, a 9 hole executive course. It was extremely windy but we played anyhow as it wasn’t cold. Tonight was our turn to cook. It gets dark here at 6 so Terry barbequed the ribs in the dark again. Managed to talk our way through too much scotch & wine for another great evening.
Another beautiful sunny day on the golf course. We played the same 9 hole par 3 - Joanne & I bettered out scores from the time before but the guys struggled a bit. We all stopped for breakfast on the way back to the RV park. Then we took a little trip to Mexico - just over the border from Yuma to Algodones. We parked and walked across the border. Joanne & George had been there yesterday to get new glasses but there was something wrong with Joanne’s sunglasses so they had to go back and asked if we wanted to ride along. We went to the optical store first and there was still a problem with the glasses so we had to go back in 2 hours. So we wandered through stores and Joanne haggled on loose “dresses”/bathing suit cover-ups for her & me. It was very hot so we passed the rest of the waiting time in a cooler bar drinking beer and margaritas. There was quite a line to go back across the border but it moved quickly.
Since we are leaving tomorrow, I asked George & Joanne to come over for hamburgers for dinner. This necessitated a quick trip to the grocery store and then we enjoyed our evening and the good company.
Nov 8th - Thurs - to Desert Hot Springs
We are joining Canadian friends Claude & Val at Desert Pools RV park in Desert Hot Springs for a few days. It took about 3 ½ hours to drive. It is a Western Horizon park so we agreed to attend a sales presentation in exchange for staying here “rent free” for 3 nights. We have been wanting to find out about camping associations so this is a good place to start.
Claude & Val came over after lunch and we caught up on news. Then we all cooled off in the pool and enjoyed the mineral water hot pools. Val cooked dinner so we continued our gab fest all evening.
Nov 9th - Fri - Desert Hot Springs
We attended the sales presentation this morning and then went to talk it over with Claude & Val and between ourselves. Decided that this is not the right time to join but it looks like a possible option.
After lunch, we played golf at The Sands, a 9 hole executive course. It was extremely windy but we played anyhow as it wasn’t cold. Tonight was our turn to cook. It gets dark here at 6 so Terry barbequed the ribs in the dark again. Managed to talk our way through too much scotch & wine for another great evening.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Nov 5th & 6th - Yuma, AZ
NOTE - new pictures have been posted!!
Nov 5th - Mon - Yuma
Another lovely morning for our golf game. Actually seemed warmer than yesterday as there was no breeze. We all did better today.
We stopped for diesel and propane on the way back to the park. Yesterday, one station had diesel for $3.28 and this morning it was $3.39. Across the street it was $3.l5 so we thought we would top up before it changed too. By the time we got there after golf, it was $3.17.
It was our anniversary today so we treated ourselves to a trip to the casino. Actually hit two casinos - Cocopah and Paradise. Did not hurt the profits at either one!!
Nov 6th - Tues - Yuma
“Puttering around” type day today. Cleaning, laundry, getting bulbs & wiper blades for the truck, haircut for me. Had a late breakfast so stopped at DQ to have a Blizzard for lunch!!
Cooled off in the pool and visited with others in the pool this afternoon. There was bingo this evening but someone said it starts at 6:00 which is way too early to have dinner done. Later I found out it was at 7 so we could have gone. Oh well, better that I took the time to add captions to pictures and finally get some more posted to the internet.
Nov 5th - Mon - Yuma
Another lovely morning for our golf game. Actually seemed warmer than yesterday as there was no breeze. We all did better today.
We stopped for diesel and propane on the way back to the park. Yesterday, one station had diesel for $3.28 and this morning it was $3.39. Across the street it was $3.l5 so we thought we would top up before it changed too. By the time we got there after golf, it was $3.17.
It was our anniversary today so we treated ourselves to a trip to the casino. Actually hit two casinos - Cocopah and Paradise. Did not hurt the profits at either one!!
Nov 6th - Tues - Yuma
“Puttering around” type day today. Cleaning, laundry, getting bulbs & wiper blades for the truck, haircut for me. Had a late breakfast so stopped at DQ to have a Blizzard for lunch!!
Cooled off in the pool and visited with others in the pool this afternoon. There was bingo this evening but someone said it starts at 6:00 which is way too early to have dinner done. Later I found out it was at 7 so we could have gone. Oh well, better that I took the time to add captions to pictures and finally get some more posted to the internet.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Nov 3rd - 4th - Yuma
Nov 3rd - Sat - Yuma
Terry got the truck serviced (oil, transmission fluid, etc) while I caught up the blog and gave Dolly a haircut.
Took some measurements, made a short list and returned to the Swap Meet. We met George & Joanne (from the park beside us) there and spoke with them a bit. George was going to check out a couple of golf courses so we said we would come by and see what he found out.
Stopped at a grocery store (frequent occurrence when you have limited space and practice “just in time” shopping!) then took a dip in the pool. We rode our bicycles over to see George & Joanne and had a drink & BS’d with them for a while.
Talked to sister Marg today and she said it was snowing in 100 Mile House. Don’t miss that weather much!
Nov 4th - Sun - Yuma
We went golfing with George & Joanne this morning. Joanne has not played much - she started and then was sidelined by a bad back. She was going to go to the driving range while George golfed but we talked her into playing with us. It was a 9 hole par 3 course so a good one for her to start on. She had a rocky start but ended up doing just fine. We all stopped for lunch after our game.
I did a load of laundry and swam and read by the pool while it was washing & drying. Makes laundry pretty much painless! George came by while we were waiting for our ribs to cook and said that Joanne wanted to play golf again tomorrow and asked if we wanted to join them. Since we can always use practice on the short game, we said yes.
Terry got the truck serviced (oil, transmission fluid, etc) while I caught up the blog and gave Dolly a haircut.
Took some measurements, made a short list and returned to the Swap Meet. We met George & Joanne (from the park beside us) there and spoke with them a bit. George was going to check out a couple of golf courses so we said we would come by and see what he found out.
Stopped at a grocery store (frequent occurrence when you have limited space and practice “just in time” shopping!) then took a dip in the pool. We rode our bicycles over to see George & Joanne and had a drink & BS’d with them for a while.
Talked to sister Marg today and she said it was snowing in 100 Mile House. Don’t miss that weather much!
Nov 4th - Sun - Yuma
We went golfing with George & Joanne this morning. Joanne has not played much - she started and then was sidelined by a bad back. She was going to go to the driving range while George golfed but we talked her into playing with us. It was a 9 hole par 3 course so a good one for her to start on. She had a rocky start but ended up doing just fine. We all stopped for lunch after our game.
I did a load of laundry and swam and read by the pool while it was washing & drying. Makes laundry pretty much painless! George came by while we were waiting for our ribs to cook and said that Joanne wanted to play golf again tomorrow and asked if we wanted to join them. Since we can always use practice on the short game, we said yes.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Oct 31st to Nov 2nd - Arizona
Oct 31st - Wed - Salome - HAPPY HALLOWEEN
We played golf today. I would call it a semi-desert golf course. We actually played it last year - grass tee boxes and greens, dirt/sand/gravel fairways. This time we had plastic tees so we could tee up the fairway shots and not worry so much about messing up clubs by hitting rocks. I told Terry when we finished that we could have saved the $16 and just gone for a long walk in the desert - but it was nice to get out & golf.
We stopped at the best stocked (1 of 2 stores!) grocery store to find something to put on the barbeque tonight. I don’t thing we will ever be spending a winter here with such a small selection of meat unless we had another freezer and stocked up. The nearest large grocery store is in Parker which is 60 miles away.
The golf game also made a long soak in the pool very enjoyable. We actually had 6 trick-or-treaters this evening - good thing that we had some small candy bars in the goody tin.
Nov 1st - Thurs - to Yuma AZ
Short drive again today - 107 miles. Stopped for diesel in Quartzite - $3.14. We are actually going to stay here for a week - we may grow roots! Had a little trouble with Wanda. I spelled the name of the park to find the address but did not notice when it came up that the address number was different from the PA book. So Wanda took us to the North Frontage road instead of the South Frontage road and announced that we were “arriving at destination” in a residential area. But I was able to quickly figure out where we were and how to get back across the freeway to the park.
I had heard an ad clearance sales at Kohls department store so we did a little shopping this afternoon. The shopping center is so huge that you drive from one area to another as it is too far to walk.
We went bike riding around the park and around the neighboring park. There are many Washington & Oregon license plates. We spoke with a guy from Spokane and with a couple that had Washington plates but were actually from California (George & Joanne). They just have an address in Rochester (where son Dean lives!) as they are full timers.
Nov 2nd - Friday - Yuma
More shopping today - this time at the Swap Meet. We went to the Swap Meet last year with friends Francis & Nicole. It is very large & all under cover. But it got very warm in the afternoon as the canvas walls stop the breeze. You would think that we wouldn’t have need/room for more stuff but it is surprising how many little items that you pick up. Some of the things that we got are geared towards staying in one place for a longer time (Mexico!) - stronger tablecloth clips, rebar with a loop to secure the awning, a collapsible garbage container for outside and more of the multi-purpose large washers with a small center hole that we discovered in Quartzite. While we were wandering around, we ran into a couple (Ed & Joanne) that we knew from the RV park last year in Quartzite - small world. They are back in Quartzite for the winter.
When we got back, we relaxed our weary feet and legs in the swimming pool and chatted with a couple from the Seattle area.
We played golf today. I would call it a semi-desert golf course. We actually played it last year - grass tee boxes and greens, dirt/sand/gravel fairways. This time we had plastic tees so we could tee up the fairway shots and not worry so much about messing up clubs by hitting rocks. I told Terry when we finished that we could have saved the $16 and just gone for a long walk in the desert - but it was nice to get out & golf.
We stopped at the best stocked (1 of 2 stores!) grocery store to find something to put on the barbeque tonight. I don’t thing we will ever be spending a winter here with such a small selection of meat unless we had another freezer and stocked up. The nearest large grocery store is in Parker which is 60 miles away.
The golf game also made a long soak in the pool very enjoyable. We actually had 6 trick-or-treaters this evening - good thing that we had some small candy bars in the goody tin.
Nov 1st - Thurs - to Yuma AZ
Short drive again today - 107 miles. Stopped for diesel in Quartzite - $3.14. We are actually going to stay here for a week - we may grow roots! Had a little trouble with Wanda. I spelled the name of the park to find the address but did not notice when it came up that the address number was different from the PA book. So Wanda took us to the North Frontage road instead of the South Frontage road and announced that we were “arriving at destination” in a residential area. But I was able to quickly figure out where we were and how to get back across the freeway to the park.
I had heard an ad clearance sales at Kohls department store so we did a little shopping this afternoon. The shopping center is so huge that you drive from one area to another as it is too far to walk.
We went bike riding around the park and around the neighboring park. There are many Washington & Oregon license plates. We spoke with a guy from Spokane and with a couple that had Washington plates but were actually from California (George & Joanne). They just have an address in Rochester (where son Dean lives!) as they are full timers.
Nov 2nd - Friday - Yuma
More shopping today - this time at the Swap Meet. We went to the Swap Meet last year with friends Francis & Nicole. It is very large & all under cover. But it got very warm in the afternoon as the canvas walls stop the breeze. You would think that we wouldn’t have need/room for more stuff but it is surprising how many little items that you pick up. Some of the things that we got are geared towards staying in one place for a longer time (Mexico!) - stronger tablecloth clips, rebar with a loop to secure the awning, a collapsible garbage container for outside and more of the multi-purpose large washers with a small center hole that we discovered in Quartzite. While we were wandering around, we ran into a couple (Ed & Joanne) that we knew from the RV park last year in Quartzite - small world. They are back in Quartzite for the winter.
When we got back, we relaxed our weary feet and legs in the swimming pool and chatted with a couple from the Seattle area.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Oct 26th to 29th - Albuqueque to Salome, AZ
Oct 26th - Fri - to Albuquerque, NM
We took a long way around to get to Albuquerque to avoid going all the way through town and the big hill that we drove the first day we were here. The RV park that we chose happened to be ½ a mile from a Camping World store so we had to browse there for a while and picked up a couple of small items - cheapest we ever got out of a Camping World store. Fueled up and found a grocery store and then kicked back.
Oct 27th - Sat - Albuquerque, NM
Had to make another trip to Camping World to buy some lights for the awning - not such a cheap visit this time! Went driving/exploring and ended up at a big casino. This time we received T-shirts without having to “earn” them by getting points on the player’s club cards. Unfortunately, we got large shirts and we both would have been more comfortable in x-large - better lay off the food and get some exercise. The machines allowed us to play for hours before finally saying “that’s enough”. We tried to get Wanda to find us a visitor’s center but she sent us to the center of town and we never did find it.
We met a couple in the park from Vernon, BC (John & Carol). We stood and chatted while our dinner was burning and then invited them over to visit some more. They sold their house and put stuff in storage to try traveling for 6 months. They think they will fulltime longer but they have to figure out the BC medical restrictions to do so. We really enjoyed them and hope to meet up with them again sometime.
Oct 28th - Sun - to Meteor Crater, Arizona
Easy drive today. Meteor Crater is about 40 miles east of Flagstaff and consists of a service station and an RV park a few miles from the actual crater. We set up and then went to see the crater. Terry is still kicking himself for paying $28 to look at a hole in the ground!! There was a 10 minute film and a museum but I guess we are just not into meteors enough to appreciate this attraction.
Not much else to do except sit out and enjoy the sunshine (hard to take!) and visit with campers who moved in next to us.
Oct 29th - Mon - to Salome, AZ
Yes, Claude, we are on the move again! A longer drive today that was made even longer as you will see by the story below.
We drove without incident to Prescott, AZ - freeway and nice 4/2 lane all the way. Diesel was a little more expensive - $3.24 - but we just pay and move on. At Prescott we were to take highway 89 south to join Hwy 60 and then to Salome. As we hit 89, there was a sign that said no trucks over 40 feet. 4 miles further we were into a windy, narrow road and another sign saying no trucks over 40 feet. Terry decided to believe the second sign and turned around. We looked at the map and figured we would have to go around nearly to Phoenix which would add a lot of miles to the trip. As we approached Prescott again, we saw a sign for Visitor Information which of course was right in town with no RV parking. So Terry pulled halfway off the street and I ran back to the building. A guy there said “you didn’t hear it from me” but as long as we were comfortable with very windy roads and drove slow we would have no trouble on 89 - or we could take another road out of Prescott that joined 89 about halfway through and was also a longer route.
We decided to give 89 a try and headed out again. It was indeed very windy and narrow but the road surface was very good and there were a lot of pullouts so you could let cars pass. I probably enjoyed the drive more than Terry did. It leveled off for a bit and then there was another very steep windy section as we dropped off the Mogollon Rim that is the edge of the section of Arizona that is higher in elevation. Finally we were back on level ground and arrived at Salome in 88 degree weather. We planned to play golf here but apparently most Arizona golf courses have been over-seeded right now and are closed!
The pool was open (and heated) so we joined a couple from Westbank, BC (George & Liz) to enjoy the pool and non-stop talk for about an hour. Terry tried to set up our satellite dish but could not get it to work. We now think that maybe it was damaged when it fell over back in Yellowstone.
We took a long way around to get to Albuquerque to avoid going all the way through town and the big hill that we drove the first day we were here. The RV park that we chose happened to be ½ a mile from a Camping World store so we had to browse there for a while and picked up a couple of small items - cheapest we ever got out of a Camping World store. Fueled up and found a grocery store and then kicked back.
Oct 27th - Sat - Albuquerque, NM
Had to make another trip to Camping World to buy some lights for the awning - not such a cheap visit this time! Went driving/exploring and ended up at a big casino. This time we received T-shirts without having to “earn” them by getting points on the player’s club cards. Unfortunately, we got large shirts and we both would have been more comfortable in x-large - better lay off the food and get some exercise. The machines allowed us to play for hours before finally saying “that’s enough”. We tried to get Wanda to find us a visitor’s center but she sent us to the center of town and we never did find it.
We met a couple in the park from Vernon, BC (John & Carol). We stood and chatted while our dinner was burning and then invited them over to visit some more. They sold their house and put stuff in storage to try traveling for 6 months. They think they will fulltime longer but they have to figure out the BC medical restrictions to do so. We really enjoyed them and hope to meet up with them again sometime.
Oct 28th - Sun - to Meteor Crater, Arizona
Easy drive today. Meteor Crater is about 40 miles east of Flagstaff and consists of a service station and an RV park a few miles from the actual crater. We set up and then went to see the crater. Terry is still kicking himself for paying $28 to look at a hole in the ground!! There was a 10 minute film and a museum but I guess we are just not into meteors enough to appreciate this attraction.
Not much else to do except sit out and enjoy the sunshine (hard to take!) and visit with campers who moved in next to us.
Oct 29th - Mon - to Salome, AZ
Yes, Claude, we are on the move again! A longer drive today that was made even longer as you will see by the story below.
We drove without incident to Prescott, AZ - freeway and nice 4/2 lane all the way. Diesel was a little more expensive - $3.24 - but we just pay and move on. At Prescott we were to take highway 89 south to join Hwy 60 and then to Salome. As we hit 89, there was a sign that said no trucks over 40 feet. 4 miles further we were into a windy, narrow road and another sign saying no trucks over 40 feet. Terry decided to believe the second sign and turned around. We looked at the map and figured we would have to go around nearly to Phoenix which would add a lot of miles to the trip. As we approached Prescott again, we saw a sign for Visitor Information which of course was right in town with no RV parking. So Terry pulled halfway off the street and I ran back to the building. A guy there said “you didn’t hear it from me” but as long as we were comfortable with very windy roads and drove slow we would have no trouble on 89 - or we could take another road out of Prescott that joined 89 about halfway through and was also a longer route.
We decided to give 89 a try and headed out again. It was indeed very windy and narrow but the road surface was very good and there were a lot of pullouts so you could let cars pass. I probably enjoyed the drive more than Terry did. It leveled off for a bit and then there was another very steep windy section as we dropped off the Mogollon Rim that is the edge of the section of Arizona that is higher in elevation. Finally we were back on level ground and arrived at Salome in 88 degree weather. We planned to play golf here but apparently most Arizona golf courses have been over-seeded right now and are closed!
The pool was open (and heated) so we joined a couple from Westbank, BC (George & Liz) to enjoy the pool and non-stop talk for about an hour. Terry tried to set up our satellite dish but could not get it to work. We now think that maybe it was damaged when it fell over back in Yellowstone.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Oct 24th & 25th - Ruidoso, New Mexico
Oct 24th - Wed - to Ruidoso, NM
Just over 150 miles today but it took us almost as long to find an RV park as it did to get here. I had found a park in the PA book which was not in our GPS system. But I could see on a general map the junction of 2 highways that were in the driving instructions in the PA book so I figured we could find it. Well, the roads did not exactly look like the map so we made a guess and ended up on a narrow street and having to turn around in a motel parking lot by backing out onto the street. A lady at the motel gave us a map of the town and stopped traffic while we backed out. The new map was a “touristy picture map” which wasn’t to scale so we ended up driving forever - it seemed - and went up and then down a steep hill/mountain. We did find the RV park and said “no way”, turned around and went back up and down the mountain. Then Terry drove into a park that he saw and it turned out to be all permanent tenants. The internal roads were very narrow and lined with trees so it took all of Terry’s driving skill to exit successfully. In the meantime, I was making phone calls to find a park with wifi. I saw one park on the map, directed Terry to turn on a road that he did not really like but which turned out to be correct and we finally got a spot. It is very nice.
By this time it was after 2 so we set up and I settled Terry’s nerves with a Scotch with his lunch!
Ruidoso is hilly and spread out along ravines and rivers. We went to a nearby area of shops and wandered around in the lovely sunshine. After dinner we had to make a small donation to the local casino! It is a large hotel/convention center/casino/golf course - Inn of the Mountain Gods.
Oct 25th - Thurs - Ruidoso, NM
We woke to see the truck covered in frost this morning. But the sky was clear and it warmed up quickly once the sun hit.
We drove to Alamogordo (50 miles) and went to the White Sands National Monument. The white sands are gypsum sand dunes stretching about 275 miles. There is an 8 mile road into the dunes with several trails that you can walk. Near the end there are some picnic areas with covered tables and restrooms. The road is paved most of the way and then is dirt/sand. The roads have to be plowed to keep them clear of drifting sand. There are large parking areas that are also kept cleared. You can climb and play on the dunes to your heart’s content. The visitor center sells sand sleds for kids to climb up the dunes and slide down. I had to climb a dune to see what was on the other side. It was tough climbing with about a foot of soft sand on top of a firmer layer. But the view was great!
We came back through a little town called Cloudcroft with an elevation of 8940 feet. (Ruidoso is about 6400). Nice drive but not too much to see besides cows and horses on really tough pasture. We went through some type of insect “hatch” which just peppered the windshield. So Terry had to clean the truck and the front of the 5th wheel when we got back while I did a little cleaning inside the rig.
Just over 150 miles today but it took us almost as long to find an RV park as it did to get here. I had found a park in the PA book which was not in our GPS system. But I could see on a general map the junction of 2 highways that were in the driving instructions in the PA book so I figured we could find it. Well, the roads did not exactly look like the map so we made a guess and ended up on a narrow street and having to turn around in a motel parking lot by backing out onto the street. A lady at the motel gave us a map of the town and stopped traffic while we backed out. The new map was a “touristy picture map” which wasn’t to scale so we ended up driving forever - it seemed - and went up and then down a steep hill/mountain. We did find the RV park and said “no way”, turned around and went back up and down the mountain. Then Terry drove into a park that he saw and it turned out to be all permanent tenants. The internal roads were very narrow and lined with trees so it took all of Terry’s driving skill to exit successfully. In the meantime, I was making phone calls to find a park with wifi. I saw one park on the map, directed Terry to turn on a road that he did not really like but which turned out to be correct and we finally got a spot. It is very nice.
By this time it was after 2 so we set up and I settled Terry’s nerves with a Scotch with his lunch!
Ruidoso is hilly and spread out along ravines and rivers. We went to a nearby area of shops and wandered around in the lovely sunshine. After dinner we had to make a small donation to the local casino! It is a large hotel/convention center/casino/golf course - Inn of the Mountain Gods.
Oct 25th - Thurs - Ruidoso, NM
We woke to see the truck covered in frost this morning. But the sky was clear and it warmed up quickly once the sun hit.
We drove to Alamogordo (50 miles) and went to the White Sands National Monument. The white sands are gypsum sand dunes stretching about 275 miles. There is an 8 mile road into the dunes with several trails that you can walk. Near the end there are some picnic areas with covered tables and restrooms. The road is paved most of the way and then is dirt/sand. The roads have to be plowed to keep them clear of drifting sand. There are large parking areas that are also kept cleared. You can climb and play on the dunes to your heart’s content. The visitor center sells sand sleds for kids to climb up the dunes and slide down. I had to climb a dune to see what was on the other side. It was tough climbing with about a foot of soft sand on top of a firmer layer. But the view was great!
We came back through a little town called Cloudcroft with an elevation of 8940 feet. (Ruidoso is about 6400). Nice drive but not too much to see besides cows and horses on really tough pasture. We went through some type of insect “hatch” which just peppered the windshield. So Terry had to clean the truck and the front of the 5th wheel when we got back while I did a little cleaning inside the rig.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Oct 19th to 23rd - Texas, New Mexico
Oct 19th - Friday - Grand Prairie (Ft Worth) TX
We took a tour of a federal printing and engraving facility today. They print money, stamps and other “controlled” items. The tour takes place on glassed-in elevated walkways looking over the production floor. There are 2 museums - past and present. Very interesting.
We were then going to check out the downtown stockyards area but just ended up driving through as we didn’t really feel like doing any shopping and did not see anything else and parking at the same time.
Oct 20th - Sat - Grand Prairie TX
Next door to the RV park is a huge weekend market area - some literature says 120 acres and some 154 acres, including parking I‘m sure. Vendor counts range from 2800 to 3500. Either way, it is huge! There are buildings with walls & doors, large covered areas and open areas. We wandered in the morning and bought a tripod for our satellite dish. So we went back to the rig for lunch and to rest our feet. Then we went back, bought a couple more small items and then it was just too hot and our feet were tired. It got to 92 degrees - just perfect to pull out the big recliner lawn chairs and relax in the shade.
Oct 21st - Sun - to Lubbock, TX
We weren’t exactly sure where we would end up today. We have a tire on the 5th wheel that is wearing badly. We actually replaced it before going to Alaska and then of course never found the underlying cause of the problem. Terry figured we needed to stop at an RV repair place but kind of forgot that today is Sunday so that wouldn’t happen. He looked online for tires matching the ones on the other side that we had to replace when we had the blowout but they are sold by Les Schwab which is only in west coast states. So we just kept going and ended up in Lubbock.
We are in cotton country now. Miles and miles of enormous cotton fields. Some are being harvested and others are still green. Just before Lubbock it was 95 degrees and ½ hour later it was 75 degrees. We hit the cold front that has been in the weather forecast for a couple of days.
Oct 22nd - Mon - to Carlsbad, New Mexico
If anyone is following our trip on a map, it appears that Lubbock was out of the way to get to Carlsbad. You are correct! I was looking in the PA book for a campsite and saw one at Post which is about 40 miles from Lubbock. I asked Terry if that was where he had wanted to go and he said yes without actually looking at the map again. It wasn’t exactly the right direction but we didn’t figure that out soon enough. Then we thought we could find an RV repair place in Lubbock so carried on.
This morning Terry decided to replace the worn tire with the new spare which should get us to a Les Schwab to get matching tires. So we packed everything up and then changed the tire in the RV site - much better than trying to do it on the side of a highway!
The landscape is very flat and dry. More cotton and then the addition of oil pumps, hay and some cattle. We arrived in Carlsbad a little too late to go to the caverns so hit a grocery store and kicked back. Later we realized that we were in a different time zone so could have squeezed in a visit to some attraction.
Oct 23rd - Tues - Carlsbad, NM
Busy day today. I entered four days in my word processing file for my blog but we do not have wifi so I will have to wait to post it. We went to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens just a few miles away. Having been to the Desert Museum in Tucson, we were not overly impressed with this one. Even though animals were in “natural” environments, I felt sorry for them being in captivity as they did not have acres to roam in. The weather was nice though so I enjoyed the walk.
Next we went to Carlsbad Caverns. I couldn’t talk Terry into walking the extra mile by using the Natural entrance so we rode the elevator down and toured the Big Room - it was amazing. Unfortunately, you cannot capture the immense size with a camera as it is dimly lit with highlights on certain features. We rented an audio “tour guide” so, along with guide boards, we had quite a bit of information as we walked for about 1 ½ hours. We were going to stay and watch the bats fly out of the Bat Cave but they were guessing that they would leave about 5:30 and we didn’t want to stick around that long. Last night they estimated 4:30 and the bats did not fly until 5:30 so we could have had a long wait.
We found a visitor information site and picked up booklets for other New Mexico areas as we will take off tomorrow.
We took a tour of a federal printing and engraving facility today. They print money, stamps and other “controlled” items. The tour takes place on glassed-in elevated walkways looking over the production floor. There are 2 museums - past and present. Very interesting.
We were then going to check out the downtown stockyards area but just ended up driving through as we didn’t really feel like doing any shopping and did not see anything else and parking at the same time.
Oct 20th - Sat - Grand Prairie TX
Next door to the RV park is a huge weekend market area - some literature says 120 acres and some 154 acres, including parking I‘m sure. Vendor counts range from 2800 to 3500. Either way, it is huge! There are buildings with walls & doors, large covered areas and open areas. We wandered in the morning and bought a tripod for our satellite dish. So we went back to the rig for lunch and to rest our feet. Then we went back, bought a couple more small items and then it was just too hot and our feet were tired. It got to 92 degrees - just perfect to pull out the big recliner lawn chairs and relax in the shade.
Oct 21st - Sun - to Lubbock, TX
We weren’t exactly sure where we would end up today. We have a tire on the 5th wheel that is wearing badly. We actually replaced it before going to Alaska and then of course never found the underlying cause of the problem. Terry figured we needed to stop at an RV repair place but kind of forgot that today is Sunday so that wouldn’t happen. He looked online for tires matching the ones on the other side that we had to replace when we had the blowout but they are sold by Les Schwab which is only in west coast states. So we just kept going and ended up in Lubbock.
We are in cotton country now. Miles and miles of enormous cotton fields. Some are being harvested and others are still green. Just before Lubbock it was 95 degrees and ½ hour later it was 75 degrees. We hit the cold front that has been in the weather forecast for a couple of days.
Oct 22nd - Mon - to Carlsbad, New Mexico
If anyone is following our trip on a map, it appears that Lubbock was out of the way to get to Carlsbad. You are correct! I was looking in the PA book for a campsite and saw one at Post which is about 40 miles from Lubbock. I asked Terry if that was where he had wanted to go and he said yes without actually looking at the map again. It wasn’t exactly the right direction but we didn’t figure that out soon enough. Then we thought we could find an RV repair place in Lubbock so carried on.
This morning Terry decided to replace the worn tire with the new spare which should get us to a Les Schwab to get matching tires. So we packed everything up and then changed the tire in the RV site - much better than trying to do it on the side of a highway!
The landscape is very flat and dry. More cotton and then the addition of oil pumps, hay and some cattle. We arrived in Carlsbad a little too late to go to the caverns so hit a grocery store and kicked back. Later we realized that we were in a different time zone so could have squeezed in a visit to some attraction.
Oct 23rd - Tues - Carlsbad, NM
Busy day today. I entered four days in my word processing file for my blog but we do not have wifi so I will have to wait to post it. We went to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens just a few miles away. Having been to the Desert Museum in Tucson, we were not overly impressed with this one. Even though animals were in “natural” environments, I felt sorry for them being in captivity as they did not have acres to roam in. The weather was nice though so I enjoyed the walk.
Next we went to Carlsbad Caverns. I couldn’t talk Terry into walking the extra mile by using the Natural entrance so we rode the elevator down and toured the Big Room - it was amazing. Unfortunately, you cannot capture the immense size with a camera as it is dimly lit with highlights on certain features. We rented an audio “tour guide” so, along with guide boards, we had quite a bit of information as we walked for about 1 ½ hours. We were going to stay and watch the bats fly out of the Bat Cave but they were guessing that they would leave about 5:30 and we didn’t want to stick around that long. Last night they estimated 4:30 and the bats did not fly until 5:30 so we could have had a long wait.
We found a visitor information site and picked up booklets for other New Mexico areas as we will take off tomorrow.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Oct 15th to 18th - AR, OK, TX
Oct 15th - Mon - to Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Very short trip today - we took the long way and it was only about 1 ½ hours. Checked into a PA park, made some lunch and then went for a drive into town. Eureka Springs is built on hills and almost the entire town is on the National Historic register. There are no two streets on the same level and no right angle intersections. We drove the “historic district” loop - talk about narrow and windy. We looked for a parking spot but the couple that we saw were not big enough for our truck. We took another drive out of town, across a dam and back to town in a big circle. This corner of Arkansas is hilly and treed - very pretty. The town has a trolley system to take people into and around the town since there is not much parking so I went to the RV office to get some info when we got back. They quit running at 5 so we decided that if tomorrow is nice we will stay another day and take the trolley into town.
Oct 16th - Tues - Eureka Springs, AR
The weather forecast is for thunderstorms but not until late tomorrow so we took the trolley into town and walked uphill and back down the main shopping street, taking pictures and wandering through shops. Had lunch and then took the trolley on the historic loop so I could get some pictures. You get a pass for the whole day on the trolleys so can get on and off as often as you wish on 5 routes. Back to the park and enjoyed sitting in the sun for about 4 minutes and then had to move into the shade!!
Took another drive to a retirement community just north of Eureka Springs (Holiday Island). Nice golf course through one subdivision, pretty big houses for retirement in another subdivision - 2000 sq ft minimum.
Oct 17th - Wed - to Thackerville, Oklahoma
We were pretty worried about the weather as possible tornados were added to the mix. We both woke up very early and had the TV on at 5 to check the weather. We got an early start (had to wait until a decent time -7:00 - to get our neighbor to move her car so we could get out) to head south and west to get around the storm front before it developed into ugly stuff. We hit some pretty good winds but otherwise the 6 hour drive to another PA park was uneventful. Thackerville is only a few miles from the Texas border.
The landscape continues to be hilly and treed. The only natural flat spots seem to be rivers & lakes. The highways must be costly to build as they have a lot of long “bridges” over gullies. Oklahoma has quite a few toll highways which we were able to avoid but I think drivers are encouraged to use the toll highways by the lack of maintenance on other highways - pretty rough.
There is a HUGE casino just a couple of miles away so of course we had to go check it out. Not much else to do here especially since it is still windy and very muggy. I am about ready to quit gambling - I just cannot win on anything any more. Luckily, Terry is still picking up some of my losses!
Oct 18th - Thurs - to Grand Prairie (Fort Worth), Texas
Another short drive today. I wanted to see some sights in Fort Worth so we found an RV park in Grand Prairie which is between Ft. Worth and Dallas. Hard to tell you are in a different town, they all kind of run together. Wanda did a fine job of guiding us in on several freeways while not going right through Ft. Worth.
We decided to use a lovely afternoon to get some chores done - including cleaning up the 5th wheel and truck. The park does not allow vehicle washing but we just used wet micro fiber clothes to clean the 5th wheel and then took the truck to a nearby car wash. Then it was great to relax in the sun (in shorts, 82 degrees) and read the mountain of info on Texas that we got at a tourist information center.
Very short trip today - we took the long way and it was only about 1 ½ hours. Checked into a PA park, made some lunch and then went for a drive into town. Eureka Springs is built on hills and almost the entire town is on the National Historic register. There are no two streets on the same level and no right angle intersections. We drove the “historic district” loop - talk about narrow and windy. We looked for a parking spot but the couple that we saw were not big enough for our truck. We took another drive out of town, across a dam and back to town in a big circle. This corner of Arkansas is hilly and treed - very pretty. The town has a trolley system to take people into and around the town since there is not much parking so I went to the RV office to get some info when we got back. They quit running at 5 so we decided that if tomorrow is nice we will stay another day and take the trolley into town.
Oct 16th - Tues - Eureka Springs, AR
The weather forecast is for thunderstorms but not until late tomorrow so we took the trolley into town and walked uphill and back down the main shopping street, taking pictures and wandering through shops. Had lunch and then took the trolley on the historic loop so I could get some pictures. You get a pass for the whole day on the trolleys so can get on and off as often as you wish on 5 routes. Back to the park and enjoyed sitting in the sun for about 4 minutes and then had to move into the shade!!
Took another drive to a retirement community just north of Eureka Springs (Holiday Island). Nice golf course through one subdivision, pretty big houses for retirement in another subdivision - 2000 sq ft minimum.
Oct 17th - Wed - to Thackerville, Oklahoma
We were pretty worried about the weather as possible tornados were added to the mix. We both woke up very early and had the TV on at 5 to check the weather. We got an early start (had to wait until a decent time -7:00 - to get our neighbor to move her car so we could get out) to head south and west to get around the storm front before it developed into ugly stuff. We hit some pretty good winds but otherwise the 6 hour drive to another PA park was uneventful. Thackerville is only a few miles from the Texas border.
The landscape continues to be hilly and treed. The only natural flat spots seem to be rivers & lakes. The highways must be costly to build as they have a lot of long “bridges” over gullies. Oklahoma has quite a few toll highways which we were able to avoid but I think drivers are encouraged to use the toll highways by the lack of maintenance on other highways - pretty rough.
There is a HUGE casino just a couple of miles away so of course we had to go check it out. Not much else to do here especially since it is still windy and very muggy. I am about ready to quit gambling - I just cannot win on anything any more. Luckily, Terry is still picking up some of my losses!
Oct 18th - Thurs - to Grand Prairie (Fort Worth), Texas
Another short drive today. I wanted to see some sights in Fort Worth so we found an RV park in Grand Prairie which is between Ft. Worth and Dallas. Hard to tell you are in a different town, they all kind of run together. Wanda did a fine job of guiding us in on several freeways while not going right through Ft. Worth.
We decided to use a lovely afternoon to get some chores done - including cleaning up the 5th wheel and truck. The park does not allow vehicle washing but we just used wet micro fiber clothes to clean the 5th wheel and then took the truck to a nearby car wash. Then it was great to relax in the sun (in shorts, 82 degrees) and read the mountain of info on Texas that we got at a tourist information center.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Oct 12th to 14th - Branson
Oct 12th - Fri - Branson
We went to the one show with a known country artist this afternoon - Moe Bandy. It was again very enjoyable. One cast member played a couple of comedic characters which added a fun touch. The band was good and looked like they were enjoying the show as well. Female dancers rounded out the show.
A little bit of shopping before going back to the rig for dinner and to visit Dolly. Then to an 8:00 pm show - Country Tonite. Another variety show with singers, dancers and a little comedy. The band definitely did not look like they were having as good a time as others. I wondered if we were getting burned out on shows.
Oct 13th - Sat - Branson
Another day with 2 shows. At 2:00 we went to see Kirby Van Burch, a magician. He and his wife Bambi have both been voted “Magician of the Year” by some national magicians’ organization. Terry really wanted to see this show so we bought tickets - full priced! - here. Kirby & Bambi were both very good and it was mostly a fast paced show that kept your full attention. But we were both somehow a little disappointed and we are not sure why. I felt like Kirby was somewhat arrogant.
Back to the rig again for dinner before the evening show - Bart Rockett. Bart is also a magician but he says he is a “comedian with props”. The show is not as slick - especially since his light & sound person had the night off and the replacement got sick so the lead dancer took over the music & lights. He includes a lot of current news events in his jokes and one-liners. He also does a fun ventriloquist number - and is a respectable magician. We actually enjoyed this show more than the earlier one today.
Oct 14th - Sun - Branson
The lovely sunny, warm weather continues. No show until this evening so we did some laundry, chatted with a couple that we met the first night we were here, cleaned up some stuff on the computer and talked to sister Marg on the phone for quite a while. For everyone who has asked in the past - Dad is doing fine.
After lunch we went to Branson Landing which is a new shopping area on the Taneycomo River that runs past old Branson. There are also a lot of what appear to be apartments and/or hotels above the shops. There is a central plaza area with “fountains” that are used in a water and music show every hour. There are also huge metal upright tubes behind the fountain nozzles that belch fire along with the water shooting up. Quite different.
The trees above our rig are oak trees and the squirrels cause most of the acorns to fall on our roof. The dog next door looks up at the trees when he comes out and barks at the squirrels. Luckily, Dolly has not seen a squirrel or figured out what is causing the noise.
Our last show was tonight at 7 pm - Ozark Mountain Jubilee. It was a family singing group - the Max Bacons (Dad, Mom, 3 sons, 1 daughter-in-law and a couple of songs by grandkids) - and a band. The pianist was the “announcer” and goof-ball / comic relief. It was another very enjoyable couple of hours.
We went to the one show with a known country artist this afternoon - Moe Bandy. It was again very enjoyable. One cast member played a couple of comedic characters which added a fun touch. The band was good and looked like they were enjoying the show as well. Female dancers rounded out the show.
A little bit of shopping before going back to the rig for dinner and to visit Dolly. Then to an 8:00 pm show - Country Tonite. Another variety show with singers, dancers and a little comedy. The band definitely did not look like they were having as good a time as others. I wondered if we were getting burned out on shows.
Oct 13th - Sat - Branson
Another day with 2 shows. At 2:00 we went to see Kirby Van Burch, a magician. He and his wife Bambi have both been voted “Magician of the Year” by some national magicians’ organization. Terry really wanted to see this show so we bought tickets - full priced! - here. Kirby & Bambi were both very good and it was mostly a fast paced show that kept your full attention. But we were both somehow a little disappointed and we are not sure why. I felt like Kirby was somewhat arrogant.
Back to the rig again for dinner before the evening show - Bart Rockett. Bart is also a magician but he says he is a “comedian with props”. The show is not as slick - especially since his light & sound person had the night off and the replacement got sick so the lead dancer took over the music & lights. He includes a lot of current news events in his jokes and one-liners. He also does a fun ventriloquist number - and is a respectable magician. We actually enjoyed this show more than the earlier one today.
Oct 14th - Sun - Branson
The lovely sunny, warm weather continues. No show until this evening so we did some laundry, chatted with a couple that we met the first night we were here, cleaned up some stuff on the computer and talked to sister Marg on the phone for quite a while. For everyone who has asked in the past - Dad is doing fine.
After lunch we went to Branson Landing which is a new shopping area on the Taneycomo River that runs past old Branson. There are also a lot of what appear to be apartments and/or hotels above the shops. There is a central plaza area with “fountains” that are used in a water and music show every hour. There are also huge metal upright tubes behind the fountain nozzles that belch fire along with the water shooting up. Quite different.
The trees above our rig are oak trees and the squirrels cause most of the acorns to fall on our roof. The dog next door looks up at the trees when he comes out and barks at the squirrels. Luckily, Dolly has not seen a squirrel or figured out what is causing the noise.
Our last show was tonight at 7 pm - Ozark Mountain Jubilee. It was a family singing group - the Max Bacons (Dad, Mom, 3 sons, 1 daughter-in-law and a couple of songs by grandkids) - and a band. The pianist was the “announcer” and goof-ball / comic relief. It was another very enjoyable couple of hours.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Oct 9th to 11th - Branson, MO
Oct 9th - Tues - to Branson, MO
Another beautiful sunny day for driving to Branson. We stopped at a visitor info site in Nevada (with a long “a”) not far across the border in Missouri. They gave us the usual books & pamphlets and then told us that the local radio station had show tickets for sale at very low prices. They are given the tickets in exchange for advertising and then have a auction on Friday evenings. You can then go and buy tickets at the highest auction bid price. Of course this was a small town and the radio station was downtown on narrow streets so Terry was nearly ready to bag it when we found the station and a place to park. We ended up with 6 shows - no big names - for $90. Most of the shows were normally $25 to $35 per person.
Stopped at grocery store just out of Springfield and then started calling the RV parks in the PA book. To our surprise and dismay, Sept & Oct are busy months here and places were full. We found one PA park that could give us a space for Wed, Thurs & Fri and then said they could put us in a pull through (normally reserved for very long rigs) tonight. So even though we would have to move and also wanted Saturday, we said fine. By the time we got to the park I realized that one show was only on Sunday night so we would need Sunday as well. When Terry went to register, the owner said she had switched some rigs around and could give us a spot through Sunday. At $15 per night we were happy!
When we were setting up, the large slide started to go out crooked. Thanks to friends having this problem, Terry knew what to look for (missing bolt) and thanks to a neighbor with a box of misc parts, he was able to replace the bolt and all is well.
Oct 10th - Wed - Branson, MO
Branson is set in/on hills with a lot of trees - quite pretty. We waited until our new site was vacated and then moved before exploring a bit and finding the theaters for our shows.
We went to a show called “Comedy Jamboree” this afternoon. A variety type show with dancers, singers and comedy. The pianist in the band was incredible. They were filming the show and showing it on two large screens at the same time. The pianist’s hands were moving so fast that they blurred on the screen.
There was an group of 3 men playing guitars & drums and singing in the covered picnic area in the RV park so we walked over and listened to them for a while.
We are parked in the trees and one of the trees is a hazelnut tree. So we get nuts hitting the roof. We will have to sweep the slides before we leave.
Oct 11th - Thurs - Branson
Cooled down a bit today but still sunny. We went to the “Buck Trent Morning Show” at 9:30 today. He is a banjo/guitar player who has played for 50 years with various artists including Porter Waggoner, Dolly Parton and Roy Clark and on shows such as Hee Haw. There was a band (of course), 2 excellent fiddle players and a guitar player who sang a lot. After asking the audience about birthdays and anniversaries, they played Lara’s Theme from Dr Zhivago (Somewhere My Love) that was absolutely wonderful. The entire cast sang on some songs and they had to throw in some jokes and one-liners. Very enjoyable. The shows yesterday and today were both 2 hours with a 15 minute intermissions so they could sell some CDs.
Drove around some and had lunch before going to another show at 2. It was “Island Fire” and not country at all. It was a group of 14 dancers from Samoa who performed Polynesian dances. There were also a couple of guys who twirled flaming torches. The male dancers had amazing energy and speed while the women performed traditional “Hawaiian”, graceful dances with storytelling hands and swivel hips.
Another beautiful sunny day for driving to Branson. We stopped at a visitor info site in Nevada (with a long “a”) not far across the border in Missouri. They gave us the usual books & pamphlets and then told us that the local radio station had show tickets for sale at very low prices. They are given the tickets in exchange for advertising and then have a auction on Friday evenings. You can then go and buy tickets at the highest auction bid price. Of course this was a small town and the radio station was downtown on narrow streets so Terry was nearly ready to bag it when we found the station and a place to park. We ended up with 6 shows - no big names - for $90. Most of the shows were normally $25 to $35 per person.
Stopped at grocery store just out of Springfield and then started calling the RV parks in the PA book. To our surprise and dismay, Sept & Oct are busy months here and places were full. We found one PA park that could give us a space for Wed, Thurs & Fri and then said they could put us in a pull through (normally reserved for very long rigs) tonight. So even though we would have to move and also wanted Saturday, we said fine. By the time we got to the park I realized that one show was only on Sunday night so we would need Sunday as well. When Terry went to register, the owner said she had switched some rigs around and could give us a spot through Sunday. At $15 per night we were happy!
When we were setting up, the large slide started to go out crooked. Thanks to friends having this problem, Terry knew what to look for (missing bolt) and thanks to a neighbor with a box of misc parts, he was able to replace the bolt and all is well.
Oct 10th - Wed - Branson, MO
Branson is set in/on hills with a lot of trees - quite pretty. We waited until our new site was vacated and then moved before exploring a bit and finding the theaters for our shows.
We went to a show called “Comedy Jamboree” this afternoon. A variety type show with dancers, singers and comedy. The pianist in the band was incredible. They were filming the show and showing it on two large screens at the same time. The pianist’s hands were moving so fast that they blurred on the screen.
There was an group of 3 men playing guitars & drums and singing in the covered picnic area in the RV park so we walked over and listened to them for a while.
We are parked in the trees and one of the trees is a hazelnut tree. So we get nuts hitting the roof. We will have to sweep the slides before we leave.
Oct 11th - Thurs - Branson
Cooled down a bit today but still sunny. We went to the “Buck Trent Morning Show” at 9:30 today. He is a banjo/guitar player who has played for 50 years with various artists including Porter Waggoner, Dolly Parton and Roy Clark and on shows such as Hee Haw. There was a band (of course), 2 excellent fiddle players and a guitar player who sang a lot. After asking the audience about birthdays and anniversaries, they played Lara’s Theme from Dr Zhivago (Somewhere My Love) that was absolutely wonderful. The entire cast sang on some songs and they had to throw in some jokes and one-liners. Very enjoyable. The shows yesterday and today were both 2 hours with a 15 minute intermissions so they could sell some CDs.
Drove around some and had lunch before going to another show at 2. It was “Island Fire” and not country at all. It was a group of 14 dancers from Samoa who performed Polynesian dances. There were also a couple of guys who twirled flaming torches. The male dancers had amazing energy and speed while the women performed traditional “Hawaiian”, graceful dances with storytelling hands and swivel hips.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Oct 6th to 8th - IA, NE, KS!!
Oct 6th - Sat - Emmetsburg, Iowa
On to the Spam Museum at Austin, MN. It was a fun stop and we had to buy a couple of cans of Spam at the gift shop as it has been so long since we have eaten any. There was more information in the museum than we had time to read - very well done and a worthwhile stop for anyone.
Then we finally headed to Iowa as we had intended to since we left South Dakota. We found out why one of the state’s nicknames is “The Corn State”. There are miles of corn fields, most not yet combined.
We went to the Grotto of the Redemption at West Bend, IA. It is a “shrine” constructed of rocks, petrified wood, crystals and semi-precious stones. It was one man’s vision and was built by him and 2 friends. Since we are not church-goers, we did not relate to the religious aspects of the Grotto but you can still appreciate the immense task.
It was late afternoon by the time we left the Grotto so we were looking for a place to stay. And what should appear in our path but another casino - with an RV park for $15 a night. Seemed like fate! It was so warm when we set up that we both put shorts on and turned on the air conditioner. A bit of gambling when we went to register and then drinks & dinner.
Oct 7th - Sun - Beatrice, Nebraska
Another huge rain storm last night but dry and hot this morning.
We had a food coupon for the buffet at the casino so we had breakfast before we left. And then we drove south - imagine! Lots of corn fields here too. We ended up in Beatrice, NE at a great park that is owned by the city. It has a 20 site RV park with full hookups, a huge covered barbeque/picnic area, an 18 “hole” disc golf course, paved trails and acres of mowed grass. We spoke with a couple who were “golfing” and the guy gave us a quick lesson which was very interesting. We will put this spot in our file for a return visit.
About 9 the lighting and thunder started and once again a downpour of rain. At least the days are nice.
Oct 8th - Mon - Lyndon, Kansas
We visited the Homestead National Monument just out of Beatrice this morning. It is a new building that has the residents of Kansas complaining about the cost. It has well done displays about every facet of homesteading but really not much that we have not seen in other forms in other places.
We are really moving through the states. We left the corn fields for a while but then got into them again as we got a little further south. A lot more trees and hills than in the parts of Iowa & Nebraska that we saw. We went through Lincoln on freeways to Lyndon about 22 miles south of Lincoln. It is a nice PA park. We have been surprised by the number of long-term residents in RV parks lately. In Beatrice, there were a lot of people working on a pipeline.
Arrived here mid afternoon so had time to give Terry a haircut and do some laundry. Also spent quite a bit of time digging around the internet since we have wifi at the site.
On to the Spam Museum at Austin, MN. It was a fun stop and we had to buy a couple of cans of Spam at the gift shop as it has been so long since we have eaten any. There was more information in the museum than we had time to read - very well done and a worthwhile stop for anyone.
Then we finally headed to Iowa as we had intended to since we left South Dakota. We found out why one of the state’s nicknames is “The Corn State”. There are miles of corn fields, most not yet combined.
We went to the Grotto of the Redemption at West Bend, IA. It is a “shrine” constructed of rocks, petrified wood, crystals and semi-precious stones. It was one man’s vision and was built by him and 2 friends. Since we are not church-goers, we did not relate to the religious aspects of the Grotto but you can still appreciate the immense task.
It was late afternoon by the time we left the Grotto so we were looking for a place to stay. And what should appear in our path but another casino - with an RV park for $15 a night. Seemed like fate! It was so warm when we set up that we both put shorts on and turned on the air conditioner. A bit of gambling when we went to register and then drinks & dinner.
Oct 7th - Sun - Beatrice, Nebraska
Another huge rain storm last night but dry and hot this morning.
We had a food coupon for the buffet at the casino so we had breakfast before we left. And then we drove south - imagine! Lots of corn fields here too. We ended up in Beatrice, NE at a great park that is owned by the city. It has a 20 site RV park with full hookups, a huge covered barbeque/picnic area, an 18 “hole” disc golf course, paved trails and acres of mowed grass. We spoke with a couple who were “golfing” and the guy gave us a quick lesson which was very interesting. We will put this spot in our file for a return visit.
About 9 the lighting and thunder started and once again a downpour of rain. At least the days are nice.
Oct 8th - Mon - Lyndon, Kansas
We visited the Homestead National Monument just out of Beatrice this morning. It is a new building that has the residents of Kansas complaining about the cost. It has well done displays about every facet of homesteading but really not much that we have not seen in other forms in other places.
We are really moving through the states. We left the corn fields for a while but then got into them again as we got a little further south. A lot more trees and hills than in the parts of Iowa & Nebraska that we saw. We went through Lincoln on freeways to Lyndon about 22 miles south of Lincoln. It is a nice PA park. We have been surprised by the number of long-term residents in RV parks lately. In Beatrice, there were a lot of people working on a pipeline.
Arrived here mid afternoon so had time to give Terry a haircut and do some laundry. Also spent quite a bit of time digging around the internet since we have wifi at the site.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Oct 4th & 5th - Mystic Lake, MN
Oct 4th - Thurs - Mystic Lake, MN
I updated the blog while we waited (hopefully) for the rush hour traffic to clear out so we could go to the Mall of America. It is in Bloomington which is a southern portion of Minneapolis. Wanda took us directly there on a route that did not occur to us when we looked at a map. We wandered, went to the aquarium, had lunch - and bought nothing except lunch!
We made use of the lovely, warm, sunny weather (79 degrees) by washing the bugs off the front of the 5th wheel and washing the truck in a car wash in the RV park. Then, what else could we do but visit the casino.
It is a huge casino. It seems even larger because it has been added on to over the years so it is kind of broken up and confusing inside. We weren’t doing too well so we headed for the exit. Only problem was, we couldn’t find the right exit. On the way across the casino to the right spot, Terry spotted some slot machines that he likes but hadn’t seen earlier. Luckily he tried one, and then another and I ended up dragging him out just after 9 as I was starving - but he was still winning.
A forecast rainstorm hit at midnight just as we were trying to go to sleep. Lightning, thunder and torrential rains made for a very broken night’s sleep. Dolly barks at thunder so that added to the disturbance. The storm lasted on & off all night and we saw lots of flood watches when we turned on the morning news.
Oct 5th - Fri - Mystic Lake
Terry thought yesterday morning that we should stay another night so we wouldn’t be packing up in a rainstorm - good decision as the rain did not stop for good until late morning Also, it gave me a chance to finish putting comments on a lot of pictures and get them loaded to the internet. It is a very time consuming process which took longer when I answered email and read other blogs first. But all our pictures are posted now and I hope not to get so far behind in the future.
Terry said he would “get out of my hair” this morning and went to the casino while I was on the computer. Talk about a flimsy excuse to go to the casino! He was back about 12:30 which meant he didn’t do well. Spent the amount we were ahead from yesterday. I rustled up some lunch and then we found a grocery store. The roast in the crock pot needed a couple more hours so we visited the casino again. And again, didn’t do so well until suddenly Terry hit on a couple of machines and we came out ahead again.
By the time I made potatoes, carrots and gravy to go with the roast, we were eating after 9 o’clock again. And now Terry is napping on the couch while I do the blog. What a domestic scene!
I updated the blog while we waited (hopefully) for the rush hour traffic to clear out so we could go to the Mall of America. It is in Bloomington which is a southern portion of Minneapolis. Wanda took us directly there on a route that did not occur to us when we looked at a map. We wandered, went to the aquarium, had lunch - and bought nothing except lunch!
We made use of the lovely, warm, sunny weather (79 degrees) by washing the bugs off the front of the 5th wheel and washing the truck in a car wash in the RV park. Then, what else could we do but visit the casino.
It is a huge casino. It seems even larger because it has been added on to over the years so it is kind of broken up and confusing inside. We weren’t doing too well so we headed for the exit. Only problem was, we couldn’t find the right exit. On the way across the casino to the right spot, Terry spotted some slot machines that he likes but hadn’t seen earlier. Luckily he tried one, and then another and I ended up dragging him out just after 9 as I was starving - but he was still winning.
A forecast rainstorm hit at midnight just as we were trying to go to sleep. Lightning, thunder and torrential rains made for a very broken night’s sleep. Dolly barks at thunder so that added to the disturbance. The storm lasted on & off all night and we saw lots of flood watches when we turned on the morning news.
Oct 5th - Fri - Mystic Lake
Terry thought yesterday morning that we should stay another night so we wouldn’t be packing up in a rainstorm - good decision as the rain did not stop for good until late morning Also, it gave me a chance to finish putting comments on a lot of pictures and get them loaded to the internet. It is a very time consuming process which took longer when I answered email and read other blogs first. But all our pictures are posted now and I hope not to get so far behind in the future.
Terry said he would “get out of my hair” this morning and went to the casino while I was on the computer. Talk about a flimsy excuse to go to the casino! He was back about 12:30 which meant he didn’t do well. Spent the amount we were ahead from yesterday. I rustled up some lunch and then we found a grocery store. The roast in the crock pot needed a couple more hours so we visited the casino again. And again, didn’t do so well until suddenly Terry hit on a couple of machines and we came out ahead again.
By the time I made potatoes, carrots and gravy to go with the roast, we were eating after 9 o’clock again. And now Terry is napping on the couch while I do the blog. What a domestic scene!
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Sept 29th to Oct 3rd - SD, Minnesota
Sept 29th - Sat - Hermosa
Chore and relaxation day - catch up on the blog, give the dog a bath, laundry, captions on some photos and watching the President‘s Cup (golf). The weather was nice again so we drove into Rapid City and got some steaks to put on the barbeque. Yes, I know we went grocery shopping yesterday but………
Sept 30th - Sun - to Mitchell, SD
I should not have made the comment about the weather feeling like summer - we had a heck of a windstorm yesterday evening and night and a dump of rain during the night. Terry thought he would be packing up in the rain but it stopped just in time.
After stopping for the obligatory wander through Wall Drug, we took the scenic loop drive through the Badlands. Part way through, the memory card in my camera filled up and I couldn’t take any more pictures. Luckily, we have a small card which I was able to use once I realized that I had a bunch of old pictures on it which I deleted.Pretty flat, uneventful driving - I don’t want to say boring but it would be if you had to do it again! Stayed in Mitchell which is one of the larger towns on I90.
Oct 1st - Mon - to Madison, SD
We went to the Corn Palace in Mitchell this morning. It is a large building that is “decorated” on the outside with 12 different colors of corn cobs. The theme changes each year and the designs/pictures are drawn on black roofing paper and marked with colors - paint-by-number with corn. The annual change-over was taking place while we were there so we got to see the process. The inside of the building has pictures of previous years’ themes and historical panels. It also has a large auditorium with a basketball court, a stage and permanent tiered seating so it is used for concerts and other entertainment.
After breakfast at the rig, we left for Madison, SD to visit our friends Clem & Marlene. We parked by their house and got busy catching up since they do not have internet access so do not keep up with us on the blog.
Then they took us on a sightseeing tour around the area and ended up at a casino. We showed them how to play some different slot machines which they enjoyed more than the usual machines they play when they infrequently visit casinos. Had dinner at the casino and got back early enough for a drink and more visiting.
We have a lot of laughs with Clem & Marlene so it was a great day.
Oct 2nd - Tues - Madision
Clem treated us to a late breakfast at a little restaurant on a nearby lake followed by a drive through a large state park. At the park we saw six men (fish & game) with nets set up on the edge of the lake. We stopped to see what they were doing and decided that they were catching suckers - probably to kill them and protect other fish. The wind was blowing very hard and they were having a tough time pulling the net into the boat. Four additional men arrived to help and still had problems. Once a lot of the net was pulled into the boat, they secured it with ropes and stakes and left. We think they quit for the day because of the wind. Terry and Clem went to check if anything was happening later in the day but the net was still just the same.
I used Marlene’s sewing machine to hem some T-shirts and do some mending. Also had to maintain my computer support skills and loaded software on Marlene’s computer and taught her how to download and edit pictures from her new digital camera.
Back to the casino - Clem & Marlene were looking forward to trying more machines! Terry won $187 and then $60 so he was happy. Good thing he did so he could cover my losses! We went to a restaurant in the nearby town for dinner (the casino ran out of their steak special) and then returned to the casino. Good move for Marlene - she won $180 and was smart enough to quit and take it home with her.
Another fun day!
Oct 3rd - Wed - to Minnesota
The plan when we left this morning was to head for West Bend, Iowa to see an attraction recommended by Clem. But everyone knows how our plans change!
We spoke with a couple in a tourist info place on I90 just into Minnesota and they were going to Pipestone National Memorial and to the Spam Museum. Both sounded interesting to us and not too far out of the way. So we went to Pipestone which is where native Indians quarry a soft red stone used for ceremonial pipes. Took a ¾ mile walk around the area - quite windy but not cold.
I was looking for a campground near the Spam museum when I noticed that the Mall of America was only 90 minutes from a town that we had to pass to get to the museum. Time for another change of plans!! I set Wanda (GPS) for a new destination and started looking for a campground. Found one with wifi and cable TV that was not too far from the mall. We got set up but Terry could not find the cable hookup. He went to check and discovered that our spot did not have cable. The spot was expensive and they added $3 per night for a pull-through without mentioning the extra cost so the lack of cable was the last straw for Terry. He went and got our money back, we packed up and left. By this time it was just after 6:00. We headed for a casino that we had seen signs for on the way in. As we were driving I discovered that the casino had an RV park - perfect! Just as we were nearing the casino, there was a “road closed” sign - fit right in with the rest of the day. But the detour took us right past the casino so we got a spot, set up and relaxed.
Chore and relaxation day - catch up on the blog, give the dog a bath, laundry, captions on some photos and watching the President‘s Cup (golf). The weather was nice again so we drove into Rapid City and got some steaks to put on the barbeque. Yes, I know we went grocery shopping yesterday but………
Sept 30th - Sun - to Mitchell, SD
I should not have made the comment about the weather feeling like summer - we had a heck of a windstorm yesterday evening and night and a dump of rain during the night. Terry thought he would be packing up in the rain but it stopped just in time.
After stopping for the obligatory wander through Wall Drug, we took the scenic loop drive through the Badlands. Part way through, the memory card in my camera filled up and I couldn’t take any more pictures. Luckily, we have a small card which I was able to use once I realized that I had a bunch of old pictures on it which I deleted.Pretty flat, uneventful driving - I don’t want to say boring but it would be if you had to do it again! Stayed in Mitchell which is one of the larger towns on I90.
Oct 1st - Mon - to Madison, SD
We went to the Corn Palace in Mitchell this morning. It is a large building that is “decorated” on the outside with 12 different colors of corn cobs. The theme changes each year and the designs/pictures are drawn on black roofing paper and marked with colors - paint-by-number with corn. The annual change-over was taking place while we were there so we got to see the process. The inside of the building has pictures of previous years’ themes and historical panels. It also has a large auditorium with a basketball court, a stage and permanent tiered seating so it is used for concerts and other entertainment.
After breakfast at the rig, we left for Madison, SD to visit our friends Clem & Marlene. We parked by their house and got busy catching up since they do not have internet access so do not keep up with us on the blog.
Then they took us on a sightseeing tour around the area and ended up at a casino. We showed them how to play some different slot machines which they enjoyed more than the usual machines they play when they infrequently visit casinos. Had dinner at the casino and got back early enough for a drink and more visiting.
We have a lot of laughs with Clem & Marlene so it was a great day.
Oct 2nd - Tues - Madision
Clem treated us to a late breakfast at a little restaurant on a nearby lake followed by a drive through a large state park. At the park we saw six men (fish & game) with nets set up on the edge of the lake. We stopped to see what they were doing and decided that they were catching suckers - probably to kill them and protect other fish. The wind was blowing very hard and they were having a tough time pulling the net into the boat. Four additional men arrived to help and still had problems. Once a lot of the net was pulled into the boat, they secured it with ropes and stakes and left. We think they quit for the day because of the wind. Terry and Clem went to check if anything was happening later in the day but the net was still just the same.
I used Marlene’s sewing machine to hem some T-shirts and do some mending. Also had to maintain my computer support skills and loaded software on Marlene’s computer and taught her how to download and edit pictures from her new digital camera.
Back to the casino - Clem & Marlene were looking forward to trying more machines! Terry won $187 and then $60 so he was happy. Good thing he did so he could cover my losses! We went to a restaurant in the nearby town for dinner (the casino ran out of their steak special) and then returned to the casino. Good move for Marlene - she won $180 and was smart enough to quit and take it home with her.
Another fun day!
Oct 3rd - Wed - to Minnesota
The plan when we left this morning was to head for West Bend, Iowa to see an attraction recommended by Clem. But everyone knows how our plans change!
We spoke with a couple in a tourist info place on I90 just into Minnesota and they were going to Pipestone National Memorial and to the Spam Museum. Both sounded interesting to us and not too far out of the way. So we went to Pipestone which is where native Indians quarry a soft red stone used for ceremonial pipes. Took a ¾ mile walk around the area - quite windy but not cold.
I was looking for a campground near the Spam museum when I noticed that the Mall of America was only 90 minutes from a town that we had to pass to get to the museum. Time for another change of plans!! I set Wanda (GPS) for a new destination and started looking for a campground. Found one with wifi and cable TV that was not too far from the mall. We got set up but Terry could not find the cable hookup. He went to check and discovered that our spot did not have cable. The spot was expensive and they added $3 per night for a pull-through without mentioning the extra cost so the lack of cable was the last straw for Terry. He went and got our money back, we packed up and left. By this time it was just after 6:00. We headed for a casino that we had seen signs for on the way in. As we were driving I discovered that the casino had an RV park - perfect! Just as we were nearing the casino, there was a “road closed” sign - fit right in with the rest of the day. But the detour took us right past the casino so we got a spot, set up and relaxed.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Sept 25th to 28th - North & South Dakota
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.
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.
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.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Aug 27th to 30th - Port McNeill
Aug 27th - Mon - to Campbell River
We intended to end up at Port McNeill today but after a late start and some shopping in Courtney, we decided to stay in Campbell River. We got a spot in an RV park right on the water and enjoyed a stroll before dinner. Marg & I relaxed in the hot tub later. We heard the rain start just after going to bed.
Aug 28th - Tues - to Port McNeill
Grocery shopping this morning so we arrived at my brother Doug’s place in Port McNeill around 4. Rained most of the way and continued all evening. Doug & Judy have a couple of acres so they have lots of room for us to park and hook up to electricity and water. Doug works for CanFor (Canadian Forest Products) and they are on strike right now. He had to put in a shift on the picket line today but he was back by the time we got here.
Judy fixed a nice dinner so we relaxed and enjoyed good food and good company. It was cool enough that Doug lit a fire in the wood stove in the family room and everyone got very lazy!
Aug 29th - Wed - Port McNeill
Judy had to work today. She works 3 days a week for a veterinarian. My nephew Dennis, who lives right next door, has a wireless internet connection that I can use so I caught up on emails while the others checked out the gardens, greenhouses and Dennis’ farm. Running some errands in town used up the afternoon until happy hour(s). We had a fire in the outdoor firepit and ate dinner outside even though it was a little cool. Dennis was recently engaged to be married and we met his fiancé Nina.
Aug 30th - Thurs - Port McNeill
Judy had to work again today. After Doug returned from doing a little job with his backhoe, we went to Telegraph Cove and wandered the boardwalks and whale interpretive center there. Telegraph Cove is a little settlement that used to be a sawmill and has retained a lot of its old buildings and character.. Stopped by the house to pick up propane tanks and back into town for a couple more errands and some groceries.
The weather wasn’t too bad so Terry, Marg and I checked out the local 9 hole par 3 golf course. Very short, nicely maintained. We each just took 3 clubs and Marg & I ran into more trouble than you might imagine from first looking at the course - Terry did well.
We intended to end up at Port McNeill today but after a late start and some shopping in Courtney, we decided to stay in Campbell River. We got a spot in an RV park right on the water and enjoyed a stroll before dinner. Marg & I relaxed in the hot tub later. We heard the rain start just after going to bed.
Aug 28th - Tues - to Port McNeill
Grocery shopping this morning so we arrived at my brother Doug’s place in Port McNeill around 4. Rained most of the way and continued all evening. Doug & Judy have a couple of acres so they have lots of room for us to park and hook up to electricity and water. Doug works for CanFor (Canadian Forest Products) and they are on strike right now. He had to put in a shift on the picket line today but he was back by the time we got here.
Judy fixed a nice dinner so we relaxed and enjoyed good food and good company. It was cool enough that Doug lit a fire in the wood stove in the family room and everyone got very lazy!
Aug 29th - Wed - Port McNeill
Judy had to work today. She works 3 days a week for a veterinarian. My nephew Dennis, who lives right next door, has a wireless internet connection that I can use so I caught up on emails while the others checked out the gardens, greenhouses and Dennis’ farm. Running some errands in town used up the afternoon until happy hour(s). We had a fire in the outdoor firepit and ate dinner outside even though it was a little cool. Dennis was recently engaged to be married and we met his fiancé Nina.
Aug 30th - Thurs - Port McNeill
Judy had to work again today. After Doug returned from doing a little job with his backhoe, we went to Telegraph Cove and wandered the boardwalks and whale interpretive center there. Telegraph Cove is a little settlement that used to be a sawmill and has retained a lot of its old buildings and character.. Stopped by the house to pick up propane tanks and back into town for a couple more errands and some groceries.
The weather wasn’t too bad so Terry, Marg and I checked out the local 9 hole par 3 golf course. Very short, nicely maintained. We each just took 3 clubs and Marg & I ran into more trouble than you might imagine from first looking at the course - Terry did well.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Aug 24th to 26th - Parksville
Aug 24th - Fri - to Parksville
We drove to Parksville today to meet up with brother Doug and his wife Judy. They live on the north end of Vancouver Island (Port McNeill) and are in Parksville to attend a wedding.
We arrived about 1:00 after stopping for some groceries in Nanaimo. We set up, had lunch and went looking for a liquor store for some beer. Guess property is at a premium all over Vancouver Island as we ran into parking problems again where the liquor store shared a very small parking lot with a grocery store.
When we got back, Doug & Judy had arrived - just in time for happy hour(s). Before we had time to fix dinner, Judy’s Mom & Dad (Carl & Pat who live in Parksville) and Judy’s brother - John - arrived for a visit. The weather was nice and we sat out and chatted until past the 10 o’clock quiet time.
Aug 25th - Sat - Parksville
Doug & Judy set out on their bicycles to Coomes but we can’t keep up with them on bikes so we choose to drive there. It is a small town with a large assortment of touristy stores including a market/restaurant that has goats living on the sod roof - appropriately known as ‘Goats on the Roof‘.
Before we went to Coomes, we went to view sand sculptures that had been entered in a competition. There were 3 group entries and about a dozen individual entries. The imagination and sculpting talent is amazing. My nephew in Port McNeill (Dennis) has a wireless internet connection so I should be able to update photos on the blog.
While we were strolling around Coomes it started to rain - and then to pour. We had been keeping an eye out for Doug & Judy but did not see them. After a late lunch when we got back, we went to see Doug & Judy. They had been caught in the downpour and gotten soaked.
Marg & Dad arrived about 5. They had been to Pemberton to see brother Bob and caught a ferry at Horseshoe Bay. Doug & Judy went to dinner with friends and the rest of us had to move inside for dinner as the weather cooled down. It started to rain about 11 and rained off & on during the night.
Aug 26th - Sun - Parksville
Doug & Judy attended the midday wedding while Marg, Dad, Terry & I went first to show Marg & Dad the sand sculptures and then went golfing. The weather had cleared up for a nice 9 holes of golf on a pretty course in Qualicum Beach.
We all gathered for drinks and dinner. Judy’s Mom & Dad and her brother came again so they could see Dad & Marg. John brought his ukulele and Judy got out her guitar so we had some entertainment as well. We had to put out the awning and get cozy to avoid some rain but it wasn’t too cold.
We drove to Parksville today to meet up with brother Doug and his wife Judy. They live on the north end of Vancouver Island (Port McNeill) and are in Parksville to attend a wedding.
We arrived about 1:00 after stopping for some groceries in Nanaimo. We set up, had lunch and went looking for a liquor store for some beer. Guess property is at a premium all over Vancouver Island as we ran into parking problems again where the liquor store shared a very small parking lot with a grocery store.
When we got back, Doug & Judy had arrived - just in time for happy hour(s). Before we had time to fix dinner, Judy’s Mom & Dad (Carl & Pat who live in Parksville) and Judy’s brother - John - arrived for a visit. The weather was nice and we sat out and chatted until past the 10 o’clock quiet time.
Aug 25th - Sat - Parksville
Doug & Judy set out on their bicycles to Coomes but we can’t keep up with them on bikes so we choose to drive there. It is a small town with a large assortment of touristy stores including a market/restaurant that has goats living on the sod roof - appropriately known as ‘Goats on the Roof‘.
Before we went to Coomes, we went to view sand sculptures that had been entered in a competition. There were 3 group entries and about a dozen individual entries. The imagination and sculpting talent is amazing. My nephew in Port McNeill (Dennis) has a wireless internet connection so I should be able to update photos on the blog.
While we were strolling around Coomes it started to rain - and then to pour. We had been keeping an eye out for Doug & Judy but did not see them. After a late lunch when we got back, we went to see Doug & Judy. They had been caught in the downpour and gotten soaked.
Marg & Dad arrived about 5. They had been to Pemberton to see brother Bob and caught a ferry at Horseshoe Bay. Doug & Judy went to dinner with friends and the rest of us had to move inside for dinner as the weather cooled down. It started to rain about 11 and rained off & on during the night.
Aug 26th - Sun - Parksville
Doug & Judy attended the midday wedding while Marg, Dad, Terry & I went first to show Marg & Dad the sand sculptures and then went golfing. The weather had cleared up for a nice 9 holes of golf on a pretty course in Qualicum Beach.
We all gathered for drinks and dinner. Judy’s Mom & Dad and her brother came again so they could see Dad & Marg. John brought his ukulele and Judy got out her guitar so we had some entertainment as well. We had to put out the awning and get cozy to avoid some rain but it wasn’t too cold.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Aug 21st to 23rd - Monroe/Victoria, BC
Aug 21st - Tues - Monroe
A little fog in the morning lifted quickly. Barb made us breakfast and we just took it easy and did laundry until it was time to eat again! I used Barb’s sewing machine to fix a seam on a pillowcase and was able to show her how to use the needle threader on her machine which made her very happy. After lunch we went to Blue Boy golf course to play 9 holes. There was no one at the course as it had been raining on and off there all morning. We had great weather for our game. The course is very pretty. I am glad that we were playing with Larry & Barb as most holes were blind or needed tips to play smart. They warned us about hole 8 being “the hole from hell” and Terry birdied it - after struggling with the first 7 holes.
Another great dinner with good friends.
Aug 22nd - Wed - to Victoria
Breakfast courtesy of Barb again and then we left for Anacortes to catch the ferry to Vancouver Island. It goes to Sidney which is just north of Victoria. The ferry left at 2:00 and stopped at Orcas Island and Friday Harbour to take on more passengers. We were driving off the ferry (note - NOT backing off!) at 5:25 and were set up in the Fort Victoria RV park with dinner on the barbeque by just after 7. Quite a bit of traffic noise here.
Aug 23rd - Thurs - Victoria
We went back to Sidney this morning and wandered & shopped along a very nice main street. The lady in the RV park office said they have a street fair every Thursday but it did not start until 5:30.
We next visited Butchart Gardens and could not have had a more lovely day to do so. Summer is a wonderful time to see the gardens as everything is in full bloom - truly gorgeous. I could have spent more time there but Terry was a very good sport about the time that we did spend so it worked out OK.
We then decided to go to the Underwater Gardens which are in downtown Victoria. Parking turned out to be a huge pain so we cancelled that plan and drove along a “scenic drive” along the water before heading back to the rig for an early dinner.
After dinner we went back to Sidney to check out the street fair. They block off several blocks of the main street and put up booths. Again, parking was a challenge - there were lots of people shopping.
We purchased 24 hours of wireless internet access so I have to get this blog done and posted before my time runs out.
A little fog in the morning lifted quickly. Barb made us breakfast and we just took it easy and did laundry until it was time to eat again! I used Barb’s sewing machine to fix a seam on a pillowcase and was able to show her how to use the needle threader on her machine which made her very happy. After lunch we went to Blue Boy golf course to play 9 holes. There was no one at the course as it had been raining on and off there all morning. We had great weather for our game. The course is very pretty. I am glad that we were playing with Larry & Barb as most holes were blind or needed tips to play smart. They warned us about hole 8 being “the hole from hell” and Terry birdied it - after struggling with the first 7 holes.
Another great dinner with good friends.
Aug 22nd - Wed - to Victoria
Breakfast courtesy of Barb again and then we left for Anacortes to catch the ferry to Vancouver Island. It goes to Sidney which is just north of Victoria. The ferry left at 2:00 and stopped at Orcas Island and Friday Harbour to take on more passengers. We were driving off the ferry (note - NOT backing off!) at 5:25 and were set up in the Fort Victoria RV park with dinner on the barbeque by just after 7. Quite a bit of traffic noise here.
Aug 23rd - Thurs - Victoria
We went back to Sidney this morning and wandered & shopped along a very nice main street. The lady in the RV park office said they have a street fair every Thursday but it did not start until 5:30.
We next visited Butchart Gardens and could not have had a more lovely day to do so. Summer is a wonderful time to see the gardens as everything is in full bloom - truly gorgeous. I could have spent more time there but Terry was a very good sport about the time that we did spend so it worked out OK.
We then decided to go to the Underwater Gardens which are in downtown Victoria. Parking turned out to be a huge pain so we cancelled that plan and drove along a “scenic drive” along the water before heading back to the rig for an early dinner.
After dinner we went back to Sidney to check out the street fair. They block off several blocks of the main street and put up booths. Again, parking was a challenge - there were lots of people shopping.
We purchased 24 hours of wireless internet access so I have to get this blog done and posted before my time runs out.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Aug 19th to 20th - Washington
Aug 19th - Sun - Rochester
We were planning to go to the fair with Dean and family but it rained during then night and is still cloudy & drizzly today. Terry & I picked some blackberries before he & Dean went to the casino to take part in a poker tournament. Dean got knocked out pretty quickly. Terry lasted a little longer - 16 out of 30. None of us won the $20,000 drawing at 4 pm!!
Aug 20th - Mon - to Monroe, WA
HATE the traffic in the Seattle area! We left Rochester about 9:30 and hit slow traffic right away on I5. Stopped at Camping World for a new sewer hose and got right back into slow traffic. We pulled into a rest area to dump the tanks and then had MORE slow traffic on I405. We arrived at Larry & Barb’s (friends we met in Alaska) in Monroe about 1:30 We traveled about 110 miles!
Barb made a great steak dinner, we put out the slides on our rig in their nice long driveway and “so to bed”.
We were planning to go to the fair with Dean and family but it rained during then night and is still cloudy & drizzly today. Terry & I picked some blackberries before he & Dean went to the casino to take part in a poker tournament. Dean got knocked out pretty quickly. Terry lasted a little longer - 16 out of 30. None of us won the $20,000 drawing at 4 pm!!
Aug 20th - Mon - to Monroe, WA
HATE the traffic in the Seattle area! We left Rochester about 9:30 and hit slow traffic right away on I5. Stopped at Camping World for a new sewer hose and got right back into slow traffic. We pulled into a rest area to dump the tanks and then had MORE slow traffic on I405. We arrived at Larry & Barb’s (friends we met in Alaska) in Monroe about 1:30 We traveled about 110 miles!
Barb made a great steak dinner, we put out the slides on our rig in their nice long driveway and “so to bed”.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
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!
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!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Aug 4th to 10th - Spokane
Aug 4th - Sat - Worley, ID
We moved all the way (½ hour drive) to the Coeur d’Alene Casino near Worley today. We found a spot to stay in the parking lot and went to the casino. Barry & Yvonne and Larry & Cam joined us about 2:30. We all had dinner at the casino and then we said goodbye to our friends.
Aug 5th - Sun - Spokane
Another short move today - we drove to Spokane and parked in Bill & Georgia’s back yard. We had a wonderfully relaxing day catching up with Bill & Georgia and then Georgia made us a great dinner.
Aug 6th - Mon - Spokane
Bill was supposed to work today (he is retired but got talked into a temporary job delivering landscape materials!) but the delivery was cancelled at the last minute so we were able to spend more time with them doing such exciting things as washing the bugs off the front of the 5th wheel.
We also played “golf” and “bowled” on their Wii game. This is a game that uses a TV and handheld controllers that are moved like a golf club, tennis racket or your arm (bowling). A sensor “reads” the movement of the controller and your “swing” is shown on the screen as a golf shot or a ball bowled. This also allowed us to escape some of the heat of the day in their basement.
Aug 7th - Tues - Spokane
We took the 5th wheel in for some maintenance today - slide adjustments, wheel bearings and brake check. We did errands while it was in the shop and then drove to Skip & Kathy’s (Terry’s brother) and parked in their driveway. We extend across the sidewalk but they live on a cul de sac so it is OK. We are staying in the house while we are here so we don’t need the slides out.
We arrived in time for drinks, dinner and much talk after a tour of their lovely new house.
Aug 8th - Wed - Spokane
I spent some time this morning working on Skip & Kathy’s computer. They have a new PC with the Vista operating system so Skip’s digital camera would not download to the PC. I found a new program on the internet, installed it and it worked. We also discovered a program already on the PC that Skip can use to edit pictures which was a nice bonus. Then we fixed the fax machine that would not accept incoming faxes. Productive morning.
Next was a visit and lunch with Terry’s Mom and her husband (EllaMae & Don). More computer work as I showed EllaMae how to view pictures that I had sent her on a CD.
Skip had a new barbeque delivered today so we had to have steaks to check it out - it is a keeper based on the steaks!
Aug 9th - Thurs - Spokane
Rabies shot for Dolly, haircut for me and then golf with Skip & Kathy at Qualchan golf course. It was a perfect day for golf - slight breeze and temperature not over 80. Pretty course in great shape. Oh yes, I also spent more time on the computer between appointments finding a new program so Kathy could sync up her Palm Treo Verizon phone with the PC. Took a couple of tries but got that to work too.
Aug 10th - Fri - Spokane
Skip & Kathy were having company for a lunch meeting so we picked up my new contacts in CDA and ran a few other errands. Then we visited with good friends Dan & Dottie. They moved to a retirement complex so we got to see their new apartment. We think we could be quite happy in such an apartment when/if we get tired of full timing. We had too short a visit - and another short computer session to set up our blog in Dottie’s “favorites” as she lost the address in the move.
Kathy arranged for an insurance agent (and friend), Debbie, to come for dinner and show us what she could offer us for medical insurance. We will stay with our Cobra coverage (extension of Terry’s insurance from work) until it expires next year and then make a change.
Another great dinner with rotisserie chicken on the new barbeque and fresh corn from a roadside stand.
We moved all the way (½ hour drive) to the Coeur d’Alene Casino near Worley today. We found a spot to stay in the parking lot and went to the casino. Barry & Yvonne and Larry & Cam joined us about 2:30. We all had dinner at the casino and then we said goodbye to our friends.
Aug 5th - Sun - Spokane
Another short move today - we drove to Spokane and parked in Bill & Georgia’s back yard. We had a wonderfully relaxing day catching up with Bill & Georgia and then Georgia made us a great dinner.
Aug 6th - Mon - Spokane
Bill was supposed to work today (he is retired but got talked into a temporary job delivering landscape materials!) but the delivery was cancelled at the last minute so we were able to spend more time with them doing such exciting things as washing the bugs off the front of the 5th wheel.
We also played “golf” and “bowled” on their Wii game. This is a game that uses a TV and handheld controllers that are moved like a golf club, tennis racket or your arm (bowling). A sensor “reads” the movement of the controller and your “swing” is shown on the screen as a golf shot or a ball bowled. This also allowed us to escape some of the heat of the day in their basement.
Aug 7th - Tues - Spokane
We took the 5th wheel in for some maintenance today - slide adjustments, wheel bearings and brake check. We did errands while it was in the shop and then drove to Skip & Kathy’s (Terry’s brother) and parked in their driveway. We extend across the sidewalk but they live on a cul de sac so it is OK. We are staying in the house while we are here so we don’t need the slides out.
We arrived in time for drinks, dinner and much talk after a tour of their lovely new house.
Aug 8th - Wed - Spokane
I spent some time this morning working on Skip & Kathy’s computer. They have a new PC with the Vista operating system so Skip’s digital camera would not download to the PC. I found a new program on the internet, installed it and it worked. We also discovered a program already on the PC that Skip can use to edit pictures which was a nice bonus. Then we fixed the fax machine that would not accept incoming faxes. Productive morning.
Next was a visit and lunch with Terry’s Mom and her husband (EllaMae & Don). More computer work as I showed EllaMae how to view pictures that I had sent her on a CD.
Skip had a new barbeque delivered today so we had to have steaks to check it out - it is a keeper based on the steaks!
Aug 9th - Thurs - Spokane
Rabies shot for Dolly, haircut for me and then golf with Skip & Kathy at Qualchan golf course. It was a perfect day for golf - slight breeze and temperature not over 80. Pretty course in great shape. Oh yes, I also spent more time on the computer between appointments finding a new program so Kathy could sync up her Palm Treo Verizon phone with the PC. Took a couple of tries but got that to work too.
Aug 10th - Fri - Spokane
Skip & Kathy were having company for a lunch meeting so we picked up my new contacts in CDA and ran a few other errands. Then we visited with good friends Dan & Dottie. They moved to a retirement complex so we got to see their new apartment. We think we could be quite happy in such an apartment when/if we get tired of full timing. We had too short a visit - and another short computer session to set up our blog in Dottie’s “favorites” as she lost the address in the move.
Kathy arranged for an insurance agent (and friend), Debbie, to come for dinner and show us what she could offer us for medical insurance. We will stay with our Cobra coverage (extension of Terry’s insurance from work) until it expires next year and then make a change.
Another great dinner with rotisserie chicken on the new barbeque and fresh corn from a roadside stand.
Friday, August 03, 2007
July 30th to Aug 3rd - Canada to Coeur d'Alene, ID
July 30th - Mon - to Shuswap Lake
We drove from 100 Mile House to Claude & Val’s place on Shuswap Lake via Highway 24 - a lovely drive. Arrived about 1:00 after stopping to fix some lunch along the way. Claude arranged for us to park overnight in a neighbor’s lot so we were very comfortable. Val informed us that she was making supper for us - and a fine supper it was! Not enough time to catch up on everything but we tried.
July 31st - Tues - to Summerland
Auntie Jessie called this morning to say that she had to make a mandatory appearance at the first birthday party for a granddaughter so we told her that we would stop for lunch. We were invited to the birthday party but weren’t sure if we would stay. We drove to Summerland through Salmon Arm & Kelowna - again a very nice drive.
After lunch we went to Auntie Jessie’s condo to put together a new headboard. Turned out there was a missing vital part so we ended up trying to find something that would work in town. No luck so we did a couple of other small things and then Terry decided we could get the bed frame together with a metal plate and bunch of small screws. Auntie Jessie & I got the items, we fixed the bed frame and then we all went to the birthday party/barbeque for cousin Cheryl’s youngest daughter. Cousin Kelly and his wife Sam were also there so we enjoyed visiting with them.
Aug 1st - Wed - to Coeur d’Alene, ID
Our friends Barry & Yvonne from Hemet, CA are staying in the Blackwell Island RV park here. I called on the way and we could only get a site for Thursday but they have an area for dry camping if you are waiting for a site so we said we could do that tonight.
When Barry & Yvonne returned from golfing we met the 2 couples (Larry & Cam and Jim & Carol) who are their friends and who are working here for the summer. After drinks and visiting, we went to dinner with Barry & Yvonne and Larry & Cam.
Very warm weather!
Aug 2nd - Thurs - Coeur d’Alene (CDA)
We moved to our site this morning - luckily the spot was vacated early. A group of us were going to go to the CDA Casino but we were able to get a pontoon boat so we toured the CDA river and then the north end of CDA lake and to the CDA Resort golf course. There are a lot of beautiful houses along the river and an amazing new building with condos beside the golf course.
The RV park owners put on a get together with food and drinks for the people working here and their friends so we went to that at 5:30. Afterwards we learned to play 31 - a card game played at many RV parks. The hot weather continues.
Aug 3rd - Fri - CDA
More hot weather (with breezes) for our golf game today at the CDA municipal course. Our friends here already had 2 foursomes but the course allowed us to play 2 groups of 5 so we could join them. It is very obvious that Terry & I have not played much golf!
Dinner tonight was already planned before we got here and we were again invited to join in. Yvonne offered to make baby back ribs (our “recipe”) for everyone. We all contributed side dishes and we had a great meal. The sun & golf zapped everyone and the gathering broke up shortly after 8. All I wanted to do was read but figured I better get the blog updated while we have internet access.
We drove from 100 Mile House to Claude & Val’s place on Shuswap Lake via Highway 24 - a lovely drive. Arrived about 1:00 after stopping to fix some lunch along the way. Claude arranged for us to park overnight in a neighbor’s lot so we were very comfortable. Val informed us that she was making supper for us - and a fine supper it was! Not enough time to catch up on everything but we tried.
July 31st - Tues - to Summerland
Auntie Jessie called this morning to say that she had to make a mandatory appearance at the first birthday party for a granddaughter so we told her that we would stop for lunch. We were invited to the birthday party but weren’t sure if we would stay. We drove to Summerland through Salmon Arm & Kelowna - again a very nice drive.
After lunch we went to Auntie Jessie’s condo to put together a new headboard. Turned out there was a missing vital part so we ended up trying to find something that would work in town. No luck so we did a couple of other small things and then Terry decided we could get the bed frame together with a metal plate and bunch of small screws. Auntie Jessie & I got the items, we fixed the bed frame and then we all went to the birthday party/barbeque for cousin Cheryl’s youngest daughter. Cousin Kelly and his wife Sam were also there so we enjoyed visiting with them.
Aug 1st - Wed - to Coeur d’Alene, ID
Our friends Barry & Yvonne from Hemet, CA are staying in the Blackwell Island RV park here. I called on the way and we could only get a site for Thursday but they have an area for dry camping if you are waiting for a site so we said we could do that tonight.
When Barry & Yvonne returned from golfing we met the 2 couples (Larry & Cam and Jim & Carol) who are their friends and who are working here for the summer. After drinks and visiting, we went to dinner with Barry & Yvonne and Larry & Cam.
Very warm weather!
Aug 2nd - Thurs - Coeur d’Alene (CDA)
We moved to our site this morning - luckily the spot was vacated early. A group of us were going to go to the CDA Casino but we were able to get a pontoon boat so we toured the CDA river and then the north end of CDA lake and to the CDA Resort golf course. There are a lot of beautiful houses along the river and an amazing new building with condos beside the golf course.
The RV park owners put on a get together with food and drinks for the people working here and their friends so we went to that at 5:30. Afterwards we learned to play 31 - a card game played at many RV parks. The hot weather continues.
Aug 3rd - Fri - CDA
More hot weather (with breezes) for our golf game today at the CDA municipal course. Our friends here already had 2 foursomes but the course allowed us to play 2 groups of 5 so we could join them. It is very obvious that Terry & I have not played much golf!
Dinner tonight was already planned before we got here and we were again invited to join in. Yvonne offered to make baby back ribs (our “recipe”) for everyone. We all contributed side dishes and we had a great meal. The sun & golf zapped everyone and the gathering broke up shortly after 8. All I wanted to do was read but figured I better get the blog updated while we have internet access.
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