Long Beach, WA

September 17th we said our goodbye's to Michele and Gary and left Chahalis but, took all the wonderful memories with us that we had made together.

Headed to Long Beach WA for two weeks to see all the sight's in this area. The first few day's we visited some of the surrounding town's we had heard so much about. Long Beach was the first town to visit because Annie & Erv had told us about the "Cottage Bakery" that we just had to go to and they even told us to try this awesome pastry called Florentines it is a long skinny crispy cookie rolled up with cream filling and it is delicious. (Just what we need something else to love) Looked around in some of the souvenir shops and drove down to the beach and it was beautiful!

Alan & I had done our schedule for the time we are here and what we would do each day. We went to Seaside which is another little coastal town and it was very cute with lots of shops to look in. We took some pictures, some shopping, and ask a lady where a good place to have lunch was...she told us "Norma's Seafood" so we walked over there & the Fish and Chips was very good, cute little place too. We enjoyed our day and planned to go back again during our stay here.

We also visited a Kite Museum and a Cranberry Museum here in Long Beach and they were both really cool. We ate lunch at Dooger's another Seafood place but they had lots of other foods to choose from but guess what we had Fish & Chips again...they have the best up here but, the very best is in Oregon...yet to come!

We are camped in a park that is only 300 yards from the ocean and you can walk to it. It is very secluded and beautiful! We have rode our bikes, taken walks, and played lot's of games.

We also took a day to see the Lighthouses in this area "North Head" & "Cape Disappointment" very nice. We have made it a point to see all the lighthouses we can and they are all so different and have such character.  They also have a museum at the Cape Disappointment State Park about the Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery (their 4000 mile trek across the newly acquired Louisiana Territory) that ended in Long Beach, WA.  It was a perfect day, for a perfect trip.

The plans we made to go back to some of the places did not pan out because of the winds and record rain storms we have experienced the last few days...Maybe next time. We have enjoyed our time here but, are ready to move on and hopefully see some sunshine. We are meeting up with Annie & Erv in Florence next week and we are excited about that.  

Hope to see you on the road Sometime!!!

Chehalis, WA

Chehalis was our next stop.  Here we are going to catch up with my sister, Michele, and brother-in-law, Gary.  They are on their way home from Alaska.  If you have missed their blog go to www.on-de-go.com.  The blog is exciting, and lots of great pictures.

We spend the next couple of weeks traveling around the Northwest, sitting in the rain talking, playing cards, eating, looking at the pictures, hearing about Alaska, and eating deserts.  We had a great time, sharing our trips and thoughts.  The weather is what I call "typical Northwest weather".  Sunshine, rain, cloudy, rain, wind, and sunshine.

There are two places to see that everyone has heard of, and it was great to learn more about them.  the first place we went was all of the antique stores in the area.  We didn't want to miss shopping.  It was a great place to look at the things in the store.  During our first trip into town we stopped for dinner at the local Mexican Food Restruant.  We all made our choices and Michele kept changing her mind.  She finally chose her meal, and was disappointed.  She wanted what she originally chose.  So we had to go back our last day there so she could have a better meal.

We spend a day at Mount St. Helen's. This is the mountain that blew out the side about 30 years ago, and has erupted a time or two since.  They have a great welcome center with lots of information.  We walked through it, watched a movie on how it happened and how it comes back alive. We walked up to look at the mountain today, and pictures of what it looked like before. So much different.  It was a great trip, I'm glad we got to see it.

My Sister the Governess of Washington

Another great trip was in to Olympia, WA, the state Capitol.  We had a tour through the building, walked the grounds, and had a great time.  Seeing different state capitols is a highlight of any trip.  To see our government at work.  If you can go to any of the state capitals don't miss them.  This Capitol was the first one built with electricity included in the building.  Most of the ones before this had gas lights, or candles.  No power outlets, and all of them were added over the years.

We spent another day on the Mount Rainier Railroad.  It is a great train ride going to a railroad museum, with a location that is great for seeing Mount Rainier and taking pictures of Mount Rainier.  The museum had many railroad engines and cars, and a lot of volunteers that explained what a lot of the equipment was used for.  We had a great day on the railroad.

Our other trip was to Mount Rainier.  This is another active volcano, but has not blown its top yet.  It is a beautiful site the closer you get.  We stopped at the places overlooking the valleys, places we could see the mountain, and water falls.  Michele and Gary walked down to one of the water falls, while Vonna and I looked at it from the top.

We drove up to the welcome center, and could not get a parking place. The road is one way, starting down from the welcome center, and the nearest parking spot was about 1 & 1/2 miles away.  I have never been in a National Park with no parking.  This is worse than Yosemite in the summer.  It is a great place to go, but go early in the morning so that you can get to the welcome center.  We missed it.

On the way back we stopped at a little place that someone had told Vonna & Michele about.  We had one of the best meals there and enjoyed sitting outside even though it was on the main road.  Over all we had a great day.

We had a great time with Michele and Gary, but as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.  They are on their final leg home, stopping to see their  grandkids in San Jose, and then to Gary's family and then home.  We are headed to the beach.  

See you on the road!!!

We will See You on the Road!!!

Birch Bay, WA

We spend our Anniversary Week in Birch Bay, near Blaine, that is right on the border of Canada, just 35 miles or so from Vancouver BC.  It was a great place.  The campsite was right on the end, we had sunshine and rain, great place, and will be going back to visit.

We made a trip to the bay to look around.  It was a lot different from other bays that we have been to.  It was low tide and all of the boats were sitting on land.  We came back a few days later during high tide and all the boats are floating and ready to go.  It was really strange!  

We drove on down the street, found an ice cream place, and looking to see what was going on.  To Vonna's disappointment, not a lot of shops in this area.  We did walk to the place next to the ice cream shop, and sure enough it was Vonna's Purple Fin Cafe.  The owner's name was really Vonna, and Vonna introduced herself.  My Vonna had never met another Vonna so it was a highlight of her week.  We did go back and have breakfast there, a nice place to eat.

We drove around the bay to downtown Blaine, a nice drive.  We stopped at the information center and she gave us information about going to Canada.  She also told Vonna where the 3 stores were in town.  We looked in all three of them, and off to Ace Hardware and the Dollar Store.  Highlight of our day!

We made two trips into Vancouver BC.  The first day we walked through the Gaslight District.  They had a lot of shops and we really enjoyed shopping, walking, and lunch at The Spiagetii Warehouse.  We had a great day.  We were both tired by the time we got back.

We then went back for our anniversary.  We had decided to take a tour bus around the city.  We chose the trolley car that had two different routes around the city with a guide/driver.  We spend about 4 hours on the bus, getting off at the Grandville Island that had some shopping and a market place that had a lot of food in it.

After the tour, which we learned a lot about the city, and traveled thru Stanley Park, a great, beautiful place that we would love to spend more time in, we found a great place for dinner, right on the bay.  We sat outside and loved our time together, eating, and laughing.  A great day at a great place with my best friend.  I couldn't ask for more.

Time at Birch Bay was very good.  We washed the. Truck and trailer, inside and out, we had lots of fun and it was time to leave.  

It is all about the trip, not the destination!  See you all on the road!

La Conner - August 2013

We spend a couple of weeks in La Conner, WA.  The campsite was a little small, but nice.  We had room in the site for our rug, a kitchen so that we could cook outside – this helps keep the trailer clean with no grease on the stove -, and room for the dogs.  There were trees close around, but we had a spot for the bird feeder and we had birds coming for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  We had a few squirrels that got into the dog pen and had trouble getting back out.

This campsite is on an Indian reservation.  It is on an island that is a part of the San Juan Islands, and is right on the bay.  On our morning walks we would see the water, sometimes a boat out there with fishermen, or maybe a kayak or two.  The weather here in Washington is much cooler than home, we’ve had a day or two of rain, not a lot of wind, and we both love it.  And the trailer is not leaking!!

The manager at this location is very nice, as are the rest of the staff.  We went to a meeting on Saturday and found out about things to do.  After that there was a BBQ and we bought lunch, hamburgers all around.  And then an ice cream social and karaoke to close out the afternoon.  We met some new people.  One was a lady that was about 45 or so, had lost her dad a few years ago, took up sing, and was waiting for the karaoke.  She was ok, but not as good as one of the staff members. 

This staff member sang a couple of songs, and was walking near us.  I said how good he was, and he said thanks.  He said he had a CD coming out soon.  Another guy next to us (Charlie – remember his name, I will get back to his) said great and how can he get one.  The staff member said “kidding”, and we were all disappointed.  We had heard about this staff member during the meeting, and the manager told us that he was out of uniform this morning, dress in a die-tie (all it needed was a peace sign) for the week-end, but she didn’t remember that it was the day for it.  He apologized to her and changed to his normal uniform.  Then someone told her that she had the wrong shirt on, (because it was 70’s weekend) and she said she was embarrassed.  Anyway, I asked him if he was going to put his uniform on and he said NO!  But was nice about it.

We had a great time, listen to a couple of good singer, and a lot of bad singers, a good lunch, and the ice cream was great as always.

And then there was Charlie.  This guy came up to the table where we were and asked if he could sit there.  Sure we said, and him and Vonna talked a little.  He said how great 1000 Trails is, and that he is traveling full time, it is a lot more fun that having to pay for an apartment, and he loves being outside.  Over the years he has traveled the world, working most of the time for 6 months a year.  His home is in Oregon.  He likes to hike, taking his cat with him on the walks.  Vonna and he talked about healthy foods and I told him about the protein shakes we have during the weeks.  We asked what kind of a rig he had and he said that he has a six man tent and a cover over the table for his kitchen.  He said that maybe later he would like to get a teardrop trailer, but not right away.  He love the idea of being free.

When he told us about where he was, I showed it to Vonna.  The dogs and I have been walking by it every morning.  So, Vonna being Vonna, decided to put a package with all the information of where Chris (our grandson) works, a sample of the shakes, and protein bar package.  She had me go by there a few times until we caught him home.  He was surprised, but thankful.  That is a Charlie story, and he was a very nice man.  Oh did I tell you, he is about 45 years old.

One day we were driving around the campsite with our windows open, and Vonna asked what the screeching was.  I said the brakes have dust on them.  To make a long story short, we took our truck to have checked in Anacortes.  The brakes would last a little longer, maybe another 1-2,000 miles.  Only the front though.  The tires have been showing a lot of wear, and a lot of cracks, so new brakes on front and tires all around.  There goes this months spending money.  Fixed income is the pits, but the truck runs great and was cheaper than a new truck.

This was one of my favorite things, watch the man on the boat with is three dogs.  Maybe we should trade the 5th wheel?  Not really, just kidding, but it was nice.

La Conner is a small town.  They have a nice historical downtown area with lots of small shops even a dog shop.  Each one is individual, and had different things in them.  And we looked in them all, or Vonna did, I missed some of them.  We ate lunch in a couple of different restaurants during our visit here, both were ok, but Oregon Fish is better so far.  But ice cream was good.

We decided to take the ferry over to Friday Harbor for the day.  It was a beautiful day in the San Juan Islands, one of the best we had for a few days.  A little cloudy in the morning, sun in the afternoon, water was calm.  We looked in the shops, watched the people, boat watched, had a nice lunch in a little café overlooking the bay.  We had a wonderful day.

Our time in La Conner came to an end, but it is all about the journey, not about destination.  We are seeing a lot of new places, meeting new people, and having a great time.

 

2013 - Back to the North

July 31st We left for the North - Oregon & Washington - for a few months.  We are both excited to get back on the road.  This trip will end in Pismo Beach a week or two before Thanksgiving.  We are excited to see new places that we haven't seen before, and see some of the places we have visited.

Our first stop was over night in Red Bluff.  Matt and family have moved, so no one to visit this year.  But we did go to our favorite Mexican food restaurant in town, and didn't even unhook the trailer. The meal was great.

The next day we headed for Klamath Fall, OR and Collier State Park.  The park had a lot of open spots, but filled up for the week-end.  About half of the park is first come basis, the rest are for people that plan ahead.  We had a great spot.  They have old movies about the state on Friday & Saturday nights.  Full hook ups and only $22.00 per night.

They have a great logging museum on the opposite side of the street.  The is a path about 1/2 mile from the campsite under the road, along side the river.  Lots of old vehicles, log cabins, and story line along the way.  Stop and see this when your in the area.

Vonna's cousin, Jannette, lives in Klamath Falls, and she drove out to see us at our campsite. We had a nice visit, and met again at the farmers market in downtown Klamath Falls.  We got to see one of her sons and a granddaughter. John was out fishing, so we didn't get to see him.  Maybe next time.

Vonna and I really enjoyed our visit with Jannette and catching up on what has been happening in her life and how her family has grown. 

One of the places we knew we wanted to see was Crater Lake National Park.  We had heard so much about the lake and we were not disappointed.  The day was not a clear as it could have been, but the views were breath taking.  There have been a lot of fires in the southern half of Oregon, so the air quality is not what it normally is.  We decided to take the guided trolley around the lake with a ranger on board as the guide.  This was a very good way to see the lake and hear about the area.  The is a drive around the lake 33 mi. and about 30 stops. We stopped about 7-8 times, and the ranger pointed out areas of interest and told stories along the way.  We had one other family - grandparents with 4 grandkids on a grandma trip.  They asked a lot of great questions along the way.

We eat lunch at the coffee shop, and shopped for a while.  We stopped at the visitors center to watch a movie.  Then drove back to the campsite. This is one place that we could return to.  We were off the Oregon City to see Annie & Ervin the next day.  This has been a great stop and I'm sure we will come back this way some day!  

The next day was a travel day.  We had decided to drive all the way, 250 miles or so, to Annie & Ervin's house.  We knew the route we were going, but had to make a couple of changes because of road work, and drove through Bend.  We talked about our good friends Nick & Ellen not living there anymore, but on an adventure to Asia.  (Special note here - they have a blog at http://middelplaats.blogspot.com/ and are having a wonderful time.  Ellen writes and puts on pictures.  You feel like you are there.)

Anyway, after a long day we made it to Oregon City, got the rig setup beside Annie & Ervin's house, and relaxed on their deck.  It was great seeing them again.  Seemed like yesterday that we saw them, but it had been almost a year.  

Annie had meals all planned and ready to heat. She had deserts for us, on her counter and read to eat.  Plans made to see things and time on the deck to visit.  We had a great time.  We spent an afternoon in Portland, looking at art galleries, dress shops, lunch at a small Mexican Resturant, coffee at Starbucks, and on and on, until it was time to head back.  A great day.

They had planned a day to take a railroad trip to Parkdale.  It was a great ride up on the side of Mount Hood.  Great ride, lunch at a nice BBQ Resturant, and museum in town.  Then we headed back.  We stopped on the river and stopped to look at the salmon ladder at the Bonneville Lock & Dam.  It is underwater and you see the salmon swimming upstream.  It was a great stop.  We didn't have a lot of time there and would be a great stop to make next trip to the area.

We drove past a couple of waterfalls, and to the old highway.  There was a Resturant there called Tad's that we stopped at for dinner.  Chicken and dumpling the old way.  They were the largest (Vonna & I shared an order and still had some left over) we had seen.  We were right on the river, people rafting, in kayaks, and on tubes, drifting down the river.  It was very peaceful, and the company was great.  We had a lady come over and want to take a picture of all of us.  She was a funny little lady, and wanted to keep taking the picture, but Annie said it was fine.  She was having fun drinking wine.  The lady, not Annie.  

Oh, I forgot to tell you about Ervin's new Dodge Truck.  It is very nice, and I'm a little jealous.  It has everything, including heated and AC seats.  I wanted to trade him, but he wasn't ready to get rid of it.  It is a special truck, and should last them for many years. He is a lucky man.

They also have a '37 Chevy.  It was Annie's when she was 17 and has been redone over the past few years.  We took a ride in it and that took us back to the past.  A great ride, and Ervin even has a hat with a story to fit right in.

Our last day with Annie and Ervin was spent at a Antique Street Fair in a little town near their house.  We walked and looked and laughed till we were very tired.  Lunch at a local pub, and walk some more.   We really enjoyed it, even stopping and getting an ice cream on the way to the truck.  We had a great time.

The first two weeks on our trip have been great. We will miss Annie & Ervin as we travel on, but may see them later on towards the end of our trip. (They are awesome host's)