NORMANS on the HORIZON

Football in Tillamook

2011-10-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

Today is Sunday and it rained most of the night and is still raining off and on this morning. A surprise after we had a sunny day yesterday. If fact it got so warm in the MH that we turned on the air conditioning in the afternoon when the temperature inside reached 82 degrees. In the evening, I pulled out the Weber and we barbequed chicken for dinner.

Today it looks like a good day to watch football. Ty doesn’t watch football so he sat on the dashboard and glared at me.

Tomorrow we head for Florence where we’ll stay at the Elks RV Park.

Divine Lunch

2011-10-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

Today we went over to Netarts where Darel and Falvia are staying. They followed us to downtown Tillamook for lunch. We ate at Deivine Hamburgers located in a large old brick building. The burgers were good, if not divine.

After lunch we were met outside by a light rain. We drove up to Fred Myers and picked up some groceries. This time when we came out it was pouring. We drove on little farther and visited Tillamook Cheese Factory. Still pouring. Their parking lot on the left is closed due to some construction and it wasn’t possible to drop off close to the entrance. Not much has changed inside. The packaging lines were busy cutting big blocks in to bricks and stuffing the bricks into bags that were then vacuum sealed. We tasted the cheeses and found they are making a new one, pepper white cheddar.

After the cheese factory visit we went back to camp. It continued the downpour the rest of the day. We had planned to have dinner at the Elks Lodge but we were still full from lunch. We settled for some popcorn and TV instead.

PS: camera had a dead battery so, no rain pictures.

Travel Day to Tillamook, OR

2011-10-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

Today we’re leaving our Washington State Park camp site in Cape Disappointment and heading to the Elk’s RV Park in Tillamook. We love this park in the trees and right next to the ocean. It has full hookups with 50 amps. The sites are paved, level and easy to back into. No WIFI and cell service. Satellite service is ok if you choose the right site. We were in site 7 with ok service.

Ty is over in the edge of our site hunting. He liked this site also.

A view of our camp site before leaving.

We arrived in Tillamook at the Elks RV park just afternoon. The park is about 5 miles south of town and is fairly new. Each site had full hookups about half with 50 amp the rest with 30 amp. The sites are crushed rock and not very level. Separated by a green lawn area. We had good cell and satellite service here. We are also the only campers here.

Astoria Column

2011-10-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Another sunny day! We met Falvia and Darel for lunch at the Rouge Brewery in Astoria. The Brewery is located in an old Bumble Bee fish processing and canning site on the Columbia river, a mile or so east of Astoria. Debbie and I have stopped here every year on our way home and enjoy their fish and chips. This time they had two choices. Halibut or Tuna. The Halibut was seventeen dollars and the Tuna was twelve. I decided to try the Tuna, this was the first time I have ever seen Tuna offered and was interested in trying it, however when it was my turn to order, for some reason I ordered fish tacos instead, dam! No, I didn’t realize it until the waitress sat it down in front of me.

After lunch we explored the back of the restaurant, which is the old cannery. This was the first thing we came across, asking price $14,000.

Around the corner we found displays of the old cannery. Photos, canning equipment, cans, labels.

After lunch we drove up the hill to the Astoria Column. From here you can see 360 degrees around.

Inside the column is a circular stair case leading to the top. I walked up while Debbie waited. Look close and you can see her in her blue jacket standing on the granite tiles near the end of the pathway.

A view of the Astoria bridge over the Columbia river and the Pacific beyond.

Fort Stevens

2011-10-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

We woke up to bright sun again this morning. We got going and decided to call Darel and Flavia and find out where they were. They left Port Susan just before us and were also going to take their time down the coast. We were surprised to find them across the river from us in Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon. We drove over and had a really good lunch with them. We then went together to the Fort Steven site.

Here is Darel followed by Debbie and Falvia.

Darel and I walked out to the gun battery.

Here is one of the 6 inch gun which were used at the fort to protect the entrance to the Columbia River.

A view back at Debbie and Falvia sitting on a picnic table.

These guns were outside the fort’s fortification all by themself. They were on each side of what appeared to be a helicopter landing pad. It looked like they would have made good targets for an enemy ship’s guns.

Sun not Rain

2011-10-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning to bright sun shine in Cape Disappointment. What was predicted to be a rainy day has started out full of sun!

We drove over to Long Beach, WA, about a 15 minute drive, to have lunch at a restaurant we found last year, Lost Roo. Our drive took us by the fishing fleet of IIwaco.

We had the fish taco, same as last year, and they’re still great.

Back at camp Ty was ready for a walk or maybe a tree climb if he finds the right tree.

Here he’s just posing.

Finally, at a cat’s pace, we make it to the beach. A giant sandbox.

Another posed picture. He’s actually getting pretty good at it.

Musical Sites at Cape Disappointment

2011-10-23T22:30:00.001-07:00

We are camped at Cape Disappointment State Park. Last evening we watch as RV’s started trickling into the RV parking area which isn’t that big and for sure not that level. I’m glad we arrived a little earlier and were able to choose the best spot. Shortly the lot was mostly full. We had a good nights rest and a leisurely morning’s take-off.

On the drive here we passed through quite a bit of fog, sometime very heavy, but mostly it just shrouded the surrounding forest we were traveling though. It made the drive a little mystical.

We arrived a little after 1:00 pm and the ranger who checked us in allowed us to pick our site. I picked out a site which I thought would have a clear shot at the satellite and we proceeded on to our spot. Still time to catch the second half of the Raider’s game. Figures that the site I chose, the campers are late get out and are still occupying it. We tell them to take their time and we’ll just grab one a couple of spaces down. Debbie drives back the few miles to the ranger station at 15 miles an hour to officially change our site.

While she is doing the paper work I parked the Horizon. Leveled it up, connected to the power, water and sewer. Extend the tree slides and Ty takes up his position at the front door.

Before he goes out for a walk I want to set up the satellite and watch the end of the game. But after trying for some time, so long that Ty gives up on the walk, I can’t find a hint of a signal.

Apparently the trees along the side of the new site we moved to are blocking the signal.

We decided we could tough it out for four days without TV. Debbie worked on crocheting a baby dress and I used a slow internet. We made it about an hour of deathly silence before we started discussing the chances of acquiring the satellite by moving to our original site. Debbie made the 15 minute drive back to the ranger station while I reversed the above steps. Moved the Horizon over and then repeated the setup. Well the games over but we now have TV and Ty got a walk.

We’ll be here for four nights before continuing south.

Little Creek 2011

2011-10-22T19:45:00.001-07:00

We are in the RV parking area of Little Creek Casino in Washington. We had a comfortable night in Mt Vernon. Up early and the wind was howling and the rain was coming down. Taking it slow I made a pot of coffee and flipped on the TV. Procrastinating, waiting for the rain to stop or at least slow down. We only were driving about two and a half hours today so we didn’t need an early start. I decided to wait until ten and then bundle up and face the weather. About 9:45 the rain and wind had stopped and I went out and connected the Jeep to The Horizon. Checked the surge tank installation. They did a good job of mounting and it didn’t show any sign of leaking.

Traffic was heavy, off and on. Tthe rain and wet road didn’t help make driving any easier. I used my new version of CoPilot for the first time. It really has some great new features and let us right to the casino.

We’re stopped and Ty is ready to go for a walk. I don’t think he can tell it’s raining by looking out the windows.

He is getting comfortable and going to hold out next to the door and his leash.

Finally it lighten up to a drizzle and we went out. He held out in the weather a lot longer than I thought he would, but after about 15 minutes, he was happy to get back into Horizon.

Tomorrow we’ll be heading down to Cape Disappointment State Park. It’s right across the river from Astoria, OR. We really like this park and plan on staying a few days. Debbie talked to a friend today and found out Daryl and Falavia other friends who left Port Susan earlier, were now in Astoria. Debbie called and left a message, maybe we can hook up.

Friday Night in Mt Vernon, WA

2011-10-21T21:24:00.001-07:00

It was a dark and stormy night…. We are parked in the parking lot of Valley Freightliner spending the night before we head south for the winter. We arrived here on Thursday for our yearly MH service. During the service they discovered the surge tank was cracked and leaking slightly. The serge tank is plastic and is like a radiator reservoir in a car. O f course they didn’t have one in stock so we had to have one overnighted from back east and necessitated another night in the parking lot. Of course the tank has been redesigned, so the service manager said, and it no longer fit the mounting brackets. So the bracket had to be modified. We had hoped to leave here this afternoon but the job wasn’t complete until late afternoon so we elected to stay another night rather than fight rush-hour, Friday night traffic through Seattle. It is raining tonight but the wind has died down. If you want to see the wet parking lot you’ll have to check last years post as d no photo this time, but it looks the same. Still wet.

Tomorrow we’ll head down to a small casino near Shelton, WA.

Kayak Beach- Early Morning (for me)

2011-08-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

Here is an early morning shot of our picnic shelter. Waiting for the other half of the group. Lloyd and I already have our crab traps down.

Almost Complete

2011-08-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

Remember the 5th wheel we’ve been working on? Here is a picture from the outside.

Here is a view looking toward Debbie’s sewing room. The wainscot is in and stained.

Looking back toward the bedroom upstairs. The LCD television dwarf's the fireplace it’s sitting on top of. Ready for football!

Sun, Beach and Crabs

2011-07-22T22:59:00.000-07:00

Seven o’clock in the morning. After raining most of the night it looks like the sun is shinning through the trees on our road.

Debbie stands in the sun at Kayak Point County Park. Lloyd, my ride out to the water, is down at the boat ramp launching his boat. He’ll motor back up here to the beach and pick me up. My crab traps are in the foreground.

We’re on our way. Lloyd is on the look out for crabs as he navigates to a spot to drop our crab pots overboard. Here in the Sound you can have two crab pots out and the daily limit for crab is five.

Well it takes about thirty minutes to motor out, drop our four crab traps, and motor back. Here Lloyd throws out a stern anchor to keep the boat in position while we wait for the crabs to fill up our traps.

Here is a view from our picnic shelter toward the pier and Lloyd’s boat. It’s crowded with crab fishermen who throw their traps of the end of the pier. Our traps are a mile or so beyond the pier. The big driftwood separates the rocky beach from the lawn and picnic area.

After a couple of hours its time to pull up the traps. They’re about 100 to 125 feet down to the bottom so pulling up them up is a workout. My first trap was completely empty. This is my second trap and it had three that were large enough to keep. Lloyd had two keepers in his traps. We dropped them down again and went back to the beach.

After lunch we went out the second time and pulled up the traps. I kept two for my limit and Lloyd got a couple more. Now its home to cook the crab and then we all met at Darryl's for a fire and gab fest.

Oh yeah. After avoiding the smoke for a while we moved up to the porch to eat crab. Notice that nobody pays any attention to me when I get up to take a picture!

Tomorrow we’ll be back to working on the 5th wheel restoration project.

Rainy Day

2011-07-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

Thursday and it’s a rainy day here and on the cool side. This has been an unusual summer this year so far. We have a day or two of sun and then the rest of the week is cool and rainy. Far better than the heat wave the rest of the country is experiencing.

Tomorrow, Friday, the weather is suppose to clear up and we’re planning a trip to the beach at Kayak Point to try our hand at crab catching, again. It’s a county park about five miles away. It has a rocky beach, pier, boat ramp, lawn, fire ring and covered picnic tables. We get there early and grab one of the tables, actually there’s two under the cover. Around a dozen people show up for crabbing, gabbing or picnicking. This time I have all my own stuff. In the past friends have furnished everything for me to use.

Ty is suffering in silence. Cheer up Ty tomorrow is suppose to be better!

Soccer in Snohomish

2011-07-18T22:19:00.000-07:00

Debbie and I went to seen my nephew Aaron’s son, Dominic in an early season soccer tournament. The first game started at 9:30 at the Snohomish soccer complex. I made the simple drive over more difficult by turning the opposite direction a couple of times but we finally circled around and came in from behind. The parking lot was almost full and we parked in the back row. The field was, of course the far one. The game was already in progress when we finally arrived. The score was 8 or so to 2. Dominic played forward and we were treated to Dominic scoring a goal. He was one of the fasted players on the field.

Here Dominic it taking the ball down the field, something he did many times.

The game was so exciting I forgot to take more pictures. Maybe at a future game. Here Aaron his wife Diane, Tory and Dominic get ready to leave after the second game of the day.

My First Crabs

2011-07-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

Monday morning about ten of us went down to Kayak Point for a picnic and a crab hunt. I went out with Lloyd on his boat and dropped my two crab pots. A few hours later we went back and checked them. I had 4 and Lloyd had two. The limit is five so we dropped the traps back in for a while and had lunch on the beach with everybody.

On the second pull we both kept one more each which made a limit for me of five.

When we left for Port Susan we borrowed a SS pot from our son Brad, who used it to brew beer. I wanted to cook my own crab this year. In previous years I have borrowed gear, traps, line etcetera and somebody cooked and cleaned the crab for me.

Here is my catch after cooking.

We took our crab over to Darryl and Flavia’s house where we met with everyone else with their crabs and we had a big feast. I need to remember to take more pictures.

First Crab of the Season

2011-07-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

Thursday was opening day for crab season here in the Puget Sound area. It was also drizzling, as in raining. Only one hardy sole went out in the cold and rain and was rewarded by a limit of crab. We were lucky to available when they were looking for someone to share a crab dinner with. Wow the first crab this season.

Debbie and Les Ann set up the table.

Almost ready as Les Ann pours melted butter into small cups.

The crab was great. Thanks to Rich and Les Ann for a great dinner.

Rotisserie Finished

2011-07-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here is the rotisserie going strong. Seem you need to really tighten the prongs. I heard the chicken thumping and found the left prongs had slipped and the lemons and garlic fell out. I guess something like a rolled roast would have been better for a first attempt.

I re-aligned and an hour later it was done. Really good. We’ll definitely do this again. I have a new plan.

Ty Helps With the New BBQ

2011-07-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

We’ve used the new BBQ for a while and it’s was time to try out the rotisserie. I’ve never used one before. First I had to install the bracket. Of course the brackets had to be modified to fit my grill so a ten minute job turned into an hour or so with help from Ty. I was so focused on the grill I guess he wanted to know what I was doing and jumped up to take a look.

We had to work out who was doing what.

The directions say here you put it on backwards.

Hey I see that screw you dropped.

A refreshing a sip of a Bloody Mary.

Tree climbing is great for reducing stress after helping with the grill.

He made it about half way up. He’s on the left side. After a moment he scooted down so we didn’t have to spend the night waiting for him to come down.

Coming up, rotisserie chicken!

Perfect Furniture

2011-07-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

We wanted furniture that would fit the scale of the 5th wheel inside. We also had to get the furniture through the door. We discovered most normal furniture was way too big. By accident we found an outdoor furniture set, on sale. It included a small couch, a couple of rocking chairs and a coffee table. The size was ok and they were actually very comfortable.

We are enjoying them outside for the time being, until the interior of the 5th wheel is ready.

Ty is also enjoying the new furniture. Do Not Disturb!

5th Wheel Progress

2011-07-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

Work has continued on the 5th Wheel. Last summer we left with the slideout wood rot replaced with new studs and floor stringers. All so, most of the new plywood flooring was down.

Here the plywood flooring is done and the seams have been leveled.

Now the plywood has to be sealed and primed so the new tile will stick down.

Next the peel and stick vinyl is put down. The knotty pine wainscot material is lying on the floor.

Tile glue is not even dry and Debbie knows where a perfect rug is. She took me into town to pick it up and we found it was on sale!

Oh, she also knew where the perfect furniture is. Furniture pictures next.

Ducks In Seattle

2011-06-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

Debbie and I wanted to ride the Ducks here last year but never seemed to find time. Earlier this year I went out on the San Francisco Duck. A lot of fun and found it a good way to get a quick overview of the city.

Ready to board the Seattle Duck.

Our tour guide.

Seattle cityscape from the Duck on Lake Union.

The Space Needle. Another spot on our list of things to see, do, or visit.

Comparing the two locations, I thought San Francisco was the winner. First, in SF they GAVE everybody a Duck Whistle and the whistle was part of the tour. At the very start of the tour they played “Blue Danube” and we accompanied the song with the whistles. In Seattle they were for sale for $2.25, very off-putting.

The best part of the SF tour was the tour guide. He was great and he got everyone involved. Here the guide was a disappointing. Maybe another guide might improve my opinion. We did see a lot of the city.

Locks Again

2011-06-29T16:10:00.000-07:00

The Ballard Locks allow boat traffic to travel between Lake Union and Puget Sound continue to fascinate. The water level varies but 20’ plus or minus between the two bodies of water. The locks are operated by water pressure alone and do not use or need any other power.

We were here last year but decided to stop again after the Duck tour. Traffic through the locks includes small and large boats. Lake Union behind and above this boat.

This tour boat is on it’s way into Lake Union.

A tight fit. This is the small lock. Next to it is a larger lock. A canal allows access to Lake Washington from Union Lake.

New Grill

2011-06-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

Ty loves it up here in Port Susan. His leash is attached to a 50 foot run line and he has a lot of mobility. Here he’s sitting on the side of the driveway into the 5th wheel lot. Looks like a dirty look. I must have scared off a bird.

Last week in the June 21st blog I mentioned we had purchased a new grill. We have been trying it out and I am becoming pretty proficient. Here is a late evening BBQ.

I am cooking potatoes, asparagus, and steak. The potatoes are on the warming grate. They look burnt but actually they were perfect with a crispy skin. I now stick the asparagus spears together with toothpicks in rafts of four instead of dealing with them individually.

So far I really like the grill,

Still Working on the Floor

2011-06-26T10:47:00.001-07:00

This week has gone by fast. Some rainy days and some sun. We joined the internet club and rented a post office box. I bought a crab license for the season. It cost $32. The past years I just bought a 2 day license for around $12. I hope to catch enough crab to pay for the license, just have to hitch a ride with somebody.

I needed one more sheet of plywood to finish the floor of the 5th wheel, so Debbie and I went down to Lowe’s and picked up what I thought was the same size, 15/32. When we got back the plywood was thicker than what I had used. Of course the difference wasn’t noticed until after I cut off a big piece. Back at Lowe’s we found a thinner 15/32. Go figure. Now the shims I cut at one inch are too big. Last year we ripped 2x4’s into shims and I guess I forgot what size, so today I’ll be cutting all the short pieces down to size. We’re very close to finishing, just have to pay a little more attention I guess. I’ll try to post some pictures of the progress if there is any.

Today looks like it’s going to be sunny and the forecast is for three more days of sun. The cover is still on the 5th wheel because we’ve been waiting for it to dry out. About the time it getting there, it rains again. Looks likes Tuesday will be the day.

New Grill and a Coyote

2011-06-21T23:21:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Monday, we got an early start looking for some inexpensive furniture for the 5th wheel. It has to go through a 28 inch door which limits the size considerably. We also were checking out bbq grills. We found a couch and a couple of recliners at the first stop. At the high end of our budget. Also looked at Webber grills and they were way past the end of our budget. We looked at just about every store that carried furniture or grills. We are tentatively looking at two small upholstered chairs at WalMart and a patio set at Fred Meyers that included a sofa, two chairs and a coffee table that is on sale and the right size.

Monday evening we had Lloyd over for dinner. He just arrived Sunday. Also had Jim and Helene over. BBQ’d ball tips from Kinder’s meat and they were great and we enjoyed a nice visit everyone.

The grill was another story. It’s hard to get a good grill for under 600 or 700 dollars. The more I looked and researched the more expensive the grill I wanted.

Today we finally decided on a four burner Master Forge which is a cheap Lowes house brand. We picked it up along with some salmon to try out on it. I started putting it together. The wheels, base, right side. It was going together well, all the holes lined up and blind nuts made it really easy. Told Debbie some of the other grill reviews I had read required re-drilling some holes which didn’t line up. I was feeling really happy with my purchase and started to put the left side of the base on. It was a little confusing and I couldn’t quite get it turned right so it fit as it was supposed to. Still confused I studied the assembly directions and drawing. I then discovered I had two right sides and no left side. The sides of the base are about a foot and a half wide and two feet tall made of stainless steal. Had to make another trip back to Lowe’s. They wanted me to bring the grill back to exchange but convinced them just to exchange sides, I was at the point of assembly that the grill wouldn’t had fit back into the car. Didn’t have any trouble, they opened up another unit and pulled out the left side for me.

I finally finished putting it together and started grilling around eight o’clock. Portabella mushrooms, salmon, and sweet onion slices. Really happy with the results.

Still waiting for the internet club to sent me a password for the wifi so no pictures again.

Oh, almost forgot tonight's excitement. Ty was outside on his leash connected to a run line while we grilled and ate. Then we were cleaning up and went inside when we remembered we had left Ty outside. When I stepped out of the Horizon I thought I saw “Sammy” a neighbor cat and Ty’s friend walking toward our lot and toward Ty. I quickly recognized “Sammy” wasn’t a cat but a coyote! He turned and left quickly and Ty, the dumb cat, was trying to follow him. Looked like I went out just in time. Whew!

At Port Susan

2011-06-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

We arrived at our lots at Port Susan late Friday afternoon. We arrived to beautiful weather. It was sunny with big fluffy clouds and around 67 degrees. Our good friends, Jim and Helene, invited us over for a steak dinner. We really enjoyed the rib eye steaks, twice baked potatoes and asparagus. Nice to be here.

Saturday we lounged around the morning watching it rain. After lunch we went across to the 5th wheel to check it out. It weathered the winter just fine. Got the Jeep partially unloaded. Right now we only have the antenna up and we are receiving the main networks. At some point I’ll run a cable over to the satellite dish and see if will can ‘see’ the satellite. Each year the signal has gotten weaker due to the trees branching out. I ‘m always worried that this will be the year we lose the signal completely. At that time it may not be possible to relocate the antenna and find the signal through the trees

Sunday morning we’re looking out at overcast skies and a light drizzle. We talked about running over to the Farmer’s market in Everett but the weather is making it unappealing. Its suppose to be clearing up later to day and sun is forecast for the next several days.

Using our Verizon 3G card with limited bandwidth so I’ll leave out the pictures the pictures for now. Next week I’ll join the internet club and use their high speed cable.

New Shoes for Horizon

2011-06-16T22:13:00.001-07:00

Last week I called to order tires for the Horizon. Due to the size they have to be special ordered. At that time Allen gave me a price of $571 each. He said it was a show special for the FMCA rally which had just concluded. That sounded like a good price since discussions on the net were about how much tire prices had gone up due to the raise in oil costs and indicated a price of $600 to $650. Last year they were $540 so I was real happy at only a $30 dollar raise.

When we arrived at Les Schwab, Terry, who I dealt with last year, wrote up the work order with a price of $601 each. He didn’t know about a show price. Finally got a hold of Allen and he fixed the price to reflect the original quote. Whew!!

They said the job should be competed around 11am so we had a few hours to kill. I had the first time killer idea and we went across the street to the Sweetwater restaurant and had breakfast. Debbie had the next idea. I would sit in the car and read while she….

went into the Goodwill Store. I had read about three books when Les Schwab called and said Horizon was ready to go. I had to go in and pull Debbie out. She made a major find, a six place setting of dishes just right for the 5th wheel and only $14! Guess I should be more supportive. She probably saved us a hundred dollars or more. Photos pending.

We returned to Les Schwab and while I connected the Jeep up and replaced the pressure sensors on the new tires, Debbie went into the office to pay the bill. When she returned, she said they gave us $50 each for two of the old tires as a trade in. Wow am I happy!

We left the store and headed north. Destination Kelso, WA and the Brookhollow RV park, about three hours in the RV. We’ve stayed there several times before and I like the park, it has a nice layout and space between sites. Debbie is not so enamored but humors me.

More about the park next time.

Brookhollow RV in Kelso, WA

2011-06-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

Thursday and we’ve made it to Kelso. Ty is always anxious to bail out of the Horizon when we arrive. Tthis time he found a large sand pile waiting for him.

But unlike a normal cat. Instead of using the sand for what god created it for, he decided to take dust bath! He very seldom goes outside, a modesty thing I guess. He usually wants back in to use his box.

Ty and Debbie discuss which direction to head next.

This park is laid out in a oval shape. It has an outside road around it with pull through sites. We were able to leave the Jeep connected. I am up on top a levee which contains a river and has a trail on top.

Bikes are off and loaded ready. Debbie and Ty not so much.

We have been to this park several times and each time I didn’t get a chance to jump on the bike and try it out. Today I took a ride on the trail. It follows the river along the top of the levee. There are benches along the way. This one is at the four mile mark. Turned around here and made it back ok. Haven’t riding for a few weeks and it felt good to get out, especially on such a beautiful trail and great weather. Partial clouds and about 67 degrees.

Today we’ll be arriving at Port Susan, about a three hour drive.

Old KOA in Albany

2011-06-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

Wednesday and we are settled in at the Blue Ox RV Park. This is an old re-branded KOA park. Tight spaces and interior roads. Checked and our tires are in and waiting for us. We have an appointment around 9am tomorrow morning and are only about a mile away.

The park has an indoor pool and spa so around eight Debbie and I walked down and enjoyed the spa. Didn’t have anything to drink but when we got back from the spa, I still passed out.

Arriving and Leaving 7Feathers RV Resort

2011-06-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

Tuesday afternoon and here we are at 7Feathers RV Resort, one of our favorite and also the prettiest. Filled up at their truck stop. We were down to a quarter of a tank and it was a good price at $4.13 per gallon. We are also just about half way between home in Concord and home in Port Susan. In the morning we’ll take the casino shuttle over to the casino

and take advantage of their breakfast special. On the way back to the Horizon, we’ll stop at the truck shop deli and pick up one of their po'boy sandwiches for lunch on the road later. They are the best ever. We eat half for lunch and then the other half for dinner.

In the morning we will be heading for Albany to pickup four new tires, we’ll spend the night at the Blue Ox RV park in Albany and about a mile from Les Schwab.

Headed Towards Alaska

2011-06-13T23:14:00.000-07:00

Well, we’ll be stopping short however, Port Susan, WA to be exact. Please excuse the previous Monday posts. Obviously they all didn’t happen on Monday but were just a quick and brief recap of our time at home.

This is actually what happen Monday. We planned to leave around 4pm. It looked like for the first time in years, not only were we going to be on time, but actually early! We would have been a half hour or so early but when Debbie pushed the toggle switch to bring in the bedroom slide, the slide only moved in about a foot then died. Oh no! Remember we just had the hydraulic pump and motor replaced on our way back home from Port Susan last year. You can see the whole gory details of that adventure if you look back in the blog at the end of October 2010 beginning HERE.

I tried the control just in case Debbie had a “senior moment” and wasn’t pressing the toggle switch correctly. Darn I couldn’t make it work either. I mean either in or back out. I tried the other two slides and there was no response. Well we were ready to leave but with three slides out we were about 15 feet wide and my gate is only 12 wide. Well obliviously it had to be fixed onsite. I thought I would take a look at it and see if maybe it was something I could see. I got the tools out of the motorhome and opened up the stairs where access to the hydraulic system is. The access is more for a very small, thin, double jointed person but I managed to peer in. I won’t bore you with a more prolonged account, but unexpectedly, I found one of the heavy power cables to the motor was loose and after it was tightened the slides worked fine.

Finally on our way and its 4pm, right on time! Three hours on I5 and we arrived at the Elks club in Redding where we planned to spend the night. We found a site and walked up to the bar to check in. We decided to have a drink. We had a second because it was free. I don’t remember too much after that until the next morning.

The next morning sun was out and it was already warm in the sun at 8am. Expected to reach the high 90s. Glad we’re traveling north to the cooler climes. The sites are close together here but they have 50amp and water.

A very nice trail runs behind the lodge and along the river. In spite of a slight headache I had to check it out.

The trail runs right along the river. As I walked along I came upon a couple of dogs playing in the river. Brrrr it looks cold. It actually was cold the stupid golden lab came running over to me and shook himself right up against me.

The is a view of the trail. If it wasn’t going to be so hot and my brain ache, I would have had to get out the bikes. I don’t know if it is ever not hot in Redding but I am going to have to find out and try to make it back.

This is a gate to the real of the Elk’s property right off the trail.

Around 10:30 or so, we’ll move on, heading up to our favorite RV Resort, 7Feathers. Around a three hour drive. We’ll fill up with diesel and spend the night.

Ducks and Home

2011-06-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

This is a reflection of the “duck”.

A few of the duck riders anxiously waiting to board. Blake sporting a stylish yellow “duck” whistle around his neck.

Riding the duck, a picture of Betty taking a picture. On land.

Little Cal is driving, I mean piloting, the duck on the bay near the Giant’s stadium. The camera’s level it the duck that’s listing to port.

Back home we enjoy some refreshments.

Ty and a cow grazing in the open space field around our house, size each other up.

Friends from Port Susan

2011-06-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

Jim and Helene, friends from Port Susan, drove down to visit us and several other friends around the area. I think they really came down to dry out after all the rain they are having. They brought some custom cut steaks with them. They are preparing to BBQ them.

Lloyd and Rich get comfortable waiting for the steaks.

A great meal in our RV site at the side of the house.

It was great seeing Jim and Helene. The meal was great and we can hardly wait to follow them back to Washington.

Some of the Things We Did

2011-06-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed our backyard, Ty too. We have a mini rv park next to our house, which Is leased right now.

Blake invited us over for Beef Wellington and it was sooo… good that Debbie had to try her skill in recreating it at home for us. She did an outstanding job using her limited facilities in the Horizon.

Looking at the picture makes me think she should try again!

For our anniversary we drove up the coast to Timber Cove Lodge. The weather was interesting (stormy) and as we approached the Russian River I grabbed this picture of a rainbow. I hoped it was a positive sign that the weather would improve for us. But hey, over looking the ocean from the balcony with a glass of wine, a fire in the fireplace , who cares.

The balconies were mostly empty as was the lodge.

The storms created beautiful sunsets.

Our room was rough sawn redwood. I guess I should had taken the pictures before we spread out and Debbie had her soak!

Hanging Out Around Home

2011-06-12T17:11:00.000-07:00

We have been hanging out at home for several month now. Debbie and I both had scattered appointments and they didn’t leave enough time between them to get very far from home.

In mid January we did meet with the Concord Caravaner’s on their weekend outing at the Vineyard RV park near Vacaville, CA.

The fog came in on Saturday and gave the park a surreal look.

The office is dwarfed by large eucalyptus trees. The park had under gone considerably upgrading and had ambitious plans for the future.

The club house is behind a large wisteria arbor.

It was great to get together with good friends and of course great food.

The Horizon was park at the end of the row. Yes it did rain a little.

We are planning to leave soon for our summer lot in Port Susan and rear dual tires are due to be replaced. It’s hard to replace tires that have more than half an inch of tread left, but the prevailing knowledge is that they are done after 6 or 7 years and ours are pushing 8! We’ll stop at the Les Schwab tire store in Albany, OR where we replaced the two front tire last year. Better safe than sorry and it will be one less thing to worry about as we travel down the highway.

Santa Maria

2011-02-13T18:43:00.000-08:00

Sunday, November 14th, 2010. We’re parked in the Santa Maria Elks lot. Its about 10 or so minutes away from Debbie’s folks house.

Here is our site for the next two weeks. Its at the end of the row so we have a nice view and no neighbors on one side. The weather has been typical California Indian summer. Mostly sunny but with a few raining days.

Here are our chairs that Debbie embroidered my old badge number ‘82’ on my chair and a quilt symbol on hers. This way we don’t get them mixed up.

I was excited about the fact that we were only a few blocks from a bike trail the runs on and along the Santa Maris River Levee on the north edge of Santa Maria. All the way to the coast. I loaded my bike on the car a drove east to start at one to the trail access points. Darn it’s closed for construction, the gate was padlocked.

I ended up riding on some rural roads in the immediate vicinity. Mostly bordering cultivated farm land. A nice ride even if I didn’t make it to the ocean.

The two weeks went by quickly. Thanksgiving was highlighted by Blake’s brined turkey he brought down with him. We had a great visit with everyone.

One must do that we all ways do when we’re down there is stop at Alex’s BBQ restaurant in Shell Beach. We’ve been stopping there for maybe the past 20 years. The last few times its been disappointing and the last time was the worst. It appears they are going through rough times, cutting back on everything. Our waiter, said they are turning it around. We worried when the two elderly sisters sold the restaurant but it continued along fine until the the last few years when it started being disappointing. We preferred Alex’s to the famous McLintoacks which is on the other side of the freeway. One night we tried Jocko,s Steak House but at 6:30 there was already and hour and a half wait, oh well, there was no wait at the Chinese restaurant around the corner.

Home for a Day or Two

2011-02-12T17:16:00.000-08:00

Friday (Nov. 12, 2010), we are at the Walnut Creek Elks Club. We drove down from Hopland and arrived early in the afternoon. We’re spending a couple of days here before continuing down to Pismo Beach to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with Debbie’s folks. We are about ten minutes away from our house and decided to stay here instead of taking the time to set up the RV there which is a lot of effort for just two nights.

Sunday we’ll head down to the Elks Lodge in Santa Maria that has a nice full hookup campground. Then in two weeks we’ll head over to Seacliff Beach for a week and then back to our house in Concord.

Ty waiting for lunch to be served!

Kind 'a quit blogging for awhile. Over the next few days I will try to catch up.

Prime Rib in Hopland

2010-11-11T19:54:00.001-08:00

We are in Hopland off SR101 parked in the parking lot of the Sho-Ka-Wah Indian Casino. A small casino with a great Prime Rib dinner and and even greater price for player club members. One pound prime rib with salad, potato, vegetable for only seven dollar and something cents. The parking lot here is sloped but the very top is fairly level and marked for RV parking.

Last night we parked in the at the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Casino. One of the friendliest casinos we have been to. On the down side, the RV parking lot does NOT have a level spot anywhere. Using all my blocks I was still afraid Debbie was going to have a hard time staying on her side of the bed.

Down to Brookings

2010-11-09T17:51:00.001-08:00

We left Florence around 10am this morning. It started snowing in Colberg this morning so we got out of there in the nick of time. And there was snow on some of the passes, so glad we decided to take the coast route.

The drive down to Brookings was a real challenge. We encountered heavy rain, wild wind and a curvy roadway, stretches of which were hung on the edge of the ocean, but no snow. We arrived the the Elks around 2pm to an empty campground. We had to approach the lodge the round about way because a large sinkhole had swallowed both lanes of the road leading up to the lodge.

Tacos are on the menu at the lodge tonight but Debbie cooked a pot roast yesterday, love that crock-pot, so I’ll pass on the tacos. Love the crock-pot operator also!

We have a pull-through site so we were able to leave the car connected. We’ll leave in the morning for Trinidad, CA.

Finally Florence

2010-11-08T20:36:00.001-08:00

We’re finally in Florence and settled in at the Florence Elks RV park. The drive here was an easy hour and a half through some very beautiful scenery.

This morning Cummins we got in and out right away and now we’re all back to normal, except for the two engine batteries. I found them 22 miles away down in Reedsport and drove down to pick them up. Installed between rain showers and without starting any fires. I’m certainly getting a workout lugging these 60-70 pound batteries back and forth. I also had to take out the inverter to change the charging program for AMG house batteries . That thing is really heavy and I almost had to come home with it lying on its side in it’s basement compartment.

I need to post a few pictures that I didn’t include in a few of the previous posts. This is the sunrise at Ocean Shores just before the hydraulic pump motor burnt up. The ocean view is behind me.

Here is our camp site at Cape Disappointment.

While we were there we drove over to Long Beach.

We passed by this lake on the way to the beach.

This is our site in Coburg. We received the morning paper on our step each morning. I didn’t get a picture of Camp Cummins.

Here in Florence, Ty tries out a tree.

And here he’s showing off his new spiked collar. He really gets an attitude when he gets to wear it.

Repair update

2010-11-07T17:10:00.001-08:00

If everything checks out tomorrow we should be on our way back to California.

Friday they finished installing the new unit from HWH. It appears to be working ok. Cummins didn’t have time to finish calibration so we’ll be staying at least till Monday. We don’t want to get too far from Cummins until we we’re sure it’s working properly. Unfortunately, because of the big game here in Eugene, WA vs. OR, we weren’t able to continue staying in the RV park. It’s full with Duck (UO) fans who came from all over the state for the game. Cummins’ has about ten spaces with 30 amp electric, a couple of water faucets and a dump station. We didn’t stay here before because the sites are on a slope and our leveling jack weren’t working but now we can level the RV and the price is right, free! We also will be close for our 8am appointment. When that is complete we will head toward the coast. We decided to head that way because Oregon requires all vehicles to carry chains after the 1st of November whether they are needed or not. A storm is coming in today and may drop snow on the passes. The way our luck has been going lately we decided to take the cowards way out. Route 126 from here to Florence is not under the Oregon snow chains require law and a couple or other ‘campers’ here at the Cummins Resort said the road is good and is not be a problem for an RV.

During the repair and testing I discovered one of the house batteries bulging and thought bad house batteries might be part of the problem so I started looking for replacements. Despite being in the center of RV land I couldn’t find three Lifeline AMG batteries. We drove up to Junction City to Guarantee RV, Oregon's largest RV dealer but they only had two. I settled for Trojan AMGs and got them installed and the core returned. Now I have discovered the house batteries don’t run the hydraulic pump, the two engine batteries do. They are original so are at least six years old and due for replacement also so I’ll look for some of those over on the coast. They should be easier to find and we’re ready to get going!

Friday evening we went out to the local Elks Lodge for dinner. They were serving Prime Rib. It was very good and a bargain to boot.

Coburg, OR

2010-11-01T22:45:00.001-07:00

We are at Premier RV Resort in Coburg just outside of Eugene. We arrived Sunday evening without incident. The site is level enough that we can finally dial in the satellite. This is a nice park with good satellite and cell reception. Sites have full hookups and the patio is in the right location for a change.

This morning we dropped off the MH at Cummings for them to diagnose our problem. Around two pm they called and confirmed what I had guessed, a burn out pump motor. HWH doesn’t make this model any more so we have to replace the unit that the new motor can mount to in addition to the motor. Of course they don’t have the assembly in stock and will have to fabricate one and then overnight it to us. The soonest we can expect to receive the unit is Friday morning.

Well we’re here until at least Friday then we have to move because OU is playing a big game with their big rival Washington and the campgrounds are all full. We can stay at one to the sites at Cumming which has electric and a dump station and if we have to stay here over the weekend I guess that’s what we’ll do. The problem is the sites are not very level and we have no jacks.

On the positive side the weather has been good, overcast but warm, and so far no rain. That may change because the RV park has a wash area and I ran the car, which was imitating a potato field, over to it this evening and washed it.

Tomorrow, well she wanted to do it today, Debbie wants to try to manually slide out the bedroom slide. I am a little apprehensive because we already have one slide hanging out about four inches. But I guess we’ll give it a try.

Leaving Cape Disappointment

2010-10-31T09:26:00.001-07:00

Today is Sunday and we are leaving for Eugene, OR where the Cumming shop is located. They are one of the HWH repair facilities and where we hope to get the hydraulic system repaired.

We have enjoyed our stay here even though we have no jacks and no slides. Its so cramped with out slides that even the cat is getting cabin fever.

Saturday weather was sunny and beautiful we went over to Astoria and did some shopping. I picked up a set of nut drivers so, if necessary, I will have the necessary tool the release the slide valve in the event it creeps out further on our drive down. When we got back to camp it was so nice that we sat outside with Ty, who was on his leash connected to the door handle. He was also enjoying being out and was sitting in the grass under the pine trees waiting for one of the many crows to come over for a visit. We weren’t paying very much attention to him, Debbie was weaving and I was reading, when our next door neighbor yelled at us that there was a raccoon approaching our cat. Looking over Ty and the raccoon were nose to nose about a foot apart. We rushed over and the raccoon retreated and we saved Ty.

This park is beautiful. the sites are paved and level with full hookups. There is no cell service in the campground but with the antenna and amp we had slower than dial-up internet. On Friday we were in #24 which is close to the beach but we wanted to stay and extra night and that space was reserved so we moved to #56. The campground is less that a third full only two other units are in our circle of ten sites.

Leaving in a few minutes. Wish us luck!

Slides and Jacks, oh-no!

2010-10-29T22:04:00.001-07:00

We are at Cape Disappointment State Park, WA

We have been exceptionally lucky that our MH for the most part has been pretty trouble free. We have had a few minor problems but nothing major until yesterday.

We were at the Quinault Beach Casino parked in their RV lot about a half mile from the casino, all by ourselves, over looking the ocean. We were scheduled to drive a couple of hours down the coast to Cape Disappointment SP where we had reservations for Thursday and Friday nights.

I had retracted the bedroom slide and the large living room slide and started to bring in the small living room slide and nothing happened! I also found the leveling jacks were not operating. This was followed by a hot electronics smell. Investigation revealed the motor for the hydraulic pump was very hot and apparently had burnt out. Unable to bring in the slide or get the jack up we were stranded in a very isolated spot.

I called our MH road service, Winnebago, the hydraulic people, HWH. I also pulled out all the reference materials and manuals I could find.

I knew the theory on manually raising the jacks but I had no clue on how to get the slide in. The Winne manual covered in detail where and how to crank in the large slide and how to slide in the bedroom slide, but of course it didn’t mention the small slide at all. The road service called back and had a service tech scheduled arrive sometime before 4pm, its 10am now. The call to Winnebago was little help as they apparently didn’t have the slide in their manuals either. HWH took a message and said they would call back. Surprise they did about an hour later. They knew more about the MH than Winnebago did. I got some good information on how to release the pressure in the hydraulic lines and where the valves were to accomplish this task. They said once the valve was opened we could just push the slide in.

About 3pm the RV tech arrived. He wasn’t that familiar with our specific equipment but had worked on similar stuff. I showed him where the motor was under the front steps and after checking for voltage, using my meter because he left his at the shop, he jumped the solenoid on the motor and nothing happened confirming my original thought that it was burnt out and probably the source of the electrical smell. Next he opened the valve to the slide and the three of us tried to push it in. It didn’t budge a fraction of an inch! He tried a second valve, there are three , one for each slide. Still no luck. He opened the third and still no movement. He then opened the valves for the jacks and they retracted. Hooray! As I was looking over his shoulder I thought he was missing the valve that HWH indicated should be opened. He had been opening something in the back of the assembly and HWH said it should be in the front under the jack valves. I told him this and he opened that valve. The three of us again pushed on the slide and lo and behold the slide started in and we were able to push it all the way.

We finally got started toward Cape Disappointment around 5:30pm. As we started driving out of the parking lot the MH tilted to the right and the slide moved out a little. Oh! Shit! I had visions of the whole right side of the MH flying out and landing on the side of the road. After a very tense 2 hour drive we arrive in the DARK to the SP. Found our site and parked.The slide is still about 3 inches out but didn't appear to move any further.

We’re staying here at Cape Disappointment SP until this Sunday when we will cut over to I5 and drive down to Cummings in Eugene, OR. where we hope to get the hydraulic stuff fixed. Then we’ll continue down I5 and save the coast till next year.

Ocean Shores

2010-10-26T19:09:00.001-07:00

Quinault Beach Resort and Casino - Ocean Shores, Washington

The Casino has a large, dedicated RV lot with about 100 marked spaces at the south end of the regular parking. We are in space 47 and there are only 2 other RV (might be the storm with 30mph wind and driven rain, although it’s hazy sun right now and no rain). One of the other RVs left so now, we are parked across spaces 96, 97 and 98, all by ourselves at the extreme south end of the lot and a million miles from anything. Haven’t seen any casino security in the RV lot but, although it’s desolate at this end, there doesn't appear to be a security concern. The lot is gravel and the spaces are designated with white spray paint and there is no utilities, but the price is right, There is parking along either side of the center access road. The spaces on the ocean side are sloped up so if you pull in facing the ocean it’s difficult to level the unit. This casino lot has a spectacular view of the ocean which is about 600 yards away.

The casino is way back there by the end of the Horizon

As mentioned before it been a windy, stormy day. We had heavy rain off and on as we headed south from Mount Vernon. And, our windshield wipers worked the whole way down. We’ve had a problem with them just suddenly stopping and ourselves and Freightliner have been unable to find the problem. Our workaround is pulling the wiper fuse and replacing but that’s hard to do on the side of I5 since the fuse in outside in one of the bins.

We had originally planned to go as far as the Little Creek Casino near
Shelton, WA but when we arrived around 1pm and there’s we decided to continue on to Ocean Shores, just another couple of hours.

The view from our door.

Getting Ready to Leave Port Susan

2010-10-25T19:02:00.001-07:00

We’re in the parking lot of Valley Freightliner in Mount Vernon for the night where we had the Horizon serviced before heading for California. We dropped it off this morning and they had it finished late this afternoon. We’ll spend the night in their lot and leave tomorrow toward the Washington coast. We will be traveling along the coast all the way down.

We always look forward to heading up here and are always reluctant to leave. Especially leaving all our friends who live here through the winter.

Brad flew up for a week-end visit. While he was here we went over to Whidbey Island to see Deception Pass. A bridge spans the narrows where tidal currents rush through.

Kayakers flock to this area during tide changes due to the tidal rush.

2010 Aug 02 Sunday – Port Susan

2010-08-01T23:53:00.000-07:00

We’re here. Les Ann left us a bouquet of flowers after a small dinner Debbie made with Rich’s crab. Crab fondue and crab cakes.

Debbie is decorating the environment with bird houses.

Saturday evening we went to a birthday party for a neighbor who lives on our road. Debbie made a birdhouse using Jose Cuervo tequila labels. It was really neat and appropriate as he love tequila. No picture yet as I forgot my camera, (got out of the habit) but will grab one soon.

Sunday was just a small get together at Bev’s, our next door neighbor. As it turned out we met some important people of the area. The Glen, assistant park mgr for Port Susan and Larry, a Tulalip tribal elder and member of the tribal council. Glen brought a dog with unique blue eyes.

Trip to Town (Pahrump, NV)

2010-04-20T21:38:00.001-07:00

Sunday, April 11th, we drove into town where there a Quilt show was in progress, what else?

We stopped for a good lunch.

On the way back to the resort we stopped at Smith’s market. Next door a carnival was in progress. The flags flying are not part of the carnival but displayed by Pahrump businesses.

The next day there were rain showers in the area but they missed the resort.

Death Valley – Day 3 of 3

2010-04-19T09:40:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, April 6th took us south of Furnace Creek to our first stop, the Natural Bridge Canyon. The bridge is about a mile up the canyon. Blake and Stacey check the info kiosk which has a map so we don’t get lost. Behind the kiosk you can see a carpet of yellow flowers. We were fortunate to see the flowers in bloom because they only bloom in a year the valley receives enough rain. Sometimes going ten years or more without blooming.

Blake and Stacey at the mouth of the canyon.

Nearing the bridge.

Finally we arrive. The walk is only slightly uphill but the floor of the canyon is loose debris so its like walking in the sand at the beach. You don’t notice it as much walking to the bridge. When you start back and have already discovered the secrets of the canyon that's when it really gets tiring.

A polished groove carved into the side of the canyon.

Walking back out of the canyon.

Next stop was was 282 ft below sea level, Badwater, the lowest spot in North America. Mount Whitney, the highest point in the US, is only 76 miles to the west. Blake and Stacey walked out to the salt flats in the distance. I didn’t want Debbie to be alone so I waited with her for the kid to return.

Next was Devil’s Golf Course. “Immense area of rock salt eroded by wind and rain into jagged spires. So incredibly serrated that “only the devil could play golf on such rough links.” The unpaved road starts on Badwater Road and is often closed after rain.”

Death Valley – Day 2 of 3

2010-04-18T16:51:00.001-07:00

Monday, April 5th was the trip to Scotty’s Castle. We arrived in time to wait for the 11AM tour. We also signed up for a new tour: the “Underground Tour”. This is a tour of the basement and the mechanical accruements.

This is a picture of the clock tower on the equipment room and the unfinished pool. The green grass is growing on the bottom of the pool which was the victim of the depression. Blake and Stacey are standing on a bridge which crosses over the center of the pool. A circular driveway led to a parking area and guest would have crossed over the pool to the front door.

Looking back at Scotty’s Castle from the base of the clock tower .

The front room looking down from the balcony, toward the front door. The room has a large fireplace on one end as well as a waterfall on the other side to cool and add humidity during the summer.

The house was heated by this hot water heater.

We luck out again and score a picnic table for lunch.

Mean while back in the valley we visit Furnace Creek Ranch. We visited the gift shop and checked out the Steak House and Cafeteria.

We also visited the outdoor museum which has a lot of equipment used in the area.

Look out from Furnace Creek at the wonderful colors.

On the way home we drove through 20 Mule Team Drive.

Death Valley – Day 1 of 3 (Pahrump, NV)

2010-04-15T21:06:00.001-07:00

Sunday, April 4th, we got an early start and headed over to Death Valley. Stacey has wanted to see DV and dragged Blake down with her. Blake has already been dragged to DV several times by his dad. I planned three full days which will allow us to see most of the major sites.

First stop, Dante’s View which overlooks Badwater below. Cold and windy up here today.

Next, Zabriskie Point.

The Zabriskie Point parking lot is down below. Stacey and blake are walking down.

Down to Furnace Creek we traded our Jeep Cherokee for a model more suitable to the back roads.

We stopped at Artist Pallet and hiked up to the colors.

Debbie was still recuperating from the hike up to Zabriskie Point so she met some new friends on the bench. Our new jeep is in the center.

Up in the color area.

You can see Blake walking back.

Back at Furnace Creek Visitor Center we were lucky to nab one of only two picnic tables for lunch. Debbie did a great job of planning and preparing the lunch. Actually all of the meals!

Next stop was to the ghost town of Royolite. Several structures are still partially standing. Here is a somewhat restored mercantile and the bottle house.

Now we’re going through Titus Canyon. Starting on the east side of the Valley we enter from the Armargosa Desert. Into the back end of the canyon and follow it down and out into the valley. Here we are crossing the desert.

Out of the desert we stopped before entering the canyon.

Next day two.

Blake and Stacey Arrive

2010-04-15T14:45:00.001-07:00

Friday, April 2nd Blake and Stacey arrived at Las Vegas’ McCarran airport around 10pm and Debbie and I drove over from Pahrump to pick them up. We arrived ahead of them and after a terrifying approach, ours not theirs, we were able to park close by and wait for them inside.

We drove over to Karie’s house in Henderson for a short visit. Her significant other, Keith, was called out to a friend’s emergency so we missed meeting him but will catch up tomorrow. Karie has done a beautiful job decorating her house, it’s gorgeous. We had a nice time catching up.

Saturday, April 3rd we showed Blake and Stacey the sites of Pahrump. We drove by Sheri’s Ranch and the Chicken Ranch. We also went by our land and stopped at Terribles Lakeside Casino & RV Park where we had lunch. Terribles is our other favorite RV park here in Pahrump.

In the afternoon we headed over to Las Vegas and the MGM Grand to see their lions. After a couple more casino stops we checked out the “Pawn Stars” shop. None of the “stars” were there and it was like a tourist attraction walking through the shop with all the other people.

Around 7pm we headed over to Karie’s for dinner. We met Keith and we all went out to a local steak house for dinner. Although I told the waiter to give me the bill Keith intercepted it and I couldn’t talk him out of it. Thank Keith we enjoyed the evening and the meal.

More Nevada Treasure RV (Pahrump, NV)

2010-04-13T22:12:00.001-07:00

Just a few more pictures of the resort’s amenities.

Here is a look at the office.

Here is a look at one of the smaller of two pools.

The Spa.

The larger pool.

The park restroom. The nicest, cleanest I have ever seen in an RV park. Normally I wouldn’t take a picture of a restroom. Showers and changing room are also located farther to the back.

Our 2010 Spring Travel Route

Nevada Treasure RV (Pahrump, NV)

2010-04-11T20:01:00.001-07:00

Thursday, April 1st, we arrived in Pahrump just after noon. We had stopped for fuel at the TA Travel Center in Las Vegas. I wanted to fill up here to avoid higher prices in Pahrump. Debbie questioned my reasoning and wanted to just keep going to Pahrump to fill up there. I just laughed at her lack of understanding the economics of transporting fuel to such a remote location. Guess what it was ten cents a gallon less in Pahrump. . Oh-well, we’re still friends.

The Nevada Treasure RV Resort is a nice facility. Our site has a nice patio.

Off the patio is a Palapa.

The view out the front windshield.

We’re expecting Blake and Stacey to arrive tomorrow evening and we’ll all go over to Karie’s for a visit. Then three days to explore Death Valley.

Our 2010 Spring Travel Route

Harrah's RV Plaza (Laughlin, NV)

2010-04-11T08:56:00.001-07:00

After a week visiting with Deb’s folks we head out for Pahrump. We had a great time despite the fact the both Jim and Bobbie were suffering from hay fever. I never thought the desert would be a place to suffer from hay fever but I am informed there are many allergens in the air here especially this time of year.

We changed our plans to stop for the night in Wikieup, AZ on the way to Pahrump. Now we are going to make the longer drive to Laughlin, NV. Now we will only have a short drive up to Pahrump.

We stopped for fuel at Love’s Travel Stop at 7001 W. Sundust Road, Chandler, AZ. They have RV pumps which were open when we arrived and we were able to pull right up to the plumps. When we left there were several RV waiting.

Wednesday, March 31th, we arrived in Laughlin late afternoon. We came in from the north and had to the south end to Harrah's RV Plaza. Their lot is asphalt, striped and the parking spots are numbered. You have to register at the Shell station (has diesel) at the entrance to the lot. Five dollars a night. The lot is fenced and there didn’t appear to be any security concerns. When we left Harrah’s I noticed a better looking RV lot on the opposite side of the street at the next casino to the north. We passed it coming in but I didn’t see it. It looked level and more attractive.

Anyway when I stepped out of the RV I was greeted by the lot’s apparent official greeter, a Road Runner. He came right up barking and clicking his beak which sounded like castanets. We gave him a piece of pork which he grabbed and went back to his office.

We had a great view to the east across the river over the town of Bullfrog, NV and the mountains beyond. It could have been a peaceful night but we experienced gusts of wind all night and at times it threaten to blow over the motorhome. (It didn’t)

Next Pahrump Our 2010 Spring Travel Route

Sonoran Desert National Monument (Amado, AZ)

2010-04-10T10:56:00.001-07:00

Friday, March 26th, we drove up to the Sonoran Desert National Monument where an extensive saguaro cactus forest is located. Here is a view out from the visitor’s center.

The “forest” is visible behind Debbie.

A closer look at the saguaros.

Some flowers. Actually these flowers are very small, about a quarter of an inch wide. Tried out the macro focus feature of the camera.

The monument is located a few miles east of Tucson and reached by two roads, one is north and the other is south. The north road goes through some mountains and the view is spectacular. The south road goes around and flat, straight and faster.

Our 2010 Spring Travel Route

De Anza Trails RV Resort (Amado, AZ)

2010-04-09T17:45:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday, March 24th, we made the long drive from Yuma to just south of Green Valley, AZ. We’re here to visit Debbie’s folks who have a nice home on one of the many golf courses in the area.

Here is the view we have out our front window of our motorhome. Debbie is walking Ty through the horseshoe court. This picture was actually taken outside next the the motorhome not through the windshield because we put our sun screen up and the pictures aren’t as good.

Ty jumped into the washing machine between loads. He needed to check out the insides.

Horizon Spring 2010 Route

Tire Monitoring

2010-03-31T20:17:00.001-07:00

Before leaving on our current trip I purchased a tire monitoring system made by HawksHead Systems. The monitoring system alerts you if any of the RV or towed vehicle’s tires are loosing pressure hopefully allowing you to slow to a stop before a catastrophic blowout.

When we purchased our first Motorhome in Las Vegas years ago I was driving it home for the first time towing the Jeep behind. I had traveled about long enough to start getting bored. Remembering the CB radio I turned it on and just caught the tail end of a trucker conversation which I heard them say “… if he doesn’t notice it he’s going to have a big problem”. There wasn’t much traffic on the road at the time and I had noticed two trucks passing me. Using the CB radio I asked if they were talking about me. They said I had a rear tire going flat on the Jeep I was towing. It was half flat when I pulled over and checked. Since then I’ve been lucky and haven’t experienced another incident.

Over the years I have looked at many systems coming to market. Only one, which the tire sensor is mounted inside tire on the wheel, appeared to be reliable. But it was expensive and installation required all the tires to be removed and replaced adding to the cost. It also required the sensors to be replaced when the battery discharged.

All the systems I have looked at so far required replacing the sensors when the batteries ran out, at the cost of fifty dollars each or more! In fact one of the more popular systems made changes to their system so that the older sensors were no longer compatible and the older sensors could no longer be purchased from them. If only one sensor went bad, it requiring the re-purchasing of an entire new system!!

The Hawkshead Systems uses inexpensive replaceable batteries in their sensors. The monitor is portable and uses a rechargeable battery so it doesn’t need to been installed and connected to a power source. After recharging for 8hours it will monitor for around 192 hours.

I finally installed the TPMS while we were staying in Santa Maria. It involved setting the pressure for each tire position in the monitor. Then screwing the sensor on each tire. I wanted to put some miles on the system before discussing my experience. Well we’ve gone from Santa Maria to Tucson and I love the system. I was able to check the pressure in each tire at any time in a few seconds. The Hawkshead Systems also reports tire temperature. During the testing I was able to see the tire pressure increase and to my surprise I saw the temperature raise also. The sunny side was much warmer than the shade side. In normal use you don’t need to check the tires, you just drive and if the system detects a problem it sounds an alarm.

Here is the sensor on the front tire of the motorhome.

Here is the monitor displaying the motorhome and the jeep tires. It can track up to 22 tires and pressure up to 140 pounds.

Campland on the Bay (San Diego, CA)

2010-03-29T22:03:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, March 20th, we drove a few miles over to another RV park, Campland on the Bay. It’s an old park well know and popular with RV’ers. I took a few pictures but it’s not very photogenic. Kinda well worn and run down. The only advantage I saw over where we’re staying is its a lot quieter. Glad we’re not paying at least twice as much a night to stay here.

This is a water front site. The view includes about fifty yard of mud flat to the water’s edge. I guess the tide was out.

Balboa Park (San Diego, CA)

2010-03-27T19:57:00.001-07:00

On Friday, March 19th, we went to check out Balboa Park. After parking we walked into an outdoor theater which turned out to be the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, featuring the world's largest outdoor pipe organ. They were reading children stories with the organ as an enhancement to the stories.

Much of the park's look and feel today is due to the development done for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition held here to commemorate the completion of the Panama Canal.

It was built using a highly ornamented Spanish Revival style, an eclectic mixture of Spanish and Latin American architecture which is richly ornamented as you see below.

Debbie and I were going to visit the Museum of Photographic Arts located in one of the building along El Prado, a long, wide promenade running through the center of the park.

We also dropped in to the Botanical Garden to take in their amazing Easter Lily Display.

After walking around Balboa Park we headed to Old Town and the Old Town Mexican Cafe. This is a wildly popular place and you have to get there early to beat the rush or in our case early for dinner and late for lunch. We were seated right away!

Inside to the left or right of the restaurant were women making the tortillas by hand on a huge and very hot griddle. Chips and salsa were brought to the table right away and our waitress brought us our drinks rather quickly. As we waited for our food, mariachis near another table were singing La Bamba and La Cucaracha. I tried the enchiladas which were amazingly delicious. The sauce was perfectly blended and went well with the pork inside the freshly made tortilla.

Tomorrow we’ll check out Campland on the Bay to see what that RV park looks like.

San Diego Zoo

2010-03-24T23:25:00.001-07:00

Thursday the 18th Debbie and I went to the San Diego Zoo. The weather was clear and sunny and in the 70 degree range. We arrived a few minutes after they opened at 9am, ahead of the crowd. We boarded the first tour bus and went on the tour which goes around the zoo. After about forty-five minutes we were dropped off back at the entrance, crowd now in full bloom. We now had an idea what we wanted to see and kind of which direction to go. I took about a million pictures but I won’t make you look through them in the blog. We ended up at the far end of the zoo and were able to take a gondola ride back to go. Below we are coming in for a landing.

The Zoo had an unadvertised special; Margaritas! Debbie is all smiles as she discovered the stand. We grabbed lunch in one of the “restaurants” eating outside under the umbrellas and watched parents trying to feed the kids and themselves. Times like this are when its good to be old enough to have grown kids.

After the zoo we drove out to Cabrillo National Monument. The view of San Diego and the harbor. Lots of sailboats.

Officers quarters and a modern light house on the point. Its good to be king.

Next we visit the zoo.

Santa Fe RV Park (San Diego)

2010-03-23T17:20:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 we are parked in the Santa Fe RV Park for the week. It’s an older park which means the navigating and parking is a little tight and about a third of the sites are occupied by permanent tenants. It’s also one of those park with free Wi-Fi that apparently never works. We received several different excuses: “Oh, didn’t realize it wasn’t working”, “they were just working on it”, etc. I checked it each day and it never worked. That wasn’t the only negative. The park is sandwiched in between I5 and Amway tracks. Not in the distance but right next to the park. Which makes it very noisy. On the positive side they honored our half price club membership for the week. They had a clean pool and spa and the utilities all work as expected including the cable TV which was just a cable sticking up out of the bare dirt.

Narrow streets but plenty of room for Ty.

The freeway, I5 is just behind us. It’s elevated so we get the full effect.

Next we are going to the zoo, without kids! 2010 spring travel MAP

Santa Maria Overnight

2010-03-22T20:13:00.001-07:00

It is now Monday, March 15, 2010 and we are at the Santa Maria Elks for the night. Our original plan was to arrive Sunday and spend two nights. We had reservations for dinner in historic downtown Guadalupe at the Far Western Tavern. Debbie’s folks took us there a month ago and I had the best Rib Eye steak I have had in a long time. But we stayed in Morgan Hill an extra night so we could drive up to San Francisco and see the Tut exhibit with Blake, Stacey and Brad. Blake and Stacey gave us all tickets for Christmas and we were all going decide on a day we could all go together. We all planned to go the previous Sunday. Saturday night Debbie looked at the tickets. She had been telling me to look at them for a week. We discovered they were vouchers and needed to be converted to tickets. As luck would have it that Sunday was booked. Fortunately the following Sunday was available as was everyone else. We had a great time although Debbie and I thought the Tut exhibit thirty years ago was more comprehensive.

Anyway since the Far Western is closed on Monday we decided to go back to Alex’s BBQ in Shell beach. They have always had great ribs. Well its not so great any more. First there was no antipasto plate. When dinner arrived it came without the beans it used to have. The ribs were just ok. It appears they had been boiled and then just placed briefly on the BBQ. We had to make due with paper napkins during and after the meal. The napkins shredded and stuck to our hands and the sticky BBQ sauce. The waiter said they didn’t have any wipes. When I was done I went into the bathroom to wash my hands. Guess what, no paper towel! It looks like Alex’s is in trouble and cutting costs. One thing for sure, we won’t be back to help them out.

The Santa Maria Elks have a very nice RV parking with 50 amp service. You can see Horizon peaking out under the Elk’s head and across the lawn.

I’m slowly catching up to the present. Soon I’ll be real time.

Tuesday morning we will be leaving here and arriving at San Diego.

MAP

We’re On Our Way (Morgan Hill, CA)

2010-03-22T09:59:00.001-07:00

Finally with everyone’s teeth problems repaired or removed we are on our way. The first stop is a club outing in Morgan Hill just south of home. It’s being held at the Coyote RV Resort along Hwy 101. Ty walks by our club placard.

Saturday a local winery provided wine tasting in the club house.

Horizon is snuggled in at Coyote RV Resort under a blue sky.

Eating is our favorite activity at outings and this one didn’t disappoint.

Next the 2nd leg of our trip; to Santa Maria. Travel plan map HERE

Getting Ready (Concord, CA)

2010-03-21T19:18:00.001-07:00

We had planned on leaving in February but unscheduled visits to the Dentist delayed us until March. Since we were already delayed we decided to stick around for the Caravaners March outing in Morgan Hill which is on Hwy 101 and on our way south.

Our plans are to spend a week in San Diego then on to spend a week just south of Tucson in Green Valley where we’ll check in on Debbie’s folks who are spending the winter there. From there we’ll head to Pahrump to check on our property. Blake and Stacey are planning on coming down during Easter vacation and we’ll show them around. Stacey is anxious to see Death Valley. We’ll be hanging around to attend the Winnebago Southwest Regional Rally in Pahrump. Then we’ll head home where we are going to be celebrating my mom’s 90th birthday.

While we were hanging around we started to rearrange the side yard. Here it is in progress.

And here is the progress so far.

We really have a great location at the top of a hill with views front and back. At it’s best when the rain turns the hills from gold to green.

Here is a look up the hill you can see a few horses the share the hill.

Look down the hill you can just see a curve of the county wide trail system.

Next we’re off. Next stop Morgan Hill. Travel map HERE.

February Outing (Red Bluff, CA)

2010-03-21T10:15:00.001-07:00

We went up to Durango RV Resort in Red Bluff for the February outing. A long drive from Concord, but a beautiful RV park. The park is fairly new. It has a large great room with big screen TV and comfortable leather furniture.

A lawn with fountains and paths runs down the middle of the Park.

A large pool in the back and a spa.

You can see Horizon just out side the pool fence. Fortunately no kids swimming this time of year so it was quiet.

Just north in Redding is the Sundial Bridge which crosses the Sacramento river and is also a work of art. Debbie and I went up and had look. Ops, I forgot the camera so I returned the next day to take these.

Next time we a look around the house before we hit the road.

Our route map is Here.

Busy December

2010-03-19T22:09:00.001-07:00

NEW Follow our Route

Now you can see our route on Google Maps: Horizon Travel

Debbie’s mom is back on her feet and doing well so we are back home in Concord. We had a busy month.

Brad, number three son, had another birthday and we had a party.

Our club had a Christmas outing at The Lakes RV and Golf Course in Chowchilla. The hosts did a great job of decorating and feeding the group.

Debbie get a helping of ribs.

Now Blake, number two son, and his wife Stacey are over to open their Christmas presents early. They are going to be in Cancun for Christmas week and we wanted to make sure we had a chance to celebrate with them before they left.

Ty attacks a empty plastic bag from one of the presents.

And he folds it up cat style.

Then there was the water pump. I have noticed water accumulating off and on in the service compartment. I have tried to find a leak but had been unable to until now. It turns out the water pump seals had been leaking. Finally it stopped working entirely. I called around and the closest Camping World to us said they had two in stock. Debbie and I drove from Concord to Vacaville, about and hours drive. Unable to find one on the shelf I asked a sales person who after checking told me the two that show in inventory had been installed in MH on the lot. We then went to Alameda to a chandlery and found one there. After I replace the pump we discovered the old pump had been making a very different sound than the new one makes, so the old pump had been going out for over a year.

Now we’re on to the New Year’s Eve club outing and celebration.

We ate…

drank…

conversed…

We also played a game where everyone antes up a couple of bucks. Then roll dice and give a dollar, either to the person on you left of right or you keep it. At some point one person ends up with all the dollars. This time the last two were yours truly and a young six year old.

And the most skillful player won.

Pismo Beach

2010-03-18T21:09:00.001-07:00

We’re at Debbie’s folks house. Debbie’s mom ended up with an emergency heart problem and ended up spending some time in the hospital. She was able to come home just in time for Thanksgiving so we decided to have Thanksgiving here. The fire sure make you sleepy.

Brad came down and brought some work with him.

Stacey admires the turkey just off the barbeque.

The table is set and Ty is saving a place at the head of the table.

Here is the spread.

Debbie and Stacey dig in.

Brad also hams it up with turkey.

The group minus Jim and Jim.

After dinner the kids amused themselves with an inappropriate YouTube video.

All the Way to Concord

2010-03-17T22:49:00.001-07:00

We are parked for the night at the Air Museum in Tillamook, OR. The Museum is housed in a WWII blimp hanger. It dwarfs the Horizon in the foreground. While I visited the museum Debbie drove into town to a “one of the best” quilt stores. Believe it or not, she spend as much time at the quilt store as I did in the museum!

On the way down the coast we stopped and checked out Gold Bluff Beach Campground. A nice spot right on the beach but all the sites were too small for Horizon.

Along the way to the beach we passed by some Elk grazing in a meadow and I had to stop and grab a picture of this magnificent animal.

Finally we are home and our kids stop by for a visit. I didn’t post a picture of Stacey because she closed or half closed her eyes in all of them. Blake is wearing a hat that Debbie knitted.

Brad is happy to see us return home.

Now its off to Pismo Beach to Debbie’s folks house for Thanksgiving. Ty enjoys a story before a nap.

Astoria

2010-03-17T08:29:00.001-07:00

We took a day trip across the bridge over the Columbia River to Astoria, OR.

For lunch we went to the Rouge Public House passing by one of the river pilot boats moored behind a break water.

The Rouge is located at the end of a long one way wooden pier. Yes its misting off and on.

Inside the Rouge restaurant.

We had Fish & Chips and one of beers that they brew. Both were great.

After lunch we drove over to Fort Clatsop which was Lewis & Clark's winter encampment 1805-1806 and has been re-constructed. A trail passes by a statue of Sacagawea.

The fort entrance gates.

Deb explores the inside of the fort.

Now we’re entering the Fort Stevens site. Ty is getting tired of site seeing!

On the way back to camp we stopped and replaced four tires on the Jeep. I have been boycotting French stuff after they refused to allow our bombers to fly over their country on their way to Libya. I remember at the time all the weak-kneed libs went ballistic and threatened terrorist would retaliate. Just the opposite happened and the name Kaddafi disappeared from the headlines! Ops, anyway Ty had to get out of the Jeep while the tires were installed and he loved the waiting area. The tires make great cat forts.

Later back at camp Debbie and I decided to go watch the sunset. I asked Ty if he wanted to go with us but he apparently didn’t want to go.

Long Beach

2010-03-16T17:19:00.001-07:00

We walked back down the trail from the bluff and drove around to the beach below. The lighthouse we were able to see from the trail is in the distance.

The beach was covered with drift wood.

Long Beach claims to be the world’s longest beach.

We drove under the arch out to the beach. We passed by these moveable picnic tables which were parked along side of the road waiting to be moved back to the beach next summer.

After viewing the ocean we headed up Long Beach and found its a lot bigger than it looks on the map. We found Marsh’s Free Museum and had to stop. Now we know where all the old amusement park junk ended up. Along with the “half-alligator half-man” and the “shrunken heads”. We spent at least an hour here.

On our way back to camp we stopped and walked the trail up to the lighthouse.

Up to the Top

2010-03-14T20:46:00.001-07:00

Today we started up the trail that leads to the bluff over looking the ocean and the mouth of the Columbia River. The site of a Lewis and Clark camp and all so some left over WWII fortification.

The trail wound up though a lush forest. Debbie got ahead on the trail.

The view of a light house along the trail.

At the top is an abandoned ammunition magazine and

an old gun mount with a view out over the ocean.

Next we explore a little more of the area.

Walk to the Beach

2010-03-11T22:10:00.001-08:00

After leveling and connecting Horizon the three of us headed toward the beach on the trail right from our site. It was cold and extremely windy. The trail was wide and graveled but because of recent rains some spots were under water necessitating a few detours.

Here Debbie is explaining to Ty that its just a little farther.

He’s dragging his feet because he wanted to go a different direction and it defiantly wasn’t toward the beach today. He’s been to beaches numerous times before and, although he doesn't run in the surf, he usually likes the sand and no he doesn't go potty there, at least not yet.

Today he made it this far and after a roll in the sand refused to go forward any farther.

Debbie picked him up and I think the wind was freaking him out. It became much stronger as we arrived at the beach. You can see how dreary the day was.

Ty headed back as soon as soon as Debbie set him down.

Ty did some exploring on the way back.

Ah, a happier cat for sure!

And his favorite thing a tree to climb!

Next time Debbie and I head up to the point where Lewis and
Clark made their West most camp.

Fort Canby State Park or Cape Disappointment SP

2010-03-08T10:31:00.001-08:00

We reluctantly left Hoodsport after a great visit with Jim and Helene heading down Hwy 101 toward Cape Disappointment State Park (formerly Fort Canby State Park) a few hours away. The park’s two names were confusing. We didn’t know if there were two parks next to each other or what the situation was. We found that some maps and resources we looked at used one name and other used the other name. Anyway we knew to get to one of the campgrounds, we needed to go through a small community of Ilwaco so off we went. Everything was fine until we came upon this sign post.

As we approached Ilwaco we came across this sign which was as schizophrenic as our planning materials. I kept following my GPS which, in a lot of cases. can be a big mistake but in this case we arrived at the park entrance.

Signs leading to the park and park literature also use the new name and some used still used the old name. We determined that it was one park with a new name and an old name and both names are stilled being used.

The campground sites are laid out like spokes on a wheel so that maximum space exist between sites.

The day was overcast and drizzling. The wind was up and so was Ty the cat who wanted to get out and explore.

Some how he knows when we stop for fuel or food or just resting and he continues to nap. But when we stop at a campground he is up and at ‘em and need to get out.

The Horizon is in the back ground as we walk with Ty on the trail from our site.

There are a lot of signs and pamphlets warning not to eat the mushrooms. We were months away from wildflowers season but we were in the height of the mushroom season.

Here are some of them.

Next we continue down the trail with Ty to the Beach.

Inside the Cabin

2010-03-03T19:27:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of the cabin’s interior. It’s a two story at one end. This is the living room looking out the front windows. There are animal trophies too numerous to count on the walls and the rafters. I guess that comes with years of flying hunters around Alaska.

A few of the cats.

Under the stairs.

Next we head over to the coast.

Hoodsport and the Mountain Man

2010-03-02T10:59:00.001-08:00

We drove up to Hoodsport and Helene and Jim’s cabin. It turned out to be a beautiful house in the middle of a green forest about a ten minute drive from Hoodsport. After a tour of the house and catching up they decided we needed to go visit the Mountain Man.

On the way we were informed he owns the whole mountain we were now driving around the base of, as well as the tidal area of the adjoining Hood Canal. He has retired from a career as a bush pilot in Alaska. He also has at least one gold claim. He purchased the land and commuted back a forth for a while.

Shortly we started up a steep dirt road that serpentine’d several miles up the mountain. He cut the road and maintains it himself with his bulldozer. He also built his log cabin. Finally we arrived near the top at the end of a long landing strip he used during the time he commuted to Alaska. We continued along the landing strip passing a small Stearman airplane tucked into a small hanger . There were a couple of pontoons stored next to the plane. In a few moment we made a turn and in the clearing was a two story log cabin. What a gorgeous setting. We interrupted a roof cleaning session and were heartily welcomed by Yukon, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Above Jim and Helene are on the lawn at the back of the house.

Yukon, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, is lying on the lawn at the other end of the cabin with a toy between his front legs.

From the front lawn there are views of the Hood Canal to the west and mountain views to the east. The Canal appears to be several miles wide at this point. Note the large picture windows.

Debbie at the end of the lawn with the Canal View.

The mountain view is obscured by clouds.

Next, the inside of the log cabin.

Leaving Washington.. where we left off.

2010-02-28T11:35:00.001-08:00

It’s been a while since I have made an entry to the blog. Not because we ran out of stuff but because I guess I got lazy and was enjoying our trip home so much that I got out of the routine.

Debbie and I left Washington Oct 3oth the morning from the parking lot of the Valley Freightliner shop in Mt Vernon after they completed the "M3" service (the expensive one) on the Horizon.

As you can see the day was wet and dismal, but the excitement of embarking on a new adventure made the weather inconsequential. Our plan was no plan other than to be home at the end of the trip. We left with very little pre-planning. Only with our first nights destination in mind. Some good friends from Port Susan were vacationing at Hoodsport, WA. along the Hood Canal and we were going to stay a few minutes away at the Little Creek Casino in Shelton. Prior to this trip we have always stayed at an RV park and always with a reservation. We have stayed in other Casino lots a few times but those were also planned ahead of time. Our trip last year back to Florida and returning was all pre-planned with reservations at RV parks. The problem with this kind of planning is there isn't any flexibility in your schedule. You are committed to driving between reserved locations. If you want to stop along the way for any reason; breakdown, sickness, a point of interest, etc., it means not arriving at the reserved time and a loss of a deposit. Fortunately we didn’t experience any kind of travel delays on our trip back east, although Debbie did point out some side trips she wanted to make. Anyway this time we were going to be planning pretty much day-by-day.

Here is our first overnight parking spot at the Little River Casino. The Casino has a large gravel parking area for RV parking and they allow overnight. As you can see the surrounding area is very scenic.

The weather was overcast and we experienced some drizzle and rain but the traffic was at least bearable and there we no accident delays.

We arrived early afternoon and called Helene and Jim to let them know we had arrived. Our visit with them and with a True Mountain Man next time.

Dog, Cat and Driftwood

2009-11-02T21:02:00.001-08:00

This is Valley Freightliner who is servicing our RV chassis before we start the trip back to the San Francisco Bay Area. They are performing a major service

that will take about 17 hours plus oil and filter changes on the Cummings diesel and Onan generator. We dropped the RV off at 7am on Oct 27th and then lived out of our car with the cat until a little after 8pm that evening. We were able to “live” in the motorhome parked in their lot for the night. I didn’t know you could rev up a diesel engines that high or that loud at 3am in the morning yet, they are a 24 hour truck shop by the way! In the morning they started work on our motorhome around 7am again and we began another long day in our car.

Although its lightly raining compared to yesterday when the wind blew and it really rained, we decided to go the Post Susan’s private beach. On the way we noticed this Wolf, Coyote or dog in front of a house. Note the yellow eyes!

I forgot to put Buffalo in the title but they were out roaming the range.

We finally arrived at the beach and Ty led us down the trail.

Finally the "trailblazer" notices that there’s water at the beach. You can tell he’s bum’d by the fat tail.

I’ll stay on the driftwood and the water better stay in the Sound!

Hey! There’s sand at the beach. There is nothing a cat loves more than sand! Ops! I promised him I wouldn’t put this picture in the blog.

He should have know better he just had to ask Debbie about her pictures.

Hey! Don’t get so close to the water.

This way to the car.

Ah, nothing like home after a long day at the beach. It's way down just past the white one. Yes it’s still raining and cold at night. Around 40 degrees!

Next, we head south and meet a real mountain man along the way!

A Day of Soccer

2009-11-01T20:59:00.001-08:00

Back in October, has the time passed that quickly? Debbie and I were invited for lunch by my nephew Aaron and his wife Dianne. Their son, Dominic was playing a soccer game later in the day and we were anxious to go see the game. It’s been so long since we have watched our own boys play. We had such a fun time at the game we are going to pester Aaron to get us a schedule next year so we can enjoy more of the games. They live about a half hour from Port Susan so it’s not very far to go.

The Halloween decorations are out already! Debbie watches Aaron filling a fountain in the front yard.

Dominic, in soccer uniform, stopped long enough for a quick picture.

Victoria, Dominic’s sister also posed for a photo.

The game was at a school field. The coach gets to lug all the balls and other equipment to the field.

Debbie hasn’t forgotten how to do a soccer game. The sun was out but it was cool.

Dominic was obviously the best player on the team (my opinion).

He plays with intensity.

Aaron is the kind of coach that every parent wishes for. He’s low-key and his primary goal is to make sure all the kids play and they have fun.

Victoria enjoys her brother's game with a friend

and a doll.

Meanwhile the game continued at a furious pace.

After the game the coach’s wife hands out snacks.

The end of a great day. Dominic’s team won in a high scoring, exciting game and he made a goal for us. Though it was not big deal for him. I couldn’t even get a smile after the shot.

Next time dogs, cats and driftwood.

Ty Gives a Tour of the Interior

2009-11-01T08:01:00.001-08:00

Ty wanted to show everyone around his new 5th wheel. He's on the kitchen counter which runs along the right side of the rig. No cooking yet. The counter is covered with tools and supplies. Oh and the cat.

The entry door is just to the left and the bunk room is through a door to the right.

Ty and Debbie both wanted to point out a small problem with the wood framing of the slide. It's only problem we have encountered so far. The slide is in so it’s a little cramped until we get it fixed and out.

A closer look at the restoration. We had to cut the wall paneling and then remove the rotten end of the studs. Ran out of time so we’ll have to replace the bottom of the studs next year.

The small bath is located toward the front of the RV. Ty would like you to notice the small bath tub, which is not usually found in a 5th wheel.

Here is the main bedroom. Ty is walking on the walk-around king sized bed platform. We got rid of the mattress. The closet has double sliding mirrored doors.

There’s a window at the head of the bed and cabinets above.

At the other end of the RV was the bunk bedroom with a small closet and bunk beds. The door going in is small, made even smaller when the slide is in. You can see below that we widened the door quit a bit. When the slide is out it will become more of the living area.

Here what the ex-bedroom looks like with the closet, bunks and desk out. It’s now becoming a sewing room!

The water heater and converter have been boxed in and will be paneled. We ordered a custom counter top to fit across the wall below the window. That’s quite a view out the window.

So it’s all buttoned up for the winter.

Next our visit with my nephew and his family.

Port Susan Redux I

2009-11-01T07:11:00.000-08:00

Debbie and I actually own two side-by-side lots in Port Susan. Two year ago we were sitting out on our lot when the next door neighbors walked over and said they were going to sell their lot and asked if we were interested. At first we declined as we didn’t really need two lots. But after driving around the area and looking a few lots that were less than attractive, we started to worry about who would buy the lot . Since the living side of our RV faces their lot, we became concerned. What if they parked a broken down school bus there? Or worse? What ever the new owners put on the lot would be what we would look at when sitting outside. So we decided to buy it to protect our little piece of heaven.

Now we’ve owned the lot a few year and last year we decided to look for a low cost trailer or 5th wheel to put on it. It would give our kids and other guest a place to stay during their visit. Debbie also wanted to set up a sewing room with a real ironing board. I also figured that when I got kicked out of the house I would have a place to get in out of the cold and rain.

We wanted a rig that we could remodel on the inside but looked ok on the outside. We all so wanted one that didn’t have any roof or water leak problems.

Last year we looked at several units but didn’t find any to fit the bill. This year we stated looking again and we finally found a deal. It’s 35 foot long 5th wheel with a rear bunk bedroom. A large 12’ x 4’ slide opens up the living area.

Now I had to level the lot so the 5th wheel have a level parking spot when we rolled it in.

I also had to build a small retaining wall to keep the electric service above ground. A lot more work than I planed since I come up to Port Susan to relax!

With the parking area leveled Debbie and I enjoyed a drink and fire in the fire pit that she re-designed. Being a brick-layer’s daughter playing with bricks is in her genes.

Finally the 5th wheel arrived and got tucked in.

Another view. Inside tour and construction next time.

Digital TV

2009-10-12T15:15:00.001-07:00

In our location we are able to receive several digital TV channels including NBC and CBS. But the FOX network experiences very irritating glitches that come and go. Probably caused somehow by the liberals up here in Washington. The FOX channel is very important because it carries the Seattle Seahawk’s football games.

I had read about a Wingard accessory which attaches to the existing antenna and improves the digital signal. I thought it would be worth a try so we drove up to the Camping World in Burlington and picked one up. When we returned back to camp I opened the box and found it was a return and the plastic bag containing the special locking screws was torn open and one of the screws was missing. Damm! Back to Camping World. No problem with the exchange and also received an apology. This time I opened the box and looked in. I should have pulled everything out because when I got back to camp I discovered this unit had also been a return. At least all the parts were present this time, but with two return units I began to wonder why. Maybe this add-on doesn't work!

Since the units were being returned I wonder if they might not work that well. I decided to find out for my self and when ahead and installed it to the existing Wingard antenna on the roof of the Motorhome. It’s the post with two small wings and the box on the bottom.

It actually did improve the signal. Fox now comes in fine and other problem channels come in better also.

The Salmon Are Running

2009-10-04T21:35:00.001-07:00

But not today! I went out with Rich fishing for Salmon a week or so ago in his Lund aluminum boat. I just went along for the ride because I neglected to get a fishing license. Actually he took me out before and I had a great time but I wished I’d brought my camera. He also had a great time catching several crabs and two salmon. This time I remember the camera but the fish weren’t biting.

I’m holding the boat at the bottom of the boat ramp while Rich parks the boat trailer. The Kayak County Park fishing pier in the background. The weather was overcast and cool.

Despite the weather fishermen were out in force in small boats and

Larger ones….

Rich catches the only fish of the day for our boat. In case you can’t see it, it’s at the end of the pliers.

The native Indians here use nets to catch their salmon. Here they are pulling the net back to their boat.

Here they are with a net full of fish.

Back at the boat ramp a starfish was hanging out. Rich was skunked this time out and I might get blamed for being bad luck.

A few days later he and his brother-in-law went out and both caught their limit. Rich had been out a few time and dropped off a few salmon for us.

5th Wheel Interior Tour by TY

2009-10-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

Ty wanted to show everyone around his new 5th wheel. He is on the kitchen counter that runs along the right side of the rig. No cooking yet. That is all tools and supplies. Oh and the cat.

The entry door is just to the left and the bunk room is through a door to the right.

Ty and Debbie both wanted to point out a small problem with the wood framing of the slide. The only problem we have encountered so far. The slide is in so it’s a little cramped until we get it fixed and out.

A closer look at the restoration. We had to cut the wall paneling and then remove the rotten end of the studs. Ran out of time so we’ll have to replace the bottom of the studs next year.

The small bath is located toward the front of the RV. Ty would like you to notice the small bath tub, which is not usually found in a 5th wheel.

Here is the main bedroom. Ty is walking on the walk-around king sized bed platform. We got rid of the mattress. The closet has double sliding mirrored doors.

There’s a window at the head of the bed and cabinets above.

At the other end of the RV was the bunk bedroom with a small closet and bunk beds. The door going in was small, made even smaller when the slide is in. You can see below that we widened the door quit a bit. When the slid is out it will become more of the living area.

Here what the ex bedroom look like with the closet and bunks out. It’s becoming a sewing room!

The water heater and converter have been boxed in and will be paneled. We ordered a custom counter top to fit across the wall below the window. That’s quite a view out the window.

So it’s all buttoned up for the winter.

Next our visit with my nephew and his family.

Movie Outing

2009-09-26T09:27:00.001-07:00

We traveled into town to watch a movie in a real movie theater. The movie, The Final Destination 3D, is about a group of kids at a car race. One of the kids has a premonition of a deadly race-car crash. He helps saves the lives of his peers and Death sets out to collect those who evaded their fate. Yeah, a teenager movie, but I wanted to see the 3D effect and it was good. The last 3D movie I saw was back in the early 1950’s. The biggest difference I noticed was that now the glasses have plastic frames instead of cardboard.

Mean while Debbie is sewing screening for our cat condo. We are building a structure to mount on the out side of a small window which will be a “pass-through” from the motorhome to the outside. When it’s completed the cat will be able to go outside on his own. A second phase will allow us to relocate the cat box outside. The frame is being made with pvc fittings and pipe and is collapsible for transport. The screening is heavy duty pet screening. I will post pictures as the project progresses.

Broken Sewing Machine

2009-09-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

Debbie broke her sewing machine right in the middle of a quilt. Being mechanical I took a look but the sewing machine as it turned out is as mysterious as is quilting. Of course these things always happen on a Sunday. Can you say football? I found a repair shop nearby in Everett and promised to transport broken machine and it’s pouting operator to the shop first thing Monday morning. In the meantime I called expecting to get a recording telling me when they open. Imagine my surprise when a person answered the phone and advised they would be open for another hour and a half!

Here we are just 30 minutes or so later at the repair shop.

For some reason I ended up in the shop with Debbie, oh I remember I had to carry the one ton machine in. They told her a week to repair. Oh no! Not a week without a sewing machine and she’s in the middle of a project! Debbie didn’t think they would, but I asked anyway, if they had a loaner she could use. Much to her surprise they gave us one! She’s back in business and not in my business!

On the way back to the car she spotted a fabric store. I didn’t follow.

The cat and I waited in the car.

Block Party

2009-09-12T23:03:00.000-07:00

Last night we were invited to a “block party” by our neighbors the Stanfields. They are at the end of the “U” on our street here at Port Susan. We have already met some of our neighbors and last night we were able to get acquainted others neighbors we've missed. We even met a few previous residents who have moved off the block. One thing they all have in common, besides location, is being a great group of people. I understand that block parties are uncommon here so I feel fortunate that the Standfields stepped up and that Debbie and I are part of the “block”. The Standfields were outstanding hosts, serving up strawberry margaritas, hamburgers and hot dogs. They even offered turkey burgers.

Today was football day and for the first time in a long time Debbie didn’t have to share it with me. Debbie had started knitting socks a while back and Helene became interested in doing a pair of her own and last night at the block party they made plans to get together today and work on sock knitting. That left Helen’s Jim and Debbie’s Jim with nothing to do but watch football all day.

Below Debbie is working on a photo album of our trip to Italy last July. Our kids who invited us along on their trip look on from the picture on the table. Thanks again guys we had a fantastic time! Some of you may realize this is an older photo because you saw the finished album a while ago.

Well, I kind of ran out of photos re-sized for the blog except for cat pictures and in deference to Frank I put in Debbie’s photo instead.

Crab Feast

2009-09-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 26th

The crabbing was good today and this evening we had a crab banquet at Rich and Les Ann’s. Dick and Gail presented Les Ann with a pair of fox fur earmuffs they acquired in their travels in Alaska.

Les Anne models her earmuffs while Debbie checks the buffet table or maybe it’s the drink table!

The crab is all set on the newspaper table cloth.

A closer look at the crab. They were caught this morning. Rich cleaned and cooked them and we’re eating them this evening. They are the best. We have to savor these because the crab season ends next week.

Dickie imparts some of his wisdom to the group.

Dick and Gail

2009-09-08T21:21:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 25th

Today Dick and Gail stopped by for a visit on their way home from Alaska. They setup camp next door to us.

Rich is taking Dick out crabbing tomorrow. Hope they have a lot of luck.

Chittenden Locks

2009-09-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 24th

Today we went down to see the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks with Rich, Les Ann and Martha. They are the busiest locks in the United States. There are two locks, a large one for large commercial ships and a second smaller one for pleasure craft. The locks connect Puget Sound with Salmon Bay and ultimately, Lake Washington. The City of Seattle has made a tourist attraction of the locks with walkways around and over the locks and a fish ladder with large viewing windows.

Here the smaller lock is raising boats heading toward Lake Washington. The lock are not powered, using water pressure for their operation.

A shot from behind. You can get an idea of how high the boats are raised. The doors leak a little.

Here are some boats leaving the locks heading to Puget Sound. The other boats are waiting for their turn in the locks.

One of those waiting boats made it into the lock and is trying to tie up to a cleat. The sides of the lock ride up with the boats to minimize damage.

After watching the boat traffic a while we walked over to the fish ladders.

The salmon are just starting to pass by here on their migration to spawning grounds.

Back up on top we visited the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden where I had a chance to try the macro setting again.

Debbie found one of the gardens residents.

We left Ty at home today so I was able to get a close up of his favorite thing to chase.

On our way home Martha took us all out for lunch at a restaurant on the sound near the locks. The view was great. Thanks Martha!

Ty Loves Riding in the Car

2009-09-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 22th

Ty loves riding in the car. He's almost like a dog hanging out the side window while we're driving. His top speed in only about 15 mph. Faster and his big air scoops for ears start to fold and he comes inside. Here are some pictures while we were driving around Port Susan.

Going Past Our Windows

2009-09-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 19th

Today started early with the sound of a diesel truck idling next door loud enough to wake us up. Might not have been that early. It was a large propane truck making a delivery next door.

Around 10:00 our own truck was due to arrive but it was hopefully not a delivery truck! No it's a service truck for our septic tank. Hills Septic Service arrived right on time to pump and inspect our tank. After 365 days of use we have to have this service done on our lot here at

Port Susan. We are only here during the summer so we only need this service every few years. It requires removing a 26" access hatch. Not sure what else is involved because at this point I stopped supervising. I guess this is one job that the worker doesn't have anyone looking over his shoulder while he's working. The job took about fifteen minutes and we received a good mark for our bacteria.

Later that after noon another arrival showed up. A tractor with a hydraulic arm on the back. At the end of the arm was a lawn mower. It was mowing along the side of our road.

The tractor stopped across the way and raised the arm. Then went back down the road cutting the foliage at the side of the road from the surface to a height of 3 or 4 feet.

All the while our watch cat kept an eye on everything.

Farmer's Market and Wet Paint

2009-08-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

Sunday, August 16th

Today we went down to the port area of Everett about ten minutes away where a Farmer's Market is held each Sunday. This Sunday they also were hosting a craft fair called Wet Paint. It was strung out along the walkway of the Everett City Marina.

One of the docks with a few sailboats. I wonder how far down the row this sailor had to walk.

At the end of the walkway a commercial fishing boat was selling fresh crab and prawns. The fair was quite a bit smaller than the one in Anacortes and it appeared that many of the same artist were displaying here so we weren't too interested in the fair, but the weather was fantastic and we enjoyed the walk.

Later Debbie caught Ty and I enjoying dinner. Me eating and Ty watching!

Maybe Ty got tired of watching and wanted to take a more active role.

Squirrels

2009-08-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 14th

As we take our almost daily walk with Ty these little creatures just drive him crazy. Sorry for the poor focus but I had to draw and shoot as the squirrel raced up the tree with Ty on the ground close behind him.

Darn these stumps are stickery on top!

Made it, now just make a slip up there. I'll be down here waiting.

Well I can wait. Keep barking at me and it will help me forget the pin cushion I'm lying on. Actually he only lasted a minute or two before he had to get down off those spikes.

The squirrel finally moved on and so did we. I found a small subject to test the macro capabilities of the camera.

Clam Chowder

2009-08-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 12th

Debbie made a pot of Clam Chowder and we invited some of our friends here in Port Susan over this evening.

Weather was on the cool side but the chowder was nice and hot. Lloyd brought over some extra chairs to supplement the six we have.

We enjoyed the company of our next door neighbors Bev and Arnie who dropped by.

Home from the Fair

2009-08-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 8th

A look at the road from Anacortes to La Conner. We drove back through La Conner so we could stop

at the Berry Farm just outside of La Conner in a big red barn. We stopped there last year by chance and found they sold goose berry pies. They still do! Besides a goose berry pie we also grabbed a bluegoose pie. A combination of blue berries and goose berries. The bluegoose is way to sweet for my taste and next time I'll get two goose berry pies.

Back "home" at our camp site we have set up our awning. Debbie grabbed a $4 green round table at a garage sale and I cut the legs off to make a coffee table.

I set our portable campfire in the middle of the table. You can see the flames if you look close. It's run on propane and fake logs.

Anacortes, WA

2009-08-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 8th

Today (see date above) we went up to Anacortes, WA to their annual Craft Fair. Anacortes is homeport to the San Juan Islands ferries and just a short drive away from Whidbey Island.

Debbie and I drove up and planned to hookup with Rich, LesAnn and Martha who were driving up on their own. After finding a parking place just a block from the action we called and found Rich and group had also just found parking but they were some distance away, so Debbie and I decided to start exploring the fair and join up with them later.

We had just covered about a block of the Craft Fair when, by chance, we ran into them and another half dozen friends from Port Susan.

This pig was part of the art on sale at the fair. I didn't notice the person's finger in the the pig's butt at the time and I'm not sure why his finger was in there or what was back there!

Down one of the side streets we noticed a brewing supply company. It caught our eye because our youngest is employed back home by a brewing supply company.

Shortly after noon everybody met at the Brown Lantern Ale House for lunch. I thought it would be impossible to get a table for everybody considering the crowd. We arrived after everybody else and found they were all sitting together at two tables next to each other and there was room for Debbie and I. Amazing as the place was packed as I had anticipated.

I had a pulled-pork sandwich that was so big I had to smash it down to take a bite. It was delicious! The service was also great. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are ever in Anacortes, WA.

Of coarse outside of the fair area Debbie found, what she described as "the best fabric store". While I was waiting I notice this person leaning back against the wall with a dog on a leash. Here's another shot. No really it's a guy! Really!

Inside the "best fabric shop!"

Boeing Tour and Crab

2009-08-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Thursday August 6th

Today we went with Ross and Marge on the Boeing Tour. Here Ross is examining a new engine for the 787 Dreamliner.

Later that evening some of us got together for to eat the crab Ross and Rich had caught, cleaned and cooked yesterday. They were delicious as usual.

Ty look like he would like to catch a crab for himself. Here he's playing on his cat sculpture in our rig.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we are heading up to Anacortes to a crafts fair.

A Port Susan Birthday

2009-08-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

Wednesday August 5th

Beverly had a birthday yesterday and friends gathered to help her celebrate.

Today we had a picnic at the beach. We gathered at Kayak Point County Park. Several boats dropped crab pots before lunch. The rest of us tried to stay warm in the cool weather. Dianna barbecued hot dogs and they were really good. Helene made a potato salad that was great.

Rich walked out to his boat to give a couple of kids one of his crabs.

Ty posed for a portrait in the blackberry bushes.

Tomorrow we are going to the Boeing plant to see how the new 787 is coming along.

Arrived at Port Susan

2009-08-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

Monday August 3rd

When we first got our Horizon it had a lot of different systems and controls which we were completely unfamiliar with. One of these was the Splindede washer/dryer. An Italian made all-in-one unit that washes and then drys (and wrinkles) clothes. Debbie looked all over for the lint filter and then ask me for help. Neither of us could find the filter. I got out the manual but couldn't find any reference to a filter. Debbie refused to use the unit until she was able to clean the lint filter so I called the manufacture to get the location. Their customer service explained the lint is blown out the air exhaust and there is no filter. Debbie did a load of laundry last night and today before leaving Brookhollow RV Park I noticed for the first time a wad of lint in the grass under the dryer vent. The vent is at the top in the center of the photo.

I was never able to verify the lint was actually being blown out until this morning!

We arrived in Port Susan around 1:30 pm. We met Ross and Marge who are staying on the lot next door for a few days and had arrived the day before us. A few minutes later Lloyd and Rich drove up and welcomed us. They had made a sign identifying the rock I ran into last year. The first sign was stolen a short time after they set it up at the rock so they made a second sign.

The 'Gold Shield' says "Sign protected by Smith & Wesson". Pretty neat sign guys the the "look" should say "look OUT"!