Coos Bay Oregon

Friday night in Beverly Beach State Campground turned into a typical State Campground experience. The party across the road from us really got going strong around 10pm with yelling and loud laughter. Then the loud music started around 11:30pm. Not sure when it ended as I am blessed by being able to fall asleep by just lying down and closing my eyes.

Entrance to Medway RV Park

We left around 10am Saturday for Midway RV Park in Coos Bay. It's a Passport America park and we paid $22 for a pull through site with full hookups. The best cable tv and the wi-fi is fast and the signal is strong. The park was quite and clean. Fog in the morning and evening but sunny during the day.

Our site in Midway RV Park, Coos Bay, Oregon

We decided to stay a second night here and find some crab to take with us down to Trinidad, our next stop. After some hunting we found the fish store and walked down. Unfortunately

crab season doesn't start until December first, tomorrow. Darn! Oh well, we'll have to enjoy our steak dinner tonight and worry about the crab later.

We leave for Emerald Forest RV Park in Trinidad, CA tomorrow.

Beverly Beach State Park

We are here for a second night at Beverly Beach State Park in our next camp site. This is a picture of our new site which is next to our old site. It stopped raining and is brighter than yesterday. Yes it is a different site.

Ty wonders how in the world that RV ever got in that small site

This site was a lot tighter that the one last night but with the help of several nearby campers I got it in without wrecking the new paint.

This afternoon we went to the Coast Aquarium and after stopped for a late lunch George's Grill which had a panoramic view of the ocean. The lunch was spectacular all so. We both had the best Clam Chowder ever. We also both had a special, "Seafood Gratin" that was delicious. It had fish, crab, scallops and other things in a white sauce.

We did manage to find a quilt shop on the way back to our camp site.


Tomorrow we head on down to Coos Bay.

On the Road Again - Happy Thanksgiving

We left Port Susan yesterday around five in the evening, not the two o'clock that we were shooting for. We didn't want to drive out in the dark after what happen a month and a half ago, but being slow learners and anxious to get on the road, we left in spite of the dark. I didn't scrape or hit anything and have a little more confidence in driving back. Not the bravado I did have but I feel it coming back.

We stopped for the night at a rest stop just south of Olympia and parked next to another motorhome which stayed for the night. When we awoke this morning it was 36 degrees. Boy, I think we are getting out of the frigid north just in time to avoid the really cold weather! We hit the road shortly after we woke up. Ty stretched out on the couch and slept the whole day.

We arrived at Beverly Beach, OR around 3pm and found our campsite. With the help of some neighbors, one who moved his truck, I got shoehorned in to our spot. Ty wanted to get out and explore and despite the gentle rain I put on a hat and coat and took him for a walk. The rain didn't seem to slow him down like I exspected it to. He just shook it off a couple of times. Finally, after about a half hour he was soaking wet and we went back to the motorhome. Wet cats don't smell like wet dogs do. At least Ty didn't seem to.

Dark and rainy here at Beverly Beach

Because of the holiday I couldn't get the same site for two nights so we have to move next door tomorrow. We plan to stay two days so we can visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium about six miles south on us in Newport.

Debbie bought bologna and other food stuffs when we stopped for fuel earlier today. I guess we both were thinking about bologna sandwiches driving down the coast and we decided we would rather have bologna sandwiches than go out to dinner so we canceled our reservation and enjoyed.

Its Back

We picked up the Horizon today and are back in it and on our lot in Port Susan. Near Marysville, WA. It looks like new. We plan to leave for home tomorrow afternoon and drive about 2 to 3 hours which should get us south of Portland, Or.

Ty had made friends with all the Inn staff and he had to go into the office to say good by to everyone and give them a cat hug. No he didn't bite anybody, he seems to be over that phase!


Ty will miss his window seat, watching the people on the path, activity outside and all the friends he's made here.

Noon Tomorrow

To day we went down to Paine Field where the Boeing factory is located and went on the factory tour. We saw the assembly of line of three different aircraft currently being build there. The most amazing was the new 787 Dreamliner. There were four on the line in various stages of completion. They expected to have the first one in the air by the end of this year but due to the recent strike it won't be flying until late 2009. They have over 800 orders for the 787. The plane is assembled from four sections which arrive at the factory as completed parts. The sections are made of light weight composites. Two of the sections are fabricated in Japan and flown over in a special 747 named the Dreamlifter. As we were returning to the visitor center the plane was just landing and the bus had to take a different route. I was able to grab a picture as it taxied back. When the 787 line is up and running they will be able to complete a plane in just 3 days!

After the tour we dropped by to check on the Horizon repair progress. Dave said it was being painted and on schedule to be picked up noon tomorrow. The painter was putting on the three different colors first and then just before going home he'll put on the clear coat.

Saturday Surprise

After dinner Saturday night we stopped by to look through the shop window to check the status of the Horizon. Surprise! The doors are all on and the whole motorhome is mask off ready for painting. Looks like we're on schedule for Tuesday afternoon.


Earlier today I took a picture of the mountains to the east that are covered in snow now.

It's Friday, where's my Horizon

Although they promised without a doubt the Horizon would be finished on Friday. Guess what? It's not ready. To be fair it's not Roy Robinson's fault. The last door that was going to be shipped overnight wasn't. Instead the door arrived late Thursday afternoon.

The new doors look like the temporary doors I put on!

Well, maybe not!

It was the right door but the gas lifts were installed wrong which allowed the door to swing up too high and into the path of the slideout. All the doors were that way so Bob was busy fixing that today. At least they are all on now. Dave said they would start painting Monday and the Horizon should be ready to roll on Tuesday. We'll be returning to our lot at Port Susan because we still need to move all our stuff in the shed back into the Horizon and then move all the stuff in the screen room back into the shed. Then winterize our lots. We will probably will leave for home on Thanksgiving Day. The passes in Washington all have snow on the ground now but I don't think we will be affected going down I5. We plan to cut over to the coast at Salem and have reservation at Beverly Beach State CG for Thursday and at the Embarcadero Hotel and Restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner.

We extended our stay at the "Inn at Port Gartner" for three more $$ days. Its located between the Everett Marina, "the biggest public marina on the west coast", and the Everett Naval Station.

They have been dredging the marina next to the Inn and one day they were right out side our french doors. The two small boats steer by pushing on the sides and the tug provides the propulsion.


They were taking this load out to dump somewhere and now the barge and tug are anchored back in front of our room.

Vancouver

Well we finally made it up to Vancouver, about a two hour drive from Marysville. Going across the border was uneventful in both directions, fortunately! On the way back across we passed by the car ports which were full of cars, where unfortunates were unloading their cars and custom agents were pawing through the stuff. The metropolitan population of Vancouver is 2,524,113 making it the largest metropolitan area in western Canada. Driving through the downtown you notice the density and activity. Just tons of construction is in progress, both new and restorative. We assumed it was due to the coming Winter Olympics which metropolitan Vancouver is hosting in 2010. We headed to the Gastown area. A restored skid row section which has been turned into refreshing mix of old and new for tourists and residents alike. We enjoyed a couple of hours wandering and eating.

Steam Clock

The steam clock in Gastown looks like it might be from Alice in Wonderland with the steam pouring out from the top and on the quarter hours it sounds like the "tea party"!

Although the clock appears to be an old 19th-century antique, it was actually built in 1977 as a tourist attraction. Here is a link to a Youtube video of the clock "chiming".

A view down the street in Gastown

After Gastown we took Ty to Stanley Park.

Ty was anxious to see the Totem Poles

The Sign Says "Stay Out"

Ty can't read or like a typical cat just ignores the sign. He enjoyed getting out into the fresh air. We picked a beautiful day, the air was cool but the sun was out and warm. I noticed the sun dosen't get very high in the sky this time of year up here.

We arrived back too late to get any pictures of the Horizon as Bob had gone home and the doors were closed. Dave was still in his office and I confirmed that he does have a check from the insurance company. So we will be ready to roll as soon as the MH is finished.

Repairs in Progress

We had planned to run up to Vancouver, Canada today but the weather forecast for tomorrow is better, so we postponed until Wednesday.

Instead we decided to run up to Robinson's to check on the repair progress. So far Robinson's has exceeded all my expectations. Especially yesterday when they got the Horizon off the line and into a stall in something less that an hour. It's always a little irritating when a shop request you bring your vehicle in at the crack of dawn and then it sits there ignored all morning.

Anyway we had lunch at the casino buffet and then stopped by and I was surprised to see Bob in the process of putting it back together. He already had the floor in! He was working on a HEAVY sliding cabinet in the end bay. I had emptied the front four but I didn't realize they were going to need to do anything in the entertainment bay, so I had left all our stuff in it which made it even heavier.

The Floor is in

He was have a little trouble lining up a bolt but a helper stopped by, I think it was one of the owner's family, and gave him a hand.

A Helping Hand Did the Job

It's In The Shop!

This morning we dropped off the Horizon off for repair at Roy Robinson. They are very nice people there. Bob is doing most of the work and I guess later they have a paint person who will be doing the painting. Here is the MH in the lot where we dropped it off.

Last look at the campground repair job

Debbie got up earlier than she wanted this morning and was a little grumpy. As we were driving back by Robinson's she said "My RV better be moved and they better be working on it!" And this was after I had fed her breakfast!! Fortunately it was already in a repair bay. Whew!! I knew I would had caught heck had it not been moved because I was the one who got her up so early.

Here is the progress made by around 4:30 pm today.

Bob was picture shy

Bob (sitting) Broken Parts to the Right

Bob is explaining how something like this happens. I hope he remembered to tell them as I had explained it to him; it was dark, concealed rock, rock placed too close to edge of road, tight turn, etc.

We have moved into the Inn at Port Gardner. They upgraded our room from the cheapest to a first floor harbor view with private patio, table and chairs.

Tomorrow we are planing to run up to Canada and explore. If we don't update the blog after a few days look for us detained just across the border.

Breaking Camp

Today I swept off the awnings over the slides, which had accumulated two inches of tree stuff, in preparation to bring in the slides. Tomorrow is our long awaited appointment at Roy Robinson for the accident repair. We have been working to stow everything that has accumulated over the last month of so. I hope I remember how to drive after so long. And I defiantly will remember to look out for rocks on turns! Well going to pull in the front slides now and bring in the main awning so will sign off. Tomorrow we will be moving into the motel with wifi in the room. It sure will be nice to leave the fringes of Verizon coverage and have a decent cell signal.

Horizon Repair - Good News and Bad News

I talked to Dave, the RV service manager, today to check on the status of our parts. He said he'd check with the parts department and give me a call back. He called back a short time later and said he has all the parts except one door. Uh-oh. He said Winnebago was shipping the last door next Monday. That would mean another week delay and we would have to change our reservation and other living arrangements, plus it would put us another week behind leaving for home. And it's getting cold and wet up here. Especially the wet part, as areas around us are flooding due to the heavy rain. We're still fine as Debbie still hasn't run out of projects yet and it only rained a couple of days, but it was a lot of rain. It's been sunny but cold today.

The good news was Dave said he called the factory told them overnight the door. It will still be shipping Monday but Dave said they can still start work Monday morning on schedule. Whew, he had me worried for a while.

It looks like we will be home a day or so after Thanksgiving depending on the weather. Will update as time goes on.

Quilts finished

It looks like we will be late for Thanksgiving this year. If we are able to pickup the rig on Friday, we will need to return to Port Susan to put all our stuff back into the basement storage. Then we're into the weekend and will probably wait until Monday to avoid traffic. Then cutting over to the coast will make the trip home a few days longer.

Oregon law, require all vehicles to carry snow chains after the first of November whether they're needed or not when traveling on highways that go over mountain passes. We decided to cut over to the coast to stay law abiding and still avoid the hassle of buying and carrying chains. There are a couple of highways to the coast that don't have chain requirement and the one out of Salem, OR is where we plan to turn west .

On our walk last night Ty decided to jump up on top of a three foot tall tree stump. I guess predicaments like this is where the saying "Look before you leap" may come from.

Ouch!

This is the Garden Gate quilt Debbie has been working on for a while. The gate design is from a photo of the gated entrance to the apartments in Florence, Italy where Blake stayed during his three month study abroad program. This is the second one after a practice. It has taken a while because of the amount of hand work required.

Florence Gate

I didn't think it had been raining this much but Debbie also finished this quilt. I'm glad we have dual pane windows so condensation hasn't been a problem.

Front

Back

Manhole

The weather up here has turned wet. We have had heavy rain on and off. Not the "usual annoying drizzle" as one weatherman described it, but at least it's warmed up to the mid 50's.

I talked to Dave this week. He said the last of the parts are on their way and he expects them next Thursday or Friday. He has scheduled the repair to begin on Monday the 17th. We originally were going to continue to live in the motorhome while it was being repaired, but we have re-thought that. Robinson had agreed and would pull the MH out of the shop each evening for us. The problem was we would have to be out of the MH early in the morning and then find something to do all day. We decided to move out to a motel during the week. We found a cute motel, Inn on Port Gardner, on the marina in Everett that accepts pets. O'yeah the cat.

Ty helps himself to a package of kibble while riding in the car

It describes itself as a boutique motel and brings a breakfast basket to your room each morning along with a newspaper.

I told Dave of our new plan but we still wanted to stay in the MH during the weekend. Dave said that wasn't necessary as they would have it all finished by Friday. Hurray!!!

I forgot another interesting thing we saw on our visit to Pike Market. While we were walking downtown I noticed an unusual manhole cover in the sidewalk. If you examine the picture you will see its a map of Seattle. Seattle was incorporated as a town 14 January 1865. That charter was voided 18 January 1867, in response to unrest. Seattle was re-incorporated 2 December 1869. That year is inscribed under the Indian profile at bottom.

Manhole Cover, Seattle, 10/28/08

Pikes Market Update

I left out these pictures of The Pike Brewing Co when I made the post about our Pike Market trip.

This view is on the main level of the market. Basically the beer making process starts in the red tank on top in which is filled from somewhere below by the bucket elevator which drops in hops and grains. The elevator is located on the left in the white square tube next the the bronze colored pipe.


The grain is then dropped down into the mash tun, the silver tank below the red grain tank. I'm embarrassed to admit I'm a little fuzzy on the process from there since my son Brad had made numerous batches of beer on our patio right outside the kitchen window. He also work for a home brewing supply company. Anyway in the picture below shows more of the mysterious brewing process which continues down to the lower level to the Pike Pub where you can order sandwiches and a Pike Brewing beverage. There is a stair case leading down to the Pub. The brass tank in front is an ornamental display and not part of the process.


For more information about the brewing process you can visit More Beer's web site which has some videos on the process. Their web site is http://morebeer.com/ If you decide to brew your own beer and order supplies, tell them Brad sent you!

Snohomish

Yesterday afternoon we drove over to Snohomish to visit my nephew Aaron, his wife Diane and their two children, Dominic and Victoria. There home is located in a beautiful family community and it's gorgeous.

Inside certainly showed off Diane's interior design skills. We met their youngest daughter Victoria for the first time as she hadn't been born in time for our last visit in 2002.

Victoria with a homework project from school

Aaron and Dominic

And we got reacquainted with Dominic who is now a great big boy. He was only two when we last saw him. It felt soooo good to be welcomed with big hugs from both the kids.

Debbie with Victoria

We stayed for pizza dinner and I tried to keep up with Dominic but he pulled way out ahead of me and finished off three large pieces while I was still on my first.

All too soon it was time for us to leave. We had a great time, enjoyed the very well behaved children and catching up with Aaron who looks not a day older than when we last saw him. We were sorry to miss Diane, who was down in southern California.