Roaming When We Can

Visiting RV Dreamers

2012-01-31T09:12:00.001-06:00

It was a last minute plan. Dee, a regular in our RV chat room was just 1.5 hrs from us. She suggested she and her husband Jim travel to visit with us here in Clermont the next day. After some back and forth, it was decided that we would make the trip to their place. We are currently set up at TT, just for 5 nights, while waiting to head to Largo for the month of February. Although this site is scenic, it is dirt. The soft sandy kind that you sink into..yuck! We didn’t even do a full set up inside or out. It is also a membership park and they charge visitors $5 to park. So Monday morning we headed to Avon Park. It was just a straight shoot up Rte 27. We arrived a little after 11am and joined Dee & Jim inside their beautiful Cameo 5th wheel for some catching up.

After some chatter, we headed out to lunch at the Blue Lagoon. It was loud but the food was good. When we finished, we had another stop to make for Orange Ice Cream! The Maxell Groves, is just a joint set up on their orange groves. They sell all kinds of jellies, sauces and everything made out of oranges…including their famous ice cream, yum. I bought some fresh squeezed oj, which I may pay for in a few days. I love it, but it can bother my acid reflex.. I am willing to give it a try. Nothing like fresh squeezed….

When we got back to the park. Kevin & Jim stayed at the rig, while Dee and I walked over to the clubhouse. It is really lovely. In fact this park is spotless. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a park so clean and manicured. They are really happy here.

I knew Kevin was anxious to get back on the road to avoid any traffic, but I had to meet another RV Dreams couple. Rick and Elaine were in the park for the month.

I have met Elaine in the chat room but never in person. So much fun to finally meet in person! It was short but sweet, and we hope to meet up again, perhaps in the next month..

We ended our visit with hugs, and on our drive home talked once again about how cool this RVing life style really is. What wonderful friends we have made. We feel so fortunate to be living this life!

Thanks Dee and Jim…

Back in My Comfort Zone

2012-01-28T12:24:00.001-06:00

Well, we made the decision to leave Georgia early, after spending one month there. Kevin was fine of course because of the golf, but I was miserable…Just nothing to do. As someone mentioned to me, that is why we live on wheels… We pulled out Thursday and spent the night in the rain, just short of the Florida line. Guess we brought that nasty weather with us. Friday we drove 200 miles to Thousand Trails Orlando, where we will stay until next Wednesday. We have reservations for the month of February in Largo, Fl. Largo is next to St Petersburg, where we lived for four years. We have good friends in the area. We are really looking forward to spending some time with them. There are also many RVing friends in the surrounding area that we hope we can hook up with.

Those that know me well, know that I love Florida. Kevin does also. The only reason we ever left Florida was to be with our grandkids, and help out as each of them was born. I really love being around the ocean, but even here in Orlando area, I am happy. I have found that I do not like being out in the middle of nowhere. I like the conveniences of city living. I guess that is because I grew up a city girl. We have never lived anywhere that we could not do a skip, hop, or a jump to go or get what we needed close by. It’s just my comfort zone!

The weather is sunny today and temps 70ish. There is a slight breeze, so it does feel a little chilly. My allergies are acting up though. At least I think it’s allergy’s. Hopefully not another cold. I am looking forward to some nice weather and shorts and flip flops again. It’s been awhile.. I told Kevin to slap me if I complain of being too hot, lol….

When it Rains it Pours

2012-01-22T08:38:00.001-06:00

Oh ya, it has been pouring ALOT! The forecast for the next week has rain in it every day too…Lovely. This morning it is just damp and foggy with temp around 47. Kevin went up to open the cart barn and told me to just stay put for awhile. Don’t think there will be many golfers this morning. Not sure what this afternoon will bring. We have already asked one of our other coworkers if he would close up for us today because we will be watching the PATRIOTS at 3pm.

Now, it isn’t just pouring rain outside. This week our microwave/conv/half time oven burnt out. I had baked potatoes in the conv oven and could smell a burning smell. We started looking everywhere, and turned out to be the oven. Inside the back wall is a bit black . Won’t start, so we unplugged it. Next was Kevin hurting his right arm, while golfing. I think he tried to smash the ball and pulled something. Looks like a muscle protruding from his arm and it hurts alot. One morning I turned on the bathroom hot water faucet and the faucet came off in my hand. Cheap plastic parts broke…. If that wasn’t enough, last night I walked to our bedroom closet and the rug was soaking wet. Yup soaking…under the washer is dry but the rug in the bedroom very wet. I squeezed behind and felt the washer hoses and they seem dry, so not sure where it is coming from. Not sure what we will do about this, since Kevin’s arm is so sore, he can’t pull them out right now. Oh ya ,and I got out our little fan so I could dry the rug a bit and guess what? The fan started and then went out. Doesn’t work!!!!!

Hope that is it….. GO PATRIOT’S !!!!!! Hope you have better luck than us this week.

Weighing Our Options

2012-01-17T14:22:00.001-06:00

This weather isn’t what I bargained for! Most nights we have had to keep our water dripping, to keep the hoses from freezing up, and we have gone through 3 tanks of propane. Even if the days warm up, it still has that dampness in the air. The temps haven’t kept Kevin away from golfing. Personally I think he is crazy…

Saturday’s excitement was watching the Patriots beat the heck out of Denver.. What an awesome game! I really do enjoy watching pro football. Now, I will be happier if the Pats can go all the way..

Sunday we were back to work. It was real cold and Kevin told me to stay put for a few hours and he would cover the work. On the weekends they have several people working. It was so cold, but the sun did come out and by afternoon it felt pretty nice. I did not have to do all that much. There were not many folks golfing, of course football was on. Now Monday was another story. We start work at 8am. I dressed well with layers. I had a turtleneck, my golf shirt, a sweatshirt and a jacket on. We did have some help in the morning. Didn’t really need it then though, because the crowds showed up in the afternoon when we were working alone. They had Kevin out in the cart barn and me in the pro shop. That was until 2pm when they sent Kevin out to pick the range and me to the cart barn. It got crazy and a bit overwhelming. It seemed like carts never stopped lining up for me to clean and store. It takes time. When Kevin finished the range, it was 4:30 and time to ride the course, lock all the bathrooms and range. I was left with the carts. We ended up getting through at 6pm in the dark, setting the alarms and locking the gates. We were both cranky, cold and my back was aching.

We have since been discussing if this is the place for us. I actually started a pro and con list. The pros include free golf, no rent, nice people. The cons include, lousy weather (so far), nothing close by to do, work hours, iffy wifi and bad phone connection. Monday was just a sample of what is to come. We are told that it will start getting real busy in a few weeks, when the schools start golfing, 5 days a week. This is the only course in the county. We were told we will probably be working 4 days a week in the afternoons and closing each of those days. (One of the couples told me they will not work 4 days a week) After sampling the closing procedure, we are just not sure about this.

The hard part for me is commitment. I don’t like to commit to something and not finish it. However, they did tell us they have never had 5 rv’s here in the winter before. We also know if we leave early, we will lose our chance of working for a Ga SP again.

Anyway, we are just in the thinking stages…..we will give it another weekend of work and see how it goes.

Set Up For The Winter

2012-01-07T11:19:00.001-06:00

We arrived here in Georgia a week ago Friday. We took our time after leaving Houston. Our first stop was at Bay St Louis at the casino for two nights. I had a coupon, good for 2 free nights. We enjoyed ourselves and unwound from Christmas. Our next stop was a state park in Auburn Alabama.

When we arrived here at the golf course it was a little tricky getting down the hill, and into our spot, but Kevin managed to do a good job.

The hill going down to our campsite…Not alot of room to turn around down there..

This area is used for tournaments but we can use the bathroom, showers if we want.. Worked out well when our water froze up…

Some of our coworkers….

We have this little pavilion and firepit for us all to share…

Our site….

Looking up at the pro shop and cart barn from our site…

The next few days were spent checking out the area. Not a heck of alot to do around here. My first thought was how am I going to get through 3 months here! The town has the usual fast food food joints, two small grocery stores. I am told there is a good barbecue place and we found a good cafe for lunch, where I had the best tomato basil soup, yum. The closest Walmart is 17 miles away. In the other direction, is Athens, about 30 miles, where we drove to on New Years Eve to get chinese food. It wasn’t a bad drive but not worth it for this chinese food,lol.. There seemed to be quite a few restaurants in the area and also an outlet mall, so I am sure we will be back.

The folks here at the golf course are all real nice. They gave us a golf cart for use and we got our schedules. We are going to be working Sunday and Monday’s for the month of January. Our actual start date for work is tomorrow. Will let you know how it goes. We have use of the laundry at the cabin they rent out. It is quiet season, so nobody renting right now.

We got the cold spell that swept the south. We went from 60’s to freezing for several days. Our hose froze up one night and our water pump stopped working. We went out and bought several gallons of water, just in case but things have been working fine since. It has since gone back into the 60’s. Kevin has been out golfing two days. From what I am told this is a very challenging and beautiful course, with lots of hills. I will tour it tomorrow when we start work. Until then, I have my computer, which got a bad virus. Our friend John called me to help out, and I finally got rid of the virus, but couldn’t get into any of my programs. I finally got the name of a computer guy in the area and brought it in to get fixed up. He did a good job and I had it back in a few days. In the meantime, I had my little notebook. Not understanding my connection speed though. At times, it is quick as a rabbit and other times so slow I can’t stand it. I did notice one day my air card was very hot. I unplugged it, let it cool for the night and seems to be fine for now. I did find a Verizon store next to Walmart and may have to pay them a visit. I am do for an upgrade, but was holding off until it was time to get a new phone, thinking I could do a package deal… Let me know if anyone has their new iphone…I am a bit interested in it. My other new toy that has kept me busy is my kindle fire.. I love it. In fact, my neighbor told me to take it with me to work!! Think I will do just that…..

Welcoming the New Year

2011-12-31T20:56:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year!! We are hoping that 2012 will be as enjoyable as 2011 has been. We had a fabulous year of travel. We spent two months in Yuma, Az, two months in California, two and a half months in Oregon, one and a half months in Idaho. Followed by time spent in Wyoming, South Dakota and then back to Tx . In November we headed to Santa Rosa Beach Fl for our annual work camping gig at Topsail, then headed back to Tx to take care of lots of dr appointments and spend Christmas with our daughter and her family. I had a few tough months in the fall with illness, but all is well now. A few days after Christmas, we left Tx once again ,and we are currently in Georgia, where we will volunteer at a state campground golf course for three months.. Our plans are to travel up the east coast, once we have finished here April 1st. We are looking forward to being back in New England and visiting with family and friends…..

LIG

My Favorite Time of Year

2011-12-18T19:42:00.001-06:00

I love Christmas time..I love the lights, music and decorations, but most of all the memories... I do most of my shopping online, I do love the hustle bustle of the stores just a bit.. I have learnt to try to get the shopping out of the way, so I can enjoy the season. The greatest part of course, is remembering the reason for celebrating. I try to talk to the grandkids about the true meaning of Christmas..The birth of Jesus. (My mom made this many years ago and remains a treasure to me)

We were not back long, before I had our home on wheels decorated..

The weather here in Texas this year has been really really nice. We did have about a four day cold spree a few weeks ago. In fact our hose froze up once, during the night. As soon as the sun was out it was fine. Kevin went out the other day and drove around the neighborhood to take foliage pictures. Yes, there is foliage here in Texas but it’s a bit late getting here.

Between Kevin & I we spent 7 days for dr and dentist appointments. Several days, there were double appointments. I am feeling back to normal finally, and all tests came back good. Kevin has had alot of knee pain lately but the xrays don’t show much, except lots of arthritis. He has also done alot of wheezing lately and although his xray isn’t normal, there is nothing serious that requires any treatment. Lots of scarring, most likely from years of smoking.. Hopefully that is over..

We have babysat a few weekends. Last Sunday I took the boys to a schoolmate’s open house, for their lighting of their house..

Friday was the last day of school for the boys. Brady had a program at his preschool.. He is the blonde curly head, second row up.. We love hearing the young children perform.

I had a girls night out and lunch out another day with a friend. My son in law took Kevin golfing for his birthday…

This weekend I had a big surprise in the planning. I had hopes of flying to Boston to spend the weekend with our son and family. It was also a family get together Saturday night. I was all ready to go, but once at the airport the flight didn’t look good, due to another one cancelling. I was disappointed, but always have to be prepared for this ,when we fly for nothing..

All in all, it has been a great month. We only have a week left here in Texas, and then we will be heading to Georgia for the winter.

Our Grandkids…

Logan, Joey, Brady (Tx)

Christopher and Kailyn… (NH)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Almost Time to Move Out

2011-11-22T10:02:00.001-06:00

Wow, we are down to just a week left here at Topsail. Where is the time going?

Last week we worked Wed, Th & Fri. It was not busy at all. Not a good thing, because time goes so slow. Wed was cool and windy, we were bundled up in the morning. Not many folks going to the beach. We picked up lots of pinecones! Just in one spot, Kevin counted 600 just for him.. The following days the weather was warmer and sunny. We had a few folks going down to the beach but the campground is not very busy. But that is about to change. The weekend it will start filling up for Thanksgiving week, as quite a few schools are closed.

At 7am Thursday, I received a call from a Georgia State Park, offering us a volunteer position at one of their golf courses for the winter. I had filled out application online awhile back. Just this past week I pursued it a bit more. It paid off and we landed ourselves this gig. We will work either as a marshal, starter, cart barn or in pro shop. Sounds good and Kevin gets to play all the golf he wants..We are just hoping it doesn’t get too cold to take advantage of it. I may even learn to play!! The timing works out well as our plans are to head up the east coast for the summer/spring.

Saturday we did a few things around the home and settled in to watch some football. Sunday we headed to the commissary at Hurlburt Field, to do our shopping. We were there when they opened, to beat the crowds. That we did! Kevin has decided that we wants to spend a nice quiet Thanksgiving here ourselves, so we bought all the fixings for a traditional feast. The campground does have a staff dinner at the clubhouse. They provide the turkey and everyone brings the sides. He would rather relax, watch football and EAT all he wants in the comfort of our home. (think he just likes my cooking!) Anyway, that is what we are doing, didn’t make a difference to me at all. I would have cooked up a turkey either way. Love the smell of it cooking and love having the leftovers…

Yesterday, I started my day sitting outside having my tea. What a beautiful day. I headed to the outlet stores and did some Christmas shopping. I do online shopping ,but also enjoy getting into the stores and hearing the music and seeing the decorations. I will not do this on black Friday!! I came back, picked up Kevin and we drove to the harbor in Destin where we have a favorite place we get seafood. We sat outside on the deck and both had grouper sandwiches. We enjoyed, but were a bit disappointed in the fish, didn’t have much flavor.

Today we are not sure what the plan will be. We may head down to the beach for a few hours if the sun will stay out. Forecast is for cloudy sky’s.

We will work our last three days this weekend. It should be busy. On Monday, we pack up and leave this beautiful Emerald Coast. We will head back to Tx for December. We are already scheduled to babysit when we get back for 3 days…….Until then

Everyone have a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

Work and Days Off

2011-11-12T17:43:00.001-06:00

Wow, this week sure has gone fast. We worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We are suppose to start around 8:30 but usually start a bit earlier. Kevin heads to the shop to pick up the golf cart, comes back to pick me up and then we go to the office to get the check out/in list of campers for the day, along with a radio. We do our first tram run at 9am. When we get down to the beach Kevin blows off the boardwalk and I check trash cans. I love the beach early morning.

Just the seagulls and us…

This time of year, we only do beach runs every two hours until 4pm. In between runs, we blow off sites and pick up pine cones (lots of them!). We were lucky to have beautiful weather the days we worked. Since then it sure has cooled off. We have six days off..

Thursday I drove over to Panama City to meet JoAnne Doubrouillet at Olive Garden for an early lunch. It was great to see her again, and hear how she is doing, since she lost her husband Doug. She seems to be doing well and sure keeps herself busy. She has an exciting trip coming up..

Friday was Veterans Day. Thanks to all our wonderful Veterans for their service!! Kevin & I went to Pensacola, after a stop for an early lunch and another stop at Camping World. We were planning to head to the airfield at the airbase to see the Blue Angels, but traffic was real bad and we heard we probably wouldn’t get in, at least in time to catch the Blue Angels show. They were expecting 100,000 people, so we headed to Ft Pickens, where we knew would be a good spot, since it’s across the water from the airstrip. It was crowded but it was a great choice to watch the show.

They started with 2..

Then there were 4..

And 6…

There were tumbles and turns and so much more…

It was truly awesome!!

Unfortunately when it ended we got stuck in the sandy parking lot. Kevin helped several people get out, figuring his big truck wouldn’t have a problem but it sure did. After many attempts at him pushing with several other guys and then someone trying to pull it out with a strap attached to his car. It was still a no go. At this point the rear tires were in up to the axles. I got on the phone to AAA. They arrived in 40 minutes and had us out in 2 minutes..I wanted to hang around for the night airshow, but at this point he said NO Way..

We did stop on our way out for this pretty sunset on the beach..

Moving Day and A Surprise Overhead

2011-11-01T18:41:00.001-05:00

Today we were to move to Topsail Hill Preserve in Santa Rosa Beach. An easy 68 mile drive, so not too hurried. Good thing, because I started hearing the blast over head..Yup, sure enough it was the Blue Angel’s practicing..

It was really cool to watch them.. We hope to get to their Veterans Day Evening Show next week.

We finally got packed up, hitched up and were on our way…

When we arrived at Topsail Hill, we checked in, were assigned our site and given our schedule for the month. We will be driving the tram and our first day isn’t until next Monday.. Not bad, we have almost a week to get settled!

We are Happy Campers!!!!!

Enjoying the Solitude

2011-10-31T19:02:00.001-05:00

We love visiting this area this time of year. No crowds….Friday was a beautiful sunny day with temps reaching 76. We arrived that day and just settled in. Saturday it was cooler and windy. The sand was whipping around, so not a good day to walk on the beach. We did go late afternoon down the street to Crabs, to sit outside overlooking the beach and have dinner. The wind was blocked by the restaurant. .. It was nice.

Sunday the winds had calmed down. Sun was in and out and temps mid to upper 60’s. I decided to head to the beach. I was really looking forward to a nice walk but it is difficult to walk on this nice soft sand. I kept sinking.

I did my best though, lol…There was the usual surf…

And jelly fish…

And I love the sand dunes…

These beautiful white sugar beaches of the Gulf Islands National Seashore are composed of fine quartz eroded from granite in the Appalachian Mtns. The sand is carried seaward by rivers and creeks and deposited by currents along the shore.

Monday, perfect day. We headed down to the beach in the morning..

We watched these dolphins having fun…

Feeling guilty enjoying all this, when our son and his family are back in Massachusetts with no power since the snowstorm. They are telling them it may be the end of the week. Hope they can find a place to take the kids trick or treating….

This evening we headed back to the beach to catch the sunset…

Tomorrow we pack up and head to Topsail, where we will spend the month workcamping…..

And, Just What Have We Been Up To??

2011-10-29T18:14:00.001-05:00

Not much….except spending some time with our grandkids, which we love.

I have done very little. I am still under the weather. This time with bronchitis, that I can’t seem to shake. I first thought I was just having a bad allergy season, but that wasn’t it. I had put myself on antibiotics and after finishing that up and waiting a week, I figured I needed to head back to dr. My head felt like I was in a chamber, had sore throat and cough that won’t quit. I was given a steroid shot to clear my head (and it did, within 7 hrs) and put on another 10 day stronger antibiotic. Hope it helps..

We were scheduled to leave Wednesday morning for Florida. We did…We wanted to take our time before reporting to Topsail for our month of workcamping. We stopped the first night at Coushatta Casino in Kinder, La. We wanted to add La to our map. We have driven through it so many many times, but never stayed there. Mission accomplished! What a great campground they have and only cost $18. Of course it cost us alot more at the casino, lol..

Next night we stopped at Hollywood Casino, Bay St Louis, Ms. We always stop here, when we drive to and from Florida. Not sure if we will again though, cost us $35. for the night.. I don’t like to pay that for overnight stops.

Friday we continued on our way to Ft Pickens in Pensacola, Fl. I had made reservations for a 4 night stay. It is such a pretty area, across from the National Seashore and the beautiful white sand beaches. With Kevin’s pass, only cost us $10 a night. Only problem here, no sewer. Okay for 4 nights though. It has been quite a few years since we camped here.

On Tuesday we will head up the road to Topsail Hill Preserve. We will workcamp for the month of November. They called us yesterday to confirm, and told us we will be once again driving the beach tram, our first day of work will be the 4th, which gives us several days to get settled.

Until then..we hope to relax and enjoy the ocean!!

Getting Caught Up

2011-10-02T13:28:00.001-05:00

Our last day in Gillette, Kevin & I got up early and headed to see Devil’s Tower.. It was very impressive.

We were back by noon and I sat out with the gang. That evening we celebrated Marcia’s birthday at a nearby Chinese Restaurant.

The next morning we all started getting packed up, with hugs all around,we headed out, one by one. We were heading to Hart Ranch in South Dakota. Lynette & Gregg and John and Bridgett were also heading to the same park.

What a great campground…

The next day Kevin & I headed to Deadwood..Kevin had waited long enough for his gambling fix, lol.. It is a neat old town with lots of small casino’s, shops and restaurants…

After we had lunch, Kevin wasn’t feeling that well and we left, with plans to return another day.

That evening John & Bridget were hosting a cookout at their place. Kevin stayed home but I went over for awhile. When I got back home I was extremely tired and not feeling all too well myself. Everything went downhill from there. It was the start of a bad week for me! With so many plans, to see the area, I pushed myself one day to at least do a drive by of Mt Rushmore..

That was all I could accomplish. I was back in bed in no time. This is definately a place I want to return to some day.

We left on Sunday morning and stopped for what we thought would be one night in Nebraska. However, the truck was acting up a bit and we had an engine light on. Luckily there was a Dodge dealership just up the street, and first thing Monday morning, Kevin was at their door. Turns out we needed to have a new exhaust filter replaced. They needed to order one and they were nice enough to have it overnighted. We had it replaced on Tuesday, under warranty, yippee. We were back on the road Tuesday afternoon. We drove until late Tuesday night. We stopped for the night in a truck stop in Kansas. I was very anxious to get back home to Texas, so I could see a dr. I hadn’t eaten in days, I was so weak and really feeling miserable. We made it back safe and sound Wednesday afternoon. We are parked in our daughter’s back yard. I saw the dr Thursday morning. I was immediately put on a strong antibiotic, treated for a bacterial infection and had blood taken. I was told if not better by Saturday to head to the ER. Luckily the med worked. I started feeling better by the weekend. It has taken alot out of me. I have been exhausted. They want me back for more blood work this week. They are trying to figure out where the heck I picked up this thing. I also started having joint pain in shoulder and knee and they want to know if it is coincidental or associated with this thing.

We are scheduled to be in Tn on Wednesday. We have plans with a group of friends to have our second get together at Defeated Creek. If we get there, we will be late. I have to see if the dr can get this thing figured out.

In the meantime, we are getting some things accomplished. We purchased a new tire for the truck. Same tire was $50 more in Gillette, so glad we waited to get home to have that done. We have an appointment with H&R Block tomorrow afternoon, to have an issue hopefully resolved with them and the IRS. Kevin has seen his dr and had some meds increased. He hasn’t been able to get in to see his dentist though and that could be a problem. The best part so far is, we have really enjoyed spending some time with our grandkids. That is the toughest part of being on the road. Missing the kids so much!! We hope to get to Boston sometime soon also, to see our other two grandkids.

So that about catches us up…Our plans right now are in jello. Who knows where or when he hit the road again. Hopefully soon!!

The Escapade

2011-10-02T12:09:00.001-05:00

Guess I never posted this…oh well, better late than never!

We have had a busy week working here in Gillette, Wy, for the Escapade. Although busy, it has been fun.. Kevin & I, Mac & Netters handled the Hospitality Area and Popcorn booth along with our many volunteers. I was just too busy to take many pictures..lol !! I did have the chance to attend several seminars, that were very interesting.

One night we had a Class of 2007 Happy Hour…

Of course there was food…

A few words about the members of the class that we lost this year….

An adoption…

With friends John & Bridget, part of our class now….

This is the really neat Wyoming Center, where almost everything took place, under one roof…

Barb on the right, working at the office…

The closing ceremony…

Molly, thanking everyone for a very successful rally….

Even though the rally has ended, many of us are hanging around here for several more days..

We had a get together at Marcia and Joe’s last night with everyone bringing a baked potato and a topping….

Even had some games…

And a serenade by Bea for Mark and Dortha, celebrating their 44th Wedding Anniversary!!

And another one planned for tonight.. The temps have dropped, so not sure if we will last long….

The Road to Gillette

2011-08-29T22:18:00.001-05:00

Cody to Buffalo..

Wednesday, we pulled out of the campground about 8:20am…Other than a few bumpy spots due to road work, it was a smooth and interesting ride… The first half was boring but then, the scene changed….

The roads became very curvy and we went up, up, up….

Until we reached an elevation just over 10,000 ft

Before long, it was time to go down, down, down….

And not long after we got to the bottom, we were all tucked in to Deer Park Campground in Buffalo, for one night.

Buffalo to Gillette….

Thursday we got off to a good start towards Gillette. It was an easy drive. We arrived at the Camplex with no lines. After parking, we all headed up to get ourselves checked in. Later afternnoon we had a staff meeting and happy hour, and got to catch up with old friends..

Let the Escapade Begin!!!

Since then, it has all been a blur. We have had more meetings, staff dinner, more happy hours, lots of hugs, entertainment, seminars, shopping, dinner out and oh ya, work!!! We have been sharing the duties of Hospitality and the Popcorn booth, with Mac and Lynette. We have kept quite busy, which is why no pictures..I hope to get a few in the next few days!

Cody, Wyoming

2011-08-23T12:19:00.001-05:00

We left Island Park last Thursday morning. It was a really neat drive through Yellowstone..

Look at this house..

We arrived at Yellowstone Valley Inn & Campground shortly after noon.

Barb and Bob, Barb and Roger and a new couple, Don and Susie were already at the park. Mac, Lynette, Chuck & Kathy and John and Bridget arrived later afternoon. It was great to see everyone and get caught up on what has been going on with our friends.

Although the campground is all gravel, we are surrounded by incredible beauty..

Behind our site..

Across from us (Don & Susie’s site)

Across the road…

Out our side window at night…

We have kept busy seeing some sights, but have also chilled out and visited, had a few happy hours, dinners and card games..

Buffalo Bill Dam & Visitor Center.. 295 ft down in the Shoshone River…

The tunnel…

The Old West As It Really Was…

The Old West in miniature at Old West Tecumseh’s Village..

The popular Irma Hotel, where a gunfight takes place outside every evening..

Tomorrow morning we will head to Gillette, to attend and work with staff for the Escapees Escapade. Several couples left today, as they have to start a day earlier. We are looking forward to this event, that our friends Bob & Molly are directors for this year. They sure have been working very hard to make this a huge success. Can’t wait!!

Hitch Itch and a Birthday

2011-08-15T11:23:00.001-05:00

Well it has really hit us all here.. Hitch Itch, that is..We are ready to roll on. For some reason, this has been a very long month. Once you see the sights of Yellowstone, shopped several days in West Yellowstone and driven around the surrounding area, there just isn’t much to do. We are in dire need of grocery’s from a big store and a nail salon, lol… Kevin has even done all the cleaning he can do!

Saturday, we did have a reason to celebrate. It was Kathy’s birthday.. Chuck treated us all to dinner at a rather different place for us all.

The birthday girl..listening to a Happy Birthday song..

We had lots of tapas…starting with a cheese and meat plate. That was followed by meatballs, chicken, shrimp and a very tasty potato, egg dish somewhat like a quiche..

Sample of the meatball dish…

We all left with full tummy’s and headed back to the park for cake and ice cream…

Thanks Chuck for treating us to dinner and Thanks Kathy for having a birthday, and letting us celebrate with you!! Hope you have many, many more..

LIG

Exploring More of the Area

2011-08-10T12:49:00.001-05:00

We had a few more sights to see, so Mac, Lynette, Kevin & I headed down the road to visit Johnny Sack Cabin Big Springs..

This log cabin and wheel house, was built by this German immigrant, starting in 1929, and is now a landmark in the Island Park area.

Johnny Sack’s…

Everything was made by him and primarily out of hand tools…

Beautiful handcrafted work..

Outside the springs were so crystal clear.. This is one of the 40 largest natural springs in the world. It is said, that it produces over 120 million gallons of water each day. Wow….

And home to rainbow trout, muskrats, and ducks…

On the way home, an ice cream stop on the river, was in order..

A great day with friends…

On Tuesday, Kevin & I started out early to drive over to the Earthquake Area…where in 1959, one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in North America, struck the Madison River Canyon…

We visited the visitor center, where you can still see the impact it had ..

Fianlly, there is new growth.

When 80 million tons of rock crashed down into the canyon, it blocked the Madison River. The water backed up behind the rocks and formed Earthquake Lake, pictured below…

Further down the road we drove past Hebgen Lake, where the land under it tilted upward…Many people who were vacationing, were trapped.

The area has been rebuilt and once again, being enjoyed by many…

We detoured on a dirt road following the river, hoping maybe to catch some wildlife…

Only saw this momma and her baby….

We were home early afternoon, and just in time for a card game with the gang…. Another great day!

Back to Yellowstone

2011-08-05T13:09:00.001-05:00

Wednesday morning, Kevin & I were up, out and at the park entrance at 8am. We wanted to get an early start before the crowds set in.

Not long after entering the park, we saw this Elk enjoying his morning walk…

We headed south to see the paint pots and geysers…Because it was early morning and the air was still cool, the steam was amazing coming from the geysers..

Cascade Falls…

West Thumb Geyser Basin..

Yellowstone Lake…

Lehardy Rapids…

This is where we found a perfect spot for a picnic lunch…

We entered Hayden Valley, where we had hopes of finding some wildlife..

But all we saw were more Bison… Who caused quite a traffic jam..

No more wildlife for today but plenty of beauty…

Another great day!

Sawtelle Peak

2011-08-02T22:21:00.001-05:00

Saturday night the park help a potluck. Lots of good food. After dinner we stayed in the clubhouse to play cards. I lost!

Sunday afternoon it was a bit windy, with a few showers so we headed back to the clubhouse to play cards again.

Monday Kevin and I headed out early to go to Rexburg. I needed some allergy medicine and grocery’s. We stopped at Joe’s Filling Station for breakfast. It was a rainy and cool day. Donna & Keith had gone off for the day and the others were housebound for the day.

This morning, Kevin did some cleaning on Keith and Donna’s beautiful new home.. I sat around outside chatting with Keith & Donna. We all decided to head up to Sawtell Peak..

It is 10000 ft above sea level, and looks down on three states, as well as Yellowstone NP and the Teton’s..

It was a bit cloudy and hazy today, but we sure did appreciate the beauty…

We got a glimpse of this deer, but he wouldn’t cooperate for a good picture.

Felt like we were on top of the world…

On the way down, we stopped to get a good look at all the wildflowers… So many varieties and very pretty…..

Who can name them????

And that ends another day here in Island Park…

Yellowstone Wildlife

2011-07-30T09:45:00.001-05:00

On our trip to Yellowstone, we like most people, were constantly on the lookout for wildlife.. We were pretty lucky!

Mule deer… (oops, guess it’s a cow elk!)

Herds of Bison…

We had to stop to let this black bear cross the street…

Then we caught site of this grizzly…

A little further down the road, we saw a crowd watching the bushes…

And listened to instructions from the park ranger, warning us to just slowly drift away to our vehicles, if this adult black bear decided to cross the street toward us…he didn’t!

We did see another grizzly up on a hill, but I couldn’t get a picture quick enough..

Proghorn Antelope…

We didn’t get to see any Moose, so we will be searching when we return, however we were very satisfied with what we did see….

Yellowstone Wow !

2011-07-30T09:41:00.001-05:00

Only those that have been to Yellowstone can know that pictures , don’t capture the beauty of this fabulous park.

Mac, Lynette, Kathy, Chuck, Kevin and I all piled into our rented van for a long day of exploring…

Mammoth Hot Springs…

Rivers and streams….

Many waterfalls…

Beautiful rock formations….

Pretty field of flowers…

Words just don’t describe it!

Next blog will capture some of the wildlife we saw…

Old Faithful and the Grizzly & Wolf Center

2011-07-29T22:46:00.001-05:00

Monday, we all headed into Yellowstone for the first visit. Our goal was to head to Old Faithful..

We passed by so many geysers..

But of course the biggest and best of all…

Quite a site to see!

After browsing around the shops, it was time for a picnic….

And we watched the fishermen…

And saw quite a few Bison..

We just had a taste of the park and are looking forward to our full day excursion on Wednesday..

Tuesday, Donna & Keith arrived to spend a few weeks here with us. We all headed to the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center…

We had fun watching several bears…

Got a glimpse of this lazy Wolf…

And Lynette & I posed for this picture…

Hanging Out With Friends

2011-07-23T14:55:00.001-05:00

We are having a grand time here in Island Park. It is so nice to be hanging out with friends. The weather has been great, in the 70’s. Much better then most of the country right now. We are very fortunate to be here. It does get windy late afternoon, but it doesn’t stop us from having happy hour or dinner outside.

The other day Mac and Chuck needed to get blood work done, and Lynette, Kathy & I made appointments to have nails and hair done, so we headed to Rexburg. We stopped for lunch at Joe’s Filling Station…

Then the guys dropped us off at the salon. When we all finished up, we did some grocery shopping at Albertson’s. On the way home, Mac took the scenic route. We drove by Mesa Falls…

Very pretty!

Yesterday, the guys played golf and we girls took a drive down the road to a few Antiques Show/Flea Markets. We browsed and picked up just a few things..

We stopped for an ice cream and sat by the river watching folks float by…

We then headed home and waited for the guys to return and get the grills going for dinner. After dinner, it was into Chuck & Kathy’s for a few games of Chase the Ace. Kevin won twice and Lynette once…

Tonight we have tickets for a dinner theatre, more on that later….

LIG

Arriving at Island Park, Id

2011-07-20T17:09:00.001-05:00

We left Twin Falls with Kathy & Chuck shortly after 8am Monday morning. We had about a 280 mile drive. We stopped in Idaho Falls for a few errands, lunch and to fuel up. It was there that Mac, Lynette, John and Bridgett arrived for the same. With hugs all around we all went about our shopping, and soon we were on our way to Island Park.

Our first look at the Tetons…

And Valley View RV Park, our home for the next month…

We all have settled in nicely, all next to one another. We have had our happy hours, dinners and card games. Yesterday the guys went to look at the golf course and we girls went into West Yellowstone to do a little browsing.

Today Chuck took Kathy, Bridgett and I on a tour around the area.

We stopped to look at this nesting Osprey…

And then onto Henry Lake…

This is such a beautiful area and we sure do look forward to seeing more of it, but it was time to head back to the campground and get ready for another happy hour with great friends!

LIG!!

Twin Falls, Id

2011-07-17T13:58:00.001-05:00

We had all decided there just wasn’t much to do around Mountain Home, so Kathy made us reservations for a park near Twin Falls. It really sounded good. We all packed up and headed out on Friday morning.

When we arrived and went in the office, the music in there was so loud it was deafening. This park has a huge mineral water pool, which was the draw for us. We imagined ourselves sitting in the nice mineral water relaxing! Well, one look and we knew that wasn’t happening.. Beside the blasting music, it was loaded with kids. You have to pay $5 to use the pool and for the most part, it is used by day users. We proceeded to our site, where we had to make some adjustments with the way they wanted us to park. Don’t think they are used to these big homes in here. It is mostly smaller tt and tents. Luckily we are in the back so we aren’t surrounded on all sides.

Yesterday, we started out in different directions, but with a plan to meet at the visitors center. This is the spot of the Snake River Gorge…The Snake River starts in Yellowstone NP and travels over 1,000 miles until it merges with the Columbia River in the state of Washington…

Notice the golf course in the midst of the beauty..

The IB Perinne Bridge, the only manmade structure, that allows you to jump from a height of 486 ft without a permit into the river….Unfortunately, no jumps while we were there.

After lunch we were off to see some waterfalls….

But the best was Shoshone Falls, named the “Niagara of the West”. At 212 ft, it is taller than Niagara Falls.

You can see the rainbows at the bottom….

It was spectacular!

We started back to the park and Kevin noticed a car show going on..

Back at the park, Chuck and Kevin watched golf and Kathy & I sat outside for our happy hour, enjoying a nice breeze…

That ended another very enjoyable day with friends…

Tomorrow we head to Island Park for the month to meet up with more good friends, meet new ones, and to explore Yellowstone NP.. LIG

Arriving at Mountain Home AFB, Id

2011-07-14T22:50:00.001-05:00

We arrived in Idaho early Sunday afternoon. We pulled in right next to Chuck & Kathy, and they were there to greet us. After setting up, we sat outside catching up. Kathy went in to prepare dinner. She had cooked a wonderful crab casserole. We were both very excited, as we love crab. It was fantastic, along with the caeser salad and yummy bread and great dessert. Can’t thank them enough.. We all headed into our homes and we relaxed the rest of the night.

Monday, Kevin & Chuck headed out to play golf. Kathy & I went shopping on base. I was looking for a new toaster oven, as my oven part stopped working. Couldn’t find what I wanted. We planned on grocery shopping but the commissary is closed on Monday’s. We then drove to the golf course for lunch, and wait for the guys to finish up. We once again sat outside enjoying the nice weather until 9ish.

Tuesday, we thought we would see a bit of the area..

These are suppose to be the biggest sand dunes in the US..

Wasn’t much to see and it didn’t take very long, so we headed into Boise to do a few errands. We stopped at Costco and did some shopping and had lunch. In the evening, Chuck came over to watch the baseball all star game with Kevin.

Wednesday, we headed out to get an oil change and do our big shopping at the commissary. Since we are headed up to Island Park on Monday for a month, we wanted to stock up, since the stores will be small in the area. Kathy & Chuck grilled some yummy salmon for dinner. After dinner we played cards and I didn’t win a one!!

Today the guys went out to play golf again. Once again Kathy & I went shopping for a few more things. I am cooking dinner tonight, so we chatted while I prepared. Friends of their’s, that they met in the Valley this winter, came for a visit and joined us for dinner.

We are suppose to stay here in Mountain Home until Sunday but since there is not much to do, we have made other plans. Hope they are better, lol.. We will be a rolling in the morning….

Time to Move

2011-07-09T15:26:00.001-05:00

Our drive from Pendleton to Ontario was another easy drive.

Driving through the Cascades is a pretty one…

Rivers..

Trains…

Snow…

Little towns…

Lots of farms…

We entered Mountain Time but only for a few minutes. We exited to get to the campground and we were back in Pacific Time..

We are at Farewell Bend State Park. It is on the Brownlee Reservoir and Snake River. Very pretty park but only 30amp and no sewer.

The sites all seem to have a view of the water..

This is from our site..

We are liking the convenience of these state parks. Right off the highway. I would recommend any of the Oregon State Parks to those travelling this way. They seem to really take pride in them.

We entered Oregon May 1st, guess it’s about time we move on to another state…Idaho here we come!! We will be meeting up with Chuck and Kathy Donley tomorrow at Mountain Home AFB, for a week..From then on, we will be travelling with friends. How fun!!

Heading to Pendleton, Or

2011-07-07T22:08:00.001-05:00

We were on the road by 9am this morning. It was an easy drive, only 160 miles travelling 84east. We followed the Columbia River for quite some time..

We passed several dams..

And tree farms…

And lots of open space, the landscape sure has changed…

We had to stop at this casino…

I played several slots, and they weren’t paying out anything. Kevin however, had great luck at the blackjack table. His total winning $500.. He treated us to the lunch buffet, which was very good.. After several hours, we were on our way to the campground, only 23 miles further.

We were going up and down and their were lots of twists and turns…

And we finally arrived at Emigrant Springs State Park..Once again, it is located right off the highway. We are only here for one night, so we didn’t disconnect.

The Historic Columbia River Highway

2011-07-06T18:31:00.001-05:00

We started out early this morning. We had lots to see..

First stop was the Viento State Park, where we could walk to the river..

I had to feel the water…It was pretty darn nice.

We watched the wind surfers…

Next..We saw Bridge of the Gods. Connecting Oregon to Washington..

Bonneville Dam..

We then came upon our first waterfall..

And the big grandaddy of the falls…

One of the most popular tourist destinations in Oregon. It’s 620 foot drop makes it the second highest year round waterfall in the U.S.

The beautiful drive ..

Takes us to yet another…

This one was a bit more challenging. The 2/3 mi walk was along trails, up and down hills and steps..

But definately worth it… My favorite!

The water travels down to the river…

One more…

And the last one…

Our last stop, where the views were spectacular..

That pretty much sums up our stay in this area. We head further up the river tomorrow to a state park near Pendleton for one night.. Again, we have loved it here and feel so lucky to have experienced the beauty of the area.

Out to Explore Hood and Columbia River Area

2011-07-06T17:00:00.001-05:00

Once we got settled yesterday, we were off…We headed to the Fruit Loop, which is part of the Hood River Valley. The loop was established in 1992. It was a way for the local orchards to promote their farm stands. However it is made up primarily of apples and pears. They of course are not in season, so many of the stands are closed. It has changed over the years and has now added vineyards and wineries, nut and berry farms, and lavender fields.

Up ahead Mt Hood….

We stopped at Packer Family Orchards & Bakery…

The fruit room only selling cherries, at this time… but the bakery, had lots of homemade cookies, tough deciding which to buy. Kevin bought a scoop of ice cream and I had to pull him away from the little pies, they were selling. We still have pie!

The next stop was at the Hood River Lavender Farm… Where you can see Mt Hood from one side and Mt Adams from the other…

Mt Hood…

Mt Adams…

They grow 70 varieties of lavender and you can pick your own bouquet..

I bought a bouquet to hang in the bedroom. We even bought some lavender oil for Kevin to sniff, to see if it helps him sleep!

After making the entire loop, we ended up downtown Mt Hood. We stopped to pick up a small pizza and sandwich. When we came out, we had a ticket for our tire touching the white line!! Guess they have to make their money on us, out of state guys..

Later in the evening I took a walk around the campground…

Our site..

Our view of the Columbia River..

More to come later…

Stub Stewart SP and Heading to the Gorge

2011-07-05T21:15:00.001-05:00

Tuesday morning it was time to move. We have really enjoyed this state campground we have been at. We drove around to see the rest of it. There are five sections..2 full hookup sections, 1 cabin section, day use area, and a horse camp..

Day Use Area…

Lots of trails but rather hilly…

Wild flowers everywhere…

Horse Camp..

We would definately return here again, if we are in the area. But for now, time to move on…to the Columbia River Gorge..

Driving through Portland…

Once at the gorge… It was breathtaking, however hazy, and pictures taken through the windshield not so clear…

The drive was a beautiful one… We arrived at the Memaloose State Park, which is directly on the Columbia River. Easy access for our touring the area.. More on that tomorrow!

Getting Settled and My Day Out

2011-07-02T22:32:00.001-05:00

We have moved to Stub Stewart State Park, about 30 miles west of Portland, Or. Nice park, with full hookups and very large site. We will stay here until Tuesday.

Today I needed a day out.. Retail Therapy was in the plan. It has been way to long, since I have been in a nice big department store. While we were in Astoria, I was excited because they had a JC Penny. Well, it was very old, just like the city. It reminded me of the department store Gilchrest, we had in the city I grew up in. The floors creek when you walk, and had to walk up stairs to the next level. Yup, it was that old and not a very good selection. Anyway, it was time for some shopping, I was out of makeup. I headed to Portland and a very nice mall. I spent several hours browsing and picking up a few things. When I had enough of that, I drove a few miles to Trader Joe’s. Think it will be quite awhile before hitting another one of those. Good thing, because I don’t have enough space to store anymore two buck chuck and granola bars! After a stop, at Safeway for grocery’s, I headed home.

The weather is wonderful and we are finally in warm weather, at least for now. We will just be relaxing while here. Kevin worked at cleaning the outside of the RV today. He hurt his shoulder, so he will take it easy for a few days.

Our next stop will take us to the gorge, where we hope to tour the waterfalls, weather permitting. We are slowly working our way towards Idaho, to meet up with friends and spend a month touring Yellowstone.

Everyone have a Safe and Happy 4th!!

Leaving the Coast

2011-06-30T17:38:00.001-05:00

Yes, we will be leaving the coast of Washington in the morning. Today we wanted to take one more look at the great Pacific Ocean.

We headed up the road to Cape Disappointment. We stopped at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center.

The Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean…

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse…

We toured the center and watched the movie, which brought us through the expedition, starting in St Louis in 1804…

Putting these earphones on, you can hear the up to date info on the ships travelling the Columbia River into the Pacific and back. Today there will be seven arriving..The first coming from Brazil, two from Korea, and a few from Canada. There will be two leaving.. So much industry travelling though these waters!

We then headed down to the port of Ilwaco for some lunch…

After lunch it was one more stroll at Long Beach…

And that ends our coastal tour.. We have loved every minute of it, but there is so much more of this beautiful country to see..

Tomorrow we head 80 miles inland towards Portland for a four night stay at a state park..

Visiting Mt St Helens

2011-06-27T10:49:00.001-05:00

We had planned on doing this trip to see Mt St Helen’s, either Monday or Tuesday, but after checking the weather it looked like Sunday was the best day for weather. We had 120 mile drive and certainly didn’t want to get up there, and not be able to see it… We made the right decision..it was a perfect day, with very few clouds..

Look at all the wood at this logging plant….

A first glimpse, many miles away…

And we stopped at all the visitors centers all the way up…

After 31 years, still signs of the devastation..

New growth…

Waterfalls..

Roadside snow…

Kids having fun…

Picnics anywhere….

The intense movie about the eruption…

And then the curtains open to this….

Outside on the deck…

We loved it, and feel so very fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience this…

On the way down, it was time for a late lunch….

Overlooking this river…

We ended our perfect day, sharing this homemade mountainberry cobbler….

Onto Washington

2011-06-25T19:09:00.001-05:00

Well, we get to put another state on our map. We won’t be here long but at least we made it…

We are officially in the state of Wa.. We weren’t too sure about coming to this TT park. We had driven through it last week and didn’t like the feeling. We decided to head here anyway and if we didn’t like it, then head back to Seaside. But now that we are here, it’s not all that bad. We have satellite and sewer, which we didn’t have last week. Everyone knows, that makes Kevin happy! The park itself is old.Each site has an electrical box for two sites, one with 30amp and one with 50. If you luck out and get there first, then you get the 50amp. We lucked out and got the 50amp site… The sewer and water are towards the back. The grass was knee high when we arrived but they have since done a quick cut job.

The best part is the beach is only a half mile walk…

The beach itself was pretty cluttered with debris..

But the ocean, as always is just so beautiful.. I never tire of it!

The little towns surrounding here are quite neat..

We found the Cottage Bakery, where the big attraction is the Devil Dog..It is a cross between an eclair and cream filled donut. Yum!

We took in the Saturday Market, which was the next town over, down on the harbor and very nice..

Hey Donna, look what we found. They were selling these for $26! These are cheese platters made out of wine bottles. Our friend Donna has been collecting wine bottles from all of us, with hopes of some day making them. We have all had to drink alot of wine to help the cause!!

The only thing I bought, was a mint plant. I was reading a recipe one day that called for fresh mint. Now I don’t remember what the recipe was for, lol….Anyone with any recipes that calls for mint? I think this one is orange mint.

When we left the market we stopped at this nice park..

There were clouds in the sky, but also lots of sun today. That makes 3 days in a row!! I think it’s a record for the few months we have been in this area.. I hope it keep up..

A Look Around Ft Stevens State Park

2011-06-22T18:27:00.001-05:00

The Fort Stevens Military Reservation guarded the mouth of the Columbia River from the Civil War through World War II.

This is the largest state park campground in Oregon, with over 500 sites.

Our site..You can see, lots of trees, which means no satellite and lots of mosquitoes!

The hull of a shipwreck on the beach.. The Wreck of the” Peter Iredale”…

Coffenbury Lake…

Some folks just chillin…

And others taking a dip…

We then explored the fort…

There was alot to see, they also offer a truck tour….

But we were getting hungry, so we headed to downtown Astoria and had fish & chips at the….

Just a little boat in the middle of a parking lot across from the Maritime Museum. I have read rave reviews on trip advisor. Their fish is actually tuna, which I wasn’t sure about, but it was really good. I still think I prefer halibut though.

On our way back we stopped along the river…

And chatted with another couple and watched this big freighter go by…

Tomorrow we hook up and head up the road and over the bridge to Long Beach, Wa…

Fathers Day and A Trip to Washington

2011-06-19T13:43:00.001-05:00

I miss my dad all the time, but of course Fathers Day is always tough for those of us that have lost dad’s.

He was very special to me. Such a kind, soft spoken, patient and protective man. I was “Daddy’s Little Girl”. Actually he sang alot, and I have so many memories of sitting on his lap while he sang that song to me. I also have memories of dancing on his feet on Saturday night, watching Lawrence Welk! I feel very blessed that before he died, I got the chance to tell him exactly how I felt and that he was the best dad in the world and that I was a very lucky girl to have him for my dad.. And I was..

Happy Father’s Day Dad..until we meet again….

Kevin won’t get to spend his day with our kids.

So, his wish was to head to a casino.. The closest one was in Ocean Shores, Washington. Just a short 100 mile drive, lol. Saturday was a cloudy, drizzly day, so we headed that way. The weather cleared up a bit in Wa , although the sun didn’t shine, and the drive was a pretty nice one.

So green… Lots of these trucks..

We had no idea we would see so many trees..Guess we know where our Christmas Trees come from. In fact, we saw the sign that said Weyerhaeuser Douglas Fir Plantation but it was closed off.

This Weyerhaeuser sign says that hundreds of acres of trees were lost to 120 mph winds along 101.

There really is beauty in trees..

The casino was nicer than we expected and we both had a good time. They gave us $5 free play for signing up for the players card. I played for 3 hours on that money, and came home with $25.. Kevin on the other hand was a loser once again!

Back to Oregon…

Happy Fathers Day to all the dad’s out there….

Changing Plans…

2011-06-17T22:23:00.001-05:00

Well, we had quite a day on Thursday. It was our day to depart from TT. We had pretty much decided we wanted to fly home to Houston. Kevin wanted to get in some golf and I wanted to see my hairdresser and of course we would get to see the grandkids. So we made arrangements and paid for storage at the TT. We fly standby and our flight wasn’t until midnight, so we had all day to hang out. They told us we could stay in our site until 6p and then take it to the storage lot. In the meantime I had cancelled our reservations for the state park up the road. Late afternoon, I checked our flight and it did not look good at all. It was very full. We just didn’t want to drive 2.5 hrs and not get on and then have no where to sleep the night. Sooooo, we cancelled, told TT we wouldn’t store, and hooked up as fast as we could and booked it up the road to Ft Stevens State Park and luckily they hadn’t given our site away, whew!!! Good thing because they are full for the weekend. It was very stressful for a bit but all worked out for us.

So here we are at Ft Stevens in Astoria. Not a bad park, but our particular site, we cannot get satellite, too many trees. We don’t have sewer but do have 50amp, however we blew a fuse this morning… I think it will empty out Sun/Mon, and we will see if we can move to another site.

Last night, after setting up, we drove down the road and had a fabulous meal of halibut and chips. Mmm, so good. We are getting our fill of chowder and fish while here for sure.

Today was a nice day, yes the sun was out. We can’t believe what a big deal they make out of the weather on the news… We drove into Astoria, where the traffic was quite heavy. I wanted to visit the visitors center and get some info of road trips we want to take. I am thinking alot of the kids are out of school now and things have really picked up. It won’t be as enjoyable as it has been for us thus far. After stopping to pick up grocery’s we headed home and relaxed the rest of the day.

Tomorrow is suppose to rain. Sunday sounds better and we have a plan for Fathers Day that will make my hubby happy.

Relaxing and Browsing

2011-06-15T11:43:00.001-05:00

Friday..Well, we got the boys on the flight back to Houston. It was close to 2:30am when we got back. Needless to say, Saturday was a do nothing day. Although tired, we are missing the little guys like crazy.

Sunday.. Another pretty lazy day. I made chili for lunch and went for a soak in the hot tub. After talking to several people about razor clams, I HAD to try them. So we took a ride down the road to pick some up. They are okay but not what I expected. Probably wouldn’t get them again.

Monday..Lousy, cloudy, rainy day. Did lots of laundry and changed the bed. Our plan today got scratched due to weather. We did go to Astoria to grocery shop.

After looking at the weather yesterday, it looked like the best day of the week to get out. So, we headed to Cannon Beach to walk around the neat little town.

And a peek at the beach..

Then we headed back to Seaside and strolled around the town there.. Lots of shops.

And we popped into this old fashioned soda shop..

After asking for suggestions, we had lunch at a local restaurant and then headed back home.

Today is packing up day, since our two weeks here are up tomorrow. Not easy to do in the rain, everything is all wet.

We may be heading back to the heat, for a week or so tomorrow. We shall see..

Astoria and Cape Disappointment

2011-06-10T12:51:00.001-05:00

Wednesday was a down day. I went and got myself a pedicure. The kids played and swam with their friends. Kevin watched sports.

Thursday we decided to head to Astoria..and so glad we did.

First stop was the Astoria Column..

Joey, Logan and I started up, but Logan was a little nervous and he headed back down to hang out with Grampy..

Joey and I continued to climb the 164 stairs! I was a bit winded going up, going down was a breeze. They sell wooden airplanes, that you write your name on and fly it from the top. Joey flew his and I flew Logan’s. He retrieved them down below…

Nice views up top, of the Columbia River...

Then we headed to the waterfront and the Columbia River Maritime Museum…(they don’t allow pictures inside)

We watched a movie and did the self guided tour. Very interesting..

We got to board the Columbia..

After touring we headed outside to catch the trolley…

For $1. per person what a great narrated trip up and down the River Walk. We learnt alot about the area.

We hopped off for lunch at…

The kids lunch came in these cute dog bowls... They gave the kids goody bags with cookies, candy, a list of things to look for in the restuarant and crayons to write on the paper tablecloths..

After lunch we boarded the trolley to take us back to the parking lot.

We had one more stop in mind…. Over the bridge…

To…

And through the tunnel..

To Cape Disappointment…

And that ended another very enjoyable day..

Tonight we head to Portland for the kids to take the red eye flight, that their mom is working, back to Houston… It has been so much fun..

Fun Day With the Boys

2011-06-08T19:48:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was all about the boys. We decided to head south again to show them a few sites, we knew they would like.

First stop was this cannon, that washed up on shore in 1846 on Cannon Beach…

Then it was on to Boiler Bay…

Then in Pacific City we wanted them to see the Haystack Rock that looks like the indian..

And the big sand dunes…

And Depoe Bay…where we knew they would love the Whale Center… Gray Whales had been spotted and we were told where to look. Unfortunately out of the four of us, I was the only one to spot it.. It is a neat place where you have use of the binoculars, and the park rangers tell you where to look..

We travelled as far as Newport, to take them to the Hatfield Marine Science Center…I knew they would really love it, and they did..

The last stop was at Newport Bay so they could see these guys..

And I think Logan’s favorite part of the day was here talking to these guys fishing..(he loves to fish) They even let him pull up a a crab basket and explained what they can keep and cannot keep..

And let him hold the crab..

We had a great day but it was a long drive back..We travelled 250 miles, but sure worth it!!

Seaside and Another Grandson’s Arrival

2011-06-08T14:56:00.001-05:00

Thursday was moving day again. We were headed to the Thousand Trails in Seaside. I have heard good things about this park.

When we arrived we were told to pick our site. We of course opted for the 50amp side, and lucked out when we found a site directly across from the pool, hot tub, playground and family activity center. Perfect! We are parked next to a neat family, who full time with their four children ages 8,6,4 and baby. They home school and also started a business Fulltimerfamilies.com. Anyone who knows of a family that are fulltiming or want to, have them hook up with Chris & Kimberly. Joey was happy to have friends. After checking the place out, we went for a drive through town and stopped for dinner at DQ.

Friday, Oh what a beautiful day in the 70’s. We headed back to Portland for the arrival of grandson #2, Logan, who is 7.. He wasn’t sure he wanted to fly alone, but he braved up and decided he didn’t want to miss out. It was about 7p when we got back and it didn’t take him long to mix in with the neighbors, at the swimming pool.

Saturday perfect day for the beach. Temps actually went into the 80’s. Not really heard of around here early June. I took the boys searching for a parking spot at the beach. Not easy to find. I think everyone was out today! After several tries at a few beaches, I found a spot that turned out to be rather cool. It was by the river that led to the beach. The boys had both to play in and around.

Joey had fun playing ball with this dog..

And Logan found tadpoles..

I liked seeing the horses…

Down by the ocean, they dug and scoped out fish…..

And chased seagulls….

Nice brother time…

After several hours at the beach it was homeward bound.A quick dip in the pool and then it was time for candy bar bingo at the clubhouse. We all won! Campfire followed with s’mores and the kids all had a ball playing in the playground.

Sunday.. I had to grocery shop.. I set up the wii outside on the picnic table for the kids to play along with their friends.

When they had enough our neighbor Kimberly brought them all to the pool.

Monday…Kevin & I had planned to take the boys out for the day but Kevin woke up feeling very dizzy and sick. So I took them to the Seaside Aquarium. .

Fish for them to feed the Seals..

They loved looking at all the fish..

The aquarium is right on the beach but it was too cold to play…

So we headed to the candy store to pick out salt water taffy…Another first for them..

Back at the campground it was playtime with the neighbors..

Next blog will take us on a return drive south to show the boys some sites..

Grandson Surprise

2011-06-06T21:07:00.001-05:00

We headed to Portland Sunday afternoon to meet up with our daughter Kim. She is a flight attendant and had a layover in Portland for the night. We had originally asked her if she could bring the kids out with her on her flight, but unfortunately the flight was full. With great surprise she arrived with our oldest grandson Joey who is 9. We all spent the night with Kim at the Embassy Suites. She had an early check in Monday morning but we took our time, had breakfast and were on our way. We will have Joey with us for a nice visit.

We stopped along the way at this fish hatchery…

When we arrived back at the RV, Joey was anxious to see the beach. So he and I headed that way.

Monday… Weather wasn’ t looking too great. We decided to head to the Tillamook Cheese Factory…

After the self guided tour we had to try their ice cream..

It was raining pretty hard, so rather than continuing our sight seeing, we picked up a few errands and headed home.

After dinner, the sun was out. Joey and I headed to the beach to see the sunset…

A perfect ending to a perfect day with our grandson..

Wednesday looked like a much brighter day.

First stop was for the boys to get haircuts. We then headed to the Mears Lighthouse. Joey has never seen a lighthouse and was anxious, but unfortunately we couldn’t go to the top. Some drunk idiots, used a gun and shot through the glass to put out the light. They are waiting for a fix, and until then it is closed. The scenery was beautiful..

We stopped to get some chowder for lunch. This was a first for Joey and he loved it.

When we got back home he and grampy took a walk to the beach to create a few mountains in the sand!!

Stay tuned for our next stop at Seaside….

Moving to Nehalem Bay State Park

2011-05-28T22:59:00.001-05:00

We were not quite sure how we would make it out of our site today but Kevin did a fine job. Luckily he coordinated it with the fellow across from us. If they weren’t leaving first I doubt if we would have a chance. Anyway we were on our way on a bright sunny day..

One more drive past the Haystack Rock much clearer than the other day. As you can see the beach was crowded today…

We passed by farmlands…

And Bays….

Until we reached the road to Nehalem…

We were pleasantly surprised with the campground..

Our site

We weren’t expecting to get satellite reception but we did! I am getting 4 bars on my computer and also have cell phone signal.. We have 30amp but no sewer.. That will be just fine for 5 nights..

After dinner I took the short walk to the beach…

Where folks were flying their kite..

And others walking their dogs..

Some were digging…

And the sun wasn’t quite ready to set..

I then headed back over the dunes..

That white mark in the background is our RV..

Tomorrow’s plan is to head to Portland and meet up with our daughter, while she is on a layover. We will spend the night with her.

LIG

Pacific City and the Rain

2011-05-27T23:43:00.001-05:00

Well I have been writing my post for several days and just now my little finger hit something and poof it was gone..

So this will be the short version.

We arrived at Thousand Trails Pacific City on Wednesday after travelling 42 miles. It has rained pretty much the whole time we have been here.

Yesterday between raindrops we headed up the road to this lookout..

Up at this elevation there were lots of clouds..

Then we headed in the other direction to see one of the coasts big Haystack Rocks. This one is known as Chief Kiawanda..If you look closely you can see the face of the chief to the left and his ponytail on the lower right…

It was starting to rain real hard so we headed back home..

Today was another rainy day when we got up. This weather is crazy. It pours one minute and then the sun is out the next but doesn’t last long. We thought this was a good casino day..

Heading back toward Lincoln City we were surrounded by this lush greenery, lakes and ponds….. Very pretty.

We arrived at the Chinook Winds Casino which is on the ocean..

We both donated a few dollars each and then enjoyed the lunch buffet..

After picking up a few errands we headed back home in time to watch the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins. They both won and the Bruins are now on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals…Good job!

Tomorrow we head another 42 miles up the coast to Nahalem Bay State Park for five nights…Hoping this rain will subside.

Beverly Beach State Park and the Pier

2011-05-24T21:25:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I took a few photos here at the campground. I really like it here, Kevin not as much, since he doesn’t get his satellite to work. He is a tv junkie! I love walking around here and of course walking on the beach. A big wave caught me with my guard down. My sneakers and jeans were soaked. Oh well, no big deal. It didn’t stop me from my walk along the water..

Our site…

The creek behind our site..Very soothing listening to it….

This was the hole in the sky we were hoping to get satellite through, but no luck..

Lots of loops…

Has the feel of Ft Wilderness for me… We have a full hookup/30amp site.. They do have a few with cable but none were available….

The creek running into the ocean…

Today was our last day here in Newport. We decided to head to Old Town and the fishing pier.

We were looking to buy some crab and were directed to this boat..

We got to take our pick… They claim they are the dungeness crab capital of the world.. Not sure about that…

We saw momma and baby soaking up the sun….

The harbor…

It was fun watching the fishing charters come in and weigh their catch…

This one is for you Jenny….

A picture of our crab before eating…

It was soooo good!

Tomorrow we will head to Pacific City for three nights…. We will miss this area but looking forward to new adventures and more beauty…….

LIG

Walking and Reflecting

2011-05-22T00:05:00.001-05:00

The last few mornings I have walked down to the beach and strolled for a few hours.. It’s strange how the solitude of the ocean gets you thinking. I have reflected on how very very lucky we are to enjoy this wonderful life and this beautiful country. Of course the fact that I just lost a cousin to cancer after a long battle, at the age of 59, gets you thinking too. You really do have to live each day you have. If I died right now, I would be at peace. I know I have lived life to it’s fullest and with the love of my life by my side. We have two great kids who have given us 5 wonderful grandkids, that we adore. We have more friends in our life now than we have ever had and yup, I can honestly say that I am happy!

Leaving the campground, heading to the beach….

The walkway under Hwy 101…

Ahhhhh…..so peaceful!!

LIG

Pure Enjoyment!

2011-05-20T19:25:00.001-05:00

When we headed to Depoe Bay yesterday, we had no idea we would enjoy it as much as we did. We pulled right up to the wall by the ocean. Lots of folks took out their chairs and sat to take it all in…

The waves were crashing hard against the rocks and it was mesmerizing...

This guy even posed for me…

We walked down the street to the Whale Center…

But we weren’t lucky enough to see any. They had nice binoculars for us to use but the water was so rough that it would really be hard to see a spout…

We crossed the street and strolled the shops. We ordered chowder to go and sat on a bench to once again watch the furry of the ocean...and loved every minute of it!

What a great little town!

Last night we headed down the street to a steak house that was actually a neat bar. They had lots of tv’s and we took our seats at the bar. How neat to watch the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins on side by side tv’s! We ordered 40 chicken wings (small but good), split a sandwich, I had 3 ice cold beers and Kevin had several soda’s and we got to see both our teams win.. What a perfect ending to a perfect day!!!

LIG

Moving Up The Coast

2011-05-19T18:59:00.001-05:00

Yesterday it was time to move. With Thousand Trails we have the membership that is two weeks in, then one week out. Our move was to Beverly Beach Sate Park in Newport, and just about 10 miles up the coast. The Oregon State Parks are very kind to the disabled veteran, they offer ten nights a month free stay. We can only get five nights at a time, but you just can’t beat that. Oregon in fact is very proud of veterans, as was very evident when we first crossed into the state. We saw several signs saying We Support Veterans.. So we are now staying five nights free and paid for two nights. The park is very nice but loaded with trees, which means we can’t get our satellite to work. We have tried but it was a no go.. We do pick up a few local channels but that doesn’t quite cut it during the hockey playoff season in this house! So the plan for tonight is to head down the road to a local joint that is showing our Boston Bruins game.

When we woke, the sun was shining again, two in a row.. We wanted to get out while the going was good. We headed to see the Devil’s Punch Bowl….

Look what I found…

I couldn’t resist having a few samples…

Delish!!!!

Next stop was Cape Fowlweather… and these beautiful views..

They had this neat gift shop…

When we left this area we headed to Depoe Bay and I will post pictures tomorrow of that neat place where the water was ferocious!

Now we have to head out… LIG