Semi-True Tales of Our Life on the Road

HOP, SKIP, JUMP: QUARTZSITE TO GILA BEND TO TUCSON TO PAWS AND HOOVES

2012-01-27T05:56:00.001-08:00

Our stay with the Boomers at Quartzsite was short, filled with fun activities, new friendships, and visits with friends we see infrequently. As usual, many new Escapees joined our Boomer group during this annual gathering, so we were busy with registration and accounting, and sales of Boomer decals. The size of this gathering (over 110 rigs had registered by the time we left) can be overwhelming for “newbies”, but we all try to recognize and welcome them into the circle as they are introduced during the daily 4 pm happy hour meeting.

This time last year, we had a commitment in Phoenix for our interior renovations; this year, we left the gathering early to head east to my cousin Rosanna’s ranch, Paws and Hooves. On the way, we needed to stop in Tucson to initiate the replacement of our non-functional washing machine. So, a hop to Gila Bend, a skip to Tucson, and a jump to Sunizona, a tiny community in Cochise County.

The drive to Gila Bend is not long, so we joined the group for our usual 9 am desert walk before pulling out of Quartzsite just before noon. A couple hours later, we were settled into a roomy slot at Holt’s RV Park (click here to read our review), behind the Holt’s Shell fuel stop just off I-10 in Gila Bend. We filled the tank with diesel before parking, then tossed a week’s worth of dirty laundry into the machines at the RV park. As usual, this efficiently-run combination fuel stop (competitive prices), convenience store, fast food place and RV park met our needs at a reasonable price.

We were on the road early (for us) the next morning, heading to Lance’s RV Service. Lance has done repair work for us in the past and has earned a good reputation with us. On this stop, we arrived at 10:15 and headed off to the very nearby Costco with a moderate shopping list. By the time we returned about an hour later, our washer and dryer were out of the rig, sitting in Lance’s shop.

Inside the empty washer/dryer closet, a mind boggling layer of dust was made even more awful by water that had drained out of the washer hoses. Wispy, dusty, cobwebs festooned the walls of the closet; dust was so compacted on the edges of the dryer shelf that it resembled a layer of thick felt. ICK, ICK, ICK! We were happy to see, though, that we have no dry rot in the floor, so no pre-installation repair work is necessary. We made arrangements to return in a week to have the new machines installed, then headed for the Pima County Fairgrounds RV Park (click here to read our review) to settle in for the night.

Next day, we didn’t need to hurry, as the drive to Rosanna’s Paws and Hooves ranch is barely two hours. As I whirred up smoothies for breakfast, I glanced out the window in time to see our friends Jeanie and Ray looking towards our rig, puzzled looks on their faces. We rushed outside to hugs all around. What fun to run into them – and what a surprise, since they live about 30 minutes from Paws and Hooves, our next stop!

As we chatted with Jeanie and Ray, a new face appeared on the edge of our gathering – a friendly blog reader, Mike. Mike, retired from Arizona State Parks and a resident of Show Low, AZ, comes to the lower (warmer) elevations of the state during the winter. He said he has been reading this blog for a few years, and thought he recognized Scoopy – but my not-up-to-date blog didn’t mention being parked at the fairgrounds! Mike commented particularly on the food photos I so frequently post; Mike, I added the collage up top especially for you. Thanks for stopping by to chat.

We finally pulled out of the fairgrounds just before noon and, as expected, it was an easy, uneventful drive to our next stop. After many, many years in southern Arizona, including at least a decade on her little ranch in Cochise County, my cousin Rosanna and her mom, Carol, are moving. Rosanna’s place is for sale, so this is likely to be our last visit to the property. We have SO MANY happy memories here, and it felt good to settle in to “our spot”, to enjoy the warm sunshine and visit with Carol, all the dogs, cats, birds…

I hope to finish up my Panama posts while we are here, though we already are planning a hike at Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoons, a visit to the ranch sitters at Jeanie and Ray’s place, a visit to Bisbee, a day of golf for Odel… and I have several new recipes to try while we’re here. Never a dull moment!

FROM POD TO CHOCOLATE: WE TOUR THE CERUTTI CACAO PLANTATION

2012-01-23T13:14:00.001-08:00

Chocolate. If it is anywhere near me, I feel an irresistible pull; I indulge infrequently ONLY because we resist bringing it home. When Becky mentioned a tour of a cacao plantation while we were planning our Panama trip, we all quickly agreed to save a spot on our itinerary.

When we arrived in Bocas del Toro, our first stop (after breakfast) was the tour office, where we were disappointed to learn that the English speaking guide for the cacao plantation tour was sick. Since Pat and I are not sufficiently fluent in Spanish to follow a guided tour en Español, our deep disappointment registered on our faces.

After a little thought, the very helpful booking agent, Kelly, said perhaps she could arrange for us to tour the Cerutti’s cacao plantation – and with a few phone calls, she arranged a private tour of the plantation, a boat and guide, and our lunch. All we had to do was show up at the correct dock the next day, which we managed.

Tito, our boat captain, stowed our lunch, handed us each a life jacket, and away we went, flying over six-inch wavelets. Fifteen or twenty minutes of water travel brought us to the Bay of Dolphins, where we – and half a dozen other tour boats – watched dolphins frolic (or maybe they were eating lunch?) while cameras clicked and videos whirred. Ten or fifteen minutes later, we buzzed off across the bay once more and were soon tied up at the Cerutti’s palapa-covered dock.

Linda and David Cerutti came from the U.S to settle on their 30 acre plantation 15 years ago. Cacao trees were already growing there, and the Ceruttis landscaped several acres of gardens while David brought the plantation back into production. David grows low-yielding criollo trees, the most rare and expensive cacao (about 5% of all the cacao grown), native to Central America.

Our tour began with a walk through the gardens, then we continued on into the jungle where the cacao trees grow in the shade of the rain forest canopy. Along the way, David pointed out sights of the jungle – poison arrow frogs, the bat tree (where bats sheltered in a long cleft), odd fungi – while he educated us about how cacao grows.


Hiking in the rainforest, cacao pods in the foreground.	From this tiny blossom, a cacao pod grows.

Then the tour turned hands-on. David pulled a cacao pod from a tree and cut it open, revealing a juicy white pulp protecting the huge, pale, cacao seeds. We each sucked on a pulp-covered seed – and it was easy to see why the pod is prized for its extraordinary seeds instead of its mediocre fruit.

Cacao trees don’t have a “season” – they are in various stages of fruit production at any time. When enough pods have ripened to make processing cost-effective, David cuts open the pods, removes the flesh covered seeds,covers them with burlap in a large bin, and lets them ferment for 4-7 days. From the fermenting bin they move to the drying rack (where solar panels also provide the power to run David’s tiny processing operation), where they are stirred several time a day to discourage mold. Once dry, the seeds (now called beans) are cleaned, roasted and shelled.

Then the fun starts. The roughly chopped cacao beans are called nibs, and have the texture of a roasted almond with the flavor of mild, unsweetened chocolate. We all tasted nibs - and at the end of the tour, we each bought a few small bags of nibs to bring home with us.

Chocolate (sometimes called chocolate liquor) is produced when the nibs are finely ground into a warm (from the grinding process), runny paste. At this stage, David pours the unsweetened chocolate into molds which he refrigerates to harden. The result? Solid bars of rich, unsweetened chocolate (top photo), about 50% cocoa butter and 50% cacao solids. They reminded me of heavy gold bullion and, indeed, cacao beans and unsweetened chocolate were used by Maya and Aztecs as currency and as food for the aristocracy.


Cacao beans fermenting in their pulp.	Beans dried, cleaned and roasted.

David’s is not a large commercial operation, and it was interesting to see the machinery he has invented to decrease his production time. Through trial and error, he’s crafted his roaster from a discarded propane tank and a gas burner; a shop vac, a bleach bottle, and a 5 gallon plastic pail figure prominently in post-roasting production. An old refrigerator cools David’s chocolate filled molds, made from PVC pipe sliced in half. It was an interesting, inventive operation – absolutely nothing commercial about it!


Chocolate “nibs”, the first grind.	Our boat captain, Tito, admired the beans.

The finished bars of unsweetened chocolate are the end of the production line for Cerutti chocolate, which is then sold to chocolate manufacturers in bar form. Most manufacturers remove a percentage of the cocoa butter to sell to cosmetic companies (to recoup some of the cost of chocolate manufacturing), replacing it with lecithin, a soy product. Add sugar and you have a dark chocolate bar; add sugar and milk and you have a milk chocolate bar (vanilla is often added, too); add flavorings, nuts and fruit… you’ve seen the results on the shelf at Trader Joes. :)


Chocolate liquor cooling in molds.	David Cerutti and his chocolate bars.

Recently, I’ve noticed the introduction of “boutique” chocolate: bars labeled with specific areas of origin and percentages of cacao solids. Now that I can picture the Cerruti’s small, very local operation, I have a much better understanding of how terrior and variety defines chocolate, in a way similar to wine. Hmmmm… perhaps a chocolate tasting is in our future? Or at least another visit to Chocolate in Bisbee when we are in the area next week?

FROM THE PACIFIC TO THE CARIBBEAN: PANAMA CITY TO BOCAS DEL TORO

2012-01-22T10:04:00.001-08:00

Leaving on a prop plane, flying over the Panama Canal and the Bridge of the Americas.	Our first view of Bocas Del Toro, through the clouds (and propeller).

After three nights in Panama City, we arose at 4:30 am to catch a propeller plane to Bocas del Toro, a province in northern Panama along the Caribbean. Comprised both of mainland and many small islands, Bocas del Toro seemed a magnet for young backpacking travelers looking for eco-adventures. Bocas town, where we landed on one of the islands, has a distinctly Caribbean feel: wooden houses and businesses; lively music and spicy scents wafting from open-air restaurants; coconut trees laden with huge coconuts; warm breezes and occasional cloudbursts (serious downpours at night); water taxis, sailboats, canoes (both powered and paddled) plying the water – even a cruise ship arrived during our short stay.


Pat and Becky on the main street in Bocas	Becky admires the coconuts in a yard in Bocas
Along the Bocas main street at night.	Typical Bocas water taxis.

We settled into narrow, three story, tin roofed, wooden Hotel Olas, a few blocks off the main drag, hanging out over water. I LOVED it! It was the only time we rented two rooms: Pat and Becky shared the large suite on the top floor with its own spacious balcony; I had a second floor room just below them with a small private balcony adjacent to a comfortable, open air common area.


Lounge and breakfast room, open on three sides, water underneath.	Second floor balcony lounge (with free WiFi, as was true throughout the hotel).
Private balcony of the third floor suite. We spent a lot of time relaxing here.	This little house was my neighbor; the view is from my second floor private balcony.

When I was younger (half the age I am now), I traveled many months and many miles solo, with a backpack. Hotel Olas brought back intense, enjoyable memories for me. I loved sitting in the upstairs lounge or the first floor, open air dining room, watching the young travelers plan their adventures while we seniors enjoyed our morning coffee and breakfast. Out on the streets, walking past lively hostels, hammock-festooned porches, and outdoor restaurants, I recalled the sense of adventure and the pleasure of anonymity I felt during my solo travels. It was a time of exploration and personal growth, and the fond recollections made my current adventure even more enjoyable.

For me, Bocas was both relaxing and invigorating, and I am so glad we took a few days to visit. We didn’t make time to visit the advertised deserted white sand beaches, to search out the bay of starfish to snorkel or hike – but my next post covers another highlight of our trip, our tour of a cacao plantation.

THE PANAMA CANAL: AN ENGINEERING MARVEL

2012-01-21T10:26:00.001-08:00

One of the most remarkable documentaries I’ve seen was on American Experience on PBS several years ago. Simply called “Panama Canal”, I found it riveting, never thinking I would see the canal up close and in person one day. When we visited Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, a couple years ago, I began to understand more clearly the mechanics of using water and gravity to lift and lower large ships in locks, and fell in love with the huge freighters.


This replica of a lock gate is in the museum at the Miraflores Lock Visitor Center.	Watching one of the big ships enter the lock, preparing to descend to sea level.

We were lucky – we happened to be in Panama City on one of the days the partial transit tour is available (they don’t run daily). After making a reservation with Panama Marine Adventures (www.pmatours.net), we prepared for our canal tour with a trip to the modern visitor center at the Miraflores locks (the lock closest to Panama City). Once again, watching the huge ships rise and fall in the locks captivated me – and it was fun to watch Pat and Becky study the process.

So we were excited when we boarded the Pacific Queen early one hot morning. I can’t recommend this tour highly enough; there is nothing I would have changed. For $115, we spent half a day on their comfortable tour boat (air-conditioned inside, with plenty of outdoor space both covered and open) with a fantastic, bilingual tour guide (English and Spanish) to fill us in on the history, engineering and stories of the canal. Lunch was included (and delicious), and after the ride north through two sets of locks (three lifts) to Gatun Lake (the highest point of the canal), we had a quick, air-conditioned bus ride back to Panama City. It was a great experience.

If you’d like to see a slide show of my photos from the tour, here is a little video (a couple minutes long).

From the Pacific ocean through two sets of locks to Gatun Lake, the highest point on the Panama Canal.

QUARTZSITE: WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT??

2012-01-20T17:39:00.001-08:00

Sometime during the second half of January, I usually write about our visit with the Boomers in Quartzsite, Arizona (click here to read a typical post from last year). It is our biggest annual gathering of Escapee Boomers; in fact, I think the 100th rig just signed in around 3 pm today. It is one of the few times during the year that we boondock (camp without hookups), and it is sometimes difficult to explain to people who aren’t RV’ers – and even those who are - just exactly WHY we want to leave the comforts of electric, water, and sewer hookups behind to go squat in the dusty Arizona desert in a group of 100+ other RV’s. In fact, our group is just one of the many groups that bring together 100,000 +/- RV’s on federal land surrounding this normally tiny desert town; Quartzsite is said to be the third largest (by population) city in Arizona during the RV shows.

For us, it is all about friends – here in Boomerville, we have the chance to catch up with people we might not have seen for a year or two, and to meet more of the Boomers we don’t know.

And activities! Here is a partial list of how we can spend our time here in Boomerville, each activity planned and announced by volunteers:

Saturday, Jan 21 – Big Tent Opens (this is the beginning of the RV show).
9 AM Walk – tent (This is usually a 4 mile walk for us; some go farther, some not as far)
10 AM Desert Bar (This is a solar-powered bar at the end of a dirt road out in the desert)
11 AM Zumba – Alfa with flags (Yes, Zumba to a DVD outdoors)
1 PM Easy Watercolors (taught by a volunteer artist)
4 PM Happy Hour (everyday at 4 pm, with announcements followed by food and socializing)
7 PM Panama Canal Pix (At “Pace Theatre”, projected on the side of the Pace’s RV after dark – BYO popcorn)

Sunday, Jan 22
8 AM Pancakes – tent (Gretchen makes pancakes every other day or so, a fundraiser)
8:30 AM Trash Run (Volunteers with pick up trucks take all our trash to the dump in town)
9 AM Walk
10 AM 4 x 4 Run – meet at tent (lots of 4-wheelers in our group)
11 AM Tai Chi (a change from Zumba for a little variety)
1-3:30 PM Z Circle – (like a progressing dinner, but it’s progressive visiting – a great event)
4 PM Happy Hour
7 PM Rose Float Decorating – slide show at Pace Theatre

Monday, Jan 23
9 AM Walk
11 AM Smart Phones – fire pit (We have a LOT of tech talks)
12 PM Artist Trading Cards – Time to Trade – fire pit
1 PM Military Campgrounds – fire pit
1 PM Women's Outing - tent
4 PM Happy Hour – fire pit
5 PM Potluck – fire pit
7 PM Burning Man Movie – rally 2011 (at Pace Theatre)

To me, it is amazing. We come together for two weeks and our community blooms. You can do it all, or just hang out and visit. Odel and I usually stay 5-7 days, until our water runs out or other commitments dictate we move on, always invigorated by our visit with our tribe.

Now… back to our previously scheduled programming: Panama. :)

POINT OF ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: PANAMA CITY

2012-01-19T13:06:00.001-08:00

Remember: click on any photo to enlarge it.

There were many things I didn’t know about Panama before I visited. In fact, there were only two things I knew for certain: it is in Central America, and is the site of the Panama Canal. Since my friend Becky, who had already been in Panama for six months, was handling our itinerary, I did a bare minimum of research, and learned five things: Panama runs east and west, not north and south; Panama uses U.S. currency; Panama City has a skyline to rival most major capitals; Panama is in the same time zone as New York; and we were going to be hot, hot, hot!


Modern, cosmopolitan Panama City, with more skyscrapers going up daily.	The view north to the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal, towards the Centennial Bridge.
A typical working class bus in Panama City, collectively known as Red Devils.	Walking the Amador Causeway – at 8 am, it was hot enough that Pat unfurled her umbrella for shade.

We had eleven days in Panama, and spent them in three very different places. The first few days and the final day were spent in Panama City, on the Pacific coast, at the mouth of the Panama Canal. It is very cosmopolitan, filled with history, busy, rapidly growing, and VERY tropical (in other words, hot and humid). Our number one sight to see in Panama City was the canal, which was every bit as fascinating as I imagined (and deserves a separate post). The remainder of our time in Panama City was spent exploring Casco Viejo, the old city (no skyscrapers here!), and the fresh fish market, where we ate fresh, ice-cold ceviche every chance we got.

From what we read, heard, and observed, Casco Viejo has undergone a renaissance in recent years. Those areas that have been renovated are reminiscent of New Orleans, or the old town area of Mazatlan, Mexico, with flowered balconies, pastel buildings, and narrow sidewalks along narrow roadways. Those areas that have not yet been renovated are literally falling apart; both the buildings and the neighborhood looked dangerous (I didn’t hang around long enough to take pictures!).


	SCENES FROM CASCO VIEJO… Above left: flora has gained a foothold on an older building. Above right: appealing renovated residential area of Casco Viejo. Left: A restaurant on the ground level, residential above, and outdoor dining on the plaza. Below left: our favorite ice cream shop where sorbets helped us cool off. My favorite flavor was limonana – I have no idea what is was! Below right: The Spanish Wall. I STILL haven’t looked up its history.

Between the skyscrapers and cosmopolitan hustle of downtown and the historic buildings of Casco Viejo are the piers and markets serviced by the local fishing fleet. Outdoor vendors sell icy ceviche – spicy marinated seafood – in Styrofoam cups. My favorite was corvina ceviche, tangy with lime juice, spiced with peppers, and icy cold.

Repairing the boats at low tide.	Inside the fish market.

During our first few nights in Panama City, we stayed at the Balboa Inn, a small B&B in the Balboa neighborhood, close to the administration buildings of the Canal zone. This quiet neighborhood at the foot of Ancon Hill was once part of the U.S. territory of the canal and is mostly residential, with few restaurants or shops. On our return trip ( just one night) we stayed at a hostel on the edge of downtown – noisier, but in a more interesting (to me) neighborhood. It was a charming place, frequented by young international travelers and we three old ladies, who had reserved the only room with both air-conditioning and a private bathroom (thank god for both).

Colorful Hostal Urraca.	Flower-draped outdoor lounge.	Pat relaxes in the hammock.

Next post: Exploring the Panama Canal.

FROM OUR AMERICAN SOUTHWEST TO PANAMA – SAME HEMISPHERE??

2012-01-17T07:52:00.001-08:00

From the arid, scrub-covered hillsides of southern California to the bright flowers blooming in Boquete, from the thin-leaved trees and shrubs of the desert to the robust and dripping leaves of the rain forest, from the moisture-sucking desert air to sweat-producing 85% humidity… Panama and America’s desert southwest could hardly be more different. My brain is still reeling.

As I write this at 7 am, the temperature outside is 28 degrees, and today’s high is forecast to be in the mid-50’s. During my 11 days in Panama, in three different environments (on the Pacific in Panama City, on the Caribbean in Bocas del Toro, and in the highlands of Boquete), I never felt a temperature lower than 65 – often no lower than 75 – even at night.

I traveled with two friends of many (25+) years (and many travels), Becky and Pat. With just 11 days, we had to pick our highlights carefully, and we managed a good mix of travel, tours, and smelling the roses (hibiscus and bougainvillea, in this case). History in cosmopolitan Panama City, and a fascinating, narrated cruise through the locks of the Panama Canal. A tour of a cacao plantation in Bocas del Toro; I’ll never look at chocolate the same way. And coffee in Boquete, the source of Panama’s premium beans… from tree to cup, we learned (and tasted) it all. As is usual for me (of course, my traveling companions concur), food was a primary focus – fresh fish and fresh tropical fruit were the highlights.

Though we will be traveling in southern Arizona over the next several weeks, upcoming posts will be my diary of the days spent in Panama, before the details slip away. It was a fabulous trip, and I’d love to return.

Hiking on the cacao plantation; the pods in the foreground hold the cacao seeds.	Coffee cherries drying in the sun in the highlands of Boquete.

BLOGGING TAKES A BACK SEAT – YUMA, AZ

2011-12-26T08:36:00.001-08:00

We landed in Yuma, Arizona on Friday, settling in with our good friends Diane and Jim on their lot in the Foothills area east of town. Scoopy dwarfs their cozy nest, an older singlewide mobile home that Diane and Jim have renovated into a bright, airy, welcoming winter home. It is amazing how HUGE a singlewide mobile home feels when you are used to living in an RV – even more so when you travel for months each year in a truck camper, as Jim and Diane do.

We immediately got down to the business of socializing and partying. Ron and Carol, friends from Sacramento, have a place half a mile from here, and our friends Mary and Elaine are staying with them on their lot – do you begin to see a trend here? We have MANY friends in the area, and have been making the most of it.

Mary and Elaine invited us to Ron and Carol’s place for dinner on Christmas Eve. The main course was THE clam chowder - you know, the one we are ALWAYS looking for, yet so rarely find? Absolutely delicious and just the right texture. That great meal was followed the next day by Christmas potluck over here at Jim and Diane’s, sitting outside in the sunshine on the patio. All good cooks in the group, and our meal was perfectly delicious.

Visiting with friends has taken center stage. Photos have gone unedited, emails unread and unanswered… and the week looks like more of the same. AND, it is time for me to get serious about planning for my trip to Panama, leaving in a week!

On Friday, we’re leaving Yuma, moving to the beautiful Escapees RV park, Jojoba Hills, east of Temecula in Aguanga, California, where we will ring in the new year with our many friends there. Odel will stay at Jojoba Hills for a couple weeks while I explore Panama with two of my closest friends from my days in Sacramento. Becky has been in Panama with the Peace Corps for the past 6 months; now that her commitment has ended, our mutual friend, Pat, and I are going down for a ten day visit. I’m so behind on my preparations!

If I’m not blogging much (or at all!) for the next few weeks, picture us eating, drinking, socializing… trying to fit in exercise here and there… searching out my passport, making lists and checking them twice…

Best wishes, happy holidays, and good health to all our readers and followers. May we all find peace, tolerance, and prosperity in the coming year.

FOUR FUN HIKES IN ANZA-BORREGO STATE PARK, CALIFORNIA

2011-12-23T18:45:00.001-08:00

Of course, there are WAY more than just four fun hikes in Anza Borrego State Park! These are fresh in my mind, though, since we have hiked each of them in the past few days: a short, steep hike to a great view; a diverse loop to a palm oasis and the chance to encounter bighorn sheep; an historic site with an interesting story; and a serpentine wiggle through Anza-Borrego badlands.

THE PALM CANYON OVERLOOK: Short (under a mile) but steep, this rocky trail switchbacks up a hill adjacent to the Palm Canyon campground, where we were parked. It was perfect for a quick burst of exercise when I’d been sitting too long, and an enjoyable viewpoint as the sun dropped below the higher mountains to the west in late afternoon (top photo). This would be a fun trail with kids – though both Odel and I were happy that we were the only hikers up top on each of the three times we visited.

THE PALM CANYON OASIS LOOP: Also easily accessible on foot from the Palm Canyon campground, this trail features an oasis of palms and the chance to encounter bighorn sheep (Borrego). Around three miles (longer if you walk from the campground), the trip to the oasis is frequently done as an out-and-back, but we like to take the “alternate” trail in one direction – it is a little steeper, a bit more of a workout, but offers much better views than the main canyon route and a wider diversity of flora.

Our preferred route is to take the “alternate” (really, that is what the sign says!) trail from the trailhead parking lot (the docent at the trailer can point it out to you, on the south end of the lot) to the junction with the main trail (after you have climbed and traversed the rocky slope). At the junction, turn left to visit the palm grove (you will return to this junction), or continue across the palm trunk bridge to return to the parking lot via the canyon trail for a shorter hike. We’ve been told there are two more palm groves beyond the first; rather a scramble to reach them.

In 2008, I had a close encounter with bighorn sheep in Palm Canyon. As we walked through the canyon wash heading back to the car, a bighorn posed on a rock above my head. While I took photographs, a few more bighorn appeared, and began moving quickly in my direction. Our friend Jim had startled a small herd when he hiked behind them, and they suddenly scampered (seemed more like a stampede!) down the bank of the wash in my direction. I froze (but managed to get a photo) as they passed on both side of me.

THE MARSHALL SOUTH TRAIL ON GHOST MOUNTAIN: I’ve wanted to hike this trail since I first heard of Marshall and Tanya South and the rough home they crafted on Ghost Mountain (click here to read a long article about the Souths, or here for a shorter article). It is another trail that is not long (2 miles round trip) but IS steep – and worth the climb. Here you’ll find the remnants of the South’s home, occupied by the couple and their three children for 16 years – and fabulous views in every direction. We were so lucky that day – fantastic weather, and the only other hikers we saw were on their way down as we climbed up. Click on any of the photos below to enlarge them.



A few miles further down the sandy road, we visited the morteros…	… holes in the rock made by the Kumeyaay as they ground seeds and nuts.

THE SLOT: The badlands east of Borrego Springs are intriguing, and hiking The Slot is a fascinating way to experience these unusual formations. A couple miles off Hwy 78 on a sandy road, the first bit of the hike - down into the canyon – is a scramble. Pay attention to landmarks so you’ll know where to retrace your route on your return… then head downhill. At times, it seemed like a warning sign might have been in order: “Caution – check your girth before proceeding!” I surely had to suck it in a few times.

The trail winds through a VERY narrow slot canyon before exiting into colorful badlands on the downhill side. Traveling through the slot is a short hike, under a mile, but can easily be extended as the wash widens on the other side. I can’t imagine what water looks like as it floods through the slot, carving the fantastic formations. It was great fun – on a dry day. (And I wouldn’t want to be there during an earthquake, either.)

Looking into The Slot from the parking area.	Odel disappears into The Slot.

Odel and I occasionally discuss what kind of vehicle we should purchase when our current Jeep is used up. We had never owned Jeeps before we began fulltiming, and bought our first one because we knew it could easily be set up for towing “four down” (all four wheels on the ground) – no need for a trailer or dolly. We found a used Jeep Grand Cherokee, test drove it, liked it, bought it.

Now we are on our second used Jeep Grand Cherokee. Though we had intended to downsize, we got a good deal on the current vehicle – and didn’t want to give up the comfort! Still, we’ve never put our jeep in 4-wheel low (we’d have to read the owner’s manual!), so Jeep ownership seems like overkill most of the time.

Not here in Anza-Borrego, though. Many (“most” is probably more accurate) of the roads are unpaved, sandy and rocky. The road to the Marshall South trail was a couple miles, and recent rains had made several bumpy, muddy patches. On the road to The Slot, we ran into deep sand a couple times. Having 4-wheel drive and, especially, high clearance, gave us a feeling of security (along with our recently installed new starter, of course!).

EXPLORING THE SCULPTURES OF GALLETA MEADOWS ESTATES - BORREGO SPRINGS, CA

2011-12-22T16:11:00.001-08:00

Each time we visit Borrego Springs, I see something new and realize there is a lot more to this little town than first meets the eye. For us, the (usually) pleasant winter weather and the proximity to dozens of desert hikes are a big draw, but the somewhat quirky nature of the town appeals to us, too.

While Odel was playing golf yesterday, I took the Jeep and GPS to tool around town, exploring. I enjoy driving slowly along unknown streets, turning here and there as whim strikes – an interest Odel doesn’t share, so best done on my own. I learned quite a bit more about the neighborhoods of Borrego Springs, and renewed my wonder at one of the oddest sights of the area: the giant metal sculptures of Galleta Meadows Estates.

Driving around the outskirts of town, both north and south, you will frequently see this sign… and behind it, huge, rust-red, metal sculptures of prehistoric animals and birds, horses, giant tortoises, and mastodons, some set well off the main road on winding, sandy tracks. The land is owned by Dennis Avery (Avery office supplies); the sculptures are crafted by Ricardo Breceda.

The sculptures are eye-popping and great fun to visit. In the few years we’ve been visiting, the collection has grown substantially – and on this trip, I found one I’d never seen before (as it turns out, it was completed just last July): a 350 foot long serpent that spans the road!

	See our Jeep? It is parked on the road, tiny in comparison to the huge serpent. On this side of the road, you can see the head and two “humps” (I could easily walk through the first one without ducking). On the other side of the road is a shorter hump and a long tail.
	Here is a close-up of the amazingly detailed serpent’s head.

As interesting as the sculptures are, I am equally amazed by the generosity of Mr. Avery. Each of the Galleta Meadows Estates signs say the same thing: “Hiking, horseback riding, picnicking, photographing, bicycling – no motorized cycles, camping limit three days. Privately owned desert estate.” When was the last time you saw a sign inviting you onto private property? Inviting you to camp for up to three days? To stick around, explore, enjoy the interesting sights he has commissioned and installed for your pleasure? In a world of liability fears and “No Trespassing” signs, it seems miraculous. Borrego Springs has a great benefactor in Dennis Avery.

OUT AND ABOUT IN ANZA-BORREGO STATE PARK AND BORREGO SPRINGS, CA

2011-12-21T09:05:00.001-08:00

When we left Sacramento, we had just one reservation: 6 nights in Palm Canyon campground (click here to read our review from March, 2011) at Anza Borrego State Park. While we have sampled various campsites in the Borrego Springs area (click here to read our review of Rockhouse Road boondocking and click here to read our review of Borrego Holiday Home Mobile Home and RV Park), the state park’s Palm Canyon campground, with spacious sites, full hookups, and out-the-door access to beautiful desert hiking, is our favorite place to set up our home.

We first visited Borrego Springs in February of 2008; since then, it has become a regular part of our winter travels. As soon as we set up camp when we arrived on Saturday, we took off on a favorite hike in the area, the Palm Canyon loop… no drive to the trailhead required, it is an easy walk from the campground. That set the tone for the days we have spent here – lots of hikes!

Sunrise colors the Anza-Borrego mountainsides.	Our curious neighbor (click photo to enlarge it).

And… lots of visiting. Two of Odel’s co-workers make Borrego Springs their winter home. On our second day here, Odel was out on the golf course with Ross and Dick. Kay (Ross’s wife) and I joined the group for dinner that night, a reunion filled with laughter and recollections of their work together at California’s Resources Agency, the state parks division. As I write this, Odel and Dick are back out on the golf course; I have plans for exploration in the Jeep later today (after I bake the last of my Christmas cookies).

Yesterday, we paid a visit to the Richard Dopp’s clay oven on Rockhouse Road. We were boondocking on site when Richard built this little oven during our first visit to Borrego Springs (click here to read about the building of the oven, with photos) – it’s almost 4 years old now. As Richard and Marlene left the Rockhouse Road site after building the oven, he worried that subsequent campers might destroy it but, as our visit yesterday showed, the opposite has happened: subsequent campers have maintained it well!

The campsite is currently occupied by a first-time visitor to the area, a friendly Canadian (BC license plates) and his two lively dogs. We explained why we were disturbing his privacy and found him interested in the history of the oven and information we were able to offer about the area (like which way the wind blows!). He told us he has been similar ovens (larger) in British Columbia, build by Chinese immigrants in days long past, and we talked about the huge brick and clay ovens we’ve seen in use in Mexico. This little example, built using on-site materials, is part of a long line of illustrious ancestors. :)

The oven has a fresh layer of cob, clay with a big helping of straw mixed in. Richard, this photo is for you – and I know several other readers will be pleased to see this little icon of Rockhouse Road so well respected! :)

I’ve got photos from our other hikes in the area – coming soon.

FUN DAYS IN INDIO

2011-12-17T07:54:00.001-08:00

We weren’t in Indio long, but made the most of our time here. We’re well stocked (some might say overstocked) with holiday food and drink (thanks, Costco and Trader Joe’s), and took care of some other shopping, too – you can find EVERY kind of store here. We enjoyed our hike at Palm Canyon, something I had wanted to do for quite awhile.

And we got to do something ELSE I have wanted to do for quite awhile: we had lunch with Rick and Paulette! Rick writes one of my favorite blogs, Rick and Paulette’s Travels, a chronicle of his daily doings at home and on the road – with a heavy dose of computer tech tips written in language a non-techie can understand.

This year, unlike years past, Rick and Paulette left their home on Vancouver Island to head to southern California prior to Christmas, which meant they were settled into their winter RV park while we made our way south. When it was clear we would be in the same area at the same time, I wasted no time setting up a lunch date.

We met at the Fisherman’s Market in La Quinta, a place Rick and Paulette had heard about but had never visited. I don’t remember any of us discussing the food we ordered and ate – we were so busy talking about travels, RV parks, golf (Rick’s next stop was a golf shop, to pick up a set of clubs), blogging and bloggers (were your ears burning?) - and politics (GASP)! The conversation NEVER flagged; we had a great time. I don’t know when out paths will cross again, but I’m glad we had the opportunity to meet in person.

Yesterday morning was devoted to our Costco shopping trip. It took almost as long to find space for our purchases once we came home as it did to do our shopping! Afterwards, we had intended to stretch our legs on another hike, but Odel quickly capitulated when I suggested we attend opening day of the fourth – and very favorably reviewed – Mission Impossible movie (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), showing on an IMAX screen in Rancho Mirage. Off we went for 2+ hours of pure escapist entertainment. We both found it hugely entertaining and exited the theatre full of energy… which lasted almost all the way home! :)

WE HIT THE TRAIL ONCE AGAIN – INDIO, CA

2011-12-15T09:34:00.001-08:00

The sun began to peek through the clouds as we left Yucaipa after a day of steady rain; our drive to Indio was short and pleasurably uneventful, so calm that none of the big windmills were turning as we traveled southeast on I-10. We were surprised to find it was still sprinkling as we settled into a site in the nearly deserted RV parking lot at the Indio Elks Lodge (click here to read our review and see photos). Since the weather seemed iffy for a hike, and since it was lunch time, we jumped into the Jeep and drove a short distance to one of our favorite local restaurants, Fisherman’s Market and Grill.

Fisherman’s Market is all about fresh seafood, and has an extensive list of broiled and grilled selections. I admit, though, that all we ever eat here is fried food! Delicious, crispy, deep-fried shrimp for me (in a basket, as shrimp-n-chips, or in tacos), golden fried catfish with chips for Odel. This time, we had a shrimp basket appetizer, fish tacos for me and catfish and chips for him. What delicious decadence! We ordered too much, ate it ALL, and revised our dinner menu from salad and pot pies to salad and nothing.

The next day was a different story.

When we stayed in Desert Hot Springs last year, I decided it was finally time to visit Palm Canyon on the Agua Caliente reservation. We’d never been there to hike, mainly because they charge an entrance fee (why pay when there are so many great free hikes in the area?). The day before our planned hike, a strong storm swept in, flooding the usually dry washes that cross so many of the roads in the area and sending unusually high water through Palm Canyon. So, scratch that plan!

Yesterday was a completely different story – dry, sunny, and calm. Off we went, a 20-plus mile drive along Hwy 111, passing through many of the desert communities in the greater Palm Springs area. Special attention is paid to landscaping the wide boulevards in these wealthy enclaves: palm trees, bougainvillea, roses in bloom in the winter sunshine; fountains and waterfalls gush and trickle at gated entrances to walled communities. What a beautiful drive!

At the reservation’s toll booth on South Palm Canyon Drive, we paid $16 ($9 for me, $7 for over 62 year old Odel), obtained a map of the multitude of short and long trails we could hike, then followed the narrow road into the neck of Palm Canyon. The large parking lot at the Trading Post was less than half full, and we quickly found the trailhead.

Odel among the palms.	Climbing out of the palms on the Victor trail.

What a grand hike! Though we’ve been walking regularly, we haven’t been hiking much, so chose a shorter hike – a 3 mile loop from the Trading Post, alongside the stream under the shade of the palms in the canyon (Palm Canyon Trail), then up onto an arid ridge (the Victor Trail) with views into Palm Canyon and across the valley to the high peaks above Palm Springs. The stream burbling through the shade of the palms attracted flocks of birds, and the air was filled with chirps, cheeps, and the soft chuckles of quail. The hike went too quickly; guess we aren’t as out of shape as we feared. :)

High above the canyon, soaking up the sun.	Back at the oasis, a cool pool.

We’ll be in Indio two more days, mostly stocking up on supplies for next week – 6 days in Anza Borrego State Park, woo-hoo – and our Christmas dinner. Costco and Trader Joes are both within a few miles of the Indio Elks Lodge, one of the perks of staying here. Today: back to the Fisherman’s Market, where I might – just MIGHT – try something that is NOT fried.

A TRIVIAL QUESTION: WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?

2011-12-13T08:43:00.001-08:00

Santa Barbara is an appealing seaside town that shows no signs of a financial downturn. During our recent visit, we strolled the crowded downtown area, enjoying the Christmas decorations and the smiling, bustling crowds laden with packages, bags, coffee cups and ice cream cones (we participated in the ice cream). A small band played Christmas carols in a pocket park; solo musicians played on street corners. In side-by-side windows of the Saks store, two lovely, young ballerinas in stiff white tutus turned slowly on the tips of their toes and posed for photos. The entire scene sparkled in the cool sunshine and we enjoyed being part of it in our small way (Odel bought two new cotton t-shirts).

Finished with our walk and shopping, we found an open bench in a large courtyard near a group of musicians and sat to enjoy music and people watching. Nearby, a nicely dressed, middle-aged volunteer wrapped gifts in return for a charitable donation (I don’t know which charity set this up). Shoppers brought their packages, dropped them off, then returned later to pick them up and make a donation.

The longer we sat, the more interested I became in the wrapping. Glancing over, I noticed that the paper she cut for the package she was wrapping was not sufficiently long to cover the box. I figured I must be wrong, at the wrong angle to see what was really going on… but, no, after slapping tape on the paper and box, she cut off another strip to use as a patch, and covered the gap (again, plenty of tape going in all directions). Then I got distracted by other sights…

Next thing I know, Odel elbowed me and pointed out that the wrapper was using a too-short piece of paper to wrap another gift! (The paper was cut from large rolls, not pre-cut). Now we both were interested in the process. Again, she cut another short strip to patch the gap, using tape liberally. Done with the patch, she flipped the wrapping down over the sides, slapped more tape on, and turned the box so the patch was on the bottom. She selected a tiny, pre-made, adhesive-backed bow which she affixed to the upper corner of the large box, a tiny boat bobbing on a large ocean. Corners wrinkled, ragged cut edges showing, tiny bow on the big box, she tossed it into a bag ready to be picked up.

Odel and I looked at each other, eyes wide. Odel nudged me and pointed secretly to another wrapped package sitting on the table – we agreed that looked like it had been wrapped by a ten year old boy. If I am receiving a gift from a ten year old boy, I would love that look… but when/if I’m paying for gift wrapping, I’d expect it to have a bit more polish – quite a bit more!

As we walked back to our car, I wondered how shoppers reacted when they returned to pick up their wrapped gifts. Did they make a small donation and walk away disappointed, rewrapping the gift at home? Laugh, and say “You’re joking, right?” or “Am I on Candid Camera?” Refuse to make a donation? Ask the wrapper to remove the gift wrapping and decline to make a donation? Pay enough to cover the cost of the materials, under protest?

I don’t know what the heck I would have done. How about you?

APPROACHING THE DESERT – SANTA BARBARA TO YUCAIPA

2011-12-12T14:16:00.001-08:00

We’ve driven south from Sacramento to the Palm Springs area many, many times, usually traveling through California’s central valley to Bakersfield, where we turn east, then south to avoid driving through the L.A, basin. The drawback? It is a long, tedious drive after you’ve done it a couple of times!

Highway 101 is far more visually appealing, particularly beautiful when it runs parallel to the Pacific Ocean, from Avila, north of Pismo Beach, to Ventura, just north of L.A. So why don’t we drive it more often? Because it goes right through the L.A. – lots of traffic, lots of interchanges and, yesterday at least, lots of smog!

We left the Santa Barbara Elks Lodge (click here to read our review) at 9 am, an hour earlier than our normal departure time. We anticipated a drive of 175 miles, from northwest of the L.A. basin to Yucaipa, a small town on the far eastern edge of L.A’s urban sprawl.

A few years ago, along this route, we received the first – and so far only – ticket while driving the motorhome; we were pulled over for traveling in the middle lane on a 5-lane section of eastbound 101. It was unusual for us to be in that lane, but Odel had pulled out to pass an auto hauler; the car in back on the upper deck was bouncing so badly we were afraid to stay behind it! We had no idea it was illegal for us to be in the third lane (no signs posted to that effect) and I still can’t believe that the little twerp who stopped us gave us a ticket instead of a warning! Just another reason to avoid the freeways of L.A.

Yesterday the drive was uneventful, including the stop for diesel at the biggest truck stop we’ve ever seen. We arrived at the almost deserted Yucaipa Regional Park (click here to read our review) at 1 pm and settled happily into our 50 amp, FHU site. After ten days without a sewer hookup, I truly appreciate unlimited hot water.

We planned a two-day stay here, long enough to do several loads of laundry and enjoy the good hiking in this park. Only half our plan worked out; a rainstorm moved in early this morning and washed away our hiking plans. :(

Tomorrow we’re off to Indio in the southern California desert, a short stop before we head further south, to the dry mountains of Anza Borrego State Park. Bring on that desert warmth!

I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE – WILDLIFE!

2011-12-09T09:39:00.001-08:00

A bobcat! A coyote! Four playful otters!

When we stopped in at the visitors center in Pismo Beach a few days ago, I asked the staffer to recommend a particularly scenic drive in the area, expecting a road that meandered along the coastal bluffs. Instead, she recommended See Canyon, a narrow road through an oak-studded, eucalyptus-lined canyon that eventually climbs a couple thousand feet for a 360 degree, mountain-top view.

A little research on Google retrieved photos and videos of the drive, a favorite route for hard-core bicycle riders. I learned that, at the end of See Canyon Road, a short stretch of narrow, dirt fire road continues to Prefumo Canyon Road, which then descends to a road we could follow to Morro Bay.

A repaired Jeep, perfect weather, a bit of wilderness on the way to a lovely coastal town… all the ingredients for a fun day trip.

See Canyon Road starts as a two-lane, paved road, but a large orange caution sign warns of 13 miles of narrow, winding, climbing road – and it doesn’t take long to materialize. We traveled most of the drive to the top of the canyon at 25 miles an hour, sunroof open, breathing in the scent of the eucalyptus. As the grade eased near the top of the canyon, the road turned to dirt, so I slowed even more… and spotted an animal standing in the sunshine on the road ahead. A coyote? A fox? Nope, a curious bobcat! Though it moved away as we slowly approached, it stopped several times to look over its shoulder at us. Of course, the camera was in my bag in the back seat!

Once he disappeared, we continued slowly on, connecting with paved Prefumo Canyon Road as the road broke out of the trees on the ridge top between the two canyons. I pulled over off the road, TURNED OFF THE JEEP (testing the gods of automotive good fortune, I know), and we climbed out to stretch our legs and take in the view. That’s when we saw the coyote, a healthy looking specimen only mildly curious about us. Not as exciting for us as the bobcat, but another plus for wild animal sightings.

Back in the Jeep, we looked at each other, held our breath, I turned the key… VAROOOM. Started right up.

2nd half of my outstanding meatloaf sandwich.	Does it get any better than this?

By the time we hit Morro Bay, we were ready for lunch. I hadn’t researched restaurants, so we chose the first café we found with a waterside location. What a score! Blue Skye Coastal Café had it all: sunny, outdoor seating (protected from the cool breeze by a windscreen) with a view of the marina and Morro Rock; delicious food; and friendly service. Couldn’t have been better.

After lunch, we slipped over to Morro Rock for a walk in the sunshine. The channel into the marina was prime territory for water and shore birds, and hawks soared around the heights of the rock. Strolling back to the car along the channel, we watched the entertaining synchronized movements of groups of water birds diving and resurfacing. Odel pointed out a couple of birds that had just resurfaced further into the channel… but there was something wrong with that picture… finally, I got it. Not birds, otters! We picked up the pace and spent the next 10 minutes or so laughing at the antics of four otters floating and frolicking in the channel (too far away for a close-up with my little camera).

It was a grand day to close our stay in Oceano; after a walk on the beach this morning, we’ll continue our southward travels. Later, friends.

JULES IS BACK, STARTING UP EVERY TIME

2011-12-08T07:49:00.001-08:00

Was there ever a more convenient auto breakdown? Jules is back and, thanks to Classic Auto Works, now starts every time.

We got a call late Tuesday afternoon that Curt had pinpointed the source of our problems: a defunct starter. If we wanted to give him the green light, he could order it before 5 pm and install it by mid-morning the next day. We said “do it”!

Sandy called around 10:30 am on Wednesday; the work was complete, so we walked the mile to Classic Auto Works. The work was completed in less than a day (THANK YOU, Curt, for fitting us in); the bill was very reasonable (only 1 hour charged for labor); and the starter has a lifetime warranty. It couldn’t have been easier, and we were barely inconvenienced.

After we picked up Jules, we did a little sightseeing drive combined with a pleasant walk in Avila, a very small town a few miles north of Oceano. I had read a bit about the Bob Jones Bike Trail in Avila, and knew it would appeal to Odel as it winds along a golf course. Our weather continues to be wonderful (particularly when compared with much of the country), and we wandered the trail without jackets, watching golfers attempt to best what looked like a difficult course. The scenery was purely “old” southern California: rolling hills covered with huge oaks and giant, scented eucalyptus. Birds flitted in the brush and trees; waterfowl floated the stream that challenged the golfers.

Heading home, we made one more stop – the small farmer’s market near the Pismo Beach pier. Though there were scarcely a dozen booths, we came away fully laden: fresh eggs; guacamole and ceviche; cream cheese/garlic spread and cream cheese/chipotle spread (which I melted onto our spaghetti squash at dinnertime); fresh fennel, carrots, a small head of bright white cauliflower, a bag of freshly picked mixed salad greens and a ripe persimmon (to go in the salad). All snapping fresh, beautiful bright colors…hurray for locally grown!

Whenever we have repairs made, we try to stay in the area for at least 24 hours. Since we aren’t on a schedule, we decided to extend our stay here at the Oceano Elks Lodge (click here to read our review) for another day. As soon as the sun warms things up – which will be late morning, as it was 28 degrees here last night – we’re heading off for a day at Morro Bay. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the big rock!

JULES THE JEEP IS HAULED AWAY IN OCEANO, CALIFORNIA

2011-12-06T16:15:00.001-08:00

I closed my most recent post with the comment that we planned to visit Pinnacles National Monument the next day – and that is what we did, driving 60+ miles into a fairly remote (no cell service) area for a wonderful hike on a cool, sunny day. Looking back on that jaunt now, after watching the tow truck take Jules off to a repair shop, all I can do is thank our lucky stars.

Pinnacles seemed to be a favorite spot for rock climbers, like this guy hanging off a rock edge.	Odel’s knee must be feeling okay – he looks like he is leaping up the last few steps!

Yes, we are temporarily without our Jeep. We’ve managed to rule out the battery as the culprit, but that’s as far as we got on diagnosing the problem. Turn the key and nothing happens – no clicking, no coughing, no sputtering, no nothing. Headlights work, wipers work, dash lights work, but the power doesn’t translate to starting the vehicle.

At least we not in the remote Pinnacles National Monument parking lot! Instead, the Jeep conveniently quit right in front of our motorhome, parked at the almost empty Elks RV parking in Oceano, California (click here to read our review). We have grass and sunshine outside, with a nice view of wetlands and distant dunes on one side, with well-maintained, red tile-roofed apartments on the other. We can walk to the beach and a nearby restaurant, or call a cab if we want to go farther.

One downside to fulltime travel is that you have none of the comforting local knowledge that comes with familiarity, no trusted local mechanic who knows your car. After checking out a few local repair facilities online, we made a call, answered by an extremely friendly, efficient and apparently knowledgeable woman who gave us confidence that we’d chosen the right place. And, it turned out they are just a mile away. Coach-Net, our roadside assistance provider, had a tow truck at our place in about 20 minutes, and Jules has now been delivered to Classic Auto Works. We expect a phone call with a diagnosis before the end of the day. So far, so good… or at least as good as it gets when your transportation poops out on you.

So that was the downside of the day. The upside? Before all this happened, we got a few errands done, then drove the short distance to Pismo Beach for a lunch of clam chowder and fish-n-chips, consumed in the warm shelter of the restaurant’s enclosed, ocean view sun porch. Next stop was the ice cream shop, so Odel could revisit Motor Oil ice cream (dark chocolate, fudge and Kahlua), a flavor we discovered on our first visit to Pismo Beach in March of 2009. This super-premium treat is locally made at Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab and, yes, Odel has been dreaming about it for over two years.

It definitely isn’t summer here (no crowds!), but this December weather is great: calm, cool and sunny. We strolled down to the pier with our cone (yes, just ONE) and enjoyed the view, then stopped in at the visitor’s center on the way back to the car. We picked up a few maps and learned that the Monarch butterflies are here in their wintering grounds now, around 21,000 at latest count. The butterfly grove was on our way home, so we stopped to see the Monarchs hanging on the high branch of an evergreen. I have NO idea how they count them, but I had sort of pictured 21,000 butterflies taking up more space!

Done peering up at the butterfly mob, we hopped back in the Jeep to head home. Odel turned the key and… NOTHING! Tried again – nothing. He jiggled the transmission lever, tried again, and Jules fired right up. We looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, and drove home, discussing our continuing problem the entire short drive. Once we got home, I asked Odel to start the car again – and this time NOTHING worked, including a jump with our handy Jump-N-Carry. :( Pretty sad.

So, who knows how long we might be in Oceano? Fortunately, we don’t have to be anywhere anytime soon, so we’ll just enjoy the beach and maybe get a little more exercise than usual. :)

YES, WE’RE BACK ON THE ROAD – SACRAMENTO TO SALINAS, CA

2011-12-03T17:56:00.001-08:00

In the weeks we spent at Cal Expo RV Park (click here to read our review), the trees outside went from fully clothed in deep green leaves, to the splendor of fall colors, to brown and bare, stripped by the strong winds gusting around Sacramento and all of central and southern California earlier in the week. But Friday dawned calm and quiet, and as soon as Odel returned from his last physical therapy session, we bid goodbye to our view and hit the road.

Our drive down the center of California on I-5 was uneventful. Early on, just south of Sacramento in a wetlands preserve, we spotted several small flocks of Sand Hill Cranes, plucking snacks from the fields; after that, there wasn’t much of interest (unless you are interested in feedlots and dormant orchards). In spite of the recent strong winds, a light haze of smog hung over the valley. Only the merest hints of green grass are beginning to show on the hillsides, marking the beginning of California’s rainy season.

We were glad to leave I-5 at Santa Nella and head west. Our target? Salinas, California (think John Steinbeck), where the Salinas Elks Lodge (click here to read our review and see photos) is well positioned for visits to Monterey, San Juan Bautista, Santa Cruz and Pinnacles National Monument.

We arrived by 2:30, unhitched, set up Scoopy and… Jules wouldn’t start! I had moved the Jeep about 10 feet after we unhooked (no problem); Odel moved it another 10 feet to the front of the motorhome. After that, dead!

The last time we had this problem was back in June, in John Day, Oregon. Somehow, it seems related to towing… a short somewhere? Something to do with the transmission setup for towing? We’ve towed many, many miles since then with no problems at all. Two non-mechanics can spend a mighty long time discussing possibilities - likely and unlikely - to no avail.

A jump start was effective last June, but we went ahead and replaced the battery in John Day – so this battery is now just 6 months old. A jump worked again this time, and we let her run for 30 minutes or so, but with last nights temperature in the mid-30’s, we weren’t surprised when we needed a jump to start again this morning.

Our drive over to Monterey recharged the battery, and our lunch of clam chowder (Odel) and a panko-crusted cod sandwich (me) recharged us. We spent the next couple hours wandering along the wonderful bayside recreation trail, taking occasional advantage of the many trailside benches to watch the bikers, walkers, kayakers, scuba divers, pelicans and gulls… all the lively and colorful sights of a beautiful, busy waterfront on a bright, sunny, cool and calm day. We put all thoughts of vehicle troubles on hold to enjoy the ambiance of a lovely spot on a lovely day.

Whoopee, Jules fired right up when we turned the key, and we’re back at home now. Odel is recharging the little Jump-N-Carry, the self-contained jump starter we ordered off Amazon after our John Day experience. We have plans to hike at Pinnacles National Monument tomorrow, a rather out-of-the-way spot, so want to make sure we’ve got the juice for a jump if we experience any more problems.

In spite of the annoyance, it’s nice to be heading off once again. Warmer weather beckons!

A KERFUFFLE - WRITING, READING, AND THE GAP BETWEEN INTENT AND PERCEPTION

2011-11-29T10:46:00.001-08:00

I’m a fan of words, and I enjoy finding an infrequently used word in the right place – “recalcitrant” on Judy’s recent post on Travels With Emma, for instance, or Tami’s (500 Dollar Tomato) use of “snit”. My word for today? Kerfuffle. We had a kerfuffle here at Cal Expo near the end of our stay, a reminder to me of how the intention of the writer may not match the perception of the reader.

We return to our ex-hometown, Sacramento, twice a year, staying for 4-8 weeks each time. Each time, at least 4 weeks of our stay is spent at Cal Expo RV Park, one of several RV parks and mobile home parks that serve RV’s in the greater Sacramento area. Although we also stay with friends and at one of the area Elks lodges, when we stay in a campground, we always choose Cal Expo RV Park, part of the Cal Expo state fairgrounds.

Why? Great location and full hookups with 50 amp service. Though there are other parks that offer some advantages over Cal Expo (some more roomy, some less expensive) each of the other choices has drawbacks for us (more traffic noise, no comfortable place to walk, poorly maintained). So, Cal Expo is ALWAYS our choice, and it is the park we recommend to friends who value the same campground amenities we do.

This visit, we requested a one-week extension so Odel could complete his physical therapy before we left Cal Expo. We were surprised to get a phone call from the manager when she reviewed our written request. Her question: why did we want an extension when we are unhappy at Cal Expo?

That threw us for a loop, because we aren’t unhappy at Cal Expo. After our stay last spring, I had updated our review of the park with a several comments about improvements at Cal Expo, including particular praise for the staff. We have always had friendly relations with the staff here, but the park manager and at least a couple of the workampers were quite upset with what they perceived as an unflattering review of the park. They found the review unnecessarily negative; we felt they overreacted, ignoring the positive points we made about the park. Everyone (including us) was defensive and confused; we found the situation very uncomfortable.

So I want to say here, clearly: we have not been unhappy at Cal Expo. We return here year after year, and we recommend it to others who are visiting Sacramento when we believe it best fits their needs. Are there other parks we like better? Sure, but NOT IN SACRAMENTO.

To me, the kerfuffle was a reminder that, while I can’t control how a reader will interpret and react to what I write, I CAN take care with adjectives and adverbs, choosing those that accurately express my intention. With that in mind, I have posted a current review that I hope accurately represents Cal Expo RV Park as we see it, an urban park in a convenient location that offers amenities those of us traveling in big rigs often desire.

Click here to read that review and see photos. As I say on our campground review blog, these reviews are simply our opinion and reflect our experience – your mileage may vary, whether guest, management, or owner. :) Click here to visit the Cal Expo RV Park website, including more photos. And don’t forget rvparkreviews.com, where you can find reviews of Cal Expo RV Park, many of the other options in the Sacramento area, and campgrounds across the country.

Safe travels, wherever you land. :)

TAKING A PEEK DOWN THE ROAD – ONE MORE WEEK IN SACRAMENTO

2011-11-25T16:37:00.001-08:00

Here is what I learned about myself during the past six weeks in Sacramento: if/when we give up the full time life and settle down, I won’t be blogging! But now it is time to blow the dust off the keyboard and warm up my fingers… we’re scheduled to leave a week from today. We have a reservation at Anza Borrego State Park in the last half of December, with tentative plans to head south via the coast. I’m so ready for a new view.

It’s been a busy, busy time. Lots of quality time with the family’s trio of super seniors, the above-85 generation. Fun times with both my sisters (I’m in the middle, and both sisters now live in the Sacramento area). Good visits with friends from our prior lives here, and with RV’ing friends who passed through Sacramento during our stay.

I had another birthday; now just one more year until Social Security! Odel flew to DC to visit his daughter and her family for five days, then came home to resume an eight session course of physical therapy, improving a bothersome shoulder problem.

What else? Let’s see… repairs to the Jeep (doors wouldn’t lock) and a new windshield. The microwave part of our microwave/convection oven died, and will be replaced on Monday.

The biggest news? My cousin Rosanna came to visit, and made an offer on a house in Placerville - accepted!

Some of you have met Rosanna and her mom, my Auntie Carol, in person. Others of you have read about them and their animals at Paws and Hooves Ranch (motto: “Where we’re busy being happy!”), maybe on my blog, maybe on The Bayfield Bunch, maybe on the blogs of other travelers in southeastern Arizona. Located between Chiricahua National Monument and the Dragoons, about an hour southeast of Benson and an hour north of Bisbee, Odel and I have spent many happy, busy days there.

As Rosanna, Carol, and all the animals grow older, upkeep of the little ranch is becoming a big job. Rosanna had been daydreaming about moving for awhile, with no specific plan. When she visited Sydney and Frank (my sister and BIL who moved from Bisbee to Diamond Springs, California, last year) earlier this month, she found her spot – a smaller home on 1/3 acre in a rural area. Nice views, plenty of privacy, one mile from the supermarket, with an unmanicured, fenced backyard for the dogs that will be making the move. Lots of TREES, a big change from her place in Arizona. She made an offer, it was accepted, and a big life change is underway.

Anyone looking for a horse property in SE Arizona (Cochise County)? Rosanna’s home is new-ish (15 years, maybe?), 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, nice big kitchen. Lots of windows. BIG barn, corrals of various sizes. A good well. A big, outdoor, clay oven! A level site for a large RV with a 30 amp hookup and water. The acreage is completely fenced and gated. A covered carport - two, I think. Good horse riding in the area – John and Brenda took their horses over to Council Rocks in the Dragoons a couple of weeks ago.

Rosanna has her place listed for sale now, and a lot of work ahead. Guess Odel and I better zip on down there if we want to get in a last visit.

So, our countdown begins. Odel has his last PT session at 8 am next Friday… then off we go. See you on the road!

SHAKING UP THE ROUTINE – NEAR SACRAMENTO, CA

2011-10-20T13:17:00.001-07:00

Free time has been scarce lately, and it shows on my blog, eh?

Good genes (or at least long-lived genes) run in my family, and Odel and I are spending a couple weeks with the super-seniors before we settle down at Cal-Expo RV Park in Sacramento for most of the month of November. We’ve spent a good portion of this week helping my soon-to-be 89 year old aunt move into an independent living apartment, while house- and cat-sitting for Sydney and Frank, my sister and BIL. And we’re only about 5 miles from my just-edging-past 85 year old parents, so are trying to visit with them, too.

Gotta’ say, I am impressed with my aunt’s new living arrangement: small, private apartment in a “retirement” complex geared to helping seniors remain independent while providing all kinds of services to make their lives easier, safer, and more enjoyable – 3 meals a day in a dining room with table service, shuttle bus for those who don’t drive, activity room, library, daily checks on residents (very unobtrusive), lovely grounds and flower gardens, field trips… and very friendly staff and residents. It appears to be an excellent move for her.

We won’t be traveling again until after Thanksgiving – we pack the month of November full of family visits, medical visits, and doing all those chores on the “wait until we get to Sacramento” list, most of which is focused on repairs to our Jeep this year. And visiting old friends!

Now, I’m off to pick up Aunt Dorothy and teach her how to drive here to my sister’s house. Later, readers.

LATE SUMMER FLAVORS: ROASTED GREEN CHILES

2011-10-11T07:56:00.001-07:00

It’s a rainy day in Likely, California, a tiny town on Hwy 395 in the northeast corner of the state. We stopped for two nights at the Likely Place RV Resort and Golf Course (click here to read our review and see photos), where Odel dreamed he would be out on the links. Not today! Staying warm and dry inside, I’m going to share another recipe with you – it’s the season for chiles!

Roasted chiles… yum. Walking through a late summer farmers market, the fragrance of roasting green chile peppers is unmistakable. Draw closer to the roaster and you’ll hear the crackle and pop of chile skins blistering as they tumble over the hot flame of the roaster. I never pass up roasted chiles, so usually head into winter with several bags and varieties in our freezer, most of which disappear into posole.

I make cream soups less than once a year – with so many delicious soup recipes, why consume the extra calories and cholesterol added with cream or half and half? Recently, I made an exception – a very delicious exception.

When we saw roasted chiles in the Eugene farmers market last month, I bought several baggies full (NOT the bags on the left, a photo I took in Santa Fe, NM), then went looking for a new recipe to try. I don’t remember where I originally found the recipe for Green Chile Chowder, but it’s been in my “recipes to try” file for a long time, waiting for someone else to do the chile roasting. Bingo! Motive and opportunity, as they say on the crime shows.

The original recipe calls for two Jalapenos and four Poblanos. I bought and roasted one LARGE red Jalapeno, and replaced the four Poblanos with what I had in my freezer: two Poblanos and four Anaheims. The soup was rich and spicy, with a smooth flavor; we rated it medium-hot with the combination of chiles I used. It made 8 servings, which meant two dinners for Odel and me; delicious the first night, even more complex and yummy gently warmed two nights later.

This chowder would make a delicious centerpiece for a vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner: Green Chile Chowder, a corn dish (or cornbread), roasted butternut squash or yams, cranberry sauce… and maybe a Green Chile Apple Crisp for dessert (along with the pumpkin and pecan pies). Never had green chiles in your apple crisp? Well, eat your ice cream with strawberries, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper, then we’ll move on to our next dessert adventure. :)

If you can’t pass up a roasted chile, give this chowder a try. It’s the season.

OUR FIRST KAYAK ADVENTURE – ROCKY POINT, OREGON

2011-10-10T08:13:00.001-07:00

Driving through fresh snow at Newberry Crater, I never imagined we’d be out on the water in kayaks two days later!

Friend and fellow blogger Sue Malone lives in the little community of Rocky Point, Oregon. Since we’ve spent the entire summer in the Pacific Northwest, we knew we would stop by to visit, but our plans didn’t gel until now, traveling south to warmer weather. Sue and Mo have four kayaks, so we often talked about taking a little kayak trip when we visited – a first for Odel and me. It seemed less and less likely as summer ended and cold weather arrived.

After an easy drive down Hwy 97 from Bend, we pulled into Collier Memorial State Park (click here to read our review) before noon. When we first visited this park two year ago, we were lucky to find an open site, very surprising in October! This time we had our pick of many, many spacious, level sites - so many that it took us way too long to pick one. Once we finally got settled, we took advantage of the cool sunshine to reacquaint ourselves with the riverside trails.

The next day was our Big Adventure. Since I was not positive my kayak would always be right-side up, I left my camera at home, knowing photographer Sue would document our day. Not only did she take the photographs (including these), she has already posted a blog that describes our day (click here to read it and see additional photos).

Picture the perfect first kayak experience: calm winds and smooth water; unlimited sunshine but cool temperatures (low 60’s); good-humored “instructors” who provide and transport the equipment and know the route… really, there was nothing that could have been changed for the better. We saw white pelicans floating and watched big trout dart underneath our kayaks – even saw two little snakes going for a swim!

Both Odel and I managed to stay dry (mostly), and our trip was just the right length. We celebrated our success with a round of cold brews at the nearby Rocky Point Resort restaurant, admiring the sunshine on the water and laughing our heads off.

Then… dinner! Back at Sue and Mo’s house, Sue bustled around the kitchen full of energy. She fired up the grill to cook a huge slab of Copper River salmon on a cedar plank, while fresh asparagus simmered on the stove next to freshly made Hollandaise sauce and a side of grains – all of this while we sat on bar stools drinking wine and eating appetizers, chatting with Mo and kibitzing the cook.

Dinner was WONDERFUL, followed by bowls of vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries and sweet, syrupy balsamic vinegar. When Sue said the recipe specified a shake of black pepper on top, I wrinkled my nose, but Odel grabbed the shaker and went for it. Once he approved, Sue and I added pepper to our bowls, too (Mo stuck with chocolate sauce). Huh! True! It was an excellent addition. Who would have thought it?

Sue and Mo, thanks for much. We had so much FUN, and such a great meal – and I’m hardly even sore. :)

THE APPROACH OF WINTER – BEND, OREGON

2011-10-07T06:33:00.001-07:00

Leaving the relaxing hot springs at Crystal Crane, we headed west to Bend, Oregon. Since we had but a few days to spend in Bend, we stayed at the Bend Elks Lodge (click here for read our review and see photos).

The first 100 miles west of Crane look like this (although usually without a building!)…	…then you spy trees, and the stunning Cascades. Not much farther to Bend.

	We stopped in Bend to visit Costco and Trader Joe’s (yes, Sue, there IS a TJ’s here, on the north end), and to see – at long last – Newberry Volcanic National Monument, south of Bend. Too bad for us, the first cold blasts of winter arrived on the same day we did! It was 44 degrees and windy when we stopped at Lava Lands Visitor Center to watch a 10 minute orientation video. Our very short walk on the nature trail ended when a few drops of rain began to fall.
After a stop at La Pine State Park to check out the campground for future trips and visit Oregon’s largest Ponderosa Pine, we were off to Newberry Crater, hoping to hike on the big obsidian flow. As the road climbed towards the Paulina Visitor Center, the temperature dropped. Before long, we saw fresh snow on the sides of the road. This was the greeting we got at the Visitor Center: Boarded up! CLOSED! And COLD!
	And it only got whiter and colder as we drove higher. Before long, we faced reality: the first blasts of winter have arrived, and we weren’t gonna find warm sunshine any time soon! This was our view from our picnic spot: the boat launch ramp at Paulina Lake. We didn’t linger long, especially when a few snowflakes started to drift down. We don’t have clothes for this!

The nights are now cold enough that our little electric heater can’t handle the chill. Since we don’t like the noise of the furnace, Odel hauled out the Kozy-World propane heater which keeps us snuggly warm with no noise. Looks like we’re going to need it every night next week, as we make our way from Bend to Sacramento.

STEENS MOUNTAIN SCENIC LOOP AND A HOT SPRINGS FLOAT – CRANE, OR

2011-10-05T07:54:00.001-07:00

When we pulled into Crystal Crane Hot Springs (click here to read our earlier review), a tiny RV park surrounded by miles and miles of nothing in a very unpopulated county in eastern Oregon, we immediately recognized the Safari motorhome that belongs to our friends Bill and Wilda. Two days earlier, when we were in Boise, we’d received an email from Bill, hoping we were still in Baker City so we could visit during their upcoming overnight stop there… after which they were heading further south.

Of course, we were long gone from Baker City, planning on heading to Crystal Crane Hot Springs from Boise. It sure brought a smile to my face when I read that their next planned overnight as they hopped down to Arizona was Crane! What are the odds?? It was great to see them, and to share a float in the hot pool.

Next morning, well before noon, Odel donned his swim attire, wrapped up in his (rented) plush pink terrycloth bathrobe, grabbed his swim noodle and headed to the hot pool. As he floated with a couple of neighboring RV’ers in the steaming pool, the topic of “home” came up. Our neighbors mentioned that they are headed to their home in southeast Arizona. Odel dug a little deeper and, imagining they would get a blank look from him, the neighbors specified Sunsites, Arizona.

Boy, did we laugh when Odel told me the story! My cousin Rosanna and my aunt Carol live not far from there, so we know the area VERY well (as do Al and Kelly, the Bayfield Bunch). When the neighbors mentioned where they lived, Odel asked about the golf course there (always teetering on the edge of demise), and they all got into a conversation about the small towns and junctions of Cochise County, including the Mustang Mall (their t-shirts proclaim “Conveniently Located in the Middle of Nowhere”).

Since Crystal Crane Hot Springs is also conveniently located in the middle of nowhere, in an area that is surprisingly similar to Cochise county (high desert, dry, ancient mountains poking up all around, interesting history, interesting places to visit for those who dig a bit - and are willing to drive many, many miles to visit), it seemed amazing and particularly apt to meet in such an unpopulated spot.

We’re back in Harney County (Burns is the largest town and county seat) for a specific reason: to drive the scenic road to the top of Steens Mountain. When we visited last June (click here to read our post from that visit), looking for sunny skies and warm weather, the Steens Mountain Scenic Loop road was still closed by a heavy layer of snow. We explored as far as Frenchglen, the tiny town that is the gateway to the loop, visited several interesting historic sites and the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, but no luck driving to the top of the mountain (a hair under 10,000 ft. elevation).

So, we’re back – and this time we made it. Unlike our experience with Hell’s Canyon, the drive to the top of Steens Mountain (click here for an interesting description) was every bit as amazing and beautiful as I expected.

I’d printed information from the internet detailing hikes on Steens Mountain, and we packed a picnic lunch to take along on our epic journey – which turned out to be 184 miles round trip, with about 40 miles of it on Steens Mountain. This, from Oregon.com, is a good description of the unusual mountain:

“Driving the road up Steens Mountain is like climbing a 20-mile ramp. A tilted mesa with an active fault on its steep, eastern side, the fault-block mountain has risen up in the past five to seven million years. During the Ice Age, seven large glaciers gouged 2000-foot-deep, U-shaped canyons into the western slope.”

So you’ve got a huge slab of rock, tilted high on one side (east); a gentle slope from the west side to the top, then a free-fall down the eastern side.

The drive begins on the west side of the “ramp”, at Frenchglen, on a gravel and dirt road with plenty of washboard to keep you alert. Frenchglen is at an elevation of around 4,200 feet, the summit of 20 mile long Steens Mountain is at 9,735 feet, so the ecology and weather change considerably during the ride. The road never seems steep, but it is a steady climb. (By the way, there is an annual run up Steens Mountain – I’m sure the slope seems steep to the runners!)

By the time we reached Kiger Gorge (third photo), where we anticipated our first hike, the wind was blowing HARD – so hard and gusty that we didn’t dare wander too near the edge of the deep, glacial gorge. It was freezing, and oh so apparent that hiking was NOT happening! Back in the car, we drove another few miles to the east rim, another fantastic (and very cold and windy) viewpoint – 9,730 feet - looking down from the top of the mountain to the Alvord Desert, far (FAR!) below. Even in the cold, driving wind, we drank in the scenery – it was truly fabulous.

The road became more narrow and bumpy as it climbed another couple miles to the summit parking area (9500 feet, just a couple hundred feet below the summit). Two more hikes, one to the summit, the other to Wildhorse Lake, neither remotely appealing in the whipping, frigid wind. Instead, we sat in the Jeep eating our ham sandwiches and chocolate, watching heavily bundled photographers and hikers (half a dozen cars were there with us) brave the cold winds. (I DID jump out to take a few quick photos.)

Then we began the long drive back down the mountain, past the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, back to the soothing warmth of the hot pool awaiting us at home. Worth the trip? Absolutely.

Starting back down the road from the summit.	No hiking to the windswept summit for us!

A QUICK TRIP INTO IDAHO, AND TROUBLESHOOTING OUR REFRIGERATOR – BOISE, ID

2011-10-03T18:01:00.001-07:00

University towns – we seek them out. An active, younger population; greater cultural diversity; a variety of entertainment and events; independent retailers and restaurants; and excellent people-watching all are attractions for us. Boise is not only a university town, but the state capitol of Idaho as well. Since we were nearby – and since we needed some urban services – off we went to Idaho when we left Baker City.

Before we settled into Hi Valley RV Park (click here to read our review and see photos), we made three stops: two for the repair of our hot water heater and one to replace our two-year old GPS. It was a very successful afternoon.

Over the next three days, we enjoyed many of the attractions Boise offers: long walks along the riverside greenbelt parks; a glimpse of the famous blue turf of the Boise State stadium; a self-guided tour of the empty Idaho State Capitol building (we were amazed to learn that their legislative session runs for just 4 months and had adjourned April 7, 2011 – the place was deserted); an afternoon at the Territorial Prison; walking the various interesting “districts” of downtown Boise; and several delicious meals at lively Boise restaurants.

When we weren’t out sightseeing or eating and drinking (and even when we were!), we puzzled over our refrigerator. Eventually, after many, many hours of scouring the internet and obsessively recording our freezer and fresh food temperatures, we have concluded that our refrigerator is working as designed - even though we aren't completely happy with aspects of its performance.

Though Norcold provides very little information, we learned that our refrigerator is designed to shut off every 48-50 hours (more or less) for 3-5 hours to de-ice the cooling “fins” at the back of the refrigerator. While the refrigerator is shut off, the temperatures in the freezer and refrigerator climb, until the ice on the fins melts. For us, that means the refrigerator temperature rises to 40 +/- degrees and the freezer to around 22. The way to stop the de-ice cycle is to turn the refrigerator off and back on – exactly what we did (as a last resort) three times in the past when we noticed the temps were rising and the cooling unit was not operating.

By the time we had gleaned from internet sources this information about the de-ice cycle, our refrigerator was relatively empty, so we decided to let the cycle run its course to prove to ourselves that it WOULD come back on and start cooling. Yes, almost 5 hours later, when the fresh food temperature climbed to 40.5… ping! The cooling unit fired up and the refrigerator began to chill.

Based on what we have read, learned, and observed, we plan to use the on/off button to "manage" the de-ice cycle when we are in warm weather, particularly when we have a major grocery shopping planned. By turning the refrigerator off and on the night before (which restarts the 48 hour cycle), we can make sure the internal temperature won't be climbing as we arrive home with a load of groceries and freezer items – and in hot weather, we’re likely to restart the refrigerator once we see that the frost on the fins has melted, rather than waiting for the secret signal that turns the cooler back on.

Happily, we saw a lot in Boise, learned a lot in Boise, and accomplished a lot in Boise. All of today’s photos are of Boise attractions, and I hope we’ll get back through there one of these years.

Above: Odel enjoys a chocolate break on the convenient bench outside The Chocolat Bar.

Above, right: a fraction of the temptations we found inside!

Right: Downtown Boise has many beautiful old buildings, and a two block stretch is dominated by restaurants with comfortable outdoor seating. We visited this area twice for lunch at the Bittercreek Alehouse, a restaurant with an emphasis on local ingredients and beer - many, many beers!

Next stop: Crystal Crane Hot Springs – again!

BACK FOR ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO SEE HELL’S CANYON – BAKER CITY, OREGON

2011-10-02T08:35:00.001-07:00

Research the far northeastern reaches of Oregon and you can’t avoid mention of Hell’s Canyon, usually described as “Hell’s Canyon, North America’s deepest river gorge at 8,000 ft.”. Photos show a deep canyon, its steep, barren, rocky walls plunging dramatically down to the Snake River. On the west side, Oregon; on the east side, Idaho. And you want to be there, to experience this wild, dramatic, record-setting gorge!

Hmmmmmph! I don’t know where they measure the depth of Hell’s Canyon, and I don’t know where they take the breathtaking photos, but I do know this: we’ve looked, and we didn’t see it.

Our search started when we visited Joseph, Oregon, at the end of June. We drove a long section of the Hell’s Canyon Scenic Byway from Joseph to the Hell’s Canyon Scenic Overlook (click here to read that post and see photos). It is an appealing (long, green) drive in early summer, and the view from the Scenic Overlook is splendid – but a letdown, too. You can’t see the river! There’s Idaho, across the gorge, but after reading all about this fabulous “deepest” scenic wonder, a view of the width rather than the depth is, well, disappointing. (Fortunately, on our visit, we had the snowcapped mountains of Idaho and the wildflowers at our feet to distract us.)

So, heading south as the weather cools, a return to Baker City to drive the remainder of the Hell’s Canyon Scenic Byway was on the agenda. This time, we’d head to the bottom, to the river, to look UP.

We first visited Baker City in September of 2007. Friendly, casual, proud of their history, downtown preservation, and the arts, surrounded by recreational opportunity, Baker City impressed us. Walking down Main Street one afternoon, we passed a gallery displaying eye-catching sculptures in the window (click here to read that post). Guess what? They weren’t sculptures; we had stumbled upon an unusual artistic medium, well suited to the ranching heritage of Baker City – salt licks! Prizes were to be awarded and the salt licks auctioned, all explained in a very funny poster hanging in the gallery.

This year, checking in to Mt. View RV Park (click here to read our review), I noticed a flyer for the 5th Annual Salt Lick Auction – to be held that very night at Crossroads Carnegie Art Center in downtown Baker City. Excellent timing!

After dinner at Barley Brown’s Brewpub, we walked over to the Crossroads Arts Center, a beautiful gallery in the original Carnegie Library building (circa 1909) next door to Baker City’s historic city hall. Outdoors, on a patio, the party was in full swing – libations flowing, plenty of free appetizers served by circulating wait staff. This year’s entries were displayed, some available for silent auction, others on display for judging and live auction later. A mama cow and her calf were honored special judges when two of the salt licks tied for first place. Click here to read the the contest’s hilarious rules (“Cows caught using steroids will be canned. Mad cows will be eligible for psychiatric treatment.”).

When he walked up, introduced himself, and shook our hands, we learned from the organizer, Whit Deschner, that the annual salt lick judging and auction is a benefit to raise money for Parkinson’s research (Whit was diagnosed with Parkinson’s several years ago), $20,000 so far. We told Whit we had been in Baker City for the first salt lick contest, and our return for the 5th annual was sheer serendipity.

I wish I could describe the event in words that would do it justice. With assistance from his neurologist – who read the tongue-twisting medical terms at a nod from the author – Whit read the first chapter in his next book (about living with Parkinson’s) while the audience cracked up. The guy is a first-class wit. Then he explained the contest, thanked the participants, and thanked everyone who was in attendance – with a special nod to us, introduced with our little story of stumbling across the event in its first year.

The joking and ribbing onstage between Whit, the auctioneer, the other volunteers and the audience was so funny, so warm – a group of good friends having fun and inviting everyone to be a part of it. We walked away even more convinced that Baker City would be a good place to spend more time.

The next day was the Big Day – off to see the 8,000 foot deep gorge! After a stop at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center (DON’T MISS IT!), we set off. Now, at the end of summer, all the hillsides (miles and miles and miles of hillsides) are brown and dry. Irrigated green fields break the monotony, and a couple very small towns dot the route – but it was mostly a long drive with plenty of time to imagine the difficulties and travails of the travelers on the Oregon Trail.

Seventy miles later, we arrived at Oxbow, Oregon, on the bank of the Snake River. Idaho Power manages a beautiful little campground and day use park on the bank of the Snake on the Oregon side, Copperfield Park. Here we stopped for our picnic lunch and to take in the sights: gently rounded slopes raising above the Snake River on each side. So where the heck is the gorge???

Looking across the Snake River to Idaho from Copperfield Park.	Looking back to the Jeep from our trail.

After lunch, we drove seven (gravel and dirt) miles north along the bank of the Snake River. Where the road ended, we set out on foot, following a dirt trail along the hillside. Looking north, looking south… we saw a canyon, we saw the river. We didn’t see any 8,000 foot walls!

Most of the Hell’s Canyon Recreation Area is not accessible by road, and I’m sure there are awesome sights to be seen there – maybe even North America’s deepest gorge! My advice? Forget the apparently inaccessible gorge. The Hell’s Canyon Scenic Byway has a lot to offer: interesting towns (particularly Baker City and Joseph); the appealing Wallowa Valley; fascinating history (the Oregon Trail and the Corps of Discovery), all easily seen and enjoyed when you quit looking for the designated “attraction”.

Next stop: Boise, Idaho

A FEW PROBLEMS SOLVED, AND THOUGHTS ON OUR REFRIGERATOR

2011-09-29T09:06:00.001-07:00

We’ve moved on from a great stay in Baker City, and I have a fun story from there which I will write and post in a day or two . First, though, some good news on a couple of our dysfunctional items, and on thoughts on your comments on my prior post:

Our water heater problem is fixed! It took two stops: the first at the officially certified Suburban water heater repair shop in Boise, Idaho, where they diagnosed our problem as a major meltdown of our AC electric system (we didn’t try to talk them out of this ridiculous idea, since we have already lost faith in their ability to help us); the second to Boise Valley (not mentioned on Suburban’s list of authorized repair facilities), neighbor to - and recommended by - the first place.

Dave Duncan at Boise Valley RV accommodated us immediately when we showed up in mid-afternoon. Very personable, he is one of those guys who has been working with RV’s forever, and you immediately feel he will stick with the problem until he finds it and fixes it. Within an hour, our water heater was working. We stuck around long enough to make sure it was indeed fixed, paid the bill, and went on our way. YAY! Oh, and Odel got a free t-shirt in Boise Bronco orange (blindingly bright), which is is wearing proudly as we sightsee in Boise.

(Here is another plug for RVServiceReviews.com. Please, please review your good and bad service experiences there, and don’t forget to check it out before you pick a service facility.)

While in Baker City, our almost-two-year-old Garmin 255WT GPS died, unable to load its map. We still had a couple weeks left on our Geek Squad Black Tie Protection Plan, so we headed over to the Boise Best Buy while the water heater repair was underway. They don’t bother repairing 2 year old GPS units, so we qualified for a swap – our non-functional unit for a new, equivalent GPS.

Soon after buying our first GPS, I decided that there was one feature ours didn’t have that I would pay extra for: route optimization, the ability to add several stops to a route and have the GPS arrange them in the most logical order. So, instead of wanting a new “equivalent” GPS, I wanted a new, improved GPS, with the capability to add and rearrange many stops.

For an extra $30, we were able to turn in the non-functional GPS and upgrade to the unit I wanted (which was on sale). We walked out the door with a new Garmin 1450 LMT with free lifetime map updates, route optimization, up-to-date maps and points of interest, and other goodies made possible by technical advances in the past two years. We are very, very happy with that result. While we don’t rely on our GPS for route planning when moving the motorhome (though we do plug in the final route when we have checked out all our usual sources), we’ve come to rely heavily on the GPS when we are in the Jeep, navigating unfamiliar roads. I’m having a great time playing with the new GPS here in Boise, discovering several new features we will enjoy.

Now, a couple of thoughts on your comments on my last post:

Don’t worry about our windshield. The crack is off to one side, vertical, not in our line of vision, and has already run from one edge to the other. We have reported it to our insurance company and we keep an eye on it, but nothing about it changes. We aren’t worried that our windshield is going to fall out.

Several of you have suggested a residential refrigerator, and we have considered that as a possibility if our current refrigerator requires costly repairs. Though we boondock infrequently, we DO boondock a week or so at a time once or twice during the year, and don’t want to lose that capability. Because we boondock so infrequently, and because our motorhome came with a humongous generator which needs to be “exercised” at least monthly to keep it in tip-tip shape, we have never invested in a solar system. With our current setup, we can boondock for 36-48 hours in moderate weather without recharging if we run our water heater and refrigerator on gas and turn off the inverter when we don’t need it. Before we would switch to a residential refrigerator, we would need to figure out whether we would still have reasonable boondocking capability (meaning: no need to run the generator more than once a day for an hour or two).

Croft, thanks for the laugh with your refrigerator comment. We have had BOTH doors fall off (not at the same time, thank goodness)! That’s a shock, isn’t it? And of course the entire door has to be replaced because the little hinge that broke is an integral part of the door… sheesh.

Speaking of residential refrigerators and general RV problems, I can’t sign off without mentioning our blogging friend Judy (Travels with Emma). She had a residential refrigerator installed last winter, and her blog is a great source of information on the process (click Upgrade Update and Refer Update Part Two to read her posts about the replacement).

Judy is now experiencing the mean mother of all RV problems: her RV’s computer mother board has failed. Read her recent posts (beginning here, with her post from September 12) if you want to put minor RV problems into perspective!

THE AGGRAVATIONS OF A HOME ON WHEELS – BAKER CITY, OR

2011-09-28T08:56:00.001-07:00

Early in our travels, we had trouble with a slide topper awning, displaced by a heavy wind. After our neighbor, an easy-going guy in an older converted bus, helped Odel straighten the slide topper, we spent time chatting about the fairly constant stream of minor and major issues that plague those of us living in RV’s. He told us something that became our mantra: “If I’m 80% problem free, I’m 100% good”. In other words, everything on/in your RV will never be perfect at the same time, so be happy when your issues are few.

So, though we usually have an item or two or three that need attention from a professional, we’re pretty happy with 80% working – as long as the problems don’t keep us from moving. Up until a week ago, our list was short: we have a crack in our windshield (which we are ignoring); we have a noisy problem with our door lock (only annoying on a bumpy road). Our automatic leveling system is automatic in theory only – after the third “fix” didn’t last several years ago, we gave up and now deploy the jacks individually.

Our hot water heater does a half hearted job when heating with electricity – but does great when heating with gas. We have an appointment to get this looked at soon (actually, we are at the service facility right now as I write; Odel is hovering over the knowledgeable repairman asking a million questions).

Five or six days ago, we moved into the RV’ers no-mans land: our refrigerator stopped cooling! Gulp. Big, big, gulp!

We got home to Lincoln Rock State Park from our trip to Lake Wenatchee to find both the refrigerator and freezer about 10 degrees warmer than usual, above what we consider acceptable. After we opened and closed all the doors, bumped the temperature setting up to the maximum cold setting, and turned the unit off and on, it started cooling again. By three days later, it was as cool as we have every seen it (as monitored by three remote transmitters we put inside the fresh food and freezer compartments and consulted obsessively).

Just when we breathed a sign of relief and declared it a glitch – boom, it happened again, as we were enjoying our visit to Baker City, OR (click here to read our review of Mountain View RV Park). This time, we went into full troubleshooting mode.

Refrigerator problems are not new to us, and recalls, fires, defunct or balky cooling are the frequent subjects of RV’ers blog posts and conversations (read Paul and Mary’s recent excellent posts on the issue here and here). Of all the appliances that can fail, an RV refrigerator - which runs on both AC power and propane and requires a DC connection - is the worst. Not only are you likely to lose the contents of your freezer and refrigerator, but past experience has proven to us that finding the cause of the problem is likely to be a long-term and costly process. We are once again beginning the troubleshooting steps. Maybe an easy fix, maybe a difficult/expensive one… we’ll see.

We’d come to Baker City to revisit the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center and complete the Hell’s Canyon Scenic Byway drive that we had begun when we stayed in Joseph earlier this summer. The temperature was in the mid-80’s when we stopped at the Interpretive Center; with the exception of irrigated farms, the rolling hills were brown, dry, and uninviting as far as the eye could see.

“Interpretive Center” is an accurate description for this wonderful center; the exhibits, videos, and interactive displays bring the history of the great western migration alive in a most evocative way. Driven by the difficulties of life in the southern and eastern US, travelers on the trail faced incredible hardships – breakdowns, disease, accidents, skirmishes, death.

Talk about a new perspective! We might not have HOT water, but we have water… and from a faucet, no less. Refrigerator not working? No need to eat maggoty flour or moldy bacon – let’s head to Safeway, or the nearest café! Too hot to walk? Hop in the car; we’ll turn on the AC while we see the sights!

So, while we feel a bit plagued by the imperfections of our modern conveniences (oh, I forgot to mention that our GPS died yesterday, and that our Verizon aircard is giving us fits), life is still good rolling down the (graded, paved) road!

THE GIFTS OF THE COLUMBIA: IRRIGATION AND HYDROPOWER

2011-09-24T15:02:00.001-07:00

East of the Cascade range, the state of Washington is very dry. If you haven’t visited, what you see in your mind’s eye when you hear “Washington” is NOT what the eastern part of this state looks like!

Heading south from Wenatchee, we traveled roads that hugged the banks of the Columbia River for many, many miles. Orchards heavy with apples and pears lined both sides of the road, surrounded by dry brown scrub on massive, barren hillsides. Brilliant green grass flagged riverside parks. Above it all, giant erector set towers carried popping, crackling transmission wires from the many dams of the Columbia river to the Northwest’s power grid. Small fishing boats floated tranquilly. All hail the mighty Columbia!

By early afternoon, we settled into a shady site at Plymouth Park (click here to read our review and see photos), a Corps of Engineers campground in the very tiny town of Plymouth, Washington, adjacent to the Columbia River where I-82 crosses from Washington to Oregon. Planned as a one-night stop, we walked back to the entry booth in the cool shade of evening to pay for another night’s stay… it was that nice and, with a Golden Age Pass, the price was great.

	Left: Boxes await the new crop of apples near Wenatchee. Below left: We followed the Columbia river for many miles, sometimes next to the water, sometimes far above it. This truck was heavily laden with apples. Below right: irrigated orchards and hydropower transmission lines – typical scenes from the area near Wenatchee.

Our friends Nickie and Jimmy tipped us off to Plymouth Park when they had stayed here a week earlier. Avid walkers and hikers, they suggested visiting McNary Dam to walk the nature trails there, so that is what we did on our “extra” day.

The main visitor center at McNary Dam is on the Oregon side of the river, a 15 minute drive from the campground. The Pacific Salmon Visitor Center is all about fish, the fish ladders at the dam, and how the fish are tagged, clipped and tracked going and coming. We watched a few fish come through the viewing windows, but there wasn’t much action. The visitor center itself was almost deserted this time of year - we saw one family and zero staff. We pulled a trail map out of the brochure rack and set off to explore the grounds.

Wow! Acres and acres of thick, lush, green grass transform the riverbank into an oasis. Wooden platforms offer expansive views of the huge dam, the locks, and the totally brown, barren hillsides and cliffs of the Washington State side of the river. The benefit and importance of the life-giving irrigation could not be more apparent.

We followed the trails along the bank, through woodlands, wetlands, and past 15 foot high blackberry brambles heavy with fruit. By the time we finished our walk, the sun was high in the sky, with temperatures headed to the upper 80’s; sweat trickled down my neck.

Back at camp, I moved my lounger into the shade, snagged my Kindle and an iced tea, and spent the remainder of the afternoon reading, observing birds and bugs, watching the neighbors’ activities, and snoozing now and then. A great day along the mighty river of the Pacific Northwest.

NECESITAMOS AYUDA MEANS HELP WANTED - WENATCHEE, WASHINGTON

2011-09-22T22:47:00.001-07:00

Apples! Apples, apples and more apples! And pears, peaches… the orchards of Wenatchee, Washington, are laden with fruit, ripe and ready to be picked. I can’t imagine where they get the workers to bring it all in; it was common to see signs proclaiming “Help Wanted – Necesitamos Ayuda” along the road as we traveled.

When we visited Wenatchee early in July, cherries were the crop of the moment – but I always think of Washington as the state for apples, and I knew I wanted to return during the apple harvest. After we set up camp at Lincoln Rock State Park (click here to read our review), we set off for the Washington Apple Commission Visitor Center.

The Washington Apple Commission is all about boosterism, and we watched their upbeat 16 minute video about apple farming in Washington while we munched on free samples… and learned a few things. One big surprise: when apple trees blossom, buds grow in clusters. The first bud to open is the “king” blossom, and all the other buds in the cluster (which looked like 6-10 more buds) are either removed by hand, or treated by hand so that they cannot open so only the king blossom will be pollinated and produce an apple. Can you imagine? These are big trees, covered with buds, and 60% or more of those buds need hand removal or treatment. Who does all that work?? Necesitamos Ayuda!

According to the video, Washington produces more than 15 billion (yes, that is billion with a B) apples each year. It looks like about 10 billion of them are still hanging on the trees in the orchards lining the roads around Wenatchee, and ALL harvesting of apples, pears and peaches is done by hand. It’s incredible!

Do you know Aplets and Cotlets? They are rather odd little fruit candies, been around for years, difficult to describe – a soft, jelled confection, cut in squares and dusted with powdered sugar. Well, the Aplets and Cotlets factory is in Cashmere, Washington, just up the road from Wenatchee, a stop on our way to Lake Wenatchee State Park.

We arrived at the factory around 11 am, just in time to miss the factory operation as the workers took their lunch break. We peeked through the windows at the slumbering candy line, sampled each of the three flavors (aplet, cotlet, and a strawberry version that didn’t have an “et” name), made a few purchases, and continued on up the road to Leavenworth.

Many, many people LOVE Leavenworth, Washington. I am not among them.

This small Washington town, surrounded by forested peaks of the Cascades, adopted a strict municipal building code for the city center in the 1960’s, modeling itself as a Bavarian village and, thereby creating a tourist attraction. It works, drawing over two million visitors a year.

When we first visited Leavenworth five years ago, I was annoyed by the rampant commercialism (how many Bavarian trinkets, music boxes, and t-shirts can tourists buy??) and irritated by the oompah music playing from speakers all over town. On this trip, I went with an open mind, thinking it couldn’t really have been as annoying as I remembered. Guess what? It really WAS!

We parked, walked a few blocks, had lunch in the outdoor beer garden at Munchen Haus (yes, yes, German spelling rules, except for Starbucks, which is Bavarian in looks only) listening to polkas. Each store we passed sold items ONLY a tourist would buy. I was SO READY to leave! But don’t worry, Leavenworth thrives without grumpy Laurie. :)

Lake Wenatchee, on the other hand, was calm and quiet, just about deserted. We hiked along the lake shore enjoying the weather and the views, exchanging smiles with the few others visitors we saw. Just my kind of place.

We pulled out of Lincoln Rock State Park this morning, headed for points south, our refrigerator bins laden with three varieties of apples, Bartlett and Asian pears, and a couple beautiful, perfumed peaches. Excellent time of year to visit this lush, orchard-covered valley.

IS SUMMER GONE? CLE ELUM AND ROSLYN, WASHINGTON

2011-09-20T21:35:00.001-07:00

Do you remember the TV show Northern Exposure? If you do, this photo will look familiar to you!

After we left our gathering of friends in Sammamish, we drove a short hop over Snoqualmie Pass to the eastern side of the Cascades and our home for the next four nights, Sun Country Golf and RV Resort (click here to read our review). It’s lucky Odel sprinted out onto the course as soon as we were set up – for half our stay, it rained. :(

So, why’d we pick this particular spot? Several years ago, we visited with our friends Jim and Diane when they were camp hosts nearby. Jim gave us a great tour of the area (not far from their summer home base) and we had good memories… throw in the golf course for Odel and we figured a few days of closer exploration was in order.

As soon as Odel headed out on the links, I jumped into the Jeep to do a little of the slow, circuitous exploration that is best done alone – checking out this little road here, missing a turn there, taking a dirt road that looks interesting (but dusty), backtracking because I saw a garden that I liked, or wondered about the trail sign I thought I saw over on the left side… all of that is easier when I am the only person in the vehicle!

I found several “places of interest” (for some reason, that always reminds me of the law enforcement phrase, “persons of interest”) for Odel and I to explore the following day. The first was Iron Horse State Park, one of the many rails-to-trails projects we have seen in our travels. Originally part of the Chicago-Milwaukee-St.Paul-Pacific Railroad, the trail extends more than 100 miles – plenty of room for us to stretch our legs. :)

I had noticed the trail running along adjacent to the golf course where we camped; when I took a walk there, I wondered about this mileage marker: 2091 miles from Chicago! During my exploration in the Jeep, I found a well-interpreted section of the trail in South Cle Elum, and we returned there together the next day.

South Cle Elum had been a major stop for the trains, where crews changed, locomotives were serviced, and cars added or removed. There was a passenger depot, a bunkhouse, a roundhouse and a turntable.

A big surprise? A 200+ mile section of the railroad that ran over Snoqualmie Pass (and through tunnels) was electrified in 1920, using electric motors (and the resulting overhead wires) in the locomotives! During the lifespan of the railroad (summer of 1909 through March of 1980), this line was traveled by steam locomotives – first fired by coal, then by oil - electric locomotives and diesel locomotives.

We followed the trail around the grounds of the Cle Elum yard, where only the passenger depot (beautifully restored) and the electrification building still stand, reading the history of the now very quiet grounds. In less than a century, the rail line was built, the tunnels blasted… the variety of locomotion developed and replaced… the railroad overtaken by the competition of trucks… the railroad company bankrupt and the rails abandoned. It is a story we see often in our travels: abandoned homes or ranches falling into decay, abandoned businesses boarded up, with paint peeling… it is always interesting to imagine the dreams of the people who built the homes and the businesses. So much energy expended!

Another rail trail is just a few miles away in Roslyn. Here the story was coal mining, and the trail runs past slag heaps (which we saw) and mine ruins (which we didn’t see). Of far greater interest to us by now was lunch, and we knew just where we wanted to go in Roslyn: The Brick. If you remember Northern Exposure, you will recognize it as the bar/café where the characters of Northern Exposure so frequently got together (both the exterior and interior were used in filming).

Our fond memories of The Brick came from our visit with Jim and Diane. We were surprised when, during our tour of the area with them, Jim said he’d buy us all (6 of us) burgers for lunch! We trooped on in to The Brick and Jim went off to order our burgers.

We almost fell on the floor laughing when they arrived – two baskets of three tiny burgers each, one for each of us! (Diane Gruelle, I think that is your hand in the photo!) So, in honor of our friend Jim, that is what I had for lunch, the appetizer threesome of burgers; Odel ordered a regular sized burger and we both had a local microbrew, thinking of our friends and that day.

The Brick has a beautiful bar, and a sign above our table provided a little history on the place:

“Welcome to The Brick, the oldest operating saloon in the state of Washington. The Brick was built in 1889 by Mayor Peter Giovanini and is a hometown product made from brick manufactured in the Roslyn community.

'”The back bar was shipped from England around Cape Horn and was purchased in Portland, Oregon. It is more than 100 years old.

“The longevity of the chairs and tables is owed to Sears & Roebuck – acquired shortly after the turn of the century.”

In some ways, Roslyn reminds me of Bisbee, Arizona: each town founded on mining (coal in Roslyn and copper in Bisbee), with a long history of labor strife and struggle, each town falling on hard economic times when the mines were no longer profitable. As artists and other independent souls moved in and began to rehabilitate the homes and commercial buildings, each town has created a new identity. Both worth a visit!

More flowers than I have every seen on one house!	The Coal Miner’s Memorial in Roslyn.

The following day, we were off reasonably early in the morning to visit Ellensburg, 30 miles away. The draw? The Saturday farmer’s market, of course! Here was more evidence that summer is on the wane: plenty of corn and tomatoes, but the winter squash were abundant, too… and then the sprinkles started!

By the time we made our purchases and drove home the “back way”, foregoing I-90 for a more scenic route, the clouds were low and threatening. The sprinkles of the morning turned into steady rain as the day progressed. We headed back to the Iron Horse rail trail during a too-short break in the rain on Sunday, and 36 hours of steady cloud cover and cool temperatures did make us wonder: is summer gone in Washington?

TRICKS OF THE PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER: SMILES ALL AROUND

2011-09-17T16:33:00.001-07:00




	I mentioned that we did a lot of laughing when we visited with our friends last week. Every time I look at this goofy series of photos (courtesy of Steven, plus the photo Fred took of Steven to the left), I get a big (real) grin on my face. When we left Seattle, we traveled east and are currently camped on the edge of a golf course. We arrived on a beautiful, sunny day and Odel headed right out to the links. Now, as I write this, clouds are hanging on the mountaintops and golfers are wearing rain gear. We’re inside, staying warm and tossing out ideas for our travels between here and Sacramento, 4 weeks away. Smiles and safe travels, wherever you roam.

A WEEK IN SEATTLE IN THE COMPANY OF FRIENDS.

2011-09-14T15:31:00.001-07:00

Oh, what a week it’s been!

Last Thursday, we arrived at Tall Chief RV Park (click here to read our review) for a gathering of friends, in the works for a couple months. Linda and Steven (who live here) have camped with Margaret (who lives in Phoenix) in the past. Margaret is a close friend of Fred and Jo (the Wandering Wishnies, fulltime RV’ers) – I think they met when their paths crossed on a trip to Alaska.

We have camped with Fred and Jo in the past (we originally met via our blogs, then in person in Tucson), and Margaret (and her late husband, Ian) helped us find the condo we rented when we had our motorhome “freshened” in Phoenix. I think we all originally met Linda and Steven via the internet, and Odel and I had lunch with Linda and Steven in Coupeville not so long ago. The connections are a little complicated, but typical of the RV’ing life.

So we all kinda’ know each other, and like each other, and thought a gathering would be fun…

Fun doesn’t begin to describe the week we had. Is there a word for “congenial times ten”? Besides our shared interest in good food, wine, cooking, pets, all things RV and travel, our senses of humor seemed to feed off one another. I laughed so often I had to massage my face at the end of each evening to relax enough to fall asleep.

In between all the eating and drinking, we managed a day of sightseeing in Seattle – a 3 hour cruise through the locks on Lake Union, out into Puget Sound, and back to the downtown docks, followed by a hike up the stairs to Pike Place Market (jammed with tourists).

Our group included some very talented photographers, so I took way fewer photos than usual, knowing our time together would be more than adequately documented. Except for our day in Seattle, I kept my hands off the camera, simply enjoying the company and experiences… so no photos of the great meals we shared, of Linda’s and Steven’s beautiful lakeside home, of our evening trip on the Pine Lake “party boat”.


Entering the lock on Lake Union	Colorful peppers at Pike Place Market

It was a great gathering. Special thanks to Linda and Steven for pulling it all together for us – we had a never-to-be forgotten time.

Tomorrow we head east, returning to our regularly scheduled programming. :)

MT. RAINIER SHINES FOR US – MT. RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, WA

2011-09-08T19:42:00.001-07:00

Wow! Mt. Rainier was eye-popping on Wednesday, not a cloud in the sky!

At the end of our stay in Astoria, we had two days to travel up to the Seattle area for a long-planned gathering of friends. With a forecast of warm, sunny weather, it looked like we had a good chance to see Mt. Rainier from bottom to top. We found a new-to-us campground, reasonably close to Mt. Rainier (even closer to the east side of Mt. St. Helens) and off we went.

Taidnapam (pronounced Tide-na-pom) Park (click here to read our review and see photos) situated on Riffe Lake, is owned by Tacoma Power, the power supplier for the city of Tacoma. When we arrived on Tuesday afternoon, it was less than a quarter full, most of the campers having left on Labor Day.

It seemed like we spent hours picking out our site… too many choices! We finally settled on a long, level site and set up camp. Roof-mounted satellite TV dishes don’t work here, and we didn’t have a local NPR radio station, either. Surrounded by tall pines, without our usual ties to the “outside world”, it felt like real camping (well, except for the full hookups and cell service!).

On Wednesday, we were off to see Mt. Rainier. We haven’t been in that national park for five years, but had fond memories of the sunshine, the beautiful lakes and trails, and the lush gardens of wildflowers. Yesterday, we had a repeat performance.

The good thing about visiting the park after Labor Day was the absence of huge crowds of people. The bad thing was the road construction! Highway 12, the road from I-5 over to Yakima and the main route to Mt. Rainier, had big electric signs announcing delays of up to 2 hours. Fortunately, we turned off of highway 12 to Taidnapam Park before we tangled with the serious road construction.

The main road into the park is closed, so the only access to Paradise, the most visited area of the park and home to the visitor center, is through the west entrance. For us, that meant a drive north on highway 7, also undergoing (thankfully, minor) construction. Once in the park, access to most of the eastern side was difficult (or impossible) – but our goal was Paradise (isn’t everyone's??) and we persisted. We found a parking spot in the visitor center parking lot, ate our picnic lunch in the sunshine, watched the park’s overview video, and headed off up Deadhorse trail towards the glacier-covered mountain.

If I ever take a photography class, it will be “How to Photograph Lush Wildflower Gardens With Your Little Pocket Sized Digital Camera”. Photographing the massive bulk of Mt. Rainier, shining (and melting) in the warm sunshine was easy. Capturing the beauty of the multicolored, multilayered wildflower gardens was impossible (for me). Small creeks burbled through moss and flowers; tiny waterfalls trickled down rock faces through hanging gardens. We crossed crusty patches of snow now and then, and stopped frequently to exclaim at the incredible views of Mt. Rainier.

At the end of our trail. close enough to the glaciers to hear the sounds of distant ice chunks falling, we caught our breath and turned back. Behind us, unseen as we huffed and puffed our way up the trail, snow covered Mt. Adams shimmered in the bright sunshine like a mirage in the far distance, another of the great volcanic cones of the Cascades (Mt. Adams is the second highest mountain in Washington; Mt. Rainier is the tallest).

Since I heard from so many readers about the layout my photographs from Astoria, I thought I’d also post the Mt. Rainier photos as an album – this time, in a slightly different format. I like it.

Our Day at Mt. Rainier National Park

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OUR SUNNY HOLIDAY WEEKEND – ASTORIA, OREGON

2011-09-05T22:10:00.001-07:00

The Weather Gods surely smiled on Astoria this weekend! A gloriously HOT (mid-80’s) Saturday was followed by a beautifully sunny Sunday. Foggy Monday morning gave way to sunshine and 70 degrees in the afternoon (while the fog bank hung over the beach, a few miles to our west).

We took full advantage. We visited Ft. Clatsop (where Lewis and Clark and company spent a cramped and dismal winter at the end of their western explorations), then took our lunch for a picnic on the beach at Ft. Stevens State Park. We walked the paved Riverwalk along the Columbia River in Astoria, and took the narrated ride on the historic Riverfront trolley – where we learned that the entire town of Astoria, first built out of wood on pilings in the Columbia River, burned to the water line in 1922.

We browsed the Astoria Sunday market. We visited the Astoria Column and took a drive over to Sunset Beach. We watched huge freighters in the deep water channel of the Columbia River, where they exchanged the Bar Pilot for the River Pilot. We walked and gawked and enjoyed a few meals out. We sat in our chairs on our lawn at Lewis & Clark Golf & RV Resort (click here to read our review) and enjoyed the view and the sunshine.

The list of what we didn’t do is almost as long. We passed on the Columbia River Maritime Museum since we toured it last time we visited Astoria – but if you come to Astoria, it should be number ONE on your list (just my opinion)! We didn’t get out to see the Salt Works, where the Corps of Discovery boiled sea water to extract precious salt. We didn’t make it to the Flavel House Museum or take the self guided tour of historic Astoria. See? I knew there would be a reason to return!

Labor Day in Astoria

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OUR LABOR DAY HIDEAWAY – ASTORIA, OR

2011-09-03T09:11:00.001-07:00

In our working lives, Labor Day was somewhat bittersweet – the last summer holiday weekend. At our house, my large vegetable garden was completely out of control by Labor Day, plants toppled over, dried out, yet producing madly, well beyond my ability or desire to continue harvesting. Soon the huge maple in our front yard would drop a smothering load of leaves on the small lawn. In the workplace, vacations were over and everyone buckled down once again… in other words, a time to GET BACK TO WORK!

As retired, fulltime RV’ers, Labor Day is one of our favorite holidays – once it is over. National parks clear out as kids head back to school. Weekend campers return their sleeping bags to shelves in the garage until next summer. For us, it means a return to spontaneous travel, knowing we are likely to find a campsite at any park we choose to visit – no advance reservation required.

But first we need to get through the holiday weekend!

Though we often choose an Elks Lodge to settle into for a holiday weekend, this year we decided to splurge on a high-end (for us!) RV park, Lewis & Clark Golf and RV Park in Astoria, Oregon (click here to read our review and see photos). Astoria, celebrating it’s Bicentennial this year, is situated in northwest Oregon, where the truly mighty Columbia River meets the Pacific ocean – the farthest point of Lewis and Clark’s explorations. The area is saturated with national and state parks, historic sites, and hikes, anchored by a charming small town filled with museums, shops and historic buildings. Though we have seen the highlights on previous visits, I’m sure we will be leaving many sights unseen once again when we pull out on Tuesday.

We broke the trip from Eugene to Astoria into short legs, spending Thursday night at beautiful L.L. Stub Stewart State Park (click here to read our review and see photos) on the Vernonia/Banks State Trail near Banks, Oregon. We’d heard nothing but good reviews of L.L. Stub Stewart State Park, a fairly new state park that happened to be on a route we’ve never taken - Hwy 26 from Portland to Hwy 101 on the Oregon coast - so we were looking forward to our short visit.

First day/first leg: traveling north on I-5, we hit a HUGE traffic jam, both northbound lanes of interstate 5 at a complete standstill. We have a CB that comes in handy at times like this (and remains off the rest of the time) and we heard that both lanes were closed due to an accident. According to CB chatter, an accident occurred at the spot where the Oregon Highway Patrol has holding a memorial for 3 OHP officers who died at that spot ten years ago.

I later looked up a news story about the accident (which you can read here): “More than 100 people, including family members and half a dozen police and fire agencies, gathered Thursday just off Interstate 5 for the dedication of Oregon’s first highway memorial sign..” remembering two OHP officers who lost their lives in a traffic accident at that spot 10 years ago. Ironically, the event was timed to kick off a safe driving awareness campaign over the Labor Day holiday – instead, it was delayed when a Subaru hit the back of a pickup truck as the truck driver slowed at the memorial site. I wonder if the placement of subsequent highway memorial signs will be handled differently?

Second day/second leg: another accident, on a narrow winding stretch of Hwy 26 (the most narrow portion of the highway, which was a very good road). This time, traffic flowed unimpeded in our direction, but a long, long traffic jam snaked up the hill in the eastbound lane, blocked by a crumpled pickup truck being loaded onto a wrecker. Be careful out there!

We settled into a beautiful site at Lewis and Clark Golf and RV Resort at 1 pm, then spent the next few hours reading volumes of area information we’d been given at check-in – followed by a delicious dinner at Bridgewater Bistro, tucked in along the waterfront under the towering Astoria-Megler Bridge that crosses the Columbia, connecting Oregon and Washington. Excellent way to kick off the holiday!

MAINTENANCE, REPAIRS, AND FUN WITH FRIENDS – EUGENE, OR

2011-08-30T12:09:00.001-07:00

Eugene has a lot to offer fulltime RV’ers on the west coast when it comes to maintenance and repairs, and we seem to end up here frequently when traveling in the pacific northwest. This year, we planned to visit Cummins Northwest in Coburg (around 5 miles from Armitage County Park, where we stay when visiting Eugene for more than 3 days, or in hot weather) for our 115,000 mile maintenance, one of the big (expensive) ones.

We arrived on Wednesday; on Thursday, we were up, packed up and moving at 7:30 for the short drive to Cummins. The good news: the maintenance cost less than anticipated. The bad news: we have a cracked manifold. We scheduled the repair (a full day) for Wednesday.

Back at Armitage, time to formulate Plan B. We had intended to leave on Monday morning, visit Carrier & Sons – an excellent RV repair facility we have visited several times – for a minor repair to our awning, then head northwest, destination unknown. Instead, we extended our stay at Armitage County Park by two more days, to accommodate the scheduled manifold repair.

Yesterday (Monday), we packed up and headed over to Carrier & Sons at 9 am. We were back in place and set up at Armitage by 11:30 or so, with the awning working perfectly once again. Today is another “day off” from attending to Scoopy; tomorrow, we’ll be heading back to Cummins at 7:30 am.

In between maintenance, repairs and stocking the pantry and freezer, we’ve had great fun with our friends who also happen to be here at Armitage… ALL of us working on maintenance and repairs, by the way! Paul (Wheeling It) is trying to get a slide fixed (meanwhile, he helped Odel fix a little problem with our water heater); Alex and Ellen are working with Cummins on maintenance and repairs. It is quite interesting to see how many big motorhomes here at the park leave in the morning and return in the afternoon – looks like it is a favored spot for many of us visiting Cummins, Monaco, or one of the many, many shops nearby dedicated to RV’ers needs.

On Sunday, Alex and Ellen invited us along on a ride into the mountains. Alex is an experienced kayaker and wanted to go campground hunting along the McKenzie River, looking for campsites with river access. A waterfall hike was part of the plan, too – so they didn’t have to ask us twice!

The 2.6 mile loop trail we hiked started at roaring Sahalie Falls (photo above). Being a beautiful, sunny, Sunday afternoon, the parking lot was crowded when we arrived at noon – I think we got the last space. As usual, crowds thinned as we hiked away from the parking lot and overlooks.

We all were amazed by the volume of water rushing over the falls, through the canyon next to the trail, and over Koosah Falls (this photo). It’s the end of August, after all, a time when many waterfalls in the U.S. are either dry or down to a minimal trickle. Later, when I Googled Sahalie Falls looking for information about the flow volume, I found this interesting bit of information:

“Even though the McKenzie River originates in Clear Lake, just a few miles upstream, the river sustains a very significant volume all year long thanks to the large drainage area to the northeast which consists largely of plains of lava flows. Water doesn't linger on the surface and seeps underground, forming one of the larger aquifers in Oregon, then it all emerges in springs around Clear Lake. The result is one of the most consistent rivers in the northwest.” (Northwest Waterfall survey)

…AND, I discovered that a handful of kayakers have braved the plunge over the 68 foot high waterfall! What a crazy bunch!

Both of the falls (Sahalie and Koosah) were spectacular, and we spent plenty of time admiring them from both sides of the river – but some of the quieter portions of the hike were equally enchanting. This blue pool was exquisite, and something I hadn’t seen before (click on the photo for a larger view). The bluish-white water in this photo is effervescent – churning bubbles of water funneled into a narrow chasm, roiling to the surface (that’s Alex on the bank, getting a close-up photo).

We hiked in cool, dense forest, usually within sight of the river, always within earshot. Right: a cascade between the falls. Below right: crossing a huge fallen log on a stile. Below left: Our first river crossing was on a two-lane bridge suitable for car traffic. Crossing back, this bridge, a downed log, was suitable only for single-lane human traffic!

Now, as I write, Odel and Alex are on the golf course once again. I’ve got a list of things to accomplish while Odel is out of the house, and the laundry is underway (I LOVE our on-board washer and dryer). Later, friends.

WE FOUND THE ELUSIVE OREGON SUMMER – EUGENE, OREGON

2011-08-26T14:59:00.001-07:00

Last September, as we left our campsite near Ririe, Idaho, we were gifted with about 30 pounds of freshly gleaned Idaho potatoes (read about it here). That’s way too many potatoes for two people! We gave some to our neighbors at our next stop, more to folks we met along our travels, even passed some along to my sister when we visited her in Moab – which she took home to Arizona with her when she left the next day.

The abundance of ‘taters prompted me to search my cookbooks for recipes – and we found a real winner, Slow Cooker German Potato Salad. Once the potatoes were gone, I promptly forgot about the recipe… until yesterday morning when our friend John sent an email that reminded me: “… loved your warm, crock pot potato salad. With some beer brats and fresh green salad it was a very nice meal”.

Oh, man, my mouth began to water immediately!

It was a timely reminder because our refrigerator and freezer are almost completely empty, and we are in Eugene, Oregon – a foodie heaven: Trader Joe’s, Costco, Market of Choice (new to me) and… drum roll here… the Saturday Farmers’ Market, one of our favorites. I had a short list of “regular grocery store” items (this is opposed to “Costco items” and “TJ’s items” and “from the farmer’s market”), to which I immediately added the simple ingredients for the German potato salad and headed off to find out what’s up with the buzz about “Market of Choice” (yes, my email correspondents are foodies, too).

Odel and I usually grocery shop together. Two separate lists, two separate carts, two separate cell phones to call each other when it is time to meet at the checkout line. On Odel’s list: everything that doesn’t require decision-making (canned food, toilet paper, peanut butter, eggs, etc.) and everything that is “his stuff”- diet Pepsi, tonic, hot dogs. My list has all the produce and any unusual ingredients I need/want. We shop from our lists, throwing in anything else that looks good… but with no time to browse an abundant cheese counter at a snail’s pace, for instance. (I do have a little longer if we’re in a grocery store that has a blood-pressure machine, irresistible to Odel.)

So, food shopping as hobby is best done alone. As soon as Odel left with our friend Alex to head to the golf course, I jumped in the Jeep and headed to Market of Choice before the temperature rose too high (yes, we found summer here in Eugene). Oh, what fun!

Market of Choice reminds me of the Nugget market chain in the Sacramento area (only the stores are smaller): a small local chain of stores that combine lovely (overpriced) produce; fabulous prepared foods, hot and cold; delectable desserts; a huge selection of cheese; health foods and bulk foods; and normal grocery items (like toilet paper and Orowheat bread).

Odel has recently been reminiscing about “the best hotdog” he has ever had (and I agree with him on this), cooked over a campfire when we visited with Jeanie and Ray at their ranch in Arizona (readers of Al’s blog will know this as the ranch where the Bayfield Bunch stays occasionally). Ray can really cook a dog!

I’ve been suffering through a bout of insomnia recently. When we met new friends Cheryl and Roger for dinner here in Eugene the other night, I shocked Odel by ordering a beer after dinner. I had the bright idea that it might help my insomnia (the main reason I don’t drink beer is that it makes me sleepy) – plus, I just didn’t want the evening to end, as we had so much fun laughing and talking politics (can you believe those two things go together??) with Cheryl and Roger.

So how does all of this fit together? As I strolled the aisles of Market of Choice, I saw All Natural Uncured Beef Franks and the light bulb went off. Hot dogs for Odel, beer for me, and German potato salad. Woo-hoo!

Back here at home, beer is chilling and potato salad is in the crockpot outside (the better to not overheat Scoopy’s interior). I’ve got a sweet pineapple peeled and sliced, and picked up a few vegetable salads from the Market of Choice deli. Tomorrow's visit to the Farmer’s Market will fill in the rest.

Here in Eugene, we’ve found summer’s warm temperatures – along with friends, old and new. We arrived back at Armitage County Park (click here to read our most recent review) on Wednesday evening, the evening before Scoopy’s 115,000 mile maintenance, and met virtual friends Cheryl and Roger over Thai food at Chao Pra Ya. As we left the campground heading to dinner, we saw our friends Ellen and Alex checking in. We last saw them in Napa and were looking forward to catching up with them.

When we pulled out at 7:30 am on Thursday to drive 4 miles to Cummins Northwest for servicing, we saw that Ellen and Alex ended up parked next to Paul of Wheeling It, yet another person known to us only through our blogs – until now. Back at the park while we awaited word that the maintenance was complete, we spent a couple hours poking fun at the dumb things we have all done in our RV’ing lives – I laughed until my eyes teared up as Paul and Alex described applying magnetized solar shades to their rig’s huge windshields, gesticulating with wild, wind milling arm movements. So, plenty of fun afoot this weekend.

All of today’s photos are from our waterfall-peeping trip up the North Umpqua River Scenic Byway last Tuesday when we were in Sutherlin. We had a beautiful day for it, hiked well over 10,000 steps, and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Refreshing photos for a warm summer day!

Odel tries his finger in the dike…	… with notable lack of success!

ON THE MOVE IN OREGON – NEWPORT TO WINCHESTER BAY TO SUTHERLIN

2011-08-22T15:50:00.001-07:00

Before I forget, I want to thank Mike for leaving a comment on my previous post, suggesting a book for the Kindle, Happier Than A Billionaire: Quitting My Job, Moving to Costa Rica, and Living the Zero Hour Work Week by Nadine Hays Pisani. For only $2.99, I figured it was worth a look. Mike, I LOVE it! Nadine is hilarious! I’ve subscribed to her blog, too – always nice to have a good laugh arrive periodically on Google Reader. Great suggestion – thanks much!

When we left Newport on Friday, we cruised down Hwy 101 in sunshine, heading for Winchester Bay. We’ve traveled the entire length of Hwy 101 at one time or another, and I always think of the coastal Oregon portion as a pleasant ride with fantastic views. And it is… but my memory conveniently edits the twists and turns, the portions with no shoulder, the narrow tunnels and bridges. It must be a nightmare to maintain!


Metal mesh covers the rock face beyond the “Slides” sign.	Lots of bike riders, not much shoulder.
Narrow tunnels – and there is a big truck in this one!	The sand dunes south of Florence creep towards the road.

Our trip from Newport to Winchester Bay was just 77 miles, but took a bit over 2 hours – average speed: 38 mph! Fortunately for the people behind us, passing lanes and pullouts appear reasonably frequently and we take full advantage of them.

While Odel negotiated the challenging road, I enjoyed views of the ocean in bright sunshine. As we approached Winchester Bay, a few puffs of fog appeared, thickening as we passed through Reedsport. We turned the corner towards the harbor into a blast of cold wind and fog, watching the temperature drop from the upper 60’s to 54 degrees! Hey, isn’t this August??

We’ve visited here several times, often when our friends in the Roving Rods are holding their annual crab fest (click here to read about our last visit in September of 2009). There is plenty to do in close proximity to this little town (click here to read about one of my favorite excursions, riding a speeding sand rail on the Florence Dunes). This time, we came just to spend a couple quiet days relaxing.

After a visit to the dump station, we settled into a site facing the marina on Pier C (click here to read our 2009 review of the dry camping options at Winchester Day; click here to read our 2009 review of the county campground, Windy Cove B).

The fog and fierce wind stuck with us all afternoon and evening; I wore a fleece hat and heavy sweatshirt for our afternoon walk. Thick fog when we awoke – which finally lifted around 10:30, when we took off for a hike at Sunset Beach State Park, west of Coos Bay. Once again, we drove south in brilliant sunshine, only to smack up against a fog bank as we neared the ocean. We cut our planned hike a little short and headed home – oh, so happy to find sunshine at Winchester Bay!

Though we had a sunny afternoon, we decided to cut our visit short. This might seem crazy to readers who have suffered through the long, hot summer in most of the country, but we want a bit of SUN and HEAT. I can count on one hand the number of days we have needed A/C this summer – and yes, that IS a good thing - but hey… fog?? High’s in the 50’s?? Chilling winds??

So, we’ve headed inland once again, back to Umpqua Golf & RV Resort (click here to read our review from earlier this summer). At 3:30, as I write, it’s 83 degrees and sunny. Odel played a round of golf earlier today; I planned tomorrow’s trip along the Umpqua River Scenic Byway – sightseeing, hiking and picnicking in SUNSHINE.

Now, I’m heading back outdoors to my lounge chair and the next chapter of Happier than a Billionaire – and wonder how many billionaires are happier than I am.

GOOD CLAM CHOWDER! AND KINDLE RECOMMENDATIONS UNDER $10…

2011-08-19T08:49:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Grant and Kathy, we found delicious chowder in Newport! The place to go is Georgie’s Grill, a restaurant associated with a hotel, right on the beach. The view was incredible (beach, waves, blue Pacific ocean, blue sky, and a few hearty souls braving the strong, chilly wind); the chowder a cut above anything we’ve tasted for quite awhile.

I getting ahead of my story, though. Food! Such a distraction!.

Our last day in Newport began with a trip to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. We hadn’t visited an aquarium for years; in fact, I think the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California, is the only one I have ever visited. We’d heard good reviews of the aquarium in Newport, so were there just a few minutes after 9 am, when the door opened – which translated to “no crowds”.

We strode straight to the back of the exhibits, to the tunnels… you know, where you walk through a glass tunnel goggling at the fish all around you, including overhead. SO COOL! Lots of fish (including all kinds of sharks), no folks.

After dilly-dallying in the tunnels to our heart’s content, we went on to examine all the remaining exhibits… except for the turkey vulture aviary, which made us laugh! To us, turkey vultures are such a common (and ugly) sight, it seemed hilarious that they would have their own exhibit! Birds? bring on the puffins, those stubby, colorful little clowns! We got such a kick out of the puffin taking a rowdy bath a few feet from us.

What else? The sea otters floating on their backs, playing with toys; the seals and sea lions cruising gracefully around their tank. The jellyfish! We totally enjoyed ourselves, departing just as a busload of kids disembarked and came streaming down the entrance ramp. Excellent timing! $13.75 for seniors (65+); two bucks more for those under age 65. Worth it.

Then we were off to visit Grant and Kathy, staying at a nearby RV park. They’ve been in Newport for several days, so had already sussed out the restaurant scene. They had several suggestions, and I fell for the one they described as “a bit more upscale, with a great view” (they had already eaten there twice). Georgie’s Grill not only has a great view, but very good clam chowder (I commend Odel for not fighting me off as I came back for several more tastes), a menu rich in non-fried seafood, and excellent, friendly service. A winner.

Grant and Kathy are birders (their blog motto: Seeing North America One Bird At a Time) who have done considerable volunteering, including three lighthouse stints along the Oregon coast. We met once, very briefly, in Tucson a few years ago, and have many mutual friends, but this was the first time we have been able to have a relaxed and prolonged conversation. It was a good, good visit.

After that, nothing exciting… a trip to the grocery store, filled up the Jeep’s gas tank, Odel washed the Jeep, I added a couple campground reviews to the campground blog. We traded emails with several people we plan to see in the next month, and began thinking about where we wanted to sit out the Labor Day weekend. The usual downtime! :)

In other news: Hello to our newest followers. Our “number” hung in at 299 for the longest time, then suddenly popped up to 303. I am certainly one of the least conscientious RV bloggers when it comes to recognizing and welcoming new followers, but it does make me happy to know that readers “out there” (somewhere) find something of value here. Welcome to you all.

Also, a few people have wondered what I’ve been reading on the Kindle lately – especially free or low cost books. Thanks to a suggestion from our friend Richard, I just downloaded and read a book that lingers (intriguingly) on my mind… World Made by Hand ($9.39) by Kunstler, an interesting exploration of our world in the post-fossil fuel/post machine age. Not creepy in the Mad Max way, at under $10, worth the price.

I admit, I do find myself buying many full price books ($11.99 or $12.99) – a hazard of listening to NPR’s book reviews and interviews. Still, I’ve got a short list of books well under that price that I’ve enjoyed. Remember, you can view reader reviews and download samples onto your Kindle for free before you decide to make a purchase, so don’t take my word for it:

Big Lake by Nick Russell (Gypsy Journal editor), just 99 cents. I particularly like this book because I’m so familiar with the setting, but it had a fast moving plot and interesting characters, too.

For $2.99, I recommend Winter Sea. Oops, I see it is $7.69 now – I got a bargain! I’m not a romance or fantasy reader, though this book might be categorized in either genre… but I enjoyed it.

I paid $7.62 for Mudbound, a gripping story with a couple tremendously difficult-to-read chapters – in fact, I just skimmed them, pretty much knowing what was going on. The story reminds me of a Pat Conroy book – well-written, fascinating chapters, then a sudden horrific incident that leaves you breathless. One of my favorites, but not for those who like an easy, light read.

Here’s another cheapie: Bangkok Bob and The Missing Mormon (I paid $3.99). I discovered this after reading a free short story that was just OK; a preview of Bangkok Bob was included at the end. I found myself wanting to know what happened to the Missing Mormon, so bought the book. Good marketing, eh? Very enjoyable and fast moving. I might end up trying others by this author.

I like Robert Parker’s Spenser stories, so recently read one of his earlier stories, Early Autumn, $7.99. Typical Parker – fast moving story, spare prose, enjoyable characters, no wasted words. Worth the money.

At $9.99, this one barely squeaks in under $10, but I really, really enjoyed it: Tooth & Claw. It’s totally different than any book I have read before (and in the fantasy genre), but I was very sorry to see it end. I’ll probably re-read it one day for the sheer enjoyment of the author’s imagination.

Another $9.99 book I thought about for quite awhile after I finished it: Snow Flower & the Secret Fan. One of those that makes you appreciate modern life, particularly if you are a woman.

That’s my recent Under $10 reading list. How about you? Any good reads to add to the list?

SLOW-MO TRAVEL IN WESTERN OREGON

2011-08-17T18:00:00.001-07:00

A week ago, we hiked on Mt. St. Helens in Washington. Today, we are seeing the sights of Newport, Oregon, along the coast, halfway between the northern and southern borders of the state. We’ve made two intermediate stops, yet it feels to me as though we are moving in slow motion – perhaps because we’ve had so few commitments.

From Mt. St. Helens, we traveled south to visit our friends Marlene and Richard, staying on their beautiful property on an airstrip in the agricultural lands south of the Portland metro area. We first met Marlene and Richard when we responded to their internet posting for garden sitters to water and harvest their big organic garden while they took an extended trip; it was the beginning of a rewarding friendship.

Marlene and Richard are full of curiosity about the world, and always busy with projects. The day we arrived, Richard had their big clay oven stoked so Marlene could bake seeded pita bread to enter in the county fair this week, followed by two round loaves of the same dough – which we enjoyed that night at dinner.

Marlene was busy working on the curriculum for the classes she teaches at the nearby community garden (which she was instrumental in starting). Their son, Steve, his wife Diana, and their three entertaining boys were house sitting just down the street, so we were able to visit with them, too. I finally got to see Richard’s frugally crafted coffee roaster – made from a bread machine bought for $1 a garage sale, a heat gun supported by an old desk lamp, and a vacuum hose. I forgot to get a photo, but you can read about (and see) it here on his blog.

Odel and Richard managed a game of golf; Marlene and I visited Penzey’s Spices (yes, an entire store that sells NOTHING but herbs and spices!) so I could replenish my spice rack, and the farmer’s market in Oregon City. Richard, Marlene, and I hit a nearby estate sale. Besides two delicious meals at home, we had a fantastic Thai dinner at the Jade Teahouse in Portland, followed by a driving tour of some of Portland’s appealing neighborhoods. Gosh, now that I write this all down, it seems as though we were incredibly busy, but it felt like three relaxing days.

When we left on Sunday, our kitchen was bulging with freshly picked produce from Marlene’s garden - blueberries, green beans, cucumbers, mustard greens, green onions, and vine ripened tomatoes - and my Kindle was fat with books recommended by Richard during philosophical conversations over the dinner table (we eat and drink WELL when we visit there). It was a great stay, simultaneously relaxing and stimulating. Thanks!

Next stop: 25 miles south to Silverton, Oregon. I’ve been curious for a few years about the Oregon Garden, an 80 acre botanical garden in Silverton (Richard and Marlene had their fingers in this pie for awhile, too). We were close by, we weren’t in a hurry, and there was a well-reviewed, nearby RV park that participates in Passport America, charging a very reasonable fee to PA members. On Sunday, we meandered south on winding, two lane roads to Silver Spur RV Park (click here to read our review and see photos) in Silverton.

Before we arrived at Oregon Garden, I knew very little about it – like who funded it and why it was created. Now, after our visit, I don’t know much more! We learned that it was created to showcase plants, flowers and trees that grow in Oregon, and I believe the initial funding came from Oregon nurseries and other donors from the horticulture field. The day we attended, though, I was shocked by how few visitors we saw!

The gardens are beautifully designed; it was a pleasure to stroll along paths lined with perfectly maintained flora and enjoy the bright vistas. A tram winds through the acreage – you can climb on and off at six locations along the way. We enjoyed our explorations, ate a mediocre lunch at the restaurant in the adjacent hotel, and went on our way, wondering how the venture is supported if the low attendance we saw was typical during the height of the summer season.

The small town of Silverton was very quiet when we walked the downtown area on Sunday, and looked as though the current economy is a challenge for the small shops and restaurants we passed. On the other hand, the park was bustling with picnicking families and kids enjoying a well-designed swimming hole on Silver Creek.

After two low-key days in Silverton, we were ready for a change of climate – so off to the coast! Though we have traveled the Oregon coastline several times and visited many of the communities along the way, we’ve never stayed in Newport, home to the iconic Yaquina Bay Bridge (top photo). We usually stay at either the Elks campground in Florence (to the south) or the Elks campground in Lincoln City (to the north). Since I learned that the Newport Elks Lodge offers 8 RV parking sites with water and electric hookups (click here to read our review and see photos), I’d been agitating to make Newport our first stop when we hit Hwy 101.

We backed into our site at the lodge yesterday afternoon, then took a stroll down the hill (actually almost a ROLL down the hill – very steep!) to the marina and “historic Old Bayfront District” beyond. The marina at Newport is very active, filled with working fishing vessels coming and going. A wonderful, wide, wooden boardwalk lined with benches is the perfect spot for boat- and people-watching.

Where the boardwalk ends, the historic bayfront district begins. On the water side of the busy two lane street, seafood processing plants are packed in next to fishing charter companies, fresh seafood counters, tour boats offices, and whale watching tours. Heavy trucks, including semi’s, back from the street down narrow ramps to pick up seafood. Shrimp shells roll off a conveyer belt into the back of a dripping dump truck. Every so often, a pier juts out into the bay, lined with tourists snapping shots of the barking sea lions lazing on rocks and wharves.

The other side of the street is dedicated to tourists: Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, a wax museum, t-shirts, salt water taffy, caramel corn, sea shells made into lamps and figurines, a “Made in Oregon” shop, ice cream shops and several restaurants specializing in clam chowder. I found it mostly unappealing, but obviously, the crowds of visitors going in and out of the souvenir shops felt differently!

Today, we headed to Nye Beach, a charming Newport neighborhood along the Pacific (rather than Yaquina Bay). Picturesque though is was, the strong, chilly wind sweeping in off the ocean kept the long, appealing beach free of people – including us! Instead, we headed to The Chowder Bowl on Odel’s relentless quest for a great bowl of clam chowder. His verdict: a rather unenthusiastic “good”. Hmmmm… guess that didn’t quite hit the spot!

IS THIS WHAT 21-YEAR OLDS ARE UP TO? THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHTER.

2011-08-13T18:20:00.001-07:00

Between the dysfunction of our government and the rather bleak financial outlook, I sometimes find myself feeling dispirited (not to mention annoyed, frustrated, shocked, angry or discouraged). An email I received this afternoon was a wonderful antidote to gloomy thoughts about the future!

We don’t have much contact with young people in our traveling lifestyle (which reminds me of a funny story, totally off-topic: as we conversed with another retired couple recently, they mentioned the significant health problems of a friend. I asked how old he is. The reply? “Young. He just got on Medicare.” Boy, did we laugh about that!)

So, back to the email, which really cheered me… My 21-year old niece Claire wrote, detailing how she is spending her time until she returns to school at UC Berkeley in January (pursuing a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies). Claire has designed for herself a “Read-A-Thon”, raising funds for Building Tomorrow to help build schools in Uganda. This is an excerpt from her email:

“This fall, I am conducting a five month long Read-a-Thon to benefit a non-profit called Building Tomorrow. This organization constructs schools in Uganda, where many children are unable to attend school due to a lack of funding and infrastructure. I contacted One Day’s Wages, another non-profit that works to end poverty by providing grants to various organizations like Building Tomorrow, a couple weeks ago with my proposal for the Read-a-Thon. They agreed to help me and will even match every dollar I raise.

The goal of this Read-a-Thon is to raise $7,000 and read 7,000 pages between August 7, 2011 and January 7, 2012. I chose these dates because I am not going to be in school this fall because I was recently admitted to UC Berkeley as a spring transfer. Therefore, I decided to further my education by spending these months reading and raising funds for a great cause.”

Claire is posting daily updates on her blog, Reading for Uganda – and her effort has been profiled by Building Tomorrow on their blog, which you can read here. Besides partnering with Building Tomorrow and working to get the matching funds from One Day’s Wages, she has been inspired by the first book she read (Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox) to contact her Senators and Representatives to see if they might give her a campaign a boost via social media:

“… I’m not sure what kind of responses I’ll get (assuming that I get any), but if Barbara Boxer would just tweet the One Day’s Wages campaign URL, I would be thrilled. I am planning to email Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, Congressional Representative Doris Matsui, State Senator Darrell Steinberg, and Assemblymember Roger Dickinson.”

You go, girl!! I hope Barbara Boxer will tweet; I don’t have the contacts she does, but I’ll do what I can to get the word out, too. :)

If you take a look at Claire’s blog, you might feel moved to pledge or contribute, or you may simply enjoy following her daily posts for a glimpse of one person’s inspired effort to make a difference. I am immensely cheered.

OUR DAY AT MT. ST. HELENS, AND A VISIT WITH A BLOGGER – KELSO, WA

2011-08-11T21:22:00.001-07:00

On our way south to Oregon, we planned one day to visit Mt. St. Helens. The weather report looked promising; we figured we’d get lucky – or not. The day dawned foggy and overcast but, with help from The Weather Channel, we kept our optimism, expecting the skies to clear around noon.

Like Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park, the Johnston Ridge Observatory (for observing the volcano, not the heavens) has a webcam (click here for the current view), and we checked conditions every 30 minutes from the time we got up. The first several views showed nothing but a dense cloud. Then, around 10:30, Odel yelled “it’s clearing"! We grabbed sweatshirts and sandwiches, and off we went.

Our campsite at the Elks Lodge in Kelso (click here to read our review and see photos) was about 60 miles from the observatory at Johnston Ridge, the closest interpretive center to the volcanic crater. After we exited I-5, our first stop was in the little town of Toutle, where Barbara and Ron – known to us through her blog – were camped with about 20 other rigs, a group of WINs (Wandering Individuals Network) in a field next to the Toutle school.

We know other members of this interesting RV club (which, since we are not single, we are not eligible to join), but hadn’t met Barbara and Ron. She left a comment inviting us to stop by on our blog, and a visit fit right into our plans for the day. We caught them at home, and spent an hour chatting about mutual friends, our backgrounds, and the WINs RV club. Barbara and Ron, I hope we will run into each other again some time.

Then we were on our way east once again. This is our third visit to Mt. St. Helens, our second to Johnston Ridge. We planned to drive right on up to the top so we would be able to explore the Boundary Trail more fully, but were distracted by Coldwater Lake – and the picnic area there. My stomach was growling! After eating our lunch at a sunny (!) picnic table, we took a short lakeside hike, dozens of photos, then we were back on the road.

The clouds continued to clear, and we caught glimpses of both Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens as the road snaked its way up Johnston Ridge. Soon we pulled into the big parking lot at the end of the road and made our way to the observatory. An entrance fee is required for all visitors, whether simply viewing, visiting the observatory, or hiking: $8 for people between ages 15 and 65. With Odel’s Golden Age Pass, we both slipped in for free. Ya’ gotta’ love it! :)


The narrow thread you can see here is the Boundary Trail.	Nice benches along the way!

Every 30 minutes, Johnston Ridge Observatory plays one of my favorite “shows”, a narrated sequence of photos and computer graphics explaining the huge landslide, volcanic explosion, and pyroclastic flows that reshaped the landscape here on May 18, 1980. We’ve seen it once, so decided to head out on a hike, then relax in the theatre afterwards.

The Boundary Trail, stretching to the east towards Windy Ridge, follows the top of Johnston Ridge, with the story of the explosion and subsequent mud flows writ large in the landscape – the crater in front, the sediment below, and blasted tree trunks, both downed and standing, on slopes to the north. Wildflowers – primarily lupine and Indian Paintbrush – bloomed in trailside gardens.

We had enough energy left for a couple of miles out and back, arriving back at the observatory a few minutes before the doors to the theatre opened. And this is what EVERYONE remembers best about the presentation: when it has ended, with a picture of the blasted crater of Mt. St. Helens, the screen recedes into the ceiling, and the floor-to-ceiling draperies behind the screen part to reveal the exact same view of the crater, huge, up close and personal (this photo shows about 1/6 of the panoramic window). Stunning!

WOO-HOO! MT. ST. HELENS IN THE SUNSHINE!

2011-08-10T20:34:00.001-07:00

We waited out the morning fog, and look what we found…

WANDERING THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA – PT. TOWNSEND TO CHIMACUM TO SEQUIM

2011-08-09T16:19:00.001-07:00

Here on the Olympic Peninsula, at 11:50 am, it is foggy/overcast and 56 degrees. That might seem like heaven to those of you anywhere east and south of us, suffering through your long hot summer – but I’m ready for some sunshine!

More than most years, this summer has made me aware of how important sunshine is to my well being. Early on, we left Eugene to head east to find sunshine (and fell in love with Joseph, Oregon). Since we’ve come back across the Cascades to western Washington, our days have been cool and most often cloudy or wet. Sunny days (especially the four glorious days in Port Townsend) have been at a premium, and have filled me with energy.

When we left Point Hudson RV Park (click here to read our review) in Port Townsend, we moved less than ten miles, to COHO Evergreen Park, the Escapee co-op park in Chimacum, Washington. Many of our traveling friends were there; it was nice to catch up over a potluck dinner and a happy hour. Two days later, we moved another 30 miles to the Elks Lodge in Sequim (click here to read our review), looking forward to revisiting a couple of our favorite hikes.

It was a sunny afternoon in Sequim when we arrived, set up camp, and took off in the Jeep for the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. We looked forward to hiking the Dungeness Spit, a long tongue of land sticking out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca between the U.S. and Canada (click here to see a great photo). Instead, we smacked into a cold, wet, bank of heavy fog. That was it for me – I knew I was ready to leave the Olympic Peninsula in search of sunshine!

We turned around and headed home, making plans to head south after one last day in Sequim - August 8th, which happened to be our 10 year wedding anniversary. Though it was cold and gloomy when we woke, the Olympic National Park’s Hurricane Ridge webcam show glorious sunshine and snowcapped mountains above the fog bank, so off we went. What a great way to celebrate!

A few of the trails high up on Hurricane Ridge were still closed by snow, but the sunshine was abundant and we hiked a ridgeline trail in short-sleeved shirts. Wildflowers were thick and lush; glaciers sparkled on the Olympic range. We felt completely energized.

Back at the Elks – sunny! – we visited with Dave and Diane, a couple we met during our first year of travel, then went home to a crockpot full of posole, a Mexican stew we both love (click here for the recipe I use). It was a good way to end our day, and a good end (for now) to our travels in northwest Washington.

I’m writing this as we travel Hwy 101 south. It is now 12:20; we’ve left the gloomy fog behind us and the temperature soared up to 70 degrees! :) We have beautiful blue water to our left, thick green forest to our right. We’re planning to overnight in Kelso for two nights, with a hike on Mt. St. Helens on the agenda for tomorrow. Then we off to Oregon, visiting our friends in Canby where the temperature is forecast to be in the mid-80’s. I’ll try not to complain. :)

PORT TOWNSEND SPARKLES IN THE SUMMER SUNSHINE

2011-08-04T14:28:00.001-07:00

Say “Pacific Northwest” and I picture charming Port Townsend, Washington. A historic town in a gorgeous setting, Port Townsend has a mellow culture that suits our style. Good restaurants, a wonderful Saturday farmer’s market (with a smaller version mid-week), plenty of hikes at Ft. Worden State Park, enjoyable window shopping along the small main street – and big enough for a major grocery store, a food Co-op, and a very reasonably priced golf course ($20.00 for seniors includes a cart).


Driving down the ramp into the belly of the ferry.	We were a foot from the neighboring rigs.

As on past visits, we used the Keystone-Port Townsend ferry, loading Scoopy (towing Jules) onto the ferry from Whidbey Island for the 30 minute ride to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula. We’re more used to ferry travel than we were when we first took this ride (in the other direction), but it still feels a little scary to drive onto a BOAT in our motorhome. They pack vehicles on like sardines – we barely had room to open our door once on board.

With the price of diesel so much higher than it was when we first did this ferry trip, I was curious about how the cost of the short ferry trip compared compared with the long drive. This year, the ferry cost $70.60 for the motorhome, jeep, and Odel and I, and we spent another $6 or so on fuel to and from the ferry terminals. A short drive, a fun ride, and we were here. If we had elected to avoid the ferry, we would have driven 204 miles, all the way south through Seattle to Tacoma, then up the Olympic Peninsula, spending half a day and around $96 on fuel. Hooray for the ferry!

By 2:30, we were settled in site 340 at the Point Hudson Marina and RV Park (click here to read our review and see photos). This is a first for us; we usually stay at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge or the Escapees RV park in nearby Chimacum. Our site here is much more expensive than either of those options, but we enjoyed the fantastic view from our site and easy access to all Port Townsend has to offer, a short stroll away.

Our visit to Port Townsend coincided with the arrival of summer weather, at last! We’ve hiked at the nearby state park, walked all over town, and shopped at the farmer’s market. Yesterday, I visited almost every gallery and shop in town while Odel played 18 holes of golf. I’ve spent several hours sitting in the sunshine reading my Kindle, and we’ve dedicated plenty of time to relaxing in our outdoor chairs, absorbed in the boat traffic that passes by in front of us, the strollers and dog walkers along the beachside trail, and watching the tide ebb and flow. Not at all a bad way to spend a few summer days… :)

Looking over the marina to downtown Port Townsend.	This cottage garden looks inviting!

HEADING TO PORT TOWNSEND AFTER TWO WEEKS IN OAK HARBOR

2011-08-01T09:49:00.001-07:00

We planned to stay in Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island, for 5 days when we arrived. Now, two weeks later, we’re finally leaving Staysail RV Park to ferry over to Port Townsend, on the Olympic Peninsula. What kept us so long?

While Oak Harbor is lacking in charm, its central location made it an excellent base for exploring many interesting and beautiful areas of Washington, either by ferry or by car. As it turned out, it also was a great base for socializing – we saw more friends here than we knew we had! Let’s see if I can remember everyone…

We began with lunch in Mt. Vernon with our clamming friends, Bill and Wilda, who we saw again on our visit to the Bellingham farmers market. Diana and Steve (we last saw them in Yellowstone National Park) invited us over to their temporary home near Coupeville as they prepared for a family wedding, and the next day we saw Steve’s mom and dad, our friends Marlene and Richard (Quartzsite last winter) in the Ft. Casey campground as we caught the ferry over to see Gisela, Bill (our neighbors at the Elks Lodge in Napa early this summer), and Chris (last seen in Yuma?).

The day we visited La Conner, we stumbled not only upon the arrival of the Indian canoes, but also friends Dan and Jenny (Yuma in January) – as we walked along the sidewalk, they turned in front of us in their big Alfa motorhome. We walked a couple blocks to surprise them and chat awhile as they backed in to their site for the next couple of weeks.

Our local friend, Joe (last seen in Loma Linda a couple years ago), met us for lunch in Coupeville one afternoon… was that the afternoon we came home to find Ann and Mick (AZ this past winter, I think) parked in the site next to ours? It was just a day after that when I responded to a knock on the door to find Donna and Bob (saw them near Yellowstone last fall, and again near Quartzsite last winter) wondering if the Boomer sticker on our rig meant they’d found someone they knew.

With Ann and Mick, we ferried over to the Mukliteo to meet Vicky and Terry (we’ve seen them since, but they also hosted us in their street for a short stay a couple years ago) for lunch one day, then had lunch the next day with Mary and Elaine (I know we saw them recently – must have been AZ last winter) back at Kim’s Café in Coupeville.

Yesterday, Linda, Steven, Zoe (their oldest daughter) and Anita (Linda’s mother) came to visit – meeting in person after a long acquaintance on Facebook. In their company, we made our last visit to Kim’s Cafe, getting to know each other over bowls of mussels and Thai curry.

Ann joked on FB today that the economy of Coupeville will plummet when we leave the island, all thanks to Kim’s Café at the end of the wharf. The food there is outstanding; you have your choice of indoor seating when the weather is gloomy, drippy or windy with outdoor seating when sunshine permits. Highly recommend by us and the many friends who joined us there!

Just about a year ago, I looked back on our years of traveling and the friendships we have made (click here to read that post). I can still clearly recall setting out on our travels in 2003, wondering how (or if!) we would form new friendships. Believe it or not, that was before blogs! Before Facebook! Before air cards and easy internet access! Though the ease of electronic communication has made maintaining friendships easier, it is the human connection that we all seek – and we found it in abundance here in on Whidbey Island.

A FANTASTIC DAY ON SAN JUAN ISLAND – FRIDAY HARBOR, WA

2011-07-30T17:20:00.001-07:00

We’ve heard it again and again: “You HAVE to visit the San Juans!”, a group of islands between the Olympic peninsula, the northwest Washington mainland, and Canada. Why? “They are SO BEAUTIFUL!” Access is by boat, either private or on the Washington State ferry system and, given the great beauty of the Olympic peninsula, we’ve never made the effort to visit the islands.

This time, though, a comment from our friend Joe, a local, piqued my interest further: he suggested taking the ferry to Friday Harbor (on San Juan Island), then renting a “scoot coupe” from Susie’s Mopeds to explore the island. We decided to take his advice – if the weather would cooperate with sunshine. After cancelling due to heavy overcast on Monday, Thursday was the day.


Cars boarding the ferry in Anacortes; we walked on.	We had lots of sunshine for our visit to the San Juans.

We were at the ferry dock in Anacortes at 8:30 and aboard the ferry by 9. Without taking a car, the ride is quite inexpensive, and riders 65+ pay half price. During the hour long ride to Friday Harbor, the fog lifted, setting the stage for a beautiful, warm, sunny day on the island (I had to apply sunscreen – it’s been a long time since I needed that). The ride was smooth, the thickly forested islands we passed were mysterious and lovely, and boats of all sizes plied the sparkling water. We relaxed into the warmth of the sunshine and the views.

Pulling into Friday Harbor, we joined the mass of “walk-ons” leaving the ferry before the motorcycles, cars and trucks. We headed up the hill, looking for Susie’s.

Though we’d never ridden them before, we decided we’d be happiest with mopeds, instead of the darling - but cramped looking – tiny Scoot Coupe. Within 30 minutes, we were trained in starting, stopping, and maneuvering, suited up in our helmets, equipped with a map and suggested stops, and ready to tear off at a maximum of 25 miles per hour. :)

Our planned first stop was the grocery store, for picnic supplies. Still new to our transportation, we FOUND the grocery stop, but didn’t manage to navigate into nearby parking – it was a little too much to 1) locate a parking spot; 2) avoid oncoming traffic; and 3) remember how to stop without going over the handlebars or falling over. A little flustered, we found the Market Café around the corner – with parking right in front. :)

Equipped with our picnic supplies, we ran through the start-up procedures together and successfully left town, heading to American Camp, the site of the American encampment at the time that the Americans and the English were contesting ownership of the San Juans (the English camp was on the north end of the island). The views were spectacular when we arrived and we enjoyed a short walk through the historic area.

Setting off again, we were happy with our choice of transportation, put-putting along at 20-25 mph. Cars passed us infrequently, and the road often had a wide shoulder. Although you couldn’t see it with our full-face helmets, I had a grin on my face as we rolled along, checking out the cottages, gardens, and views.


We found a big rock in the sun for our picnic table.	Took another break at the county park.

By mid-afternoon, we arrived at Roche Harbor (my favorite stop of the day). Once a company town (Roche Harbor Lime & Cement Works), Roche Harbor has an interesting history; now the old hotel, store, and other community buildings comprise a graceful, old-fashioned resort, bustling with activity, boats and people coming and going. We visited the sculpture garden, an interesting family mausoleum nearby, and relaxed on a bench watching the action and soaking up the sunshine.

Now pros at handling our mopeds, we were about three quarters of the way around the island. We zipped back to Susie’s (managed to navigate our way into the Shell station to add about half a gallon to each tank – we were required to return them full) in time for a quick dinner before we boarded the 6:30 ferry back to Anacortes.

The sky was still cloudless as we pulled away from the terminal at Friday Harbor, and I agreed with those who told we we HAD to visit the San Juan Islands. It was a long day, filled with fun, beauty and history. Highly recommended – including the mopeds!

PRECIOUS SUNSHINE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

2011-07-26T07:25:00.001-07:00

What northwest residents say is true: I feel much more appreciation and gratitude for a sunny day when sunshine is as rare as it has been in the coastal regions of Oregon and Washington this year. Sunday, the third (and last) day of our string of summer weather, was glorious – sunny, warm, clear, calm. Our horizons were filled with snowcapped mountains while the water sparkled.

Beginning July 1, 2011, all the state-owned recreation areas in Washington require a Discover Pass for parking. A one day pass is $10; an annual pass is $30. There are 4 state parks on Whidbey Island, and at least one of the federal recreation areas has a parking lot owned by Washington state – which requires the Discover Pass. You can buy a day pass at the parking lot, or buy an annual pass “wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold”. Say what?

Last Friday, we learned that some state parks sell the annual pass, so finally procured one. Yesterday, with the freshly purchased pass in our Jeep and the sunshine calling our names, we headed to Ft. Ebey State Park for a hike along the bluff trail.


Looking towards the Olympic Peninsula from our trail.	Doesn’t this look like the perfect picnic spot?

After a good workout of 3+ miles (and even a bit of sunburn for me), we were off to Toby’s Tavern in Coupeville to meet our friend Joe and sample Toby’s mussels. The verdict? Toby’s are a better deal, less money for more grub. The all-important broth at Kim’s was much better, though, and Odel liked Kim’s bread better, too (I liked Toby’s grilled garlic toast as well as Kim’s chewy sourdough.) We’ll have to go back to Kim’s to make a final decision. :)

In the spirit of full disclosure, here is a photo of Toby’s mussels:


Mussels and garlic bread at Toby’s on Sunday.	Pastry case at Calico Cupboard in La Conner on Monday.

With visions of blue skies and sunshine dancing in our heads, we fell asleep last night planning to get up early to catch the ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island for a day of sightseeing. One of the most frequently recommended “must does” in this area, it would be a first for us.

We were up at 6:30 and out the door at 8 am, rolling our eyes at the mostly cloudy skies. At 8:45, sitting in the parking lot of the ferry terminal under a heavy bank of fog in 58 degrees, we decided to wait until Thursday, the next day with a forecast of nothing but sunshine. So, what now?

We turned east, heading back to Edison, a tiny, charming town we had passed through on our way home from Bellingham on Saturday afternoon. The village that was bright, vibrant, and lively on Saturday afternoon was cold, wet, and extremely quiet on Monday morning – not one shop or restaurant was open! By now it was close to 9:30, and our stomachs were rumbling… so off we went to La Conner, another of the interesting small towns that dot the area.

We struck gold. See that photo of the pastry case at Calico Cupboard? It hints at the delicious breakfast we had in their dining room. The entire meal as great, but the toast was the best I have ever had in a restaurant. Calico Cupboard, La Conner - highly recommended by us!

Then we remembered: today is the opening of the Paddle to Swinomish 2011, the week-long cultural gathering of native tribes described in this story in the New York Times. This year, the annual event is hosted by the Swinomish Tribe, at their La Conner reservation. Tribes have been paddling to La Conner from Canada, Oregon and Washington for several weeks (or months); the big, decorated family canoes were anticipated to arrive beginning at 2 pm (with the cooperation of the tides). We decided to walk off our breakfast by exploring La Conner while we waited.

Light sprinkles turned to rain as the canoes began to arrive, but it was a great sight nevertheless. Wish I had a camera with a big zoom, but this is the best I could do with my little Canon. What no photo could capture was the sense of excitement. As the canoes approached the landing spot, the paddlers sang/chanted in booming voices, punctuated with whoops, cheers and laughter. The group of canoes in the photo above came swooping into view from behind a point, paddling hard and chanting loudly – then turned around and headed back behind the point. Other canoes came from behind the point singly, singing and laughing, heading up past us to the gathering point.

We eventually decided to get out of the rain and head home, feeling we’d made the right decision at the ferry landing. Back here at home, Odel got a pot of his great spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove, and we have a bottle of Joe’s “cranberry juice” (homemade wine) to wash it down at dinner time (thanks, Joe!). A good end to an interesting day.

SUMMER SUNSHINE AND FRIENDS – WHIDBEY ISLAND, WA

2011-07-24T09:09:00.001-07:00

Friends. Sunshine. Cool breezes. We have had a GREAT couple of days!

The day after we arrived in Oak Harbor, we had lunch with Bill and Wilda, long-time friends who introduced us to Bellingham, Washington, and to clam digging several years ago. We’ve visited them in the southwest, too, but my favorite memories are of digging clams near Bellingham – which Wilda then cleaned and steamed… fantastic! This all happened well before I began blogging, but I DO have photos of that time, and it makes me hungry just to look at those clams and the delicious sourdough bread.

All this is on my mind because we took a trip up to Bellingham today, to visit their great farmer’s market and… oh, but I’m getting ahead of myself!

On Friday, the weather took a turn towards sunshine – perfect timing because we had plans to meet friends Gisela and Bill P. and Chris C. in Port Townsend for lunch. For us, that means a ferry trip, from Whidbey Island to Port Townsend. Right next door to the ferry terminal is Ft. Casey State Park, and our friends Richard and Marlene D. were camped there to attend a family wedding. We had a brief visit with them (we had visited their son and DIL earlier in the week), then hopped the ferry for a 30 minute ride to lunch. A short, three block walk to Fin’s Restaurant, where we settled into an outdoor table and awaited our friends.

Last winter, when I asked Odel what he would like to do during the summer, he said “get a bowl of clam chowder at Fin’s.” Fin’s used to have the BEST clam chowder, very unusual – a creamy broth, clams steamed in the shell, and with a sprinkling of fresh herbs. Simple, rich, and delicious.

Sorry to report that it was a disappointment! Smaller bowl, thicker broth, more potatoes than clams. :( On the other hand, I had a spectacular Salmon BLT – wow! But the service was terrible, so I don’t think we’ll be going back there for while. Lively conversation and perfect weather (along with a glass of excellent wine) redeemed the experience.

After lunch, we all took a stroll around Port Townsend, down to the RV park at the marina to check it out. Then we parted ways so Odel and I could climb the hill up to the Post Office to pick up our General Delivery mail, then rush back down to catch the ferry. Excellent day!

On Sunday, we planned a day trip to Bellingham (50 miles north). It is a scenic drive, and in Bellingham we were able to visit both a Trader Joe’s AND the wonderful Bellingham Farmer’s Market.

And who should we see when we arrived at the market? Bill and Wilda! Another short visit, then we were off to make our selections: cherries, sugar snap peas, squash, and our first fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes of the year – yes, it has been way too cool up here in the pacific northwest for summer’s tomatoes. We had lunch from the prepared food stands, sharing a table with a foursome of friends; one of the couples was extremely interested in our fulltiming lifestyle, as they are considering taking the plunge.

After lunch, we drove to one of the parks along Bellingham’s waterfront to pick up the waterfront trail, spending an hour or two wandering among the sun worshippers along the water, admiring the sight of snowcapped mountains in the distance. No clouds!


Our Jeep’s thermometer on the ride home.	Crossing the Deception Pass bridge.

Instead of returning home via I-5, we took Chuckanut Drive (SR-11), which hugs the water heading south. Built in the late 1800’s , narrow and winding, it is best driven slowly, while only the passenger enjoys the view. We made a few stops for look out over the water, but mostly just cruised along, sunroof and windows open, appreciating the cool sunshine.

This morning? Sunshine all around once again. We have plans to meet Joe S., a friend from our days at Loma Linda, in Coupeville for mussels – a taste-off between those we enjoyed last week at Kim’s on the Wharf and Toby’s, an old tavern. It’s how you spend a Sunday on Whidbey Island. :)

THANKS, BUT IT’S NOT FOR ME: THE 7 LINKS CHALLENGE

2011-07-21T11:39:00.001-07:00

I am, completely and utterly, a blogging amateur. A hobbyist. A dilettante. I like to write, I like to share… but to do it on an internal schedule that is never quite clear until inspiration hits. While my blog began as a way to bring family and friends along on our travels, I appreciate it most as a journal – with photos – to remind ME of all the places we have been and the things we have done during our fulltiming years.

I am definitely NOT a blogger who is committed to blogging daily; to keep it enjoyable, I go out of my way to avoid a sense of obligation to my writing. My blog has no ads, and increasing my readership is not a concern.

So it was with a feeling of dismay that I read on Nina’s blog, Wheeling It, that she had nominated/invited Semi-True Tales (me) to take part in The 7 Links Challenge sponsored by Tripbase. I admire Nina’s blog, and read it regularly. I know that posts/offers like this are a way to link blogs with new readers, and that being one of the nominated blogs is generally considered a positive boost.

So, in spite of my prior complete rejection of similar invitations, I gave it some thought – really! I even sat down to try to find posts to illustrate the 7 categories of past blog posts. And in no time at all, I found myself sidetracked by a diversion… following some other link, playing a game of hearts, moving to the sofa - Kindle in hand - or lacing up my shoes for a walk outside. Even making a grocery list, or sorting the laundry!

I can’t help it – it is just too much like homework, which need never be endured again in this lifetime, thank god.

Nina, I appreciate your invitation (thank you, really), and I understand that participating would be a very good thing for any blogger interested in increasing their readership. I really enjoyed reading YOUR responses to the 7 Links Challenge (and hope this post might introduce some new readers to YOUR wonderful blog), but I won’t be participating. Too many books to read, too many hikes to take, photos to sort, recipes to try… or perhaps I’ve just had too much wine?

GOODBYE, CASCADES; HELLO, ISLANDS – OAK HARBOR, WA

2011-07-19T09:25:00.001-07:00

On Monday, we left the dripping evergreen forest behind. Fewer than 100 miles later, we settled into our new site at Staysail RV Park (click here to read our review), the city RV park in Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island – in SUNSHINE! We landed in what is certainly one of the best sites in the park, near the end of a long row. This is the view out our windshield:

By the time we settled in, noon was long past and we were hungry. For us, Whidbey Island is all about mussels, and Coupeville, 10 miles south, is the source of the famous Penn Cove mussels (which you occasionally find in 5 pound bags in Costco). Off we went, for a late lunch/early dinner.

	We chose Kim’s, at the end of the public dock in Coupeville. Our visit coincided with Race Week; sailboats skimmed the waters of Penn Cove.
Our mussels arrived at 3:48. Mussels in the classic white wine/garlic/butter sauce for Odel, mussels in Thai red curry/coconut milk sauce for me. Crusty, chewy sourdough bread (the real thing!) on the side. Crisp, off-dry white wine alongside.
	4:04 pm. Nothin’ more to be said.

Walking back to the car, it was obvious that this is THE place for dessert.	A “single cone” holds three scoops!

Yes, it was a very, verrrrrryyyyy GOOD DAY!