May 16, 2013 through June 4, 2016

Thursday, May 16^th, We traveled up 395 back to Bishop to get the motorhome…and on our way, we passed a sign that said Manzanar National Monument…Of course we had to stop. It is an internment camp for Japanese Americans from Dec 7, 1941 through Oct 1945. It was a very emotional stop – got to talk to a man who was 79 years old and was imprisoned there from the time he was 7 until he was 11. WOW – how great that we happened to be there when he was, and he told us all about his family, what happened to them, and how it shaped their future. WE arrived back at the MH about 4, unpacked, and rested from an awesome week!

Friday, May 17, We left Bishop, and made our way to Carson City, where we stopped at the Carson City Inn, Casino and RV resort – it was nice and clean and lovely, and we had a wonderful dinner in the Casino, David spent most of the evening coughing and being ill.

Saturday May 18^th, we dove from Carson City to Milford, CA, where we parked at the Honey Lake RV Resort – a resort it is not, but a nice place to park it is! Right off 395, but on the hill, so you hear zero traffic noises, you are under beautiful redwood pines, so you hear the breeze blowing through them! We drove up to Susanville because we were out of drugs for David (cough syrup), and while there had lunch at Lassen Ale Works – I had wonderful fish and chips, David had a Rueben – both were excellent!

Sunday, May 19, 2013 – we spent the day here at Honey Lake. David was recuperating – I took the opportunity to clean the MH, all the glass in the shower area, and I did a lot of cooking. I made smoked pork chops, eggs, home fries and toast for breakfast – then for lunner we had Italian sausage sandwiches, macaroni salad and baked beans – so it was a domestic day! I hooked the car back up to the MH, and we’re heading to Red Bluff tomorrow morning where we will be staying at a Moose Club!

Monday, May 20 – Got to the Moose club and got a pull through, so didn’t unhook the car – we did stop at a roadside stand on the way and got a wonderful just picked cantaloupe, as well as some fresh cherries – yum! We spent the evening just hanging out – I read my kindle and David watched movies on the computer J

Tuesday, May 21 – we drove from Red Bluff, CA to Talent, OR, where we stopped at the American RV Resort (Passport America – NOT a resort) where we backed into a site and since we unhooked the car we drove through the town (3 mins), found a little bistro and had lunch. It is raining here and they are calling for snow overnight! It is May 21….sheesh! Not to worry, we have heat :)

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 – we drove about 50 miles to Hugo, OR, a suburb of Grants Pass. David’s nephew, Lance Koehler lives in Grants Pass and David hadn’t seen him for about 25 years. They had connected on Facebook and made arrangements to meet. Since today was a short hop, we didn’t hook up the car, and I followed the MH. This is a very very nice Campground. It is Joe Creek Waterfalls Resort, and with my Escapees discount it was $25 for the night. Beautiful level pull through spot, last one available as people are rolling in for the Memorial Day holiday! We got set up, took Cinder for a nice long walk, had oatmeal for brunch, and then took naps.

We took off at 3 pm for Grants Pass Super Wal-Mart, since I had a rather lengthy list, having bought nothing for two weeks but fresh fruits and veggies. We were in the check out line when Lance called and said he was off work and he picked the Tap Rock Restaurant/Brewery for dinner. We met there about 4:15 and laughed, ate and chatted for 2.5 hours! It was wonderful for me to meet him, and for David to get reacquainted with the man he has become. I had fried Cod and the guys had burgers – all was very good!

On a very sad note, just found out that my Uncle Ross Gary has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer – please add him and his family in your prayers if you would – thank you!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Arrived at the SKP park in Sutherlin, OR. Got set up on lot 110, drove around the park, went to the Post Office to pick up our general delivery mail – wow, it was our mail from Hondo, Bob Wheaton you were not kidding, there was a bunch of drugs!!! We grabbed some Taco Bell and came back to the MH and ate a very early dinner or very late lunch…2:30 pm…which meant that we had cereal at 7:30…it was good. While we were watching out the window we saw a flock of wild turkeys that were enormous! There was 1 tom and 6 hens – two of the hens got into a great big fight and were screaming right in front of the MH – Cinder just lay on the patio and watched them! I’ll try to get some pics posted…they say the deer walk around in this park too – but we haven’t seen any of them yet!

Friday, May 24, 2013

We drove over to see a very old covered bridge that is still being used. Took a couple pics, hope they come out!

We then drove down to the North Umpqua River where they just opened a new fishing ladder that they built to help the salmon and trout get back up river to their spawning grounds. Amazing – they had not been able to get back for a couple years, once they opened the ladder within a day they were going up it like crazy! Sometimes we do get it right!

We then went into Roseberg and had lunch at a place called ZEN – which is a Mongollian Grill – you know we can’t pass that up! It was delish! We stopped at Safeway and I stocked up on some fresh fruits/veggies, they had BIG watermelons for $3.99 – and I got stuff to make the Asian cole slaw for the BBQ on Monday!

We went to social hour here at 3 pm, and chatted with folks for more than an hour – when we came home I made dinner – I had chicken salad and David had a huge artichoke…he was loving that! We also finished up the cantaloupe and macaroni salad!

Saturday

We did the ‘local’ thing – went to a couple wineries – did some sampling, had lunch at Tolley’s, a local inn on the Historical register – really wonderful lunch special, prime rib open faced sandwich with hand cut fries, plus homemade bread and butter pickles…came home and kicked back with some ‘wine’ and made a wonderful ‘holiday’ dinner of baby back ribs, baked sweet potatoes, tossed salad, corn on the cob and angel food cake with fresh strawberries and peaches – wonderful!

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Oh what a day! We hit the road at 8:30, heading for the Redwood National Park/Forest. We drove 138 miles to get there and it was worth every mile. The trees are totally amazing, and the smell of the forest is unbelievable! It smelled piney – loamy- earthy…heavenly! Then we headed up Highway 101, the coastal highway, from Crescent City, CA to Gold Beach, OR. Oh my – everything we heard about the Oregon Coast is true. At first it seemed like we were on the wrong road or something – but suddenly we saw the Pacific…and then we saw rocks with waves beating on them – and then more and more and more! We stopped several places and took pictures – but I’m sure they won’t do it justice either!

We turned our GPS on because I couldn’t remember the road that cut back over to Sutherlin, and she had us turn on this National Forest Service Road…for 29 twisty, turny, twisty road. Then she sent us another 39 miles on a HORRIBLE – 1 lane with turn outs road – took us 2 hours to go 60 miles, and the tension – it was sheer drop offs on the right hand side of the road, and we met about 15 cars/trucks on it – you had to time the pull offs so you didn’t have to back up…by the time we got back to I-5 my shoulders were aching like I had pulled them out of socket! We had another 76 miles to go, but it was a piece of cake – we stopped at Abby’s Legendary Pizza for dinner because it was 6pm by then, and the end of a very long day!

May 27, 2013 – Memorial Day – we slept in late for us – I guess yesterday was tougher on us than I thought! At any rate, we started moving around – it was raining hard, so I took Cinder out in the rain, then gathered up the laundry and went to get that done. The laundry room here at Timber Valley is really nice, and at $1 to wash and .75 to dry, I’m all over that! Have not done laundry for 17 days. It was past time!

The park held a bring your own meat and a dish to share potluck at 1 pm, so I made an Asian Slaw and it turned out pretty good! We took cheddarwurst to grill, and it was excellent! TIP – when you are at a hot dog roast or pot luck where you are having something in buns, make up your buns at home with ketchup, mustard, onion, etc…wrap them up and take ‘em along – when the dogs are done, just slide them into the buns. Then you don’t need to cart bottles of all the condiments…easy peasy!

We came home and then just vegged out the rest of the day.

May 28 – was a work day. We cleaned the coach and steam cleaned the carpets – then we took Cinder and treated ourselves to lunch at Taco Time in Roseburg while it all dried. When we got back home, it was time to wipe everything down before we put it all back. It was a very long day!

May 29 – FUN day! We drove across OR 138 to Coos Bay where we had a marvelous lunch with friends Linda and Howard Hatfield. It is a funny thing this full time life, you make new friends everywhere – and when you get a chance to meet them ‘down the road’ it is always special! The Hatfields actually are our neighbors at Lone Star Corral in TX…almost right across the street! I had sent out an email to our LSC newsgroup, saying where we were and they replied they were in Coos Bay. A couple of emails later we were all set to go spend some time with them!

On the way we stopped at the Myrtle Wood factory and gifts store. Amazing…look up myrtle wood and read about it! I indulged in a pair of salad tongs that are so beautiful it will make me smile every time I use them I’m sure!

As we arrived in Coos Bay there was a farmer’s market set up in town – actually a pretty nice one, but a little spendy for me $6 for a loaf of sourdough bread, and $8 for a loaf of cranberry walnut that I really wanted and left there!!! I’m going to try to make some when I am either in PA or TX with my breadmakers! Can’t be too hard right? The only produce they had was organic lettuce – at $3 for a bunch – left that there too!

After lunch we drove 21 miles down to Bandon, a little seaside village that’s claim to fame is cranberries – yep, I always thought cranberries were a New England thing, but here in OR they grow cranberries – LOTS of them! I did get a bag of dried cranberries, along with some English Toffee Bites and white chocolate covered pretzels! We’re set for snacks for quite a while. I use the dried cranberries in our oatmeal.

We managed to get home about 5 o’clock and got into the ‘get ready to go’ mode where I put things up and David dumped the tanks since we would be staying at Moose Clubs for a couple nights.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Left Timber Valley Sutherlin, OR this morning about 10 am. We chatted and drove along for about 50 miles, then decided it was time to have some breakfast. I said we could stop at the Elk Viewing area, and David laughed and said fine, but there would be no elk. Well, we pulled in and lo and behold, there was a herd of ELK – everything from young’uns to a HUGE Bull Elk with his antlers in velvet. What an amazing sight! I made a great breakfast of homefries w/onions, eggs and toast, and we ate while watching those magnificent creatures!

We continued up the Pacific Coast Highway, 101 until we got to Waldport. On the way up we kept catching glimpses of the Pacific Ocean, smashing against rocks, and making us ache to find a spot to pull over…alas, pulling a motorhome and car over on 101 is no easy feat!

When we got here to the Moose Club, Lodge 326, got backed in and hooked up, we got in the car and headed up 101 to Newport, where we had been informed there was the best clam chowder in the world, at a place called Mo’s. I can say it was delicious, however, the cup we shared at Shark Bites was better – much more clam flavor and full of clams! But, Mo’s was classic thick with lots of potatoes – never did find a clam in my bowl!

We drove back down to Waldport, only this time we stopped in all the little side view areas – took lots of pictures and oohed and ahhhhed over the ocean. People have told us for years ‘You gotta go to the Oregon Coast’ – and now we see why it is so loved!

We’ll be going over to the Moose for dinner – special is Reuben’s N fries so no cooking for me tonight!

Friday, May 31

Drove over to Tillamook, the Moose club was a bust, so we went to a ‘resort’ NOT! We paid $35 AFTER our discounts! The sites were too short and it was all dirt – and the only grass had a huge sign on it that said NO ANIMALS ON GRASS…I’d never stop there again! Anyhoo…

We went to the cheese factory where I was tempted into buying several cheeses – interesting and I must say that the cheese curds we bought in WI were better…just sayin’.

We drove out to Nestarts and took the loop for one last look at the wild Oregon coast…absolutely worth coming for!

We stopped at a little hole in the wall place and had marvelous clam chowder and a piece of smoked cod that was to die for. They smoked it with a teriyaki glaze – never had anything that tasted even close to that!

Saturday, June 01, 2013

We drove from Tillamook to The Dalles OR today, about 200 miles, and Portland was no fun to get through! We are at an Oregon State Park Deschutes River. David's nephew Scott and his wife Diane live in The Dalles, but campgrounds are almost non-existent! We could find no private campgrounds at all. This is a beautiful state park, very green and extremely well maintained. The best part is that today was a FREE day at the park, and because David has all the right passes, tomorrow night is FREE too! Woot woot! Makes up for that $35 a night last night! Scott and Diane came out about 2 and stayed chatting until almost 7pm...

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Got a late start this morning since I decided to make breakfast – made pancakes, smoked pork chops and eggs – it was gooooood! We puttered around the park and then went into visit with Scott and Diane and take them to lunch. We had a great tour of their home and then we went to IXTAPA for lunch – then we took a driving tour through some wine country and a local ‘safari’ type place. We also found a little roadside fruit stand where I got some fresh asparagus and some wonderful just picked cherries! YUM!

On the way back down the mountain, we noticed a huge cloud of smoke, and it looked like it was in the area of our park. We drove there immediately and the firetrucks were there – as were the rangers. We asked if there was any danger and they said not at this time, but no guarantees. They had David’s phone number so we headed back into The Dalles. We got there and were sitting visiting with Scott & Diane when David’s phone rang – it was the rangers saying they were evacuating the park, come get the MH…well, talk about quick good byes! We headed out, about 18 miles, and passed quite a few units from our park – when we got back there were only 5 of us left – and it was 5:30 pm. We do NOT like to travel that late in the day…so we went about 7 miles away at a COE park with no hook ups. We spent the night there!

Monday, June 3, 2013

We were on the road very early, since I had no clock when I got up at 6:15 there was no going back to sleep! Off we went – and we drove until about 3 when we stopped in Ritzville, WA for the night. Got a very nice site for $27 with full hook ups – and boy, did we need them! Hadn’t dumped for 5 days, so we were full! There was cable TV but no internet L It was a pull through site, so we didn’t unhook the car. I made swiss steak, noodles and asparagus for dinner! It was filling and good!

A couple sites away from us was a very nice looking Tradewinds, which is a brother to our Dolphin. I met Barbara Skinner and her husband Mike – they said they were having a National rally there, started Wednesday and ran through Sunday. They were expecting 30 Dolphins, Tradewinds, Tropicals…darn, we wish we could have stayed!!!

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Left Ritzville WA this morning at 8...pulled into St Regis, MT this afternoon about 1:30. We're staying put for 2 days at this fantastic RV Park, Nugget RV Park which is only about 2 miles from I-90. We are in the mountains with beautiful gravel sites, picnic tables and lovely green grass. We got settled in and then went into town for lunch/breakfast since we just had a cereal bar and I had some fresh cherries. Lunch was good - but dessert was better. Warm huckleberry pie ala mode...this must be heaven!

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