Day 63 Toketee Lake Campground to O’Brien, OR

Day 63 6/30/2015

Ran refrigerator on Propane last night – worked ok.  Left camp right at 10am and headed up the mountain to Diamond Lake (a large collapsed caldera with a beautiful deep lake and brilliant blue color).

We continued into Crater Lake NP at the North entrance – our first look at the lake was breathtaking – incredible deep blue color, Wizard Island off toward the West and volcanic mountains in every direction.

We headed East on Rim Drive and stopped at a dozen or more pullouts with each offering a very different view of the lake.

Late lunch in a park in Shady Cove, Or then back on the road to Grants Pass to pick up Mary’s prescriptions that I had called in last week. We left Grants Pass on US199 heading SW towards California and Redwoods, NP.

We continued to O’Brian, OR and the Lone Mountain RV Resort.  Excellent RV park with first class facilities, level sites, well landscaped grounds and obviously cared for by its owners. We took advantage of the facilities and did our laundry, dumped and filled and prepared for the California Ag inspection bt demolishing the last of our fresh fruits.

Odometer: 83789 Miles Today: 200 Total Miles: 6589

Day 62 Washburn SP, Oregon to Toketee Lake NFS Campground, OR

Day 62 6/29/2015

On the roar at 9:00 am with our first stop for groceries in Florence – we have been told to watch the fresh fruits & veggies at the California border so we are purchasing only enough for 3 days.

We drove to the Oregon dunes at the Suislaw Jetty in Florence. Impressive seashore with lots of driftwood and the dunes beginning to encroach on the 30 year old jetty.

We headed inland at Hwy 30 and followed the Umpqua River East.  We missed the junction for Hwy 138 at Elkton, OR and had to backtrack to head down 138 to join I 5 at Sutherlin, OR and head South to Roseburg, OR where we left the interstate and headed up the mountains on 138 now following the North Umpqua River.  It was very hot along I5 and didn’t begin to cool off until we passed Steamboat Springs around 2000ft.

We kept climbing past 2500ft and decided to camp for the night at Toketee Lake NFS Campground.  No services but nice and quiet along a creek.  We shared the campground for 50+ with only 1 other rig (a couple from the Oregon Coast with their two grandchildren).

NFS camping is only $5.00 with the Federal Senior Pass so with the propane fridge now working, we’ll make more use of them during the remainder of our trip.

Odometer: 83589 Miles Today: 179 Total Miles: 6389

Day 61 Jetty Fishery RV Park to Carl G. Washburn SP, Oregon

Day 61 6/28/2015  

While much of Washington, Oregon and California are suffering under a massive heat wave,  we awoke to light rain and a 59 degree morning.  We watched CBS Sunday Morning then began packing for today’s run. We were unenthusiastic about leaving as the lure of the crab shack called us to another day but by 10am, we were packed and back on the road again.

Our first stop was the Tilamook Cheese factory at 10:30.  We joined the other 10,000 early risers this morning.  I didn’t know there were this many people on the Oregon Coast.  We joined the fray and enjoyed the visit.

As we continued down 101, we were struck by the awesome beauty of this coast.  We passed through Beaver, Hebo, Colverdale and Lincoln City.  From massive vertical rock formations to beautiful sandy beaches and the flat topped lava beds of Cape Perpetua, they all are beautiful.

The one scene we didn’t enjoy was the traffic – in every town, there was a near gridlock condition as masses of Portland dwellers flocked to the sea to beat the heat.  We had planned to make our turn toward Crater Lake at Coos Bay before settling in for the night but the traffic had slowed our progress and we were tiring fast so when we saw that Carl G. Washburn State Park (just North of Florence) had some available spots, we stopped for the night.

We’ll regroup in the morning and choose our route inland.

Odometer: 83410  Miles Today:125  Total Miles:6210

Day 59-60: Seaside, OR to Wheeler, OR

Day 59-60 6/26-27/2015

Canon Beach

We dumped tanks, packed up and pulled out of hillbilly heaven at about 9:30.  First stop was the Safeway in Seaside for provisions and then we hit the road South again.

Acadia Beach

We stopped in Canon Beach for a look at the giant rock there and then had coffee and a bagel in a coffee shop.  We spoke with a couple from Netherlands who visit the US every year or two.  They are hoping to do a trip similar to ours when they retire.

Way down the cliff

From Canon Beach to Nehalem Bay, new beautiful vistas presented themselves at every turn and we were forced to stop and look.

Eating them crabs and arsters

We walked Acadia Beach, passed by Nehalem Beach State Park (Full) and a couple of miles past Wheeler, we came to Jetty Fishery and RV Park on the East shore of Nehalem Bay and fell in love!

Eating some Ice Cream for dessert

Got a space on the jetty and for the next two days we looked at the view, ate crabs, drank beer, ate oysters, drank beer, looked at the view, watched people catch crabs, look at view, drank beer, watched sea lions.................

By the beautiful bay

You get the idea.  Great little place with friendly folks, great fresh from the sea and boiled in seawater crabs, clams and oysters.  Now we are rested, the rig is secured and we are ready to head on down the road.

Watching the sea lions

There they are - the dirty dozen

Oh, that rattle we couldn't find turned out to be outside - low pressure in the passenger side air support bag.  Pumped her up and the rattle disappeared.

Odometer:83285 Miles Today:33   Total:6085

Day 58: Bruceport, WA to Seaside, OR

Day 58 6/25/2015

Underway at 9:20 and continuing South on US101 to the Long Beach Peninsula.  We arrived at the Peninsula Visitor Center where we were directed to spend our entire vacation sampling the wares of the area.  We couldn't quite go for that so we headed to the Cranberry Museum a few miles up the road and learned more than we ever thought we would about cranberries, bogs, wet vs. dry harvesting and the history of cranberries on the peninsula.  We toured the grounds and purchased a few goodies at the store including a wonderfully delicious cup of cranberry ice cream.

Dunes at Long Beach

We took a walk along Long Beach but opted not to drive our RV along the sand and then headed to the Port of Ilwaco and a seafood lunch at Ol Bobs.  Then we walked around the shops and drove the scenic hwy 100 loop before driving 101 across the Astoria Bridge into Oregon - Mary's 49th state.

Looking across the Columbia River

We managed to hit Astoria at rush hour and after an exciting 30 minutes and a couple of "Park Full" signs, we found ourselves in Seaside, Oregon at the Venice RV Park - one of the few disappointments on our trip where we watched the tidal flow in the river and listened to the continuous drone of the 101 traffic 50 yards away.

Crossing into Oregon - Mary's 49th

Odometer:83252 Miles Today:95 Total:6052

Day 57: Sammamish, WA to Bruceport, WA

Day 57 6/24,/2015

View from our campsite

At 9:38am wiith hugs and kisses and a tear or two, we left the fine hospitality of Jerry and Kathy for the wanderlust of the highway.  It has been nearly two weeks since arrived in Sammamish and we have some settling in to do.  Rattles and cargo shifting keeps Mary hopping for a couple of hours as one-by-one, she tracks them down - all but a low speed rattle that eludes us.

I get used to the characteristics of the Pleasure-Way as we travel along I5 South to Olympia, WA where we once again leave the white knuckle ride of the interstate highway behind and resume our more sedate 55mph pace on the two lane. At Montesano, WA we fill up with gas and propane and head SW on route 107 to US101.

Giants surround us

Our route will follow US101 South along the Washington coast for the rest of the day and then on into Oregon.  We pass small fishing towns with names until we come to Raymond, WA -which has a reasonable name but dozens of iron sculptures along the road - elk, bears, fish people, fishermen and birds. 

We see a sign for the county campground at Bruceport and decide to stop for the night.  This is a wonderful spot atop a cliff and overlooking the bay.

The beach at the base of the cliff

We are surrounded by giant trees and end our day feeling content with our progress and comfortable with our first steps toward home.

Odometer: 83157 Miles Today: 154 Total: 5957

Day 52-56 Sammamish, WA

Shrimp, scallops and burgers on the grill.

Day 52-56: June 19-23

These days were largely consumed with calls to RV repair shops, Amazon.com and Fedex in quest of missing refrigerator #2, then #3.  I'll return to this thought on Tuesday the 23rd below.

Friday was more of our wonderful visit with Jerry and Kathy, lots of talk, good food and calls to Amazon.  Fridge 2 was supposed to have shipped yesterday but was delayed until today and escalated to Priority Overnight w/Saturday delivery so we decided to quit stressing and enjoy.  Jerry started detailing our van and by the end of the day, it sparkled.

Saturday, neighbors Kyle and Larry came over for coffee and we all 6 talked and laughed away a good part of the day. Jerry's boat storage unit failed to deliver on a promise to have the boat ready to go so we couldn't take an afternoon cruise as promised.  (Maybe we brought the cloud of non delivery with us?)  More cleaning before discovering that our scheduled Saturday delivery of Fridge #2 was unlikely because it was on a truck in Lebanon, Tennessee about 80 miles from home! Per Fedex, "Don't worry, it will be there Monday."

Sunday, we spent the day touring - went to Trevor's home in the woods, a beautiful log home nestled in among very large trees.  The lawn is tended by a pair of goats and a trio of canines guard the premises, fetch thrown tennis balls and demand to be petted. Next to the airport to look over Jerry's plane and to watch sky divers take their first tandem jumps.

Jerry & Mary watching sky divers

Lunch in Snohomish by the river and a stroll through the village finished off the afternoon.  Returning home, the Fedex site showed our fridge had arrived in Seattle late Saturday night.

Monday, no fridge but Fedex promised it Monday evening or Tuesday.  Amazon scheduled Fridge #3 for shipping for Wednesday delivery!  More detailing the van, it sure does look beautiful, more catching up on long lost friends and family and another wonderful dinner.

Tuesday, a call from the Amazon lady assured me that the fridge was on a truck for delivery within the hour.  It was! No packing, strapped to a pallet, a bit lopsided and declared damaged due to inadequate packaging by the Fedex driver.  ARRGGG!!!!  We called Amazon and gave the story to the rep there.  She offered a refund, throw the fridge away and cancel the shipping of fridge #3 since they couldn't convince me that it was packed any better than the one that arrived this morning.

Jerry and I started tinkering with the old one and in a couple of hours, it was cooling on AC and DC. Then we decided to strip down the propane assembly and clean it before re-installing the unit in the Pleasure-Way.

Miracle of miracles, the fridge works on propane too!  Our totally dead refrigerator was now working in all three modes. We began trying to get our stuff organized for a Wednesday departure and our last evening at the 5 star Norman Hotel.

While the 8 days of trying to get a replacement fridge were frustrating, they gave us the chance to renew family ties and spend some much appreciated time with Jerry and Kathy and their extended family.

Day 49-51: Victoria, BC

Day 49-51 6/16-18/2015

View from the ferry

With the fridge broken, Kathy working and Jerry headed out of town on a business trip, we decided to take the high speed ferry to Victoria, BC for a few days.  We couldn't get there as originally planned so this seemed like the way to go.

We took a limo to the ferry terminal and discovered that we would be taking a bus to the ferry terminal at Tsawwassem, BC to Swartz Bay and on to Victoria (another 3 hour tour?).

Our original schedule called for a 3 hour ferry to Victoria but the bus ride, ferry and further bus ride turned the trip into more like a 6.5 hour trip.  On the plus side, the ferry from Tsawwassem had what is reputed to be the best buffet dinner on any ferry anywhere.  We cannot disagree with that since it was really superb.  We had a table by ta window and watched many islands go gliding by as we ate our wonderful meal.  We arrived at our hotel at 9:30 instead of the planned 6pm but already had dinner and got to see sights not on our original itinerary. We'll call that one a tie.

Wednesday morning after looking at the Victoria map, we decided that a walking tour should be the first order of business.  The Fairmont Empress Victoria was our first stop, located on the inner harbor diagonally from the Government House, the Empress is a grand old hotel impressive in its architecture and with a staff that is tops in all regards.  We enjoyed wandering through some of the public parts of the hotel and enjoyed talking with a delightful young woman in the gallery shop.

Chinatown gate

Next we walked the 6 blocks along Warf Street to to Chinatown.  Always a treat, Chinatowns the world over are a blend of exotic smells, tastes and merchandise and Victoria's, though small, was certainly worth visiting.

Up the hill to the City Market where food vendors and live music were the draw.  Continuing doun Douglas Street, we stopped at the Cactus Club Cafe for a lunch of Steelhead and Shrimp accompanied by Prawns and Pasta - diet be danmed!

As we crossed the grounds of Government House, we watched a vignette on the history of Victoria and BC performed by excellent actors in period dress then we returned to our hotel for a short rest.

Next up was a carriage ride around the older part of the city with excellent narration on the architecture and history of the area.

Our carriage

We then walked around the inner harbor, chose from the 75 flavors of ice cream offered at the lomon shaped stand on the quay and walked the docks looking at everything from the tiny "Pickle Boats"to a Mega Yacht available for a bargain price of $22 million.

See the lemon?

Next we had a drink at the Milestones Bar & Grill on Warf Street before heading to our hotel for the night.

Pickle Boat

Thursday morning after breakfast at the hotel, we boarded our high speed "Victoria Clipper IV" for a fine 3 hour trip back to downtown Seattle.  Dennis our limo driver whisked us back to Jerry & Kathy's home and NO FRIDGE!  Frantic calls to Amazon and UPS informed us that our refrigerator was, indeed, missing.  Amazon agreed to ship another one tomorrow with expedited next day shipping for Saturday delivery.  On the plus side, we'll get a few more days of visiting and leave Greater Seattle on Monday after the hoards from the US Open Golf Tournament leave town.

No miles on our rig

Day 46-48 Greater Seattle Area

Day 46-48 06/13-15/2015

Space Needle

Our weekend is a bit of a blur, we have met visited with Jerry and Kathy, their son and daughter, grandson, friends and neighbors all wrapped up in a spectacular weekend of warm days and cool nights.  We expected the weather to be rainy and cool but that was not to be.

Catching up with my brother

Saturday we headed for the Issaquah salmon ladder and hatchery.  We are way too early for the Salmon run but the facilities and displays were interesting.

On the waterfront

Heading for the Seattle waterfront we ran smack into a marathon with 17,000 runners!  Lots of traffic delays but we did see some of the race and visited the Space Needle (but not the really long line to go to the top).

Pikes Place

We met Jill and Ron for lunch at Etta's on Western Avenue before wandering through the Pike Place Market and watched the throwing of the fish.

Jammin'

Back at home, we had another great BBQ and Jerry and Richard played music for a while.

Sunday we had visits from Trevor and Tyler and a friend then tried to launch the boat but found the launch line to be very long - sunshine in Seattle brings out droves of boaters.  Then back home to a family cookout and lots of conversation and catching up on lives, loves and wishes.

Fixing the burgers

Then the RV refrigerator died! We had been having problems with operation on Propane but today, no cooling on any power source.

Removing the fridge and cleaning the rig

Monday, Jerry and I called RV dealers, service centers and parts warehouses - no service for weeks, no parts and no replacements!  I found a replacement refrigerator on Amazon,com and ordered it for Wednesday delivery.  We removed the original fridge and spent some time washing, waxing and cleaning the RV.

No miles on our rig