March 4th - San Diego
We arrived on Sunday morning at the Escondido RV Resort, travelling from
Alpine California only 1 hour away. Good thing it was only a short distance as
it was a horrible rainy day to travel. By the time we backed into our spot the
rain had reduced to just a slight shower so we did not get soaked getting set
up. This is the first time we have been plugged in for 3 weeks so lots of
laundry, washing walls and vacuuming from all of the dust storms we have
experienced over the last couple of months. Our house on wheels needed some
major TLC.
The rain continued all morning Monday and finally
cleared up in the afternoon. We had arranged to meet Ray's brother and
sister-in-law at a well-known Mexican restaurant in Del Mar called the El
Agave Restaurant and Tequileria. What a beautiful bar and restaurant. We got so caught
up chatting I forgot to take any pictures so here is some from google. The food
was amazing as were the margaritas.
Before leaving the restaurant we made arrangements to come to Bill and
Kathryn's house for dinner on Wednesday and hopefully the weather would
co-operate to be able to eat outside at their pool area.
 |
The beautiful
entrance to Bill and Kathryn's gated community.
|
After a giving us a tour of their beautiful home we sat down and enjoyed
their family's wine and Kathryn's scrumptious appetizers.
 |
Kathryn with her fabulous appetizer tray.
|
 |
| Bill pouring us some of their families wine. |
Now here is a very romantic looking car, an E-type Jaguar, the first
sports car that started off Bill and Kathryn's love of cars. Totally original
and kept beautifully restored.
 |
| "Victoria" |
 |
| Bill reminds us so much of Ray's Dad, Bill in his expressions,
mannerisms, and soft spoken nature. It was great to meet him. |
 |
Our attempt at a "Selfie".
|
While I kept Kathryn company as she was cooking dinner, Ray kept Bill
company as he grilled the various meats he had marinated with his secret
sauces. Yumm. It was a little chilly outside so we ate in the kitchen and
enjoyed immensely the lovely array of food. Thanks to Bill and Kathryn for
welcoming us into their home.
Thanks Bill and Kathryn for a lovely visit.
March 5th - Temecula
On our last day in San Diego at the Escondido RV Resort we decided to take the short trip up the road to visit Old Town Temecula. What a beautiful little touristy town. Lots of old buildings and eclectic shops. As we strolled though the town Ray was snapping pictures. They have piped music speakers attached to the street lights. Lots of construction happening and at the same time the towns workers getting ready for the big hot rod show this weekend. I am glad we came on Wednesday before all of the hustle and bustle.
After a
hour or so of walking around it was time to go for lunch. We had seen a craft
brewery called the Garage Brewery on the way into town so we decided to go back
there for lunch. Great flatbread pizzas and good beer and very reasonably
priced. Our pizza was a 12" that we shared for $8.95.
March 7th - Catching up with Terri and Doug Grears in Hemet California
We checked into the Golden
Village Palms RV Resort to meet up with Doug and Terri Grears on Friday
afternoon. We spent the afternoon after setting up catching up with everyone's
lives since we last saw her a few years ago. Terri managed to get us a spot
right across the road from them so very handy. Terri nicely had dinner for us
so we could just relax. Thanks a bunch.
 |
| Ray, Doug and Terri |
Friday, we decided to take a trip up the mountain to a quaint little town
called Idyllwild which is nestled in the San Jacinto mountains. Doug drove us
in their truck and Ray relaxed in the front seat while Terri and I sat in the
back and yakked some more. The write up about this town is "Set among tall
pines, sweet smelling cedars and Legendary rocks. The town has kept its
"small town" atmosphere. Locally owned shops and restaurants are all
you will find here." It sure reminded us of what a small village in the
Alps would look like.
The road up to the town is very windy and steep. You
climb up from 1600 feet at Hemet to about 5400 feet in Idyllwild and the
Tahquitz Peak at 8846 feet tall. The drive up to Humber Park is even steeper
and probably went up to about 6000 feet.
 |
| Notice all the twists and turns of Hwy 74 |
 |
Entering Idyllwild
|
 |
| Dour, Terri and me at the beautifully carved town entrance sign. |
Last week when we had 2 days of rain in Escondido, they had 6 inches of
snow up here. The ambulance still has chains on.
 |
Still snow on some vehicles.
|
They have a thing about painted metal deer all over town.
Downtown contains a myriad of eclectic tourista shops:
 |
OK Doug, I need to get a closer look at that peak.
|
So off we went driving up to Humber Park, past a whole bunch of beautiful chalets all surrounded by trees.
 |
Tree (in) house. They built the house around the tree. We noticed
that most properties only cut out the exact number of trees that they needed
for the house footprint.
|
 |
| A couple of sweet old trucks! |
After walking around and looking in a bunch of the shops it was time to
eat. We had remembered a pub on the way into town called "Goodtimes Pub
and Grill". It did not look like anything special but oh my the kobi
sirloin burgers were out of this world. Best burger we've eaten I think. Way
too much to eat so Freya got some when we got back home too.
When we got back it was time to go for a hot tub. I gave Terri a precooked ham which she had put in her slow cooker while we were out so supper was a snap, especially when I sliced a bunch of potatoes and Terri had the cheese sauce already made up for the scalloped potatoes ... yumm.
Between the hot tub and supper we dropped in for a quick visit with our Port Alberni friends, Ed and Jean Proteau and their group of friends that had arrived here at the Golden Village Palms at the end of February. Great catching up with everyone. A lovely day.
March 8th - Pool Party at Golden Village Palms RV Resort
Great pool party at the
Golden Village Palms RV Resort with our friends Terri Aitchison and Doug
Grears. We also caught up with some other Port Alberni camping friends. You
just had to bring your chair and relax. The pool party theme was Margaritaville
so there was live music and free margaritas, beer and lemonade for 2 hours put
on by the resort. Lots of people were dancing. I think that there was over 300
people at the event. It was a lovely day spent with great friends. Thanks
Terri and Doug for inviting us.
 |
Yup lots of people.
|
March 11th - Lake Success, Porterville CA
We departed Golden Village Palms RV Park in Hemet on Sunday by 10:30 am and headed
up to I-215 to I210 which got us around LA and hooked up with the I-5 north
towards Bakersfield. Wow is that portion of the I-5 road bad. After all of the
gravel roads we travelled last summer, this was the first time that the lamp which is stuck to the dash actually fell off and broke from the road
vibrations. We decided to stay at a Walmart parking lot south of Bakersfield to
spend the night as it was too far to get to Lake Success with Ray's comfortable
amount of driving time before his back really protested.
Monday morning we were up early and on the road by
9am travelling down Highway 99 to Lake Success. What a beautiful drive, through
grassy fields, and oil patch with those donkey things going up and down and
lots of orchards growing, olives, oranges, lemons and grapes.
 |
| Oil Donkeys |
 |
| Fields of Wildflowers |
 |
| Lots of orange orchards |
Just
before Porterville we turned right on Highway 190 to Lake Success, a Corps of
Engineering campsite. We arrived at the lake after a short drive and were very
pleased with the view. Very few campers here at this time of the year. 50amp
service with water and a sani-dump for $15/night (1/2 price because we have an
America the Beautiful pass). Ray and I were all set up by 11am and sat out
enjoying the sunshine. Early afternoon another Phaeton pulled in beside us, Jim
and Pat, so we enjoyed a lovely happy hour outside and shared lots of RVing
stories. The only "ding" about this place is that we do not have any
cell/internet coverage.
 |
| First view of the campsite |
 |
| View out our front window |
 |
| Big sites |
 |
| Picnic area |
Beautiful meadows in the park.
 |
| Water shortage |
Tuesday, we woke to clear blue skies, as it was supposed to cloud up on Wednesday with the possibility of sprinkles of rain so we decided to take the road up the Sequoia National Forest today. I drove us up, up and away. We started from the campsite at around 450 feet of elevation and we stopped at the top at a small community called Pierpoint Springs at an elevation of 4177 feet. It was only 30 miles but you could only go 25 miles per hour or less. Our friend Gary Glover would have loved driving this road in his Porsche. We looked at the map again and realized that to get to the "largest tree in the world" The General Sherman, a large sequoia tree, we took the wrong way up and it would be another hour of the same kind of road to get there so we decided to turned around and will do that trip another time we are in this area.
We stopped on the way up at a small day use recreation area called Lower Coffee Camp, right on the Tule River. It was very pretty so we decided on the way back that we would stop there for our picnic lunch.
You can see the washrooms of the recreation area but notice how windy the river is ... that is how windy the road is following the river.
Back at camp, I made Ray the promised cookies and then we sat in the
shade enjoying the view and throwing the chuck-it for Freya. It was about 84
degrees out but there was a slight breeze so quite tolerable. The neighbours
Pat and Jim came over for happy hour. We managed to scrounge enough left
over wood in the campground for a fire when we arrived so when the sun set and
it was cooler out we started it up and Pat and Jim came over with a little bit
of wood as well. A lovely day, and evening spent with new friends. I did not
take any pictures so Pat sent me a couple so I will recognize them in the
future. Ha. Ha. They live outside Sacremento and have a spot in Friday Harbor
on San Juan Island.
 |
Jim and Pat LaRondelle
|
March 13th - Del Valle Regional Park, Livermore California
We left Success Lake
Thursday morning and took some back highways and eventually ended up on the I-5
towards Patterson, CA. To get to our destination we took the I-580 west to get
to the Del Valle Regional Park. I did not take many pictures as the windshield
was covered in squashed bugs.
 |
Lots of
vineyards in Livermore (more than 40 of them) |
To get to the park it is a steep incline then a steep hill down to the
lake. What a lovely park, even if a bit expensive. We will definitely come back
to see more.
 |
Large generous sites.
|
Last
night I spotted a flock of wild turkeys on the grass on the other side of our
road.
As all
the park operators said they were fairly empty this time of year until May, we
did not make a reservation at Del Valle Regional Park.... ooops. We could only
stay one night. They are fully booked every weekend since February with the
great weather. What now. Oh well. With no internet signal at the campsite I
used the GPS to take us to the closest Walmart so we could regroup. It must
have been because today is Friday the 13th! Ray and I both got on our computers
and as we know where we are meeting my cousins for dinner Saturday night in
Dublin just off the I-580 we scoped the adjacent areas for an RV park. We
decided on Tradewinds RV Park, a Good Sam park in Vallejo CA. We are about a
hour from the restaurant but there is a ferry 5 minutes away that can take us
to Fisherman's Wharf downtown San Francisco, so I guess it is a win for us. The
park is condo camping (our big slide is only about 3 feet from our neighbours
bedroom!) but as we have internet and are close to where we need to go so it
works.
March 14th - Tradewinds RV Park, Vallejo, CA
So here we are at the Tradewinds RV Park, fairly reasonable price but really tight spots. Oh well, we won't be here during the day anyways.
This was
the right-up on the RV Park.
"Our
park offers 78 RV sites of various sizes, including large pull-thru's, all with
level, gravel beds for easy set up, full
hook ups, 30-50 amp service and vehicle parking. Sites can accommodate most slide-outs. Pull-thru sites have picnic table, patio and
can take RV's up to 45 feet. Amenities
include Wi-fi, cable TV hookups, laundry, restrooms, showers, and guest
lounge."
(This is
a picture from their website.) Note the picnic table is for the next
site! Talk about, shall we say false advertising, in a big way!
We ended
up with 30 amp (I blew the breaker once already) and we just barely fit into
the spot. Oh well we won't be here very much during the day and with Highway 80
right on the other side of the brick wall you can't hear the neighbours!
Fortunately the site on the door side is empty so we feel like we have a little
more space.
March 15th - Napa Valley and Dinner with Family
Yesterday we determined Napa Valley is only a half an hour away, so we decided to take a
drive through the countryside. We left early, at about 10am, as it was going to
be a hot day. First we stopped at the Farmer's Market here in Vallejo. It was
one of the best produce markets I've seen. Unfortunately I did not need very
much for the next few days, but I did buy fresh bread, eggs and flowers.
 |
Got my
flowers now what else? |
There was only two wineries that we stopped at, the Robert Mondavi and one we have not heard about V. Sattui Winery. Here are some pictures on the way through the Napa Valley.
 |
Spring
has sprung and the workers have begun the tending of the vines. |
 |
| Beautiful properties |
At the Robert Mondavi Winery we took a quick walk around as Freya was in
the car with the windows open wide. (It was only 65 degrees out). What a great
venue for a wedding. They had some very expensive wine on display upwards of
$200/bottle. Needless to say we did not buy anything. The grounds are gorgeous to tour around.
 |
The
pathway to the special wine tasting rooms and special events. They have old
wine crushing equipment displayed. |
 |
| Public wine tasting room |
We drove further down Highway 29 towards Helena and came upon the V.
Sattui Winery. They habe a weekend barbecue going on as well as a wonderful
picnic area under huge oak trees which also allowed dogs. Inside the wine
tasting room they have a full deli where you can purchase goods to drink with a
bottle of wine that you purchase.
Lots of choices including amazing desserts. They even have prepackaged plates and cutlery for you to buy if you have forgotten to bring your own.
They have the biggest tasting room I've every seen. It goes all around
the walls and there's a square area in the middle for tasting as well.
We decided to take advantage of the weekend barbeque and shared a stone fire roasted flatbread pizza. It tasted fantastic. I went into the wine tasting room and one of the staff pointed out the chilled wines that would go best with the pizza, a Sattui Family Chardonnay. Yumm. Freya, Ray and I sat in the shade eating our pizza, and enjoying the atmosphere.
 |
| Private wine tasting room |
With bellies full it was back to the car and we started the drive back Highway 29 towards Vallejo. There is a wine train that runs from Napa to Helena and we were lucky enough to see it so Ray could get a few pictures.
Next time we are in this area and have more time we are going to take this train. This is the write-up regarding the train.
"The
Napa Valley Wine Train provides a relaxing three-hour, thirty-six mile
round-trip journey from the historic town of Napa, through one of the world's
most well known wine valleys to the quaint village of St. Helena, and back.
Guests aboard the Wine Train enjoy a freshly prepared lunch
or dinner inside a fully restored 1915-1917
Pullman Dining Car or 1952 Vista Dome car as
they pass the vineyards and wineries of Napa Valley."
When we got home it was 84 degrees out and even got hotter as the afternoon progressed. Thank goodness for air-conditioning.
After an enjoyable couple of hours we headed back to the motorhome so that Ray could relax and put some ice on his back, as we had dinner plans with my San Francisco cousins that Ray and I have not seen for about 20 plus years. A couple of them we had not seen since our honeymoon 38 years ago.
 |
From
left around to right. Rob, (Wendy's husband) Lin and Sue-Ann, Pete and
Kim, Emily, Kate and Wendy, Deb, Jeannie and Aunt Tuyet. |
 |
What well-behaved
little girls, good job Wendy. |
The best thing about family is that even though we have not seen each other in a long time it did not feel that way. Thanks for dinner Rob and Wendy. We had a great time at Frankie, Johnny and Luigi Too's, Italian Restaurant in Dublin, a 40 minute drive away from us and where Wendy lives in Fremont. Hope to see you all in the near future rather than 20 years!
There is a ferry that takes an hour from where we are (Vallejo) to downtown San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf ($16/person each way), very inexpensive way to get a boat cruise. We had hoped to take the ferry today, but after a long day yesterday, Ray is in need of another day of rest before we leave tomorrow heading north so we will put that on the bucket list as well.
March 18th - Oroville Wildlife Refuge
On Monday Ray and I left
Vallejo a little later in the morning as we did not have too far to go today
and did want to get mixed up in the morning rush. We took Hwy 80 to Sacramento
and then Hwy 70 to Oroville. In order to camp at this wildlife area you have to
go to the California Highway Patrol Office and fill out a permit. I guess this
is because there is a small dam here for the wetlands and they even have a
security company driving through the reserve every few hours including through
the night. You can stay a maximum of 7 days twice a year for free.
After we received the appropriate permit we had to backtrack a little to
Hwy 162 and drive a few miles to the turnoff to the reserve. What a beautiful
spot on the Feather River. They have 7 sites, 2 shorter separate sites and 5 on
a large cement slab to park on. Any size of rig can fit here. If all spots
were filled it might be a little tight side to side but since there was
only one other tent camper here when we arrived but they were out at the time.
Little did we know that there were 3 little dogs, 2 cats and 3 very large
adults living in a 9 x 12 tent a short distance away. Fortunately for us they
take off for most of the day and if their dogs bark too much (and are
encouraged to bark as the guy barks back at them frequently) I just turn
on my generator ... problem solved! (I needed it to cool down the coach anyways
as the fridge draws the batteries way down if it is too hot inside.)
Yesterday we decided to explore the Oroville State Recreation Area about
15 miles away. Lake Oroville is the largest state reservoir in Northern
California. Ray and I stopped at the Park Headquarters and picked up the map of
the area. We then went to the Visitor Center and Ray took these pictures of the
Native People (The Maidu) We noticed acorn trees everywhere and this is what it
said about the people. "Acorns were their main food source" and here
is a stone that was used for grinding.
 |
| Holes from nut grinding |
 |
| Acorn orchard |
This is what it said about the Lake.
"In 1967 Lake Oroville was created by the
Oroville Dam, at 770 feet the nation's tallest earthen dam. The lake conserves
water distributed by the State Water Project to homes, farms and industries int
he San Francisco Bay area, the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California
Oroville's facilities provide flood control, smog-free generation of electric
power and recreation."
These next two pictures are from the picnic area
above the road down to the dam.
Driving across the dam, above and below
Looking towards Oroville:
 |
| Picnic area and boat launch, above and below |
Unfortunately the level of the lake is way down at this time due to the
past several years of drought. It's down about 300 feet
from its capacity of 900 feet. Here are some pictures driving down Highway 162
around the southeast portion of the lake.
 |
| Nope, that boat launch ain't gonna work! |
These next pictures are of California's first suspension bridge. It was moved to this location when the valley was flooded to preserve it ..... looks like they should've left it where it was.
 |
| Floating campsites with a slide |
 |
Floating outhouse
|
We checked out several of the campgrounds that were open on the south
end and found very few that would fit us and the cost is prohibitive at $45 per
night. Most of the non-electric sites were too small and were under a canopy of
trees so solar and satellite TV would not work. The electric sites were also
quite small. There was only a few that we would fit in and again, we would have
a problem for the satellite TV. Did not bother to take any pictures.
Back home for lunch and we sat outside in the shade
of the coach and watched the river and all of the birds. There is even a bird
of prey on a nest across the river from us. We think it might be a golden
eagle.
Here is a picture of a rainbow and beautiful sunset
Tomorrow
it is time to head further north, so today will probably be the last day for
shorts until May!
March 19th - Spring Flowers on North Table Mountain
While researching the
Oroville Wildlife Refuge, I noticed a bunch of spring flower pictures from this
area. Checking further I realized it was from North Table Mountain about a half
an hour from the Refuge. We saddled up by 11:00 am, cameras ready and off we
went. What a road climbing up, kind of like a goat path but worth it.
Wow, we actually are here when the fields are in bloom. We had no idea it was
such a popular place. This special treat of viewing these flowers only happens
for a few weeks each year.
From the internet this area is described as follows:
"As you drive east out of California's Central
Valley into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, the landscape gradually changes
from flat, irrigated fields and orchards to rolling pastures, which in turn
give way to oak woodlands and eventually to dark green conifer forests. Just
north of Oroville, however, the landscape
changes abruptly, with one of northern California's premier wildflower gardens
rising dramatically out of a sea of blue oaks, interior live oaks, and foothill
pines. This wildflower garden flourishes on a plateau of ancient volcanic
rock.
About 30 or 40 million years ago, a sheet of thin,
runny lava flowed southwestward from somewhere in northeastern California, past
Oroville and on as far as the Vacaville area. Several more such flows occurred,
one on top of the other, until a layer of dark volcanic rock several hundred
feet thick accumulated. Then other geologic processes took over, and the
Central Valley was formed, obliterating much of the hardened lava. Along the
edges of the Central Valley, though, and in the northern Sierra Nevada
mountains and southern Cascades, there are still remnants of this ancient lava
flow, including the plateau just north Oroville, called Table Mountain."
 |
| Very windy road |
When we reached the top of the mountain this is the view that opened up to us. The flowers were very colourful. Some of these pictures Ray took with his fancy camera and some of them I took with my Canon Elf.
We carried on further up the road and to our surprise there was a whole parking lot of people (including portapotties) with people scrambling over the fields.
Next it
was off to see the advertised covered bridge. It obviously was a replica as it
contained all new wood.
 |
| Ray off doing his thing again |
Before heading home we took a quick drive through the Orville Refuge Area:
 |
| Picnic area |
 |
| The dam mid pic creates the refuge area and the other dam we just visited is just above that. |
What's happened at the Oroville dam site since our visit is incredible. In February 2017 the dam became so full the spillway was damaged and authorities were worried the whole dam was going to break. Then after two extremely dry summers in 2019 and 2020 the lake level is lower than when we were there.
Valley River Center, Eugene - 2015-03-22 08:37
We had a short drive from
Medford to Eugene. It was quite foggy when we left but no rain. We found our
spot at the back of the mall close to the river and settled in. Ray took a walk
around and took some pictures. This area is well known for its walking and
biking trails. Lots of area to walk Freya. She sure loved being on grass again.
As soon as you stop, security is over to take your info. You are allowed to
stay only 2 nights free and then if you go in and talk to management they will
let you stay more for $50/night. No thanks we will move on!
Anyways the fog cleared and the sun came out after we
were set up. I was a little worried as when we stopped a whole bunch of police
cars showed up on the trail in front of us. After about 1/2 an hour we figured
out that they were taking a homeless man, his bike and trailer into custody. It
required 2 police cars, 1 police surburban with a plainclothes officer and then
a pickup truck to collect the bike and trailer. The old guy seemed pretty harmless
for all of this fuss.
Here is a picture of our "camping spot".
 |
Our view of the walking path.
|
There is a bridge called the Greenwood Bridge from this walking/biking path over the Willamette River to the Maurie Jacob Park.
 |
| Greenwood Bridge |
The forcasted rain started in the wee hours of the morning, but by 7am it stopped. Glad we had a chance to get these pictures yesterday.
Oregon's Famous Covered Bridges - 2015-03-22 15:52
While Ray drove us
down the highway in the coach to Eugene yesterday morning, I did a little online
research and found out about Oregon's historical covered bridges. I'd no
interest shopping in this mall, so this morning while the forecasted rain held off till this afternoon, we decided to take a short tour of
the bridges near Cottage Grove, 20 miles south of us. With me driving, Freya loaded
in the back and Ray navigating with his online instructions printed, off we
went. The weather held and we were able to see 6 covered bridges and one
suspension bridge advertised as a covered bridge. For more info go to
CottageGrove.net (Covered bridges)
The Currin Bridge was originally built in 1925 and
was rehabilitated in 1995 and spans 60 feet across the Row River.
We really liked this next one, very picturesque. The Dorena Bridge at the south end of the Dorena Reservoir. This was constructed in 1949 and is 105 foot long.
 |
| Lake Dorena Reservoir |
The Mosby Creek Bridgeway built in 1920 and is 90 feet long and is the
only covered bridge open to traffic. It was restored in 1990.
The 60 foot Stewart Bridge on Garoutte Road built in 1930 was next and
is a pedestrian only bridge after it was restored around 1982.
The Centennial Bridge is located downtown Cottage Grove through the
historic district. It is a pedestrian bridge that was built in 1987 with
recycled timbers that were salvaged when the Barmbaugh Bridge was dismantled.
Driving to the next bridge, the Chambers Railroad Bridge we noticed some
older houses right beside the river. Can you say "flood zone".
The Chambers Railroad Bridge is the only remaining covered railroad
bridge in Oregon. The original bridge was built in 1925 to bring logs to the
J.H. Chambers Mill in Cottage Grove. The original bridge was 78 feet long but
recently had been rebuilt as it almost blew down in 2010.
The last bridge was a pedestrian suspension bridge ... not a covered
bridge.
 |
| Ray said this was pretty bouncy |
Beside this bridge was a little park with a historical house, the Dr.
Snapps house, now a museum open select occasions through the year. It was
originally built in 1886.
When we got back at 11:30, we decided to go to the McGrath Fish House
located in this shopping area. I googled it yesterday while we were
travelling on the we've been missing fresh seafood while
wintering in Arizona, so we decided to splurge. Wow what a good decision. Their
prices are quite reasonable and portions are large. We ended up with enough
leftovers for dinner tonight as well. Bonus! Would recommend this place.
 |
We did not have this but what a deal!
|
Ray ordered the above ... wood-fired halibut. It was fabulous. I ordered the grilled fresh cod with
fresh shrimp and crab in a white wine sauce. Yummm. We would definitely go
there again. www.mcgrathfishhouse.com
March 25th - Champoeg State Park, Oregon
We left Eugene Monday
morning in the rain and made the trek up towards Woodburn to Champoeg State
Park. The rain stopped and it was mostly just cloudy when we arrived. Oh
Oh.... forgot that it is spring break and we had not made any reservations. (I tried a couple of days ago but their reservation site was down and forgot
to try again.) The place was packed. There were a couple of first come first
serve spots empty, but the full-service (sewer) which we wanted to get some
laundry done were all reserve only. After walking the loop, checking with park
staff, we found some people (2 sites, side by side) with full-service that were
leaving 2 days early due to a family member admitted to hospital who may not
make it, so their camping was cancelled. They would not take any money from us
so we got 2 free nights. We took site B-27. Bonus.
Yesterday, Ray and I did a little shopping and checked out the Woodburn Outlet Mall. We both needed some shoes and that is the only location with an
actual Icebreaker store where Ray likes to get his Moreno Wool Shirts at a
greatly reduced price.
Today, Wednesday, I walked the loop this morning to
see who was leaving the first come sites and we were able to move to another
lovely site a short distance away, site B9 and by 10:30 we were all set up
again with 50 amp and water.
 |
The new sight, B9, lots of space.
|
It was quite cool today and very cloudy but Ray drove down to the
heritage site and took a few pictures.
 |
Pavilion built in 1918
|
 |
Mother's Cabin
|
 |
Flower gardens left over from the flooded out townsite.
|
March 27th - Evergreen Air and Space Museum
Once
again Ray here at the keyboard this time visiting the Evergreen Air and
Space Museum in McMinnville, Washington. This museum houses the iconic
Spruce Goose and a large number of vintage air and space craft.
The Spruce Goose looks rather ominous as you first
arrive at the museum, tucked in behind the brilliant glass façade.
Upon entering and climbing the stairs to the left gives you a birds eye view of the Spruce Goose. Unfortunately I left my wide angle lens at home and try as I might the plane is sooooo big I couldn't get it all in. Here's two tries at it any way:
I should have counted all the planes they have tucked under the wings.
The span is 330' after all.
These
are two of the four engines on one side of the plane. It is 17'6"
from one tip of the prop to the other tip.
 |
| 28 Cylinder 3000 Horsepower engine. |
Coming through the WWII collection I stopped in my tracks.... there was
a B-17 Flying Fortress, the mainstay bomber of the US air force in Europe.
For $4 I got to have a tour of the inside of the plane.
This was on my bucket list as my Dad served in the
RCAF during the conflict crewed in B-25 Mitchell bombers manufactured in Canada.
 |
William Verner Kyle on enlistment
He was a wireless airgunner crewing a gun turret and responsible for radio communications
|
 |
Bomb Rack
|
 |
Side Guns
|
 |
Forward Turret
|
My other surprise came when spotting a P-38 Lightning fighter/bomber.
This plane always intrigued me due to its speed even with the two
engines. The body is made entirely of spruce, most of it produced from
the Queen Charlotte Islands where we lived for 71/2 years. There is still many spruce logs still
floating in Mather's Lake on Louise Island left after the war ended.
There were more WWII era planes as well many, many other exhibits.
Well worth the $25 admission. Here's a few more pics:
 |
B-24 Liberator
|
 |
| F4U Corsair |
 |
"M.A.S.H." Medi-vac Helicopter
|
 |
ME-109
|
 |
ME-262 1st Jet Fighter
|
 |
P-51 Mustang
|
 |
Saturn IV Rocket
|
 |
Sopwith Camel
|
 |
Spitfire
|
 |
SR-71 Blackbird
|
 |
Titan IV Rocket
|
 |
"Wrights" 1st Airplane
|
March 28th - Lucky Eagle Casino
We left Champoeg
State Park early Friday morning and as we decided to break up the trip and
stop at the Lucky Eagle Casino for one night and enjoy their seafood buffet.
They have expanded their RV Park to an area about a block away from the Casino
with shuttle buses. A very nice place to stay and great for Freya as there is
lots of grass. The buffet was pretty good and Ray enjoyed being able to use the
pool and hot tub. $25/night for 50amp and water and free sani-dump.
 |
Lots of grass to throw the ball for Freya.
|
March 30th - Judy and Milt in Tacoma
We enjoyed a very slow
start and left the Lucky Eagle Casino shortly after 11 a.m. We only had an
hours drive to Ray's sisters place in Tacoma where we are going to
"mutchdock" in their driveway for 2 nights. Because we were not
expected until 12:30 we stopped at a Rest Area and Ray gave Freya a good bit of
exercise with the chuck-it so she would be ready to have a quiet afternoon
while we visited. Judy had a delicious lunch ready and waiting for us and we
spent the afternoon getting caught up with each other's adventures.
For dinner we tried to go to a "Triple D" place but there was
an hour wait for a table so we went back to the Tide's Tavern that we had
enjoyed going to last fall with them. Pretty busy place on a Saturday night but
fortunately we only had about a ten minute wait for a table.
We chatted a little more once we got back home and called it a night at
8pm. Sure was convenient just walking out into their driveway to our
"house on wheels".
Saturday morning Judy called us at 9:15, come on
over, breakfast is ready! What a deal, quiche, fresh fruit salad and mimosas.
Great start to the day. We blabbered again for some time and before we knew it,
it was 1pm so we decided to drive to Dash Point State Park and see if their
were campsites that would fit us for another time. Nope, very small, shady and
damp. The bunch of us elected for a late lunch/early dinner so we tried out a
brew pub called Harmons Brewing Company. A great venue, good beer and great
food. (Ray and I had enough leftovers for dinner too!)This pub is in Tacoma's
University and Museum District with lots of eclectic shops and eatery's. Being
Sunday the stores were closed though. It reminded us of the Yale Town
area in Vancouver with old plank floors, exposed ceilings and exposed brick
inside the pub.
 |
Union Pacific Rail Building
|
 |
University of Tacoma
|
We had a great time visiting. Thanks again for the super hospitality Milt and Judy. Looking forward to seeing you again soon.
March 31 - Tulalip Casino and visiting family in Lynnwood.
We made good time from
Ray's sister in Tacoma to the Tulalip Casino in Marysville ... travelled a
whole hour and 30 minutes up the road. Ray decided to take the 405 to go around
Seattle instead of the I-5 through downtown as we only had a short drive and we
could see if it would be a better option in the future. It was. Traffic moved
through at a comfortable 60 mph at 10 in the morning with no stoppages. We
would definitely consider taking this route again as long as the traffic signs
indicated no problems. After settling in, we enjoyed the sunshine outside and
made sure Freya got lots of exercise in the field next to us with the chuck-it
so she would not mind being left behind when we went for dinner with Ray's cousins.
Ray's cousin Nicky and her husband Mike worked yesterday and did not get
home until after 6:15 and 7pm respectively and still managed to provide us all
with a barbecued steak dinner with salad and a scrumptious dessert that they
hauled across the street to her Mom's (Mary) and Katie's where we had dinner.
Talk about organized. Thanks a bunch guys. Unfortunately we missed Ray's other
cousin Val as she had to work nightshift at the hospital.
 |
Mike, Katie, Nicky, Deb and Ray
|
 |
Aunt Mary and Katie
|
