Drove Our Chevy To The Levee

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving from Mike, Debi, Lizi and Maxi at Snug Harbor, Ryer Island, CA. We are blessed to have the love of family and friends...many blessings on our plate again this year. This trip has opened our eyes to the beauty of this great country and the continued kindness of many people we have met. This year we think about those who struggle physically and emotionally; those who are far away from loved ones fighting for our country's freedoms; those who have experienced weather's vengence; our First Responders who leave the warmth of family holidays to help at a moment's notice and for all the friends and acquaintances we have me on our travels. May you all have a safe, happy and blessed holiday.

We spent a month in Brookings OR, Oct 10th thru Nov 10th. We stayed in Driftwood RV Park a block from Brookings Harbor Beach, a cool little beach with daily surfers. It rained about 40% of our stay, sometimes torrential. We developed a tiny pinhole leak in the overhead cabinet over the bed. We replaced our slide awnings, found a 72 year old couple who make them and gave us a deal we really could not walk away from. They are an amazing couple, working together to make and install the awnings. Mike sealed all the seams and we learned to pull in the slides when the rains became gale-like. The girls got really cute doggy raincoats in hopes of keeping them semi dry. I have to say the rains really did not slow us much. Rain or shine, there was always something to do. We did enjoy some down time, reading books with the fireplace going in our home on wheels. Somtimes just staring at the ocean was on the agenda. The beaches were amazing with the jutted rocks and we especially loved the tidepools. We walked the Brookings Harbor Beach every morning and sometimes in the evening. Harris Beach State Park, Whaleshead and our favorite beach Pistol River were all within a half hour's drive. We found huge perfect sand dollars at Pistol River on the ocean side one evening at low tide. Our Lizi, who becomes crazed when birds are around (she is the typical Spaniel, bird dog), chased a bird right into the Pistol River. The look on her face when she ended up in the water was priceless. She lost her off leash privileges at that point. When we got home from that excursion, we realized her collar was no where to be found. This had all her tags attached so I thought I would be making calls the next day to get replacements. Mike decided we should go back to the beach and retrace our steps. Lo and behold after app. an hour of retracing...there it was, her bling collar, sparkling in the sunlight at the ocean water's edge. How incredible that it did not go out to sea during high tide.

We met another couple while at Driftwood, who sold their home in Aurora, CO and are full- timers also. Ed and Kim were a hoot and we enjoyed spending time with them. They had a Japanese Chin, named ZuZu, the same coloring and size as Maxi. He adored our girls. :D We are hoping to meet back up with them, if all goes well, in AZ at Spring Training.

Day trips to see the area are always a good game plan. We spent a day at the CA Redwoods; Trees of Mystery, Klamath, CA, was intriguing. This is an interpretive trail of enormous, 1000 year old Redwood formations such as the Cathedral Tree, Candlelabra Tree, Elephant Tree and the tallest of them all, The Big Brother Tree- over 325 ft tall. The Sky Trail was really fun, flying high above the trees.

Coos Bay, OR, was another day trip. We visited the Coos Bay Museum, which houses the Steve Prefontaine story.  Very interesting and what a loss of a phenomenal athlete.
We stopped at the Elks Lodge there and had dinner. They invited us back for Mexican Train/ Potluck night which we did the following week. WHAT FUN!!!!!
We visited Golds Beach, Crescent City and Bandon. Lots to see and experience. We found our days very full.
Before we left the area we did have to stop at Superfly, the local Vodka Distillery and Restaurant. It is a favorite hang out with good food and of course yummy Vodka drinks.
The last 2 days spent in Brookings were at Beachfront RV Park, right on the ocean.  I truly love (me more than Mike) watching and listening to the ocean. Mike indulged me being near the waves...it felt like Christmas.

We left Brookings OR for Fortuna CA on Nov 10th. We drove 101, The Pacific Coast Highway, through the Avenue of the Giants, Redwoods. A spectacular 2 and a half hour drive. We passed Pelican Bay State Prison, of course Mike has an interest in that facility. The One Log House was interesting, it really was a house built inside a Redwood log. WOW!

Fortuna RV Park was our next temporary home. This town has a special meaning for us since our granddaughter Oceana was born here. We spent 3 days checking out the area. The whole town of Ferndale is on the historical register, keeping their Victorian motif alive. Eureka, CA is a quaint, waterfront town. We visited their Elks Lodge and met a woman who is from Potlatch ID. Her nephew is Brian and Emily's electrician. Their children all are friends at school. Small World!

Onward to Petaluma, CA to spend 3 days at the Petaluma Elks Lodge RV Park. We couldn't wait to get to Healdsburg to visit with Jolly Stine, Jolly has been a long time family friend who was a bridesmaid in my parent's wedding. She is a fun and beautiful woman, whom we love. Her home sits in the middle of fields of grapes/ wine country; the views are spectacular. As always, the time with her went too quickly.

We spent a day in Santa Rosa, stopped at Tex Wasabi, Guy Fieri's Retaurant. Mike likes watching DDD...he says he can live vicariously through the food on his show. lol. The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center was extremely interesting and fun. How many of us read his comic strip through the years - who doesn't love Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Sally and Pigpen ?

Three days went extremely fast and we had to leave for Snug Harbor, Ryers Island, outside of Sacramento, CA. We get to stay here for a week and spend time with friends and extended family. This is the California Delta and what a hidden treasure. Most people we spoke with had no idea this existed. That is the great thing about doing this Great Adventure..we see the "hidden treasures" of the USA. The Magellan we received as a gift when Mike left DOC has been a God-Send. It got us to Snug Harbor along the river levee roads which is not an easy task, especially in a motorhome.

We met with Gene Upton and his Jean, (they call themselves the pair of Jeans- love it), at the Texas Roadhouse in Elk Grove our first day here. Gene is a Navy buddy of Dad's, as well as Best Man at Mom and Dad's wedding. It was a delightful lunch and we heard many stories of their time in the Navy.

My friend, Pat Miller, from my MCI days, lives in Citrus Heights so we have been spending several days with her. She was hit by a car while walking 2 weeks ago leaving her with a broken leg. She maintains her sense of humor and loving demeanor despite the incredible pain. We will be spending Thanksgiving with her tomorrow.

Emily's (our daughter-in- law) brother lives in Sacramento so we had dinner with them. Their daughters are adorable and I enjoyed the several games of Go Fish before dinner. We are hoping to see them again before we leave the area. Thank you Matt and Chaundra for making time for us in the middle of your move.

This island is neat- we have to take a ferry back and forth to the mainland. It runs 24x7 and is free, which is nice. There are cute little harbor villages all around us.

 

We leave here Friday for the Monterey Peninsula.

Until we meet again....have a wonderful holiday and enjoy life to the fullest. You all are our biggest blessings in our life.