Seventy Five Days Without Rain

We have seen and experienced so much since I last sent out this blog. I kept saying the first rainy day I would get busy writing... well 75 days later our first rain.  If you are on Facebook, you have been able to follow our adventure, that part I have been good doing.

Hello Family and Friends!
Our time with the kids went way too fast, as it always does. We went Star Garnet digging in Emerald Creek Idaho. There are only 2 places in the world with these garnets, India and Idaho. Seanna is studying Geology and Rocks so this was a fun, interesting way to show her how to dig for them. We actually found 9 small ones. Seanna had a good eye for finding the garnets in the water trough after we dug and sifted. We won't get rich from the stones but the memories digging are priceless.

We played golf, swam, fished on Brian and Emily's boat, played rounds and rounds of  family Rummikub, watched Seanna show her goat Tinkerbell at the Latah County Fair as well as won ribbons once again for our baking, watched Oceana as a cheerleader and had a luncheon with just us gals. We met Frank, Oshie's boyfriend, whom we like quite a lot. We feel so blessed to have had quality time with the kids. We miss and love them so much.

 

 

 

 

After all the tears we are on our way to see the Oregon Coast. Sighhhhhhhhh......

 

First stop Prosser WA, birthplace of our neighbor John. Wine Country RV Park, 13 wineries within walking distance of the RV park. We decided we will not drive more than 5-6 hours a day so have tried to pick interesting areas to stop. We spent 2 days tasting wines and watching Hops being harvested.



 

Onward travels to Cascade Locks, Or for 3 days of exploring. We stopped at Toppinish, WA, City of Murals, Mary Hill Winery and Museum on the Columbia River (WA side). Such a beautiful area!

 





 

 

 

Mural at the Centurylink Building at Toppinish, WA.

                        

Cascade Locks is an interesting, packed full of history area, part of the Lewis and Clark Trail. We stayed at the KOA there Thanks to a gift certificate from Roger and Toshi. We visited Bonneville Hatchery and Salmon Ladders. I have always wanted to see the Salmon jump the ladders so thoroughly enjoyed that experience. Interesting note on the Bonneville Dam: it was considered at the time as Franklin D's "White Elephant" but instead has been an ongoing project of great success. We saw Herman The Sturgeon, a 10 ft long, 450 lb and 70 year old fish. Bridge of The Gods is spectacular! We ate at CharBurger, one of Emily's favorite stops.

We walked the Cascade Locks Trail Head which used to be the main road before I-84. Spent a day putzing around Hood River, watching the paragliders, checked out Naked Winery and Full Sail Brewery.

 

Mike getting a his head scratched by Sacajawea. lol

 

 

 

As always 3 days went by very fast but we saw a lot. Our next stop for 2 weeks is Depoe Bay on the Oregon Coast. I am very excited to see this area. On the way we stopped to see the falls traveling on old US Route 30. Multnomah Falls is absolutely spectacular. Evergreen Aviation, Mcminnville to see the Spruce Goose was on our agenda. We spent a full day at the Evergreen Aviation Museum, time really got away from us- so interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depoe Bay OR for 2 weeks so we can explore the coast. WHAT A FANTASTIC AREA! To say I loved it here is an understatement. We did day trips North to Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Rockaway, Tillamook, Cape Kiwanda, Pacific City and Lincoln City. Then South to Newport, Seal Rock and Florence.  We played golf at Agate Beach, hung out at Gracies Sea Hag by the fireplace for seafood especially their Friday night all you can eat buffet, explored lots of beaches, went to the Aquarium in Newport, Fort Clatsop (winter home of Lewis and Clark) and watched the sea lions on the Astora docks. We indulged in cheese and ice cream at Tillamook so we needed the long walks on the beach. We took one Saturday to just sit on the beach and watch the ocean move a rock while drinking wine. That was our relax day. The "girls" loved running the beaches. Lizi, being the typical Spaniel, bird dog, scared me several times by chasing birds straight into the ocean. The undertow, rogue waves and seals would have had a hey day with her. Lizi lost her off leash privileges after scaring me the second time. Maxi was good. She could be off leash and stay right at our side. Depoe Bay's claim to fame is they are the whale watching capital of the world. We observed many grey whales playing off shore. We went to Turner, OR one day to see a classmate of mine. It was wonderful seeing Steve Frantz after 40 some years and meeting his wife, Marilyn. They are also full timers in their motorhome so gave us great tips. We have visited several Elks Lodges along the way and met many interesting people.

 

We got an extra day in Lincoln City when our air compressor/ clutch mechanism decided to fall apart. I had called Good Sams Emergency Road to get a recommendation for a squeal + oil change. They highly recommended Car Care Specialists in Lincoln City so we made the appointment. The squeal was the air compressor so we had them fix  it. Randy and his wife were very good to us. They worked with our maintence plan, got us a hotel on the beach at their discounted rate and did a great job of fixing our rig.

 

We are now in Brookings OR for a month. I need to download more pics and hoping I can be more deligent about keeping up with this blog. The Oregon Coast is incredibly beautiful and we have been blessed to have record setting dry, warm and sunny weather. We love this lifestyle and having the time of our lives. We will take the rains so we can get caught up with Shtuff.

 

 

 

 







Hot August Nights Clarkston WA

It has been VERY hot here at Hells Canyon, Clarkston, WA. We are hoping this Wed brings more seasonal temperatures which should be 80's instead of 100's. The fires are all around us which at times has made air quality crappy. The sunsets, however, are incredible. We just need rain here. Seanna has spent a lot of days with us which we love. Most days we spend in the pool which is Seanna's favorite place to be. She has made many friends here, being the little social butterfly. We have gone out on Brian and Emily's boat a couple of times which is soooooooooo relaxing. Chatcolet (Heyburn State Park) is a beautiful area with St Joe and Coeur d'Alene Rivers. Mike has fished with Seanna and Brian while I tube behind the boat with Seanna.

Last Friday, we went to a Potlatch vs Deary High School Football game. Oshie is now a cheerleader and her team was doing the half time show. They did a great show which we enjoyed and feel blessed we can attend these events.

 

Lewiston, ID does an annual Hot August Nights which is a car show and 2 nights of concerts. Mike was in seventh heaven with all 300+ cars.







 



Saturday night was a concert at Pioneer Park with really good local bands. The head-liner band was The Orchestra, formally known as Electric Light Orchestra. They did a high energy concert, fun crowd and lots of song memories. We laughed a lot actually remembering most of the words to the songs. The keyboard player broke a bone in CO so they had to bring in a substitute. The gentleman who broke a bone has the name of Lewis Clark which is funny since we are in Lewis and Clark territory...he should have been playing at this concert.

 

Being here in this area is like going back in time. Clarkston has an original Soda Fountain in their downtown pharmacy. We took Seanna to have lunch there so she could experience a true ice cream soda. It brought back a lot of memories since mom and I used to go to Henry's Rexall in Shippensburg when I was a little girl. 



 

 

An observation I have had since traveling in the motorhome.... it is a new America. We have met a lot of people who have given up their homes, either through a loss of some kind or to save money and are living full time in their campers, fifth wheels or motorhomes. Families are home schooling their children because the cost of sending their children to a brick and mortar school has gotten too high. Their words, not mine. I just saw the average cost per child to start the school year is $800. We are hearing parents are footing the bill for supplies that we as children and parents took for granted that the schools would provide. So many folks our age have gone to a simpler lifestyle so they can make their retirement money go further. I know for us, the biggest cost is healthcare. If we had not rented our home, we would not be able to do this full time. All in all, as we look around us, we feel blessed.

 

We miss all of you but are having the time of our lives, making great memories. In a world of negative media, we have met wonderful people with big hearts.

 

Till next time...



 

 

 

 

Starting The Adventure

August 2, 2012 - After a year of preparation, we are on the road to start our great adventure. We have sold furniture, given "shtuff" away and have everything we own in the loft above the garage and around the Mustang in a storage unit. We rented our home to Ken and Margaret, long time friends. We are thrilled they are enjoying the house and area. It makes us feel better knowing they are watching our home. Ken let me know he took his walk and a neighbor stopped to let him know a bear was behind him. Welcome to the neighborhood!
We met the kids in Vegas the end of July. They were there for a wedding so we joined them. We stayed at Tahiti Village which was so much fun. We watched Oshie jump off the Stratosphere, gave me a heart attack but she did great. She loved it! We were able to relax, which was nice after working so hard. The exciting part for us is being able to bring Seanna home with us then she can start the adventure with us.
We left Aug 2nd. Val and John gave us a wonderful bon voyage. We will miss them so much. I was beginning to think we would not get out the door but finally the moment came. We pulled out 11:45 AM and drove to Sheridan WY. We stopped at Walmart Camping Resort in Sheridan, WY at 7:30 PM. When we parked, Mike went around the motorhome checking things and realized our poor 2003 Winnebago Itasca Sunrise had blown a hydraulic hose. A huge puddle of transmission fluid was on the ground. That scared us until we called Good Sams Emergency Roadside- they sent out Piatt Mobile Service. They had it fixed by 10 AM the next morning. It was nice they came to us. It was so hot while we were traveling....high 90's. There was a fire that broke out the evening Aug 2nd on the Montana/ Wyoming border. It was very smokey Aug 3rd. Onward to Bear Mouth Campgrounds  Clinton, MT.
We loved Bear Mouth. The owners have done a wonderful job of taking care of us campers.  While at Bearmouth, we have been able to decompress for 2 1/2 days. We took Seanna to Garnet, a ghost town. Very interesting and VERY well done - they have preserved the town and the history. Seanna was able to participate in a treasure hunt, which she really enjoyed. Sunday, was a day to just hang out. I did a roast in the crockpot and we played Rummikub most of the day for the championship. lol.
It was nice being out at the picnic table with the river running beside us. We met so many neat people. One lady is traveling in a Class C, gem hunting. Philipsburg, MT has Sapphire digging...boy I would love to try that, as much as I love Sapphires. I will put it on my bucket list.
We arrived at Hells Canyon Resort,  Clarkston, WA, Aug 6th. What a beautiful place!!!! Seanna is loving being here with us. There is an indoor swimming pool which has been nice since it has been over 100 degrees since we arrived. There is a gigantic chess set on the floor which we have played. Seanna is pretty darn good. Yesterday we spent the day at Chatcolet Park with the kids boating. What a fun day!!!! Seanna and I tubed beside the boat. We laughed so hard!
Today we spent the day catching up since this is the first day we have been without anyone staying with us. We cleaned, organized and fixed shtuff. We needed a day to get bills paid also....now we can play.

Thanks for following us on our travels. I will try to keep up with this blog. lol.