To Newport and Back

 

We've got the bug. The new car bug. We been talking about it for months. Since last spring. Our old dinghy - the 1998 Jeep Laredo that we tow behind the motorhome - is just that. Old. And tired. You would be too if you'd logged 165,000 miles. It's still running good, but needs attention, or a nice, easygoing place to retire. 

We've been looking. Towing a car 4 down (four wheels on the ground) requires a certain type of transmission. Few cars qualify. But we have found a few and test-driven three very nice cars. The plan is to trade our Honda Odyssey, which can't be towed, for a nice vehicle that we can tow and also use as our only family car. Now that we're retired, we only need one. But our Honda was in Newport, and we were in Olympia.

Yesterday the weather seemed to be improving, after three solid days of rain here, and snow at home, so we jumped in the old Jeep and headed across the mountains. It rained lightly going across the Cascade Mountains, then cleared up, but got windy over the plains.

The sun set before we reached Spokane. As it reached the horizon, it cast long shadows and golden light on the rolling hills and fields of wheat all around us. The drive over reminded me of the patriotic song, America the Beautiful.

O beautiful for spacious skies, 
For amber waves of grain, 
For purple mountain majesties 
Above the fruited plain! 
America! America! 
God shed his grace on thee 
And crown thy good with brotherhood 
From sea to shining sea!


As the sun set, it was behind us, so I set my iPhone on reverse, held it up to my side window and snapped a bunch of pictures. My pictures won't win any prizes, but they caught some memories.

We got to Newport around 7 PM. Spent the night at our house, thanks to Vickie’s hospitality, then switched cars and headed back to Olympia this morning in the Honda minivan. We’ve loved that car, so the drive back was a bit nostalgic. We’ve taken some wonderful trips in that car. The day was clear and beautiful, if a bit cold (27 degrees). Stopped in Ritzville for a nice lunch at The Cow Creek Mercantile. The highwas was clear with light traffic and no wind. As we neared the mountains, the high peaks were stark white against the blue sky. Breathtaking.

We were loving the drive all the way across the  and the mountains—that is, until we hit Interstate 5 just north of Tacoma. 

 For the next 2 ½ hours we crept along the three lane parking lot of red taillights in the early darkness. I hate traffic. But there were blessings. It wasn’t raining. It wasn’t snowing. And when we finally made it back to the motorhome, we were almost giddy with relief. 

Veterans Day in Olympia, WA

It has been a good day for this old vet.  

I was able to have lunch with my wonderful wife, daughter and granddaughters at a place on Budd  Bay called... Budd Bay Cafe.  

Ate a delicious bowl of clam chowder, and salmon caesar salad and enjoyed a window view of the harbor and marina.  Then splurged and shared a mud cake with strawberries.  

Boats in the marina

Too bad I forgot and left my wallet at home.  But they didn’t complain, just picked up the tab and paid the bill.  (heh! heh!)   

Afterwords we went for a walk around Capital Lake 

and ...

enjoyed the pleasant afternoon taking pictures and petting puppies. 

Travel Day Two Nov 3, 2013

Today was a short trip to our first destination, Olympia, Washington. The wind was still blowing, but not as strong. After two passes around the Pilot Truck Stop, we couldn't figure out where motorhomes were supposed to gas up for diesel, so we gave up and headed west down the Interstate. We've never had good luck at Pilot Gas Stations. Good Sam offers a discount gas card, and we tried it last year, but even with an 8 cent discount, diesel was generally higher than other stations.

Eastern Oregon is very arid along the Columbia River. We were surprised at the green vegetation still clinging to the craggy cliffs. The wind was still blowing, which seems a constant along the river. It's perfect for wind power, and the huge windmills line the tops of the hills on both sides of the river. Still, the wind here wasn't as strong as yesterday, and we had a head wind, so the Jeep didn't get pushed sideways. Better traveling. 

We passed several barges and a River Boat making their way along the river. I want to travel on a river boat someday. It's on my bucket list.

At Hood River, the weather changed. The wind died down a bit, and the rain began. We spotted a double rainbow at the bridge. We crossed that bridge a couple of years ago, pulling our 26' trailer. Very narrow, very old, and under construction. Not a fun bridge in a big rig. 

The fall colors through the Columbia Gorge were beautiful, even on a gray day. So glad we came this way. We missed the snow on the passes and got out of Newport before the first snow hit. 

We stopped for lunch at Multnomah Falls. As many times as we've driven by, we've never walked down to view the falls. We went down for a picture op. Beautiful!

We arrived in Tumwater about 4 pm. Pulled into Alderbrook Estates - a small mobile home park that accommodates RVs short term. This will be our home base for the next couple of months while we spend time with our family here. Son-in-law Gary is facing the challenges of cancer treatment. Not a fun journey, but one we will travel with him. Prayers appreciated.

It's 8:30 am, and the sun is shining in the window. Amazing! I thought the sun didn't shine through the clouds in Western Washington. Time to get dressed and go enjoy the day!





 

Day One, Getting Outta Dodge

Woke to rain this morning, and the promise of snow. Hadn't planned to leave home today, but the weather is only going to get worse, so we battened down the vents, pulled in the slides,

hooked up the dinghy (Jeep), and off we went.

It was a dark, stormy, and very blustery day. Then it got worse. 

We got out of the rain, and into gale winds. Weather channel said gusts up to 50 MPH, and I believe it. Last time we drove in winds like this, we blew a tire on the Jeep, so we pulled off and unhooked just past Ritzville. I drove the Jeep, following the motorhome for about 75 miles. The wind died down a bit just before Tri-Cities, so we hooked back up. It was getting dark by that time. We stopped just inside Oregon at an RV park behind a Pilot truck stop.  At least we missed the snow. Washington DOT website cams showed snow on the roads over all the mountain passes. We went south and will follow the Columbia River to Portland, then north to Olympia/Tumwater. Tomorrow afternoon we'll get to see our granddaughters and Gary. Laura is traveling to a meeting, so we'll see her on Tuesday. Can't wait!

Turned back our clocks/watches early and headed to bed. Getting packed and ready to leave was exhausting. But we made it.

Ready, Set, Go!

Leaving home for the winter isn't easy. It takes time and planning. That's what I'm doing now. Planning.

Let's see. Number 1. Make a To Do list.










Okay, then. The walk. Wolf Trails, the woods just beyond our house, are glorious. The sun is shining. The To Do list can wait.



Now back to the plan. Leave in about 3 weeks. The bigger plan. RV full time for next 3 years. We're renting out the house, furnished, to friends for at least this winter. But we plan to live in the motorhome, even when we are back in Newport for the summer. We'll see how that goes. You know the old saying, "The best laid plans of mice and men oft go askew," or something like that. It fits us.

This year, we had no idea where we want to go. Just away from the cold and snow. We have this big, beautiful motorhome. We need to use it while we can. Sometimes it's good to be free of all scheduling. This is one of those times. Our family in Olympia may need some help, so that is our first destination. Son-in-law Gary has been diagnosed with bladder cancer. We will find out next week what the specialists at the University of Washington and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance recommend, but we're pretty sure it will involve major surgery and probably chemo and/or radiation therapy. Don't know how we can help, but we will be there for a couple of months, so we can be available. When we're not needed, we can explore. We've never spent time in that part of Washington state. We'll let you know what we discover.

 So, back to the To Do list. Here goes. . . (smoke coming from the vicinity of my computer, or my brain.) There. That wasn't so bad. I'm sure it isn't complete, but we can add as needed. Now to get to work. Maybe after a nap. All that fresh air, and taxing my brain, I believe I will take a nap first. Stay tuned. The fun has just begun.

More soon. . .
~Sunni

Christmas in Kentucky

Spending Christmas 2012 in Kentucky will always have a warm place in my heart. We even had a little snow on the 21st. For the last few Christmases, Shannon loves setting the mood by wearing  a Santa hat or reindeer horns on her head.  Mckenna loves to write stories and shared with us her latest work, about how a sled dog in Alaska saves the day.

A small apartment sized Christmas tree was just perfect for their small abode and, as we learned, the decorations need not be grandiose. What matters most attitude, yours and everyone else.
For us being together was the grandest gift of all.  We could all feel the love and appreciation for each other.  As long as we have that then happiness and joy abounds which was certainly our experience in 2012.  I just can't imagine spending Christmas without family.

And of course, we had to make Christian Christmas Cookies.  Why, it wouldn't be Christmas without them!  Frosting them is a labor of love as you can see by these fabulous works of art.  Being  together to making treats, or go shopping and wrapping presents, anticipating the joy of seeing someone open a gift from you.  That was Christmas in Kentucky and the memories will never fade.   Wishing everybody a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year

Mother and Daughter Tradition

My daughter-in-law and granddaughters enjoyed the tradition of shopping in the wee hours of the morning on Black Friday.  I say, Why bother, when you can avoid the long lines and buy everything you need on Amazon.  😊

Ruthie on Black Friday