Whew, Just made it

Last night I called the Elks Lodge here in Napa and asked about availability of an RV site. They told me they were full but one was pulling out in the morning. Well when we arrived this morning at around 10:00a sure enough, there was one site available. And it is a fine site at that. It is an end site so we don’t have to stare at the RV next door. Instead we have a view of the woods and an active jogging trail. Beyond the jogging trail is the Napa River and beyond that are wine vineyards.

Do nothing day

Today was a do nothing day, except for driving. We moved from the redwoods to Ukiah California. We are at the Elks Lodge. The last time we stayed here we were about the only ones here. This time is different. When we got here, about 10:30a, there were only 3 RVs here, now there are 6. I did nothing but sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. It was in the 90s here today. We are heading for the Napa Elks tomorrow so I gave them a call to see how full their park is and they said it is full. They said some will pull out tomorrow so hopefully we will get there early enough to beat everyone to it.

Big trees

So the owner of this RV Park also own a Log Truck. No not a Logging Truck, A Log Truck.

This is an old fire truck that he restored and mounted a hollowed out log on the back of. He came around this morning and asked if Landen wanted a ride. Of course Landed isn’t going to turn down a ride in a Log Truck.

No, he didn’t get to drive,

he rode in the back.

Later we took off to drive the Avenue of the Giants, in the Saturn this time. Boy, them are some big trees.

This is a tree that fell and Landen is standing by the root ball. We took hikes through ancient redwoods, some more than 1,000 years old. It’s amazing that these trees have been through Loggers, Fire and Floods and still servive.

Tomorrow we move on again.

A Gem

We found a gem of a park today. The Ancient Redwood RV Park is right in the middle of the Avenue of The Giants, the famed 30 mile scenic redwood drive. This is a fairly new park. It’s only been open for about 2 years and is still improving.

The price is about $10 less than the others in the area but the owner said that will change once he completes the park. Even if this place weren’t so nice it would still be a good place to stay since the owners are real friendly people.

The park is lined with berries and Landen is just having a ball picking as many as he can. If there is a down side it would be that we have no cell phone coverage here. That includes my internet access however they do have free WiFi here at the park.

We took a tour of the Avenue of The Giants in the motorhome with car in tow today. Not on purpose but as I was looking for this park I went right when I should have gone left. Of course there is no place to turn around until you have seen a good portion of the narrow curvy drive. It really wasn’t all that bad though since it was early enough that there was no traffic so I used my lane and some of the oncoming lane too.

Today was laundry day so we haven’t toured the Avenue yet, except in the motorhome. We have all day tomorrow to do that. We left cold overcast weather and are now in sunny warm clear skies.

So coming back from the Samoa Cookhouse last night, which by the way was real good food as usual, I noticed this little light on the dash of the Saturn.

Check Engine Soon. Well I figured since it says “Soon” and not “Right Now” that I can check it out once we get back to the Elks Lodge we were at. When we got back I pulled out the owner’s manual and also jumped on the internet and they all said it is a malfunction with the emission control system. No big emergency. The car is running fine so I will wait until I get near an auto parts store with a code reader that can tell me which sensor I need to change.

check this out

Evolution of the RV

A day of R & R

We have been just going and going this whole trip. Today we took our time getting up and just took a short drive over to Ferndale,

a Victorian town here in Humboldt County, then came back to the motorhome to just sit and relax. Tonight we are heading over to the Samoa Cook House, a real old time lumber camp cookhouse. They have no menu, you get what they are serving that day. They bring it out to you in bowls and you serve yourself and can have all you want. You sit at long tables with everyone else. Susan and I have been there before and the food is great.

I for got to tell you about the experience we had in Bandon Oregon. The reason for stopping in Bandon was to visit the West Coast Game Park. This is a collection of animals such as lions, tigers, and bears. They bring out the young for the public to pet. There are also many animals such as deer, lamas, donkeys, goats, and more wandering around free.




Landen didn’t want to leave after making some friends.

Back in California

This morning we crossed the border and are now back in California. The drive was similar to yesterday morning with lots of fog. We traveled up and down fog covered curvy 7% grades hanging on the edge of the Oregon and California coast. I am sure it scared the hell out of Susan even thought she didn’t say a word. I on the other hand was in control of the gears, accelerator, and brake so I had it under total control and the motorhome handled it well. We are in Eureka at the Elks Lodge where we will stay for a couple of days. Landen is happy that he will get to sleep in for a change and not have to be awaken for an early departure. The reason for the early departures is because most Elks Lodges do not take reservations and the early bird gets the worm…or campsite in this case.

Upon arrival I hopped out of the motorhome and spotted the motorhome of a friend and fellow Elk from my home lodge. He and family are making their way up the coast as we make our way down. Since he has been where we are going and we have been were he is going we swapped stories and info on good camp spots.

Morning Drive

This is what our morning drive looked like. We left early to make sure we got a spot at the Elks Lodge in Brookings Oregon. When we got here there were only about 4 of the 17 sites occupied so we had a good choice of sites.

Stuff to do

Since we got here at the Elks Lodge so early I decided to jump on the Internet and see what’s going on in town that we might check out. Turns out that they are having concerts in the park (right around the corner) every Sunday. Hey, It’s Sunday! So after Susan got back from shopping (at the Fred Meyers also down the street) and after the NASCAR race Landen and I headed for the park.

Pretty good Blues Band.

After the concert Landen played in the playground (hey, he’s a kid) for a while. Arriving back at the Elks Lodge I was glad we got here early because there was only 1 RV spot left. OK, there would have been 2 if we got here late, the point is, it did fill up. Hope we get as lucky tomorrow as we are heading for another Elks Lodge.

Windy Windy

We got an early start this morning and since it was a short drive we arrived at the campground here in Bandon Oregon at about 10:30a. Since we arrived this early, our site was still occupied. We only had a few minute wait though until our site was clear. I am not sure why they just didn’t put us in another site since there are a bunch that are open. The site they put us in is in the back and apparently an unforgotten area of the campground. It is a gravel site with weeds growing up through while the other sites are cement pads with an attempt at some landscaping. We are here for 2 nights so it will due.

While here the wind started to kick up.

Landen and I took off to see the beach and while we were gone Susan said the satellite dish, which is on a tripod, blew over 3 times even though I had it tied down. By the time I got back it was laying on its face with the arm broken off. Good thing I am handy at fixing things. I just drilled out the arm and added some screws and we were back in business. After getting set back up Susan noticed we were not getting our Showtime channels. I had a hunch and checked and sure enough, our free year of showtime had expired today.

Check this out. If you click here you can see a satellite view of our trip. If you zoom in you can see the exact site we occupied in the different RV Parks.

Another oner nighter

We are now at the Brookings Oregon Elks RV Park. This is only available to Elks members. I have stayed at a lot of Elks Lodges but this one is the best yet

with 50 amps and cable TV, no sewer but they do have 2 dump stations. It is actually an actual RV Park a few blocks from the lodge. We are doing a one nighter here and its off again I the morning. Not much going on today so I had a little time to clean and do a little maintenance on the motorhome. Also got some time to play a game of catch with Landen after dinner.

Cheesy

Today we are in Tillamook Oregon, the home of the Tillamook cheese factory. After a short journey we arrived and got set up for the night. It was only a 1.5 hour drive so we didn’t leave until about 10:00a.

After setting up we had lunch and headed back up the road to the cheese factory. The factory tour was a bit interesting but disappointing.

The only thing you see is the packaging of the cheese. They don’t really show you the process of what it’s made from or how it’s done. After the self-guided tour we did get to sample a variety of cheeses. I think the biggest attraction is the ice cream. They have 2 ice cream counters selling a variety of flavors along with fresh waffle cones and cups.

Pretty good stuff.

I was very surprised I was able to tune in our satellite TV in the woods at Ft Stevens State Park but was able to. Today I had no such luck. There is no clearing in the trees like the one I found at Ft Stevens. They do have good cable here though.

The drive down the Oregon coast is not a straight shot. It is a pretty drive but I do have to keep an eye on the road. Today Landen got up to go to the bathroom and crashed against the wardrobe mirrors and cracked one. I am just glad he didn’t fall through and injure himself. I told him next time he will just have to hold it until I can pull over.

Full day

We had a fun day today. We started out this morning heading on over to the beach to see the ship wreck of the Peter Iredale. This was a four-masted steel barque sailing vessel that ran ashore October 25, 1906.

This is all that remains after 104 years. Landen thought this was pretty cool.

Next we did the Goonies search. We found the jail house, museum, and houses from the movie.

It amazes me how they pick their locations because the houses were tucked back up in the hills on a very small and tough to navigate (even in our little Saturn) street.

After the Goonies we drove up the hill to the Astoria Column. The column has sat on top of the highest hill in Astoria for over 80 years serving as a beacon.

Landen and I climbed the 164 steps to the top. They sell those small balsa wood gliders that you can take up to the top and let go. Landen bought one as a souvenir.

Landen spotted the Columbia River Maritime Museum in a brochure and wanted to check it out so we took him over to see it.

He got a kick out of some of the interactive exhibits.

After touring for the day we headed back to the campground for dinner

and some s’mores.

In the morning we are on our way to Tillamook. Yes Lee, I decided to spend a night in Tillamook so we can take our time touring the cheese factory and other sights in the area.

The Goonies

We have been so busy with our friends the last couple of days, I haven’t had time to update our blog.

The first day we arrived in Portland our friend took us for a tour of the city. There are some real nice houses in Portland including some on the Columbia River.

These are floating houses. Can you imagine what it’s like when a boat goes by and your house starts rocking? Also I guess it makes a difference how you arrange your house so it doesn’t list to one side. We also visited the Pittock Mansion,

which is the oldest house on Portland. It is a bit more than a house as you can see.

The next day we all piled into the car and headed on over to Mt Saint Hellens. You may remember the eruption of this volcano in 1980.

There is still evedence of the devestation

but it is recovering a lot faster than most thought.

You can see the crater in the mountain that blew out.

Yesterday we visited the Evergreen Air Museum. This is the new home of Howard Hughe’s Spruce Goose.

We saw it many years ago when it was in Long Beach and now here it is in McMinnville, Oregon along with a lot of other cool stuff.

We moved today to Ft Stevens State Park in Oregon.


This is right next to Astoria where the movies The Goonies was based and filmed. This is one of Landen’s favorite movies so I thought he would get a kick out of seeing some of the locations in the movie here.

Big journey

Today’s trip took us 32 miles down the road. Yes that’s only 32 miles. We are now in Portland Oregon at a park where our friends from Havasu spend their summer. Of course it was a short easy drive. We did break it up a bit by stopping for gas. Did you know they don’t let you pump your own gas in Oregon? Yup, they have to pump it for you. We got here early enough to spend the rest of the day touring Portland. We will be here for a few day then head on over to the coast

Waterfalls

Today we drove the Historic Columbia River Highway. There are 7 waterfalls along this stretch and we managed to see 6 of them.

The 7th was a hike in and we didn’t want to exert ourselves.

Landen thought they were pretty cool. This will be our last night here and tomorrow we will be visiting friends for a few day in Portland.

Our friend in Havasu said it was 122 degrees there today. It was about 79 here. Glad I am here and not there. We did that last year and said we will not do it again.

Down the road a bit

We traveled down the road a bit. Following the Columbia River we are now in an Oregon State Park called Ainsworth in Bridal Veil.

This park is pretty much in the woods along the Columbia River. We got lucky since this is a first come first serve park. No reservations. There were about 3 sites left when we got here and one of them we probably wouldn’t fit. We arrived at about 11:00a and if we had been any later we would have been out of luck. The drive here was an easy one with the river in sight the whole trip.

At one point we got a good look at Mount Hood. At over 11,000 feet it really stands out. We will be here for two nights and tomorrow we will be checking out the waterfalls along the Historic Columbia River Highway. There are seven waterfalls along this stretch. Landen is looking forward to seeing them.

Nice Drive

We left Washington this morning and are now in Oregon. That makes 9 states Landen has been in on this trip, CA, AZ, NV, UT, ID, MT, WY, WA, and OR. The drive here was nice,

passing by a lot of farmland.

We are in a park right on the Columbia River now. I did nothing today but sit and watch the barges go by and the fishermen heading in and out of the marina.

We got lucky and got a site along the river. To bad it’s just for one night but we need to move on. Tomorrow’s place we will stay for 2 nights so we can relax for a bit.

Movin on

Today we left Susan’s sisters house in Idaho. We had a great time, especially Landen. Everything a kid could want was there.





He got to fetch eggs from the chickens, drive a quad, help burry a dead dear (kids like that kind of stuff), feed the pigs, play with the dogs, play with the cats, and so on. He spent the night with his cousin every night we were there. This is SO GOOD for Landen. It was sad to leave but we have to move on.

We are now in Clarkston Washington for one night. We are right along side the Snake River and Landen got to swim in the river this afternoon. We got here just in time because the wind really kicked up this afternoon. It is about 20 to 30 mph sustained with 50 mph gusts. I am not going to drive in that. It is suppose to subside tonight and should be OK by morning.

We are under a bunch of trees so we are not too affected by the wind. You can really hear it whipping through the trees though.

A little R&R today

We did nothing today but relax. Landen went over to a cousin’s house for a birthday party and sleep over. I was thinking of pulling the heater out of the motorhome and see if I can find the source of the smell that set our smoke alarms off the other morning but decided to just do nothing.

The stock market has been a little kind to us the last couple of days. The analysts are saying it should continue on a positive slope for a while. Gosh I sure hope so because we have been getting hammered. I keep reminding myself, it all on paper and we are in it for the long run. I am ok with not making any money, I just don’t want to loose what I have.

Back in Idaho

As we were heading up from Utah into West Yellowstone Montana, we passed through a small part of Idaho. Today we traveled from the east side of Idaho across the state to the west side. We even got to see our first Moose on the trip today standing along side the road watching us drive by. Landen said the Moose was looking right at him. We are now in Kamiah Idaho.

The route here is real nice until these guys got in my way. We were down to about 15 mph. Fortunately a slow lane came up and I was able to get around them and resume my 45 mph. We followed the Clear Water River the whole trip. Nice windy roads through the Clear Water National Forest along side the river.

We are at Susan’s sister’s house for a few days. I thought we would be out of luck as far as Internet but they have satellite Internet and a wireless router so we can get online. Landen is having a ball as usual.

Along with their grandson, about 15 cats and 3 dogs there is plenty for him to play with.