Don said if I didn't catch up on my blog, we'd have to put all our adventures on hold. Or, to quote him, "All fun will be secured until morale improves." (That must be a Navy thing.) So, this blog will be a summary of what we've been doing for the past couple of weeks.
On our way north from Sutherlin, we stopped for lunch in Salem with good friends Art and Caroline Fennell. They have a home in Salem, but they travel extensively in a huge 5th wheel towed by a medium duty truck (MDT). They're very active in the Escapees RV Club, including the Elk and MDT BOFs (Birds Of a Feather groups). Art and Caroline serve as Volunteer Club Representatives (VCRs) for the Escapees, and Art was particularly helpful and supportive with wisdom and advice during the time when I was President of the Escapees SOLOs, and both of them have been good friends for several years. It's great when these connections can be made along our travels, and I'm glad we caught them at home and free to meet us.
We had a nice stay in Portland, Oregon, where we parked at the Town and Country RV Park on 82nd Ave. I've stayed there before, but it was a few years ago. The place has gone way downhill, and it wasn't that great before.
The manager sets quite a poor example of how important the rules are, by not only letting his own dog run loose, off leash, but also by allowing her to annoy guests while they're trying to check in. After getting jumped on, slobbered on, and scratched by this uncontrolled animal, I had to go wash my arms and legs and change clothes. Several of the long-term residents, of which the park is mostly composed, also let their dogs run loose, so walking Shadow was quite a challenge as the dogs would run toward us and cause Shadow to turn into his 'Rotwiler mode.' The weeds and dead grass, as well as broken concrete and gaping holes in the pavement, serve to complete the 'ambience' of this park, which is now marked off our list for places to stay. Too bad, because it's a great location, very close to my sis-in-law Jennifer Halverson's home, and in the midst of such places as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Fred Meyer, etc.
Jen was busy getting ready for sister Nancy White's visit, so our time with her was brief, and we missed Nan entirely because she arrived after we left Portland. Since Nan now lives in Las Cruces, NM, we saw her a few times before leaving our winter home in Benson, AZ in early May. and will see her again this fall. Jen shared some of the wonderful goodies from her garden with us, and we enjoyed seeing her. Sorry I forgot to take a picture! Jen and Nan are both sisters of my late husband Bill, and I value their continued friendship.
Don's niece Caren Del Rosario lives in Beaverton, just west of Portland, and we got to see her a couple of times and meet her boyfriend Matt, a very nice young man. I was impressed by how well these young adults are managing their lives and work. Caren owns a beautiful townhouse, a short distance from her job.
While in Portland, we managed to connect with full-time RVing friend Carol Hinkley, who was staying in Seaside, Oregon for a week or two. Carol owns an RV transport business with an office in Portland, which she manages while traveling in her 40-ft. motorhome. I'm amazed at how well she juggles her business life with the full-time RV lifestyle, and handles such a big rig by herself, towing a car similar to ours as well. She has become a special friend through our connection as (former, for us) members of the Escapees SOLOs. She served as President of that BOF after me, but we became close friends long before that. In fact, she was there when the sparks between Don and me first started to fly at a bluegrass festival in Kendallville, Indiana, and I remember asking her, "Do you think he's interested?"
She drove over from the coast for the day and we had lunch at the Portland City Grill on the 39th floor of this imposing building in downtown Portland.
The views were spectacular, and Don got to see more of the city than ever before, both on the drive into downtown, and from our vantage point in the restaurant.
We also linked up with another RVing couple, Jerry and Sue Little. I got to know them through the Escapees Boomers BOF, and visited their beautiful home in Blue Grass, Iowa (what a great name! near Davenport) a couple of times. After having a great Italian lunch, we visited the West Marine store. While this shop is primarily for boaters, they carry some gems that work well for RVers, too. I bought some sturdy plastic wine glasses and a collapsing basket for the back of the car, to keep groceries from rolling around.
We then visited an overlook of the Willamette Falls Locks and the Oregon Trail Interpretative Center, where the trail ended. What an interesting historical site! Too bad it will be closing next month, due to lack of funding. As a private enterprise, it doesn't receive any federal or state funds, and a drop in tourism has forced them to close their doors.
Click the above photo to go to the web album and see several more photos from this center.
The temperatures in Portland were climbing to triple digits, and Don had managed to get us a reservation in the FamCamp at the Naval Air Station on Whidbey Island, WA, so we started moving north again. Don got to drive the first part (we take turns driving the motorhome because we both love it), through Seattle. Even at mid-day, traffic was fairly heavy. It might have been better to take I-405 around the east side of this metro area, but, oh well! When we reached the city center, traffic started moving along.
We stopped for lunch, then I got the easy part, with only a short time on Interstate 5, then beautiful 2-lane roads through woods, fields and small towns. I was a little nervous crossing the bridge at Deception Pass, which spans from Fidalgo Island to Whidbey Island. It's narrow, crowded, and very high! Here's a photo I took from the tour boat several days later.
We enjoyed a beautiful view from our campsite. Most of the RVs parked backwards in the sites on our side of the park, in order to have the best view. Hookups were 30 amp electric and water, so we had plenty of extension cords and hoses to reach from the services on the other side. We didn't need air conditioning here; temperatures were cool enough to wear socks and lightweight jackets.
On Friday, we met good friends Larry and Carol Jennings in Anacortes and took the ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. Larry and Carol have been friends with Don for many years. Their sons went to high school together in Hawaii, and they both lived in the same marina community, Makani Kai, in Kaneohe. Carol is now the Escapees Club Commercial Members Manager.
We shopped around town a bit, and enjoyed lunch on an open deck overlooking the docks.
The ferry ride was fun and gave us a chance to visit with each other while we watched the beautiful shorelines of the San Juan Islands, and observe the various boats on the water and in the harbors.
During our stay on the island, in addition to the boat tour of Deception Pass, we visited Fort Casey State Park, including the Admiralty Head Lighthouse...
..., had a delicious romantic dinner at Captain Whidbey Inn...
...and toured Oak Harbor and Coupeville, including its wharf and Front St.
On departing from Whidbey Island, we took the short ferry ride from Keystone to Port Townsend, on the Olympic Peninsula. It was again Don's turn to drive the motorhome, and we unhitched Carrie (our Honda CR-V), which I drove, in order to pay a lower fee. Don said it was a little scary driving on and off the ferry, and his spot on the ferry was so close to the wall he couldn't open the door. He didn't scrape the mirrors, and we both emerged on the other side safe and sound.
Now we're at the Escapees Coop in Chimicum, WA. It's one of the few parks that neither of us has been to previously. Don was the manager at Rover's Roost (Casa Grande, AZ) and Park Sierra (Coarsegold, CA) Coops prior to his late wife's passing. He's been to several other Escapees Rainbow Parks and Coops, as have I. We always get a warm welcome and enjoy being with other SKP members. Yesterday we drove up the mountain to Hurricane Ridge and saw some awsome sights that are hard to capture with my little camera. Last night was a "burn your own" dinner at the clubhouse, where we had fun renewing some old friendships and making some new ones.
