Beaverton, Hillsboro and a Special Day

We said our goodbyes to Frank & Gloria yesterday morning and left Warrenton heading east to Beaverton. Our first stop was Fred Meyer’s fuel station to top off our tank with diesel at $3.87. It had been $4.19 when we arrived a week before and we watched it drop to $4.01 then to $3.97. Using our FM member card, we got another 10 cents off. Nice, although not as low as in the midwest, but a lot lower than California.

Frank & Gloria went north to Pacific Beach, WA, where they found lots of sand dollars on the beach and enjoyed more sunshine than we’d seen for awhile. We also relished seeing sunny skies as we traveled inland.

When we got to Beaverton, I was following the directions from the GPS to the Elks Lodge. She told me to turn left but I failed to do so – Why? I’d been watching street signs, and they went from 107th to 106th to 104th – what happened to 105th? In this part of Beaverton, streets are narrow and curbs are everywhere. Many of the side streets were marked “Dead End” or went rapidly uphill. I finally took advantage of a wide spot in the street with no traffic and made a U-turn. This is NOT an easy thing to do with a 40-ft. motorhome pulling a towed car (aka “Toad”). When I got back to the corner of 104th, needing to make a sharp right turn, I found a pickup pulling a trailer loaded with yard maintenance equipment in the way. Remembering George’s discussion of “accommodation” I patiently waited while the pickup carefully pulled out and made his turn, clearing the way for me. Whew! Maybe next time I’ll trust Jazzy the GPS more.

Upon reaching the Elks Lodge, we quickly decided not to stay. Due to the slope of the parking area, large ramps are supplied to help RVers get their rigs level.

Since our coach is 40 ft, long, with the door at the front of the coach, using the ramps would put the door so high it would be hard to reach even with the extra folding step we carry, and it’s doubtful we would have been able to use our leveling jacks. We thought it was better to look elsewhere for a place to spend a couple of nights. We had lunch in the lodge and spoke with some of the friendly members, who told us they plan to rebuild the RV lot. “Come back next year,” they said!

We drove about 8 miles to the Hillsboro Elks Lodge, where nice level sites were available, with new 50 amp electrical hookups and water at each site. Much nicer, and at the same $15/night.

Later, we had a nice dinner with Don’s niece Caren and her hubby Matt Seal. My phone’s camera didn’t do a very good job, but at least you can see their smiles.

We got to know Matt a couple of years ago and were pleased to attend their beautiful wedding in February 2011. This young couple has a wonderful future ahead!

It was also Don’s and my 4th anniversary, and we were happy to celebrate it with Matt & Caren. These beautiful roses helped make the day special, too!