Oceana - Ocean City, WA July 2019

Short stay, only spent a week here.  Did have fun while we were there.  There is beach access from the park,  Len did take several walks down to the beach while we were there.

Met up with RV friends Betty and Lonnie who we had met in California a few years back.  Have seen them at other stops on our travels but always enjoy catching up with them.

Packed a lunch one day and headed for Olympia National Park.  The Hoh Rain Forest gets as much as 14 feet of rain a year.  The prevalent fog and mist contributes the equivalent of another 30 inches of rain, resulting in one of the world's lushest rain forests, hence its designation as one of the wonders of Washington State. It was a clear and sunny day. Even enjoyed visiting the local museum. Plus checking out the old homestead.

Took a trip to the fish hatchery, had stopped in on previous trips to this area, but they always seem to add something new.  They now have an automatic system that tags the fish before they are released.

Hit the local casino, senior day gives you $10 on your card plus the prime rib dinner for $9.99, so they pretty much pay for your meal.  We met up with Betty and Lonnie again so were able to visit during our meal.  Food was good and well worth the price.  One weekend the casino was doing "Wild Hog Weekend"  were told get there early because it gets crowded, NOT, very few vendors, figured we would see some vintage bikes but none there on Friday when we went.

One road trip we ended up on the Taholah Indian Reservation (Quinault), not much in the little town and pretty run down.  Stopped at Moclip beach and did some walking on the beach, windy but nice weather.

Visited the local pub, Green Lantern, for a couple of meals. Went on Friday night for the prime rib special.  Met up with Betty and Lonnie again, us gals took on the prime rib dinner while the guys went with the fish n chips.  Everyone enjoyed their meal and got to spend some more time together.  Len and I returned for Sunday breakfast as were told the biscuits and gravy were good.  Len said it was OK but he still likes my gravy better. (Thank you Len).  Think I have gotten my prime rib fix for awhile and now we are headed to the coast so will be looking for some good clam chowder and fish.

See you next time.

Chehalis Thousand Trails, Chehalis, WA July 2019

Since we have spent time in this area several times we pretty much spent our time doing things in the park.  They serve a nice breakfast on the weekends, Len always went for the biscuits and gravy, I stayed with the bacon and eggs.  Also an ice cream social on the weekends.  We played candy bar bingo, and each of us won a miniature candy bar.

Went into town and enjoyed a lunch buffet at the Chinese restaurant.

RV friends Betty and Lonnie stopped by for a visit, they had planned on staying in the park but couldn't get a full hook-up so they moved on but plan to see them at our next stop.

Enjoyed a play at the park, the group Drama Dragons have been doing a play at the park for the last 10 years.  They come into the park after the 4th of July, are given their part, have a week and a half to learn their lines and then have two nights they perform.  These are young kids, mostly home schooled and they did a great job.

Len hiked the trails in the park and did some landscaping on some of them, since the staff hasn't gotten a chance to work on them.  He would leave with his pruners and return a couple of hours later managing to get a walk in and some work done.

Len also helped one of the neighbors with his motorhome that had some problems, he is always eager to help out and was compensated, and surprise, when there was a knock on the door and a case of Coors light and a bottle of Jack Daniels awaited him.  Wasn't necessary but a very nice jester by the neighbor, good chance our paths will cross again.

Did check out one of the local casinos in the area, sorry, no big wins to report.

Bristol did some hunting and caught a shrew, he played with it till he got bored and they both moved on. Bristol sure enjoyed this area and was always asking to go outside.

On down the road, catch you after our next stop.

Bow, WA. July 2019

Little slow getting this posted as when we arrived at our new stop a cold hit both of us so just now feeling better. 

Stayed in Mt. Vernon Thousand Trails, sure enjoy this area.

The park has plenty of activities on the weekends, which we enjoy.  One weekend it was the poker run, any time you were at the store, office or went to an activity you got a playing card.  Best hand wins.  Len wasn't the top winner but took second with a full house.  Talk about hauling in the loot.  We won what I would call a bar-b-q package. It included a portable bar-b-q, charcoal, lighter fluid, bar-b-q tools. A national park monopoly game, and everything you need to make smores, plus a stuffed bear.

The park serves a breakfast buffet on the weekend, they sure have a great cook there.  There was biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, pancakes, French toast, bacon and sausage, am I making you hungry?  Also on the weekends they do hot dogs and burgers.  One night we enjoyed a brisket dinner.

We played bingo a couple of times also, had some nice prizes to give away.

One Saturday night it was adult only bull riding at the pool.  So fun to watch, even better after a few adult beverages, I can tell you, there wasn't one cowboy or cowgirl that stayed on the bull for long everyone had a wild time.

There is a casino close to the entrance of the park, we stopped in a few times, it was the usual, leave some money, break even or take a little extra home, but was fun.

We were able to meet up with Randy and Step Corbin that we met a few years back when we were on the East Coast, such a fun couple.  We enjoyed lunch and got caught up with all our travels. Took a drive over to one of the other Thousand Trails Park, La Conner, stopped at a fish market and enjoyed an ice cream, also hit another casino in the area and we both walked out with more than we went in with.

One day we visited the Pidilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve have stopped here before but enjoy the small aquariums they have. In the heart of the Salish Sea, they study and protect a massive eelgrass meadow. At more than 8,000 acres, it's the second largest on North America's Pacific Coast.  Eelgrass is used as a nursery by juvenile salmon, crab, and herring. It also provides critical habitat for waterfowl and marine birds. 

Catch you next time when we share our next adventure.

Leavenworth, WA - June 2019

                              CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES OF THE AREA

Our two weeks here, found Len working on the motorhome.  The invertor went out in Bend, OR and also the microwave/convection oven.  Len ordered the new inverter, was told it would be there on one day which was the day before we left, "liar liar pants on fire" we ended up having to extend our stay by a couple of day while waiting for the inverter.  So upon our arrival here Len had work to do, the inverter is installed along with a new microwave.  Installing the microwave has created a little more work and the mirrors that were used as a backsplash had to be broken when removed.  I must say, yea, hated them, so hard to keep clean, now a new backsplash in needed so we are looking for what we want to replace the mirrors with.

Took a trip in the town of Leavenworth, a Bavarian Village style shopping area, an annual Bavarian Christmas celebration and one of the largest Oktoberfest celebrations outside of Munich, Leavenworth offers up a little slice of Germany in the center of its spectacular Pacific Northwest landscape. The town boasts many tours, wine tasting rooms and even a museum of nutcrackers.  Enjoyed browsing all the little shops.

One day we drove to Plain, WA.  In the late 1800's to early 1900's, Plain was called Beaver Valley, and was settled by the Church of Brethren. The postal service at the time did not accept the name Beaver Valley, claiming it was too long of a name, so the residents asked the for a "plain" name, thus Plain was born. The Plain post office closed it's doors in the early 1930's.   On the weekends a local set up a canopy and his bar-b-q and puts our his grills and cooks up some great tasting hot dogs, we enjoyed on one weekend.  The hardware store has most everything you might need, along with plenty of souvenirs for the area.  The town also has a small grocery store/gas station (not a wide variety of food choices) but you could get by.  One restaurant in town, Ole Mill Café, after checking reviews, and seeing the great review for the giant cinnamon rolls and biscuits and gravy, we decided to split both.  What a disappointment as they were out of cinnamon rolls and their regular gravy but did have a substitute but waiter said it wasn't as good.  Decided on the ham and eggs and that was a good choice.  Ask when was the best tie to come in and get the cinnamon roll and biscuits and gravy, we were told on a Wednesday.  So being the troopers we are, we were back the following week on a Wednesday, they did have both.  Only problem is the cinnamon rolls were make the morning before, to me that means day old and they were dry.  Biscuits and gravy was OK, didn't deserve the raves they got in the reviews, Len said mine was much better, thank you Len.

 Drove over to Cashmere, WA and visited the Pioneer Village and Museum, this small museum is one of the better displayed small town museums we have visited.  The also have a village set up with several buildings with well displayed relics of the past. After our museum visit we made a stop at Rusty's drive-in.  Enjoyed a hamburger and Len got a chocolate malt that he really enjoyed.

Can't forget the fish hatchery, have stopped here before but it never gets old.  Got a lot of information from the volunteer that was working there as he took us on a tour.  Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery is the headquarters for the Leavenworth Fisheries Complex. Our offices are in the two story main building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. When LNFH was built, it was the largest fish hatchery in the world! Since 1940, our work has evolved to better meet our responsibilities.

The campground did a hunt for Big Foot, all the kids sure seemed to enjoy that.  Len must of spoke Sasquatch language as I was able to get a picture of the two of them talking to each other.

Bristol kept entertaining himself with the ground squirrels and chipmunks, there was a lot at our campsite and he was always asking to go outside.

See you in a couple of weeks when it is time to move on.




Museum & Pioneer Village, began in 1955 as a collaborative effort between local collector Willis Carey and local businesses, led by John McDonald and the Cashmere Chamber of Commerce.  Carey was terminally ill with cancer, and wanted his large personal collection of Native American artifacts, historical relics, antiques, and curios, famous throughout Central Washington, to be displayed together and preserved for posterity.  Cashmere Museum & Pioneer Village, began in 1955 as a collaborative effort between local collector Willis Carey and local businesses, led by John McDonald and the Cashmere Chamber of Commerce.  Carey was terminally ill with cancer, and wanted his large personal collection of Native American artifacts, historical relics, antiques, and curios, famous throughout Central Washington, to be displayed together and preserved for posterity.  The community leaders and citizens of Cashmere agreed. ashmere Museum & Pioneer Village, began in 1955 as a collaborative effort between local collector Willis Carey and local businesses, led by John McDonald and the Cashmere Chamber of Commerce.  Carey was terminally ill with cancer, and wanted his large personal collection of Native American artifacts, historical relics, antiques, and curios, famous throughout Central Washington, to be displayed together and preserved for posterity.  The community leaders and citizens of Cashmere agreed. 

Sunriver near Bend, OR - June 2019

                                     CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES OF THE AREA

We have needed to extend our stay here as we were waiting for some RV parts to arrive, which didn't arrive on time.  Just like living in a house, this house on wheels requires maintenance and repairs as it ages.  The toilet required a new electric flush control, then the inverter (this takes 12 volt current and converts it to 120 volts) died and then the microwave followed.  We were able to find the microwave at the Lowe's in Bend.  Since there is no oven in the motorhome we have a microwave/convection combination and a little hard to find.  Len got it installed but had to remove the glass panels that were around the stove top.  Can't say that broke my heart as it was a pain trying to keep that glass clean anyway.  Will now need to be shopping for a back splash.  Len is able to do these repairs on his own so saving a large sum in labor.

We did take a trip to Newberry National Volcanic Monument, this monument provides a unique opportunity to view the Lava Lands of central Oregon. Newberry National Volcanic National Monument includes 54,000+ acres of lakes, lava flows, and spectacular geologic features in central Oregon. The highest point within the Monument is the summit Paulina Peak (7,985 ft.), showcasing views of the Cascades, Newberry Caldera and across the High Desert. Enjoyed a talk presented by one of the park rangers and learned so much more about the area.

Another day we drove the Lava Cast Forest. At the Lava Cast Forest you walk through a 6,000 year old lava flow where you will find the casts of ancient trees. The Newberry Volcano to the south spewed hot pahoehoe lava to the Earth’s surface, spilling through standing forests. The trees became encased in stone when the lava cooled. What remained were “casts” of the trees, many of which go down several feet below surface level. The surrounding landscape includes molds of the trees, some new plant growth including flowers, Indian paintbrush, and Ponderosa pine trees.
There is a one mile paved self guided interpretive trail with barrier free access. The trail loops through the area where hot molten lava erupted from the northwest flank of Newberry Volcano and engulfed the forest.

The park serves breakfast on the weekends so we enjoyed that one day.  Also Len did a walk with other park members during the Memorial weekend.  Ice cream socials on Saturdays and one weekend we played bingo, Len once again was the lucky winner 3 times, I did bingo once myself.

Youngest son Jack, was traveling from his home in Waldport, OR., where they are having their place remodeled, back to his place in Colorado.  What I didn't know was Brooke was with him, what a great surprise and we had a fun time over lunch.

We should be on the move today or tomorrow, waiting on another package that is needed for the inverter, isn't it funny, NOT, ordered at the same time from the same place and both are shipped separate and took a completely different route.  They we both suppose to arrive yesterday but only one showed up, so we continue to wait.

See you down the road.....