Dayton, OR

July 31, 2016
We arrived at Willamette Wine Country Resort at about 2 for a 4 night stay. There was a group of   10 bikers in the  park from Missouri. They have their bikes transported in two trailers to their starting points and fly there to begin their ride. After covering Wash, and Ore they will have covered all 48 of the contiguous states.

The transport trailer

Adjacent to our park is The Vintages Trailer Resort. In this park you can stay in vintage travel trailers from the 50's. There are Shasta, Terry, Airstream, Ambassador and other classic units available. The interiors have been refurbished with AC and bathroom upgrades. You also have access to cruiser bicycles during your stay. Here are a few photos:

Aerolyte

With bikes

 The site to get more information is www.The-Vintages.com.
 Our park is very nice with all the amenities. Tomorrow we'll explore the area.

Aug 1, 2016
We went to Dundee to visit wineries and shops. Then lunch and back to the park. I went to the pool to cool off. After dinner we sat out enjoying our fire and the beautiful evening.

Aug 2, 2016
We headed into McMinnville in late morning to check out the town and have lunch at McMenamins Grand Hotel, We sat in roof  bistro and had a really good lunch. Then back to the park to enjoy the day.

Aug 3, 2016
We went back into McMinnville to visit some tasting rooms. There is a great selection in the area. Then we went to a pizza joint for lunch. There was a little area set aside for slot machines so I went in and spent about $5, my self-imposed allowance, and won over $93. That paid for lunch and most of the wine we bought. Then back to the park to relax and get ready to head to Rockaway Beach.

Aug 4, 2016
It was only about a 2 hour drive to Rockaway Beach. The park was nice and close to the beach but the wind was really blowing hard. We stayed in the park using our trailer to shelter us from it.

Aug 5, 2016
After breakfast we drove through Rockaway Beach. Not much to do or see that is any different from other seaside towns. Then we went to Garibaldi and Tillamook to get away from the wind on the beach. We went to  the Blue Heron French Cheese Factory and sampled lots of good sauces, dressings and cheese. We had lunch at the Schooner Restaurant in Netarts. The clam chowder is fantastic and sandwiches good as well.Then we visited The Myrtle Wood Factory in Garibaldi. There are lots of cool carvings and wood artifacts there.Then back to the park where it was still windy. We had intended to stay here 4 nights but decided to leave after 2. We had paid for all four nights so they told us we have one year to come stay for the other two nights. We'll go there next summer on the way to Charleston, OR near Coos Bay.

Aug 6, 2016
Instead of heading home we stopped at Don's cousin Jim's house to attend the annual family gathering of relatives on his mom;s side. Our daughters and my sisters were there as well as cousins, great uncles, great, great  aunt Nita and others. It was good to see these folks again. We headed for home at about 4. We will be home until Sept 5 when we head out for our final trip of the year.

Cascade Peaks

July 25, 2016
We left home this morning for a 5 night stay at Cascade Peaks for our annual get together. We got there at about noon right after Hart and Amy Hughes and their kids. Soon after, daughter Tracy and her girls got there. They went to their campsite to get set up and we did the same. It was a hot sunny day so there was some pool time and a trip to the Cowlitz River to check it out after some serious Fall and Winter flooding. The area where we sit and do some floating was in good shape. After dinner we joined the kids at their site to enjoy the fire.

July 26, 2016
We had a good breakfast and hung around our site for the morning. I joined the others at the pool in the afternoon before they went to the river. It was quite hot so I chose to return to our site and enjoy the shade. We went to their site for dinner and the evening fire.

July 27, 2029
After breakfast Erik arrived with Carley for the rest of the week. The other camp spent the day at the river so we chilled around our site. We were invited for dinner so we joined the rest for the evening.

July 28, 2016
After breakfast I picked Carley and Sydney up to go for a hike. We went to Silver Falls in the Ohanopacosh campground, It was a beautiful hike of about 2.5 miles.

Ohonapacosh River

 Carley crossing a creek

Carley at Silver Falls

Sydney at Silver Falls

Sydney and Carley

After the hike we went back to the park for another beautiful day. The adults went into town for shopping and refreshments at the Blue Spruce Bar. Then shopping and back to the park for a quick dip in the pool and dinner.

July 29, 2016
I went to the kid's site in the morning so we could go fishing. Everybody except Gail went so there was 11 of us and 2 dogs and nobody caught anything. On the way back to the park I dropped my passengers off at the Blue Spruce for their lunch. They got back to the park at about 3 with daughter Steph and Caitlin with them. We went to their site after dinner and most went to bed early.

July 30, 2016
I picked up Hart and Erik for more fishing in various streams. Again, no fish. We went back to their site just in time for a great breakfast. Afterwards they all went to the river for one last time this trip. The weather was cooler but they had a good time anyway. One more night around the fire before leaving in the morning.

July 31, 2016
We left Cascade Peaks at about 9:30 headed for Willamette Wine Country Resort near McMinnville, OR.

Winthrop, Oroville

July 8, 2016
We headed out today for Winthrop. We arrived at Silverline Resort at about 2:30 and got set up. The weather wasn't as warm as we expected, the mid 70's, but comfortable. We ran into friends, Derrick and Coleen Edwards and their girls whom we have met here before. I went fishing with them after dinner and caught a few trout.

June 9, 2016
At about 1 AM it rained and thundered real hard for about 20 minutes. When we got up everything was dry and it turned out to be a pretty nice day. When we were in Chelan in May we were told about Lost River Winery in Winthrop so we checked it out. It has been in Winthrop since 2004 and has a very nice selection of wines. We had a nice lunch at the Old School Brew House then back the park. The wind kicked up pretty good but didn't stop me from going fishing again.

June 10, 2016
More fishing before breakfast with good results. I'm freezing some so we can be guaranteed to have trout when we go to Cascade Peaks in a few weeks. Fishing has been anything but good on our past few trips to Peaks so we will have a trout feed regardless.

We had a nice relaxing day in the park.

June 11, 2016
After breakfast we went into town again do some shopping and drove to Falls Creek Falls. It was a short hike from the road to the falls. There is a log that you can cross to get to the falls but we decided it was a little perilous so we stayed on the trail.

Then back to the park. There were very dark clouds hanging in the hills around the town. A couple hours after we got back to the park the wind picked up and it rained very hard again with more thunder for about half an hour and more light rain for another hour or so. After dinner I went fishing again catching yet another limit.

June 12, 2016

We had a relaxing morning, then into town to visit our favorite second hand/ antique shop. Then back to the park for the day. I started packing stuff for our 87 mile drive tomorrow to Oroville. We went to the Edwards' site after dinner to visit and enjoy their fire.

July 13, 2016
We hit the road after 10 AM for Oroville with a stop in Twisp to do laundry. We got to Oroville, got set up in River Oaks RV Park which is right on the Similkameen River and went to lunch in town at the Hometown Bakery and Pizza Restaurant. Then back to the park for the day.

July 14, 2016
We had a nice breakfast from the pizza and bakery place where we had lunch yesterday. A maple bar for Gail and an apple fritter for me. Later I went and washed the truck and got gas for our travels. When I got back we went for a great 3 mile hike along the Similkameen Trail. Then back to our site for lunch. Later I went fishing in the river. No luck at all.

July 15. 2016
After a good breakfast we took a drive to Lake Wannacut. I looked it up on line and there is a resort, Sun Cove Resort that looked real nice. We had to drive 1 mile down a single lane dirt road off the main road to it. When we got to it we found an old run down park with lots of shade and no views of the lake which they said there was. We won't be visiting this place again. Then a stop for propane and back to the park. It was a grey windy day with some rain showers.

July 16, 2016
We have neighbors in the park from Canada. They are Gary and Sandy and are very nice people. In the afternoon between showers we had happy hour with them. We mostly just hung around the park all day.

July 17, 2016
Today was another day of mixed sun and rain. We walked into town to snoop around. Virtually every business was closed so it was back to the park. During a sunny time in the afternoon the neighbors came over and we played Muckers. This is like horseshoes but with round plastic coated rings. We had a great time but got rained out after two games.

July 18, 2016
We got up and drove to Yakima with a stop at Alta Lake State Park to say hi to my sisters and other relatives. We stayed at Yakima Sportsman's State Park. This is a nice park with spacious sites. We decided to go out for good dinner so we went the Black Angus and had a terrific meal. Then back to the park.

July 19, 2016
After breakfast we went to several wineries in the Rattle Snake Hills. We made a stop at Jones' Fruit Stand in Zilla at the suggestion of a wine maker. We bought peaches, watermelon, corn, potatoes and an onion. All were wonderfully fresh and tasty.

July 20, 2016
We left the park at about 11 to visit some more wineries and buy some wines. We had a good day and got back to the park for lunch. We hung around the park for the remainder of the day.

July 21, 2016
We got up early and were on the road home before 9. It was good to get home before 11:30.

Utah 2016

June 2, 2016

We got a leisurely start from home today at about 10AM heading for Pendleton, OR the first leg on our journey to Southern Utah. We stayed at the Wildhorse RV Park which has a casino adjacent to the property where we went for a little gambling and dinner. Gail came out ahead enough to pay my loss and buy dinner. Then back to the park for the evening where we met our camping neighbors Rob and Kathy Peterson from Graham, WA. They are heading to Colorado but have reservations in Mountain Home, ID in the same park we do.

June 3, 2016

We arrived at Mountain Home RV in the early afternoon and got set up. This is a beautiful park with all the amenities we love and lovely grounds. A couple hours later Rob and Kathy arrived and settled in two sites away from us. This is a large park and the chance of them being so close was pretty weird. They invited us to dinner but Gail wasn’t up to it as she was still taking antibiotics and wasn’t into full meals and company. After dinner they came over and we chatted about our trips. WOW! Again we are staying in the same RV park in Brigham City, UT tomorrow.

June 4, 2016

We were up and on the road by 9:30 for about a 250 mile drive. The park in Brigham City was small and crowded but fine for a one night stay. Rob and Kathy arrived a couple hours after we did. They told us about Maddox’s Fine Dining, a restaurant they usually go to when in town. We weren’t into a big meal so I called the place and ordered take out. This place is amazing. There is a full service restaurant that holds probably 200 people, a drive through that was packed with about 30 cars and a take-out window with a line of 8-10 cars waiting. I picked up some skinless fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and homemade chocolate ice cream for us. It was all delicious. After dinner I went to Rob and Kathy’s site to visit for a bit. They have a 36 foot fifth wheel that is like a home. They are on a four month trip across the US. I said our good byes and went back to our site for the evening.

June 5, 2016

Gail is done with her antibiotics and is feeling a little better today. We have a 335+ mile drive today to our park near Bryce Canyon National Park. We arrived at about 3:30 and got settled in at Kodachrome Basin State Park. It is so named because National Geographic did a documentary here and the colors are sharp like pictures using Kodachrome film from the 40’s and 50’s.

There is no ambient light here so when it got dark the sky was magnificent. There are so many stars and planets it’s hard to even find familiar constellations.

June 6, 2016

The temperature is unseasonably hot for our stay, in the upper 90’s. Kodachrome Basin State Park is a beautiful park. The only issue, which I view as a non-issue, is we are completely off the grid. No phone, radio, Wi-Fi, TV, nothing. The closest communication is about 10 miles away. We have all we need as far as electric, water and sewer hook-ups. The hiking trail system is great. There are geologic wonders throughout the park.

 I took the Angel’s Palace Trail hike, 1.5 miles, which was awesome. I was able to see our camp site, many monoliths and the rim of Bryce Canyon.

Entrance to trail

Narrow path

View from the path

Tomorrow we are going to Bryce Canyon NP to see and explore more wonders.

June 7, 2016

After breakfast we went to Bryce Canyon NP. This place is spectacular. You start out at about 7000 ft. elevation and go to over 9100 ft. at Rainbow View Point. 

We drove to all the viewpoints along the rim of the canyon. The Natural Bridge viewpoint was interesting in the fact that is not really a bridge but an arch. The difference being bridges are formed by water erosion. This was formed by wind and time. AMAZING.

Natural Bridge

 I need to figure out how to make a link so I can show all the photos we have taken on this trip.

A great Monolith\\

Chimney Rock

After we got home I took another hike to see Shakespeare’s Arch, the only arch in our park. 

This was about a 1.7 mile hike with a lot of ups and downs. 

Shakespeare's Arch

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June 8, 2016

Today we drove about 110 miles to Zion NP. It took us about 3.5 hours. There are two tunnels you have to go through when you travel from the East, which we did. There is a $15 charge for one of the tunnels, the 1.1 miles long one, which we had to pay because we were pulling our trailer. When we got to the tunnel the rangers close it each way so oversize vehicles can drive down the middle of the road. The ranger was concerned that we were too long, about 50 feet and would have difficulty going around some of the tight corners. It was a spectacular drive with no problems. Once we got through the tunnels the traffic was very slow. The scenery is beautiful. Our RV park was about 20 miles west of the park near the town of Virgin.
We got set up in the park which is real nice. Our site was a back-in behind which was a dry creek bed. It was too short for us to have the truck backed in so we had to park it across the front of our site. No problem really. There were no trees in our site and it was really hot (90+). The sites across the road were nice with grass and trees, but still very warm. We talked about visiting Zion and decided that it is so busy we'll pass and explore areas around the park.

June 9, 2016
We hung around the RV park until late morning and then went on a drive on the Kolob Terrace Road to the Kolob reservoir. There were some great views of the edges of Zion Park and the surrounding area. When we got back I visited two couples that are from Vancouver, WA. They are Paul and Peggy and Ken and Georgia. Paul and Ken worked together at Bonneville Power for over 30 years and now travel together several times a year.   Gail and I decided to leave the park a day early so we can get home and talk to Gail's Dr about her issues with IBS. We told the park office we wanted to do that and they said they can't give us a refund but we could have $50 credit in their store. That was a surprise that we took advantage of.

June 10, 2016
We left Zion River RV in mid morning heading for Ely, NV for a one night stay. We   got to the Ely KOA and set up camp. The park was like a very large gravel parking lot with hookups and a few trees. After getting set up we went to the All Aboard Cafe and Inn at the recommendation of the RV host. He suggested their specialty, Lobster rolls. We went there and got an order to go. It's amazing that a little cafe in Ely, NV would have actual tasty lobster nicely flavored on a hoagie roll. It was good and big. We sat up for a bit in the evening and then to bed to rest up for a 400+ mile drive next day.

June 11, 2016
After about 7.5 hours on the road we arrived in Caldwell, ID at the Ambassador RV Park. This is part of the G7 RV park franchise which is very nice. We are here to visit Sheryl Sherry, one of Gail's best friends she worked with at QFC, and her husband Tony who is in the final stages of a long battle with ALS. After getting set up I went to the pool for a swim, Jacuzzi time and sauna. I sat out until 9:30 enjoying the late sunset in Mountain time.

June 12, 2016
We went to visit Sheryl and Tony at their home in Nampa. We had a great visit. Tony is actually in hospice care at their home and is doing much better than what the hospital thought he would. Then it was back to the park for the evening. I had another swim and sat out until after 9. Then in to watch the last of the Tony Awards and get ready for bed.

June 13, 2016
We drove about 275 miles to Prosser to spend the night at Wine Country RV Park. It was a windy drive that was tiring. After getting set up we went to Subway to get dinner. Then it was back to the park. I sat out in the shelter of our trailer to avoid the high wind. Later in the evening  a HUGE rig pulled in. It is 68 ft over all and carries a Smart Car on the tractor behind the cab. 

The owner is going to Caldwell, ID, where we just left, for a rally with other large rigs. Tomorrow we head home.

Bellingham All Asses 2016

May 20, 2016

We started this trip with our annual All Asses Weekend trip to Bellingham. We stayed at Bellingham RV Park as usual and our girls came up to stay at Gail’s sister Joannie’s house. The weather wasn’t real nice but nice enough for us to sit out and enjoy the afternoon and evening. Joannie’s daughter, Angie and her husband Scot and son Henry came over with pizza for dinner. We had a grand time.

May 21, 2016

Cousin Chris came up on the train this morning  so Tracy went and got him. Then it was off to lunch at Jalapeño’s in Fairhaven, some shopping and a visit to A Stone’s Throw, a new brew pub. Later in the afternoon Tracy’s husband Erik and daughter Sydney arrived for the festivities.

May 22, 2016

At noon we met most of the gang at the bowling alley for the third annual All Asses Bowling Tourney. We always have a great time at this event. The trophy went to the Sims family this year. Afterwards Tracy and Steph and families did a little shopping in town and headed for home. We went back to Joanie’s house for a while and then out to a nice dinner at the Bellweather on Bellingham’s waterfront.

Tomorrow we are off to Chalan and Prosser.

Chelan and Prosser May 2016

May 23, 2016

We got up and left Bellingham for Lake Chelan for our annual May trip. Gail has developed a cough that we aren’t sure is the beginning of a cold. The drive was cloudy and wet until we reached Leavenworth. By the time we got to Chelan it was quite sunny. Later in the day my sister Terry arrived. We had dinner and sat around the fire through the evening.

We spent four nights here with the weather getting worse as the week went on. The days weren’t bad but the wind came up every afternoon until by Friday it was forecast to blow 30+ mph.

We had a great time in Chelan visiting friends we made at the park and various wineries. On Friday when we left we stopped in Quincy to visit our nephew, Kaleb who is working at the Grant County Fire Dept. He is having a great time studying to become a fire fighter. Then it was off to Prosser for the Memorial Day weekend.

We got checked into Wine Country RV Park at about 1 and watched as the park filled for the weekend. It seems there are more families and dogs here than ever before. We talked to Lou Ann, the manager and she agreed.

We did the usual things during our four night visit here. We found a new winery that just opened on May 7, Wit Cellars. The wine maker and his crew from another winery started Wit about 9 months ago and released their first wines at their opening. They have done a terrific job making high quality wines.

On Monday, May 30 I was relaxing at the pool when Gail came over and said she was having trouble breathing so we went to the ER at Prosser Hospital. After lots of tests and an x-ray they told us she had a little pneumonia in her left lung. They gave her five days of a very strong antibiotic to fight it off. The antibiotic is so strong it makes her nauseous. 

We went home Tuesday, May 31 for what we hoped was just to repack and head out to Utah.

Drive home April 2016

Apr 10, 2016
We drove about 310 miles to Coalinga, CA for the night. The park, Sutherlin's Almond Tree RV Park, is nothing to shout about. Just a stop on the way home

Apr 11, 2016
Today we drove to Antlers RV Park and Marina on Shasta Lake. We've stayed here a couple times before. This time the busy season hasn't started so the park wasn't cleaned up as it would be for Memorial weekend. The weather was cloudy with some showers but we stayed out under the awning and by our fire. The lake is higher than it has been in several years.

Apr 12, 2016
We had breakfast and took a walk around the park. The weather is better today so we sat out enjoying the view of the lake.

For dinner we went to Allyson's Restaurant in Lakehead close by the RV park. The owner, Cheryl, has had the place for about 7 years. The ambiance was casual with quite an expansive menu from pizza to buffalo, fish and pasta dishes. We had a pizza and requested green green peppers. Cheryl told us she didn't have any but the grocery store is next door so she would get them from them. It was a good and a fun experience.

Inside Allyson's Restaurant

If you ever in the Shasta Lake/Lakehead area we suggest you make the stop and enjoy Allyson's Restaurant. Back at the park we sat out enjoying our last night in California  this trip.

Apr 14, 2016

We drove to Salem, OR for a one night stay at Hee Hee Illahee RV Park. It was cool, windy and rainy so we stayed in and watched TV.

Tomorrow we head for home. See you mext trip.

Palm Springs

Mar 30, 2016

We drove to Palm Springs via Prescott so we could avoid the Phoenix area, It was a very picturesque drive which took us over a pass that was more than 7000 feet high. It was quite a drive but a fun experience. When we got to Palm Springs we called Gail's best friend Teddi and were invited to her home for dinner. We had a great evening with Teddi and her husband Dave. We made plans for the next day and went back to the park for the evening. It was a beautiful sunny day with more coming for the next week. We're staying here for 11 nights.

Mar 31, 2016

After doing laundry, relaxing by the pool and playing water volleyball we joined Teddi and Dave in the afternoon. We went out to visit friends at a local watering hole where we had a light dinner. The wind has been blowing pretty hard for the last two days at the RV park so there is quite a bit of dust in the air to make the sunsets more dramatic.

Apr 1, 2016

I went for a hike with Teddi this morning. We started at about 8:30m AM to try to beat the heat. It was a pretty strenuous climb up the foothills of the San Jacinto Mtns. Back at the park after more water volleyball we went with Dave and Teddi sightseeing and antiquing.  Then to a great dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant where Gail and Teddi talked about old times and laughed harder than they had in a very long time. After dinner we went back to the park for the evening.

Apr 2, 2016

Today we stayed at the park except to go do some shopping. Teddi and Dave came to the park to visit. We walked around the park and had snacks.  Our kids and their families were flying into LA later and coming to stay in cabins in the park for a week. We brought 4 totes of things for them because they couldn't pack all they needed for the week. We were very excited for them to arrive. They got to Palm Springs at about 10:30 PM.

Apr 3, 2016

We fixed breakfast for the family at our trailer. After breakfast the kids went shopping for supplies needed for their stay. Then it was relax by the pool time and check out all the amenities. March 31 was the last day of the busy time at the park so a lot of the activities are curtailed. We hung around the park all day. Another sunny day over 90 degrees.

Apr 4, 2016

This morning Tracy, Sydney, Stephanie, Carley, Caitlin, Teddi and I went for a hike near town. We didn't get started until after 9 and it was already getting hot. We saw some great views of the city during the hike/climb. Afterward we stopped at a cool restaurant and had breakfast, lunch, appetizers, whichever we chose. Then it was back to the park to enjoy the day.

Apr 5, 2016
After we had breakfast I went and got the grand kids and we went to play some pickleball. It didn't take long for the heat to cancel that activity. Then we went to the pool and got it set up for some volleyball. We had a great time with most of us playing in addition to a couple other guests. In the late afternoon Teddi and Dave came to join us for a spaghetti dinner that was prepared in one of the cabins. We had a wonderful time sitting outdoors enjoying the food and company. After our guests left we sat out enjoying the evening.

Apr 6, 2016
Today Tracy and family drove to LA to visit Disneyland. They left very early in the AM and got back late. I guess they spent 13 hours in the park. They had a great time. The rest of us had a relaxing day soaking up the sun and swimming

Apr 7, 2016
After breakfast Gail and I went shopping in Desert Hot Springs. This is a bedroom community of Palm Springs that we hadn't visited before. Not much to see but a closer shopping location than in Palm Springs. At about 3 PM we all went into Palm Springs for an early dinner and to attend the Village Fest which is a weekly street fair. We went last year and were looking forward to seeing it again. The city closes off about 6 blocks of the main street from 6 until 10 every Thursday. It's an amazing event with lots to see.

Apr 8, 2016
We all went to Dave and Teddi's home at about noon to spend the day with them and their daughter Ginger and her husband, Ray, daughter Charlie and son Erin.

Tracy, Ginger and Steph

All the kids

Ray and Charlie

Ginger went to a Mexican grocery store and picked up lots of food from their catering dept. It was amazing food. Carnitas, salsa, guacamole, beans, seviche and lots of other goodies. The kids and most adults went swimming in the pool and played games. After a lot of fun we headed back to the park. The kids have to leave early to drive to LA and catch their flight home. This has been such a wonderful vacation.

Apr 9, 2016
After we had breakfast we went over to the cabins the kids stayed in and cleared out the refrigerators and picked up the totes they repacked for us to take home. In the afternoon we went to Teddi's house for our last visit of the trip. They are wonderful people and very cordial hosts. Tomorrow we begin our trip home.

Rogue River, OR

Mar 24, 2016
We finally are on our first trip of the year. After 420 miles we stopped at Bridge View RV Park which is right on the Rogue River. The water was running pretty high but later in the year there is usually some good fishing even right from the bank.

We got settled in and sat out until the sunset. It's still pretty chilly even with the sun. Tomorrow off to Sacramento for some warmer weather.

Mar 25, 2016

We drove to Sacramento, another long day, and stayed at Capitol West RV Park. This park is in the West part of town near a not so nice residential area. Most of the guests were long term. When we were pulling into our site small yapping dogs were in the sites on both sides of us. Their owners apologized and controlled them. We were able to sit out outside until after dark. The weather is getting warmer. It was about 74 today

Mar 26, 2016

Today we drove to Orange Grove RV Park just outside of Bakersfield. We have stayed here before. It is a very nice park. The orange trees have all been picked and were blooming. After we got set up we sat out in upper 70’s weather. Gail looked at one of the brand new trailer tires and it was going flat. I dug out the truck jack and removed the tire to find there was a screw in it so I put on the spare. I couldn’t find any tire stores open and tomorrow being not just Sunday but Easter Sunday we’ll be lucky to get it fixed.

Mar 27, 2016

We got up early and went to the first gas station we found and filled the replaced  trailer tire for the drive to Kingman, AZ. We stopped in Barstow, CA and found a tire store open on Easter Sunday. The owner was installing new tires on a customer’s car and said he would take care of us first. I borrowed a floor jack, jacked up the trailer and removed the spare and put the repaired tire on. He charged us $10 and we were on our way.

In Kingman we stayed at Fort Biele RV Resort. This is a nice park with a view of the surrounding foothills. We took a walk around the park and saw a very cute 1958 Nash Metropolitan 2 door coupe. The owner is from Olympia and is going to Phoenix for 
The Small Car Show where his Metro is the biggest in the class.

Mar 28, 2016

The weather report last night said there are high winds with higher gusts forecasted for most of Arizona beginning about noon so we were up and on the road heading for Camp Verde RV Park south of Flagstaff. A trip of about 200 miles. The winds did kick up on our drive but we beat the worst of it. We stayed at a Thousand Trails park about 50 miles South of Flagstaff that was not at all impressive. Just a bunch of dusty sites stuck between the pine trees. After we set got up we went into the town of Cottonwood for lunch. We ate at the Tavern Grille which is in the original building that was a theater from 1928-1996 until  it was gutted by a fire. They did a great job renovating it. You can still see the fire scorch marks on the walls. The service and food was wonderful. Then it was back to the park for the rest of the day. More wind, clouds and temperature in the low 60’s.

Mar 29, 2016

It was raining lightly when we got up and still quite windy. We didn’t have to travel today so we had a nice breakfast and leisurely morning before heading to the town of Jerome which was a billion dollar copper mining operation in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.It was called “the ghost city” after the mine closed. The population went from over 15,000 in the early 1900's to about 50 in the mid 1950’s. It is now a thriving community with many successful business catering to the tourist trade, There are restaurants, galleries, antique shops and a new grand hotel that are all doing well.

We went to Jerome at the suggestion of a friend to visit Caduceus Cellars which is owned by the lead singer from the band Tool. 

We walked the town and visited the tasting rooms. They do a great job on their wines and the town is amazing as is it looks to be carved into the side of the mountain side. Then we went to a deli and ordered lunch to take back to the park. Back at camp we tried to sit out in the sun but it was more like chasing the sun and the wind was relentless so we went inside at about 5 for the remainder of the evening. Tomorrow it’s off to Palm Springs and SUNSHINE!!!

Wenatchee, WA

Aug 11, 2015
We drove to Wenatchee for a three day stay and visit friends that used to live across the street from us. The weather was hot and there was some smoke from the Chelan fires. The forecast is for heat over 100 and only getting down to the low 70's at night. We contacted our friends and made arrangements to meet them in the morning for coffee. I had a root canal the day before we left that was giving me a bad time so we just took it easy for the day.

Aug 12, 2015
We got up and drove to a coffee shop to see our friends Sue Engel and her sons Dennis and Chuck. We haven't seen them in over 30 years. Sue's husband died in 1997 while they were living in Montana. She moved to Wenatchee this year with Chuck who was living in Florida. Dennis lives here. Chuck used to babysit our girls when they were little. After high school he went into the Air Force where he was a jet pilot flying Lear Jets, cargo planes and military escort aircraft. He lived and traveled the world during his 30+ year career. Dennis is in the aerospace business doing quite well. We had a great time reminiscing and talking with the Engels. We made plans to get together with Sue and Chuck tomorrow for lunch. After we left them we went to the Pybus Market in town. This market is very nice with a meat and fish market, wine shop, a few restaurants, a local merchandise shop, a cheese shop and more. I guess during the weekends they have more vendors and it is very busy. We bought some cheese, a bottle of wine and Gail got a shirt. Then back to the park for the evening.

Aug 13, 2015
We joined Sue and Chuck at their home for coffee and pastries this morning. After a great visit and tour of Sue's beautiful home we went to lunch at their favorite Mexican Restaurant. More memories were visited. We told them we are planning on being in Chelan next month so they might come visit us then. After lunch we went back to the park for the afternoon and evening. Tomorrow it's home for about about a week and a half.