Winthrop, Wenatchee and Wallace

July 8, 2019
     We left Kent today heading to Winthrop for our annual trip to the Silverline resort. We arrived in Winthrop in the early afternoon so went to the Old School Brewery for lunch. This place has great food and beers.

When we were done we drove to the Silverline and got set up for our 5 night stay. The weather is supposed to be nice and warm for our stay. After getting set up I walked around visiting with friends we have met in previous visits here. I went fishing in Lake Pearrygin after dinner which I did every evening and before breakfast daily. These are two I caught the first night

  

11"

12"

After fishing we sat around the fire until it started raining pretty hard. It kept raining into the night.

     In the morning there was little sign of rain. I just did a little maintenance raking our site. Then we went for a drive to see if there were any other lakes I can fish in from the bank. None had beach access. When we were driving around we came upon a farm that had "art" in a field. Here are a few items.

Sneakers on Poles

Coffee Cups on Sticks

A Bunch of the Same Green Bottles

When we returned to the RV park we found that the artist/farmer is quite a recluse and won't allow anyone on his property.

     Wednesday after breakfast we took a drive to Lost River Winery Tasting Room. They make some very good wines and are very cordial. 

     From there we went to an antique store we like to visit. After looking around we found a piece of a farm implement that I think is a type of plow that we liked. Here it is on the house. We think it's pretty cool.

When we returned to the park we found that our friends from Richmond, BC and arrived. We met Derek and Colleen Edwards and their daughters Rachel and Paige several years ago and have become quite close. After they got set up we got together and reminisced over the past year.

     This is Thursday and the park was starting to fill up. In the afternoon we walked around watching the new campers pulling in and getting set up. it's going to be a busy weekend in the park. 

      After breakfast Friday we went into Winthrop to see how busy the town was. It was very busy. While we were in town we went into Sixknot Taphouse. We visited here last year and with an appetizer we had we discovered their stone ground mustard. It was terrific so we bought a small jar. We just ran out so we bought another.

      We met the Edwards family at the local cidery for lunch. The cidery has a great selection of ciders and brats. Then we all went back to the park which was almost full.. 

     Tomorrow we head for Wenatchee.

July 13 and 14

     We went to Wenatchee with a brief stop in Twisp to do laundry. We stayed at the Columbia River Confluence SP. This is a very nice state park. We are in Wenatchee to visit our dear friend and ex neighbor, Sue Engel. We had lunch with her and one of her sons, Dennis at her home. It was a great visit.

July 15, 2019

      We drove the 250 miles to Wallace, ID to spend the night because we didn't want to drive 480 miles to Helena. We walked around Wallace and visited the Oasis Bordello and museum. Interesting place. Then we went to a consignment/antique shop where we found a small wooden box we bought to add to our collection. For dinner we went to the City Limits Pub and Grub. This is a great stop for great food and beer at a great price.

Tomorrow we are on to the Helena area.

     

     

     

Washington Wine Country-Spring, 2019

May 28, 2019
     We hit the road this morning at about 10 heading for Chelan to spend three days as we usually do at this time of year.
     We arrive at Lakeshore RV Park at about 2:30. We got set up and were enjoying the mid 70's temperature. After dinner we were outside when the temp dropped about 15 degrees, a pretty good wind came up and it started raining. It rained hard for about an hour and continued lightly into the evening.
     In the morning after breakfast we headed out to do some wine tasting and enjoy a real nice sunny day. We had a coupon for dinner at Lake Chelan winery so we ate there again. I may have said this before, but I mean this, their Baby back rib meat sandwich, with fresh corn bread, cole slaw and fabulous baked beans are wonderful. Then it was back to the park for an enjoyable evening.
     After breakfast we took a walk into town, which we usually do. After lunch we visited a few wine tasting rooms and went back to the park and took a walk around the facility. They are installing underground sprinklers throughout so the grass was torn up in a lot of areas. It will be very nice in Sept when we return.

May 31,2019 
     This morning we headed out to Prosser with a stop in east Wenatchee for gas at Costco. When we arrived we went to lunch at Jeremy's Public House which is what we usually do when we are in Prosser. Jeremy's is for sale. The owners aren't in a hurry to sell and want it to stay as a restaurant. After lunch we stopped t a couple wineries and then went to the park. The weather in Prosser is in the mid 80's and is supposed to be through our stay.
     After a nice breakfast we went to Ace Hardware to pick up some maintenance items. After which we visited a few local businesses and went to Bern's Saloon for one of their great burger and fries lunches. We then went to a couple of wine and gift shops. Then back to the park where I went for a swim and we had a nice dinner.
     We stayed in the park for the morning today going out later to a couple tasting rooms and a great lunch at Wine O'Clock Bistro. Their pear and bacon is phenomenal. Then back to the park for a relaxing evening.

June 3, 2019
     Today we had about a 47 mile drive to Columbia Sun RV Resort in Kennewick. We've stayed here before and it is a very nice park. When we arrived we just hung around the park for the day.
     The last time we were here we discovered The Country Mercantile. It is a very nice store that bakes their own bread, makes their own candies, salsas and has a great deli. We had lunch and bought a few things. From there we visited a couple tasting rooms and returned to the park. It was very warm so I went for a swim.
     After breakfast we visited the local visitor's info center to gather maps and brochures. From there we went to an old mall and checked out a couple of antique/consignment stores. We also found a Spuds Donut Shop which we hadn't seen in our area for decades. Yes, we did purchase a couple of cinnamon rolls. After visiting two tasting rooms we went to Anthony's Home Port for a happy hour late lunch. Then back to the park for the evening and prep for the drive home tomorrow.

We had a pretty good rain squall at about dusk.

   

       But it was followed by a great rainbow. A  nice ending to our trip.

      We hit the road at about 9:30 for our drive home. We are home until July 8 so I'll have plenty of time to get the deck worked on and painted. Thanks for tuning in.

Palm Springs and Phoenix-2019

Feb, 18, 2019
     It's finally here. Time to head South to get away from the white Winter we are having. We left at about 9:30 AM to Canyonville, OR about 380 miles South. It was snowing lightly when we left and was off and on during the drive. We got set up before dark, which is always a good thing. When we used the new toilet, water sprayed out of the spray handle. I put the sprayer in a bucket as a temporary fix. We also noticed the stair going out the front door was not working properly. There was nothing we could do about these issues so we went to 7 Feathers Casino for dinner and some mild gambling, then back to the park for the night.

Feb 19, 2019
     We are driving to Winters, CA, about 375 miles for another one night stay. En route we stopped at an RV dealer near Grants Pass and bought a replacement for the broken step for me to install later. Then we stopped at Home Depot  and picked up some parts to repair the sprayer. We arrived at Canyon Creek RV Park in Winters, CA after dark and the office was closed. I was able to find the security guy so he could let us in for the night.

Feb 20, 2019
     The office at the park didn't open until 10 AM so I set to replacing the step on the trailer. We then checked out and headed to Bakersfield, Orange Grove RV Park, about 310 miles. It was raining and cold at the park so we spent the evening having dinner and watching TV. Tomorrow snow is forecast for the high desert area of CA so we have to decide which route to take to Palm Springs.

Feb 21, 2019
     In the morning I went to the office to ask about the road conditions heading South. The lady said the pass over the high desert was closed so we decided to go to I-5 and the Grapevine. Prior to leaving I walked to the orange orchard area of the park and gathered about a dozen fresh oranges.
     When we left the park it was raining hard all the way to the Grapevine and beginning up the hill. As we gained elevation the rain turned to snow. The speed was about 35-40. At the top of the Grapevine the temp was 29, snowing hard. We didn't see any other RVs going South up the pass. After reaching the summit the North bound traffic was being directed off the freeway by CHP. When we reached the Pasadena area the temp was 60 but 10 minutes later it had dropped to 36 and snowing hard again. WHAT THE HECK!!!
     We arrived at our RV park in Desert Hot Springs at about 4 PM in the rain. I noticed that the left rear trailer tire was going flat as I was going to check in. By the time we got to our site the tire was flat so I had to change it and put on the spare before setting up. The only consolation is that it is supposed to get warmer for the remainder of our stay. It was a grueling 225 mile drive. We called our friends Teddi and Dave and made plans to go to Happy Hour and dinner. What a great way to end the trip South.

Feb 22- 28, 2019
On Friday I took our flat tire to a Discount Tire Store near the park. After evaluating the wear on the tire and the the other tires we decided to get four new ones. We'll have this done the day we leave the area. The remainder of our stay was spent visiting friends from our past and those made on our visits to this area.      On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I played a total of 8 hours of water volleyball. That's a good way to realize how old I am. Cool cloud formation near Palm Springs

      On Tuesday, 2/26, we went to Sherral and Gary Lane's home in Bermuda Dunes for a cocktail party. Gail and I went to school with Sherral. Our friends Dave and Teddi were there as well as 6 other people we went to HS with. What a great gathering. Sherral asked if we want to do it again next year. We all agreed to it so she in going to reach out to all other HS friends she knows spend time in the Palm Springs area and make it a mini reunion.
     About mid week the wind kicked up in Desert Hot Springs area most afternoons but it wasn't as bad in PS, Palm Springs. Gail and I went into PS a couple of times to walk the town. There is a lot of growth in the area. Some of the smaller boutique shops are having a rough go of it and are moving out but overall the community is prospering.
     The last night we were in town we went to Teddi and Dave's home for dinner. When we we driving to our park the wind was blowing so hard I had to slow to about 20 because of blowing sand obscuring my vision. A few days later they had to close some of the street because if high winds.

Mar 1- 6, 2019
     We had an appointment to have new tires installed on the trailer at 10 so we went to that and headed to Surprise, AZ, about 290 miles. After getting set up in Sunflower RV Park we called our friends Greg and Donna Wozny to go out for dinner. It is always fun to see them.
     On Saturday we met up with cousin Lance and his family at Top Golf in Glendale. It was a fun experience. We then went to lunch nearby at a new burger place called Cold Beers and Cheeseburgers. Its a nice place.
     I played golf with Greg a couple times during our stay. We all went to Wild Horse West again for about the best burger ever.
     We all took a long drive one day to Goldfield Ghost Town near Apache Junction. It was kind of interesting but not what we expected. We then tried to find a place for lunch in Apache Junction to no avail. We ended going to a casino near Phoenix and had a very good lunch.
     We had dinner at Greg and Donna's home our last night in town.

Mar 7-11, 2019
     The drive home. One night in San Bernardino and the same named RV park. Not going back there again. 319 miles.
     One night at The Lakes RV and Golf. We've stayed there before. Nice and free golf if you get there early enough to play before dark. 313 miles.
     One night in Yreka at Waiiaka RV Park. Nice little park with fresh popcorn. Dinner from a good Round Table Pizza. It was cold and snowy during the night. We noticed there was some water in the trailer from outside via a leak. Needs some time in the shop when we get home.
     En route to Woodburn, OR over the Syskiyous it snowed real hard causing us to miss our exit to All Star Liquor. It was a 5 mile mistake but no problem. 310 miles to Woodburn.
     Home Sweet Home. 194 miles.. 3700.4 total miles