Jan 29 Tues Day 20 clear & sunny, warm

Sheila’s knee is slowly getting better so I won’t have to get her a walker after all. But I am laying down the law about when & where she can walk.  We spent the morning relaxing around the RV and went down to the pool/café area a bit before noon.  Sheila didn’t make it down in time to try the water Zumba class and I didn’t remind her about it or encourage her to get going to make it there.  She did play water volleyball but was smart & spent a lot of time just standing on one leg more or less so when she moved to get a ball she was always pushing off on her good leg.  After the game, (noon to 1PM), we went hot tubbing.  Talking to a resident in the hot tub they said that this year they have had a harsh winter with much colder temperatures.  A lot of day time highs are only in the mid & upper 60’sF (that’s around 18/19C I think). However 65F here feels a lot warmer than at home due to the much lower humidity, at home it feels cold & damp, here it is dry, the sun is usually out and it feels pleasant. We had a late lunch at Freddy’s café.  They make really good dishes; we had a chicken parmesan burger and a swiss mushroom burger with fried onions and some sweet potato fries, all of which we split.  We did our internet stuff and then back to the RV.  This eve we went to the TNT event at the hall.  TNT is Tuesday Night Talent and park residents perform.  They were quite entertaining; with the large number of people here they do have some talented ones.  There are over 700 full service sites and more than 200 sites in the dry camping area, (where we are).  After the show we went over to Les & Dorothy’s 5^th wheel for a game of Hand & Foot.  Les & I won but it was a very close game.

Jan 28 Mon Day 19 bright sun in AM then some cloud & shade in mid afternoon

Sheila’s knee still a bit sore so she continues to ice & wrap it. She went over about 11:30 to check out the Zoomba class for future reference; the ladies there said Sheila might like the water Zoomba as it is less stress. Sheila stayed at the RV to putter around to do cleaning etc jobs. I went to the noon water volleyball game followed by the mineral hot tub, sit in the sun and then home for lunch. We were low on water by now so we drove over to the dump station and water filler a couple 100 yards down the road.  Back at the RV we are making a fruit salad for supper with Les & Dorothy; he is BBQing some Moose steaks he has been marinating all day.  He said he has a nice thick one for me – my reputation precedes me – yaa!  After a nice supper in their rig we went down to the Rec Hall to play shuffleboard.  There were free tables so Les & I took on Sheila & Dorothy.  After the guys ignominious losses at Hand & Foot we had to win something!  We did, Les & I won both games.  Back to the RV by 9PM for the night.

Jan 27 Sun Day 18 Lots of sun, a little cloud warming nicely

Although we haven’t had a lot of hot sun the last 3 days, the weather has been quite mild.  It drops to around 12 or 14 C at night & warms fast when the sun comes up so we don’t need to start the furnace in the morning most days or maybe only run it for 5 mins.  After a leisurely start we packed our computer & the swim gear down to the pool area. Sheila doesn’t want to take chances and play in the pool so she sat in the sun writing a letter to a friend. After my volley ballgame I sat in the mineral hot tub then in the sun.  The hot mineral water does seem to be making my back feel better but who knows.  Sheila “discovered” that Freddy’s café has an afternoon special roasted pork loin dinner on Sundays, so that’s lunch/supper, (we had it about 2 PM).  We sat in Freddy’s working on the computer, (journal etc.), until the wind came up & it got quite cool, so we returned to the RV.  Sheila immediately iced her knee which had gotten quite sore from all the sitting she’d done.   Tonight was the Yodeler show. His name is Kerry Christensen and the show was great.  He plays accordion, (he has two), zither, & alpen horn.  He can also do a mouth trumpet that really sounds like a real trumpet, all this and he yodels in many styles. He was trained by his mother to sing opera and has a great voice range.  It was a great show, lots of variety.  We bought one of his many CD’s.

Jan 26 Day 17 overcast, sun breaking through, nice & warm for sitting outside.

I wandered down to the rec. hall where Les & Dorothy were seeing about the Hand & Foot game but it wasn’t on, no one showed up.  I came back to the RV to help Sheila load laundry and get gear for water volleyball at noon.  We had a good game, there were 9 a side so we got lots of good rallies, and Sheila made some great shots.  After we finished laundry we had a late nice lunch at Freddy’s Café. We each had a grilled veggie sandwich that was amazingly good.  Finally at home, Sheila went on the roof to clean off the solar panel & I refilled the generator gas tank. I ran gen for 2 or 3 hours till we went to the Sat. eve dance. The dance was advertised as a TOGA dance with music videos & special effects lights.  It was mostly fine but I definitely did not like the way they did the music videos in that they ran one into another with no pause or anything.  They played the videos on a large movie type screen but they were still hard to decipher.  All was going well until Sheila got too enthusiastic dancing with a group of ladies to some unknown, (to me), 60’s/70’s fast number about a guy called Rasputin.  She was trying to follow the dancing figure on the screen, (good ole Ras), and, in her own words: “suddenly felt a sharp pain in my left knee and my left leg collapsed under me.  I managed not to fall, (as that would have been very embarrassing), by shifting my weight to my right leg and grabbing for the front of the stage about 4 ft. away.”  She stood there for a few minutes until the pain mostly subsided, then motioned for me to come over and rescue her, which I did by ‘slow-dancing her off the floor.  Fortunately by then the music had changed to a slow shuffle so we weren’t too obvious.   I had to go get the car to ferry her back to the RV, (about the equivalent of a bit over a block’s walk uphill).  Back at the RV she is icing it and resting.  She thinks she may have re-strained it.

Jan 25 Day 16 overcast, clear for a while then clouds & showers but not cold

We went down for the noon water volleyball game, to check email & get produce. Played in the pool noon to 1:00 and then soaked in the mineral hot tub.  Sheila found it cool playing & was ducking underwater frequently.  The hot springs keep the pool nice & warm.   Then we bought tickets for the Yodeller show on Sunday, (he does several different styles – we didn’t even know there were different yodelling styles)!  Back at the RV and it started to lightly sprinkle, but rain here is different, the drops are quite widely spaced so you sometimes don’t notice it is actually raining.  We invited Les & Dorothy for dinner & made a Scampi Primavera using a Sidekicks noodle pkg as a base.   After supper we played Hand & Foot and the girls won - - again!! With the cloud cover I’m not getting a large charge from the solar panel, so I decided to run the generator so we could run lots of lights for supper prep, clean up & the game.  I started it around 2 or 3 & shut it down at 9 before it run out of gas.  Sheila said it rained hard around midnight and was still raining hard when she went to bed an hour later

Jan 24 Day 15 Overcast but warm

We went into the Spotlight 29 Casino for their Sunrise Special breakfast, ($2.29) then left the casino @ 9:55 @ 157182 for a gas stop at Food 4 Less and to hook up the car.  Into Food 4 Less gas @ 10:05 @ 157187, and out @ 10:20.  We arrived at Fountain of Youth RV Park by 11:20 @ 157254.  Les & Dorothy had a spot for us next door to them where we pulled in, space # 893, close to where we were last year, (899).  Then we drove down to the hot spa tubs for a soak in the mineral waters.  Tonight is the Pizza & Karaoke night down at Freddy’s café so we ordered our pizza, it comes with a salad & a drink.  We sat with Les & Dorothy, Leon & Mercy-(met them last year, they’re from  Oregon), and Ron & Ginger-(also, from Oregon). Some of the singing seemed quite good to me and some didn’t.  The highlight for Sheila was a man with a training in musical theatre who sang “Old Man River”.  We walked down to Freddy’s about 4:45 & were home about 7:30.  We then had a game of Hand & Foot with Les & Dorothy in their rig, (girls won), before returning home for the night by 10:15. 

Jan 23 Day 14 some cloud in AM, getting warmer, actually turned on A/C

Tried to get an early start & managed to pull out by 9:45 @ 156807 km.  Driving along a desolate Hwy 58 we passed a sign that said “California City, City Limits”, but there was         no sign of civilization as far as you could see over a flat desert.  Tis a mystery…  Just past Boron, (they have a 20 Mule Team museum there we will try to stop at one day), we headed south on Hwy 395 stopping at a Denny’s in Adelanto for lunch 12:10-1:15 pm.  Back on the road, we finally connected with Hwy 10 until we turned off at 2:05 pm for a Camping World store in Redlands only to discover it has closed, there’s just an empty building. We were back on Hwy 10 by 2:15.  We arrived at Spotlight 29 Casino at 3:30 @ 157182 km.  We unhooked the car & drove into Indio to a ‘Food 4 Less’ store then returned to the RV & walked into the Casino for the Mexican Night buffet supper.  They offered a $1.00 discount with our players card, so it was $8.90 each including beverage.  Sheila went to the ‘Cook-to-Order’ station & ordered Shrimp Fajitas.  She said they were really good—lots of plump, juicy shrimp.    After supper, Sheila was grumbling she’d missed the sign that said Margarita’s $2.00.  She stayed to play the machines, (draw poker), & I came back to the RV.  She came back excited because she’d finally won—only it wasn’t on the video poker machines.  She’d lost her money on them, but just as she was leaving, she decided to put a dollar in one of the slots she was passing & it paid her $25 on the very first bet!  She continued for 1 more bet, won another $4.00, then lost $2 & decided it was time to quit while she was ahead.

 Traveled 375 km – 233 mi

Jan 22 Day 13 Still sunny & warm, some cloud in late afternoon.

After donuts & coffee we took the RV up to the wash area.  Then, over to the propane tank to refill our tank.  It was down to ¼ full, it took 9 USG, (it was full when we left home).  We used a lot of propane running the furnace on low all night in the freezing overnight weather through WA & OR.  After a big lunch, we did more cleaning in the RV and then went over to nearby fruit outlet that had date shakes, and all sorts of dried fruit, oranges, candy, nuts, and snack items such as dried & seasoned vegetables, sesame sticks etc. They even had 2 juicers and supplied free oranges so you could make yourself a glass of fresh, squeezed orange juice.  We both sampled a few of the many goodies, and bought some before heading home for the evening.

Jan 21 Day 12 clear, sunny, warm to hot.

It’s R&R time. I went over to the office and got my free coffee and 2 donuts, (one for Sheila).  After a leisurely slow morning we took the car up to their washing area and cleaned it.  Then Sheila went out to find a finger nail place and get groceries while I did some odd jobs and general cleanup.  There is a recommended restaurant nearby that has a complete 16 oz T-bone steak dinner for $13.79; the 12 ounce rib eye is $13.99, 20 cents more for 4 oz less! We went for supper but I didn’t want to run amok and spend almost $14.00 for the 16 oz steak so I went for the Deep Dip Dinner, slow cooked deep pit(?) shredded beef with baked potato and, get this, fried cabbage.  I asked, and it, (the cabbage) is fried up with bacon and is delicious, all of this for $8.49!  Sheila splurged & had the Tri Tip Platter for $8.99.  At the prices down here I wonder why we pack any food at all in the RV.  Back home to watch Bones, Castle etc.

Jan 20 Day 11 clear & sunny, nice & warm

 

We pulled out of Santa Cruz Elks @ 156396 @ 10:25, Sheila driving.  We went south as far as Monterey but no more coast views.  We then headed towards Salinas and the hwy to Bakersfield.  Changed drivers 11:30, then a lunch stop 12:45 to 1:45.  I pulled into a Pilot station to get gas & try my Flying J/Pilot charge card.  The charge card worked great.  I just put it in, keyed in my control number, pumped gas and finished, no going into the station to set up a credit amount on the pump, then back in again to get the receipt, all the while often waiting in line at the cashier.  Also, I got 4 cents a gallon off with the card.   Into the gas station @ 3:25 @ 156717, out @ 3:35.  Off, down the road & into the Orange Grove RV Park at 156806 at 4:15.  We got settled into our spot amongst the orange trees.  We will stay here for 3 nights for R & R and to do little jobs that the good weather makes possible – wash car & RV, and little clean-up, fix-it jobs in & outside the RV. 

 

Traveled 410 km – 255 mi

Jan. 19 Day 10 - sunny, clear, very warm in the sun

We pulled out of the Fairgrounds RV Park @ 10:00 @ 156191km and into Costco for gas @ 10:10 @ 156193km, and out @ 10:20.  We reached the Golden Gate Bridge at 11:15. The toll has gone up since we were here several years ago, we count as 4 axels, toll $24.00!  We exited to Hwy 1 and drove over to the coast road.  It took about a half hour to get through the San Francisco suburbs to the water.  We drove past lots of colourful, row houses with ornate, wrought iron balconies, bay windows & gingerbread-decorated gables.  Once on the coast, it was a nice drive with views of surf crashing onto the beaches. We stopped at a pull-off for lunch in the RV 12:40- 1:35, then continued down the road, arriving at Ana Nuevo State Preserve, (where the Northern Elephant Seal Breeding grounds are), at 1:55 @ 156360 km. We took a guided 3 mi. walking tour down to the beach.  It was covered in Elephant seals, mostly females with small black pups, but there were some very large males,(bulls) lying around on the outside guarding their harems.  The bulls are huge—14-16 ft. long & almost 2½ tons, they dwarf the females who are only a mere 800-1600 lbs & 8-10 ft. long!  The females arrive here in early December and birth the pups they carried since last Dec.  The pups, 70 lbs. at birth, nurse on their mother’s very rich, (up to 55% fat), milk for about 28 days until they’re 250-300 lbs.  Then, their mother leaves them to learn to swim & fend for themselves and she returns to the ocean until moulting time—sometime between April & November.  Before she leaves, however, she mates with one or more bulls in order to get pregnant & repeat the cycle next year.

We spent lots of time observing them & trying to take photos--difficult because a lot of them were more than 50 yards away, & we were shooting into the sun.   We finally left the park at 6:00 pm and headed to the Elks in Santa Cruz, arriving at 6:30 @ 156396 km.  The Elks lodge was deserted—no one in sight, but Sheila found the box with the registration forms so we drove to the camping area which was deserted except for one RV.   We hooked up to the power & water, and then looked up “food” in the GPS.  It listed the Santa Cruz Diner less than a mile away.  It was a great place--the food was good, the servers friendly and it was cheap. We both had the Fisherman’s Platter with a white fish, shrimp, calamari, clam strips plus veggies, rice & an amazingly good clam chowder for $8.99 each.  We returned home for an early night.  We are both tired after all the walking involved in the seal tour.

Traveled 205 km – 127 mi

 Elephant Seals on the beach at Ano Nuevo State Preserve

Click on a picture to enlarge

Sheila & I at the viewing area

Jan 18 day 9 – A little fog off & on all day, cleared late in the afternoon, warm & sunny

We pulled out of Sea Bird RV Park, Brookings OR @ 155664 @ 10:10 am.  We crossed into California at 10:17. On Hwy 101 there were several road work stops of 5 to 10 minutes each.  Just before noon, we passed a roadside campground that had a herd of Elk wandering through it.  We stopped in Eureka at a mall for lunch @ 155841 @ 12:45 to 1:35.  Sheila drove until 3:30.  We wanted to stop in Santa Rosa for the night so we would be in a good position to cross the Golden Gate Bridge at, hopefully, slack traffic.  We drove after dark to find Sonoma County Fairgrounds RV Park which is a Passport America park – full services for $12.50.  We had problems finding it due to not being able to see exits in time in the dark.  We finally got in about 6:25 @ 156191, had a light supper & spent the evening doing the usual record-keeping—journal, expenses, activity etc. 

Traveled 527 km – 327 mi

Jan 17 day 8 – Clear & sunny morning & afternoon, fog rolling in by mid afternoon

Late start today, pulled out of Mill Casino 11:15 at 155433 km.  We took a turn to a scenic route but we took the wrong turn and ended up at a town called Coquille east of Hwy 101.  We left hwy 101 about noon, got to Coquille 12:20 @ 155501, so we did a lunch stop at their community park in the nice sun.  We pulled out at 1:15 and were back on Hwy 101 by 1:40 at 155528 km, so basically a 55 km off route trip.  We stopped at Cape Sebastion view point for 10 minutes and then off to Brookings, OR.  During the last hour of driving a fog bank rolled in and the temp really dropped, just like on the west coast of Vancouver Is.  We arrived at Brookings Fred Meyers by 3:40 pm. We got some groceries & I bought a phone card for our US Cell.  For $100.00 I got 365 more days of service, 400 minutes plus a deal for 250 more all of which doubled because I have a double minutes deal on the phone, (it came with it).  I’m good to March 2014 now with over 1000 minutes.  The next good deal was that by buying stuff at Fred Meyers I get gas discounts; I filled up & got 10 cents a gallon off.  Sheila phoned around to get us an RV park. It was quite foggy, visibility is low, and we need over 2 hours to get to our planned destination, so we will stay in Bookings tonight. We pulled out of Fred Meyer at 4:45 & into Sea Bird RV Park 5 minutes down the road at 155664.   

Traveled, (including wrong turn trip) 231 km – 144 mi

Jan. 16 day 7 – clear & sunny, ice on car window in AM, so still cold at night

We pulled out of Pleasant Valley RV Park @ 155178 @ 9:25, a real early start so we could stop at a favourite casino for breakfast.  We got to the Chinook Winds Casino by 10:20 @ 155234 just in time to have the breakfast buffet. They close at 11:00 to prepare for the lunch opening at 11:30 but as long as we loaded up a final plate by 11:00 we could stay & eat till 11:20, no problem at a buffet.  The Casino had a coming attractions sign up, a comic called Gabriel Inglesias plays in Feb. and the Beach Boys in March, tickets are $40 or $55--seems reasonable for good entertainment.  After breakfast Sheila played the video poker machines for a while and I figured out where we might make it to today.  We carried on down the Oregon Coast stopping at several viewpoints.  The weather was clear & sunny so, great views and photos.  We stopped at Depoe Bay (15 min), Seal Rocks (10 min), Smelt Sands (10 min), a lookout near the sea lion caves (10 min) where we saw dozens of large sea lions sunning, playing with each other in the water, and climbing rocks.  Into Florence for a gas stop @ 3:10 @ 155358 and also a Chai Tea Latte using Sheila’s Starbucks gift card.  Getting the Venti size for $4.00 and sharing is a great deal.  We were back on Hwy 101 heading south by 4:00. We pulled into The Mill Casino RV Park by 5:00 @ 155432. Sheila immediately went to the casino to get our player’s cards updated, check out deals & find about about this evening’s entertainment.  She came back & reported that there are no deals, & the entertainment tonight is two comedians. She then took  the   shuttle bus back to the casino  for the comedy entertainment shows tonight, while I am sorting out the journal, expenses, photos, and relaxing.  When back, she reported that, of the two comedians performing, B.J. Johnson was by far the best.  He was very animated, interacted with the audience well & was quite funny!  Andy Bradwin was not. 

Travelled 254 km – 158 mi

Jan. 15 day 6 - partial clearing, some sun, mild

Up & off to town about 10:30. First stop Tillamook Cheese Factory.  It is fun watching their assembly line with cheese arriving in large blocks--getting cut, sliced, wrapped in minutes, all on a fast-moving assembly line with a lot of people moving cheese blocks around from one belt to another.  Then, much tasting, followed by stocking up on cheese to take home.  Next stop was the Blue Heron French Cheese Factory, (no idea what the “French” has to do with anything.  There we sampled mustards, dips, jams & jellies, dressings, sauces and bought a bunch.  Then it’s off on a scenic drive out to Cape Mears Lighthouse, (now automated).  We walked down to some nice views out to sea and over Three Arches Rocks & other cliffs and Sheila walked up a hill to see ‘Octopus Tree’.  It was a very large, very old, (250 yrs.), Sitka Spruce tree that had no trunk.  Instead, it had 8 very thick branches (1½ – 5 ft) growing straight out of the ground. Then we drove back to town & off to the Tillamook Air Museum.  It is in a giant blimp hanger, built in 1942 of wood, (there was no aluminum or iron available because of the war.) It is 286 feet wide, 1072 feet long & 192 feet high.  It is the largest ‘clear-span’, (i.e. no supports) wooden structure ever built. During WW II it held 8 K-class blimps, each was 252 feet long. There were 2 identical hangers built, but one burnt down in the 1990’s.  Had lunch there & explored the exhibits & military aircraft.  Among others they had a MIG, several USAF carrier & land based planes (P38, P40, Corsair etc), Vietnam era jets, a DC3, an ME 109, & a Catalina. We explored for two hours before leaving at closing time.  Some things never change – I used to close out bars, now I close out museums!  Anyway, we headed back to the RV for the evening & to plan tomorrow’s destinations.

Jan 14 Day 5 overcast, slight periodic drizzle & milder

The gen ran out of gas at 7AM but it is milder now.  Into Fred Meyer Starbucks to split a morning Chai tea latte and phone repair shops.  We pulled out of Fred Meyer at 10.55 to Skipanon Marine & RV supply for them to investigate the problem while we went to Serendipity café for breakfast, (recommended by both Fred Meyer sales girl & RV repaire place).  We checked out Costco & got some stuff at a dollar store before returning to Skipanon where they had the RV fixed.  Turns out the control board had failed and they replaced it, all is well now.  We are back on the road heading south by 1:30.  We drove past Tillamook looking for an Elks campground but couldn’t find it so doubled back.. We came on a closed weigh station and ran the RV over it.  If I got the position right, the front axle was at 4200 lbs and the back at 9200, (rounded off).  The gas tank was full, with the equivalent of a full fresh tank split between 3 tanks, (blk, grey, fresh).  We pulled into Pleasant Valley RV Park, that is near the Tillamook aviation museum,  155178 km at 3:55 pm and are settled in for the night. 

Travelled 128 km – 80 miles

Jan 13 day 4 clear, sunny still cold

We got up to heavy frost & cold but were warm thanks to the furnace & electric heater on all night. Out of Kelso by 10:20 @ 154960.  Saw a municipal public dump site just before the Lewis & Clark Bridge but the RV dump valve is frozen, lost about 10 minutes. We arrived at the Maritime Museum at 11:40 @ 155042 and left when they closed. They didn’t have any food inside so we did have to go out to RV for our lunch. In the museum they had some great displays and it was well laid out.  On the entrance lobby wall was a map of the Columbia River mouth & Astoria harbour with models on locations some of the over 2000 ships wrecked since the 1800’s with their names. Some had a write-up on what happened, crew lost/saved, cargo etc. Since 1882 the Coast Guard station at the mouth of the Columbia River has rescued an average of 600 people a year! At the Coast Guard display, there was a retired USCG 44 ft cutter on display set to look as if it was going over a big (40 ft.) wave and also a video of some of the “44’s” in action, plus audio first-hand accounts by crew of what it was like being bounced around by huge waves & much, much more. It was fascinating!  We also learned why the waters at the mouth of the Columbia River are some of the roughest in the world.  Apparently  Columbia River water does not ‘glide’ out into the open ocean like many rivers—it rushes out and when it meets the incoming waves of the Pacific it causes 30 - 40 ft. waves, strong currents & lots of turbulence.  Combine that with a rocky shoreline and the result is lots & lots of shipwrecks over the years.  At one time, 1840’s–1920’s Astoria was called the ‘Salmon Capital of the World” because of the salmon, (mainly Chinook) caught & canned there. At one point there were 55 canneries in & near Astoria which produced almost a ½ million cases of canned salmon a year!  Due to over-fishing, pollution and the building of dams blocking the salmon spawning grounds, the salmon industry died in the 1930’s, but the Columbia River still remains a very important waterway for freighters supplying Portland.  Other interesting exhibits were the history of the steam sternwheelers, and the fur-trading & settlement of the area.  It is a very informative & interesting museum.

Finally finished the Museum and checked out a take-out fish & chip place called Bowrider recommended by one of the Elks members we met last night.  It’s set up in an old boat across the street but is closed Sundays. We left the Museum lot @ 5:20 pm.  We were at Fred Meyer’s by 5:25 @ 155050 km, with the gas gauge sitting on the middle of the big “E”.  I took almost 48 gallons which means I had about 50 miles in the tank at that point which matches a previous time I ran low so I now know how low I can go and have a 50 mile reserve.  We drove around to the back lot & were parked by 5:45.  Fred Meyer said they don’t give permission to park overnight but neither do they have you towed nor have security ask you to leave..  I set up the generator and we started on supper, but now the furnace comes on, runs a minute & shuts down, no heat comes out.  I have the gen running the electric heater and it is supposed to ONLY go down to 31F tonight, barely below freezing. We have the name of a local RV Repair shop thanks to Sheila talking to a Fred Meyer Customer service girl so that’s tomorrow’s first destination. I filled the gen tank late in the eve & left it running all night to power an electric heater.

Travelled 90 km

Jan 12 day 3 clear, sunny cold!

 

I had a bad night, stomach cramps & I had to take some Pepto Bismal, so didn’t get much restful sleep.  We managed to blow a circuit breaker at night so the electric heaters weren’t working, furnace was though.  I flipped the breaker when I found them and all is OK.  Due to my restless night I don’t feel too energetic so we couldn’t get organized for an early getaway, so we will head for the Elks Lodge in Kelso WA.  It is cold enough that I want power to run heaters and furnace long term.  It will be OK once we are on the coast as it is about 10 degrees “warmer”, lows in the mid 30’s F rather than several degrees below freezing.  We left Camping World @ 154653 @ 11:45 am.  Sheila drove while I lay down on the couch. Lunch stop around exit 94 @ 154871 in @ 2:10, out 3:10.  I drove the last hour.  We arrived Kelso Elks 4:15 @ 154960.   I took a nap & Sheila went into the lodge to pay.  She also hooked up the power, cable vision, and put the windshield cover on.  Feeling proud of herself, she then went into the lodge for a drink, ($4.00).  She says that they are extremely generous with the shots of alcohol—she was able to turn one drink into two by asking for extra mixer.  When she returned, she made us a light supper.  I am feeling better but not yet in top form.

 

Travelled 307 km – 190 mi,  Sheila drove almost 2½ hours

Jan 11 day 2 - clear, sunny, cold, (above freezing during the day, below at night)

 

We got the RV to Skagit Ford for 8AM then out for breakfast, they suggested the Curious Chef which turned out great, we had leftovers even.  Then Sheila went to the outlet mall OshKosh & Carter’s stores for clothing items for the pending arrival, then up to camping world to look around and back to Skagit Ford to wait for RV.  They have desks & WiFi in the waiting room.  Looks like we will have to find camp sites with electricity as the weather is going down into the freezing levels tonight & tomorrow.  Originally we would have been further down the Oregon coast where it is cold but above freezing at night.  The RV problem was the brake callipers jammed up and overheated and need to be replaced. Sheila is out doing her walking while I do internet & write the blog while we wait.  The RV was ready & we left Skagit Ford at 2:30 @ 154648 km.  It would be a 3 to 4 hour drive and through Seattle at rush hour so it’s Camping World for tonight.  One benefit is that we returned to Four Season Buffet for their lunch deal - $7.84 each and the spread was almost identical, all the shrimp, prawn, mussel, dishes they had at night. A marvellous place!  Out of the buffet lot by 3:35 and I arrived back at Camping World by 3:40 at 154653 km. Sheila went off shopping in the car and got home by 6:00.  We are too full for supper after the lunch buffet. I felt tired & out of sorts so turned in early.  It is cold, we have both electric heaters going as well as the furnace.

2013 Jan 10 Day 1 January to April snowbird trip Clear, sunny, cold
 

Finally away from home at 1:30PM at 154519 kms.  Near the border the steering wheel was pulling to the left and at a red light stop there was smoke coming from the front tire driver’s side.  The strong pull dissipated shortly and when I found a spot to pull over the tire seemed fine and there was no sign of any other problems, the brakes seemed to hold fine so we continued.  We were thru the border 2:20 to 2:25 pm.  Stopped at rest area for Sheila to walk as per Dr’s orders regarding her knee injury from skiing, (a short walk every 2 hours & not to sit in one position very long). Stopped 2:35-2:45. Arrived Camping World in Burlington at 3:25, @ 154626 kms.  They thought the problem may have been a brake caliper freezing up, but as they don’t do brakes on Class A or C’s they directed me to Skagit Ford just down the road.  They thought the same thing.  As it was now ½ hr to closing I booked the RV in for the morning & we went back to Camping World for the night.  They have 30 amp power so it’s all good for the cold night, (forecast is for a cpl degrees below freezing.  Back at 154639 kms at 4:10 pm.  We then drove the car into Burlington to get some fresh produce at Fred Meyer.  We stopped at the Four Seasons Buffet, it was a phenomenal spread for the, (tax & tip included) total of $25.55.  They had everything from sushi to Chinese to ribs, crab’s legs and lots of shrimp and mussel dishes, a great deal!  Sheila said it was the tastiest sushi she’s ever had!  Another dish she really liked was their ‘Walnut shrimp’.  She had some for dessert—it was that good! The address is 1216 S Burlington Blvd. Tomorrow we have to get up for an 8 AM appointment to inspect the front brakes so will turn in early tonight. We watched an old (1976) Carol Burnett show on the CD set I got for Sheila. It was great.

 

Traveled 107 kms – 66 miles