Category Archives: Scooter

Southbound from South Bend

We left South Bend, Washington yesterday. Our place by the river was really nice, but we had reservations at the Portland Fairview RV Park in Portland, Oregon.

Selfie by the river

It was very quiet overnight, but it seemed like everyone was heading out of town to work at 6am. The road noise was constant and I couldn’t sleep.

The clouds formed a low ceiling over the river. It was almost a fog bank, but it was more than a hundred feet above the river. We were a little out of sync, but we made our goal of departing by 9:30am.

Low clouds over the river

Our route took us west on US101 to Willapa Bay where the road turned south. We turned east on WA4 and followed the two-lane highway to Longview, where we hit I-5 south. Highway 4 is a narrow two-lane road with a surface that dips and undulates constantly. It seemed like the roadbed wasn’t properly prepared and the road sank in areas. This made it an uncomfortable ride. The narrow shoulder and lack of rest areas gave me no choice but to press on.

By the time I found a rest area on I-5, I had been driving for two and half hours. This is not my usual habit. I like to take a comfort break after an hour and a half or so and stretch my legs.

Traffic volumes were building as we approached Vancouver, Washington. There was road construction and signs warning of a lane closure ahead. People ignored the signs and zoomed along in the left lane, trying to gain some kind of advantage until they came to the barrier blocking the lane. Then they would come to stop and slice their way between cars in the open lane on the right, bringing everyone’s progress to a halt. It’s idiotic, but typical. A tractor-trailer rig about 100 yards behind us straddled the line, blocking the left lane. This forced the left-lane drivers to merge behind him. This quickly cleared the jam ahead of us and we were on our way again.

We crossed the Columbia River on I-205, then headed east on I-84 and found the Fairview RV Park on Sandy Boulevard. Check-in was very efficient and we moved into site 99 in a matter of minutes after our arrival.

Fairview RV Park – site 99

This RV park is large, clean and very well-maintained. Amenities include a swimming pool and exercise facility.

The Alpine Coach Association has a rally scheduled here beginning August 7th. We decided to attend the rally and registered for it in March. Then we decided to arrive a week early to see Portland and visit friends in the area. So I made a reservation for our early arrival here at the same time.

After I set up and dumped our holding tanks, I noticed the placard they gave us at the office showed a departure date of August 7th. I walked back to the office and told them we were staying for the rally through the 11th. They looked up my reservation and said it was two different bookings. I would be in a different site for the rally. I showed them an e-mail on my smart phone where I asked to stay in one site for the duration and their reply to my e-mail assuring me that would not be a problem.

It didn’t make any difference. At the end of next week, we’ll have to pack everything up and move a few hundred feet to a different site. This is very annoying. To move a few hundred feet is no different than moving few hundred miles. Everything has to be secured and slides brought in. Then we have to set everything up all over again.

Our set-up

I took the scooter out in the afternoon to reconnoiter the area. There’s plenty of shopping nearby in Troutdale. Donna and I also looked at maps of bicycle paths. They consist of roads with bike lanes interspersed with dedicated paved bike trails. We could ride all the way to downtown Portland from here.

Last night I grilled salmon with miso rub on a cedar plank. Donna served it over sauteed spinach with fresh white corn on the cob and garlic-smashed red potatoes.

Cedar planked salmon with miso rub

The salmon looks undercooked in the photo, but it was actually grilled perfectly.

Delicious dinner

Today I think we’ll look for a farmers’ market and kick around the area.

Friends and Family Time

Monday started off with a heavy overcast sky. While I caught up on the RV blogs I follow, Donna went for a walk. She started out on West Lake Goodwin Road and followed it south all the way to the end of the lake. At the south end of the lake, the road curves back and becomes East Lake Goodwin Road. She made a loop of the entire lake, a distance of just under six miles in about 90 minutes. Donna said the distance wasn’t bad, but the rolling hills made it challenging.

While Donna was out walking, the temperature rose to the upper 60s. The humidity made it feel sticky and much warmer.

Alana and the girls (Gabi, Lainey and Andrea) came over around midday. Alana brought lunch fixings. We sat at the picnic table and made sandwiches with sliced deli turkey meat and cheese on hoagie rolls. After lunch, the sky cleared. It was partly cloudy and the temperature rose to the lower 70s – not such bad weather after all! We spent the afternoon outdoors.

Donna had a pork tenderloin in the slow cooker all day with a barbeque sauce. So for dinner, we had BBQ pulled pork with grilled potatoes, peppers and onions and homemade corn muffins. We all sat together at the picnic table and enjoyed good food, good company and pleasant weather.

Andrea, Lainey and Alana on the left, Gabi and Donna on the right

Pulled pork plate

Yesterday, I was out of bed by 8am. Once again, the skies were overcast. I had a 10am appointment at Adventure Powersports in Monroe, to replace the rear tire on our scooter. After 5,400 miles, the original rear tire was knackered.

The ride to Monroe was a little over 30 miles from Lake Goodwin. The route I took made it a 50-minute ride. I rode through a couple of light rain showers on the way.

While the work was being done, I phoned my friend, Dan Wolanski. Dan lives a few miles away from the Adventure Powersports shop. He invited me to come to his place around noon. Dan and I spent a lot of time together in the ’90s. We were flying partners. We practiced flying aerobatic routines with giant-scale radio-controlled airplanes. Although we were both sponsored by Futaba and were close friends, we competed against each other.

Dan has a mechanical engineering degree from Michigan State University. He and his wife, Jen, moved to the Seattle area and Dan went to work for Boeing. Today, Dan owns a company called Mag-Knight. Back in the day, Mag-Knight produced magnetic motorcycle tank bras through a proprietary, patented process. Dan worked from a shop behind his home. We also built our giant-scale airplanes in his shop. He built up the Mag-Knight business and eventually left Boeing.

It’s been at least 10 years since I last saw Dan. In that time, he built a new house about a mile away from where he used to live. He also built a larger workshop behind his new house.

The Wolanski’s new 4,200-square-foot home

Although the Mag-Knight company still makes magnetic tank bras, the business diversified into die cutting and laser cutting. This is where the bulk of the business is today. Dan has several contracts as a supplier to major corporations. One of the products he manufactures is a ceramic fiber seal used in fuel cells. Ceramic fiber is heat-resistant and replaces asbestos in many applications.

Workshop behind Dan’s house

The die-cutting machines Dan uses were sourced from China. He told me the machines work well mechanically, but the software isn’t the best. It’s an area he’s put a lot of time into. He also bought a laser cutting machine. To learn its capabilities and shortcomings, he made a few hobby projects. One project was a model of the Seattle Space Needle. Another, more complicated model is a Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel has an electric motor operating a ring-and-pinion gear cut from plywood!

Seven-foot-tall model Ferris wheel laser cut from plywood

Like me, Dan eventually burned out on the radio-controlled aerobatic competition circuit. He hasn’t flown an RC airplane in years. He still has a passion for airplanes and flying though. He earned his pilot’s license and bought a Cessna several years ago – I think it was a 172. Since then, he’s become instrument-rated and replaced the Cessna with a speedy Cirrus SR-22. He flies regularly out of Harvey Field in Snohomish.

After catching up with Dan for an hour and a half, it was time to hit the road. I considered riding to Snohomish, where Alana, Donna and Gabi were poking around in the shops. It started to rain as I donned my helmet, so I decided to high-tail it home.

Alana, Donna and Gabi came home around 4pm. I drove Alana to her mother LuAnn’s house and brought her car back to the park. The plan was for us to come over for dinner at LuAnn’s at 6pm.

LuAnn’s husband, Jerry, is retired from the US Forest Service. During fire season, he’s often called back under contract to work as an administrator at wild fire sites. So far, this has been one of the worst fire seasons on record in the Northwest. Jerry is working at a fire site in Oregon. It was his birthday, so we raised a toast to him in absentia.

We enjoyed cocktails on the back patio as the rain showers had moved on early in the afternoon and the sun came out. LuAnn grilled alder-planked sockeye salmon and roasted a medley of fresh vegetables, many from her garden, as well as the bunch of garlic spears we bought at Pike Place. Donna also brought a couple of bottles of wine and a freshly baked marion berry pie she picked up earlier in the day from a bakery in Snohomish.

Dinner served buffet-style

It was a very enjoyable evening. We had after-dinner drinks and talked well past 9pm before we headed back to the RV park with Gabi in tow. Gabi spent the night with us on the fold-out queen-size hide-a-bed.

This morning we woke to the sound of heavy rain and a couple of thunder claps. The forecast calls for a rainy day. It looks to be an indoors kind of day.

The Long Way Home

Yesterday was our first full day at the Lake Goodwin RV Resort in Stanwood, Washington. It was another great day weatherwise with blue skies and temperature above average. The thermometer hit 83 degrees here.

Our granddaughter, Gabi, stayed with us overnight. We all slept in and didn’t get out of bed until 9am. I haven’t slept that late in awhile. It felt good.

After breakfast, Donna and Gabi went for hike through the county park next to the RV park. I unloaded the scooter from our trailer. Donna needed a few fresh vegetables, so I rode the scooter to the Fred Meyer store in Marysville. Donna sent me a text saying they had seen deer near the road and to be careful riding in the area.

Deer on the roadside

The ride to the Fred Meyer store was longer than I thought it would be. The long ride included a section of road construction choking traffic on Smokey Point Boulevard down to one lane. On my way back, I decided to skirt the construction by taking a shortcut across 136th Street to 140th Street NW.

Many of the roads around here are dead ends because of the lakes. As I traveled west on 140th Street, I was trying to remember which avenue would take me to Lake Goodwin Road. I should have turned north at 46th Avenue, but I missed the turn. My shortcut took me all the way out to Kayak Point, then up Marine Drive to Lakewood Road, west of Lake Martha. This was a long loop.

That’s how shortcuts can be sometimes. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be a shortcut. It would just be “the way.”

It was 2pm by the time I returned from my quick run to the store. I had a late lunch and then I joined Donna and Gabi at the end of the swimming dock in the lake.

RV resort swimming dock

The dock extends well into the lake, but the water is only about four feet deep at the end of the dock. I lowered myself into the lake to join them, but I was surprised by the lake temperature. The water was cold. I didn’t understand how Donna and Gabi spent hours in the lake. After a few minutes, I had all the fun I could stand and got out.

The lake covers about 535 acres and is popular for swimming, fishing and watercraft. There are several lakes here in the northwest sector of Snohomish County.

Boats near the park dock on Lake Goodwin

Private docks and residences

Yesterday, our neighbors pulled out of the park. We had open sites on both sides. That didn’t last long though. New neighbors moved in. Our new neighbors to the west of us told Donna how they are having trouble finding a place to stay for a few weeks. They are from Tucson and own some kind of shop here. The shop flooded and they need to stay for a few weeks to repair it. They will be here in the RV park for a week and then they need to find another place to stay.

I’m still wondering why the park management won’t allow my cargo trailer to be in my site. I guess they think that cargo trailers will be an eyesore and degrade the park. I took a walk around and snapped a couple of photos yesterday. There are a few sites with rigs that have been here for a long time. If the management is concerned about eyesores, they should be looking at these sites and not worrying about a cargo trailer.

I wonder when this rig set up here

This looks scary – propane and extension cords

Having the trailer in the storage yard is a minor inconvenience. I’ll get over it.

Last night, Alana and her daughter, Lainey, and their “adopted” friend Andrea joined Donna, Gabi and me for dinner. Donna made her famous blackened tilapia fish tacos. For desert, we had black bean brownies. After dinner, the girls played a few rounds of Scattergories at the picnic table.

My daughter, Alana, has today and tomorrow off from work. We’ll get together with her and the girls and enjoy the lake.

Last Ride in CdA

The long weekend wound down for most people yesterday. The RV park was half empty once again by late morning. Donna went out for a bike ride around 10am. She rode out the Centennial Trail to Liberty Lake in Washington State. I didn’t get on my bike until 11am and it was quite warm by then.

I did the usual route down the Prairie Trail to Coeur d’Alene City Park. Along the way, there was an American Legion baseball tournament in progress next to the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Center. I stopped and watched for a few minutes, then continued on my way.

When I reached the Spokane River, I was struck by the number of boats on the water. Boat traffic was lined up, heading downriver to the lake.

Boat traffic on the Spokane River

It seemed that everyone wanted to get one last boat cruise in for the weekend. The weather was great for boating with the temperature reaching the 90s.

When I reached City Park, all the hustle and bustle of the Fourth of July was gone. It was like the energy had been sapped out. Even the beach crowd seemed sparse in comparison to Friday’s throng of people. I stopped and reflected for a moment on how lucky I am. Sunday no longer leads into the beginning of another work week for me. At the RV park, the City Park and beach, I had the sense of everyone gathering themselves up for a return back to their workaday lives.

I didn’t ride back on the trail, choosing instead to ride up Government Way. I saw an interesting sign in front of a barber shop.

Great idea!

I don’t need a barber, but if I did, I know where I would go!

Donna came home from her ride shortly after I returned. Her route covered about 40 miles. I had changed her pedals – she wanted to go back the SPD pedal and cleat system that she used years ago. The SPD-style cleats and shoes are easier to walk in and Donna finds them easier and faster to clip into. The soles are also grippier and give her a more secure feeling when she has to stop and put her foot down. And her new shoes are more ventilated for summer riding. She’s happy with the change from Shimano cleats to the SPDs.

Later, I rode the scooter over to a self-serve car wash and cleaned it up. It was dirty from all the rain we’ve had since we arrived in Coeur d’Alene. Then Donna took the scooter over to the mall and shopped for clothing.

Kymco Downtown 300i all clean again

We finished the day off with the last two episodes from season two of Longmire.

Today, I have much to do. I need to replace the accessory solenoid again. The replacement solenoid I bought at NAPA is sticking. I checked voltages – it appears to be a mechanical problem in the solenoid. The trigger voltage is good and a light tap on the case activates the solenoid once it’s energized. These solenoids are manufactured in China these days. Apparently their quality control leaves something to be desired.

I bought a new Cole-Hersee solenoid, made in the USA. We’ll see how that works out. The Cole-Hersee product was actually a few bucks cheaper than the Chinese NAPA solenoid.

I’ll repack the trailer and load the scooter this afternoon. I need to clean the glass on the coach. It’s dirty from the rain. I’ll check all of the tire pressures, of course. All of this is in preparation for an earlier than usual departure tomorrow.

We have an appointment at Aubrey’s RV Center near Yakima, Washington at 2pm tomorrow. We haven’t addressed our living room slide-out issue yet. I wanted to take it to someone that’s familiar with Alpine Coach. Aubrey’s is located near the the plant where Western RV built Alpine Coaches. When Western RV went out of business, Aubrey’s bought most of their inventory of spare parts. So Aubrey’s is familiar with Alpine Coach and they have parts on hand.

I have no idea what the work will entail or how long it will take. We’ll have to roll with it as it comes. I won’t post tomorrow as I will be busy dumping and flushing tanks and breaking camp for a 9am departure. Hopefully, I can report good news and repair success in a couple of days.

Food and Brew

The temperature in Coeur d’Alene has been above average for several days. Yesterday was no exception. The high was in the mid-80s and I think the humidity was above 50%.

When Donna was at the salon on Thursday, her hair stylist told her about the Kootenai County Farmers’ Market in Hayden. It sounded good, so I looked it up. It wasn’t as far away as I thought – only a few miles up the road at the intersection of US95 and Prairie Avenue. Speaking of Donna’s hair stylist, here’s a photo of Donna’s new look.

Donna’s new hairdo

We rode the scooter and found the farmers’ market. It was set on the corner, shaded by mature trees. The vendor booths were wooden structures, all painted and well maintained. It was clean and inviting – a nice marketplace.

Entrance to the farmers’ market

Vendor booths

We wandered around and we sampled some of the food offered. I bought some aebelskiver, which are Danish pancake balls, with huckleberry topping and whipped cream. I’d never had them before. It was a delightful snack.

There was a stage with live music in the center of the market. Two guys with guitars played a wide variety of music, mostly classic rock. They were pretty good.

These guys were good

We bought a few items. Donna bought blue cheese and a jar of marinated labneh (pronounced LOB-in-ah) made from raw milk at a local farm. We sampled the labneh – it’s great on crackers. It’s made from Greek yogurt which is strained to remove the whey. It has a sharp, slightly sour flavor.

Locally made marinated labneh

I also bought spicy hot dilly beans. They will be great in a bloody Mary! From the same place, we bought a jar of honey maple dressing and marinade. We sampled it on a small cup of salad. It makes a great salad dressing, but I think it will be really good as a meat marinade for grilling. Donna also bought some baby bok choy and garlic scapes.

On the way home, Donna spotted a brewpub less than a mile from the park. We didn’t know about this place before. We always headed south into town and hadn’t ventured north.

Later, we went back and checked out Paragon Brewing. It’s a British inspired pub, serving traditional British pub plates and beers brewed in the northwest. It opened in May of this year, so it’s only been open for two months. Maybe that’s why no one mentioned this place to us. The brewery is under construction. They won’t have their own beer on tap until some time in the fall.

Donna had a pint of McCall’s lemon/ginger hefe brewed in McCall, Idaho. I tried an IPA from Worthy Brewing in Bend, Oregon. Both beers were a treat. Donna said the hefe was refreshing. The Worthy IPA was well-balanced with no over-the-top hoppiness. We ordered food while we sat at the bar and chatted with the bar maid.

I had fish and chips. The key to good fish and chips is the batter. The batter they make at Paragon does the job well. It’s light, but tough, not flaky. It came with aioli mayo for dipping.

Fish and chips with aioli mayo

Donna ordered a traditional British meal called bangers. Bangers are British sausages often served with mashed potatoes. Donna’s bangers were served with a beer glaze and potatoes gallette made with layer upon layer of thinly sliced potatoes, baked as a pie. Her plate also included a tasty side dish of polenta.

Bangers plate

The service was great – it’s a really friendly place. Very clean, good beer selection and excellent pub food. I’d give it five stars on a scale of five. When they get their own fresh brew on tap, it can only get better.

Today, the temperature is likely to reach 90 degrees. Donna is going out for a long bike ride. I plan to ride down to the park again. I’m starting to think about the road ahead. We’ll leave here early Tuesday morning.

Independence Day

The past few days have been busy here at Tamarack RV Park. By Wednesday, most of the campers who had come for the Ironman Triathlon departed and the RV park was about half empty. On Thursday, the long weekenders started arriving for the Fourth of July weekend. By Friday, the park was full again.

We had a busy day on Thursday. I scootered Donna downtown to the 5th Avenue Hair Salon (strangely named, as it’s actually on 5th Street) for her 10am appointment. Most of the streets along Sherman Avenue were closed for a kids’ parade. I was able to sneak past a barrier or two and drop her off.

I came home and posted to the blog, then read for awhile. I was expecting to receive a text from Donna around 11:30 or so, telling me she was ready to be picked up. It was almost noon when she sent me a message saying it would be another 60 to 90 minutes! Then she wrote, “Be prepared for a new look.” What?

I rode downtown at 12:30pm and kicked around. The streets were open again – the parade was finished. I parked the scooter in the alley next to the salon and walked across the street to look at the menu at a restaurant called Scratch. Donna finally emerged from the salon a little past 1pm sporting a new, short hairdo. I can’t believe I neglected to take a picture as she came out of the salon.

We had lunch at Scratch. I had the babyback ribs. Donna opted for the half sandwich – turkey pannini – with tomato basil soup and spinach salad. We agreed it wasn’t really up to scratch. I rate it no more than a three on a scale of five. I had some of the ribs left over and had it boxed to go. I forgot it on the table and didn’t bother to go back to retrieve them.

We stopped at a used book store on the way home and browsed. I bought a couple of books. It was well after 2pm by the time we returned home. I did a little fine-tuning on the Excel Workbook I put together to track my expenditures versus budget.

We rode the scooter down to the Riverstone Center to check out the farmers market that Donna’s hair stylist had mentioned. It turned out to be more of a carnival type midway than a farmers market. There were food vendors, crafts and other local products for sale. We only saw one produce stand. We bought some peaches that were brought up from Wapato, Washington. We’ll be heading in that direction next week.

Later, we scootered over to Fred Meyer for some groceries. Fred Meyer is a chain of superstores in the northwest. It’s a lot like a Super WalMart, but better staffed and provides better service. The row of cash registers have cashiers waiting to serve you. That’s one thing that peeves me at Walmart – a row of 20 cash registers but only three are open at any given time! I like shopping at Fred Meyer.

On Thursday, Donna marinated shrimp with fresh herbs and olive oil and then skewered them with zucchini and tomatoes and I grilled them for dinner. They were excellent served over brown rice.

Shrimp skewers with zucchini and tomato

Yesterday was Independence Day. The RV park was full. Lots of families with small children moved in for the long weekend. Kids were biking throughout the park.

Donna went out for bike ride in the morning. She rode out the Prairie Trail to the end and then backtracked to take the Centennial Trail to Post Falls and back. Before she returned, I went out on my mountain bike around noon. Our paths crossed at the intersection of highway 95 and Kathleen Avenue, about a mile or so from the park. Donna continued home while I rode the bike trail downtown.

I’ve been riding my mountain bike instead of my road bike because of my neck injury. The mountain bike keeps me more upright and puts less stress on my neck and shoulder. The mountain bike is less aerodynamic and has more rolling resistance than a good road bike. This makes it slower. When Donna and I ride on the road together, I’m pushing hard to maintain 12 or 13 miles an hour on the mountain bike while she’s just cruising along at a pace that’s slower than she usually rides. That’s why we haven’t been riding together much since we left San Diego.

The ride downtown was into a headwind. The upright position on the mountain bike makes riding into the wind a real chore. Once I reached the Spokane River, I was somewhat shielded from the wind. Traffic on the trail quickly picked up and the beach areas were crowded. People were out in force to celebrate the fourth.

When I reached City Park, the place had been transformed. It was busy last weekend, but nothing like this. People had canopies and tents on the grass and along the beach. Grills were everywhere along with coolers and blankets.

City Park

I rode to the corner of Northwest Boulevard and Sherman Street. The Fourth of July parade was coming around the corner and the streets were lined with people.

4th of July parade

The day was warm – well into the 80s. People were enjoying the lake. Kids were jumping from the boardwalk linking the park with the boat dock.

Kids jumping into the lake

In the park, there was a food court set up along one of the paved paths. All of the food vendors I’d seen the night before at Riverstone were there.

Food court at City Park

There was much activity in the park and on the lake. I saw the Brooks seaplane heading out for a tour while speedboats, canoes and para-sailers filled the same frame.

Much activity at the lake

The ride home was much easier, as I had the wind at my back. I saw the barge we watched heading downriver on Wednesday. It was anchored in the lake with a paddlewheel river boat tied up to it. I don’t know what was up with that.

River boat tied up to the barge

Last night we had grilled chicken with cilantro-lime butter. I also grilled green beans and Donna baked a sweet potato to serve with it. The cilantro-lime butter recipe is a keeper for sure. Donna says it will be good on fish as well. And it’s simple to make.

Recipe for Grilled Chicken with Cilantro-Lime Butter

In a small bowl, mash 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened) with 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, 1/4 teaspoon of Green Tabasco sauce and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix until smooth. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the butter onto a piece of plastic wrap and twist the plastic to shape the butter into a short log. Refrigerate until firm enough to slice – about 20 to 25 minutes. Marinate thin chicken breasts (or butterflied breasts) for 15 minutes at room temperature in 2 tablespoons lime juice, one tablespoon olive oil and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Grill chicken and serve with a few thin slices of the cilantro-lime butter on top.

Grilled chicken with cilantro-lime butter

We hung out in the park last night. Neither of us were inclined to go to the lake for the fireworks show. We had a full day of celebrating the independence of our nation.

Looking For Shade

As expected, the temperature reached the 90s yesterday. Around noon, Donna and I rode the scooter down to the lake. We enjoyed a ride along East Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive. We rode all the way to the turnaround at Higgins Point, near the east end of the lake.

View from Higgins Point

We explored and found a couple of boat ramps, but we didn’t linger in the area. We rode back into town and parked near the Visitor Center. We walked to City Park and found a bench. There weren’t any benches available in shady areas – the beach area was crowded. Sitting in the sun wasn’t comfortable and Donna wanted to find a place that wasn’t as crowded so she could go for a swim.

We walked back to the scooter and rode through North Idaho College to River Avenue. We found a beach with shade and fewer people, near the mouth of the Spokane River. Donna went for a swim to cool off. I relaxed in the shade.

Before we left, a tug boat called Kelly Ann pushed a barge loaded with construction equipment down the river. I wonder where it was going?

Tug boat and barge

We had been out for a couple of hours and I was hungry, so we left and headed back. On the way we stopped at a Mexican place called Atilano’s on East Best Avenue. Our friends, Allen and Crystal Hutchinson recommended the place. The strange thing about this is place is their sign. It proclaims to serve San Diego’s best burrito! I meant to ask the guy at the counter about that, but I forgot to. I had the pollo asado burrito. It was tasty and huge! Donna had fish tacos.

Later, in the evening, we had a surprise visit from fellow full-timers and bloggers (Hit N The Road), Joel and Esta Gardberg. We had never met before, just corresponded via comments on this blog. I checked out Joel’s Corvette and we chatted for a while. They’ve been on the road in their Holiday Rambler motorhome for two years now. It’s always interesting to meet fellow RVers. When they’re bloggers that have also read our blog, it seems like we already know each other. We made tentative plans to get together for lunch at some point.

There wasn’t any mention of rain in the forecast, but last night I was awakened by the sound of rain coming down hard. Today is supposed to be another warm day with the temperature reaching the upper 80s. Again, no mention of rain, but we’ll see how it goes.

Traffic Cop

We ran the air conditioners yesterday for the first time in over a week. The temperature topped out near 90 degrees.

Donna went for a bike ride for a couple of hours and put in 30 miles. I sat in the shade and read a book. I made a run to Costco for bottled water. Nothing too exciting.

I’m going to try to track my spending this month. I set up a budget last year, but I’ve been pretty loose with it. I want track my expenditures and see if I need to make any adjustments.

A big rig pulled into the RV park in the late afternoon. It was a 45-foot Country Coach Affinity pulling a car hauler trailer. He had to make a tight 90-degree turn at the end of the park road. When I say tight, I mean tight. There’s an eight-foot privacy fence on the outside of the turn and a wooden rail fence on the inside.

I jogged down to the corner. I knew what he was up against. There were a few people sitting outside their trailers in lawn chairs just watching. I stood where the driver could see me at the fence post on the inside of the turn. He had to swing wide enough for his trailer to clear this post, but his swing was limited by the privacy fence on the outside of the turn.

He moved slowly with the right side of his coach an inch or two away from the privacy fence. I watched his trailer draw closer and closer to the post I was standing next to. I started waving him forward like a traffic cop. His trailer was within an inch of the post when the rear axle of the trailer passed it. Once the rear axle passed, he was in the clear. I gave him a thumbs up and he accelerated down the side road.

He made a complete circuit around the park and turned into a pull-through site on the other side of the laundry room/rest rooms building from us. He had the same issue of turning wide enough to clear his trailer while being limited by trees. There was a post with the site number and night lamp at the corner of his site. I pulled up on the post and it came out of the ground easily. His trailer wouldn’t have cleared the post and he would have scraped the side of the trailer.

He jockeyed back a forth a couple of times and positioned the coach where he wanted it. He opened his window and asked me if his trailer was hanging out too far. I told him it was fine. He thanked me for the assistance. He told me his overall length with the 45-foot coach and car hauler was about 73 feet!

Tight quarters

73 feet overall length!

Most of the RVs in the park are fifth-wheel or travel trailers. I don’t think these people realize the challenge of driving a big rig pulling a trailer. A fifth wheel has its pin pivoting over the rear axle of the truck pulling it, making it fairly easy to maneuver. My rig has the trailer pivoting on a ball 11 feet behind the rear axle. This makes maneuvering the trailer more difficult, especially in reverse.

Later, I walked down to site with the Country Coach. The driver thanked me again and introduced himself. His name was Larry. He’s from Moses Lake, Washington where he ran a successful construction business. It was licensed in three states – Washington, California and Montana. He told me he did a lot of contract work in the oil fields.

Larry recently sold the business and is semi-retired. He’s only 33 years old and isn’t ready to quit working yet. He and his family are taking an extended vacation in their RV. They plan to see the sights in the western states, eventually going down to Texas. Larry is looking at an investment opportunity there.

While we were talking, he told me his generator wouldn’t run for more than a few minutes. As he described the symptoms, I told him it sounded like a fuel delivery problem. He told me the fuel filter had just been changed that morning. I thought the fittings on the filter might have a leak, allowing air to be drawn into the fuel line.

Right about then, a truck pulled in front of his coach. A man and a boy got out. Larry introduced me to Aaron. Aaron runs a repair business in Moses Lake, repairing autos, trucks and farm equipment. He made the 130-mile drive from Moses Lake to check out Larry’s generator. Aaron and his 11-year-old son went to work.

Aaron suspected a fuel pump problem and brought a new pump with him. After checking fault codes, he was sure the pump was bad. Getting to the fuel pump wasn’t easy. Getting the sheet metal cover off an Onan generator while it’s mounted to the coach is difficult. I was impressed by the way he and his son worked together. For an 11-year-old boy, he had some mechanical skills. He crawled underneath the coach and told his dad he needed a thin, 11mm open-end wrench and a pair of channel locks to get the fuel line off. Aaron didn’t have channel locks with him or a thin enough wrench. I went to my trailer and brought back a thin wrench and channel locks. About an hour later, they had the new pump on and the generator was running fine. I told the kid that it was great to have mechanical skills, but that he should be sure to get an education, too!

I grilled bacon-wrapped filet mignons while Donna made twice-baked potatoes and asparagus. She sauteed mushrooms and onions to put on the grilled filets. Yummy!

Bacon wrapped filet mignon with mushrooms and onions, twice-baked potato and asparagus

Today will be another air conditioner day. The forecast calls for a high of 93 and it’s already warm this morning. Donna and I plan to ride the scooter down to the lake.

Brutal Ironman in Coeur d’Alene

Yesterday, the day started early for the athletes in the Ironman competition. The morning air was chilly – about 52 degrees when they started the 2.4-mile swim in Lake Coeur d’Alene. The bigger challenge was the wind and choppy water as they headed out.

Donna and I followed the morning action online from the comfort of our coach. I was following the split times for two of the athletes – my friend, Allen Hutchinson from Michigan and a woman I met in the RV park. Her name is Angela Smith. She’s a 42-year-old fitness consultant from Oregon. After talking to Angela and her husband on Saturday afternoon, I learned that her goals for the race were much like Allen’s – they both hoped to finish in 11 and a half hours if everything went well.

While I posted to the blog and had another tab open to follow the race, Donna went out on her bike. She rode over to the Prairie Trail. I gave her bad directions and she ended up on a short trail going to Bluegrass Park. She turned around and rode south. At the Centennial Junction, she rode west past Post Falls toward the Idaho/Washington border. Parts of the trail run along the Spokane River. She took a couple of photos of the river along the route.

View upriver as Donna rode west

A downriver view from the Centennial Trail

Meanwhile, out on the race course, Allen completed the swim in just under an hour and 16 minutes. Angela came out of the lake four minutes behind him. Their transition times to the bicycle were similar, so Allen had a four-minute lead. I wanted to go down to the course for the bicycle race and was waiting for Donna to return.

At the second split, Angela cut into Allen’s lead and was trailing by two minutes. Allen opened the gap again after that and led by five minutes. They weren’t really racing each other – it was just me comparing their times. Allen is in the men’s 40-44 age category while Angela races in the women’s 40-44 group.

As Donna rode back on the Centennial Trail, she met up with a couple from Washington riding on the trail. She rode with them and talked for awhile about RV life – they just purchased an Airstream and plan to retire in a few years. Donna missed the Prairie Trail turn and ended up downtown at the Ironman course. She called me on her cell phone and told me she was at the course on 4th Street.

I jumped on my mountain bike and rode down 4th Street to the course. I was bucking a headwind all the way down. I could only imagine how tough the race must be, climbing into the wind on the west side of the lake.

I found Donna and we watched the competitors. Apparently, we had just missed seeing Allen on the the bike course and it would be a couple of hours before we would see him head out on the run course. We rode up the street and stopped for lunch at a bar/cafe I had noticed on my way down. We dined at a table outside on the sidewalk.

I received a text message from Allen’s wife, Crystal, telling us she was in front of the Visitor Center with her daughters. We rode over to the Visitor Center and found them. Riding along the race course was difficult. We had to thread our way through the crowd. At some points, we had no choice but to get off our bikes and walk.

The split times showed Allen reaching the run transition area about six minutes ahead of Angela. He was on the bike for six hours and four minutes, averaging 18.4 miles per hour over 112 tough miles.

We saw Allen approach as he started the 26.2-mile marathon run. We cheered and he high-fived Donna and Crystal as he ran past us.

Allen begins the third leg of the Ironman, a marathon run

I looked for Angela to run past. Later, I found out she was in and out of the run transition quicker than Allen and wasn’t six minutes behind him. She was only about three minutes behind and I missed seeing the start of her run.

Donna and I rode home on the Prairie Trail. We showered and took care of a few things. I continued to monitor the split times. At the second split of the run, Allen had opened up a 10-minute gap on Angela.

It started raining. We sat inside the coach and debated whether we should take a taxi downtown for the race finish or wait to see if the rain would pass. I checked the race progress and saw we had plenty of time. The rain moved on after 20 minutes or so. We ate leftover lentil and sausage stew before riding back downtown on the scooter.

Before we left, I checked the split times again. At the 19.8-mile mark, Allen’s lead over Angela had evaporated. It was an interesting way to follow the race. When I saw Allen’s speed drop on the bike through a sector, Angela’s speed did likewise. I could imagine the hill they were climbing. Angela had overtaken Allen during the run and now was three minutes in front of him.

Parking the scooter downtown was easy. We walked down near the finish area on Sherman. I sent a text to Crystal to find out where they were. The were standing 50 feet away from us!

We cheered the competitors as they passed. Some were obviously happy, savoring the moment as the end was in sight. Others were clearly struggling, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other to reach the finish line. A few kicked it into high gear and sprinted to the finish!

After awhile, I saw Angela run past. Her total time at the finish was 12:17. A short while later, Allen came by and finished in 12:31.

We walked past the finish line to the area where the athletes are given refreshments and space blankets to ward off the chill. While we waited for Allen, I saw Angela and congratulated her.

While we were looking for Allen, I overheard one of the professional triathletes comment on how tough the day was. He said it was the toughest conditions he’d ever faced in Coeur d’Alene. The choppy water, cold temperatures and high winds all took a toll. It made the run brutal, as so much energy had already been spent.

We finally found Allen. It was remarkable how normal he looked. You wouldn’t think he just completed a twelve and a half hour event that pushed him to the limit. We congratulated him and talked briefly. I didn’t want to hold him up for too long. I’m sure he has a post-race routine he follows.

We came home and I watched the Moto GP race in Assen that I had recorded. Later, we watched another episode of The Americans.

This morning I heard that 20% of the entrants (about 500 people) failed to finish in the 17-hour time limit.

Today, we have blue skies and a warm weather forecast. Summery weather is forecast for the coming week. Hooray!

Coeur d’Alene City Park

We went out and explored yesterday. Donna rode her bicycle down to Lake Coeur d’Alene in the morning. She rode east along the lake on the Centennial Trail to the end. On her way to the lake, she rode down Government Way and found a few stores she was looking for – a FedEx store and a Natural Grocers store – both within easy walking distance.

After she returned, I unloaded my mountain bike. We had lunch together, then I headed out. I followed her route down Government Way to the Coeur d’Alene City Park. Preparations for this weekend’s Ironman competition were already underway. They had the transition area with bike racks set up and fencing all around it. Vendors were setting up canopies and tents.

Vendors setting up for the Ironman

There were signs along the road advising of closure on Sunday for the event. City Park is well maintained and beautiful. It also has a beach area on the lake with a lifeguard on duty. People were enjoying the nice weather, sunning on the beach and swimming in the lake.

View to the west at the City Park beach

The Centennial Bike Trail runs along the beach, then follows the Spokane River which empties into Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Beach view from the bike trail

I rode up the bike trail past another park and more beach areas on the Spokane River. I had left my water bottle on the kitchen counter in the coach and was riding without water. Luckily, there were a number of parks along the way with drinking water fountains.

At Riverstone Park, the trail turns north and leaves the river. The Centennial Trail is mostly paved, but there were parallel sections of gravel and dirt tracks for mountain bikes. At I-90, the Centennial Trail turns west toward Spokane. The route north becomes the Prairie Trail. I followed the Prairie Trail north to Kathleen Avenue.

There was another bike path along Kathleen Avenue that brought me back to Government Way. The ride was a little over an hour and I really enjoyed it.

Later, I scootered Donna over to the FedEx store. She had documents that needed to be scanned and she also shipped our EMS – PT50C off to Progressive Industries. I like to have protection against power surges and bad pedestal wiring, the EMS – PT50C gives me peace of mind. I’ll have to go without it for a couple of weeks before I have an address for them to ship it back to us.

While Donna was at FedEx, I went to the bank and then stopped at The Fish Market on Kathleen Avenue. The Fish Market is a seafood restaurant and fish monger. They had a good price on Copper River sockeye salmon, but I spied fresh king salmon in the cooler. I couldn’t resist – I paid the premium price for the king salmon.

I soaked a cedar plank and grilled the salmon for dinner. Donna served it with a side dish of pierogies sauteed with onions, red pepper and broccoli from the natural food store. We sat outside and dined at the picnic table.

Dining al fresco

Fresh cedar planked king salmon

My friend and former colleague, Allen Hutchinson, arrived in Coeur d’Alene with his family last evening. He will compete in the Ironman Triathlon on Sunday. We’re looking forward to visiting with him and his family, and cheering for him on Sunday.

This is the second time we’ll see him at an Ironman event. He competed in Lake Placid when we were there last summer.

We had a rain shower this morning. The forecast calls for passing showers through tomorrow afternoon. Saturday looks good, but we may have showers again on Sunday.

Flying The Koop

…from real estate to wheel estate and back again

Category Archives: Scooter

Southbound from South Bend

Friends and Family Time

The Long Way Home

Last Ride in CdA

Food and Brew

Independence Day

Looking For Shade

Traffic Cop

Brutal Ironman in Coeur d’Alene

Coeur d’Alene City Park

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