Category Archives: Washington

Crescent Bar Beach

Friday morning Donna and I went to the pickleball court at 10am. We warmed up with Julie then when TJ, Lance and Boni arrived, we rotated through several games. We haven’t played since we were in Bend, Oregon over a month ago. Of course the rust showed and we weren’t at the top of our game.

Later we explored the area on the Spyder. We found a public beach with ample free parking about a mile and a half from the RV park on Crescent Bar Road (map). Then we rode to Quincy, the nearest town about nine miles east of the RV park. Donna bought a planter pot and potting soil for the heirloom cherry tomato plant she was given by a vendor at the farmers’ market in Camas. She meant to re-pot the plant right away but somehow never got around to it. I think the plant may be stunted, but it perked up right away once it was re-potted.

On Friday night, we joined TJ, Julie, Lance and Boni for dinner at their sites. They have adjoining sites and two picnic tables between their rigs. Lance and TJ grilled burgers and we brought boneless, skinless chicken thighs that Donna marinated in olive oil and spices. It was nice having dinner company and conversation – and Lance grilled the chicken for us!

Saturday was our third anniversary of full-time life on the road. Although we’d been sleeping in our coach in our driveway for a week after we sold all of our furniture, July 23rd was the day we closed the door on our sticks-and-bricks home and drove away. In the morning, I made a beer run to Quincy and dropped Donna off at the White Trail Produce Market on the way there. She shopped while I went to the store and also filled the Spyder’s gas tank. I picked her up on the way back. She found good buys on produce and also found a bottle of California red wine called Happy Camper!

After lunch, we loaded gear in the Spyder and rode to the beach. I inflated two floaties with the foot pump we use for the Sea Eagle kayak and we floated on the river. The beach is on the east side of the Crescent Bar peninsula where an island is formed by a narrow branch off the Columbia River – see map link above. This part of the Columbia River is also known as Wanapum Lake.

Beach at branch off Columbia River

Beach at branch off Columbia River

There’s a sandy beach and a backdrop of dramatic basalt cliffs. We floated around as the wind and current slowly pulled us south.

Donna on her floatie

Donna on her floatie

A storage lot for boats and RVs by the beach had an interesting bus parked in it. I don’t know the story behind it, but it looked like fun.

Crescent Bar bus?

Crescent Bar bus?

We stopped for a cold one at the Sand Trap Bar and Grill before we headed home. Donna prepared a wild Alaskan Sockeye salmon for dinner. She spiced it with lemon and dill and I cooked it on the Weber Q.

Grilled salmon

Grilled salmon

The weather was beautiful yesterday – clear blue skies and the high temperature was in the mid-80s. It’s 72 degrees outside as I type this at 9am. We can expect the high for the day to be near 90 and a warming trend is supposed to hit the area this week. Temperatures are forecast to exceed 90 degrees every day for the coming week.

Can’t Hold a Site

Yesterday was a travel day so I didn’t post. On Wednesday, Donna rode her bike from Pine Near RV Park in Winthrop down the Twisp-Winthrop Eastside Road to Twisp and back – about a 20-mile ride. The road doesn’t have any shoulder but the traffic is so light it was okay. The weather was nice – around 80 degrees and sunny. I wanted to check out the campgrounds at Pearrygin Lake State Park, so I took ride on the Spyder.

The state park has two campgrounds right on the lake. The road takes you to the west campground first. I stopped there and was surprised at how small the lake looked. I thought it was much larger as people water ski on it.

Pearrygin Lake at west campground

Pearrygin Lake at west campground

Most of the campsites here appeared to be dry camping areas although I saw a few with electric and water. I rode over to the east campground. As I descended from the road down to the lake level campground, I saw the lake was larger than it appeared from the west campground.

View of west Pearrygin Lake

View of west Pearrygin Lake from above east campground

A portion of east Pearrygin Lake

A portion of east Pearrygin Lake

The lake extends well to the east of the east campground. The east campground had a mix of sites and I saw some with full hook-ups. There were a few big rigs there. The website says there are 76 standard sites – dry camping – and a few with electricity and water and 50 sites with full hook-ups.

That evening, we walked to downtown Winthrop and had drinks and dinner at Copper Glance. This is a bar that features a wide variety of top-shelf liquor and an eclectic menu. I enjoyed a martini made with Chopin potato vodka while Donna sipped a Gose beer. Donna ordered an Asian cabbage salad that was excellent and followed it up with chicken satay skewers. I had the Reuben sandwich with house-made sauerkraut and dressing. It was tasty.

Thursday morning we were ready for the road by 10am. Rather than go through the busy Main Street in Winthrop, I followed Donna’s bike route on the eastside road to Twisp. We hit WA20 there and followed it to WA153. This route took us south along the Methow River. The traffic was light and it was easy going except for two bridges that were single-lane due to road work. We hit US97 at Pateros and followed it south along the Columbia River. The source of the Columbia is in the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. It flows through Washington then forms the border between Washington and Oregon before it empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Klamath and the Columbia are the only rivers east of the Cascade Mountains to flow directly into the Pacific Ocean.

We reached our destination, Crescent Bar RV Resort, on the east bank of the Columbia River (map) at 12:45 PM. I’d already booked our reservation through the Thousand Trails website. While we were waiting to check in, our friend TJ Muller was pulling out of the park in his truck. He stopped to say hi. Then his wife Julie and our friends Lance and Boni pulled up and welcomed us to the park. They were on their way to the post office in Quincy. Lance and Boni suggested we check out site 43. They said it was a long back-in site that would fit our rig. Thousand Trails RV Parks are usually first-come first-served for site selection. You can book a number of days in advance, but it doesn’t allow you to hold a specific site. The host checking us in told us how to get to site 43 and said she thought it was our best choice.

There were a number of other sites that could fit or length, but they were 30 amp electric service. We wanted a 50 amp site. The forecast calls for temperatures in the 90s during our stay so we want to be able to run both roof air conditioners.

When we pulled up to site 43 we saw a sign that said it was reserved for a group. What? The host not only told us to go to 43, she handed us a sheet of paper with a list of park rules. Rule #18 said no sites could be held or reserved. I called the welcome center and asked what the deal was. The woman said she would check into it. We made a couple of laps of the park – the only other 50 amp site that was large enough was closed due to a problem with the electrical panel.

Eventually the woman from the welcome center and the park manager arrived at site 43. They removed the sign and said the reserved sign wasn’t authorized and we were free to take the site. We backed in and set up.

Set up in site 43

Set up in site 43

On either side of site 43 are sites that are privately owned. Thousand Trails sells a portion of their sites for private use. Apparently the two owners of these sites often invite friends to spend the weekend with them and try to block site 43 for their friends. It may get interesting when they show up.

The park is right on the bank of the river. We took a walk in the evening and checked it out. Donna had already walked down once and saw a beach area. She also stopped at the club house and met the owners of an Alpine Coach two sites down from us – Dewey and Doris from Nebraska.

Columbia River view from the RV park

Columbia River view from the RV park

Basalt cliffs south of the park

Basalt cliffs south of the park

We walked back to our site along a paved path. Sometimes I have to wonder who planned the park’s layout. The path led us to steps that ended in the back of someone’s site! Walking through an occupied site is poor etiquette, but other than backtracking to the beginning of the  path, there wasn’t any way out.

Path leads to the rear of a camp site

Path leads to the rear of a camp site

Back at the coach, Donna prepared panko-crusted fresh rock fish filets we picked up at the IGA in Winthrop. One of the filets formed the outline of a fish.

Fish shaped rock fish filet

Fish shaped rock fish filet

The pan-fried fish was delicious served with steamed broccoli.

Pan-fried panko-crusted rock fish

Pan-fried panko-crusted rock fish

This morning we plan to play pickleball with TJ, Julie, Lance and Boni. We haven’t played since we last saw them in Bend, Oregon.

 

Twisp and Winthrop

We went out and explored on the Spyder Tuesday. Donna walked to the Winthrop post office, then I rode the Spyder and met her at the IGA store. We rode south on Highway 20 about 10 miles to Twisp – the next town from Winthrop. Although there are about 2,000 people living in the valley around Winthrop, the population of the actual town is about 400. Twisp is similar in size with about 400 people in the town.

Last year in August, when the Okanogan Complex wildfire threatened the area with more than 300,000 acres burning, both Winthrop and Twisp were evacuated. Luckily both towns were spared. However, three firefighters lost their lives battling the blazing forest.

We stopped at the Twisp River Pub and Brewery located on the Twisp River on the corner of Main Street on the north end of town. We didn’t know it was closed due to fire damage – unrelated to the Okanogan Complex fire. Law enforcement officials have deemed the cause of the fire to be arson, which heavily damaged the place last February.

We took a walk through town – which only covers a few blocks – and looked at restaurant menus. We decided to have lunch at a Mexican place called La Fonda Lopez. It turned out to be a great choice. Donna said her chicken fajitas plate was the best ever.

Donna's fajitas plate

Donna’s fajitas plate

On the way back, we took a detour at Twin Lakes Road. I wanted to check out the rodeo grounds and see if anything was going on. We stayed there over Labor Day our first year on the road and had fun with the rodeo participants camped on the grounds. The place was empty now and the gate was locked. Apparently it doesn’t get much use other than the rodeos on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.

We made another stop at the IGA store and Donna bought fresh Manila clams farm-raised in Washington. Donna wanted to walk off some of her lunch calories so I rode back to Pine Near RV Park and she joined me there after a while. We decided to pull out of Winthrop on Thursday and move south past Wenatchee to the Thousand Trails park at Crescent Bar. I booked us there through the end of the month.

Later, we walked into town and headed to the Old Schoolhouse Brewery for a cold one around 4pm. We had great weather all day but heard thunder booming across the valley before we left. I covered the Spyder just in case while we took our chances of getting caught out in a thunder shower. I mentioned yesterday how spacious our site is – I took another photo as we were leaving.

Roomy site at Pine Near RV park

Roomy site at Pine Near RV park

Winthrop is a fun town – it’s old western themed and touristy but still has its charm.

Winthrop buildings

Winthrop buildings

Donna outside the Old Schoolhouse Brewery

Donna outside the Old Schoolhouse Brewery

We sat out on the patio behind the brewery on the bank of the Chewuch River and enjoyed the view. I had just ordered a second pint of Ruud Awakening IPA when we felt a few raindrops. Donna and I retreated to the covered area on the upper deck. Two people claimed our riverside seats immediately and didn’t mind the rain drops.

People ignoring the rain drops as two guys claim our table on the left

People ignoring the rain drops as two guys claim our table on the left

We had a few raindrops falling as we walked home. We made it indoors before the real rain started. It rained well into the night with only a few breaks. Today’s forecast calls for a mostly sunny day with the temperature reaching the low 80s. Donna’s planning to ride her bicycle to Twisp and back on a quiet side road.

Over the North Cascades

We ended our 15 days of moochdocking in Alana’s driveway Monday morning. Alana didn’t have to work until 8:30am, so we had a chance to spend half an hour together before she left. It’s hard to say goodbye when we know it’ll be a year before we have the chance to spend time together again.

We had everything secured before 10 am. I fired up the coach and pulled it into the street to load the Spyder. Gabi hopped on the back of the Spyder for a short ride as I backed it in. We had the Spyder strapped down and hit the road at 10am. I headed south past the Arlington airport and made a loop on I-5 to hit the dump station at the mile post 207 rest area. Washington provides free RV dump stations at many of the rest areas.

Then we drove up WA530 through Darrington and Rockport to the North Cascades Highway – WA20. This is the northernmost route across the Cascade Mountains in Washington. The road closes in mid-November and usually doesn’t open again until mid-April. They get so much snow in the north Cascades, it’s impossible to keep the road clear.

We’ve crossed the North Cascades Highway twice before in our motorhome, but always from east to west. It’s much different going west to east. The road climbs and zig-zags through sharp 30-35 mph curves. These sharp curves take momentum away and it’s a constant struggle to accelerate up to 45-50 mph before you hit another sharp curve. The traffic was light but I still made use of a few turnouts to let cars get by me. There was also a bicycle tour group riding over the mountains – the bike lane is narrow in places making it a little scary. I always strive for a minimum of three feet of clearance between the coach and any cyclist.

In Arlington, our elevation was under 500 feet above sea level. After we drove east of Ross Lake, we crossed Rainy Pass at an elevation of 4,875 feet. After a short descent we were climbing again and topped out at Washington Pass at 5,477 feet above sea level. Highway 20 has long, steep grades on the east side of the mountains. I controlled our downhill speed with the two-stage Jake brake utilizing engine compression and only had to stab the regular service brakes a few times for curves in the road.

We reached our destination at Winthrop, Washington and pulled into the Pine Near RV Park (map) just before 2pm. We were checked-in quickly and led to site 14 – our favorite. This site is on the west end of the park and has a large, open grassy area. I think it’s the most spacious site we’ve ever had. Outside our door, we have more than 50 feet of lawn with a few trees. On the driver’s side of the coach we have a lane of grass about 25 wide before site 15 begins.

Roomy site 14

Roomy site 14

I was surprised to find heavy cloud cover in Winthrop. Usually the wet weather stays on the west side as the Cascade Mountains block the clouds. A few raindrops fell after we were set up. Donna whipped up a pot of steak and black bean chili – it was good comfort food on a cloudy evening. We watched TV and kicked back after our day of travel.

We have clear skies this morning and the forecast calls for afternoon temperatures to reach the mid-70s. The fly in the ointment is the possibility of a thunder shower later in the day. I think we’ll take the Spyder out and ride to Twisp – about 10 miles from here. I also want to check out the rodeo grounds to see if anything is going on this weekend.

Celebration of Life

Our stay in Alana’s driveway extended longer than we thought it would. The time flew by much too quickly none the less.

It was great spending time together, playing Uno games with Gabi and Lainey and enjoying meals together. At the same time, life went on for all of us as Alana and Lainey had work schedules, I worked on the coach and Donna had a couple of media interviews. Unfortunately we weren’t able to meet up with many of the people we wanted to visit in the area this time. We’ll be back again though.

Dining al fresco with the girls

Dining al fresco with the girls

On Saturday evening, Donna made her famous crab cakes for dinner. They were delicious as always. We stayed up later than we should have – Alana had to work an early shift over the weekend, leaving the house before 6am.

Crab cake on a paper plate

Crab cake with roasted sweet potatoes

Lainey got up early Sunday morning to drive Alana to work. She did this so we could have Alana’s car for the day.

Donna and I drove Alana’s car down to Edmonds for the Celebration of Life Memorial Service for our friend Bob Schmitt. Bob was a retired fireman – a Battalion Chief in the Edmonds fire department. There was a procession of fire department vehicles carrying family and close friends through town, stopping at a fallen firefighters memorial before leaving them at the Holy Rosary Church hall.

Fire department procession

Fire department procession

The memorial service began with the fire department honor guard placing a large photograph of Bob at the front of the hall and presenting an American flag that flew over his firehouse to his wife Sini.

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His eulogy was written by two of his sons and delivered by a member of the Snohomish County District One fire department. All three of his sons then spoke about their father. We all lifted a glass and toasted to his memory.

It was a celebration of life for a man that embraced each day and life to the fullest. It was a sad day as well. The sudden passing of Bob Schmitt left me with an empty feeling inside.  I haven’t had much motivation to blog about our daily life knowing that the bright light this man brought to each day has been snuffed out.

Sini, Bob and Donna - Cave Creek, AZ February 2015

Sini, Bob and Donna – Cave Creek, AZ February 2015

This morning I need to finish packing the trailer and making the coach ready for travel. We’ll hit the free dump station at the I-5 rest area at mile post 207, then drive over the North Cascades Highway (WA20) to Winthrop. We have three nights booked there followed by six weeks of unknown destinations.

Washington Family Days

Time to catch up – the days are getting away from me. On Tuesday afternoon, Donna and I borrowed Alana’s car and drove to Edmonds. We went to visit with our friend, Sini Schmitt. Sini’s husband Bob passed away suddenly a few weeks ago while vacationing in the British Virgin Islands.

We’d never been to their house before. Sini gave us a tour then we sat and talked out on the patio. Their house is on Olympic View Drive and it has a view across the sound through the strait past Whidbey Island.

View over Sini's house from their guest house

View over Sini’s house from their guest house

Sini seems to be holding up well. One of her sons was there when we arrived and she’s been busy preparing a memorial service and celebration of life for Bob. They had already decided to sell the house and were planning to take off in their motorhome. She would like to continue traveling one way or another. We talked a little about their RV and what she should do – keep it or sell it and maybe get a smaller one. I was at a loss. I don’t know how to act in these situations and I can only imagine the void left by Bob’s sudden passing.

On Wednesday, Alana got off work early. She, Donna and Gabi went to Camano Island to pick up some homemade body lotion from a school teacher they met at the Arlington Street Fair over the weekend. She grows lavender and calendula and other plants that she uses to make her soaps.

Homemade soaps curing

Homemade soaps curing

Calendula used in soap

Calendula used in soap

Then they went English Boom County Park to hike and play on the beach.

Alana and Gabi hiking

Alana and Gabi

Gabi with her new hula hoop

Gabi with her new hula hoop

I stayed behind and ran a few errands. I bought another drinking water hose to fill our fresh water tank. We’re low on fresh water and the hose bib is too far away for the 50 feet of hose I have. An extra drinking water hose is a good thing to have on hand anyway. I also bought a couple of quarts of motor oil to change the oil in Alana’s lawn mower before we leave.

When we were at Towerpoint in Mesa, Arizona, a member of the Northwest Chapter of the Alpine Coach Association organized a pizza party for Alpine Coach owners. There were three Alpine Coaches in the Towerpoint RV Resort, but Alpine Owners from other parks nearby were also invited. We met Bob and Jeanne Scown and she and Donna really hit it off. When we told them we planned to be in Arlington, Washington in July they told us to contact them as they live nearby and have an RV property on Lake McMurray – about 12 miles north of Arlington.

Donna contacted Jeanne and we made plans to visit with them on Thursday. We all piled into Alana’s car and drove to their place. They have property right on the lake. It’s sub-divided between four owners with RVs. They have electrical hook-ups and cable TV. They’ve owned the property for 49 years and have come to it in various RVs in the summertime. Now they have a 2007 Alpine Coach.

We sat on the grass outside their coach and talked while Lainey enjoyed the sun and Gabi went in the lake on our inflatable floatie.

Bob and Jeanne's Alpine Coach on their lakefront property.

Bob and Jeanne’s Alpine Coach on their lakefront property.

View of Lake McMurray from their dock

View of Lake McMurray from their dock

It’s always fun to reconnect with friends we’ve met on the road. Meeting Bob and Jeanne in Arizona and then visiting their property in Washington is one of the perks of our nomadic lifestyle.

We’ve had a few days of nice weather, but the skies are overcast this morning. Hopefully it’ll clear up this afternoon. I plan to fill our freshwater tank and do the oil change on Alana’s mower. We’ll pull out of here on Monday – our next stop is in Winthrop, Washington. We stayed there two years ago and I made reservations at the same park there again.

I also booked three months in San Diego beginning October 13th. So now we know where we’ll be for the first half of the winter.

Success at Last

In yesterday’s post I said I was giving up – throwing in the towel – in my attempt to remove the lower left front shock bolt. I made several phone calls looking for a mobile mechanic that could come to the coach with a large impact driver and air compressor. No luck. One guy returned my call and said he would do it if he was in the area, but he’s away on vacation until the end of the month. Another guy told me it would cost nearly $200 by the time I paid their standard minimum fees.

My daughter Alana said her neighbor does automotive work on the side and she was sure he had air-operated tools. The problem with that was getting the coach to his house to access his air compressor. Then I had an idea. I’ve had a large air compressor all along – the coach has an onboard air compressor driven by the Cummins ISL diesel engine. This compressor supplies air to reservoirs for the air suspension. It has a quick release connector for auxiliary air in the service bay at the right rear of the coach. All I needed was a hose long enough to reach from there to the left front and an air-operated impact driver.

Alana called her neighbor who invited us to come over to see what they might lend us. He wasn’t home but his wife showed us the tools. He had an Ingersoll-Rand 1/2″ impact gun and a 50-foot length of hose on his compressor. She told me I could take the hose and impact gun to see if it would work. The Ingersoll-Rand tool delivers more than 400 foot-pounds of force versus the cordless electric impact driver’s 330 foot-pounds.

The coupler on his hose didn’t match the quick connect on the coach, but I had a coupler and it was easy to change it. Fifty feet of hose was plenty to reach the front shock. I fired up the engine and ran it at high idle – 1,000 rpm. The compressor quickly built air pressure and I went to work. With the socket over the 28mm nut, I hit the trigger on the impact gun. BRRRRP. No movement. I hit it again. BRRRRP. No movement and it seemed like the impact gun was slowing down. Maybe the coach compressor didn’t flow enough air for full power. I waited for the pressure to build to the maximum and tried again. BRRR-ZING! The nut was free. Success at last!

The recalcitrant bolt

The recalcitrant bolt

Ten minutes later I had the new shock mounted. Then I put the original coupler back on his hose and returned the tools. Job done.

I think Ozark the cat will be happy once she realizes I won’t be banging away with an impact driver under the coach anymore. It gets loud!

No more noise Ozark

No more noise, Ozark

Later, the sun broke through the cloud cover. Alana prepared a vegan meal for our dinner. I’m a carnivore and I favor man-food like meat and bacon. But I was willing to give it a go. She made black bean burgers that were spicy and quite good. We also had french fried potatoes and sweet potatoes that I grilled and steamed green beans and artichokes.

Lainey, Alana, Gabi and DOnna

Lainey, Alana, Gabi and Donna

With the daily rain showers and constant threat of rain, the Spyder has been relegated to the garage. The weather forecast calls for improvement over the rest of the week, but it’s still overcast this morning. Maybe we can get out on the Spyder to see some sights later this week.

Spyder stored in Alana's garage

Spyder stored in Alana’s garage

Alana is working today in the ER at Providence Hospital in Everett. She left us her car so we can visit our friend, Sini Schmitt, this afternoon. Other than that, I have no plans for the day and no unfinished chores.

 

Alki Beach Day

The good folks at Samsung updated my smartphone software on Tuesday. The improved software version they pushed onto my phone can’t be accessed with my PC. When I connect my phone to my PC via a USB cable, the phone is recognized but no folders are available. So, I can’t access my picture files until I figure out what happened.

Tuesday was another wet day with periods of drizzle broken up with dry spells throughout the day. I got busy checking out the 50 amp line from the garage. There is a NEMA 10-30 outlet on the wall in the garage. The landlord said he used this connection to power a welder. An RV needs a TT-30 connection and isn’t compatible with the 10-30 outlet. A cable comes out of the box behind this outlet with a NEMA  14-50 outlet on the end. This matches the 50 amp cable found on most motorhomes. However, it didn’t work.

When I checked the 50 amp outlet with my Progressive Industries Electrical Management System (EMS) box, it wouldn’t power up. When I checked the individual blades in the connector, I found 120 volts on one leg only between the blade and ground lug. The other hot blade wasn’t hot and the neutral blade was an open circuit.

The 30 amp outlet was connected to a double pole 20 amp circuit breaker in the service box. I opened the breaker and then took the cover off the 30 amp outlet. I saw it was wired normally, but the 50 amp extension coming out of the back of the 30 amp box was incorrectly wired. After thinking about it for a few minutes and talking to my daughter Alana about the situation, I decided to eliminate the 30 amp outlet and rewire the 50 amp extension.

I went to the hardware store and bought a 50 amp double pole circuit breaker. I disconnected the wiring to the 30 amp outlet and replaced the double pole 20 amp breaker in the box with the 50 amp breaker. Then I fed the end of the romex cable with the 50 amp outlet on the end into the service box and wired it to the breaker and connected the neutral and ground wire to the bus bar.

I tested the outlet and it worked. Everything checked out and it powered up my EMS without any errors showing. Voila! We have power for the coach!  I ran the extension out of the garage and connected our 50 amp cable to it. I wrapped the connector plug with Press ‘n’ Seal plastic wrap to keep the rain out and we’re in business.

Wednesday was a fine weather day. We had a few clouds, but it was mostly sunny with a high in the low 70s in the afternoon. Alana and Lainey had the day off from work so we headed out. We all piled into Alana’s car – Alana, Lainey, Gabi, Donna and I and drove down to Alki Beach in west Seattle. Alki Beach is a sandy beach on Puget Sound across from downtown Seattle (map).

Donna, Lainey, Alana and Gabi

Donna, Lainey, Alana and Gabi

There’s about a mile of public beach with a paved walk and bike path. Across the street from the beach area there are a number of restaurants. It was the middle of the week, but the beach was bustling with people sun bathing, playing in the sand and entering the water. There was a beach volleyball clinic in one area with coaches taking girls through volleyball drills. We walked for a while then went to a Mexican restaurant for a late lunch. The food at El Chupacabra was very good – I don’t remember finding much in the way of good Mexican cuisine when I lived here.

Donna and I at the point at Alki

Donna and I at the point at Alki

View of the waterfront and downtown Seattle from Alki

View of the waterfront and downtown Seattle from Alki

We had a good time exploring and watching the ferries and freighters on the sound. After we came home, I set up a table and chairs on the lawn and we had happy hour. Alana’s mother, LuAnn and her husband Jerry stopped by on their bicycles and joined us for a short while.

Donna and Alana shared a special brew from Deschutes - only available at the brewery

Donna and Alana shared a special brew from Deschutes – only available at the brewery

Around 6pm, I had a delivery from UPS. I ordered new front shocks for our coach and they arrived. When we were driving up here, the section of I-5 from Tacoma to Seattle rivals some of the worst road surfaces we’ve been on. It was just as bad as I-75 from Detroit to Toledo. Driving through this section of road, I realized our front shocks were worse for wear from all of the pounding they’ve taken.

When I bought our Koni shocks about two years ago, they were a huge improvement over the existing suspension. About five months after I bought them, Koni came out with a new shock made for the Alpine Coach Peak chassis and the Monaco Roadmaster RR4  chassis. The new design has a much larger bore and piston and works at a lower operating pressure. These new shocks should be more durable than the older design. I hope so. My front shocks only have about 15,000 miles on them and they are tired! That will be my project for today.

The high temperature for the day is supposed to be in the upper 60s with a chance of rain this afternoon. Hopefully I can complete my shock installation before it rains.

 

Update – I figured out the change Samsung made with the OS update and added photos.

 

Traffic and Taxes

We pulled out of the Cabela’s lot in Lacey, Washington before noon Sunday morning. Our destination was my daughter Alana’s driveway 100 miles away in Arlington, Washington. Donna thought we should be there around 1:30pm, I wasn’t so sure about that. Since it was Sunday and the middle of the Fourth of July weekend, I didn’t know what traffic through Seattle would be like. Most of the time you can count on delays getting through the city.

We hit traffic and it was stop and go all the way through Seattle. Part of the issue is the road plan – much like Portland, the roads funnel traffic through choke points. Coming into the city, four lanes of traffic drop to two lanes as the far left lane ends. Traffic merges and the new left lane immediately is an exit-only lane – so you have two lanes of traffic trying to merge right all at once. Guaranteed traffic jam.

Four lanes of Interstate travel suddenly become two

Four lanes of Interstate travel suddenly become two

We began to move faster on the north side of town, then hit another tie-up through Everett and Marysville. We pulled into Alana’s place at 2pm. Her driveway is long enough that I was able to back in without dropping the trailer. Before I did that, I unloaded the Spyder. Alana was working as was her oldest daughter Lainey. Our youngest granddaughter Gabi was home waiting for us.

I have another rant about Washington. Once we were set up, Donna went for walk with Gabi and their two chihuahuas. While they were out, I rode the Spyder to the store to replenish the vodka supply. I should have done some research first. I know California has the best liquor prices. Oregon has inexpensive beer, but expensive liquor. The prices in Washington for liquor looked better – but I had a surprise at the cash register. A bottle of vodka priced at $28.69 and a bottle of beer at $3.99 comes to $32.68. After taxes I paid $45.52 – nearly 40% in taxes! Never again.

Look at those taxes

Look at those taxes!

Alana got home around 5:30pm. I grilled salmon burgers for dinner and we sat together in the house. Alana has a 30 amp outlet in her garage, but it didn’t work. I need to take it apart and see what the problem is.

I told Donna that when I lived here in western Washington, it always rained on the Fourth of July. Monday we woke up to rain. It rained on and off all day. Alana and Lainey had to work again so Gabi visited with us in the coach and we watched a movie – The Princess Bride. I must have watched this movie five or six times, but I still enjoy it with the kids.

I didn’t get to the 30 amp outlet – after watching the movie I spent most of the day reading while rain drops fell. I’ll have to take a look at it today, otherwise we’ll be running the generator daily to keep the battery banks charged.

Breaking the Law

Friday morning started much like Thursday – we were up early and I took Donna to her class on the Spyder. When I dropped her off, she put her jacket and helmet in the front trunk (frunk) of the Spyder.

Back at home, I got to work organizing the trailer – I packed the bikes and the grills and straightened things out. Then I took Donna’s jacket and helmet out of the frunk and rode the Spyder to Costco. When I was there earlier in the week, I saw 33-pound bags of Traeger gourmet wood pellets. I wanted to buy a bag, but didn’t have enough room on the Spyder at the time. With the frunk empty, I had room for the bag.

I made a stop at a Japanese restaurant called Yuki & Song at 122nd and Sandy Boulevard. They had lunch specials – I ordered their teriyaki beef plate. I was surprised to find it came with a bowl of miso soup, salad, tempura veggies, rice and of course teriyaki beef for $8.95! Nice lunch find.

Donna sent me a text and said she would be finished with her class no later than 4pm. I hit the road on the Spyder to pick her up around 3:15pm – I wanted to be there before 4pm and I wasn’t sure how heavy the traffic would be on Friday afternoon on the Fourth of July weekend.

I made good time and got there at 3:45pm. I could see the traffic heading north was heavier – our trip home would take longer as volumes were building. Just before I pulled into the lot, I realized that I didn’t put Donna’s jacket and helmet back into the frunk. Oh no! We generally don’t ride without helmets and Oregon has a law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets. The Spyder is legally considered a motorcycle.

If I went back for her helmet, it would take over an hour. When Donna came out from her class, I told her about the problem. We decided to take our chances and avoid any freeways on the way home. As we were riding in traffic on MLK Boulevard, I saw a police car on a side street ahead. The traffic was stopped and backed up for an entire block at a stop light. The car ahead of us stopped short to let the police car in. As the traffic began to move, another police car appeared. The driver ahead held up and let him in. Two more police cars merged ahead of us.

I changed lanes and put a large box truck between us and the police cruisers. Instead of changing lanes to move ahead in the traffic, I changed lanes when possible to put more vehicles between us and the police. Being a scofflaw isn’t much fun. We made it home without incident or ticket.

The day before, new neighbors moved into the site next to us. It was Jim and Gayle (Life’s Little Adventures). We met them before at Mission Bay RV Resort in San Diego. We had plans to get together for happy hour snacks and drinks. Gayle brought tortilla chips, guacamole and salsa and Donna fixed a couple of plates – there was a good spread on our new folding table. We sat and talked for a few hours – it wasn’t dark yet at 9pm. I neglected to take any photos as I was caught up in conversation.

The only photo I have is a bottle of limited release “Summer Style IPA” from Ninkasi Brewing. I don’t know what makes it a summer IPA – it was tasty but typical west coast IPA.

Maiden the Shade summer IPA

Maiden the Shade summer IPA

Saturday morning we prepared to hit the road. I dumped and flushed the tanks, filled the fresh water, put away the window shades and finished loading the trailer. We hitched the trailer and pulled out of the park around 11:30am. I wondered what the traffic would be like on the I-5 bridge to Vancouver, Washington. The traffic is usually crawling across it. I was surprised to find the traffic light  and moving right along on I-5.

We stopped around 1pm in Chehalis to top off the fuel tank at a CFN truck stop and had lunch at Subway. Our destination for the day was the Cabela’s store in Lacey, Washington. We stayed there overnight two years ago and found it to be a good overnight dry-camping spot.

We claimed a spot in the large west lot which was nearly empty. They have signs advising “No Overnight Parking” however, these signs were here before and they allowed us to stay. To be sure I went to the customer service desk and asked. I was told it’s no problem – they have the signs so they can keep people from setting up for more than one night.

Dry camp at Cabela's

Dry camp at Cabela’s

Donna shopped for hours in Cabela’s and found shorts, tops and sandals she couldn’t do without. Since losing weight this past year, she’s had to buy new clothes. But I haven’t heard her complaining.

This morning, Donna went out for a run. I’m watching the Formula One Grand Prix of Austria, then we’ll head up to Arlington, Washington. Our destination is my oldest daughter Alana’s driveway in Arlington. We’ll moochdock in her driveway for the next week or two and spend time with her and our granddaughters.