Weekend Activities and Trip Planning

Dave and I arrived home from McMinnville on Thursday.  Dave worked a semi-pro football game in Vancouver last night while I stayed home and caught up on some of my  TV shows on TIVO. 

Today, Sunday, we took our bicycles to a parking area near Vancouver Lake and rode on the bike path that goes by the lake and out to Frenchman's Bar.  The lake was creeping up on the grass due to flooding.  No beach was visible and the lake smelled terrible.  Needless to say, no one was swimming, although we saw a few people putting kayaks into the water.  It was too cool for swimming even if it had been safe to do so.

The bike path was fairly uncrowded and we enjoyed a ten-mile ride.  Frenchman's Bar Park is along the Columbia River and we usually see ships when we are out there.  Today was no exception.

Last Saturday we met Tim and Kiersten at a small airport in Hillsboro called Twin Oaks Airpark.  We feasted at their monthly pancake breakfast and got up close and personal with the runway and some propeller airplanes.

That's Sophie under the white hat on Kiersten's chest. 

I told you we were up close and personal with the runway. 

Tim found lots of airplanes that he liked.

Yesterday I spent most of the day on the phone getting reservations for our upcoming trip to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.  We leave next Sunday!  That's cutting it close with the reservations, and we weren't able to get all the nights that we wanted at our preferred park, Yellowstone Grizzly, but we got a spot at Wagon Wheel RV Park in West Yellowstone for five nights and then the last two nights we'll be at the Grizzly Park. 

After that we'll head north to Glacier, spending a couple of nights at the St. Mary KOA and then five nights at West Glacier KOA.  It took awhile for the trip to come together, but now that it's all planned, we are looking forward to visiting the two national parks. 

Finally, a Beautiful Spring Day!

The last two days have been gorgeous with temperatures in the low 70s, sunshine, and not too much wind.  Dave and I went for a bike ride each day and it felt so good to be outside soaking up Vitamin D.  This was the first bike ride we've been able to go on since we got home from our trip to Wenatchee.

For seven days, I didn't do much because I came down with a bad cold.  All I was able to do was sleep, sleep, sleep.  But now I'm feeling much better, just in time for the sunshine.  Beginning on Saturday we're supposed to get some more rain, but at least we've had a dose of sun!

Because of my cold, I had to miss the big WHL hockey game between the Portland Winterhawks and the Kootenay Ice.  But Dave was able to attend, and was able to sell my ticket to a scalper.  Alas, the Winterhawks lost, so their championship season came to an end. 

I took a few pictures of some of the flowers in our yard.  What a difference a bit of sun makes!

Our very own lilac bush! 

A few lilies of the valley--they smell so good!

Our mini-rhody bush--the one that survived

Maxie and Stretch

What do Alaska, snowbirding, women RVers,  mini-dachshunds, and mysteries have in common?  Answer:  Fiction books by Alaskan author, Sue Henry.  I just finished reading #4 in the Maxie McNabb Series of books about 60-something RVer Maxie and her faithful dog, Stretch. This book features Maxie at home in Homer, Alaska, forgoing her snowbird travels this year.  As always, the books are a quick, cozy read, with Maxie landing in the middle of a mystery to solve.  The first three books in the series are The Serpents Trail, The Tooth of Time, and The Refuge.  The books don't have to be read in order, but they are more enjoyable that way.

Sue Henry has also written 13 books in her Jessie Arnold series, featuring Alaskan woman dog-sledder, Jessie Arnold.  I enjoy reading that series, too, even though it doesn't contain anything about RVs.  In the books, Jessie lives near Wasilla, Alaska, the town now known to the whole world as being the hometown of Sarah Palin.

I had two options for reading this book.  A paperback version was waiting for me at my local library, and a library electronic version was loaded onto my Nook e-reader.  I started reading the paperback and soon switched to reading on the Nook because the print was bigger and I didn't have to try and hold the paperback book open.  Not all the books I want to read are available from the library, e-book collection, so unless I want to buy each book (I don't!), I will continue getting the physical books from our local library.

At home here in Vancouver, Washington, Dave and I woke up to almost three inches of snow this morning.  The low temperature the next two nights is predicted to get down to 18 degrees.  Dave shoveled our driveway and a path out back to our shop, and the snow is already starting to melt. 

Back yard

Front yard

We had to make a trip into Portland this afternoon to pick up our motorhome.  The refrigerator was being repaired, we thought, but evidently not, since the repair place couldn't get Norcold to agree to replace the expensive cooling unit without the motorhome being inside at 70 degrees for 24 hours.  Not going to happen in Portland in the winter.  Arggh! 

It's been snowing very heavily for the last two hours, and with the cold temperature predicted for tonight, it won't be pretty in the morning.  Well, it might be pretty, but it won't be good driving conditions.  I think we'll stay home!

New Followers

Welcome to the following new blog followers.  Thanks for tuning in!  Click on each name to read their blogs.

Kate and Terry--Travels in Cholula Red

Erik's RV Blog

Sprocket (couldn't find a blog)

BlessOurVoyage--Tales of the McMillans' Travels

Cruzin2some

Jeff and Sheryl Bright

99% of my blog readers are fellow RVers, many of whom live full-time in their RVs or are preparing to live full-time in their RVs.  A few are part-timers like we are.  We all seem to like to follow each others' travels, and from there we become friends, even though many of us have never met each other.  It's a treat when we get to meet fellow blog followers and we always seem to have much to talk about. 

For those of you who read my blog and are not an RVer, I thank you and appreciate you, too.  Keep on reading, please!

Dave and I arrived home about 12:30 this afternoon.  We had good weather the whole trip, other than a little bit of fog when we first started out.  After we unloaded the motorhome, Dave had to winterize it because it's supposed to be cold (mid-20s) here later this week.  We have an appointment to have the motorhome's Norcold refrigerator fixed, although it behaved itself on the way home after Dave unplugged the temperature sensor, so maybe that's the only thing wrong with it. 

I forgot to mention in my blog yesterday that while we were in Corning, CA, I visited the Olive Pit.  Dave doesn't like olives so he didn't go on this field trip with me.  I enjoyed their olive tasting bar, and bought a jar of almond-stuffed olives.  Those and the mushroom olives were my favorites.  I'm not a hot, spicy person, that is, my taste buds aren't, so the most daring olive I tried was the garlic olive.  Notice that I didn't buy that one.  It's a fun store with a small cafe.  There is plenty of RV parking in back of the store, so don't be shy about stopping there when you are traveling on I-5.

There was also an olive oil place near the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, CA, but we didn't stop there, so I can't tell you anything about it.    We saw the sign for it, though.  Does that count?  Also, one of the friendly Longaberger basket people recommended it, so it must be good!

Plans

On Monday we are again heading south to California.  We will go to our favorite RV repair shop, DeMartini in Grass Valley to have our bedroom slide looked at again.  It works better than before but it's still not quite right.  After the repairs we hope to spend a few weeks in Pismo Beach.

We plan to make a trip to Yosemite National Park before our repair appointment on January 19.  There's a fairgrounds in Mariposa where we can park the motorhome and then take day trips to Yosemite Valley, weather permitting, of course.

The weather here in Vancouver, Washington is predicted to turn cold and snowy next week, so we're glad to be heading south for a few weeks!

Happy New Year!

On this cold New Year's Eve afternoon, Dave and I went for a walk along the Columbia River Waterfront Trail.  The sun was shining, but the temperature was only in the mid-30s and the east wind was brisk.  We were bundled up for the weather and walked fast to keep warm. 

In our area of Washington state, it's usually either raining with temperatures hovering around 40 degrees, or sunny with temperatures around freezing or below.  We generally don't get sunny and warm temperatures this time of the year.  The snow showers which were predicted mid-week fizzled out except for a few big flakes.  We are prone to getting ice storms, so we're happy when that doesn't happen. 

The waterfront path along the Columbia River

The river looked cold

McMenamin's Restaurant is a favorite spot along the river, but it was too cold to sit on the patio today!  

As we ring out the old and ring in the new year, may 2011 be a safe and happy new year for everyone!

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Other than a problem with our windshield wipers, which Dave was able to fix by hitting them with a hammer, we made it home to Vancouver, Washington with no problems.  Believe it or not, the hammer solution was given to Dave by an RV dealer.  It worked and the wipers performed flawlessly the rest of the way home.  Of course, the wipers never malfunction unless it's raining.  Rain was predicted, but we had several stretches of blue sky and no rain.  The rain held off at home until we were almost done unloading the motorhome.

When we get back in town, we usually stop at a Fred Meyer store so that Dave can disconnect the car and put gas in the motorhome.  The first thing I do is take the car to a car wash.  It badly needed a wash today.  Then I pick up our mail if the post office is open, which it wasn't today.  I returned our library books and picked up a few new holds, although the majority of our holds were suspended while we were gone.

Dave found an unpleasant surprise waiting for him at home when he got there.  Some big tree branches had fallen onto the spot where he parks the motorhome.  We think that it happened during a big wind storm yesterday.  If the motorhome had been parked in its usual spot, its roof may have been damaged. 

Now that I'm home, reality is setting in quickly.   I need to do all those Christmas preparations that I have avoided all month--Christmas cards, food preparation, baking, shopping, etc.  'Tis the season!

Fall Color in Vancouver

Welcome to two new blog followers, Amy, and Judy and John, who write a blog called Tire Swing Travels.

Vancouver, Washington does not have a lot of fall color.  After all, we are called the Evergreen State for a reason.  I was able to take a few photos of some pretty trees in our neighborhood.

  

The last two trees had more leaves on the ground than on the tree.  We have had a lot of rain the past couple of days, so even more leaves have dropped.  Now the leaves are plugging up the street drains, which makes for some very big puddles on some of the streets.

The End of Summer

We had good weather for Labor Day weekend, but today it feels like fall because it has been raining all day.  A couple of times the sun peeked out, but that didn’t last long.  The only thing that still feels like summer is that the temperature is still in the 50s and 60s, not the 30s or 40s.  We may still get some more warm days, but they are dwindling this time of the year.  I know we need the rain, but I need sunshine to lift my spirits!

Tonight I had to walk on my treadmill instead of walking around the track outside.  The only advantage of walking inside is that I can catch up on Tivo shows while I exercise,but  I would rather be exercising out in the fresh air.  I COULD walk in the rain, but I decided not to tonight.

Dave had to referee a junior varsity football game tonight in the rain.  He was soaked when he arrived home around 8:30.  His knicker pants were wet but surprisingly clean.  He said it was because the grass field hadn’t been torn up yet by games and weather (until tonight, that is).  We are supposed to have another day of rain tomorrow and then better weather. 

It’s time to dig out my crocheting projects again and bring back all those oven recipes that I don’t make in the summer!

Wedding Reception

Some young friends of ours got married last month in St. Croix, Virgin Islands.  Today their Vancouver reception was held at the Hilton.  It’s a lovely hotel located right across from the street from Vancouver’s Esther Short Park.  A wine and jazz festival was being held in the park, so I didn’t get many pictures of the park, except for the park’s famous Salmon Run Bell Tower.

Vancouver's 69-foot-high Salmon Run Bell Tower features a revolving musical display at noon, 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. The tower commemorates the life cycle of the Pacific salmon and the fish's value to the Chinook tribe, the original inhabitants of the lower Columbia River.  The tower is decorated with four 5-foot bronzes of jumping salmon as well as 29 blocks of columnar basalt that serve as sitting benches at its base.

Children like to climb on the salmon structures in the park (this photo is from a park  website)

 Outside the Vancouver Hilton

A water feature inside the hotel

Congratulations to the newlyweds, Amy and Caleb!

Amy has been a friend of ours ever since we moved to Washington state in 1993 and became acquainted with her family.  Caleb and Amy have been friends for many years, but their relationship deepened after Caleb suffered a very serious brain condition a few years ago.  It’s a miracle that Caleb is alive today.  We give thanks to God for this couple and for their faith and perseverance.

Playing with AutoStitch Panoramas

I-5 bridge across the Columbia River

It’s hot in Vancouver, Washington, USA today.  101 degrees at 5:30 pm.  We are finally experiencing some of the heat that the rest of the country has had all summer.  Our heat wave has been with us since Friday and is supposed to be gone by Tuesday.  We are planning on going to the coast next weekend and the temperatures are supposed to be down in the 50s.  That’s a big difference!

Despite the heat, I was determined to practice my panorama photography skills.  My camera does not have a panorama setting, so I have to use the AutoStitch software program.  It’s a fabulous program and very easy to use, as Rick wrote about recently.

Vancouver’s Red Lion at the Quay amphitheater with bridge in background

Parking lot where Dave waited patiently in the car while I took pictures of the I-5 bridge

The Columbia River, east of the I-5 bridge      

Statue of Sacajawea along the waterfront path (non-panorama)

If we can’t be out on the water on this hot day, the next best thing is to be able to look at the water and take pictures!

Odds and Ends and a Bit of a Rant

Welcome aboard to my new blog follower, Karen.  Check out her blog, Country Living in Georgia.

Do you remember when I blogged about the Visual Field Eye Test that I took a couple of weeks ago?  I just heard that I passed the test and that no further testing will be needed until next year at this time.  I am thankful for the good news!

One of the minor inconveniences of owning a stick house as well as an RV is that both need to be maintained.   When we got back from our long weekend at Mallard Creek, we turned onto our street and discovered there was some broken glass on the street.  It looked like a broken beer bottle.  Very inconsiderate people occasionally throw fast food bags and empty beer bottles out their car window as they drive on our street.  I don’t know if it’s because we have a field in front of our house, or if they do this in other neighborhoods, too.

The empty lot in front of our house

The broken glass was on our neighbor’s part of the street, but since they live on the corner, they don’t drive or park in the area where the broken glass was.  Dave and I painstakingly cleaned up the mess, but it was not a good feeling to come home to broken glass in  the street.  On the other hand, we were thankful that our house was still standing after the fireworks that take place in our neighborhood every 4th of July.

A magnified view of Mount St. Helens from our house

Vancouver and the rest of the Pacific Northwest have been having   a heat wave the last few days.  We generally get one or two really hot weeks during each summer.  I know that we are lucky that it’s only for a few days or weeks and not during the whole summer. 

Nevertheless, it’s uncomfortable because many people don’t have air conditioning.  We didn’t have it in our old house in Camas, where we lived for 13 years before we moved a few miles west to Vancouver.  Now we have a heat pump that also provides us with wonderful air conditioning.

Flowers in our neighborhood before the heat wave

Thank you all for the complimentary comments about our younger son, Jonathan’s preparations for his new adventure at.  I know it sounded like a bit of bragging, but I think we are entitled to do so once in a while.  Some day I will give equal time and brag about our older son, Tim.  He’s pretty special, too!

Across the Bridge and Back to Vancouver

Vancouver, looking north across the Columbia River.

Vancouver, Washington, that is.  Many people confuse our city with its more famous neighbor to the north, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  If you were to read the Wikipedia article about Vancouver, WA, this is what you would learn:

Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with an estimated population of 163,186 as of July 2008. Vancouver is the county seat of Clark County and forms part of the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area, the 23rd-largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Vancouver shares its name with the larger city of Vancouver located 305 miles north in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Both cities were named in honor of sea captain George Vancouver, although the Canadian city was incorporated 29 years after the incorporation of Vancouver, Washington, and more than 60 years after the name Vancouver was first used in reference to the historic Fort Vancouver trading post on the Columbia River.

City officials have periodically suggested changing the US city's name to Fort Vancouver, Vancouver USA, or even Old Vancouver to reduce confusion with its northern neighbor. Many Pacific Northwest residents distinguish between the two cities by referring to the Canadian city as "Vancouver, B.C." and the United States one as "Vancouver, Washington".

When you visit Vancouver, Washington USA, one of the sites to see is Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.  Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District (which covered the northern half of the region known to Americans as the Oregon Country). Named for Captain George Vancouver, the fort was located on the northern bank of the Columbia River in present-day Vancouver, Washington, near Portland, Oregon. Today, a full-scale replica of the fort, with internal buildings, has been constructed and is open to the public as Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

Okay, enough of the history and geography lessons.  On our way from Astoria, Oregon, back home to Vancouver, Washington, USA, we crossed over the Astoria-Megler bridge.  Many of the bridges in our area are being worked on.  It's summertime, you know, even though we've been wearing jackets and running our heater every day.  The bridge we crossed to get to Astoria was the Lewis and Clark Bridge in Longview, WA.  The roadwork on that bridge made the lanes VERY narrow.  The Astoria bridge is being painted, but it has one lane of traffic open instead of narrow lanes.  Which to choose??  Dave chose to cross the Astoria bridge.  Both bridges cross the mighty Columbia River which divides the states of Oregon and Washington.  (That's Washington state, not Washington D.C., another common mistake!)

Before we cross the Astoria bridge in the background, we have to cross Young's Bay Bridge.  We're traveling north on Highway 101.

That's the Astoria Bridge.  From the left lane, we'll head up to the bridge.

We made it up to the bridge. 

The highest part of the bridge.  This is not a drawbridge, so it has to be high enough to let ships pass underneath.

Starting to descend to the lower part of the bridge.

Continuing to cross the bridge.  It's low tide.

We've reached the area being painted.  This part was covered in plastic.

Finally, it's our turn to go.  Actually, we waited less than five minutes.

Notice this newly painted part of the bridge.  Snazzy!

Safely back in Washington state, USA.