We have been changing to an RV full time lifestyle for some time, while raising our grandson. Our journeys have taken us to quite a few places, with a few unique experiences along the way. This blog will hopefully prove entertaining as well as informational... Welcome!
7 May, 2016 Mothers Day - This year we were able to spend it with my Mother and also had a beautiful day to boot! Tony (younger brother) had showed up prior and had brought over some salmon that he had cooked up the day before. After a visit we (Darlene, TJ, the dogs and I) took Mom for a long walk outside to enjoy the weather. A couple of days ago we had visited Mom for the first time since we got back and also saw my brother Bob and his wife Wendy who were over to see both their Moms on the weekend. We also made a trip in on Saturday to catch up with Mom.
14 May, 2016
We have been in Chilliwack, BC, for a week now, at Cottonwood RV Park, which is just off the freeway next to Chilliwack. The park is not bad in that it has excellent wifi, clean bathrooms and showers, which do not cost, and easy sites to get into and out of.
There are paved roads throughout although the sites are gravel and somewhat private. There is a laundry, and hot tub (currently out of service), which is the extent of the amenities. The price is 570/month which is pretty good. We are in site 44 which we had to move to after finding out the last site did not have satellite access due to the trees all around.
Last Friday we went to Abbotsford and watched Liam (3yrs old) play soccer and then on Sat. we watched Ethan (6 yrs old) play baseball.
Ethan (6) a T-Ball
Ethan - mucho concentration
Future Power Hitter
Liam (3)
Liam running in a Dragon Race
Both boys are involved in sports of all kinds and are quite the going concern. My daughter Kendra dropped them off for us this Friday so we have them for the weekend, which has turned out to be a LOT of fun! They totally love TJ and look up to him quite a bit. They brought their gloves, scooters, and bikes, so the boys have been busy with those.
Yesterday we took the boys to Mill Lake in Abbotsford for a walk around the park and to see what bugs they could catch. It got windy as the afternoon moved on and we ended up leaving a bit early so we could pick up some hot dog buns for supper.
Monday, 2 May (268 Miles driving Vancouver, Washington, to Vancouver, Canada)
I was up early, as sleeping in a Rest Area, regardless of how quiet, is always a bit restless, and although I got a good 6 hours of sleep, I was still anxious to go before the sun was up. That time of day just before the sun rises is my favourite, as the birds start singing and the air has a special smell in it to herald the onset of a new day, full of adventures!
Made coffee, warmed up car, Darlene got up, I took dogs out for a pee/walk, and we were on the road @ 06:00 !! We made excellent time, until we came to Olympia, and then Monday morning rush hour slowed us right down. Driving thru Seattle on I-5 during rush hour in your RV is a special treat to those who do not plan too careful lol!
Actually, we went on the HOV lanes and made pretty good time thru Seattle, all things considered.
At 12:22 we pulled in to the Sumas Gas Station we are quite familiar with and topped up the Motorhome. The fuel here was the cheapest we found during our travels! The only time it was cheaper was down in Arizona in Jan. when fuel dropped around the world and we were able to get it for 1.59 / Gal.
Total Trip back was different than last year... 2060 Miles in total.
The fellow at the border was great and we were soon on our way to the RV place in Chilliwack that had a couple of spots that would accommodate us. Vancouver, Canada is where a lot of my immediate relatives are (Mother, Daughter, grandkids, brother), so we plan to put down our roots here for about a month. Hope to get caught up with a bunch of Scuba Diving buddies and fellows I used to work with for many years.
Trip mileage summary:
Lake Havasu - Page 338 Miles
Page - Cathedral Gorge 268 Miles
Cathedral Gorge - Reno 446 Miles
Reno - Yreka 357 Miles
Yreka - Portland 351 Miles
Portland - Canada Border 268 Miles
We took our time heading home, with a number of layovers to sightsee and finding a spot to camp early in the day.
Last year we travelled with my Uncle Bill and Aunt Marg (from Winnipeg, Manitoba) who have wintered in Lake Havasu for many years. On the way back last year they had left their 5th Wheel in storage at Lake Havasu and drove their car with us, camping with us as we travelled, as their end destination was via Vancouver, BC, in order to visit my Mother there.
We took a different route last year, travelling through Bakersfield, San Francisco, and then over to the coast highway so we could wonder at the Redwoods and Oregon Coast along the way, heading back to the I-5 at Astoria.
Sun. 1 May, 2016 Yreka, California - Vancouver, Washington (351 Miles for the day)
We were up bright and early, drove the car around a bit to get the gears lubricated before hooking up and heading out on the I-5, heading north to Canada.
I have a good friend (Tim) who lives in Bend, Oregon whom I hadn't seen for a couple of years and while we were driving north, and as soon as it was acceptable to call, I called to see if he was free today and would he be able to drive over the mountain range to meet us in Springfield as we passed thru about noon. We talked for a bit on the phone and then agreed to meet "somewhere in Springfield"
There was a Walmart in Springfield, but while en route I decided to fuel up at a Pilot that was just north of Medford, Oregon. It was close to the freeway so I thought it prudent to fill up at this time.....
Yes, there is a story here.... Well, for whatever reason, I pulled in to where the cars and pickups pull up instead of the truck area. (Mistake #1, because the truck fuel nozzles are big and pump quite fast). Next, I pulled up behind a Mercedes car, thinking he would be fast (Mistake #2, because the guys who were pumping fuel (in Oregon there is no self serve) had to page him twice because I waited 15 minutes for him to come out of the store...."I had to go to the bathroom" he said in reply to my comment that he should have some consideration for others wanting to fuel up. I was upset, and let him know that I thought that if he had to go to the bathroom, perhaps he could do it on his own time and maybe park somewhere else than the fuel pumps..... Jeez!!!!
I had to call my friend to tell him we would be late, but turns out he was taking longer than anticipated also. The Walmart we went to had a VERY sharp turn into it as well as only 1 lane... Had to get Darlene out to ensure we could get in, as the rear tires went up on the curb this time, while the front was rubbing the curb! We made it OK, had a wonderful lunch with Tim and got caught up on some happenings on our lives. It was about 2 1/2 hours for lunch, but most definitely worth it. It took Tim 1 1/2 hours to drive there, but I would do the same for him, if he was in the area. Good friends are few, and we treasure those we have!
After we left Tim, the landscape became more and more familiar in that it was what we were used to with trees and mountains. lol. Oregon and Washington both have wonderful rest areas on the major freeways, and tonight we stopped at one just north of Portland, in Washington state. They allow you to stay for 8 hours, and we did that, after I had cleaned the front end of bugs, which were plastered all over it!
