Time Flies!

Here it is December already. Where has the time gone? When last I wrote, Mark and I had just returned from a cruise to Alaska. Much has happened since then, but nothing very interesting.

We spent six weeks along the Washington/Oregon coast. The weather was chilly and foggy and generally unpleasant-- if one is hoping for warm air, that is. We weren't able to get a spot at our favorite campground in Seaside, Oregon, because we waited too long to book. But we did take a daytrip there. Near Seaside is a place called The Sea Lion Caves, which we decided to visit since we hadn't stopped there on our last trip through. The sea lions weren't home, so that was a disappointment. They offered a discount price to look at the caves, but it was the sea lions I was interested in seeing, so we declined.

A persistent issue with the campgrounds along the coast is the unavailability of sewer service, which makes washing clothes (in my RV, that is) problematic. I was happy to say goodbye to that part of the country.

After the coast, we headed inland on our way to Acton where we would be spending most of our winter. We found an interesting little campground called "Railroad Park" where we stayed one night. (They have sewer, and I got some washing done.) Besides their camping area, they rent out railroad cabooses that are renovated into cabins-- a museum motel, you might say. And they have a nice little cafe with great food. Of course we had to try it out. 

Two weeks later we pulled into Soledad Canyon RV Park in Acton, California for a four-week stay. 

Over these past three months, Mark and I have made some life-changing plans. Primarily, we have decided to end our full-time RV traveling at the end of 2025 and settle down somewhere. We don't know where yet, other than it must be someplace mostly warm. We've both decided hot is better than cold if we must choose, and the only other consideration is how far away from our widely dispersed offspring we want to be. Close is better, but close to whom? Closer to one or another, or in the middle somewhere between them all? Decisions, decisions. We have a year to figure it out.

We'll be putting our motor home up for sale next October in hopes that we'll find a buyer by the end of the year. In January we'll be setting sail on a Carnival cruise ship for eight weeks of back-to-back cruises around the Caribbean. 

That said, this will be our last trip across the U. S. in our home-on-wheels. Next week we head to Leisure Coachworks to get some repairs taken care of while we're in the neighborhood. In January we'll be hitting Quartzsite for the RV Rally. Next we'll be stopping in Phoenix to visit our two grandsons who are students at Grand Canyon College. After that, another visit to Carlsbad Caverns. Then a few weeks in south Texas and on to Louisiana to get a new ceiling installed by Ronnie Wolfe (covering up the horrific carpet). From there we go north to Iowa where Mark will work-camp at Adventureland. Once we're done there, we'll make one more visit to Door County in Wisconsin, and then back to Shreveport to finish our journey and sell the RV. It's a little bit exciting and a little bit scary, but the future is always a little bit that way, isn't it?

That's all for now. Stay tuned for the last "leg" of our journey.

Merry Christmas and God Bless us every one!

At Seaside, Oregon

The Oregon coastline is stunning

More of the Oregon coastline

Downtown Florence, Oregon

At Railroad Park

The English Tea House in Florence, Oregon. 
We ate there twice.

The Last Frontier

I finally badgered Mark into an Alaska cruise. It was a hard-won compromise, which he traded me for the Caribbean cruise we took last February. I was sure he would love it once he experienced it, but he's not about to admit it if he did, after making such a fuss about not wanting to go. It wasn't a total bust for him, though, as he got two new Harley shirts out of the deal.

Alaska weather was typically chilly, and several days were shrouded in fog, especially in the morning. The cruise up Tracy Arm Fjord started out obscured in fog, but about halfway along it cleared up and the scenery was beautiful. We didn't get up close to the glacier, however, which was disappointing since that is, after all, the crowning glory of Tracy Arm Fjord. Too much ice in the water.

This is as close as we got to the glacier. You'll
probably need to zoom in on the picture
to see it.

Our port stops were Skagway, Ketchikan, Juneau, and Victoria. We didn't do but one excursion-- the White Pass train ride from Skagway and back. Otherwise (with the exception of Victoria) we just walked around the towns, took pictures, and bought a few mementoes. 

Mark loves trains, so the train ride was a must. It was a little scary at times, especially knowing about the recent rockslide that blocked the tracks a short two weeks prior to our visit. We so often take our safety for granted and trust that everything will be as it should. But the truth is, "...thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety." (Psalm 4:8). I have to admit that more than once I whispered a silent prayer for that divine safety during that beautiful ride.

Victoria was a late evening stop from about 8 p.m. to 11:30, and we'd have had to pay for a bus ride into town to see anything worthwhile. Neither of us had much energy left by then to get out and about so we opted to stay aboard for Canada.

Mitchell, Mark's son (who lives in Olympia), offered to let us park the motorhome in his driveway and shuttle us back and forth to the Port of Seattle. That was a saving grace. We were having a lot of trouble finding an RV park that would store the rig for a week. We needed to plug into power while we were gone, so leaving it in the Port parking lot was not going to work. As an added bonus, we got a little extra family visiting before and after. Dylan and Alana (the grandchildren) have grown so much since the last time we saw them. It was a joy to spend time with them.

Mark, Dylan, Mitch, Alana & Sammy

Now we're on our slow and steady way to California for the winter via the coast of Washington and Oregon. 

That's all for now

White Pass train ride pictures--

This was the original White Pass trail during the gold rush.

The old wooden bridge on which the train used to run.

Another view of the broken bridge

The front of the train from the back of the train.

Skagway River

Skagway...

Mark had to have his crab dinner

Juneau

Juneau

The famed "Creek Street" from afar

I had to have my clam chowder. I was solo at this meal.

Creative marketing

Ketchikan...

Aboard Ship...

Foggy day

Kinda creepy

Chilling out with a cup of coffee

Last meal of the cruise... Flaming Baked Alaska for dessert

Victoria from the ship

Our inside cabin

Hanging out with the animals

Tracy Arm Fjord...

Foggy start

Lots of ice in the water

Up close and personal with the mountain

Idaho Summer

The view from our front door, Snake River RV Park
Homedale, Idaho

Well, we're on the road again. I admit I was a lazy writer during our two-month Idaho stay. There wasn't too much going on while we were there. My primary purpose was looking after my 8-year-old granddaughter, Sophie, over the summer break when mom & dad were working, and that kept me fairly busy. We had great fun together playing board games, putting together jigsaw puzzles, and hanging out with her plethora of stuffed animal friends. Of course, we also had everyone out to the campground a few times, made hamburgers and s'mores, and let Sophie play in the grass and the water sprinklers. 

The campground we secured, Snake River RV Resort in Homedale, Idaho, was situated right on the river. Our site was just across the road, with no campsites between us and the river. It was a beautiful setting, but we spent the entire two months fighting a losing battle with the bug world, primarily little gnat-like flies and spiders. We're still finding (and killing) spiders, and probably will continue to find them lurking around for days to come.

Yesterday we said goodbye to Homedale, Idaho, and hit the road for Spokane. Our first day was less than pleasant. We had planned to make a Walmart parking lot stop in Pendleton, Oregon, only to find out they did not permit parking. It was a hot day--over 100 degrees--and, for some reason that Mark was unable to pin down, our generator would not stay running. Consequently, we couldn't run the A/C and the temperature inside the motorhome was hovering close to the outside temperature. Finally, we thought it would be prudent to find a campground where we could plug in. 

There are quite a few choices in that area of the Oregon-Washington border (I-84), and we got on the phone and started calling. Some were booked solid, one could not take a big rig, some ended in "leave a message." One that we'd been to before, Agate Acres, didn't have a working phone number in our Allstays app. But after another hour or so of sweltering, we decided to just show up there and take our chances.

We pulled in at about 7 p.m. and found their office closed until Monday. What would YOU do? After a very brief conversation, Mark and I decided to look for an open spot and figure out the rest later. The last time we were there, the park was practically empty. This time, we found exactly one empty site and thanked the Good Lord for saving it for us. We were able to find all the information we needed to pay for our stay and dropped our payment into a slot in the office door. 

I'm not so sure I'm that fond of adventures anymore. Getting old? Mmmm.... I'll get back to you on that.

Today we're parked in another regular haunt-- Ponderosa Falls RV Park in the Spokane, Washington, area, to spend a weekend with two of my other kids -- Liz and Josh. We've been here several times and like the park well enough. Its only drawback is that we can only stay one week (through our RPI membership). After that we must be out for a week before coming back. That's not a problem this visit, since it's just a weekend.

That's all for now. Monday we head for Olympia, Washington.

God bless & safe travels to all!

Polly (Portrait Day)

Moo Moo (Portrait Day)

Liony (Portrait Day)

Sophie and Liony quite possisbly stalking someone.

Lunch time

These escapees greeted me on the road between
the campground and main road. Thankfully, it 
only happened once.

A visit from the kids--
Brent, Sophie, Mr. Quackers and Katie

Sophie & the gang

Our spot at Snake River RV "Resort"-- so, it's
not really a resort, but it's one of the best kept
parks we've ever been in.

Sophie and one of her school friends, Alexi (and her brother)
whose grandparents happened to be parked right
next to us in the campground.

The Snake River Valley is a wine region.
Sadly (for Mark), they make very little
sweet wines.

This little baby's nest fell out of the tree. We found it
perching in the most unlikely places.