A Visit From Liz Zemke

Saturday December 29th

Still no package from Verizon, which was supposed to be shipped for overnight delivery on Wednesday.  Wonder what they screwed up this time.  

In the afternoon we had surprise visitors in the personages of Liz Zemke and her granddaughter, Katrina.  Liz is Cathey's sister-in-law who lives in Fresno.  She was here to attend a block party in a neighborhood that she lived in some years ago.  Liz is a vivacious retired nurse who probably has fun doing anything but especially spending a day with her granddaughter.

Left-over roast beef for supper - it's a tough job but somebody has to do it!

Late Christmas Dinner

Friday December 28th

Received package from Allie with original disks for my MacBook.  Unfortunately the "Office" disk was not among them, so I still don't have a spreadsheet application for the computer.

Went to a Penney's store in the Arden Mall trying to return some clothes, but there were so many people there that I circled the parking lot for 15 minutes looking for a parking place; when I finally got a parking place it was so tight that I couldn't get out of the truck.  About that time I decided God didn't want me to go to Penney's today!  

I retreated to a grocery and picked up a few things and hurried home for our postponed Christmas dinner.  

We had bought a standing rib roast a couple days before Christmas (before we decided on the trip to San Francisco on Christmas Day).  Cathey roasted it this afternoon and as expected it was delicious, accompanied by a baked potato and salad. 

Chinese Supper

Thursday December 27th

No package from Verizon today.   I drilled a hole in four of the 15inch planks for the stabilizers and put a rope loop in each one, that's so I can hook them with a stick and avoid bending down to pick them up.  

Late in the afternoon, Cathey decided to get her hair cut.  We found a place not too far a way.  After the haircut we went to the Chinese restaurant a few doors down.  The place was called Chang's and the food was great, although the Curry Chicken could have had a little extra curry…..

Adventures With Verizon

Wednesday December 26th

Shortly before noon I ambled over to the KOA store and picked up the package from Verizon that was supposed to be the replacement Mifi device.  But, when I opened the box there was a new iphone in it.  It was one of those moments when ecstasy turns to agony!  Things got worse when I tried to contact a Verizon customer service number - the wait time was over an hour.  So I decided to take the problem back to the store where it originated.  I have had very good luck at that Verizon store - both times I have been there I was attended to right away.  

The customer service guy there took care of the problem in the computer, ordered the right device and gave me the repackaged box to take across the street to Fedex to be shipped back.  So, we will see what comes in the next box.

After I left there I did a little exploring, found a Raley's grocery store and picked up a few things and had a nice lunch at the adjoining coffee shop.  Next I found a Target and spent some time and money there.  Finally a stop at Home Depot where I bought a treated 10 foot 2x6 and had them cut it into 15 inch lengths.  I finally got tired of messing with the odds and ends of 2x4s that I use to put under the hitch jack and the stabilizers; now I will have just one piece for each stabilizer and some extras for leveling the wheels and the hitch jack.

Cathey was pleased with the new Fondue pot that I bought for her at Target; we had cheese fondue for supper!

Day Trip to San Francisco

Tuesday December 25th

Got on the road about 10am; per usual it was raining although as we drove it started and stopped innumerable times.  We stayed on I-80 into Oakland and then crossed the bay on the Oakland Bay Bridge.  That is the double decker bridge which had parts of it missing after the 1989 earthquake which we witnessed on TV.  

Once we were in San Francisco I watched for directions to US-101 which goes N to Marin County across the Golden Gate Bridge.  Unfortunately there was construction and even though we were following the signs for 101 we lost it in the maze and ended up traveling E on Mission Street until we couldn't go any farther and then W on Embarcadero Street until we finally had to stop and orient ourselves with the GPS.  So Cathey got to see all the street people along Mission Street and all the tourists along Embarcadero Street.  Despite it being Christmas Day, many of the restaurants and fast food places were open and doing quite well from what we could see.  

Once we got back on 101, we drove over the Golden Gate bridge headed N.  We had a comfort/lunch stop in Sausalito at a little store that served a houseboat community.  Then we looked at the map and decided to take CA-37 around the N end of San Pablo Bay to reconnect with I-80 N of Oakland.  Most of that portion of the trip was thru flat marsh land.  actually there is a great deal of wetlands between Sacramento and the Bay area since this is the area where several rivers end before they dump into the bay.

Stopped at a Denny's near Fairfield and had supper then headed back to the KOA, arriving shortly before dark.  Cathey commented that it was a unique Christmas Day experience!

More Propane to Keep My Other Half Warm

Monday December 24th

Went over to the KOA office and paid for another week and got one of the propane tanks filled.  The furnace runs often to keep the chill and dampness out.  The temperature in mostly in the 50s and some nights down into the 40s and on a sunny day may get into the low 60s.

We decided to make a day trip to San Francisco tomorrow since traffic should be at a minimum on Christmas Day.

Strudel Day in El Granda, CA

Sunday December 23rd

Got rolling about 8:30, still raining and continued to rain at varying intensity throughout the trip.  It's about 130 miles to El Granada.  We went down I-680 on the E side of San Francisco Bay, then made a jog on I-580 to get over to I-880 then a short distance S to catch CA-92 which crosses the bay on the San Mateo Bridge and continues all the way to the coast.  

Beverly has a beautiful home about a half mile from the ocean; not high enough up the hill for me since I am tsunami sensitive.  We started off the days events by meeting the canine member of the household, Callie, an Australian Shepard mix.  Next was some eggnog and shortly thereafter we were watching Bev making strudel dough.  Making strudel often, would build up arm and shoulder muscles since there is a significant amount of kneading involved, necessary (I think) because the dough gets stretched to such an extent.  After a long time (45 min?) she cut the dough into three portions and each of us kneaded the smaller segments for about another twenty minutes.  When she deemed the dough "ready" she flattened the dough into a round shape about 10 to 12 inches in diameter, added a light film of oil to the topside of the dough and put it on a towel in a warm place.  

Next was preparing the fillings for the strudel.  I had the honor of grating the apples (10 Granny Smith) on the large-slot grater that Beverly has kept as a legacy of her mother's strudel making days.  The other filling is to be cottage cheese, to which she added some cinnamon.

While we waited for the dough to rest and warm, we had some snacks and watched football on TV.  

When the strudel process resumed, we placed a cotton bed sheet on the table as a non-sticky surface on which to place the dough as it is being stretched.  I remember the pulling process of going around the table and gradually stretching the dough until the edges are over the edges of the table.  But Beverly has a technique that I didn't remember; she uses the backs of her hands under the surface of the dough to pull additional dough out of the middle of the dough sheet.  Once the dough is stretched over the table the fillings are added; shredded apples, cinnamon, drizzle of oil, sugar and some Cream of Wheat to absorb extra moisture.  Then the thicker edges of the dough are torn off from around the edges of the table.  (The resulting dough ball was saved and eventually the dough remnants were combined to make a fourth dough for an additional strudel roll.)  

At this point the dough sheet is carefully separated from the bed sheet on the sides and ends  by lifting the sheet enough to roll the dough edge over on itself.  Once all the ends and sides are started the bed sheet is lifted from one side and rolled into a roll of dough and filling, which then is carefully curled into a zigzag shape and placed onto a baking sheet.  We made two apple batches and two cheese batches.  The results were everything that I remembered from many years ago.  

We stayed and enjoyed a great baked chicken dinner that Beverly put in the oven even before all the strudel was baked.  The meal was topped off with strudel and coffee and then we bid our adieus and headed back to Sacramento.  The trip back seemed shorter because it wasn't raining.

We Discover Raley's

Saturday December 22nd

Rain again with up to 3 feet of snow in the Sierras E of here.  Received mail again today from Cleveland and that took a couple of hours to dispose and disposition.  Went grocery shopping late in the afternoon at a store named Raley's.  It's a CA chain and the store we went to was much nicer than the Safeway that I went to a couple of days ago.  It was the only grocery store that I have ever been in that had the produce aisle in the middle of the store.

In the evening I looked over maps for the intricacies of getting to Half Moon Bay and El Granada, where we will be going tomorrow to visit my cousin, Beverly.

Game Night at the Trailer

Friday December 21st

Yesterday was sunny most of the day but today it is overcast and began raining in the afternoon.  Rose let us know that she was off today also; I invited her here to the trailer for sloppy joes and games.  I went to a nearby Safeway and got a few things and when I came back Rose and Cathey were happily making guacamole.  

I made the sloppy joes; we also had some tomato-basil soup, chips and salsa, chips and guacamole, all topped off with pumpkin pie.  I don't think we ever did get around to the games.......

We Finally See the Lincoln Movie

Thursday December 20th

We hooked up with Rose about 2pm; she was doing some shopping and waiting to hear from us.  We met at Mimi's Restaurant, one of our favorites in the Roseville area.  After lunch Cathey wanted to get her password fixed at a Verizon store so we went to one in the mall near the Mimi's.  They were quite busy and we waited for a half an hour and never got waited on, so we moved on to the Barnes and Noble where we availed ourselves to the rest rooms and did some serious browsing.  

G'ma decided we should go to see a movie (that was what we did when we were here last spring).  So Rose guided us to a theater where the Lincoln movie was playing and we watched it.  Lincoln must have peaked some weeks ago since there were only about ten people in the theater with us.  A very good film.  I wasn't aware that it was based on the book by Doris Kearnes-Goodwin.  

After dropping Rose off at her car, we drove back to West Sac, which is about 20 miles from Roseville.

A Visit to Verizon

Wednesday December 19th

Beautiful sunny day today and the temp approached 60.  Went for a walk along the drive that comes into the KOA then when I wasn't able to hook up to the internet, I went for a drive to a Verizon store.  He checked out the Mifi device and took out the battery and the sim card which I guess is how you force it to reboot.  Worked fine once he got it going again.  Then he noticed that the battery status indicator and other indicators were not working and ordered a new one under the one year warranty, which was still in effect.  When I got it home it worked fine for a few hours and then started doing the same thing, where it works very slowly or not at all.  So maybe getting a new box will help, but I think there is so much cell traffic here that there is not enough bandwidth for it too work consistently.

Cloverdale Through the Napa Valley to West Sac

Tuesday December 18th

We were up early and found the laundromat right off but then went in search of the PO.  When we did finally find it (right behind the laundromat) Cathey discovered that she had forgotten one of the packages that she wanted to mail, so her brave Polack backtracked to the campsite to get the package.  By the time I returned the washing was done and I took over while she went to the PO.  Not too many English speakers in the laundromat except for the owner who came in to get the money.

By 12:30 we were packed and rolling down the hill in first gear because it was so steep.  We got back on US-101 and a few miles later turned off on CA-128 which took us over a divide to the Napa Valley and then turned down CA-29 to follow the Napa Valley down to Napa.  We are already used to seeing the rows and rows of grapevines but have lots of questions as to why some vines are at knee height and some at shoulder height and all levels in between.  The field workers are pruning the vines for next year's crop at this time of the year.

With the trailer we were not able to stop at any of the vineyards, so perhaps we will take a day trip here to learn more.

Once we were S of Napa we took CA-12 to it's junction with I-80 and then on to West Sacramento to our KOA home.  We got there about dark and got set up by the time it was dark, dark.  Rose has Thursday off so we will see her then; I offered to meet her for breakfast tomorrow before she goes to work at 11 but she said she would rather sleep; smart kid!

Eureka, CA to Cloverdale, CA

Monday December 17th

We got up and got on the road by 8:30 this morning, and a fine morning it was too.  The sun was shining intermittently and the wispy clouds were sticking to the mountains in various places waiting for the sun to dry things up after the rain.  We did still run into a few showers but the further we went the drier it got. 

Once you leave Eureka the US-101 heads inland following the Eel River valley but there are a lot of places where the road still climbs and descends the hills to follow the valley.  This is also the area where the big redwood trees are - very spectacular.  Unfortunately for Cathey the towns along this route have very little parking space so even though she was anxious to stop for breakfast and a post office, we never found a restaurant with parking to accommodate our length until we got to Willits about 12:30.  There were some commercial buildings near the restaurant so we found parking space but still had to walk about two blocks once parked.  Cathey was quite pleased with the "Lumberjack restaurant" where she was able to get breakfast.  Tony was not so pleased because the stop took nearly two hours of precious daylight time.  No post office though, that will have to wait until another day.

At some point we crossed a divide and then began following the Russian River through Mendicino county and then we started seeing the vineyards.  We stopped for the night at a KOA near Cloverdale, CA.  This campground takes the distinction of the most expensive overnight stay in the history of our sojourns - $58.00; also one of the least accessible KOAs we have been to.  About 5 miles off the highway on a curvy farm road then a mile of hairpin curves up the hill to the campground.  But in the KOA book it is listed as one of their premier locations.  I don't agree!

We decided that tomorrow we would get the laundry done and get to the post office to get Cathey's stuff mailed. 

And Millard was right, we were in Sonoma County, we had crossed the county line a few miles before we got to Cloverdale.

Grants Pass, OR to Eureka, CA

Sunday December 16th

The big question today is whether or not we should try to get to CA as we had planned.  We heard from Catie, she is still in Yreka at her Grandma's and it's still snowing there.  I called the 511 number for the OR DOT road report; Siskyou summit was reported as snow covered with icy spots and snowing hard.  Siskyou summit is at 4100 feet, and according to Wikipedia, the highest pass on I-5.  As near as I could tell the forecast for Monday is the same with snow levels becoming lower as the storm moves across the area.  Then I checked the road conditions for US-199 between Grants Pass and Crescent City, CA.  The pass there is only 1600 feet so it was reported to be wet but clear.  That road is pretty curvy and mostly two lane but it looked like the best option for today.  We decided that if we didn't go today we might be here for several more days.  (Cathey would vote for anything that would take her to a drier, warmer place!)

I got my empty LP tank filled and then packed up, hooked up and hit the road.  We had to back track N on I-5 in order to get on US-199 at Grants Pass; we stopped & got some McDonalds food to see us through the next several hours because there is not much between Grants Pass and Crescent City.  The trip wasn't bad at all, except for having to do a lot of pulling off to let faster traffic get by.  Once we got to Crescent City we noticed the wind was much more evident than it had been coming through the woods.  Fortunately US-101 doesn't stay right next to the ocean for long, it is constantly curving and climbing the hills along the coast so even though the highway parallels the ocean another 80 miles down to Eureka we weren't exposed to the winds for very long.

We made it as far as Eureka today and decided to motel it for the night so that I wouldn't have to do a setup in the rain and wind.  Then we had a hard time finding a motel with enough space to get the trailer and truck parked.  Flat space is at a premium in a town like Crescent City where the mountains come right down to the ocean, so nobody makes their parking lots any larger than they have to.  We finally picked a 1970's motel on the south side of town.  It was still a tight place to get turned around but with persistence I got it turned around and pointed in the right direction for leaving in the morning.

Shopping in Medford

We slept in today, but when we finally got moving we decided that we had two prime objectives for the day:  go shopping and do laundry.  Since driving is so much easier tin the daylight we decided the shopping should come first.  Hit JC Penney's first and while Cathey was shopping I went and filled up the Suburban - best price of the trip $3.15/gal.
Next we went to the Fred Meijer store; I got a few groceries while Cathey was looking for what she wanted.  By the time we got out of there it was dark and we headed home but not before seeing another gas station with a posted price of $3.11 - spoiled my day....
Once back at the trailer there was no enthusiasm for laundry so it will wait and I will have to wear my cleanest dirty shirt again!
Spent part of the evening trying to determine what the weather was going to do the next few days and what the conditions would be on Siskyou Summit between here and CA.

We Celebrate Catie's Birthday

Friday December 14th
Today we headed to Medford, OR where Catie, our oldest granddaughter, lives.  The weather forecast was kind of questionable but the passes on I-5 between Eugene and Medford are not very high so there was no ice or snow reported on the roads going S.  The weather was intermittent rain but the trip didn't take long since it is only about 150 miles.
We set up at the same KOA that we stayed at last spring.  It's about 15 miles from Medford but right along the interstate so makes up in convenience what it lacks in location.  Once setup we contacted Catie and arranged to go out to eat to celebrate her birthday, which was on December 4th.  She wanted to go to the Italian place that we visited last spring; it's called Cicily's and the food there is excellent.  We enjoyed a great dinner and then sat around and talked until the staff was about to push us out the door!
Once we got Catie home, we headed for the trailer and bed.

Errands in Springfield and Eugene

Thursday December 13th
Once we were up and awake we hooked up the trailer and moved it to a RV Park much closer to Springfield/Eugene.  After setting up we headed back to Springfield and picked up Louis and Georgianne for lunch.
After lunch we took Georgianne's chime clock to the repair shop.  That was quite a place; they have a kind of clock museum attached to their showroom.  Johnny Piper would enjoy a tour of that place!
Next we took Louis to Sprint to see if he could get a phone that he owns activated on a prepaid basis.  They didn't have any plans for any less than $30/month so I said we could probably do better with Tracfone or one of the other prepaid services.  What I didn't consider is that Louis is blind and needs a phone with distinct buttons so he can orient his fingers to the buttons.  So when we looked at the Tracfones at Walmart later we didn't find anything that fit the bill.
Before we left Walmart, Michael and Amy showed up with both girls, so we got to see Seena too; she was in school yesterday.  She is the red headed cutie!
After the shopping trip we were pooped so we headed back to the trailer for an early bedtime.

From One Shop to Another

Wednesday December 12th

In the morning I called my brother and arranged to pick him and his wife for breakfast.  They live in Springfield, about 20 miles from Junction City.  We visited awhile until my nephew and his wife and daughter came and then we went to Denny's for a big breakfast.  Lotus, the three year old,  kept us entertained during breakfast.  She is a little blond cutie.

Around 1pm we headed back to Camping World to pick up the trailer, but it wasn't done yet, so I did a little shopping but couldn't afford to do that for long.

Once they were done we headed for another RV place in Junction City to get an estimate and repairs for yesterdays damage.  Junction City is the former home of two RV manufacturers so there seems to be several different sales and repair places but they are all owned by the same outfit.  We went to the one that the insurance adjuster recommended and talked to the estimator.  She said that the kind of work required would take up to two weeks because they would just remove the metal panel and send it out to a fab shop and then when the part was ready they would paint it and install it and the trim that goes with it.  So we decided to do nothing for now since the trailer is road worthy as it is; I called the insurance co. and got names of their affiliated repair facilities in Sacramento, Yuma and Phoenix.  The best sounding of them was in Phoenix so that's probably where we'll get the work done.

We were able to stay free that night at the dealer's storage lot - that was quite a bonus considering that we actually didn't spend any money there!

Sequim to Junction City, OR

Tuesday December 11th
Got rolling as early as we could and headed toward Portland.  I wanted to go down to Tacoma to avoid the long two lane (US 101) to Olympia; but the GPS directed me to stay on 101 and I didn't recognize the mistake until we were past the junction.  It is the more scenic route because it follows the edge of the Hood Canal but scenery wasn't the first priority today.  I felt that we had to get through Portland before 3pm to avoid heavy traffic.  It rained almost all of the time we were on the road today only varying from light drizzle to heavy downpour.
We got to Portland about 2pm and got through without much of a delay.  About the time we got to the Salem area we started seeing emergency vehicles heading N - and we kept seeing them until we turned off I-5 to go to Junction City, OR.  I thought it was a big pile-up on the interstate but later we heard about the shootings at the Clackamas Mall in Portland.
We had headed for Junction City because we had an appointment to get the new toilet installed at the Camping World Store on Wednesday.
We decided to motel it again since my back had not recovered from the effort of yesterday and avoiding a trailer setup and teardown seemed like a good idea since we knew that we had to get the trailer to the shop the next day.  We got to Camping World before they closed, so we were able to drop the trailer off there, which makes getting around 90% easier.

I Tangle with a Bush and Lose

Monday December 10th
Kind of slow getting started today, but Cathey was off to get the oil changed by about 9:00.  I finished stowing things from table and other horizontal surfaces and then began on the outside preps.  Got up on my new ladder and washed the awning cover over the rear slide out.  It was pretty dirty from tree dirt and water that collects in the awning.  I had my scrub brush that hooks to the garden hose and washed it real good on the half that I could reach to make up for the half that I couldn't reach.  The front awning  was pretty clean because water does not collect on this one.  Then I scrubbed the grime off of the front of the trailer and any other especially dirty places.
Then I had to take down the overhead water hose that Greg and I put up to get a water supply to the trailer and pull up the extension cord that I taped to the floor last spring.  (I should have run that overhead in the garage also since now I have an extension cord sticky with duct tape goo.)
When Cathey got back it was almost noon but I was still working on getting things stowed and the hitch equipment set up.
Finally at about 2 we were hooked up and ready to pull out.  I had Cathey pull the trailer ahead until I was sure that the side of the trailer wouldn't drag against the edge of the garage roof.  Once it was past the garage I looked at the bush that was against the side of the Suburban and decided that if the trailer rubbed against it, it wouldn't do any harm.  So I slowly pulled ahead, trying to pull out of the driveway without wiping out Greg's mailbox.  Once we were out on the road I stopped and went back to see if I had damaged the bush at all.  There was one small broken branch but when I saw the side of the trailer, I almost fainted....hidden in the bush was a pretty large branch (2 inch diameter) that had dragged the length of the trailer and dented the metal "rocker" panels and torn off some trim and one of the sun awning supports.  At this point the big awning was hanging from one end because the bottom support was no longer there and the top support was broken - I couldn't move the trailer any farther until I could  get some kind of support for the upper awning and get the bolts back in the bottom.  We unhooked the trailer and headed into Sequim to the Co-op; I was able to find some heavy gauge wire (#9?) to hold up the upper awning support and found some window screen patches to shim the bolts in the torn out holes for the bottom support.  Then back to the trailer to make the repairs.  Jeff came out and put the wire around the upper awning support and then I looked for the screen patches and couldn't find them.  There was a hole in the plastic bag and all I could figure was that they fell out before we got back to the truck!  I had some extra cushioning that you use to keep things from sliding around in a tool box so I decided to try that as a shim for the bolts.  One worked well the other not quite so good but when I got it tight it was solid enough to get on the road.
We hooked up again but by now it was after 4 and getting dark already.  We headed to Sequim and had a nice relaxing night at the Quality Inn.

Getting Ready to Move the Trailer

Sunday December 9th
We got ready to go to church this morning but when we went over to the house, Greg said they would not be going today because he had work to get done before a meeting tomorrow.
I attempted to get my 12 volt compressor connected to the trailer tires but the cord wasn't long enough.  I checked the tires and they were all over 60 psi, so I decided not to worry about them.
Then began stowing things in the trailer, that's always a tedious process to get everything put in a place where it won't roll around or fall. Our cubby-holes are just about filled so that's a warning not to go to too many more stores!
Terye and Greg went to a Christmas party for Terye's work place, so Cathey and I went to the Black Bear Diner on the E side of Sequim.  Black Bear Diner is one of Cathey's favorites and it was as good as we remembered.  They are a chain mostly in CA, OR and WA but now they also have places in NV, AZ, one in Idaho and one in Sioux City, IA!
I remembered today that I forgot to get the oil changed and that needs to be done before we hit the road.  Cathey will do that tomorrow morning while I am making final preparations to move the trailer.

Finish Up Two Projects

Saturday December 8th
Up and at-em early today.  Took the old table off of its supports and measured the placement of the metal fixtures on the bottom, then moved the fixtures to the new table, drilled the pilot holes and put in the screws.  Viola - a new table!  I rounded the corners with the jig saw and sanded the edges; I can't put polyuerathane on until we are somewhere where it's warm enough for it to dry outdoors, so we will get a oil cloth to cover it for the time being.
Later in the morning Cathey and I went to the Co-op for the oil cloth and some other odds and ends.  Also remembered to get a 4 foot length of 1/8 inch steel cable for the trailer emergency brake mechanism.  The old one got cut during the contortions to get the trailer into place last spring.  When we got back to Greg's I put loops into the ends of the cable and finished another project that had to be done before we hit the road.
For supper Saturday evening Terye and Gabrielle made soft shell tacos with all the right stuff, they were great.  Then came game time when we all (Greg, Terye, Gabrielle, Jeff, Cathey and I) played Cranium; it was a hoot!

Hunting Vampires

Friday December 7th
Got approval to make lasagna for dinner today; then went to the grocery store for ingredients.  Then went to Home Depot with the dimensions for the 3/4 inch plywood for the new tabletop for the trailer.  The guys there cut the plywood to size with their fancy saw; then I got a jig saw to round the corners.  Spent most of the day in the kitchen making lasagna and salad and the meal was a mild success.
Featured movie of the evening was "Abraham Lincoln - Vampire Hunter."  Need I say more?

Quiet Rainy Day in Sequim

Thursday December 6th
Spent the am straightening up the inside of the trailer.  Then I made a shopping list, checked it twice and headed to Sequim to do some shopping.  While cruising around Home Depot I noticed the half sheets of sanded plywood and I thought it might be easy to make a table for the trailer to replace the existing table.  Also hit a couple of other stores to find some storage bins and some spring loaded gizmos that can be used to keep things on shelves when the trailer is on the road.
Before I left I had Jeff (Gabrielle's boyfriend) order a pizza at the Westend Pizza.  He works there so he gets a 50% discount; he ordered it under his name and said his grandfather would pick it up at 5.  So at 5, I was there and picked it up and hustled it to the house.
Later we went to the bible study group that Greg and Terye belong to.  Met some interesting folks there, all of them retired and either returned here after working elsewhere or coming here to retire.

The Computer gets Fixed

Wednesday December 5th


Got on the road to Tacoma by 9 and got to the Apple store before noon. Then I found out that I was supposed to have an appointment to have my computer looked at, but there was an opening at 12:45 so we mostly we hung around the Apple Store and played with other computers that were on display. Cathey ended up buying an ipad mini and then I got my turn with the geeks. He tried all the hocus pocus but couldn’t get the hard drive to respond; I was reaching for my wallet to buy a new hard drive but he said there was still a chance that the hard drive was OK but the software was at fault, but in order to find out he would have to reformat the hard drive – that means I lose all the documents and pictures and music on the computer. So I told him to go ahead. I didn’t have to buy the new hard drive but that was small consolation for the loss of my data. So I have a working computer but no applications or data.

Next we went over to the Camping World Store and bought a new toilet for the trailer. Then the long drive home; we stopped for a small supper in Silverdale.

Italian Dinner with the family

Tuesday December 4th


More unloading in the morning then I decided to call the computer store in Port Townsend to see what progress they had made. They had not started on it yet and still had several other jobs to do before mine; I told them I would be picking it up and taking it to the Apple store in Tacoma (like Jim told me to do). I was going to go to Tacoma today but Cathey had plans to take the family out to dinner tonight, so we just went to Port Townsend and picked it up. Then found a nice little restaurant overlooking the water and had a nice lunch.
The dinner was going to be at “The Old Mill Restaurant” but their new winter hours did not include being open on a Tuesday night, so we ended up at an Italian place called Tarcisio’s. That worked out well even though I ordered salmon instead of an Italian entrée. Consensus was that the Italian entrees were excellent.

It was Catie's birthday today and Cathey had tried to call her but she had to leave a message.  While we were driving home from dinner Catie called and we all sang Happy Birthday to her.  We will see her in about a week down in Medford and celebrate her birthday properly.

Chili Supper

Monday December 3rd


Continued slowly unloading stuff from the Suburban and stowing it in the trailer. Cathey did laundry and I went into town and picked up some storage trays for the trailer; we now have more space in the kitchen area because we got rid of the big stereo and replaced it with the sound bar. Also went to a couple of places and priced tire chains, not that I intend to use them, but it’s a legal requirement for a towing vehicle in these mountainous states.

Got back to the house about 3 and made a double batch of chili for supper and Cathey made some cornbread to go with it.

Slow Sunday

Sunday December 2nd


Slow start to the day; we did some chores around the trailer and unloaded some things from the Suburban. Around noon, Cathey and I went into town and got some grocery basics to stock the trailer and another tank of LP gas from the co-op. (It went dry this morning.) Around 2 we all sat down to a fine roast beef dinner that Terye prepared. It was delicious and then topped off with birthday pie in honor of Violet’s birthday.

After dinner we played a game of “Man Bites Dog” which is a game about making headlines out of words on cards that are dealt. And in the evening we watched another movie “Men In Black III.” Much better than last night’s feature!

We Celebrate Violet's Birthday

Saturday December 1^st

Slept in the trailer and yes, the bed is just as uncomfortable as it was last spring.  Greg helped me route a water hose to the trailer and I flushed the antifreeze from the water system and got the water heater going. 

Shortly after noon we all went to the Highway 101 Diner in Sequim to celebrate Violets birthday.  The diner has a 1950’s theme and is one of Violet’s favorite places.  The food was great; I had a wonderful barbequed beef brisket with steak fries – yummmm.  

We had planned to go to a theater to see the Lincoln movie but by the time we were done with lunch we missed the matinee showing, so headed back to the house. 

I made a trip to the co-op to get one of my LP tanks filled; in my notes from last spring I had stated that one of the tanks was empty and the other was questionable.

Later as a consolation for the Lincoln movie we watched “Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter” on the TV.  It had some good computer work in it but I don’t think my life would have been diminished if I had missed it.

Across Washington to beautiful Sequim

Friday November 30^th

We were sure to get an early start today because there is another pass to worry about before we get to Seattle.  I thought we might run into rush hour traffic through Spokane but we hardly slowed down.  Then across the wheatlands of eastern WA down off the plateau across the Columbia and up the foothills to the Cascades.  We stopped in Cle Elum for lunch at a barbeque place and it was pretty darn good. 

Again the pass was nothing to worry about since the temperature was about 40 and the road was only wet in places.  That was Snoqualmie Pass; we usually go over Stevens Pass on US-2 because it puts us closer to the ferry terminal that we use to get across Puget Sound.  Stevens Pass is a thousand feet higher so the conditions there were “snow packed and slippery.”  Fortunately once we came off the mountain and into Seattle, traffic was moderate and we were able to get right up I-5 and to the ferry terminal and right onto the ferry without a wait.  Within a few minutes we were on our way.  I decided to try to get my computer fixed at a computer place in Port Townsend, which is about 30 miles from Greg’s house in Sequim, WA.  Had a hard time finding the place even with all the help the GPS gave us……   Dropped it off, had supper at a Mexican place and then headed for Greg and Terye’s home.  We recognized the house by the trailer parked next to the garage……  Trails end for a few days!

Through Montana and over the the mountain

Thursday November 29th

Got a slow start this morning (must have been on Cathey’s schedule).  Once we got gassed up and on the road, I got out my computer and was going to do some writing but the computer wouldn’t boot-up.  I tried a couple more times and then texted the Michigan City helpdesk (son Jim).  He asked for symptoms and what I was seeing on the screen.  He gave me a couple of secret key combinations to force the boot-up process but to no avail.  His last bit of advice was to get to an Apple Store and let the genius folks there do their magic.  Due to that I missed a lot of the scenery between Billings and Livingston.  Cathey stopped in Livingston and got a snack at a very busy Dairy Queen. 

From there I drove to Three Forks where we usually stop at the Montana Wheat store for a sandwich and baked goods.  Then on to Missoula where we arrived about dark; we stopped for gas and then had to make a decision whether to stop there for the night or try to get over Lookout pass before we stopped.  (Lookout Pass is about two hours beyond Missoula and the next town with more than one motel is Coeur d’Alene, ID, which is about another hour.)  We called the Montana DOT road report number for pass information and found out that the road was considered wet with temperatures expected to be between 34 and 38 until 11pm.  So we decided to continue on our way rather than take the chance that tomorrow it might be snowing there and road conditions might be worse.

As it turned out the pass was a non-event; the road was wet but traffic was light and everybody seemed to be driving cautiously.  We gained an hour on the clock crossing the Idaho line, so I think we checked in the motel in Coeur d’Alene about 7:30, much relieved.

Chamberlain, SD to Billings, MT

Wednesday November 28^th

When I left the room this morning the sun was streaming straight down the hallway—so it was the day that the motel hallway lined up with the rising sun.  A good omen I hope! 

Got rolling by 9am and was running low on gas a couple of hours W of Chamberlain; gas stations were scarce, either closed for ever or closed for the season.  But we found a Conoco waiting to take our money at Kadoka.  Then on to Rapid City for our daily lunch/breakfast at Perkin’s.  From Rapid City it’s only another 60 or 80 miles to the Wyoming line and I thought it was just a short hop across WY and then into MT.  But the short hop turned out to be several hundred miles.  We were at Sheridan, WY about dark and then drove on to Billings, MT before we stopped for the night.  Then when we watched the weather on TV we found out that the West Coast is having a big storm.  There will be lots of rain for the next few days; we will have to watch road reports for the passes where there could be ice and snow.

From the Mississippi to the Missouri

Tuesday November 27^th

Cathey let me sleep until I woke up on my own, which didn’t happen until 7:20, so it’s my fault that we got a late start today.  First stop was a nearby Shopko to pick up some of the items that we discovered missing from our travel kit.  Got on the road about 9:30.  I forgot about Don Piper’s scenic route (along the Root River) west from La Crosse and regret it.  It’s one of those drives that is pleasant but parallels the main road and doesn’t take much extra time. 

Sunset in South Dakota

From the view via I-90 in eastern MN, I would say that the farms in MN are less tumbledown than what we see in eastern WI.  I think the difference is that the consolidation in the dairy industry has left many old farm buildings falling down.  But in MN the focus is more on cash crops so there are more farms still populated by farm families.

Made a lunch/gas stop in Austin.  Discovered the smells of money (the Hormel plant in Austin and the sugar beet plant further west); both of which I would prefer to the big dairy complexes near home. 

 Made it as far as Chamberlain, SD; we could have gone a little farther but motels beyond Chamberlain are iffy.  Chamberlain is where I-90 crosses the Missouri River –then the WEST begins!

We Reach Escape Velocity

Monday November 26^th

And we’re off like a turd of hurtles!  Too many last minute things to do…..

We finally got everything together and got on the road at about 3pm.  Cathey was doing the driving so that I could rest, but the passenger seat in the Suburban is not conducive to rest for large Polacks with achy knees. 

We made it as far as La Crosse and stopped for the night.  We didn’t get far but we did it in the best way – uneventfully.

Almost Nuttin'

Sunday April 8^th

Almost as exciting as yesterday, but we did manage to get together with Catie for dinner. We went to a place called Cicily’s. It was Italian food and it was very good; So good that we had dessert too.

Nuttin' Honey

Saturday April 7^th

Didn’t do anything but read today. Finished reading “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” and another small book.

California Redwoods

Friday April 6^th

We got up early to get going before 9am – and succeeded. It wasn’t very sunny when we left but the skies cleared as we traveled toward Crescent City. The only good road to the coast from here is US-199 that runs SW from Grants Pass, OR to Crescent City, CA. The entire trip is through the Coastal Range of mountains is up and down and follows the Illinois River valley for awhile and later the Smith River. Both of them are swift blue green rivers full of snow melt from the recent precipitation. We got to Crescent City about noon and then stopped and got some information at the park headquarters.

Our first stop was a few miles south of Crescent City on a high hill that overlooked the curve of the Crescent beach S of Crescent City and the shoreline to the S from there. There were some surfers along the beach but the surf was not very big today. Then we decided to go back to Crescent City and have lunch because we didn’t know what was available further south. We had lunch at a place called the Chart Room, which was right on the waterfront. There was a floating platform in the water just outside the restaurant and it was filled with harbor seals and sea lions. They weren’t doing much, just sunning themselves and one of the sea lions would occasionally do some barking. Later we notice that a nearby pier was also covered with sea lions. I had some clam chowder that was pretty good – not spectacular but good.

After lunch we continued our drive S along the coast to the Klamath River. We traveled on a side road on the N side of the river to a view point that looks over the river mouth and the coast both N & S. It was interesting to see the different colors of the ocean where the water from the river empties into the ocean. The land along the Klamath River is controlled by the Yuroc Indian Tribe and they control the fishery on the Klamath River. It is one river that still has a good salmon run.

Later we dorve along the S side of the River and went by a monument to an early Radar station that was built there in 1942. The installation was disguised as farm buildings and they are still there, though they have been restored. The place was put on the Historical Register in the late 70’s.

At 4:30 we decided to turn around and begin our trip back to Grants Pass and Gold Hill. We never did stop and take pictures of the trees – I don’t think our piddling cameras could do much to convey the size and majesty of these trees. It’s just one of the things that you have to see for yourself to understand.

We got back to Grants Pass about 7:30 and there was still a little daylight. We stopped at McDonalds for supper and then drove back to Gold Hill. Just before we reached Gold Hill the moon rose above the horizon. It was directly ahead of us on I-5 and it looked like it was the highway to the moon!

The Toilet Project

Thursday April 5^th

The major item on the agenda today was to install the new toilet parts. I waited until both of us were done with the bathroom and then began the project. As it turned out it was a pretty simple job except for the tight quarters. The hardest part was getting the water supply line reconnected after the parts were installed. There was very little slack in the supply line and I had to take the toilet off of its mounting bolts for a second time to get the toilet oriented in position for the supply line to get threaded on. The whole job, even with the partial re-do still only took about 90 minutes, so it wasn’t too bad.

Later we went to the grocery store in Gold Hill and picked up a few things, then went for a ride down the river for a few miles as far as the town of Rogue River. There is a winery (and vineyard) along the road about half way between Gold Hill and Rogue River called the Del Rio Winery.

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny day so we are planning to make our trip to the coast to see the redwoods.

Laundry Day

Wednesday April 4^th

The only thing on the agenda today is to get laundry done. About 10 I went into Gold Hill to get quarters from the bank for doing laundry. Coming back, I saw a road that followed the Rogue River East and I couldn’t help do a little exploring. I drove E for about 5 miles to a little settlement called Sam’s Valley. This really is a beautiful corner of the world, especially at this season when the hills are turning green and a lot of trees are blooming. There are a lot of small cattle ranches in the valleys around here and plenty of fruit trees, vineyards and some nut tree orchards.

So after my little exploration, it was back to the trailer and then to the laundry room to get the laundry done.

When the laundry was done I went to Medford and picked up the parts for the toilet and then went to Barnes & Noble for some browsing and some coffee.

Later in the day we went to the Mexican Restaurant in Gold Hill and had a pretty good dinner – although it seemed to take a long time.

The Sisters Convergence Ends

Tuesday April 3^rd

The girls went to Ashland for lunch so we met Greg for lunch at Shari’s. Just before we left for lunch the pedal on the toilet broke off; I called the manufacturer to make sure I had the right part number and then looked up RV parts stores around Medford. So after lunch Cathey went with Greg and I went in search of toilet parts. It took quite awhile to find the place; they didn’t have the part on hand but said they could have it by noon tomorrow, so I went ahead and ordered it.

Then I got a text from Cathey saying that they were on their way to Catie’s, so after I stopped and got a few groceries, I headed over to Catie’s also.

Ryan fixed chili and cornbread and it was excellent. We ate early because everything was going back to normal tomorrow; Rose was leaving for Citrus Heights, Greg and Violet were returning to Forks and Sequim, and Catie has to be back at work at 0500 tomorrow.

Dinner at the Trailer Site

Monday April 2^nd

Once again Grandpa and Grandma couldn’t make it to breakfast on time. We met them at the Shari’s and then went to Jacksonville, which is a historic town from the gold mining era. We wandered around town and visited several shops and finally made it to a deli for a late lunch.

The plan was that Catie would be cooking dinner tonight but Grandma was tired and wanted to go back to the trailer to rest. So Catie decided she would bring the dinner and the rest of the gang out to our trailer for dinner here. When they arrived it was almost dark but we had the outdoor lights on and we did fine. Dinner was chicken breasts baked in a cranberry sauce and was very good.

After dinner we all went into the trailer, which was a tight fit since usually we think two of us is a tight fit and now we had seven. But they didn’t stay long and we were back to our normal tight fit.

A Visit to Ashland, Oregon

Sunday April 1^st

We all got up early and set out to climb Mt. Shasta – APRIL FOOL!!

We all got up late and I think they went out to breakfast at Shari’s – Grandma and Grandpa didn’t make it to breakfast because they weren’t ready so we were going to meet them in Ashland, about 10 miles SW of Medford. We were supposed to meet at Lithia Park, which we found easily enough, but missed them on the first pass. We split into two groups to make everyone happy, and then went exploring.

Ashland is the location of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival held during the summer since 1937. We visited one of the theaters that are used for the festival and there are several outdoor venues as well. We wandered around the shops in downtown Ashland and walked through part of Lithia Park, which extends over 90+ acres.

About 3:30 we headed back to Catie’s, where Ryan was fixing dinner for the whole gang. Ryan is Catie’s roommate and likes to cook and is pretty good at it. He fixed an enchilada dish that was very good and then topped it off with a delicious chocolate cake – all gluten free, at Catie’s request.

After dinner Terye left with Gabrielle and Jeff to return to Paradise, CA. She will spend the night at her son’s house and then meet with her boss to travel to San Francisco for a convention.

The Sisters Converge on Medford

Saturday March 31^st

Greg and Terye and Violet were going to leave from their home in Sequim at about 6 this morning so Catie said she would expect them at about 3pm. We had a text from Greg when they were getting close and they were right on time. Gabrielle and Jeff came from Paradise, CA and they got to Catie’s just before Greg, Terye and Violet arrived. We were the last to arrive and had a hard time finding Catie’s house. Rose has to work yet tonight so she won’t arrive until the wee hours of the morning.

We hung around Catie’s place for a while and then went to the Olive Garden for dinner. It was busy there so we had to wait for a table. But I think it was worth the wait; we all enjoyed the dinner, late though it was.

Catie and Derrick Come to Visit

Friday March 30^th

We just hung around the trailer today. It rained on and off most of the day but did see a little sun in the afternoon. Catie and her friend Derrick came to see us in the trailer about 5. We visited for a while and then went to the Abby’s Pizza in Central Point, the next town between here (Gold Hill) and Medford.

We had some good pizza and visited more and learned about Derrick’s police academy course.

Welcome to Oregon!

Thursday March 29^th

I had a slow start this morning; it was raining lightly and my body thought I should just stay in bed and sleep today. We got rolling about 1130 and the rain had picked up by that time so I was kind of wet when we took off, although we didn’t unhook the trailer last night so getting started was quicker than normal – I could have gotten a lot wetter.

As soon as you leave Redding you start climbing and most of the drive from Redding to Medford was up and down and rain all the way. This is typically a very scenic drive but not much to see today because the clouds were hanging pretty low and it was snowing at the higher elevations. We made a stop in Mount Shasta so Cathey could go to the bathroom. She didn’t tell me that she was going to have breakfast there. She said she thought I would come in if she didn’t come back, but I was busy playing solitaire on my Kindle. She did bring me a giant bear claw pastry as a consolation.

So we got here about 430; I was a little disappointed that the campground is 10 miles N of Medford but the daily rate is only $20 so I guess we can afford a little gas. Unfortunately gas is more expensive here than it was in CA by about $.10 – the best price I have seen thus far is $4.39/gal.

So we are here and staged for the sisters convergence on Medford.

Up the Sacramento Valley to Redding

Wednesday March 28^th

It wasn’t raining this morning but it wasn’t much fun getting the trailer ready to travel with puddles everywhere that I had to walk. This place definitely needs some rock spread around to raise the surface level above the water level. But in all fairness this is probably the wettest time of year for this area. The forecast for today was 80% rain but we lucked out and got rolling about 1100 without seeing a drop of rain. And the weather got better the farther N we went. We are heading for Redding, CA tonight, only about 170 miles away. We traveled N on I-5 which follows the Sacramento River Valley. I thought it was the California Central Valley, but apparently N of Sacramento it is called the Sacramento Valley since the River flows down the valley to Sacramento and then flows west, eventually into the Pacific. I didn’t realize that the Sacramento was such a major river. Its flow is second only to the Columbia on the W coast of the US. It drains a major portion of N California and a small part of S Oregon.

Yesterday when the Goodyear folks fixed my tire they did me the ‘favor’ of correcting my tire pressure to 35 lb., which is the recommended pressure for these tires. I could tell the difference as soon as we were on the interstate; lots more sway and wiggle than when I have them inflated to 40 lbs.. So the first truck stop we came to we stopped to add some air. As luck would have it the air compressor available to the public was out of order. There were more in the truck area, but that was so busy I didn’t want to go over there. So we went up the road to the next rest stop and I got out my 12V air compressor and pumped up the rear Suburban tires to 40 lb. That took some of the wiggle out and also prevents the tires from heating up, since they flex less with more air in them.

We stopped for lunch in Corning, CA which is a center of the olive industry in N California. We first stopped at a produce stand and bought some nuts, oranges and grapefruit. The lady at the stand said the grapefruit came from Idaho. So I said “Is that a town in California?” She said no, they really come from somewhere near Boise where they are raised in huge indoor fabric buildings. That was a stretch for my brain; I can’t imagine why grapefruit would be so valuable as a crop that you would grow them in a climate where you have to grow them inside. Next stop was a place called the ‘Olive Pit;’ It was mostly a store with lots of different kinds of stuffed olives, olive oil, and a lot of other kind of local bottled or canned produce. There was even a brand of jellies from the Kozloski farms; so they must have at least one Polack in California!

It was only about 50 miles from Corning to Redding and we got here about 4:30. While setting up I met our neighbor who is from Whidbey Island, WA and his dog (a standard poodle) Max. I said that that was the third standard poodle I had met in the last three weeks that was named Max. As it turns out this Max knew the last Max that we had met in Phoenix at the Desert’s Edge RV Park – what are the chances of that? I think I better buy one of those $500 million lottery tickets – my improbability meter is pegged and I better make the most of it!