Another Workamping Vacation

We left the Kitties in the capable hands of our Park neighbors, Bill and Jean, and set off for a Time Share vacation in Blanchard, Idaho. It was a pleasant drive out of the high desert and into evergreen forests. We spent much time biking in and around scenic Coeur d'Alene and visiting with friends Tony and Mary. The Centennial Trail meanders through the city and its residential sections. We rode our bikes until we came to Cabela's!

At the resort, we met some folks, later to be identified as the "rabid" bikers, who wanted us to join them on The Trail of the Coeur d'Alene. The plan was to leave a vehicle at two different trailheads allowing us to bike a continuous 35 miles.
We finished about a half-hour behind them. Not bad considering they chugged a few of those concentrated energy drinks for lunch...and then powered off! A ferocious wind came up and nearly blew us off the trail, but it was still a great ride.

The Route of the Hiawatha was an exceptional ride up mountains, over trestles and through long, dark, scary tunnels. It was no small feat getting the dually to the trail as the road also involved long, dark, scary...one-lane tunnels.

Its time to go back to Wine Country and back to work.

The Kitties

Tulip has turned into a primo traveler! She gnaws on my knuckles ever so briefly before settling in for the journey. The only thing that arouses her are air brakes when we refuel at a truck stop. Zeus still prefers the confines of his carrier, although, he ventures out to stretch his legs when we stop.

They amuse themselves in the RV and spend much time watching the busy comings and goings of the Park.

Bighorn Rally

We're off to our first Bighorn Rally! Rally meaning simply a gathering of the same kind of RVs in one place for a few days. Some type of informative session is usually incorporated, t-shirts, raffles, prizes, numerous potluck events, time to explore the area and/or various planned activities.

Winchester Bay, OR is a small coastal town, well known for its garlic and jalapeno flavored canned tuna, on the wild Pacific Ocean. It was a two-day trip with a night in Albany to visit with Adrienne and Will, and his parents-- Judy and John and brother Charlie. What a nice family!

There is a first time for everything...we missed the turn into the RV Park in Winchester Bay (lovingly referred to as "blowing" the turn). So, the driver just put all +/-55ft. of us into reverse and backed up. Yikes! I didn't say a word--really!

We don't see many Bighorns. It was fun to be with other owners and chat about our rigs.

Multnomah Falls is visible from the interstate on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. What a treat! We climbed to the top of the Falls two years ago with Adrienne.

Ok, back to Wine Country RV Park, and back to work. The cherries should be ripe when we get there!

Columbia River Gorge

The Columbia River Gorge is a vast and magnificent work of nature! We've driven on both the Oregon and Washington sides a number of times and the wind is always whipping up whitecaps on the water.

A few small towns dot the shores, along with a replica of Stonehenge and a large winery in Maryhill, WA and massive windmill farms on both sides of the river. This is one of those rare times when the pictures can speak for themselves.

We're Published!

Patti W. transfers our Blog entries to her web site www.RemarkableWrinklies.com. She has a great web site with a loyal following and recently had an article published. We are honored she considers our lifestyle journal a worthy addition to her own content. Thanks Patti. We're proud to be part of Remarkable Wrinklies!

First Workamping Vacation

Phew, we are exhausted from all the working--we need a vacation. A roadtrip to Ocean Shores on the coast will be perfect! We'll make a big loop around the Olympic Nat'l Park--Ocean Shores up to Cape Flattery, east to Port Angeles and south to Olympia. We're looking forward to eating some fresh salmon.

The mountain pass had fresh snow, but it was a clear day and we could see Mt. Rainier perfectly!

The north Pacific Coast is WILD and CRAZY! The tides are drastic and the beaches are pounded so hard the state of Washington considers them state highways. Vehicle traffic on the beach is normal. Ok, that was odd. The biking was fun and easy--even in the gale winds. The tide brings in many, many sand dollars. We had much fun hunting for the best ones.

Ruby Beach is not ruby-looking at all, but cool nonetheless. This certainly is not a swimming beach, but the huge sea stacks provide nice wind breaks. This part of the coast is rugged, remote and devoid of development save a few run down little towns.

Next stop, the Rain Forest to see the largest spruce tree. Of course, we didn't park in the parking lot ADJACENT to the largest spruce tree, so we donned our finest rain protection gear and hiked THROUGH THE RAIN FOREST TO THE LARGEST SPRUCE TREE! The Timber Museum sign in Forks lured us inside for an enjoyable tour of western logging practices. (A Forester can hardly ever pass by a Timber Museum without stopping.)

It was a long, long ride up to Cape Flattery, the northwestern most point of the contiguous U.S. The area is actually a Makah Indian Reservation. Although, in my humble opinion, it is worthy of National Park status, all one gets is a half-mile boardwalk out to the point...and that is it--no fanfare, no buying of commemorative souvenirs, no "congested" areas. Otherwise, it reminded us a lot of the Maine coast, particularly, Acadia Nat'l Park.

We returned to Prosser laden with smoked salmon--cajun, garlic and lemon flavored. All yummy!! On the way home, we stopped at Hoodsport Winery to taste, and we found Bob and Jenny Cope's house right across the street. It looked a fitting place for Bob to have spent his retirement time fishing off the back porch with a winery only a few steps away!

It's time to get back to work at the RV Park.

Klickitat, WA

Al wanted to visited Klickitat, Washington, which, at one time, was home to a thriving Champion Int'l sawmill. Sadly, it now stands idle and suffers the disrepair of the long-abandoned buildings. Looking through the chainlink fence that surrounds the property, I know Al could imagine the bustling mill yard in the center of town, as it once was, if only in his mind's eye.

The town is nestled amongst beautiful mountains which are covered in dwarf mountain lupines and pine trees building their new cones beside the Klickitat River where salmon will soon make their way upstream. The Native Americans still net the salmon from platforms alongside the gorge. It is all picture postcard pretty!