HOME!

What a great journey and experience!  It's hard to think it's over for this trip.  Words can't really describe all the fun we had on our first trip out!  We arrived home safely around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16th.  We covered over 8000 miles, 14 states and gained memories and experiences that will last forever that we can share in our rocking chairs at the lake.

I think I am liking this retirement thing a whole lot!  In reflecting on the last 3 1/2 months, there were a couple of things that surprised me:  

1.  I only read 3 books - I brought about 10 hardbound books and had over twice that much on my iPad,
2.  I barely did any knitting on the road - I thought I would have several projects finished - wondering what the heck I did for 8000 miles!  I guess we smelled the roses and enjoyed each other and the beautiful scenery!
3.  I am frankly overwhelmed by unpacking the rig.  Just trying to remember what goes to the lake, what stays here and what can stay in the trailer is making me crazy!  We are almost done!
4.  We were both super sad having our 'last night' in the rig at Yogi Bear Park.
5. We came home to snow and more is on the way! I was sure it would Spring by the time we came home.
6.  We took way too much stuff ----next year we'll be better about the packing.  We keep saying, "why did we bring XXX"  or "I never wore XXXX". 

A couple of ah-ha's:

1.  I didn't realize how complicated my life had become keeping two houses running and working full time.
2.  We loved the simple life in our 300 square foot  trailer more than either one of guessed possible.
3.   Gil lost over 20 # and I lost ZERO - what is that about?
4.  I am struggling getting my head around the fact that I don't have to go back to work.  I'm a little stressed feeling I need to conquer all the wash , unloading and putting away right now.    I have to keep reminding myself  I can take all the time I want! 
5.  While we weren't sure we were really ready to come home, getting a hug from little Xochitl and Kim last night, made us realize how much we missed our family here.  Tonight we'll have dinner with my mom and dad and catch up.
6.  We LOVE our trailer.  There is nothing we wish was different.  We are excited that we made a choice and have NO regrets or pining for something else.  It more than met our needs and it is such a great travel home for us.

Thanks for traveling with us!  This will be our last post for 2013 as we anticipate and plan for a wonderful summer at the lake,  start thinking about our next year's trip and I seriously work at loosing weight!  Silver Sneakers here I come but first, there is lots more wash to do!

Big Horn, Deer and Faces!

It was a chilly, windy day in Rapid City.  Flurries of snow were frequent along with a herd of twelve deer who share our RV park.  They came so close and traveled together several times today to munch on our green grass. There isn't much green grass from the 25 inches of snow, but it's melting fast  with these winds!  

We took 'the loop' up to Mount Rushmore and the magnitude of this work continues to overwhelm you when you see it.  It hasn't changed in 20 years except now, to go into the center, you must pay $11 to park.  What is that about?  Doesn't seem to make sense to keep it open with a parking attendant for about 5 cars of tourists.  This is the REALLY slow time at the park.  Unfortunately, the pine bark beetle has taken a severe toll on this forest and a large majority of the pines are yellow, which means they can't be saved.  It's really sad.

So after Rushmore, we headed through Keystone and saw a big yellow sign , "Caution, Big Horn Sheep the next mile".  About as fast as we could read it, there on the left, right in town, were three of them.  I told Gil they were fake, as cars were going by their bums, and they didn't even flinch!  They were real!  Too funny! 

This morning we were going to the local church, the Chapel in the Hills because we are staying right by it on Chapel Lane.  Unfortunately, it's a summer only church so I copied a picture from the website so you could see this beautiful work. 

 In addition to the deer in our park, we saw lots of white-speckled fawns on the drive today which signals spring is really here, even though those of us in the North haven't experienced it!  It surely must be coming soon.  

We head for Sioux Falls tomorrow, had our 'last supper out' tonight and said goodbye to our local landmark---the dinosaur on top of the hill.  We are getting anxious to see friends and family but sad that we won't be bringing sunshine and spring home with us.

Goodbye Mountains- Hello Snow!

We left Coeur D'Alene on Friday morning and traveled to Bozeman, MT.  We had really good weather and beautiful countryside.  We arrived at the one RV Park that was open in Bozeman to discover two other RV's from Minnesota!  One guy quit his corporate job, got a mohawk haircut and he and his wife and great Dane, Levi, headed to Bozeman for  6 months  to partake in a wilderness survival training course run by the guy who directed The Hunter.   Do you suppose, as he's covering himself with scents to not smell human in the woods, he thinks his huge dog is really his horse? 

It's been amazing the interesting stories and people we've met along this journey!  We left Bozeman this morning in the rain/snow mix and crossed three more mountain passes and stayed just ahead of the snow storm and rolled into Rapid City around 6:30 p.m. with 550 miles behind us!    It was a long day's pull, and we worried a little as most of the RV parks in the Rapid City area were closed due to the recent 25 inches of snow.  What the heck is going on with Mother Nature this year?  The good thing about the long haul days is that I get lots of reading done and chatting with family and friends (when the cell signal is strong).  And to think we just came through Snoqualamie Pass and they had multiple avalanches today!

Fortunately, we found a super nice place on a lake around 6:30 tonight and the owner had plowed out our site.  We will likely will be here for a couple of days since tomorrow (Sunday) winds are supposed to gust up to 50 mph and with lots of fog.  We'll wait it out for the storm to pass for sure.  Below are a couple of pictures today.  IT's amazing that Montana is truly BIG SKY country as you can see multiple weather fronts all at the same time.  And the last pass brought a blanket of snow cover!  Yuck.  I was hoping to stay in Sturgis and go for a motorcycle ride!  LOL!

So as we go to bed tonight, I'm really wondering why we didn't head back South ---- where we could wear flip flops, shorts and keep our tan:-)  Not to mention that Sioux Falls is our next stop and they haven't had power for several days since this raging Spring storm hit a couple of days ago!

Urgent Care, Shopping and A Loop Around the Lake

So after two weeks, Gil hit the wall with this cold, so off we went yesterday morning to the local UC.  He got the Z-Pak and I tucked him into bed and headed off to do nails and some serious shopping.  It was a fun afternoon checking out the shops in Coeur D'Alene (known as CDA locally).  I said goodby to the Ross stores and explored some of the local galleries.

Today, fortunately he is so much better.  Thank heavens for drugs!  We walked downtown and enjoyed the unique and charming shops along the lake.  We found some sweatshirts with the local saying, "live the lake" to bring back to our lake.  Lots of artsy sculpture around town.  I'm pictured with a 'guy' who was worth $9600.  We decided  to leave him here :=)

We headed South do do the loop around the lake and had a fun afternoon exploring.  It's unusual because some areas of the lake are really steep so the mountain mansions abound with gated driveways and steep access to the lake.  Other areas, are closer to the water and many areas have nothing but beautiful pines.  We figure this lake is about 30 miles in length. It was funny  to see a resort and sign for Beauty Bay...we have one of those on our lake!

Tonight we finally had our anniversary dinner!  The restaurant (The Cedars Floating Restaurant) was amazing and memorable as it floats on the Spokane River.  It has quite a history of battling high spring waters, floods and strong currents.  The view was amazing but it felt a little weird because it seemed like we were moving all the time as the river rushed by.  

I am so grateful for my iPhone and cell towers.  Just hearing little Maycen's voice say, "I miss you Nana" as we crossed over a high pass around the lake, and Xochitl's voice saying, 'Hi Nana - it's snowing again"  really makes my day!  One call at the top of a mountain and one in the Costco parking lot....ain' t technology great????

We hear from many of our RV friends who are also 'waiting out the next storm'  to head back home. Some are here and others in Branson and Arizona.  Maybe  the snow will be gone by May! We will head for Bozeman, MT tomorrow morning and will be sad to leave this paradise.  Especially since MN is having yet ANOTHER blast of winter!  Good grief...we sure picked a great year to be away.

Beautiful, Sunny Idaho!

Wow, we are in love with Northern Idaho.  Not just because this is absolutely the BEST water pressure ever (only other RV'ers will appreciate this!) but because it's so beautiful. We started our travels with a trip to Post Falls and watched as hundreds and thousands of gallons of mountain, melted snow came rushing through the dam.  We did  a giant loop from Coeur D'Alene North to Sandpoint (near the Schweitzer Ski Area and back home.  Sandpoint is the home of Lake Pend Oreille, which is super big, crystal clear, a huge resort area, with huge mountain type ranch/cabins on the shoreline.  Lots of logging goes on here as the rivers all converge and meet at dams which provide hydro power as well as escapes to funnel the logs to the mills. 

When I  walked  this morning I felt I'd come home with lots of 'rock stacking' on the trail to the river.  We talked to the owner of the RV park (who is a St. Thomas grad BTW), and he said that  Hazel, a mallard duck, has been coming here for over 10 years.  He feeds her dog food!! She walks up from the river to the RV park office.   If he doesn't supply  the dog food when she is at the door, she pecks her beek as if knocking until he feeds her!  Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a picture of Hazel to post.  

We are slowly getting better which is good.  Tomorrow, we'll tour the downtown Coeur D'Alene area where the boardwalk along the lake offers shopping, restaurants and boat rides.  The Cedars is a floating restaurant about two blocks from our park.  We will go there in a couple of nights  to finally celebrate our anniversary --- still not feeling good enough to have a big, fancy dinner, but soon!

We signed up for two nights when we came in last night and extended for two more nights this morning.  We love this area and besides, there is snow, yes, snow at home expected!  Who needs that?  And  I-90 is supposed to be closed due to bad storms so we aren't in any rush to arrive in Minnesota since I-90 is our path to home!  Enjoy a few of our pictures from today!  We are wondering why more people done have Idaho as a destination.  You always here about Sun Valley for skiing which is south, but the panhandle is amazing!

PS:  So who would really risk climbing down the cliff past the 'No Trespassing' sign? It seems we are loosing a few readers, probably because they are busy shoveling, but thanks for traveling with us!

Goodbye Washington, Hello Idaho!

We arrived safely on the Spokane River, connected to the large and beautiful lake  Coeur D'Alene .The lake is surrounded with $1 - 3M dollar properties.  We spent a good day driving over Snowqualmie Pass, through the Yakima Valley and  pulled in to our 'lake view spot' in time for supper (for a much lower daily rate than the lake properties!).  We had magnificant views of Mount Spokane capped in heavy snow.  We have signed up for two nights, but may stay longer.  We have so much to explore in this  charming town on the lake and we need to recover from these colds and cough. It may be a trip to Urgent Care for Gil tomorrow:-(

We spent the day hacking, blowing and lobbing Kleenex into the trash bag on the door handle.  We also caught up with friends by phone and enjoyed the warmth and sunshine of Eastern Washington and Idaho. 

Since Idaho is the potato capital of the world, the lady at the Blackwell Island RV Resort registration office said this recipe is the BEST so I am sharing it with you!   They rent pontoons on this lake for $300 a day....wow...we'll skip that!  Our Bass Buggy at home is worthy of these prices too! LOL!

Idaho Baked Potato Soup

2/3 Cup butter or margarine
2/3 Cup all purpose flour
7 Cups milk
4 large baking potatoes, baked, peeled and cubed (about 4 Cups)
4 green onions, sliced
12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 1/4 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 Cup sour cream (8 oz)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Melt butter in large Dutch oven, stir in flour, heat and stir until smooth.  Gradually add milk, stirring until thickened.  Add potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, stir until cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.

 Enjoy!

Happy 28th Anniversary!

We had all these great plans....brunch at the Space Needle, dinner by water in Tacoma, but honestly we feel so crummy, we aren't doing any of these! We've delayed leaving the rainforest for a day to hopefully avoid the storms and high winds in the passes and to recover a little more.  It's been raining, literally pouring rain, for two days.  But, it's better than 9 degrees at home next week!

We played our 'fireplace' DVD to stay warm and dream about buying a surfboard at Costco!  Had a fun time with kids at the Olympia Children's Museum on Friday!  My friend Carolyn, from Leavenworth stopped by yesterday on her way to Portland to meet Becky and the kids.

The tulips in the Skagit Valley are blooming and I took these photos from their website to show you how beautiful the fields of flowers can be!  A must see if you are ever in the valley during April.  It would sure be wet this weekend!  

Happy anniversary to us!

More Day Trips to Westport and the Southern Puget Sound

On Tuesday, we headed West to Westport which is on the Pacific Coast.  It's about  2 1/2 hours from our camp.  We were hoping to tour the Grey Harbor Lighthouse, but I think it must be on the government reduced schedule as the lightkeeper wasn't home.  This little seaport town is a fishing harbor for crab, clams and oyster boats and good viewing for the gray whales passing by. Several seafood companies have processing plants nearby and the third week of April the crab festival is in full swing. They pretty much wear hats that look like crabs (I actually have one from my last visit), race crabs down the main street and eat seafood all weekend....not bad huh?  Retirement is turning out to be like being a kid again!

We had a great lunch overlooking the marina at the Half Moon Bay Restaurant and Gil claims he had the best clam chowder he's ever had.  I thought he loved ALL clam chowder, but this was the BEST!  Now it would have been a near perfect day if it wasn't for the fact, that we traveled in the Northwest rain/drizzle all day.  We even met a couple of local deers....they are black-tailed deers similar in size to our white-tailed deer.  Even with the ishy weather, it was a fun adventure and very memorable.  

We headed over to the kids house for some play around 5 while Becky went to a class.  

For those of you who are on FB, you saw the post, but darling daughter Becky left us a container marked "sponge cake with frosting" on the counter for dessert.  I promptly encouraged Maycen and Gil to have a clean plate so they could have this colorful Easter dessert.

WELL, turns out it was really a cut up sponge that was frosted!  Seriously one of the best April Fool's tricks I've had for a long time.  Just glad I didn't put them down the disposal when no one could eat them because they were so tough!  LOL!  Also, lots of fun being the stepmother as we once again dressed up and played Cinderella. Grandpa was the prince charming this time:-)

Today, we headed North and drove the Puget Sound coastline to Port Orchard and Bremerton.  If you get off the freeway and travel the less traveled local roads, there is so much to see and experience!  Fortunately, it was a nice warm and sunny day.  We did a big loop and turned off the road to see Jarell Cove State Park.  At the  end of the road, there was great campground surrounded by water on three sides - beautiful!  The next stop was to Hartstein Island....the road dead-ended at a marina, where we talked to a gal having lunch in her car...of course, her mom was born in Brainerd, MN.  She said lots of people from MN live on this charming island which is simply connected to the world by a small bridge.  

Hoppy continues to travel with us and he's now fallen in love with rocks like me!  There are tons of rocks in Washington so we're having fun stacking them!  Farms grow heather in all colors and some guy, built a floating raft, pitched a tent on it and travels to shore on styrofoam floats with his motorcycle...now while it isn't too storm friendly, it's sure low cost living!

Coming off the island, we found the local Olympic Bakery and Deli as the perfect lunch spot.  The plum trees were all in full, pink blooms and the latte was a designer feat!  What a fun day!  As I write this, the helicopters are flying over sounding like they will land on our rig.  This pristine, clear lake twinkling with warm sunshine is a million dollar view just outside my window.  I'm a little sad to think our adventure will soon be coming to an end.  While I am excited to see friends and family at home, I will be sad to move out of this perfect 300 square feet we call home.  Gil always promised me a 'new house' and I guess this is it!  And I LOVE it!

Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday, Gil and I walked around Chambers Bay.  This is a pretty amazing area and the photos don't come close to capturing the area.  The sound, the green, tall pines and snow capped mountains surround the walk with an 18 hole golf course in the center.  It's got a view of the Tacoma bridge, ferries and harbors.  This has been such a treat to experience the beauty of the area with good temps and lots of sunshine.

Jared fixed an outstanding dinner of smoked brisket and ribs!  We thought we were back in Texas!  We had a delicious dinner and Becky was able to get off early!

 It's now Monday, and I've spent about 3 hours at Urgent Care. I was worried I had strep throat, but fortunately I don't which is good!  We're having a down day and just trying to recover from this terrible 'stuff'.  We've been so lucky to have escaped all the colds this winter until now!

Whidbey Island, Funky Restaurant and Easter!

On Thursday, we took a road trip North and traveled through Seattle to the Skagit Valley area, which is famous for fields and fields of daffodils and tulips.  We missed the opening of Tulip Town by one day - darn!  There were many beautiful fields of daffodils but no tulips yet.  I'm told it's more beautiful than the tulips in Holland with rows and rows of diferent colored tulips across the countryside.  I've seen it once before but was hoping to share it with Gil.  We continued North to Whidbey Island where Dan was stationed some 20+ years ago and where the recent landslide tumbled 14 or so houses into the sea.  This is a beautiful island and while the day was clear and sunny, waves of heavy fog covered us occasionally.  We had fun FaceTiming with Dan, Alex and Lindsay at one of our stops along the way!

We learned the ferry from Whidbey Island to Port Townsend was really busy with a limited schedule and you needed a reservation to be able to get passage...too bad we didn't know this!  But we finally got on the 4:30 ferry after waiting about 2 1/2 hours.  These boats are amazing as they load semi's, trucks, RV's, cars and people.  It was only a 30 minute smooth ride across the Puget Sound to the quaint town of Port Townsend.

Thank heavens for Google!  We found a fun little restaurant in Port Hadlock, right by the sea for dinner.  It was an old house and nothing matched.... the dishes, glasses, chairs, tables and silverware were all different and the little house was tiny, but packed with customers.  It was decorated with tons of funky hats of all types.  Customers could choose to wear one if  they wanted.  Gil had clam chowder fully equipped with 8 actual clams in their shells and I had a nummy crabcake.  They had a guy playing a harmonica and guitar on the stage that reminded us of Don Holman at the lake.  We all sang happy birthday to 'Carol' as she celebrated her birthday with some 30 of us.

Easter was on Saturday for us since Becky had to work on Sunday.  It was a super fun day with a bunny pancake breakfast at the fire station.  Lots of great food, company and of course, the Easter bunny.  After that, we went to an egg hunt where Maycen found lots of eggs with a lot of other kids. 

We tried to take family picture of the kids, but once seated, they realized they were sitting on a bunch of red ants making their way in the grass!  Yikes, a huge, ugly, and moving hive was nearby in the woods.  Really disgusting to look at so many terrible ants!

We received a fun Easter basket and lily....thanks so much Becky!  It's good to be with these kids again and for us to be kids again!

Spring has definitely arrived in the Pacific Northwest as the bushes and flowers abound!  Boats, jet skis and kayaks are welcoming Spring on the lake at the RV park.  Unfortunately, everyone but Becky has the "daycare crud" so are blowing, sneezing and coughing together!