October 28 to 31, 2013; Last days in Desert Hot Springs, CA

OCT  28, Monday, Desert Hot Springs
Welcome to Desert Hot Springs!!! I say this in a facetious as we spent the night listening to the wind howling outside.  It began as we arrived in the Valley and continued all night, gusting to 40-50 MPH.  The rig was shaking it was so strong and noisy too.  I hardly slept!   As a matter of fact, I had to get up at one point and put in the window awnings as they flapping quite hard.

Much cooler today too, only got up to 65*F!  First thing I did was installing the racks for the kayaks then took the bikes off to relieve some of the weight off the back tire.  We drove to town and I checked with our storage; we are good until mid November so that’s good.  We then went to get some groceries and then to the bank for $20 worth of quarters (laundry).  I got a haircut while Val shopped for groceries.  We came home, unloaded everything then Val went to do some laundry while I caught up to pictures and blog.  The wind is still up but not as high as it was earlier this morning.  The sun is shining and it is a comfortable 70*F (20*C)!  After putting the laundry away and making the bed, we relaxed before dinner which consisted of ham steaks and scallop potatoes with some greens.  Then we did the dishes and listen to some music and the wind outside which is still strong but not as bad as earlier.

 

OCT  29, Tuesday, DHS
Another windy day; I am really disliking this area, especially Desert Hot Spring; it is too open to winds from the west!!! 

After walking Tucker, we went to town and made an appointment for Tucker’ haircut tomorrow then we drove to the storage where we went through all our stuff and triage what we were taking with us and what was being left behind until next March.  Everything was covered in sand and we spent a good half hour hosing down everything before loading it in the Jeep.  We are taking the clubs and the dish & tripod with us and hope to sell them in Yuma.  We loaded the kayaks and tied them down then we went back to town to pick up a couple movies which we watched after dinner.  It is now 10 pm and the wind is still blowing albeit not as hard.  The inside of the motorhome is covered in a fine sandy dust which we will try to clean tomorrow.  Val cooked Italian spaghetti for dinner!

 

OCT  30, Wednesday, DHS
FINALLY, the wind has stopped!  Val went for a power walk this morning in the desert.  She’s been looking forward to that.  I took Tucker for his haircut at 10 am then we got down to business and wiped, washed, vacuumed and dusted the whole interior of the rig.  It was really overdue with lots of sandy dust around.  We even got all the blinds.  I was going to wash the outside but it got too warm so will wait until tomorrow morning.  I called about setting up an appointment to have SMI air brake system on the Jeep and can’t get one until Nov 11 (they are away on a RV show) so I went ahead and made one.  That means we will be staying around Yuma an extra 2-3 days as we were planning on being there only until Nov 9.  Val did another load of laundry, mainly blankets and tucker’s bed sheets then we sat back and relaxed with a glass of wine.  We texted with Aud & Marcel but when we tried calling, we lost connection and couldn’t get it back.  They are in Gettysburg!  We watched a movie tonight; “Hunting Season” with Travolta and Denero...Interesting and very good acting on the part of Travolta!!!

 

OCT  31, Thursday, last day in Desert Hot Springs
Well, I saw my first road runner this morning and this season while walking Tucker.  Val went for her morning walk.  Once that was done, I got my equipment out and washed the roof and the sides of BEAVER.  That done, it was the windows turn both in and out.  We went to town to return a movie and picked up some wine (SO CHEAP!!!!).  Once home, we sat out and relaxed.  At 5 pm, we went to the club house where we paid $6 each for a spaghetti dinner including Bread, salad and ice cream for dessert.  We met a few people at our table who were quite interested in our adventurous decision to go to the Baja.  Of course, they had heard all the “stories” about Mexico!  Anyway, they were nice and we had a nice conversations...they want us to return in March and tell them all about our adventures.  Dinner was between 5 and 6 pm literally!  At 6, they began clearing all the tables and so we got the message and left.  We came home and watched the tube...one channel!!!

Tomorrow, we head out to Winterhaven, CA and Yuma, AZ

October 25 to 27, 2013; Carson City, Nevada to Desert Hot Springs, California

OCT  25, Friday, to Lake Tahoe
Another cold night...28*F under clear sky; we are over 4000 feet after all!  The sun was up by 7:30 am and it warmed up quickly.  First thing this morning, I washed the jeep; it was filthy from road grime.  While at it, I also washed the front of BEAVER.  Once that chore was done, we hopped in the jeep and drove to Hwy 50 and Lake Tahoe.  We climbed to 7200 feet at Spooner summit then back down to a manageable 6500 at South Lake Tahoe on the California side.  Very beautiful and quaint town; it reminded us a mixture of Whistler, Jasper and Banff all combine together and just as expensive.  There were two ski hills that we could see but I am sure there is more.  We walked around, shopped and had lunch then went around the Lake.  We drove to Emerald Bay where an eccentric lady built a castle but we didn’t go down to see it.  Very beautiful place!  We continued on to Tahoe City on the north side of the lake, lots of big fir and pine trees.  Then back down to Hwy 50 and Carson City.  I have to admit that however nice Tahoe was, it was not my kind of place to hang out, way too expensive for starter!  We drove back to our site but first we stopped at Walmart to get some groceries then TRADER JOE for some wine.  We got 6 bottles @ $3 each.  I just get angry when I think how expensive wine is at home!!!
It was very warm and sunny today, even up there at Lake Tahoe.  Tomorrow we head out again.  The forecast is for rain/snow for Monday...time to leave!!  I made reservations for Desert Hot Springs and Yuma (Nov 1 to ??) before heading for San Felipe, Baja.
Val cooked chicken breast and small potatoes in the convection oven; I think she is finally getting to understand it and felt very good about the meal; it was delicious!

 

OCT  26, Saturday; Heading south on Hwy 395
I was up by 7 am under clear sky and 24*F.  I find it amazing that the water hoses haven’t frozen.  The clubhouse was offering free breakfast this morning so we took advantage of it and also fuelled while here at $3.89/gal.  Pretty good prices!  We headed south on 395 by 10 am and were soon climbing after driving through a scenic Gorge.  We went over three passes well over 7500 feet and only one of them did we see snow beside the highway.  The first one was “Devil’s Gate” at 7519 ft, the second; “Conway Pass” at 8138 feet, the third was “Deadman Summit” at 8041 ft and the last one, “Sherwin Summit” at 7000 ft.  Most of our driving was above 5000 feet so it was easy climbing for us. 

I was glad to be driving south as the north-bound climbs were very steep as opposed to a slow climb southbound.  The scenery was absolutely AWESOME; we were driving along the Sierra Nevada Mountains and came close to Yosemite National Park although not quite near enough.  Some of the views were absolutely incredible and breathtaking.  We went through some quaint little villages and stopped for lunch at a roadside rest area.  Before reaching Bishop, we went from 7200 feet down to just over 4000 ft. 

We drove through Bishop and decided to stop here for the night.  We are camped at BROWN’S CAMPGROUND, a really neat and funky place (check out the pictures in our PICASA LINK).  We paid $28 for a pull-through and full hook-ups.  We went into town with the jeep and got some wine, beer and a couple things for dinner.  We arrived here at 2:30 PM.  Now we are having HH under a balmy 75*F.  Tacos for dinner. 

We drove 166 miles in 3 hrs and 25 minutes @ an average 48 MPH

N  37* 20.766’
W 118* 23.931’
ALT: 4124 Ft

 

OCT  27, Sunday, to Desert Hot Springs
It was a balmy 41*F this morning...sure beats those mid 20’s!  I took a couple pictures while walking Tucker who is feeling much better since we gave him meds.  I really hate to see him suffer; those arthritis on his hind legs are really giving trouble! 

We left at 9:20 am and got back on 395 South.  We slowly but ever slowly went down in altitude.  We still follow the Sierra Nevada which is quite spectacular and scenic.  We had 4 lanes highway most of the way.  We finally arrived at the intersection of 395 and 58 after going over one more pass which took us over 4000 feet.  We had lunch here, what a busy intersection!  Hwy 58 takes you west to Bakersfield or east to I-40.  We drove a while then finally reached I-15 and headed for our final destination on this leg, Desert Hot Springs!  We turned off on 210 then finally I-10 East.  We stopped at MORONGO for fuel at $3.89 which was actually cheaper then gas.  Morongo is First Nation station and casino, hence the cheap prices.  There was a line-up when we got here.  We arrived at Catalina RV Resort, an RPI member, registered and are set up in site 228.

So this completes another milestone for us.  We have driven Hwy 395 from Canada to California; another thing off our bucket list.  We drove 2009 miles to get here and used 203.7 gallons of fuel for an average 9 mpg.  I am quite happy with that and on top of it all, Our BEAVER performed perfectly and without an itch.  The other thing to celebrate is that we have now done a complete circle from the time we purchased it to its return to Palm Spring area!  Time for happy hour!!!!  It is a balmy 85*F (28*C).

We drove 308 miles in 6 hrs at an average 52 MPH

N  33* 54.768’
W 116* 26.280
Alt: 955 ft

October 23 & 24, 2013; Coburg OR. to Carson City, Nevada

OCT  23, Wednesday,
I forgot to mention yesterday that we did some geo-caching and found 4 new ones around Coburg and near Eugene. 

Our Beaver went in at 7:35 am and we were told by Matt that we should be done by 10-11 am.  We went for breakfast then to Costco to return a set of bras Val bought yesterday.  We also visited a gift shop in Coburg then we came back to Monaco where we sat and read for a while.   By one pm, we were hungry so we went back to the little Pub we found yesterday and had lunch there.  We came back to Monaco once again and found our rig out and parked.  We went in and paid our bill after checking the repairs.  This place is absolutely fantastic as far as service and customer relations.  We are very happy with everything and are glad to have bought one of their products.  We also learned while here that Monaco has been sold to “Allied Vehicle Specialist” and they’ve also bought Holiday Rambler.  Quite amazing!!!  We dumped our tanks then were on the road by 2:20 pm. 

We took I-5 south then Hwy 58 east to Hwy 97.  Further down we took a right on Hwy 138 then turn left on 232 which took us to “CRATER LAKE National Park”.  The scenery was absolutely awesome; we climbed to 7500 feet.  Crater Lake was formed by the eruption of a volcano about 7700 years ago.  We could see the secondary cone from the volcano but it is dormant at the moment, thank goodness!  We took a few pictures then headed out.  The south road down to Hwy 62 was switch backs, tortuous and steeper than the north climb; I am glad we came the other way as it was straighter and a gentler climb.  The only downer about this visit was the park facilities, including the campground, being all closed due to Government financial problems.  We were hoping to camp here overnight.  We drove to Hwy 62 and ended up in Klamath Falls at “Oregon Motel & RV Park”, before we found our first campground.  It was still light enough to see Klamath Lake as we drove along side it.  It was dark by the time we got to the campground so we just parked, hooked up power and called it a night.  Val prepared a light dinner then we read and relaxed before heading to bed by 10 pm.  Maybe one day, we will come back this way and spend more time at Crater Lake!?

We drove 201 miles in 4 hrs and 10 minutes at an average 48 MPH

N  42* 16.532’
W 121* 48.598”
Alt: 4119 Feet

 

OCT  24, Thursday;  Klamath Falls, Oregon to Carson City, Nevada

It was 28*F under clear sky when I got up this morning at 6:30 AM.  Tucker’s walk meant being bundle up!  We got going by 9:20 am; I stopped at the office and paid for the night.  We could have left and they wouldn’t have known...they were still in their  PJ’s and she was suprised that I came in!!!  I filled up the tanks across the street @ $3.90/Gal then we stopped at McDonald in town for breakfast on the go.  We headed south on Hwy 39.  We entered California about an hour later and the Highway became 139.  At Canby, we turned east on 299 and finally south on 395.  From here, the scenery was a bit boring until we reached Susanville where there were lots of colors in the trees.  It became monotonous after that, all the way to Reno, Nevada where the traffic became heavy and my full attention was needed.  We finally arrived at our campground at 4 pm, Silver City RV Resort, just south of Hwy 50 East.  We paid half price as it honors “PASSPORT AMERICA”.  We were here 2 years ago and it is amazing the changes that have taken place.  First and foremost is the new highway, 4 lanes, from Reno to Minden where we are.  Very impressive!  We have approx. 700 miles to go to Yuma, our final destination before heading south to Mexico and the Baja. 

We are here for two days, maybe three depending on the weather!

We drove 309 miles in 6 hours @ an average 52 MPH.

N  39* 04.145’
W 119* 46.682
Alt: 4621 Feet

October 20 to 22, 2013; Coburg Oregon and Monaco RV Service

OCT  20, Sunday; To Coburg, Oregon
It is cloudy and 47* F at 8:30 am; the forecast is for sunshine this afternoon.  For the Coast maybe but not in Coburg!  It was almost 60*F when we left and it is 50* here, go figure!?  Anyway, we dumped, hooked up the jeep and were on our way by 11 am.  I fuelled @ $3.99/gal then went North-East on Hwy 126 to Eugene, a very scenic drive then north on I-5 to Coburg.  We arrived at MONACO RV SERVICE at 1 pm.  We are parked with a half dozen other rigs and we have power and water on a nice blacktop parking lot.

I got a text from my daughter earlier that her mom had to go to the hospital and was transferred to Vancouver General Hospital.  Apparently she had kidney failure caused by the same or similar germ that caused all the havoc in Waterton Ontario.  She is in Intensive Care and five, yes five specialists are looking after her.  We are keeping our fingers crossed for her and sending her all our best wishes. 

We went into North Eugene for some grocery and to do our laundry.  We got back in time to enjoy some sunshine then it was dinner time.  After dinner, we called the kids!

We drove 72 miles in one hour and a half at an average 44 mph

N  44* 08.471
W 123* 03.432
Alt: 399 ft

 

OCT  21, Monday, at Monaco RV
We were up by 5 am and in the office by 7:30!  It is foggy and remained so until about 2 pm when the sun finally came out.  I spoke with the Serviceman, Matt, and we went through our list.  They will fix everything and give me an estimate on replacing the slides’ seals as they are getting old and worn out.  We left and went to find a restaurant to have breakfast.  I got a call from MONACO advising me that the seals on the roof needed replacing and soon so I told them to go ahead and do the job.  This was discovered after they investigated a slight bubble on the passenger side which was caused by an old leak.  I’ve been wanting to do this so that is a job behind me.  We found an RV spare parts store south of Eugene and investigated it but found nothing of interest.  From here, we went to the shopping mall along I-5 and looked around.  I ended up buying a pair of slippers and new a portable propane stove at CABALAS which is a big sporting chain down here.  It is a man’s man store!!!  After that, we went to TRADER JOE and bought 6 bottles of wine (Cab Sauv. and Malbec from South Africa) at a ridiculous price of $3.99; can you believe that!??  We stopped at a small bar and had a beer and nachos then came back to MONACO RV.  We sat in their lounge for about ¾ hour and they brought our BEAVER out, back to our spot...# 14!  There are about 8 MH here right now, some have left and some have arrived.  We are set up and having a glass of wine.  Tucker is finding this all strange....we are not moving!!!

 

OCT  22, Tuesday, more repairs, more sight-seeing
More fog this morning but not as thick so the sun came out earlier.  We went for breakfast at the “TRAVEL CENTRE” near here with 4 other couples who are at MONACO RV for repairs too.  New acquaintances and very nice to boot!  Afterwards, we drove to an RV Store nearby but they didn’t have anything however they told us about another place in Harrisburg, about 12 miles from here so we drove there on the back roads.  Very pretty whenever we could see out of the fog.  This place was quite big and used to be a CAMPING WORLD store.  Prices were reasonable and I got everything off my list except for the tire covers.  We came back, under sunshine, to Eugene and went shopping for a cream Val has been looking for but no success.  We came back to Coburg, a historic town, incorporated in 1873, looked around and found a pub where we had local beer and lunch...HUGE hamburgers and delicious! 

We came back to Monaco and found out that our rig should be ready by 10 or 11 tomorrow so we may be heading out to Crater Lake, a three hours drive!

 

October 18 & 19, 2013; Clallam Bay, Wash. to Florence, Oregon

OCT  18, Friday, Clallam Bay to Seaside Oregon

I was up at 5 am; don’t ask why, I think it is just the anticipation or excitement!?  Anyway, after showering, I took Tucker for his morning walk, 38*F outside and foggy at 7:30am!  Val was up by 7 and ready by 8 am.  We were mobile by 8:20 am and headed south on Hwy 112 then 113 to Hwy 101.  The ride was interesting up to and including the Olympic National Park then it became very boring as far as scenery is concerned.  Along the way I was hit with a small pebble from a passing truck and got a rock chip on my side.  We stopped in Aberdeen to have it fix then continued on.  We turned on Hwy 4 then 401 and back to 101 by the Bridge to Astoria, Oregon.  We stopped at the same spot where we stopped with my brother Andre and his girlfriend a couple years ago.  We crossed into Oregon and finally arrived in Seaside at the Seaside RV Resort, a Thousand Trails and RPI members.  We paid $10.80 and parked at site #6.  We are here for one night only but this is a very nice Park and I would come back to it.  We sat outside for a while and had a drink then it was time for dinner.  Glad to be here!

On the north side of the Astoria Bridge, I discovered that the bike rack had once again failed; the bolt broke again.  We tied it as best as we could and drove on.  At the Park I found that there is a bike shop nearby so tomorrow, before we leave, we will investigate.

We drove 225 miles in 5hrs at an average 44 MPH

N  045* 59.990
W 123* 54.486
Alt: 7 FT

 

OCT  19, Saturday, to Florence, OR.
Up at 7am to clear sky and no fog; the sun finally rose above the nearby hills by 8:30am!  I went into town but the store was closed until 10:30 so I went back home and drove out again later.  I ended buying a new rack, one that fits over the tire and is sturdier.  We were back on Hwy 101 by 11:30 am and headed south once more.  I had forgotten a lot of the scenery so it was nice seeing again.  We stopped in Tillamook for lunch at a small fish & chips restaurant across from the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  I had Halibut which was fresh and absolutely delicious.  Val had a crab melt and raved about it too.  Back on the road with a couple stops along the way then finally arrived at Florence.  We went to our campground, an RPI member and an ENCORE/THOUSAND TRAIL Resort.  We paid our $11 and parked at site D5.  This place is very woody and not much sun shines through but we have WIFI and phone service!  This is our last town on the Coast.

We drove 169 miles in 4hours and 10 minutes @ an average 41 MPH.

N  43* 57.212
W 124* 06.591
ALT: 181 FT

October 16 & 17, 2013; Clallam Bay, Washington

OCT  16, Wednesday; To Clallam Bay, Wash.
We were up by 8 AM and on our way by 9:30 AM.  The day is cloudy!  We headed back to Hwy 20 then south via Deception Pass and Whidbey Island.  We drove by the Naval Base, took a couple pictures then onward to Coupeville to the ferry.  We were a bit early but that was OK.  We read and walked around until the ferry arrived then it was a 20 minutes ride, give or take, across to Port Townsend (5.2 miles according to Ms Daisy).  We drove north on Hwy 20 to 101 then west to Port Angeles.  We stopped at Walmart for groceries then onward to Hwy 112 to Clallam Bay, the sun finally came out and warmed us up real nice.  Hwy 112 is quite a road; it began fairly straight and scenic but the last 20 miles were curvy with switch backs and speed down to 15 MPH.  The road had a canopy of trees full of moss and lots of ferns were growing wild, we occasionally saw the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  It was a slow ride but we made it and by 4:30 PM we were parked at “Sam’s RV Park” in Clallam Bay which we will explore tomorrow as we are here for two nights.  A 7 hrs day!

N  48* 15.062’

W 124* 15.561
Alt: 44 Ft

We drove 143 miles in 4 hrs including a 30 minutes ferry ride @ an average 36 MPH

 

OCT  17, Thursday, Clallam Bay and the most westerly point on the Continental lower 48!
I was up at 7 am and watched the sunrise; the day began foggy but it soon burned off when the sun appeared!  I took Tucker for a walk and took a couple pictures.  It was cold, 40*F at 9 am.  We left around 9:30 and headed for Neah Bay; what a wonderful and scenic drive.  We did have some foggy spots but most of it was clear.  We stopped for breakfast just outside of Clallam Bay then continued on.  The road meanders along the Strait of Juan de Fuca towards the Pacific Ocean and Neah Bay.  Once in the village, which is mainly First Nations people, we visited the museum and found out that the main tribe is the MAKIAH.  They are actually from Canada but were separated when the division took place separating Canada with the USA.  We bought a vehicle pass for Flattery Point which is the most North-Westerly point in the Continental USA @ N48* 23’25”  W 124* 43’ 58” and drove out there...AWSOME, is all I can say about it.  We parked at the end of the road and hiked down to the Point with Tucker leading.  He was quite eager which surprised us.  The trail was also very scenic with tall and big cedar trees and lots of moss and ferns.  At the bottom we encountered whales (almost right below us), sea lions, cormorant, a fishing boat and finally, a view of the lighthouse on Tatoosh Island.  Wow, what a sight!
On the way back, we stopped for gas in Neah Bay @ $3.66 and we also took a detour to visit Sekiu Bay, another fishing village.  We never did see Vancouver Island which was unfortunate.  We arrived back at our site by 3:30 pm.  As a footnote, they have a huge Correctional Facility here which probably provides some income to the area, we saw it!  It was a wonderful day and I am glad we made this area a destination.  Tomorrow, we head out once again for places further south.

Otober 13 to 15, 2013; Thanksgiving dinner and onward to La Conner, Washington, USA

OCT  13, Sunday; Family Thanksgiving dinner
Jeff’s dogs insisted on sleeping on the bed with us so it was a bit tight but we managed; Tucker preferred sleeping in their bed as revenge J.  Rochelle spent the morning getting her last minute stuff ready and refused any of our help so we sat on the porch and read.  Jeff and Debbie showed up around noon to pick up their dogs then left a short while later after we had said our goodbyes.  Kevin’s family; mom and dad, sister and her two daughters, grand-kids Hayley, Graeme and girlfriend Courtnay showed up around 1 pm and we ate around 1:30 PM.  The meal was absolutely fantastic; turkey, mash potatoes, my favorite fruit salad, carrots, homemade cranberry sauce and a few other items.  For dessert we had apple pie with ice cream and a cookie truffle...delicious!  We then sat around and chatted.  Everyone went home by 4 pm but the kids (Graeme, Courtnay, Garrette & Hayley) showed up later for some left over and visited until 10 PM.  We missed Vanessa and Todd as they had to work and Rochelle’s mom who was sick.  It was a great family day!!!

 

OCT  14, Monday; Last day in BC and one last visit with friends
It was another good day sort of.  Rochelle had to take her mom first thing this morning to the hospital as she was sick but it all turned out OK, we think!  Kevin and I made a template for a glass I want to put on the counter; he will have it ready when we get back next spring.   In early afternoon, the girls, Vanessa and Hayley, came out for a final visit with us this season then it was time to say our goodbyes to them.  After they left, we went to meet friends we met in Mexico, Rudiger and Charlotte.  They served us a delicious dinner and we had a great chat together.   We came home around 11:30 pm, got Tucker from the house and went to bed.

 

OCT  15, Tuesday; Chilliwack, BC to La Conner, Washington, USA
We were up by 8 AM, showered and had a coffee with Rochelle and Kevin.  It is sunny but a bit cool first thing this morning.  We finally said our goodbyes and left at 10:30 AM.  We drove to the Husky station, dumped, put air in the tires and then hooked up the Jeep.  We discovered that the jeep’s lights would not come on so I drove to TRADEMASTER where it was originally set-up and they checked the whole system, changed a couple pugs and finally got it working.  We finally got out of there by 1:30 PM!  We headed West on Hwy 1 then south on Hwy 13, just past Abbottsford.  We arrived at the US Border and almost screwed up.  I went to the auto side which is usually normal but they changed the arrangements and we had to go to the truck side which made it for quite a long wait (almost a half hour).  Once at the crossing, we were just rush through and wished a good trip and we were finally in the USA.  We went south on Hwy 539 to Bellingham where we stopped at Bellis-Fair Mall.  We went in and got our new US PHONE # with AT&T: 360-389-7648!  We drove on to LA Conner and parked at “POTLATCH RV RESORT”, an RPI campground around 17:00 HRS.  It is fairly small and tight sites but we managed.  We are at site 37.  It is close to the marina and downtown but not a campground I would come back to, mainly due to the size of the place however they do have a lot of amenities.  We paid $11 for the night, had dinner and relaxed with a good glass of wine.  By the way, we bought a loaf of bread, two large bottle of wine, a 26 oz of bourbon and a case of 18 beers for just under $72.  WOW, sure beats BC!!!

We travelled 92 miles in 2 hrs and 19 minutes at an average 40 MPH for a total trip of 6 hrs and 30 minutes!

N  48* 23.887’
W 122* 29.549’
ALT: 14 feet

October 9 to 12,, 2013; Chilliwack and dog sitting

OCT  9, Wednesday, Chilliwack
Sunny but cold this morning!  I got a call from Kevin first thing this morning asking me to go help his helper hook up the trailer in the yard as he has a bad back so that was my first duty of the day!  After a quick shower I took the Jeep to O’Connor Chrysler dealership which had a recall on a filter circuit for the airbags.  That took two hours and afterwards, we went to the Mall to drop off our bed comforter to be cleaned.  We picked up some groceries then went to TIM HORTON for lunch.  We came home and had dinner with Hayley as she showed up at 4 PM, just in time for dinner; she is now living in a condo with her friend.  They’re all grown-up now!  In the evening, the four of us went to the Theatre to watch GRAVITY in 3-D.  It was quite impressive and I liked the special effects.  We came home, watched the tube for a while and we went to bed by 11 PM

 

OCT  10, Thursday; time to wash the rig
I got a bill from SHAW for next month however I have put this account on “Vacation” so I called them and after checking I was told to disregard it; the account is being put to sleep as of Oct 16 for 6 months.  Rochelle had to go to Costco in Abbotsford so we accompanied her and ended buying stuff that we couldn’t live without including the last book from Wilbur Smith.  Rochelle had to be back at the office by one o’clock because of an important meeting so we had a quick lunch at TIM HORTON and drove back.  I washed the MH then filled the water tank.  Amazing how quickly it gets empty!!?    At 3 PM, we went to visit Hayley in her new apartment in Vedder Crossing.  She has a very nice and clean place in a new complex.  We also took a drive to see Vanessa’s place in a new sub-division on the way to Cultus Lake, she wasn’t home.
We had BBQ’ed steaks for dinner and K & R’s friends, Russ and Cathy, joined us and so did grand-daughter Hayley.  After dinner, we proceeded to try tequila and different wines...how crazy!!  Hayley didn’t stick around but went back to her place (couldn’t stand these crazy old folks).  Around 10 pm, Vanessa showed up and proceeded to make some cupcakes but by this time, everyone was leaving.  She has a side business and makes cupcakes for weddings and parties.  We got to bed around midnight.  I think everyone will have a hang-over tomorrow, it was a fun evening though!

 

OCT  11, Friday; Chilliwack
Yep....hung over and sunny to make it brighter!!!  We had a very late start this morning.  We went to town to check on a couple things that didn’t pan out then went to the shop but Kevin wasn’t there so came home.  I slept for a couple hours then we went to the Jolly Miller Pub to meet Val’s cousin Travis and his wife Carol.  We had a great reunion, a nice dinner but as all other good things, it had to come to an end.  We said our goodbyes then came home.  We watched the tube with Rochelle for a while but I soon called it quit for the night

 

OCT  12, Saturday; Dog sitting and more visiting
We got up to another beautiful and warmer day.  We spent the day helping Rochelle getting the house ready for the dinner tomorrow.  Hayley and Vanessa came over at different times for a visit.  I washed Rochelle’s windows and the rig and vacuumed the floor in the house.  We sat outside for coffee and cupcakes made by Vanessa and babysat Buddy and Billy, Jeffrey’s dogs that Debbie dropped off at the house earlier.  They are spending the night with us; hopefully there won’t be any “accidents”.  We had pizzas for dinner then watched the movie “Jack Reacher” and called it a night around 10 PM.

October 5 to 8, 2013; Langley to Chilliwack, BC

OCT  5, Saturday, Langley.
The day began cloudy but soon became sunny.  We had our showers in the house then breakfast.  Jeff and I went to his shop with the MH and Val did some laundry and visited with Debbie.  At the shop, we finished the closet, made a drawer for our side table and change the desk around so that the drawers are facing the aisle.  We also put a new and wider countertop.  It was quite a bit of work and took us about 3 hours to complete.  At one point, we stopped and went to TIM HORTON for coffee and a quick bite to eat.  We finally wrapped it up and came home, had shower and at 7 PM, we all went out for dinner; my way of paying them back.  We called it quit around 9:30 pm and went to bed.

 

OCT  6, Sunday, Visit with Jenaya, McKinley and family
A beautiful sunny day greeted us this morning!  We left early for Burnaby where Jenaya is playing her soccer game.  We got there just as the game was ending due to block left turns from Hwy 1 on Easting Street all the way to way past Boundary.  This was due to a bike parade as it just happened to be the Ride a Bike Toy Collection and thousands of enthusiastic riders were out in force.  So we finally arrived and got to spend some quality time with the grand-kids in the Park playground.  From here, we drove to John and Joanne’s house where we spent the rest of the day and evening.  We had a marvellous time with the kids and John cooked a turkey for dinner with all the trimmings; the dinner was delicious.  The girls were a lot of fun today and full of mischief.  We had lots of laughs.  We even went for a walk in the Park; it was a beautiful warm and sunny day.  As we left at 10 PM, it was raining and we drove in it pretty well the whole way.  It was a great day and we enjoyed our visit.

 

OCT  7, Monday; Back to Langley
Still raining this morning but the sun did come out!  I called VIRGIN MOBILE this morning and reduced my plan effective Nov 6 and confirmed that Val’s phone plan will be cancel on Oct 16!  We took a drive to town to pick up some wine then came home and read for a while before joining Debbie.  Jeffrey got home around 5 pm then we had lasagna for dinner then watched football and the “Black list”. 

 

OCT  8, Tuesday; To Chilliwack
It rained this morning but we did have some sunshine later in the afternoon.  We slowly packed up, said our goodbyes to Debbie then got back on Hwy 1 and headed East to Chilliwack.  I stopped at TRADE MASTER to have the lights fix on the Jeep and discovered it was a relay switch which was promptly replaced and now all is well.
We visited with Rochelle and Kevin after setting up in their driveway and Kevin left us around 4 pm to go to Vancouver with his friend Russ to watch the Canucks game.  We even saw him on TV!   How neat can that be!!!  Rochelle cooked lasagna which was delicious.  Oh, and Vanessa came by and visited for about 15 minutes.  It was great to see her!

 N  49* 07.793’

W 121* 57.752’
Alt: 24 feet

We drove 54 miles in one hour and six minutes at an average 37 MPH

 

October 3-4, 213; Hope to Langley, BC

OCT  3, Thursday, Hope BC
Finally, it’s SUNNY!!!  Irais & Johnny went to work and Shannon to school; we did our morning routine then I went out to take the cover off the bikes and discovered that the bolt holding the rack has sheared off.  I took the bikes off and took the bike rack to a local machinist in town to have it fix.  It’s amazing that we didn’t lose the bikes on the way down!!  We took a ride afterwards then came home as Val had volunteered to cook dinner tonight; a chicken stir-fry, yum, yum!  After dinner, we showed some pictures on my laptop, chatted some more then called it a night around 9:30pm

 

OCT  4, Friday, to Langley, BC
We were up by 9 am and after showering, Johnny (he didn’t go to work this morning) cooked us breakfast.  Afterwards, we drove the MH out and hooked up the jeep then said our goodbyes once again.  I stopped at the Shell station and put in $100 worth of diesel (1.29/Ltr).  We drove out and got on Hwy 1 and put the Auto pilot on.  We stopped at the rest area and dumped then continued on to Langley.  We arrived at Jeffrey and Debbie’s place by 2 PM.  I called Debbie as she was out and Jeff is still at work.  We had a marvellous dinner then Jeff and I watched hockey and football while the girls went outside and kept each other company.  We were in bed by 10 PM

 N  49* 05.860’

W 122* 39.942
Alt  37’

We drove 79 miles in 2 hrs at 43 MPH average.

 

October 1-2, 2013: Logan Lake to Hope, BC

OCT  1 2013, Tuesday; Logan Lake
It got down to 20*F overnight, Brrrrrr!!!  It was a clear night and the sun is shining this morning, I hope it warms up quickly as the furnace is working double time!  We only got to 46*F (8*C) all day and the wind had a bite.  We went to town, paid for our campground ($46. For 2 nights and 30 amps power), got some groceries then walked around and checked out the new stores and the new additions.  We came home, put the groceries away and took a walk around the lake then I had a short snooze before heading over to the Kirkby’s.  We had a great dinner of wild deer meat, potatoes and vegetables with ice cream for dessert.  We had a few glasses of wine but not as much as last night!!  We came home around 10 pm after saying our final goodbyes.  Unfortunately, the Tate’s weren’t home so we missed them.

 

OCT  2, Wednesday; to Hope, BC
It was a cold morning again but not as cold as yesterday!  After our showers, we slowly packed up and headed out by 11 am.  We stopped at Wayne’s place (my old mechanic) to say hello and goodbye then headed south on 97C.  The road has improved somewhat and in Merritt, we stopped for brunch!  We left from there and got on Hwy 5 South to Hope!  The ride was uneventful and somewhat boring.  We arrived at Johnny and Irais’s place by 3:30 pm.  After setting up, we took the Jeep for a wash then came back home.  Johnny arrived from work at 4 pm and Irais around 4:30pm.  We proceeded to have HH then diner and more chatting into the evening.  We finally called it quit around 9:30 pm...They have to work tomorrow!  It is 50 *F right now.

N  049* 23.267’

W 121* 26.876
Alt:  151 ft

We drove 109 in 2.5 hours @ an average 44 MPH