The Trip Down

As usual I am going to document our winter trip with pictures and thoughts along the way that will be a journal of our trip and preserve some memories for future reminiscing. I have posted notes along the way on my iphone and finally I am taking time to getting the blog up and running again so for any of our friends and family who are interested in following along...here goes.

We were up at 7:30am on Sunday and loading up the rig. We had a few little chores to due; hooking up the CRV for towing, filling the freshwater tank, loading the last of the food, etc. We were on the road a little after 9:00am. It was a little foggy but it was only low clouds and was not a problem to drive in. We drove in and out of sunny patches as the clouds were burning off as we moved south. At 11am we passed through Portland, Oregon and the clouds disappeared for good leaving a beautiful sunny day to drive south. We stopped at a rest stop just north of Eugene, Oregon where we walked Ollie and had lunch a little after 1pm.

The Honda CRV towed very well, better that the Wrangler, probably due to the smaller tires on the CRV where the Wrangler had the oversize tires. Maybe just because its newer and more aerodynamic. One way or the other it tows sweet. We jumped back on I-5 after lunch, bought gas in Cottage Grove, and arrived at our first days destination of Canyonville, Oregon at 4pm almost on the dot. We spent the night at "7 Feather RV Park" just across the freeway from the big 7 Feather Casino. The park is immaculate, modern, and extremely well maintained. There are shuttles to the Casino every ten minutes. Full hookups for $32 a night. We stayed here last December 1st on our trip down and the Casino was all decked out for Christmas. Since we are a month earlier there are no decorations up yet. Cheap meals seem to be a thing of the past in all casinos these days. Hard to find a sandwich for under $8 but the buffets are probably the best deal if you don't mind eating until you explode to get your moneys work. We decided to eat "breakfast" for dinner since we skipped our morning meal, then read a little and get to bed early as we had covered 550 miles during the day. Tomorrow morning we cross the border into California and have a much shorted leg of the trip, 250 miles to Corning, California and the Rolling Hills Casino and RV Park. A nice place for a cheap $25 a night

It was a beautiful sunny drive down from Canyonville and we stopped at a rest area by Lake Shasta and had a nice lazy lunch. See the picture at the top of the column. We got into Corning about 2:00pm and stopped at the famous "Olive Pit" where you can buy every kind of olive you can imagine and quite a few you can't. Naturally, we walked out with a big box filled with Olive jars, pickled asparagus, cheeses, etc. Hey, you need proper garnishes for your cocktails right? Hot pickled asparagus for the Bloody Mary, or Martinis with garlic or blue cheese stuffed olives. We did buy some great pepper cheese that I really liked. Nothing like shopping for the basic food groups. We only were one exit away from our stop for the night and instead of using the GPS I remembered a side road adjacent to the freeway and figured we could take that right to the front of the casino.....wrong! We ended up on a dead end road which is no big deal unless you are 34' and towing a car. We had to unhitch the Honda to finally get both vehicles facing the right direction. Since we were so close to our location, Susan drove the Honda and followed me down the freeway to the correct turnoff. I did not mention that yesterday was the end of Daylight Savings Time and in California the days are not as long as in Washington. It was dark when we pulled into the RV Park at 5pm. We got set up very quickly with the slide out, levelers down, water and electricity plugged in, and satellite TV working. Those olives came in handy that night as "daddy needed his nerve medicine real bad" . We ended up going to the casino buffet for comfort food that night. We also decided to spend another day there just lazing in the 80 degree sun. We had been running all week long to get ready for the trip and decided we needed a break from travel the next day.

We had our extra day of leisure and then we were off heading to "Lost Hills" about as far south as we could make in the one day. We wanted to be able to drive into the Rincon Parkway camp area by about 10am Thursday as there are no reservations strictly first come first served and it is a popular place. We planned on staying there several days. The drive to "Lost Hills" was uneventful, clear and sunny driving, south on I-5 for several hours. Easy but maybe a little boring. The campground was a disappointment, these things happen even when using campground guides etc. You never really know what you are going to get until you arrive. We really did not have a choice as we wanted to get as far south as possible that day. It was $34 a night for full hookups but the grounds were dusty dirt and bare trees. No cement or paving, no gravel, no grass or vegetation of any kind. Just dirt. It was almost empty when we pulled in about 3pm but by that night it filled up quite a bit. As it was just an overnight stop we didn't really care about the amenities as long as we could get an early start the next morning.

We did get an early start and were climbing the infamous "grapevine" on I-5 by 8:30am and turning west just before "Magic Mountain". We were on Highway 126 which runs into the nice little beach town of Ventura. It was a very pretty drive after being on I-5 for the last couple of days. We got to Rincon and there were plenty of spaces left. Rincon is set up along the edge of a road with parking spaces set up for RVs that run along the water for about a mile. The spaces are 40-50 feet long so you have plenty of room for you rig and tow car, fifth wheel and truck or whatever. You are parking head to tail and your curbside is facing the water, You have about 10 feet from the rig to the rocks along the edge that keep you from falling about 15 feet to the beach below. When the tide is in the surf breaks on the base of the rocks just below you. The reason we like this place so much is that the water is so close and the roar of the ocean ever present, the beach is open to dogs and most beaches in LA are not, and your closest neighbor is either in front of you are behind you...not right beside you as in most campgrounds, which gives you a lot more privacy. As with most state and county parks in California there are no hookups so you have to dry camp or "boon dock" as RV'ers call it. We got all set up, which is pretty easy since we only have to put the leveling jacks down and run the slide out. We filled our fresh water tank, and emptied our black and grey water tanks that morning at Lost Hills so we were good to go.

Ernie and Cheryl Parsons stopped by Friday to visit as they live in Ventura. We made plans to meet them Sunday when we arrive at Thornehill Broom for a two night stay. We had a nice visit in the sun and then they had to head for home before dark. Again the weather has been killer with the sun coming up at 7:00am and shinning through the drapes. It is nice to wake up to that and the roaring of the waves below us. We took Ollie down for a beach walk, sat in the sun, read, relaxed, took the Honda into town to shop and just enjoyed the fact that we were in Southern California. We had a campfire and watched the sun set around 5pm each night, then ate dinner and watched some Direct TV or a movie on DVD using either the generator or inverter for power.

Sunday morning we left Rincon for a short hour long run to Thornehill Broom. This is a place we have camped with Mark and Carol for a long long time. Say maybe 30 years. It is just off Highway 1 about 10 miles north of the Malibu Colony. It is also head to tail camping but not close to a road. You curbside door opens right onto the sand and each site has a picnic table and a fire pit. Since it was Sunday people who had spent the weekend there had to leave to get back to the city for work Monday and we had no trouble getting one of the primo spots at the south end of the beach. Larry and Rose Mackey, and Ernie and Cheryl arrived about 1pm that afternoon and brought lots of food, we chipped in with wine, beer, chips, and appetizers, Ernie BBQ ed chicken and a good time was had by all. The rig held everyone comfortably and when sunset came we had a campfire with coffee and brownies. It was really great to see our California friends again. Hope we catch them again before Palm Springs, at Palm Springs, and in March when we work our way back home again.

Back on the North Cascade Highway

It was close to 3pm when we left the resort and drove back to the highway. When we left we saw several Porsche's pull into the lot and more coming when we were driving out to the highway. Still more coming west on the highway. Evidently it was a group rally or club trip with an overnight at the lodge. We must have seen 25 overall, and I was thinking it was a grand day and a great highway to cruise in a sports car. Along the rest of our trip we were treated to sensational views, brilliant colored leaves, and a relaxing drive. It was a lot of miles to cover in one day and if we do the drive again we will stay overnight. Probably at Sun Mountain as it was very picturesque and is really close to the town of Winthrop, which is done in a old western town motif and worth a couple of hours of sightseeing. As it was, we got back home at 7:30 pm, so we didn't have much time for a lot of pictures or sightseeing in Winthrop. Maybe next time! I'm sure we will do it again, the scenery was too spectacular not to see again.

More of the Sun Mountain Resort

The pool was open and the spa was sending up plumes of steam as the temperature was about 40 degrees due to the cold day and the altitude of the resort.

Lunch at the Sun Mountain Resort

By By 1pm we were getting hungry and the restaurant possibilities were somewhat limited. We decided to take a quick job off the route and have lunch at the Sun Mountain Lodge. We had heard of it but never seen it before. it was about a 15 mile winding drive to the top of the mountain to get there. Very scenic, and the resort location was well chosen, allowing you to look for miles in several directions. You look down on everything and the houses and ranches below look like tiny little Monopoly pieces from that height. The resort itself looks like a billionaires hunting lodge. Log style buildings, sweeping decks, hunting trophy heads hung on walls, big fireplaces, and comfy furniture. We were thinking it would be a great place to visit in the snow season. We ate in the lounge, french dip sandwiches, and enjoyed the ambiance of the place. Nice to relax for lunch and stretch our legs afterward.

The North Cascades Highway

We had talked about taking a fall drive over the North Cascades Highway before we leave for California and since Saturday was forecast to be a beautiful sunny day we decided it was the time to go. We took the Sebring convertible and although the weather was crystal clear with bright sunshine, the temperature never got to 50 degrees all afternoon so the top stayed up.

We left at 8:30am, it was to be a 500 mile drive, gassed the car and got breakfast to go at MacDonald's and headed up I-5 on our way to Auburn. We took Highway 18 to I-90 and drove east over Snoquamie Pass. It was a very pretty drive, but there was little snow on the mountains and mostly evergreen trees so the colors were what we were used to and nothing spectacular. We turned off I-90 North onto Blewett Pass and dropped down into Wenatchee, and all its apple orchards. We drove by Lake Chelan and headed north toward Twisp and Winthrop. We stopped along the way and bought a selection of apples, pears, and plumbs.

Anniversay Day

We had a nice drive home from Seattle with the top down on the Sebring in the warm sun.
Monday we did some errands. And Tuesday we took in a movie at the new theater in Gig Harbor. We saw "Love Happens" with Aaron Ekhart and Jennifer Aniston. A little corny but we both like romantic comedies. For dinner Susan cooked lobster tails and we drank a bottle of champagne with them. This has become our celebration dinner over the years and was much cheaper than having both at a restaurant.

Saturday Night and Sunday Afternoon

After walking around downtown we went back to our room, relaxed, and then decided to go down to F.X. McRory's and watch the Washington Husky game in the large bar. Another Seattle sports institution than we been going to since our Seahawks season ticket days...23 years of them, so it seemed like home. The Dawgs lost but a good time was had by all.

Sunday morning we had breakfast at a French cafe, Campagne, before walking to Quest Field for the Seahawks game. We had poached eggs over crouton bread with a wine sauce and pearl onions. Very very good. It was another warm day as we entered the stadium. We sat in the "Hawks Nest" area above the north end zone and had a really good view. The beer was cold, the sun was hot, and the game was close, two points spread, and wasn't decided until the clock ticked out. Another lose! Da Bears won...and had a lot of followers there. The crowd was crazy loud as always so Da Bears fans were drowned out in the din...thank god.