Playing the Waiting Game (Vancouver, WA)

 

We left the Silver Cove RV Park in Silver Lake, WA on Friday for an easy 61 mile drive down I-5 to the Elks Lodge in Vancouver, WA.

While at Silver Cove RV Park we visited Mt. St Helens National Monument.  On May 18, 1980 Mt. St. Helens erupted killing 7 people, destroying 250 homes and also destroying thousands of acres of woodlands.  In the 33 years since the disaster mother nature has rejuvenated itself.

Because of a forest fire upwind, the pictures are a little hazy.

 

So here we are in Vancouver, WA. waiting.  About six months ago we found that the outside rear dully rim was bent.  I had it balance and it wasn’t bad.  After the new tires were put on the vibration became worse.  I did some research and found 2 places in the Vancouver/Portland area that said they could fix the rim but would have to look at it.  I went and had the spare put on and the the tire taken off the rim.  Alas, no one in the area had the equipment to repair the rim.  My only alternative was to replace the rim. I called Ford, they wanted $980.  I think NOT.  I took out my trusty computer and went to work.  I found a used rim on ebay for $242.  So here we sit in Vancouver waiting for it to arrive.  Just hope it is the right rim. 

We just had lunch with the “Bernstein Bunch,” Alyssa, Mike, Emma, and Lucy.  They came to Portland  (fyi, Portland is only across the Columbia River from Vancouver) for Mike’s brothers wedding.  We had a great time visiting. 

In the meantime,  Ann has been looking for a couple of books that are not available for the Kindle.  She has been looking for them at all the used bookstores we have come across, to no avail.  She has refused to buy them from Amazon until she has exhausted all her sources.  So, after lunch, we headed to Powell’s in downtown Portland.  It is a big used/new bookstore (like the Strand in NYC).  It took her about 15 minutes to find what she was looking for.  Ann has warned me that we are going back there so she can check out the cookbook section!

Life is Great on the Roan Road….

It’s Official (Chimacum, WA)

 

We are flying into New York’s JFK Airport from Las Vegas on December 18 and leaving January 7.  I expect everyone who reads this blog to come out the airport to greet us (at 7 A.M.)!!  Ann has been busy making all of our doctors appointments.

A few miles north of Chimacum, at the Northeast end of the Olympic Peninsula, is Port Townsend.  It is a nice touristy town with the usual restaurants and art galleries.

The highlight of our stay this week was a trip to Olympic National Park.  For most of the park there are no roads that let you drive throughout the park, like Yellowstone or Tetons.  There are several roads that take you in from the edge of the park.  We took one road to the Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center.  The road is only 12 miles long, but it takes you up 6000 feet for some of the most spectacular views of the park.  Here are some pictures, but you cannot get the scope of the view. You just have to be there.

The the walk around the Visitor’s center smelled like Christmas.  A strong scent of Pine.

Next, on to Mt. St. Helens.

Life is hard, but someone has to do it, on the Roan Road…

Going to the Mountain (Chimacum, WA)

 

Don’t you just love that name “Chimacum, Chimacum”  I could say that all day long.

Before we left Bremerton, we made a stop at the Naval Museum.   Bremerton is a big Naval Repair Station, that has been in service since the early 1900’s.  When WWI broke out, the Navy started shipbuilding there.  At that time the population of the area exploded.   When the U.S. entered WWII, ship building resumed.  There were many women who were employed at this station that helped with the ship building, 

Last Monday while still in Bremerton we took a day trip of 260 miles to Mt. Rainier National Park.  We entered the park through the east entrance and started the, “Look at that” and “Look over there”.  Finally there it was. There it was, the real deal, big as life, Mt Rainier.

  After leaving the Paradise Visitor's center on the south end of the park we drove to Sunrise Point, which is on the West side of Mt. Rainier and 1000 ft higher elevation, It is 6000 ft above sea level.

BTW, Dustin do you believe that Ann and I climbed up to the top of Mt. Rainier like you did?  It was no biggie.    The only thing was, we had to rest when we got to the bottom for a few minutes, before getting back into the truck.

Life is really great on the Roan Road…

A Trip to Tacoma (Chimacum, WA)

 

We are presently staying in the Escapees park in Chimacom, WA.  Chimacom is on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula just below Port Townsend.  This has got to be one of the nicest RV parks we have seen.  It is a Escapees Coop park.  You can purchase a lot with a shed on it.  It is well kept with wide paved streets.  The landscaping adds a nice touch.  There is a wood shop and a car shop for lease holders to use.

Last week when we were staying in Bremerton we took a day trip the Tacoma to visit some museums.  First is we went to the LeMay America’s Car Museum.  The museum building is designed like a municipal garage with up ramps and down ramps.  There are hundreds of cars from all over the world, all ages.  All beautifully restored and in running condition.  Note from Ann:  Note the Kaiser-this was the car that my parents had when I was a little girl.  The only difference was that ours was PINK-easy to find on 186th Street.  The 1957 Chevy is the car that Roy owned when we started dating.   

After leaving the LeMay Car Museum we  drove to the Washington State History History Museum.  Again well done with displays of Washington State from the past, and one of the best display of model trains I have seen.  Around Christmas time they turn the entire museum over to model trains.  That would be a sight to see.

We will be staying here for about a week.

Next Blog will be on our trip to Mt. Rainier, so stay tuned.

Life is great on the Roan Road…

Summer is Half Over (Bremerton, WA)

 

We left Steamboat Rock State Park and headed for Bremerton, WA.  On the way we traveled the back roads we came across the Dry Falls Interpretative Center. Dry Falls was formed about one million years ago during the last ice age.

We have been staying in Bremerton, WA for the past week.  One day sight seeing, one day relaxing.  Doing the wash and shopping.  Bremerton is on the east side to Puget Sound. When we go to Seattle, we leave the truck in Bremerton and take the Washington state ferry across the sound to Seattle.  Going east there is no charge. Going back we get a senior discount and it cost us $3.85 each.  It pays to be a senior citizen.  So far we have made two trips to Seattle. On the first trip we felt our way around Seattle.  We visited the Pikes Market.  Never do that again.  It was literally wall to wall people.  Then we took the Monorail to City Center to visit the Space Needle.  Seeing Seattle from 520 ft. up was just unreal!  Note: The Space Needle was built for the 1962 World’s Fair and at the time was the tallest building in Seattle; now it is the seventh tallest. We returned on the Monorail from City Center and walked to the Harbor.  We decided to have a late lunch-early dinner.  We went to the famous (at least famous in Seattle) Ivars restaurant.  Our meal was delicious.

Next day we relaxed and did shopping and laundry.

Second trip

We walked around the downtown area and visited some great places.  The Waterfall Garden Park was one of them.  It is the place that UPS started over 100 years ago.  It was converted into a beautiful waterfall right in the middle of the city.  Next we happened on the Seattle Firefighters Museum.  It is a fire station that was used until 2003 when a new one was built a few blocks away.  It now houses the Seattle Fire Department headquarters upstairs and the Museum downstairs.  Next we walked to the Seattle Art Museum.  It is a modern Art museum, not my cup of tea.  In the lobby is a number of cars hanging from the ceiling in various angles with tubes of light coming from them.  It is supposed  to be a car spinning through the air. OK then.  The special exhibit at the museum was a Japanese fashion show from 1984.  We had a tour guide explain the exhibit.  I left soon after the guide started her talk.  I told Ann I would meet her downstairs.  Meanwhile I went to check my eyelids for holes.  BTW, I didn’t find any,  Again we decided to have an late lunch.  We ate at a great Thai restaurant, Wild Ginger, we even had enough to take a doggie bag home for lunch the next day.  Next back to the ferry and home.

Next blog, Tacoma, Washington after a day of rest.  Then on to Mt. Rainier.  But that will have to wait for the next blog or blogs.

Life is exhausting, but great, on the Roan Road…

On the Road Again (Ellensburg (WA)

 

We stayed at one of the nicest RV parks we have seen.  It is a Washington State Park, Steamboat Rock State Park.  It has level wide sites with manicured lawns.  Right on the edge of the Banks Lake.  One problem, no cell service, no internet and no satellite (Oy Vey!).  The mosquitos are as bad as they come.  But, we are two tough NYC Kids, and we can rough it,  NOT!

The park is 10 miles from the Grand Coulee Dam. The Grand Coulee Dam was constructed during the Great Depression,  It has three functions:  1.  to produce power.  2. to control the flow of the Columbia River and 3. to provide water to irrigate the surrounding areas for farming.

The Pump House pumps the water up 250 feet to Banks Lake.

Through these penstocks to the the Banks Lake.  The Banks Lake is a man made lake formed to provide irrigation through a series of canals.

In 1960 a third power house was built that produces 3 times the amount of power of the original generators.

We took a tour of the Dam.  Before we left on the tour of the dam we had to go through security equal to getting on an airplane.  After 9-11, everything changed.

Here are some photos of the Grand Coulee Dam.

The next day we drove north up SR 155 to the town of Omak. We drove from a desert with sage brush to a lush pine forest.

We also got together with some friends that we had previously met on our journey.  We are always emailing with friends we have met and get together when our paths cross. 

We are back on the road headed for Bremerton, WA to stay at an Elks Lodge there.  Bremerton is east of Spokane on the Olympic Peninsula, so we can take the ferry into downtown Spokane.  We will stay here in Ellensburg, which is right off I-90, one day and continue on to Spokane tomorrow.  We now have internet, good cell service and Satellite.  All is good with the world.  We are happy.  By we I mean Ann was very unhappy without her iPad.

Happy Birthday Heidi.

Life is still Good on the Roan Road.