On The Road to Apple Valley, California

An unusual situation occurred when we left Charleston ... It was not raining!! We are usually plagued with rain when preparing the RV for travel. The dry weather was a nice gift.

We traveled a few hours south and stopped at Harris Beach State Park near Brookings, Oregon. Oregon was experiencing storms which included high winds. We thought it was a good idea to get off the road for a couple of days. The surf of the Pacific Ocean was so high you couldn't walk the beach. It was a relaxful couple of days spent mostly inside. It allowed me to do a few chores I had been putting off.

Because we were about to cross the border into California, we tried to remember what food could not cross the California border. We assumed it was fruit. We had three apples, four oranges, four kiwi, two lemons and one lime. OMG! I didn't want to give up this much produce. That's like throwing away money for me. So we ate the kiwis, oranges and an apple. I grated and squeezed the lemons and lime for the freezer. Just before leaving, I quartered the remaining apples and hoped we could eat them before arriving at the border. We were so full of fruit, we didn't eat the apples like I hoped we would. When we arrived at the check point, they questioned us about fruit and produce. They didn't want our apples!

Driving Highway 101 in northern California is scenic. First along the beach, then into the Redwoods. We stayed at a Passport America park, Stafford RV Park, in Stafford, California. This park is owned by a local church. They had monthly renters. It had been raining and the ground was soft. It took our 4-wheel drive to park and pull out. We were the only rig parked in the back, so it was quiet.

South of Sacramento we took Highway 20 east to I-5. It was foggy beside Clear Lake. I was disappointed because the last time we drove Highway 20 it was dark. I was looking forward to seeing the lake.

We stayed at a truck stop in Santa Nella, California. After midnight, the trucks settled down and it was quiet for several hours. We woke to thick fog. We talked about waiting for the fog to lift, but decided to take off. Driving was fine. At times the fog was thick and other times it had raised a bit.

We arrived in Apple Valley at about 3:30 pm. We are enjoying our time with our friends Sonny and Mary.

Charleston, Oregon

We are on the road again, finally! We spent our first night at South Beach State park near the Aquarium at Newport, Oregon. This park was easy to move around in and because we were there in the off season we didn't need reservations. We just pulled in, found a spot we liked and self registered. The park has a welcome center where you can get hot coffee or tea, free popcorn, and visit with a campground host. There is also books to buy, puzzles to check out, and other things that might be of interest.

We hiked most of the trails to the beach and to the south jetty of Yaquina Bay before leaving the park. The only problem we had was that most of the other folks in the park had dogs. One of these decided to bark during the night which some of the other dogs were inclined to join in with.
All the dogs were well mannered, but I can't quite say as much for their masters.

We're now located at a nice little private park near Charleston, Oregon called "Oceanside RV Park." Our trailer is actually about 300 feet from the beach. We found this park as we were headed in to the beautiful Sunset Bay State Park. The problem with the state park for us was that we needed to be able to use both our cell phone and internet connections. Both these parks are located near Shore Acres State Park which is famous for it seascapes and flowers.

Oceanside RV park has reduced its winter rates to $10 dollars per day sunday through thursday. Friday and Saturday are still $20 bucks a night for over-nighters. The park offers cable TV and WiFi along with the regular full hookups. Propane is available here for $2.70 a gallon right now. We'll fill our cylinders before we leave. Sunset Bay State Park gives you water, 30amp electric, and sewer for $16 dollars per night.

Most of the other people in the park right now are paying by the month, but a few short term folks stop in too. The roads here are gravel and in wet weather your rig won't stay clean but that's what you deal with when you RV in the winter.

Journey to the Oregon Coast

We traveled to the Oregon coast and will be here until after the Christmas holiday. We have been here alot this year...more than usual. The journey was uneventful, which we appreciate. After having issues with the tires recently, it was nice to have no problems. We arrived on a day before the rain hit. Quite often when we get here, it is raining. Setting up in the rain is no fun for either of us. Dwain was able to get the internet and TV satelittes up quickly too.

We miss our granddaughter!!

I hope to be able to see my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins while we are here.

LaCenter, Washington

We had two weeks in LaCenter, Washington at Adam, Carrie and Lyla's. Seeing them every day was a delight. The drive from the freeway to their house is through well-kept, small farms. The tree leaves are turning fast and are beautiful. You view Mt. St. Helens from their house.

We parked in the back of the house so we are separate, but together. I love the feeling of being close enough for them to pop in as they can. Lyla is only a year old, but soon she will escape her house and run over to Grandma and Papa's like her cousins do when we are in Wallowa. I wish they lived near each other. But Adam and Carrie will always live on the west side of the state and Matt, Heather and the boys will always be on the east side. And Uncle Seth will be in Chicago!

Lyla has turned one! She is walking, although working on her balance. She climbed the three steps in our RV without hesitation. It was her first step climbing experience. While here she has learned "So Big" and to whinny like a horse and moo like a cow. I'm working on "love you," how to say "sorry" in sign language and how to "be easy" when she turns pages in a book. She is so fun...full of the dickens.

A View From My Window

Catherine Creek Oregon State Park Union, Oregon

We left Wallowa on Friday, traveling to LaGrande. We left the RV at Curt's RV for repairs. We ran errands then met Heather and Joshua for lunch. We had Chinese at Josh's request. Our RV was ready by 2 pm and Dwain picked it up while I shopped at Walmart.

We spent the night at Catherine Creek State Park, seven miles out of Union, Oregon. We Park Hosted at Catherine Creek about five years ago. We enjoyed being back. Large pines are throughout the campground. If you are interested in making pine needle baskets, there is a large supply of needles. Catherine Creek SP has about 20 sites. It is a dry campground. However, it does have water faucets in the camp. It has restrooms, but no showers. There is a day use area about a quarter mile up the road. Hiking trails are across the creek.

Saturday morning we traveled to Cove, Oregon, a short distance away. We watched a junior high football game in the rain. Unfortunately our Wallowa team lost, but they played hard. Once the game was over, we were off to the local burger joint and enjoyed a good lunch, saying goodbye to Patrick, Joshua and their parents for a couple of months.

We drove as far as Rufus, Oregon and pulled in beside the Columbia River for the night. Took some beautiful sunsets photos while in the Columbia River Gorge. The wind came up during the night and kept us awake. Dwain measured the mph in the morning at 40. It blew stronger during the night, but he didn't get up to measure it. I wonder why...

On to Adam, Carrie and Lyla's!

A View From My Window

A Place to Rest

A Place to Contemplate

A Place to Read

A Place to Write

A Place to Photograph

A Place to Draw

A Place to Fish

A Place to Swim

A Place to Gather

A Place to Pray

This is one of several benches placed along the Wallowa River within the Wallowa River RV Park located in the small City of Wallowa in N. E. Oregon. A peaceful area with good people and beautiful views.

Road Notes!

We are preparing to leave Wallowa County for the winter. It's a bitter-sweet feeling. We have come to love this area and the Howards, our daughter Heather and her family, live here. That means grandchildren! Leaving the boys is always difficult. But we are traveling to our granddaughter Lyla's house. The most difficult part is when we travel south and don't see the grandchildren for four months. :(

The last few days we prepared the Komfort for winter and it is now parked beside the Howard house. I emptied the cupboards of the canned goods. I usually don't have alot, but this year we stocked it well, then didn't use it all. Today I need to reorganize the Montana cupboards so as much as possible will fit. There have been years when we donated to the local Food Bank. That might be easier!

We will be without electricity for a few days after we leave Wallowa, so I'm doing household chores that need the electric..laundry, vacuum, etc. I'm trying to fit our winter clothes back in the closet. At some point we hope to be like Dwain's Aunt and Uncle. They don't have winter clothing. They are in Wyoming for the summer then Arizona for the winter. They only need a light coat. Because we don't travel south until January, winter clothing is necessary.

Our Montana is scheduled for repair work from when the tire blew a few months ago on Friday so will leave Wallowa early that morning. From there we will start heading west. Must arrive at Lyla's before her first birthday, October 11.