Thanksgiving Road Trip, better late then never

I can’t believe it is January 2nd and I have not written about the fantastic road trip we took after Thanksgiving. It was such a great trip, it is worthy of a late write up. After spending Thanksgiving with my parents, sister, daughter and a house load of kids we headed out on a rainy Friday morning for the first leg of trip. It was a rather unremarkable and routine down I-5 with a stop at Camping World for a lunch and supplies. We arrived at the Linfield College parking lot in time for a nice dinner of Costco roasted chicken and a bottle of Pinot Gris from Duck Pond. After a good nights rest we spent Saturday tailgating and celebrating a Linfield football playoff victory. Sunday morning we got up to bright sunshine and a crisp fall day in the Willamette valley. We headed out of McMinnville with plans to stop at a few wineries, but the plan was thwarted because it was Sunday and the wineries open later on Sunday. Keep that in mind if you are a wine taster. Plan a leisurely brunch then hit the wineries. On the northwest edge of town we headed north on highway 47, a delightful road that takes you through the farms and the hamlets of Carlton, Yamhill and Gaston; great wine stops if you hit them the time of day right. 47 takes you to the historic old town of Forest Grove. Forest Grove is a college town, home to Pacific College. At Forest Grove we headed northwest on highway 8, a winding narrow, yet scenic road though valleys, along a river with lots of old farmhouses and barns. Birds were a plenty in this area. I had to pay careful attention to the road, but Chrystal saw lots of eagles. Highway 8 merges with highway 6 and we began a winding trip through the mountains and back down through coastal valleys, before arriving at Tillamook. This highway was very scenic with plenty of pull outs to enjoy the views. Tillamook is a great town with plenty to do. Two stops I highly recommend are Blue Herron and the Tillamook Cheese factory. These were timely for us because it was lunch time. At Blue Herron, you can sample cheeses, and dips, then top it of with a little wine tasting. We purchased a few nice wines to bring home for the holidays, including a delightful cran-raspberry dessert wine. There is a nice big RV lot and picnic area at Tillamook Cheese; so this was a perfect lunch stop after a flight of wine at Blue Herron. The self guided tour of the plant is fun and very educational. Like all good tours it ends in the sample area and store. We left here stocked with cheese and ice cream. After a slow and enjoyable drive up 101, we stopped in Astoria for the night at the KOA. This was a great off season find; all campsites were $25 for the winter. We were having issues with our coach batteries, so we kicked back and enjoyed the evening with a couple of steaks on the barbie and some cold beers while I tried to figure out my battery situation. End result; good beer and steak, new coach batteries needed. Monday morning we got up to another day of sunshine for a short trip over to Cape Disappointment State Park. The park was not crowded and we got a great spot near the ocean. You could not ask for better late fall weather. Sun shined all day and we had a spectacular sunset. We enjoyed a couple of hours walking on the beach with no one on the beach but us.

When we went down to watch the sunset there was only two other people on the beach.

We did get an important reminder about putting trash away at night. While sitting in the RV watching a movie we were interrupted by a racket outside. I opened the door and shined my flash light on three very fat raccoons trying to get my recycle container open. The lid was tight fitting so they were pushing it around trying to break in. I chased them away and stowed the bin in a compartment. They did appear to be eating very well of the garbage around the park. Tuesday we headed inland to catch I-5 in Olympia for the always boring last leg home. We arrived home well rested from a long holiday weekend.

Gunner's Great Adventure

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Gunner's Great Adventure...Better Late Then Never

Well, it seems so long ago, but I thought I should get this finished. On Friday Sept 7, we headed south to McMinnville as planned. Mr. G buckled safely in is seat and never stopped talking about what he saw out the window the whole trip. He got lots of chances to practice his words, as he took in the sights. Hopefully he didn't learn any new words from grandpa when a not so kind driver cut me off going through Seattle. We made a stop at Camping World in Fife to eat some lunch, stretch our legs and do a little shopping. We arrived at our favorite spot in the Linfield College parking lot in time to set up, and have some dinner. By then it was time for a story and the little guy was sleepy. So was grandpa. It is our custom to cook a big breakfast on the bbg on game day then take a nice stroll across the campus. This time we needed to go to the college store to make sure Gunner had his Wildcat gear. After lunch the little fella conked out, so he and grandma didn't make it to the game until halftime. Mr.G had a blast cheering and high fiving grandpa as the Cats rolled to another victory. After a nice dinner on the grill we enjoyed the evening and got the rig ready Sunday morning travel.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 9TH Headed to Millersylvania Our trip north was uneventful except for one minor hitch. While enroute Chrystal and I both realized we had only packed sweatshirts and the weather was cool. so we found a place to stop and picked up jackets that will stay in the rig. We arrived at Millersylvania State Park early afternoon and got camp set up. The little fella was awesome. He would carefully hold the water hose and power cord handing them to me when I was ready. I let him hook up and turn on the water which turned out to be a fun thing for him to do. Grandma couldn't figure why the water kept going off in the coach, Gunner had figured out how to turn the faucet off and on.

We had a special treat on Sunday night. Our son Jim and his wife Thomasina brought grandaghter Maggie Grace and granddog Barkley for a visit. we had a great time visiting and walking in the park before grilling up some dogs for an outdoor meal. MONDAY-WEDNESDAY Enjoying Millersylvania We had a grand time during our stay, exploring and being a part of Gunner's experience. We watched the birds, saw frogs and dragon flies by the lake, hiked the trails, stomped in puddles, ran in the grass, rolled in the grass, played in the dirt, built campfires and made s'mores. What more could a 2 year old ask for, heck what more could a grandpa and grandma ask for. Millersylvania was a special place to visit, both Chrystal and I had fond memories of going there as kids. The park itself is a great example of a project build by the CCC. As you may remember the CCC is a program started by FDR to help young men learn skills, providing jobs, while building conservation projects across America. hmmmm...the leasons we could learn from the past. Sorry off topic. Millersylvania is a shining example of the 1st class state park system we have in Washington. It was clean the staff was friendly and got a chance to enjoy and share the great outdoors with others. Camping with G brought fond memories of my camping trips with grandma and grandpa Harrel. Each evening grandpa would roll a smoke and take a cup of coffee while I would accompany him round the loop and he would stop to chew the fat with every camper in the park. I of course had my cup of coffee too, but no rolled cig, thanks grandma. I learned to drink coffee at a young age from them. Gunner will get coffee next trip, I decided two was too early. I didn't teach him to spit either(a lesson from grandpa cooper), I better make plans for another trip. We broke camp on Wednesday and headed home arriving tired and smiling. I have added camping road trips with the rest of the grandkids to my bucket list. Happy Trails

Our Grandson's Great Adventure

Cash flow and gas prices have kept us grounded for a while, but today we leave on a new adventure, a mini road trip with our two and half year old grandson Gunner. This will be his first trip in the RV and a big adventure for him. Mr G is and active little fella so grandma and I will get our exersize for sure. Last night we took him out to the rig while we were doing some trip prep and he sat in the seats and the dinette jabbering all the way. While I went through some equiment checks he followed me around and did not stop asking and pointing. He will make a mighty fine, while tiring co-pilot. We will head south to McMinnville, Oregon for a couple days of boondocking and tailgating in the Linfield College parking lot. On Sat, Mr G will see his first Wildcat football game. On Sunday we will head to Millersylvania State Park for a few days before heading home. I won't have internet so I will post pcis an blog when we return. Happy trails.

The Last Leg Home

Prior to deciding how to finish our trip home I decided to research the route recommended by Microsoft Streets and Trips. The shortest route from Madras to Portland and home was across highway 26 around Mt Hood. After checking the Oregon DOT website I nixed that idea because there was snow and ice on parts of the roadway. The ODOT web site was the most helpful of all the state sponsored websites we used. Cameras and weather stations are available throughout much of the state, including travel warnings for weather and construction.

We made the decision to head north on 97 to the junction of 97 and 197, taking 197 to The Dalles, then 84 west up the gorge before crossing the river on I-205 and heading home on I-5.

While 197 was the shortest way to I-84, don't plan on it being the fastest. The road snakes it's way across high planes,climbing over plateaus and into valleys. Many of the climbs and desents featured switchbacks and hairpin curves that required slowing the RV to 20 MPH.

It did however turnout to be a beautiful part of the trip when it comes to the views. At one point we stopped at a pull out and enjoyed views of Mt Adams, Mt Hood, Mt, Jefferson, Mt Washington, The Sisters and Three Fingered Jack all at the same time. I stood and thanked God for the earth he gave us to enjoy.

Along the way you snake slowly down steep declines and sharp curves to find the hamlet of Moupin, OR nestled in a valley and hillside next to the Deschutes River. As we switchbacked up the hill from the river to the towns "main street" shop owners appeared to come out and take a look see at the crazy people in the RV towing small truck who braved the road through their town.

As you come down the last set of curves into The Dalles you are treated to not only a spectacular view of the mighty Columbia, but vineyards and green fields on both sides of the road.

The entire way the sky's were clear and bright, even as we headed west on I-84. As we began to approach Portland we could see clouds on the Washington side of the river, almost as if to say welcome home. Sure enough we crossed over the Columbia and it began to cloud up and rain by the time we reached Olympia.

We arrived home about 4:30 p.m. on Friday March 9 after being on the road since Feb 16. It was a great trip full of relaxation and sunshine.

We made a decision on this adventure to try dry camping, free camping, along with resort camping. Our adventure was successful and we learned a lot. In a coming blog, I will discuss menu's and equipment..Happy trails.

Freestlying the Route

We headed out of Lodi on I-5 planning to spend the night somewhere around Eugene, OR however when we stopped for fuel and lunch in Weed, CA I got this wild idea to change plans and take a different route home, so off we went heading north on highway 97 through central Oregon. I had not been on this highway since I was a kid and it was a treat. We were treated to some of the most amazing scenery one could imagine. Mountains, prairies, and lake shoreline. There was lots of snow along the road until we got to Bend OR. After 12 hours on the road and clear skies the entire way we have settled in to the KOA in Madras,OR for the night.

Our plan is still to arrive home Friday evening, Lord willing.

Happy Trails

Leaving Buffalo Bill's in the Dust

After a windy dusty day and night with wind reaching over 70 mph, I woke up up at 5:45 a.m. to a clear and calm day, So I made coffee fueled up "Old Roxie"and hit the road with Chrystal still snoozing. Heading west on I-15 was an experience, lots of long uphill followed by long downgrades. At the top of one pass we saw Joshua trees with snow on them. At Barstow we stopped for a little breakfast and a shower then headed east on 58 toward Bakersfield. 58 takes you through flat desert then at Mohave you head up across the mountains. A couple of interesting sights include Boron the town known for Borax. Lot's of interesting mining and processing go on there. The highway also passes near Edwards Air Force Base. No secret activity today. As you head out of Mohave the wind farms are a sight.

At Bakersfield we headed north on 99. 99 is no longer the slow road with lots of lights. It is pretty much a freeway all the way to Sacramento. We rolled into the Flying J in Lodi around 6 and settled in for the night, after dinner and dessert of ice cream and fresh baked cookies.