We put our name back on the list for a lot at the Escapee park in Sutherlin, Oregon. We'd had our name on the list before, but had taken it off when we bought the lot in Quartzsite. But we've decided (for now, at least) that we probably won't want to stay in Quartzsite year round when the time comes that we either don't want to travel, or can't. Although it does get cool and rainy in Sutherlin during the winter, it doesn't get really, really cold and it's comfortable in the summer. It's also close to the Interstate making it easy to get to the places we like to travel the most. It will probably be six years before our name makes it to the top of the list.
We received a call from Claude Singleton from the Alturas, California BLM office to confirm that we will, indeed, be hosting at Pit River Campground near Fall River Mills. We were originally going to camp host during the months of August, September, and October, but Claude said he'd probably need us for the months of May, June, and July instead.
One of our satellite receivers bit the dust, so we went by the local satellite dealer to purchase a new one plus a wireless router for our satellite Internet system. I later ended up returning the router, because in trying to install it, the program asked me some questions I didn't know the answer to, and I couldn't find anyone who could give me the information...the people at Satellite Advantage, where we bought it, were of no help whatsoever!
Ron and Donna Monroe came by for a visit on the 13th, and the next day we went out to visit them where they were parked out on BLM land.
Earl went to the doctor in Blythe to get a renewal of this prescription for Pravachol. The doctor had a whole bunch of Pravachol that he gave Earl for free...enough to last almost a year!
We took our Averatec and our Toshiba laptops into Sue Sites in Blythe for repair. There's not much they can do for the Averatec since it's the screen that's going bad, and to have that repaired would cost more than it's worth. We took a trip to Yuma to purchase a new laptop since we can't rely on the Averatec to last much longer...and I like to have two laptops available to have one as backup. We were originally going to buy another Averatec at Sam's Club, but they were completely out of stock. So, after doing some shopping there, we stopped at the Staples to get an Ethernet PC card that we could put in an older HP laptop we have. It turned out that Staples was having a sale on a brand new HP Pavilion laptop for less than $600, so we ended up with it!
We were planning on going to the Lazy Daze Caravan Club's get together at the LaPaz County Park north of Parker. But, the day it started, we had a real doozy of a thunder and lightening storm, so we decided not to go.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Monday, January 31, 2005
JANUARY 2005
Earl took me to Silly Al's for pizza on my birthday. Pizza is not on my diet, but it was my birthday after all!
On the 7th, Frank Hall, a new Lazy Daze owner from Wichita, Kansas, spent the night at our place. We all had dinner at Taco Mio.
We took a trip into Phoenix on the 10th to do shopping at Sam's Club, and had lunch with Mom at Chili's.
On the 13th, we went to our first -- and last -- Q Mountain Homeowner's Association meeting. It was a total farce! First of all, it was very disorganized. One of the purposes for the meeting was to elect new officers, but instead of sending out a list prior to the meeting of all the people running, with a short bio of each listing their qualifications, they asked for nominations from the floor! We had absolutely NO idea who anyone was. The meeting was so mishandled, that I doubt we will ever go to another one!
George Bruzenak came by one day for a visit. George is a New Horizons owner who we meet a few years ago at a New Horizons Owners Rally. One day we went out to where George was parked with the LOWS (a singles RV group) to visit him and, on our way back, we stopped to visit Jo Jones, a Lazy Daze owner, who was parked with the WINS (another singles RV group). We had never met Jo, but she had just recently picked up her new Lazy Daze (her second), and had posted to the Lazy Daze Yahoo Group that she would be in the area. We had a nice visit with her.
On the 15th, we loaded up the Lazy Daze and drove out to the BLM land east of town where the Boomer's Boomerang was being held. The Boomers are an Escapees Birds of a Feather group, and the Boomerang is an annual event usually held around the same time as the big RV show here. We had a good time out at the Boomerang...Gisela and Bill Pollock had us to their rig for dinner one night (friends with whom we traveled to Alaska in 2001), and we got to see many other old friends and meet new ones.
We spent a week hanging out with the Boomers before returning home. One day, Ron & Donna Monroe, and Richard & Sarah Shong came over to our place, and we all walked over to the RV Show, walking around to see all the "stuff" for sale, and having lunch at one of the vendors.
One night, we had Ron and Donna over to our place for dinner, and the next night we had Richard and Sarah over for dinner. We could have had them all over for dinner at the same time, but our table only has space for four people, so we had to spread it out. We had a really nice visit with both couples.
Ken and Debbie Toth (the couple who bought our New Horizons and Freightliner), came over one day for a visit, and we went out to lunch with them at Taco Mio.
On the 29th, Alex and Brenda Rutchka, new Lazy Daze owners from Charlotte, North Carolina, spent the night at our place in their new motorhome. We were going to take them to our regular haunt, Taco Mio, but it was really crowded, so we ended up having dinner at the Snowbird Cafe. It's the first time Earl and I had ever eaten there, but we had the best fish and chips we've found so far in Quartzsite. In the morning, Alex and Brenda treated us to breakfast at Taco Mio. Later that afternoon, Lazy Daze owners Sarah Blackwood and her husband Pete, stopped by for a brief visit.
On the 7th, Frank Hall, a new Lazy Daze owner from Wichita, Kansas, spent the night at our place. We all had dinner at Taco Mio.
We took a trip into Phoenix on the 10th to do shopping at Sam's Club, and had lunch with Mom at Chili's.
On the 13th, we went to our first -- and last -- Q Mountain Homeowner's Association meeting. It was a total farce! First of all, it was very disorganized. One of the purposes for the meeting was to elect new officers, but instead of sending out a list prior to the meeting of all the people running, with a short bio of each listing their qualifications, they asked for nominations from the floor! We had absolutely NO idea who anyone was. The meeting was so mishandled, that I doubt we will ever go to another one!
George Bruzenak came by one day for a visit. George is a New Horizons owner who we meet a few years ago at a New Horizons Owners Rally. One day we went out to where George was parked with the LOWS (a singles RV group) to visit him and, on our way back, we stopped to visit Jo Jones, a Lazy Daze owner, who was parked with the WINS (another singles RV group). We had never met Jo, but she had just recently picked up her new Lazy Daze (her second), and had posted to the Lazy Daze Yahoo Group that she would be in the area. We had a nice visit with her.
On the 15th, we loaded up the Lazy Daze and drove out to the BLM land east of town where the Boomer's Boomerang was being held. The Boomers are an Escapees Birds of a Feather group, and the Boomerang is an annual event usually held around the same time as the big RV show here. We had a good time out at the Boomerang...Gisela and Bill Pollock had us to their rig for dinner one night (friends with whom we traveled to Alaska in 2001), and we got to see many other old friends and meet new ones.
We spent a week hanging out with the Boomers before returning home. One day, Ron & Donna Monroe, and Richard & Sarah Shong came over to our place, and we all walked over to the RV Show, walking around to see all the "stuff" for sale, and having lunch at one of the vendors.
One night, we had Ron and Donna over to our place for dinner, and the next night we had Richard and Sarah over for dinner. We could have had them all over for dinner at the same time, but our table only has space for four people, so we had to spread it out. We had a really nice visit with both couples.
Ken and Debbie Toth (the couple who bought our New Horizons and Freightliner), came over one day for a visit, and we went out to lunch with them at Taco Mio.
On the 29th, Alex and Brenda Rutchka, new Lazy Daze owners from Charlotte, North Carolina, spent the night at our place in their new motorhome. We were going to take them to our regular haunt, Taco Mio, but it was really crowded, so we ended up having dinner at the Snowbird Cafe. It's the first time Earl and I had ever eaten there, but we had the best fish and chips we've found so far in Quartzsite. In the morning, Alex and Brenda treated us to breakfast at Taco Mio. Later that afternoon, Lazy Daze owners Sarah Blackwood and her husband Pete, stopped by for a brief visit.
Friday, December 31, 2004
DECEMBER 2004
On the Wednesday, December 1, we took the Lazy Daze to Phoenix so that we could spend a few days visiting friends and family and doing Christmas shopping. After setting up at Cotton Lane RV Park, we had lunch at Macayos, and picked up books for Mom's Christmas present.
On Thursday, Earl did Christmas shopping while I went to lunch at the Red Robin with Mom, O'Neil, and Lil.
The next day, I did Christmas shopping. Since I got back early (I'm a much quicker shopper than Earl...he'd spent several hours the previous day doing shopping!), Earl and I had lunch at On The Border. That night we had dinner with Buck and Phyllis at El Paso BBQ and then went back to their place to play dominoes.
We left on Saturday to go back to Quartzsite, stopping at the Safeway to put gas in the Lazy Daze.
During the month, we took the Lazy Daze to RV Lifestyles to get the electric step fixed (it needed a new controller...an item which was replaced under warranty), and to get a small propane leak in the oven fixed. We bought a Wilson Trucker's antenna for our cell phones in the hope that it would allow us to get a signal at the campground where we will be hosting this summer [Note: It didn't...we were apparently too far down in a hole.]
We bought some small cactus from a vendor who sets up here each year, and planted them in the front yard...hopefully, they'll make it through the summer!
On Thursday, Earl did Christmas shopping while I went to lunch at the Red Robin with Mom, O'Neil, and Lil.
The next day, I did Christmas shopping. Since I got back early (I'm a much quicker shopper than Earl...he'd spent several hours the previous day doing shopping!), Earl and I had lunch at On The Border. That night we had dinner with Buck and Phyllis at El Paso BBQ and then went back to their place to play dominoes.
We left on Saturday to go back to Quartzsite, stopping at the Safeway to put gas in the Lazy Daze.
During the month, we took the Lazy Daze to RV Lifestyles to get the electric step fixed (it needed a new controller...an item which was replaced under warranty), and to get a small propane leak in the oven fixed. We bought a Wilson Trucker's antenna for our cell phones in the hope that it would allow us to get a signal at the campground where we will be hosting this summer [Note: It didn't...we were apparently too far down in a hole.]
We bought some small cactus from a vendor who sets up here each year, and planted them in the front yard...hopefully, they'll make it through the summer!
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
NOVEMBER 2004
Winter is the time that we can order "stuff" online and have it shipped to us (this is a bit more difficult to do when on the road).
One of the things I ordered when we got home was a small Zip Code book. Back in 1998 when we had started to fulltime, we had purchased a set of two large Zip Code books from the USPS. Not only were they several years old, but they took up a lot of room (and weight) because they were so large. The new book is a much smaller one--it's only 7" x 9." It doesn't contain quite as much information as the big USPS Zip Code books, but it will do fine for what we need it for (particularly in light of the fact that we now have Internet access pretty much on a constant basis, so I can always look up any additional information I need at the USPS website).
More things that we ordered were updated Benchmark Atlases. These are great atlases! The only problem with them is that they only have atlases for seven western states: Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. We like them much better than the Delorme Atlases.
And then, of course, there are the Christmas presents. One of the things I ordered for Earl was a Daiwa Spin/Fly combo from Cabela's...now Earl will be able to carry his fishing gear with him in one small, compact package!
Shortly after we got back to Quartzsite, we drove out to Plomosa Road to meet and visit with fellow Boomers, Steve and Pam Ritchie.
On the 23rd, we had an overnight visit with new Lazy Daze owners, Ross and Beverly Taylor. We took them to dinner at Taco Mio, our favorite restaurant in Quartzsite.
Since Lazy Daze motorhomes are factory direct, one has to go to the factory to pick them up. For out-of-state residents, in order to avoid paying California sales tax, one must hire the services of an ICC driver who drives the motorhome across the California border to either Ehrenberg, Arizona or Las Vegas, Nevada (the location is at the new owner's choosing). Since Ross and Beverly live in Fredericksburg, Texas, they took delivery of their new motorhome in Ehrenberg, which is only about 15 miles east of Quartzsite. After a long day doing the walk-through (where an employee of Lazy Daze thoroughly explains the workings of all the systems in the motorhome), and the long drive from Montclair, California, our place in Quartzsite makes a convenient first-night stay. Therefore, we have made an open invitation on the Life With A Lazy Daze RV Yahoo Group for any new Lazy Daze owner to spend the night at our house. This invitation also extends to other Lazy Daze owners, too, not just new owners.
We also took a day to drive down to Yuma to do shopping at Sam's Club, have lunch, and pick up refills at Wal Mart for Earl's prescription (he was able to get the remaining three months worth of pills, so we won't have to make another trip to Yuma just for pills).
We had Thanksgiving with fellow Boomers Sarah and Richard Shong, Mickey and Karen Bennett, Mick and Ann Meilicke, and Bill and Kaaren Payne. They were all parked out on BLM land near Quartzsite where the Boomers hold their annual Boomerang. We loaded up the Lazy Daze, went out, and spent the night. We all had a fun time, and it was great spending Thanksgiving with friends!
Another day, fellow Lazy Daze owner, Shirley Fritz, came by to visit us for awhile.
One of the things I ordered when we got home was a small Zip Code book. Back in 1998 when we had started to fulltime, we had purchased a set of two large Zip Code books from the USPS. Not only were they several years old, but they took up a lot of room (and weight) because they were so large. The new book is a much smaller one--it's only 7" x 9." It doesn't contain quite as much information as the big USPS Zip Code books, but it will do fine for what we need it for (particularly in light of the fact that we now have Internet access pretty much on a constant basis, so I can always look up any additional information I need at the USPS website).
More things that we ordered were updated Benchmark Atlases. These are great atlases! The only problem with them is that they only have atlases for seven western states: Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. We like them much better than the Delorme Atlases.
And then, of course, there are the Christmas presents. One of the things I ordered for Earl was a Daiwa Spin/Fly combo from Cabela's...now Earl will be able to carry his fishing gear with him in one small, compact package!
Shortly after we got back to Quartzsite, we drove out to Plomosa Road to meet and visit with fellow Boomers, Steve and Pam Ritchie.
On the 23rd, we had an overnight visit with new Lazy Daze owners, Ross and Beverly Taylor. We took them to dinner at Taco Mio, our favorite restaurant in Quartzsite.
Since Lazy Daze motorhomes are factory direct, one has to go to the factory to pick them up. For out-of-state residents, in order to avoid paying California sales tax, one must hire the services of an ICC driver who drives the motorhome across the California border to either Ehrenberg, Arizona or Las Vegas, Nevada (the location is at the new owner's choosing). Since Ross and Beverly live in Fredericksburg, Texas, they took delivery of their new motorhome in Ehrenberg, which is only about 15 miles east of Quartzsite. After a long day doing the walk-through (where an employee of Lazy Daze thoroughly explains the workings of all the systems in the motorhome), and the long drive from Montclair, California, our place in Quartzsite makes a convenient first-night stay. Therefore, we have made an open invitation on the Life With A Lazy Daze RV Yahoo Group for any new Lazy Daze owner to spend the night at our house. This invitation also extends to other Lazy Daze owners, too, not just new owners.
We also took a day to drive down to Yuma to do shopping at Sam's Club, have lunch, and pick up refills at Wal Mart for Earl's prescription (he was able to get the remaining three months worth of pills, so we won't have to make another trip to Yuma just for pills).
We had Thanksgiving with fellow Boomers Sarah and Richard Shong, Mickey and Karen Bennett, Mick and Ann Meilicke, and Bill and Kaaren Payne. They were all parked out on BLM land near Quartzsite where the Boomers hold their annual Boomerang. We loaded up the Lazy Daze, went out, and spent the night. We all had a fun time, and it was great spending Thanksgiving with friends!
Another day, fellow Lazy Daze owner, Shirley Fritz, came by to visit us for awhile.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
OCTOBER 2004
Before leaving Redding on Friday, October 1, we stopped and had breakfast at I-Hop, picked up our mail at the post office, and put gas in the Lazy Daze. We then drove 66 miles to the Pitt River Campground (BLM). This is currently a free campground, but the BLM is in the process of redoing it, putting in a space for a camp host, and it will become a fee campground. Pitt River Campground is about 4 or 5 miles west of the small town of Fall River Mills south of SR-299. It was such a nice area, we decided to spend a couple of days instead of the one night we had originally planned.
On Sunday, we drove about 70 miles to the North Eagle Lake Campground (another BLM campground...$4 with our Golden Age card, no services) on Eagle Lake north of Susanville.
The next day we drove into Susanville to spend several days at the Mountain View RV Park. We've stayed at this park before when we've visited Susanville. Before arriving at the RV park, we had breakfast at Watson Restaurant in town, and had our propane tank filled. While in Susanville, we did laundry and grocery shopping, Earl went golfing, and we ordered in pizza one night.
Our next stop after leaving Susanville was the Carson Nugget Casino in Carson City, Nevada. The Nugget has a parking lot specifically for RVs and allow them to overnight.
On Friday, we stopped in Pollock Pines, California to pick up our mail. Originally, we were going to stay at one of our Coast to Coast parks there, but decided to head farther west and stay at the Placerville Elks Lodge (which is actually located in Shingle Springs). The Placerville Elks Lodge is a brand new one; in fact, the day we left (Saturday), they were having an open house. It has several RV spots which will have electrical hookups, but they had not yet been put in, so we dry camped. We had dinner at the Lodge that night, and found everyone to be very friendly.
The next day, we drove 63 miles to the Lodi Elks Lodge in Lodi, California, where we spent the next six nights. While in Lodi, we did laundry and grocery shopping. Earl also went golfing at Swenson Park Golf Course and we walked next door to have dinner at Cactus Mexican Dining.
On Friday, October 15, we left Lodi and drove 42 miles to Gus and Judy's house in Modesto. Gus and Judy also have a Lazy Daze...they bought a 1980's-something Lazy Daze which they are in the process of fixing up. That night, we went to dinner with them at a Thai restaurant.
On Saturday, John and Eileen Van Gossen (also new Lazy Daze owners) came over to Gus and Judy's for dinner. We had a fun evening!
Sunday, Gus and Earl went golfing at Creekside Golf Course while I did laundry using Judy's nice washer and dryer (so much better than going to a laundromat!).
Monday morning we had to bid goodbye to our friends, and headed out. Our first stop was the Costco at Turlock where we did shopping and filled up the Lazy Daze with gas. We also stopped at the Wal Mart to pick up propane canisters and a refill on Earl's Pravachol prescription. That night, we stayed at Royal Oaks Resort in Kingsburg, one of our RPI parks.
On Thursday October 21, we headed for Ridgecrest, California, where we had an appointment with the Tire Man the next day to have long, metal tire stems installed (it's very difficult to check the pressure, let alone add air, on the inside duallies). We stopped in Mohave to have lunch at Denny's and put gas in the Lazy Daze. Our appointment wasn't until Friday morning, but we had arrived at the Tire Man early, and since he didn't have any other vehicle in front of us, we got the stems put on today. They did offer to let us spend the night in their lot hooked up to electricity...an offer we took them up on.
On Friday, we picked up our mail before leaving Ridgecrest and headed out to the Elks Lodge in Hesperia, stopping in Boron along the way to have lunch at Domingo's. Domingo's is one of our favorite stops whenever we're traveling on SR-58 between Mojave and Barstow...great Mexican food!
We spent Saturday and Sunday at Two Springs Resort in North Palm Springs, one of our RPI parks. While there, we did shopping at Costco and Trader Joe's (had to pick up our supply of Two-Buck Chuck, you know!).
We made it back to Quartzsite on Monday, October 25.
The next day, we had to buy a new satellite dish for the house, since the LNBs on the old dish apparently had gone bad. We also had to purchase two 9-volt batteries for the smoke detectors since they started "chirping" once we turned the electricity back on. (Reminder for next year: buy 9-volt batteries before returning home!)
On Sunday, we drove about 70 miles to the North Eagle Lake Campground (another BLM campground...$4 with our Golden Age card, no services) on Eagle Lake north of Susanville.
The next day we drove into Susanville to spend several days at the Mountain View RV Park. We've stayed at this park before when we've visited Susanville. Before arriving at the RV park, we had breakfast at Watson Restaurant in town, and had our propane tank filled. While in Susanville, we did laundry and grocery shopping, Earl went golfing, and we ordered in pizza one night.
Our next stop after leaving Susanville was the Carson Nugget Casino in Carson City, Nevada. The Nugget has a parking lot specifically for RVs and allow them to overnight.
On Friday, we stopped in Pollock Pines, California to pick up our mail. Originally, we were going to stay at one of our Coast to Coast parks there, but decided to head farther west and stay at the Placerville Elks Lodge (which is actually located in Shingle Springs). The Placerville Elks Lodge is a brand new one; in fact, the day we left (Saturday), they were having an open house. It has several RV spots which will have electrical hookups, but they had not yet been put in, so we dry camped. We had dinner at the Lodge that night, and found everyone to be very friendly.
The next day, we drove 63 miles to the Lodi Elks Lodge in Lodi, California, where we spent the next six nights. While in Lodi, we did laundry and grocery shopping. Earl also went golfing at Swenson Park Golf Course and we walked next door to have dinner at Cactus Mexican Dining.
On Friday, October 15, we left Lodi and drove 42 miles to Gus and Judy's house in Modesto. Gus and Judy also have a Lazy Daze...they bought a 1980's-something Lazy Daze which they are in the process of fixing up. That night, we went to dinner with them at a Thai restaurant.
On Saturday, John and Eileen Van Gossen (also new Lazy Daze owners) came over to Gus and Judy's for dinner. We had a fun evening!
Sunday, Gus and Earl went golfing at Creekside Golf Course while I did laundry using Judy's nice washer and dryer (so much better than going to a laundromat!).
Monday morning we had to bid goodbye to our friends, and headed out. Our first stop was the Costco at Turlock where we did shopping and filled up the Lazy Daze with gas. We also stopped at the Wal Mart to pick up propane canisters and a refill on Earl's Pravachol prescription. That night, we stayed at Royal Oaks Resort in Kingsburg, one of our RPI parks.
On Thursday October 21, we headed for Ridgecrest, California, where we had an appointment with the Tire Man the next day to have long, metal tire stems installed (it's very difficult to check the pressure, let alone add air, on the inside duallies). We stopped in Mohave to have lunch at Denny's and put gas in the Lazy Daze. Our appointment wasn't until Friday morning, but we had arrived at the Tire Man early, and since he didn't have any other vehicle in front of us, we got the stems put on today. They did offer to let us spend the night in their lot hooked up to electricity...an offer we took them up on.
On Friday, we picked up our mail before leaving Ridgecrest and headed out to the Elks Lodge in Hesperia, stopping in Boron along the way to have lunch at Domingo's. Domingo's is one of our favorite stops whenever we're traveling on SR-58 between Mojave and Barstow...great Mexican food!
We spent Saturday and Sunday at Two Springs Resort in North Palm Springs, one of our RPI parks. While there, we did shopping at Costco and Trader Joe's (had to pick up our supply of Two-Buck Chuck, you know!).
We made it back to Quartzsite on Monday, October 25.
The next day, we had to buy a new satellite dish for the house, since the LNBs on the old dish apparently had gone bad. We also had to purchase two 9-volt batteries for the smoke detectors since they started "chirping" once we turned the electricity back on. (Reminder for next year: buy 9-volt batteries before returning home!)
Thursday, September 30, 2004
SEPTEMBER 2004
We left Buck and Phyllis' place on Saturday, September 4, and drove 45 miles to the Elks Club in Puyallup, Washington. We parked next to Glenn and Margo, the people who had set us up with the Direcway satellite Internet system we have. This was a fortunate coincidence, since, while we were at Buck and Phyllis' place, mice (or some other critter) had chewed on one of our cables! Glenn made up a brand new one for us.
On Sunday, we had breakfast at the Elks Club, and then visited with Earl's son and daughter-in-law (Garrett and Angie), and grand kids.
Before leaving Puyallup on Monday, we stopped to do laundry, grocery shopping, and to fill up the Lazy Daze with gas. We then drove 110 miles to Cougar Rock Campground in Mt. Rainier National Park. It was a beautiful day, and the mountain was out in all her beauty. Through binoculars, we watched while three climbers made their way back down the mountain.
View from our campsite:
Glacier which the 3 climbers descended:
The next day, we drove 186 miles to Rufus, Oregon, where we camped at Le Page Campground, a Corp of Engineers park ($8 with the Golden Age Passport; water and electric hookups with a dump available).
Mt. Rainier:
On Wednesday, we drove 116 miles to Haystack Reservoir south of Madras, and camped at the South Shore area (free, no services). Along the way, we'd stopped in Biggs to fuel the Lazy Daze, and also stopped in Madras to get propane and to have lunch at the Black Bear Diner.
We drove 39 miles on Thursday to the Mountain Shadows RV Park in Sisters, Oregon, for the Northwest Lazy Daze group's get together. That night, we attended a potluck, and the next morning, breakfast.
On Saturday, Earl and I took a drive up CR-14 west of Sisters to check out the campgrounds farther up the road (we'd stayed at Indian Ford Campground just off US-20 west of Sisters on our last trip to this area). We stopped to see the Springs of the Metolius River (a large spring pouring out of the volcanic rocks near the base of Black Butte). At this late time, there wasn't much to see, but we've been told that it's a spectacular site in the Spring! We also stopped to visit the Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery.
After checking out all the campgrounds along CR-14, we decided that Gorge, Pioneer Ford, and Lower Bridge campgrounds looked like good ones to come back to.
At one of the happy hours during the get together, a friend of one of the members brought a couple of their baby llamas for us to see...they sure were cute!
Before leaving Sisters, we did laundry at the campground, then stopped in Bend to get food for Maxx at PetCo. While in Bend, we stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up a refill on Earl's prescription and do grocery shopping.
We drove a total of 59 miles to Paulina Lake Campground at Newberry National Volcanic Monument near La Pine. Our original intention was to spend a couple of days here to further explore the area, but when we woke up in the morning, it was raining and cold! Therefore, we headed across the mountains toward the Coast, stopping to spend a couple of days at Timber Valley SKP Park in Sutherlin where we dry camped.
On Wednesday, September 15, we drove 74 miles to Tahkenitch Landing Campground in the Suislaw National Forest near Gardiner, stopping along SR-38 at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area where we really DID see some Elk! After setting up at the campground, we drove up to Florence to have dinner at Mo's.
Elk at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area:
The next day we drove down to Winchester Bay to visit friends who were staying there at the Marina RV Park, Richard and Sarah Shong. Sarah came to lunch with us at Fishpatrick's Crabby, where we had some excellent seafood!
On Friday, we moved down to Marina RV Park in Winchester Bay, too, although we stayed in the dry camping area. That evening we had dinner with Sarah, Richard, and others at the Oasis Restaurant.
It rained all day on Saturday, so we didn't do much but sit around the RV. On Sunday, we did laundry and that night had dinner with Richard and Sarah at Pah Tong's Thai Restaurant.
On Monday, we drove 40 miles to the Mill Casino in North Bend (free). After setting up, we drove down to the Ford dealer in Coos Bay, Tower Motor Company, to make an appointment for an oil change on the Lazy Daze. We took the Lazy Daze in for an oil change early on Tuesday morning. While Earl waited with the rig, I drove down to the McDonalds and picked up breakfast. Once the oil change was done, we drove 108 miles to the Elks Club in Brookings where we spent a couple of days.
Ocean views along the Oregon Coast:
On Thursday, we drove 49 miles to Klamath River RV Park in Klamath, California, one of our RPI parks. While we were in Klamath, we drove the Coastal Scenic Highway, did laundry and grocery shopping, and took a trip up to Crescent City where we had lunch at Fisherman's Restaurant. We also visited the Trees of Mystery north of Klamath which we found quite interesting. On the way back to the park, we stopped to purchase some smoked salmon...yum!
The Family Tree
(notice other trees growing from the main tree's branches):
The Cathedral Tree
(a cluster of 6 Redwoods growing out of a single root):
Earl at Nature's Underpass:
Pooped Logger chain-saw sculpture
by Kenyon R. Kaiser:
When we left Klamath on Tuesday, September 28, we stopped to do shopping at the Costco in Eureka. We then continued on to the Boise Creek Campground in the Six Rivers National Forest near Willow Creek, California.
The next day, we drove 104 miles to the Elks Club in Redding where we spent a couple of days. While in Redding, we did grocery shopping, and picked up more food for Maxx at the PetCo.
On Sunday, we had breakfast at the Elks Club, and then visited with Earl's son and daughter-in-law (Garrett and Angie), and grand kids.
Before leaving Puyallup on Monday, we stopped to do laundry, grocery shopping, and to fill up the Lazy Daze with gas. We then drove 110 miles to Cougar Rock Campground in Mt. Rainier National Park. It was a beautiful day, and the mountain was out in all her beauty. Through binoculars, we watched while three climbers made their way back down the mountain.
View from our campsite:
Glacier which the 3 climbers descended:
The next day, we drove 186 miles to Rufus, Oregon, where we camped at Le Page Campground, a Corp of Engineers park ($8 with the Golden Age Passport; water and electric hookups with a dump available).
Mt. Rainier:
On Wednesday, we drove 116 miles to Haystack Reservoir south of Madras, and camped at the South Shore area (free, no services). Along the way, we'd stopped in Biggs to fuel the Lazy Daze, and also stopped in Madras to get propane and to have lunch at the Black Bear Diner.
We drove 39 miles on Thursday to the Mountain Shadows RV Park in Sisters, Oregon, for the Northwest Lazy Daze group's get together. That night, we attended a potluck, and the next morning, breakfast.
On Saturday, Earl and I took a drive up CR-14 west of Sisters to check out the campgrounds farther up the road (we'd stayed at Indian Ford Campground just off US-20 west of Sisters on our last trip to this area). We stopped to see the Springs of the Metolius River (a large spring pouring out of the volcanic rocks near the base of Black Butte). At this late time, there wasn't much to see, but we've been told that it's a spectacular site in the Spring! We also stopped to visit the Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery.
After checking out all the campgrounds along CR-14, we decided that Gorge, Pioneer Ford, and Lower Bridge campgrounds looked like good ones to come back to.
At one of the happy hours during the get together, a friend of one of the members brought a couple of their baby llamas for us to see...they sure were cute!
Before leaving Sisters, we did laundry at the campground, then stopped in Bend to get food for Maxx at PetCo. While in Bend, we stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up a refill on Earl's prescription and do grocery shopping.
We drove a total of 59 miles to Paulina Lake Campground at Newberry National Volcanic Monument near La Pine. Our original intention was to spend a couple of days here to further explore the area, but when we woke up in the morning, it was raining and cold! Therefore, we headed across the mountains toward the Coast, stopping to spend a couple of days at Timber Valley SKP Park in Sutherlin where we dry camped.
On Wednesday, September 15, we drove 74 miles to Tahkenitch Landing Campground in the Suislaw National Forest near Gardiner, stopping along SR-38 at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area where we really DID see some Elk! After setting up at the campground, we drove up to Florence to have dinner at Mo's.
Elk at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area:
The next day we drove down to Winchester Bay to visit friends who were staying there at the Marina RV Park, Richard and Sarah Shong. Sarah came to lunch with us at Fishpatrick's Crabby, where we had some excellent seafood!
On Friday, we moved down to Marina RV Park in Winchester Bay, too, although we stayed in the dry camping area. That evening we had dinner with Sarah, Richard, and others at the Oasis Restaurant.
It rained all day on Saturday, so we didn't do much but sit around the RV. On Sunday, we did laundry and that night had dinner with Richard and Sarah at Pah Tong's Thai Restaurant.
On Monday, we drove 40 miles to the Mill Casino in North Bend (free). After setting up, we drove down to the Ford dealer in Coos Bay, Tower Motor Company, to make an appointment for an oil change on the Lazy Daze. We took the Lazy Daze in for an oil change early on Tuesday morning. While Earl waited with the rig, I drove down to the McDonalds and picked up breakfast. Once the oil change was done, we drove 108 miles to the Elks Club in Brookings where we spent a couple of days.
Ocean views along the Oregon Coast:
On Thursday, we drove 49 miles to Klamath River RV Park in Klamath, California, one of our RPI parks. While we were in Klamath, we drove the Coastal Scenic Highway, did laundry and grocery shopping, and took a trip up to Crescent City where we had lunch at Fisherman's Restaurant. We also visited the Trees of Mystery north of Klamath which we found quite interesting. On the way back to the park, we stopped to purchase some smoked salmon...yum!
The Family Tree
(notice other trees growing from the main tree's branches):
The Cathedral Tree
(a cluster of 6 Redwoods growing out of a single root):
Earl at Nature's Underpass:
Pooped Logger chain-saw sculpture
by Kenyon R. Kaiser:
When we left Klamath on Tuesday, September 28, we stopped to do shopping at the Costco in Eureka. We then continued on to the Boise Creek Campground in the Six Rivers National Forest near Willow Creek, California.
The next day, we drove 104 miles to the Elks Club in Redding where we spent a couple of days. While in Redding, we did grocery shopping, and picked up more food for Maxx at the PetCo.
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
AUGUST 2004
Before leaving Gillette on Sunday, we stopped by the Flying J to fill up the Lazy Daze. We then drove 102 miles to the Lost Cabin Campground in the Bighorn National Forest (located on US-16 west of Buffalo, Wyoming). The campground has no hookups, but water is available. Fee is $5 with the Golden Age Passport.
The next day, we drove 103 miles to Greybull, Wyoming, where we dry camped at Rick and Carol Lechner's place (soon-to-be Lazy Daze owners). On our way, we stopped in Worland to see the Toth statue located on the grounds of the Washakie County Courthouse.
Toth statue in Worland, Wyoming
September 28, 1980
N 43° 01.023', W 107° 57.335'
Earl and I had dinner in Greybull that night at Buffalo Rose Restaurant.
After bidding goodbye to Rick and Carol on Tuesday, we stopped to fill the Lazy Daze before heading out. We drove 150 miles to the Ocean Lake State Wildlife Management Area near Riverton, Wyoming (free, no services). This was a nice quiet spot next to the lake.
The next day, we drove 132 miles to Grand Teton National Park where we camped in the Colter Bay Campground ($6 per night with the Golden Age Passport...no hookups, but fresh water and a dump are available).
On Thursday, we drove into Jackson to do grocery shopping and send back the extra DW6000 Direcway modem which, as it turned out, we didn't need after all. We stopped and had lunch at Picas.
The following day, we picked up our mail and then took the Signal Mountain Road scenic drive. Beautiful scenery!
Tetons:
Sixty to 75 million years ago, the Teton Range and the valley of Jackson Hole were an arched block of sedimentary rock that ancient seas had deposited. About 2 to 13 million years ago, the Teton Range began to rise while the valley floor dropped. At the same time (and this still happens today), the valley itself slowly widened at the rate of about one foot every 100 years. This continual fault action normally creates a deep, steep-sided valley; however, several times massive glaciers 3,000 feet thick slowly flowed across the valley eroding, transporting, and depositing huge quantities of rock and glacial debris (the valley's true floor, for example, lies buried beneath 26,000 feet of debris that form today's valley floor).
On Saturday, August 7, we left Jackson and drove 128 miles to the South Tourist Park in Idaho Falls, Idaho (free, water and dump available). After setting up, we did shopping at Sam's Club.
The next day, before we left Idaho Falls, we stopped at the Home Depot and Albertson's to do shopping (bought a new barbecue at Home Depot). We also stopped to view another Toth statue which is located at the North Tourist Park.
Toth Statue in Idaho Falls, Idaho
November 18, 1980
N 43° 30.663', W 112° 00.946'
We drove 65 miles to camp at a BLM area along Birch Creek north of Mud Lake, Idaho. We left a donation of $3 (no facilities). This is a nice quiet area to the west of SR-28.
The next day, we drove 77 miles to Craters of the Moon National Monument, stopping in Arco, Idaho to do laundry and fill up the Lazy Daze. We also had lunch at Pickles Restaurant while in Arco.
We found a great spot to park in -- at the highest point in the campground with a view of the lava fields.
Craters of the Moon
Picture on the left is a view from our campsite
Picture on the right is one of the many volcanic cones that dot this area
The fissure vents, volcanic cones, and lava flows of the Great Rift Zone began erupting about 15,000 years ago and ceased on 2,000 years ago. Geologists predict that the landscape will erupt once again!
The next day when we were getting ready to leave Craters of the Moon, I accidentally locked my keys in the Honda (we use Earl's single key to put in the ignition). That meant that we had to stop along the way to find someone to jimmy the door open -- which we did in Carey, Idaho, to the tune of $30! An expensive mistake that we'll make sure never happens again!
We drove 106 miles to Fort Running Bear RV Resort near Mountain Home, Idaho, one of our Coast to Coast parks.
On Wednesday, we drove 76 miles to the Playground RV Park in Meridian, Idaho, a Good Neighbor Park. We took the Honda to Dirty Harry's Car Wash to clean it, and then had dinner at my brother and sister-in-law's home in Kuna, along with my mother. This was the first time we'd been in their new house (which Andy had built -- he's a home builder in the area). It was a beautiful house!
The next day, we had breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, stopped at the Wal-Mart to pick up Earl's prescription for Pravachol, and stopped by the Post Office to pick up our mail. Mom, Earl, and I then went by one of the houses that Andy had almost completed -- another beautiful house! If you'd like to look at pictures of some of the houses my brother has built, go to the website for his business: Timberstone Builders. On Friday, we drove 53 miles to the Simpson RV Park in Nyssa, Oregon, where we visited with my aunt, Ilene Suiter. Earl and I brought back Chinese food from the local Chinese restaurant for dinner for the three of us.
The next morning, we washed the Lazy Daze and then went by Ilene's place for coffee before heading out. Her son and daughter-in-law were there visiting, too. This was the first time we'd ever met them. After leaving Nyssa, we drove 102 miles to the Cold Spring Campground in the Payette National Forest near Pine Ridge, Idaho ($5 with GAP, no services).
Sunday we headed north, stopping in Lewiston, Idaho at the Flying J to fill the Lazy Daze with gas, and then continued on to the Latah County Fairgrounds in Moscow, Idaho. While this campground isn't free, there is no pay box, and the past several times when we've been here, we've never found anyone in the office to pay, which was true this time, too. After setting up, we went across the street to shop at the Safeway store.
The next day, we drove 108 miles to the Elks Club in Spokane, Washington. When we went to plug in, I noticed that the electrical monitor we keep plugged into an outlet, was giving strange readings. We unplugged from the electric, and I took the monitor out to check the electric at the post. Everything was OK there, so we plugged in the RV again...but the monitor still wasn't reading correctly inside. So we called Steve at the Lazy Daze factory for some guidance. He had us run through some procedures, and then told us it was probably something wrong with the converter. So, since it was hot, we pulled off into the empty lot so that we could run our generator and A/C (it was in the high 90's!).
We then headed down to an RV center we'd used in previous years, but it was no longer there! We ended up at Freedom RV and made an appointment for the next day. We had dinner that night at Applebee's.
The next morning, we drove the Lazy Daze down to Freedom RV. The problem turned out to be in the wiring for the exterior 30-amp outlet on the rig. When the outlet had been installed at the factory, the insulation on the ground wire had been stripped back too far. After awhile, that bare wire touched the screw which hold the outlet to the rig and shorted out -- and, in the process, also shorted out the 15-amp GFCI fuse which had to be replaced. Fortunately, all the work was done under warranty, so we didn't have to pay anything for the repairs. When we got back to the Elks Club, we moved back to our space and plugged in.
On Wednesday, Earl went golfing at Liberty Lake Golf Course. That evening, we went out to dinner with George and Mary Doran at the Spokane Club. It was great to see them again!
On Thursday, soon-to-be Lazy Daze owners, David & Verna Renggli came by the Elks Club to visit us on their way to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Earl also took the Honda to Valley Honda to have the oil changed. That evening, we had a barbecue at the Elks Club -- everyone brings their own meat, and a side dish to share with everyone.
Friday, we picked up supplies at Johnson RV, and bought a collapsible clothes hamper and a small Shark vacuum at Linens 'n Things. That night, we had dinner at the Thai Kitchen. We've eaten here before, and the owner recognized us even though it had been a couple of years since we'd been there!
Saturday, we drove out to Airway Heights to drive by the log home that we had built during the 80's and then stopped by the Longhorn BBQ for lunch.
On Sunday, we had breakfast at Marie Callender's with George and Mary. Afterward, we did laundry and went by PetCo to pick up more food for Maxx.
When we left Spokane on Monday, August 23, we stopped by Albertson's to do grocery shopping and fill up the Lazy Daze with gas. We then drove 99 miles to the Lake Gillette Campground in the Colville National Forest near Ione, Washington.
The next day, we drove 103 miles to Bonaparte Lake Campground in the Okanogan National Forest near Wauconda, Washington. Along the way, we stopped in Republic and had lunch at the Sportsman Roost, and then picked up a couple of sweatshirts as it was a bit on the cool side and we had left Quartzsite without any.
On Wednesday, we drove 73 miles to the North Summit Sno Park at Loup Loup Pass on SR-20 west of Okanogan, Washington. We hadn't originally planned on staying here, but had stopped for a break. It was a huge, clear area, and would be perfect for setting up the satellite Internet tripod (it had been a couple of days since I'd been able to download email!)... so we decided to spend the night. Later in the evening -- and again the next morning -- we had a small herd of cows visit us!
The next day, we drove 94 miles to the Newhalem Creek Campground in the North Cascade National Park. This is a beautiful area...we'll definitely have to come back and visit when we can spend a few days. We did take a walk through the woods...it was quite dark with all those big trees looming over us!
We arrived at Buck and Phyllis Draughn's place in Woodinville on Friday, having traveled 117 miles. Along the way, we stopped at Buffalo Run in Marblemount for breakfast. That night, we had dinner with Buck and Phyllis at their house.
We stayed with Buck and Phyllis for eight nights. While there, we cleaned the Lazy Daze inside and out, including giving the rig it's first wax job -- the white areas got one coat of Finish First; the red areas two coats. Earl also changed the oil in the generator. Earl golfed twice at Battle Creek Golf Course and once at Snohomish Golf Course, and we had dinner out -- once at Las Margaritas and once at Thai Woodinville.
The next day, we drove 103 miles to Greybull, Wyoming, where we dry camped at Rick and Carol Lechner's place (soon-to-be Lazy Daze owners). On our way, we stopped in Worland to see the Toth statue located on the grounds of the Washakie County Courthouse.
Toth statue in Worland, Wyoming
September 28, 1980
N 43° 01.023', W 107° 57.335'
Earl and I had dinner in Greybull that night at Buffalo Rose Restaurant.
After bidding goodbye to Rick and Carol on Tuesday, we stopped to fill the Lazy Daze before heading out. We drove 150 miles to the Ocean Lake State Wildlife Management Area near Riverton, Wyoming (free, no services). This was a nice quiet spot next to the lake.
The next day, we drove 132 miles to Grand Teton National Park where we camped in the Colter Bay Campground ($6 per night with the Golden Age Passport...no hookups, but fresh water and a dump are available).
On Thursday, we drove into Jackson to do grocery shopping and send back the extra DW6000 Direcway modem which, as it turned out, we didn't need after all. We stopped and had lunch at Picas.
The following day, we picked up our mail and then took the Signal Mountain Road scenic drive. Beautiful scenery!
Tetons:
Sixty to 75 million years ago, the Teton Range and the valley of Jackson Hole were an arched block of sedimentary rock that ancient seas had deposited. About 2 to 13 million years ago, the Teton Range began to rise while the valley floor dropped. At the same time (and this still happens today), the valley itself slowly widened at the rate of about one foot every 100 years. This continual fault action normally creates a deep, steep-sided valley; however, several times massive glaciers 3,000 feet thick slowly flowed across the valley eroding, transporting, and depositing huge quantities of rock and glacial debris (the valley's true floor, for example, lies buried beneath 26,000 feet of debris that form today's valley floor).
On Saturday, August 7, we left Jackson and drove 128 miles to the South Tourist Park in Idaho Falls, Idaho (free, water and dump available). After setting up, we did shopping at Sam's Club.
The next day, before we left Idaho Falls, we stopped at the Home Depot and Albertson's to do shopping (bought a new barbecue at Home Depot). We also stopped to view another Toth statue which is located at the North Tourist Park.
Toth Statue in Idaho Falls, Idaho
November 18, 1980
N 43° 30.663', W 112° 00.946'
We drove 65 miles to camp at a BLM area along Birch Creek north of Mud Lake, Idaho. We left a donation of $3 (no facilities). This is a nice quiet area to the west of SR-28.
The next day, we drove 77 miles to Craters of the Moon National Monument, stopping in Arco, Idaho to do laundry and fill up the Lazy Daze. We also had lunch at Pickles Restaurant while in Arco.
We found a great spot to park in -- at the highest point in the campground with a view of the lava fields.
Craters of the Moon
Picture on the left is a view from our campsite
Picture on the right is one of the many volcanic cones that dot this area
The fissure vents, volcanic cones, and lava flows of the Great Rift Zone began erupting about 15,000 years ago and ceased on 2,000 years ago. Geologists predict that the landscape will erupt once again!
The next day when we were getting ready to leave Craters of the Moon, I accidentally locked my keys in the Honda (we use Earl's single key to put in the ignition). That meant that we had to stop along the way to find someone to jimmy the door open -- which we did in Carey, Idaho, to the tune of $30! An expensive mistake that we'll make sure never happens again!
We drove 106 miles to Fort Running Bear RV Resort near Mountain Home, Idaho, one of our Coast to Coast parks.
On Wednesday, we drove 76 miles to the Playground RV Park in Meridian, Idaho, a Good Neighbor Park. We took the Honda to Dirty Harry's Car Wash to clean it, and then had dinner at my brother and sister-in-law's home in Kuna, along with my mother. This was the first time we'd been in their new house (which Andy had built -- he's a home builder in the area). It was a beautiful house!
The next day, we had breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, stopped at the Wal-Mart to pick up Earl's prescription for Pravachol, and stopped by the Post Office to pick up our mail. Mom, Earl, and I then went by one of the houses that Andy had almost completed -- another beautiful house! If you'd like to look at pictures of some of the houses my brother has built, go to the website for his business: Timberstone Builders. On Friday, we drove 53 miles to the Simpson RV Park in Nyssa, Oregon, where we visited with my aunt, Ilene Suiter. Earl and I brought back Chinese food from the local Chinese restaurant for dinner for the three of us.
The next morning, we washed the Lazy Daze and then went by Ilene's place for coffee before heading out. Her son and daughter-in-law were there visiting, too. This was the first time we'd ever met them. After leaving Nyssa, we drove 102 miles to the Cold Spring Campground in the Payette National Forest near Pine Ridge, Idaho ($5 with GAP, no services).
Sunday we headed north, stopping in Lewiston, Idaho at the Flying J to fill the Lazy Daze with gas, and then continued on to the Latah County Fairgrounds in Moscow, Idaho. While this campground isn't free, there is no pay box, and the past several times when we've been here, we've never found anyone in the office to pay, which was true this time, too. After setting up, we went across the street to shop at the Safeway store.
The next day, we drove 108 miles to the Elks Club in Spokane, Washington. When we went to plug in, I noticed that the electrical monitor we keep plugged into an outlet, was giving strange readings. We unplugged from the electric, and I took the monitor out to check the electric at the post. Everything was OK there, so we plugged in the RV again...but the monitor still wasn't reading correctly inside. So we called Steve at the Lazy Daze factory for some guidance. He had us run through some procedures, and then told us it was probably something wrong with the converter. So, since it was hot, we pulled off into the empty lot so that we could run our generator and A/C (it was in the high 90's!).
We then headed down to an RV center we'd used in previous years, but it was no longer there! We ended up at Freedom RV and made an appointment for the next day. We had dinner that night at Applebee's.
The next morning, we drove the Lazy Daze down to Freedom RV. The problem turned out to be in the wiring for the exterior 30-amp outlet on the rig. When the outlet had been installed at the factory, the insulation on the ground wire had been stripped back too far. After awhile, that bare wire touched the screw which hold the outlet to the rig and shorted out -- and, in the process, also shorted out the 15-amp GFCI fuse which had to be replaced. Fortunately, all the work was done under warranty, so we didn't have to pay anything for the repairs. When we got back to the Elks Club, we moved back to our space and plugged in.
On Wednesday, Earl went golfing at Liberty Lake Golf Course. That evening, we went out to dinner with George and Mary Doran at the Spokane Club. It was great to see them again!
On Thursday, soon-to-be Lazy Daze owners, David & Verna Renggli came by the Elks Club to visit us on their way to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Earl also took the Honda to Valley Honda to have the oil changed. That evening, we had a barbecue at the Elks Club -- everyone brings their own meat, and a side dish to share with everyone.
Friday, we picked up supplies at Johnson RV, and bought a collapsible clothes hamper and a small Shark vacuum at Linens 'n Things. That night, we had dinner at the Thai Kitchen. We've eaten here before, and the owner recognized us even though it had been a couple of years since we'd been there!
Saturday, we drove out to Airway Heights to drive by the log home that we had built during the 80's and then stopped by the Longhorn BBQ for lunch.
On Sunday, we had breakfast at Marie Callender's with George and Mary. Afterward, we did laundry and went by PetCo to pick up more food for Maxx.
When we left Spokane on Monday, August 23, we stopped by Albertson's to do grocery shopping and fill up the Lazy Daze with gas. We then drove 99 miles to the Lake Gillette Campground in the Colville National Forest near Ione, Washington.
The next day, we drove 103 miles to Bonaparte Lake Campground in the Okanogan National Forest near Wauconda, Washington. Along the way, we stopped in Republic and had lunch at the Sportsman Roost, and then picked up a couple of sweatshirts as it was a bit on the cool side and we had left Quartzsite without any.
On Wednesday, we drove 73 miles to the North Summit Sno Park at Loup Loup Pass on SR-20 west of Okanogan, Washington. We hadn't originally planned on staying here, but had stopped for a break. It was a huge, clear area, and would be perfect for setting up the satellite Internet tripod (it had been a couple of days since I'd been able to download email!)... so we decided to spend the night. Later in the evening -- and again the next morning -- we had a small herd of cows visit us!
The next day, we drove 94 miles to the Newhalem Creek Campground in the North Cascade National Park. This is a beautiful area...we'll definitely have to come back and visit when we can spend a few days. We did take a walk through the woods...it was quite dark with all those big trees looming over us!
We arrived at Buck and Phyllis Draughn's place in Woodinville on Friday, having traveled 117 miles. Along the way, we stopped at Buffalo Run in Marblemount for breakfast. That night, we had dinner with Buck and Phyllis at their house.
We stayed with Buck and Phyllis for eight nights. While there, we cleaned the Lazy Daze inside and out, including giving the rig it's first wax job -- the white areas got one coat of Finish First; the red areas two coats. Earl also changed the oil in the generator. Earl golfed twice at Battle Creek Golf Course and once at Snohomish Golf Course, and we had dinner out -- once at Las Margaritas and once at Thai Woodinville.
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