On the Road Again - Round Four

On the road again! Out of the gates a little later than usual but we've made it to the land of sun and warmth without too much ado.

We departed Winnipeg on American Thanksgiving and headed to Fargo, ND for a little Black Friday shopping. We did not set the alarm to get up at 3:oo am and go stand in line with the thousands of those who did, but we did manage to find a few good deals when we did finally make it to the stores.

With temperatures a little too cool for sleeping in the RV, we pushed our way to Goshin, IN as quickly as we could. Once there we handed the RV over to the structural experts so they could work their magic and fix our frame. They worked quickly but not quite fast enough. On the day they gave the rig back to us, Old Man Winter decided to pay Goshen a call and dropped a few inches of snow on us. Needless to say, we stayed put for a couple of extra days and allowed the white stuff to melt.

The first "stop" on this excursion was Nashville. A trip to the Grand Ole Opry was in order. This time round the performance was at the old Ryman Auditorium. The headliners included Terri Clark, Suzy Boggess and Mel Tillis, as well as the regulars like Little Jimmie Dickens, who turned 91 on 17 Dec (and still mows his own lawn and performs at the Opry every week).

Next up was.......

And a trip to

where the Predators took on the Coyotes. Unfortunately the home town team was not successful as the Coyotes won 3-2.

When in Nashville, we stay at Nashville's Jellystone RV Resort. we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived this time to see the park covered in lights. What a show! You travel through the park with your car radio tuned to a specific frequency and the lights move in sync with the Christmas music.

Next up was Sevierville (pronounced 'severe' ville) in the Great Smokey Mountains. What a beautiful area. And so much to see and do that we'll have to come back this way again and spend a week or two. We did manage to take in dinner show. The local talent was outstanding and the food delicious.

From here we ventured into South Carolina and a visit to Charleston. It was here that we finally got ahead of the cooler temperatures. Charleston is steeped in history, particularly as it pertains to both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. We learned that the state was the first to secede from the Union and the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, a garrision built by the United States to protect Charleston harbor so off we went to get a view of the fort.

And it didn't hurt that the fort is built on an island which meant a trip out in the harbour. The day was beautiful, with dolphins swimming close by.

At the start of the war, the fort was manned by a very small contingent of Union soldiers, and was no match for the arsenal the Confederates through at it, so it fell quickly. The fort remained a Confederate stronghold until 1865, when Union troops marching north from Savannah, captured Charleston and the US flag was once again hoisted above Fort Sumter.

The Fort as we approached from Charleston

Guess the gunner who was manning th cannon at this point got quite the fright when this shell landed!

From South Carolina, we're off to Florida for the holidays. Jim and I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and hope that 2012 brings you health and happiness. 'Til next time.......

Home!

The trip is done! Excursion #3 nothing but a memory! And I must admit it's good to be home. The trip home took us to British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The weather improved somewhat while we were in the Vancouver area but the threat of rain (and snow in the mountains) was always there.

Arena # 11 is in the books. We took in a game at Rogers Arena and watched the Canucks beat the Coyotes.












And no trip to the Greater Vancouver area is complete without a visit to Stanley Park. We walked along the beach, checked out the totem poles and had a great lunch at a cafe in the park. Jim was going to walk across the Capilano Suspension Bridge (it was going to be a lonely walk as there was no way I was stepping out on it!), but opted out when he found out the price. Guess we've become quite frugal in our pension years.

We avoided having to call the Good Sam Emergency Road Assistance folks on this excursion but we could not avoid the Ford mechanics. An extra week was spent in Surrey while they tore the truck apart, (demolishing our savings account in the process), and fixed just about every major component under the hood.








But every cloud has a silver lining, and because we had to stay in Surrey for an extra week for the truck repairs, we were able to catch a WHL playoff game between the Vancouver Giants and the TriCity Americans. What's so special about that you might wonder, well our friend Chris Driedger is the backup goaltender for the Americans!

We've decided that late March and early April is not the time to travel home, especially if you're travelling through the Rockies. The worry of snow and ice was always in the back of your mind, which makes for stressful travelling. For example, we had to spend a few extra days in Kamloops, BC as a result of a spring snowstorm in western Alberta. We did get to visit with our friends in Calgary for a few days but had to cancel the portion of the trip that would take us to Wainwright to visit with Jim's brother John and his wife Nancy. The snow just wasn't melting and the temperatures were still just a little too cold for our liking. Hopefully, we'll catch up with them in the fall. So we're home and settled back into the condo. The RV is parked in a temporary storage facility as our seasonal site was too wet and muddy to get to. Gotta love that old Prairie gumbo! Hopefully, we'll be set up at Stephenfield before the Victoria Day weekend.

Jim and Lesley signing off until Excursion #4. Take care.

Rusting in Washington

As we left the Tsunami warning road signs behind, we were greeted with new road signs that advised where we could get volcano activity information! Oh, what I`d give for the simplicity of floods and mosquitos (LOL).

Our time in the home state of Mount St Helens was split between Seattle and Blaine.

In Seattle the rain continued. The day after we arrived, this is what we awoke to. Thank goodness we picked a site that was on slightly higher ground.

On the first clear day we hopped in the truck and toured the downtown, starting with the Space Needle.

From the top of the Needle we were able to get a great view of the city, including

the skyline

Quest and Safeco sports fields, and

house boat city!!!

From Seattle, we headed further north to the recreation area of Birch Bay, near the town of Blaine just south of the Canadian border. Again the rain, wind and cool temperatures continued, which left little to do and see. Jim and friends hung out......

until it was time to head for home and our next NHL game at Rogers Arena, home of the Vancouver Canucks. Hopefully we`ll have clearer skies.

Trekking Along the Oregon Coast

Oregon! Land of Lewis and Clark, the Columbia River and miles and miles of beautiful beaches.... and the odd drop of liquid sunshine!

Gave up on the idea of following the Oregon Trail when I realized it was all about the mountains! Don't do so well with hauling the rig up and down those things. Decided better to stick to the coast where the terrain was a little more hospitable (LOL). Benji and Zoe enjoyed the beach as they were able to run free and check out all the nooks and crannies.

Our first stop was at South Beach. Here we stayed in a lovely little park, nestled in the trees. Lovely that is until the liquid sunshine turned to ........

Yup, that's the white stuff. Guess they wanted to make us feel at home.

So when it snows, you turn to indoor activities. Lo and behold, the annual Newport Wine and Seafood festival was on in the next town. Not being ones to miss out on a fest, off we went to Newport to sample some of the local fare. We were quite surprised with the number of wine producers there are in Oregon. We'd always associated wine making with California and Washington.

Next it was off to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. The bird on the left is a puffin. Not quite like the one we have back in Newfoundland. It's called a Tufted Puffin.

The aquarium is constructed so you can see the animals both above and below the water. These two harbour seals look they are on a crash course, fortunately they missed. The aquarium also has an area called Passage of the Deep where you walk through the tanks while all kinds of fish swim above, below and around you. Really neat!!

Unfortunately, it did rain almost every day we were in South Beach. With that comes the threat of snow and icy roads at higher elevations. With that in mind, when the sun peaked out of the clouds we hooked up and continued our trek northward to the resort town of Seaside.

For those who are not up on the American history, in 1805 Lewis and Clark ended their cross country expedition in Oregon, near the town of Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia River. Their trek had taken two years to complete as they followed the Missouri River into Idaho, travelled across the Continental Divide before connecting with what is now called the Columbia River system and then followed it some 600 miles to the Pacific Ocean. The town of Seaside, located 16 miles south of Astoria, has commemorated this event with a statue on the roundabout at the end of Main Street, just before you get to the beach.

The largest river in the Pacific northwest, the Columbia River is no piece of cake to travel along. With it's heavy water flow and fairly steep gradient, the river's water churns and swirls, making navigation extremely difficult. That being said, it is a main transportation route into the interior of the US, with ships travelling as far inland as Idaho. The Pacific tides are extremely strong in this area as well. The combination of the tides and the water flow have created a unique phenomenon known as the Columbia River bar; an extremely dangerous area to traverse. Since the first ship tried to enter the Columbia River from the Pacific back in 1792, 2000 vessels and 700 souls have been lost to the turbulent waters. The Coast Guard vessel Jim is looking at can be found in the Columbia River Coastal Museum. The scene depicts an actual rescue that was successful despite the tidal surge.

In an effort to reduce the swells, the US Army Corps of Engineers built a three mile jetty south of the entrance to the river. This picture was taken on a calm, clear day. I can only imagine what the water is like on a stormy one. A shorter jetty was also constructed at the north entrance.

Even with the jetties, the waves are still quite treacherous. This picture shows the water travelling up the mouth of the river. Unfortunately I could not get close enough for a really good picture.

Regrettably the inclement weather continued. So just like our time at South Beach, we cut our visit to Seaside short. On the second sunny day we had we broke camp and headed to Seattle, WA, as rain is forecasted for the remainder of the month of March.

California or Bust

Votes are in and it was a bust! Weather was horrid! Didn't see the sun until we were headed out of Canyon Creek. Nothing but RDF (that's rain, drizzle and fog for you folks from Upalong)! The heavy rain and cooler temperatures really put a damper on the sightseeing, which really was too bad as what we could see looked quite picturesque.

We did check off Arena #10 on the NHL list. We took in a game at the "Shark Tank", aka the HP Pavilion at San Jose. We were entertained by two good hockey teams. Holding on to a slim lead, the Sharks proved to be too much for the Capitals and Mr Ovechkin, winning 3-2.

After San Jose, we headed up towards Sacramento and the Napa Valley. The rain let up for an afternoon so we headed off to taste some of California's finest vino. Guess I should have been a little more vigilant in my research as I was not aware the Napa Valley is known for its great red wines. As Jim and I are white wine drinkers our selections were limited.

Nevertheless we had a great afternoon, sampled some great wines and wandered around some beautiful gardens. It was nice to see green bushes and flowers after weeks in the desert.

Now it's "Wagons, Ho!" We're off to the Oregon Trail. Stay safe.

Getting our Mojo on in the Mohave

The last three weeks have been spent touring the desert. We have discovered the charming little town of Pahrump, about 50 miles west of Las Vegas. The view from the RV is spectacular; Charleston Peak, the highest mountain in Nevada. The Las Vegas Ski Resort is just on the other side of this peak. Desert and snow - all within an hour of each other.







Nope, we did not take a quick side trip back to "The Rock" And this is not slob ice on the bay! No Siree! Believe it or not, it's salt in Badwater Basin. And where you ask is Badwater Basin. Well.........











Badwater Basin is in Death Valley and is the lowest point in North America. Death Valley is known for its extremes. Temperatures here have reached as high as 134 degrees Fahrenheit. But it's a dry heat (LOL)










To get a real feel for the size of the valley and Badwater Basin, we drove up to Dante's Peak, 5000' above Death Valley.

Last time we travelled out west, we visited the Hoover Dam. At that time construction was underway, building a bridge over the Colorado that would allow traffic enroute from Nevada to Arizona to bypass the dam. Now I'm not one for heights or bridges but Jim always said that if we ever returned to Vegas we had to drive over the bridge.







So we did! And we walked out on it and looked down at the dam.













Keeping with the recreational theme of this excursion, we opted to by-pass the Vegas shows, and using the $400 Jim won on the penny slot machines, we took an ATV adventure. With Buckshot as our guide, we spent several hours travelling over dunes and through washes.
























And took a couple of laps around a track in a Razor!

























Of course, we still made time for a round or two of golf at Mountain Falls Golf Course and a few laps in the pool.













As you all know, Las Vegas caters to many vices, earning it the name Sin City. But did you know that prostitution is not legal in Las Vegas? It is, however, legal in Pahrump. You've heard of the "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas". Well, Pahrump has "The Chicken Ranch"! Yep, could have taken a tour, but was too chicken, (no pun intended).




















Tomorrow we're off to Cal-i-for-ni-a! Stay safe.