by 236 – Ohanapecosh National Park Campground – 47. Arrived a day early for three nights total. Sites were FCFS – Thursday night. Snagged only site that we could fit and was reasonably level. Campground was full later that day. La Wis Wis Campground was closed unexpectedly. No Hookups or dump station. No cell or dish service. Campground was rather dark and damp – they had just made campfires legal again. Visited Sunrise visitor’s center and there were great views of the north and east sides of Mt Ranier – the center and amenities were closed down. Visited Paradise Visitor’s center on Saturday and the place was jammed full of people – had to go to another area for lunch and wait for crowds to lighten up. Wonderful fall colors on the south side of the mountain. Graham found us at both places where we had cell coverage – a little unexpectedly. Both days were beautiful and the peak had no cloud coverage. Drive from Yakima was somewhat windy and had grades, but drive to Portland was pretty easy with towns of Packwood and Randle along the way. Lila’s wound seems to be forming a scab with less oozing…
235 – Yakima Sportsman State Park – 24. The campground is nice looking with long bike trails nearby. Unfortunately, they have a big homeless problem with many bikes being stolen. We decided to shorten our trip and leave after two nights. FHU sites. Good cell and dish service. Went on nice hike outside of Yakima (Cowiche Canyon). Did not really want to explore the town much. There are many wineries in the area – may try private campgrounds towards Walla Walla next time.
234 – Icicle River RV park. Nice park near the river. Sites were a little shorter than expected. We had a pull-in site due to slope below our site. Lots of trees. Nice bathhouse. Bad cell service. Was able to get dish service. They offered cable. Leavenworth is a very nice bavarian german town. Road our bikes into town. Celebrated our 37th Wedding Anniversary @ Larch Handcrafted Pasta and Cockstails – it was good overall. Sausages and pretzells @ Munschen House and Rhein Haus. Had dinner twice at Andreas Keller (live music one time; Cameron on 2nd visit). Cameron visited for a few hours – nice to see him again – unfortunately the weather was a little damp and cold which prevented sitting outside and drinking bavarian beer. Susan and Sam’s MH broke down in Cheyenne for a month – so our visit with them will be postponed till Paso Robles in October. Lila did not seem to get better, but found a vet in Wenatchee – Cascade Vet Clinic – they thought they could drain the tumor, but it did not work out, so we have more drugs. Lila is eating well and seems happy, but it is really sad to see the open wound. Took bikes to Wenatchee for a long ride around the river and parks. Took Jeep into town for tire rotation and oil change. Did not visit any wineries since we need to pare down our inventory for trip to Mexico in October.
233 – Lakeshore RV Park (municipal) – site 15. Original site was so unlevel, we could not get the MH level. Fortunately, they had an emergency site available. FHUs. Bathhouse was okay. Good cell and dish service. Good access to lake and beach areas. Nice sunset views. Chelan is a nice little vacation town at the southern end of the lake. Terrible coffee @ Lake Chelan Artisan Bakery. Nice visits to Tipsy Canyon and Cairdeas (great views of lake) wineries. Lunch @ Blueberry Farms in Manson – lunch was okay but the blueberry pie was really good. Visited Lake Chelan State park – they have a little area accessible to dogs. A little smokey in the beginning, until it rained, due to the 25-mile fire near the northern lake area.
232 – Pearrygin Lake State Park – D92. Really nice site looking at lake and the nearby Cascade Mountains. FHU sites. Intermittent cell service, but good dish service. Road bikes around campground. Was able to get a vet appointment for Lila in Okanogan – Dr Rust gave us antibiotics as well as future dose just in case – she wasn’t sure what it was nor if it would ever heal – we did a good job keeping it clean, but Dr Rust did not seem concerned about keeping it clean. We were pretty sad that Lila’s tumor might be accelerating. Had a very quick but great brisket sandwich @ Smallwood Farms (bought produce from them when we visited farmer’s market in Twisp). Met a couple of former Navy guys at campground – they gave us some recently frozen fresh salmon.
231- Pine Near RV Park & Campground. Interesting campgound. Sites on the lawn with no clear designations – entered from the road. Bathhouse was okay. FHUs. Nothing allowed on the grass – so piled stuff up onto the picnic table. Good cell service and dish service. Reasonable walking distance to the town of Winthrop – nice cowboy and mining town. Visited Old Schoolhouse Brewery (lunch) and Methow Valley Ciderhouse (dinner and live music). Visited Twisp for farmer’s market and coffee and baked goods @ Cinnamon Twisp Bakery – really artsy community. Lila’s tumor produced a rupture that became infected – went to local hardware and feed to get some ointment and collar – called Televet and got supplies from local store – really hard on Labor Day.
230 – Newhalem National Park Campground – B38. No hookups. Cell service was okay, no dish service. Enjoyed walks along the river @ Colonial Creek campground. Diablo Lake was beautiful. Glacier Peak was very nice, but not accessible by car – most of the hikes were pretty difficult. Found a great county park near the town of Cement – without FHUs and sites next to the river. Had really good baked goods @ 5b’s Bakery and Eatery.
229 – Birch Bay State Park – B21. Nice campground. MH faced the ocean from back-in site (tents ahead). Bathrooms were nice. Had good cell signal. Dish service probably insufficient due to tree coverage. Beach was easy walk from site. Electric and water, dump station available. Drove to Woodinville for lunch with Cameron and Meghan – Woodin Creek and Tap House – it okay but allowed dogs. Walked along the nearby trail at the park. Treated ourselves to frozen juices nearby. Visited Mt Baker which was clear – warm and beautiful day. Need to stop by Holly’s Meat Pies next time. Also, would like to visit Blaine and the surrounding area in the future.
228 – Washington Park. Site was much shorter than expected. Also sloped quite a bit on both driver and passenger sides. Had to thread the needle to get the MH in between trees. 30-amp electric and water only – dump station available – we were able to last 14-days without dumping! Bathrooms were okay. Cell service was okay, but no dish service due to trees. Nice loop around park with great sunsets. Beach within easy walk. Enjoyed the campground, but too dang dark. Went on kayak trip with Anacortes Kayak Tours – guide was nice and informative. Went to summer concerts (Big Band and varied rock-n-roll) twice near the Anacortes Marina. Also, went to summer concert again at the Deception Pass State Park (Brazilian folk). Visited La Conner – listed to good outdoor concert for an hour or so – lunch @ Calico Cupboard Old Town Cafe. Wanted to listen to same band in Mt Vernon, but it was postponed due to rain. Bought rack and travel bag @ Skagit Bikes in Burlington. Had a very good dinner @ Adrift Restaurant. Okay snacks and beer @ Rockfish grill and Anacortes brewery – food was okay – Rio threwup his snacks at outside table. Bought seafood @ Blackrock seafood. Drove back to Coupeville for their arts and crafts show – takeout again from Red Hen Cafe and Bakery. Good coffee @ Strawberry Bay Coffee. Took ferry, with Rio, to Friday Harbor. Really good breakfast @ Crow’s Nest Cafe. Took on/off bus around the island – visited Roche Harbor (really nice harbor) and Lime Kiln Point State Park. Road our bikes into town. Went on a couple of very nice hikes with Rio.
227 – Deception Pass State Park. Back to the same campground and site 333 for four days.
226 – North Whidbey RV Park. Site 17 – backin. Entrance across the street from Quarry Pond CG. No landscaping. Long, but very narrow pad. Rugs nor vehicles allowed on grass. Bathhouse was good. Good cell coverage. Good dish signal. Took bikes to Coupeville and road around town – excellent croissants and coffee (pricey) @ Little Red Hen bakery and cafe. Finally, some rain over the weekend. Visited farmers Market in Coupeville – bought mead from Seattle Mead Company. Great tacos from Jumbo Burrito in Oak Harbor. Visited Fort Ebey for hike – beer and wine @ Vail Wine Shop and tasting room – nice views from back deck (met nice family from Blaine WA and a couple from Louisiana).
225 – Deception Pass State Park. Quarry Pond campground. Site 333 – backin. 50-amps electric and water only. Bathhouse required tokens ($.50 for 3-minutes – need to avoid busy times for hot water). Cell coverage mostly good. Found a spot where the dish found a signal. Lots of aircraft the local naval air station. Long day – left Gig Harbor @ 6:30 am to get thru Tacoma and Seattle. Was able to get rear AC replaced in Mt Vernon (Blake’s RV). Had to pile Rio, Felix and Lila into the Jeep for 5-6 hours while the RV Service did diagnostics, got warranty approval and did the replacement. Had a great breakfast @ Calico Cupboard Old Town Cafe & Bakery while waiting for AC replacement – Mt Vernon. Drove to Oak Harbor – lunch @ Whidbey Island Bagel Factory. Visited Fort Casey – enjoyed preserved fort and the views (nice CG next to Ferry – some sites had electric and water). Pie and sandwich @ Greenbank Farm. Wine tasting @ Spoiled Dog Winery south of Coupeville.
224 – Gig Harbor RV Resort. Site 18. PT sites were tiered – had to back-out due to angle and steepness of front of site. Long sites, but not level the entire length. FHUs – water from sites 17 or 19. Bathhouse okay. Cell signal okay. Found one space where dish worked okay. Walked around Gig Harbor – coffee and pastries @ Suzanne’s Cafe. Wine tasting @ Olalla Vineyard & Winery. Had lunch @ Tides Taverns with Suzanne’s cousin and husband. Rode bikes on a 6-mile bike bath in the area – found lots of blackberry bushes along the route. Did not spend much time in the area, don’t know how much there is to do around the area.
223 – Fay Bainbridge County Park. Site 26 – only one neighbor. Great views of Puget Sound and the North Seattle area from our CG site. Basic site. Water and 30-amp only. Did not use bathhouse. Nice beach area with many drift logs. Cell service good. Barely got dish signal due to trees. Lots of little bays and neighborhoods along the water. Visited Japanese Exclusion Memorial – next to super fund cleanup site. Coffee in Lynwood Center. Beer and wine downtown in Bainbridge (Bainbridge Brewing Alehouse). Take-out dinner @ Sawatdy Thai on west side of island. Ice cream @ Moras Ice Cream in Bainbridge – there seems to be 3 or so locations in the area. Baked goods from Sluy’s – not in google search or reviews. Visited Port Gamble and Point No Point Lighthouse on north side of island – lots of people fishing on the east beach area. Crepe dinners in Kingston @ J’aime Les Crêpes Crêperie. Collecting shellfish in the area seemed to prohibited due to polluted waters. Met Jack and Kay from San Jose @ CG. Need to eat @ The Smoked Asian and Molly Ward Gardens. Continue to watch the Olympics. Our youngest son transitioned from Paris to Barcelona on trip with some of his former fellow NASA interns.
222 – Port Ludlow RV Park. Nice PT site. FHUs – 30 amps. Lots of trees. Site next to dump station. Lots of local berries. Very nice trail next to CG. Bathhouse was good overall – showers were pay but the machine was broken. Cell service was good. Barely got dish signal due to trees. Lots of seasonal or full-time campers. Rode e-bikes from discovery bay area to Sequim – approximately 22 miles RT very good lunch @ Oak Table Cafe (went back to local dairy farm for ice cream). Coffee and scone @ Better Living Through Coffee. Baked goods @ Pane D’Amore Artisan Bakery. Lunch @ Owl Sprit Cafe. Need to go to Finistere restaurant. Bought seafood @ Key City Seafood Company – need to buy spotted shrimp next visit. Visited Staircase entrance for Olympic NP – took turns taking trail since Rio could not join us. Saw Elk @ the SP north of Lake Cushman – the road was greatly improved over the visit a few years ago. Went back to Hama Hama Oyster Saloon – the outdoor area changed quite a bit with Chef turn-over – tomato soup was good but the oyster sandwich was not very good (really sad since first visit was memorable). Visited Fort Flagler SP. Visited Marrowstone Winery for wine and outdoor live music – met a local couple. Visited a couple of local State Parks and little bays around the area. Need to consider CGs @ Fort Worden SP, Marrowstone SP, John Wayne Marina and Gilgal Oasis RV Park for future visits. There are local sailing clubs as well as boat building groups. Restaurants to be visited include Ajax Cafe. Need to visit Port Townsend SP next time. Saw people fishing at Fort Worden SP beach and Fort Flagler – fishing seemed better at the latter. Wooden boat races in September.
221 – Elwha Dam RV Park. FHU site. Took a while, but got the dish to work. Cell phone works well. No cable. Located at the entrance so it is a little busy and noisy. Showers are nice but they are charge for use. A couple of nice ponds and a communal veggie garden. The sites are generally spacious, but the site layout seemed a little random. Sites in the middle had lots of sun whilst the sites on the outside had trees and shade. They rent e-bikes for use.
220 – Quinault River Inn. Six sites along with eight motel rooms. 30-amp and water only. No dump station. No cable. Dish worked well. Cell service very spotty. Next to Quinault river. There is a fire pit on the river and a gazebo. A couple of restaurants within walking distance. Dumped @ Bogachiel State Park for $5. Visited Kalaloch Beach with the Tree of Life – also had picnic at the lodge nearby. Quinault lake is nice. Went on drive and picnic @ the Quinault Lodge – great lodge with huge lawn with lots of people enjoying games and the views of the lake. Lots of hikes and trail in the National Park system. Lots of land owned by the Native Americans. Decided not to eat @ the Roosevelt Room at the lodge – instead ordered take-out from the Salmon House and ate dinner on the lawn at the lodge. Drove part of the Queets valley but it was closed off. Many of the local towns and lands are closed since they are on the local reservations. Marine layers continue along the coast but blue skies inland.
219 – Three Rivers Resort. There were a few RV compatible sites. Some of the sites seemed to be randomly placed. Lots of tent camping as well as cabins. 30-amp and water site – shared pedestal with another site that only provided 20-amps. No dump station. Only one mens and womens showers (pay) – did not try to use them. Reasonable cell service. Too many trees to try dish. No cable. Did not try CG wifi. Might consider River’s Edge with FHU sites next door. La Push with Beaches 1 & 2 was closed – might open up in a week or so. Went to Rialto beach, it was nice looking with lots of drift wood, but too rocky. Also went to Ruby beach – very nice walking beach with a big haystack and smaller rocks. Forks is a nice little town – lots of drive thru coffee kiosks. Marine layers continue along the coast but blue skies inland.
218 – KOA. Pleasant surprise. Site #164. Back-in site in quiet wooded part of campground. Water and electric. No sewer. Cell service was surprisingly good. Good cable – did not try to use satellite due to trees. Beach next to campground is very nice, but a little difficult for Rio. Fun campground. Was unusually foggy for early July. Blue skies did appear inland on a few days. Bay Center is an interesting little town on a pennisula – mixture of expensive and lower income houses. Beautiful area with hills, bays, estuaries, rivers and beaches. Fantastic fireworks @ Long Beach – never saw so many private and potent fireworks on a beach – it lasted for a couple of hours with 1000s of trucks on the beach. Dinner @ Malai Thai in Long Beach (next time Chowder Stop). Oysters and clams @ Seasonal Seafood in Bay Center. Fresh crabs and smoked salmon @ Nelson’s Seafood Market and Gail Force crab boat in Tokeland. Drinks @ Willapa Brewing Company in South Bend. Had drinks (no clam chowder on our visit) – for a total of $4 @ The Old Fishtrap in Chinook. Visited Westport – lots of fishing charters and fishing boats in the harbor – food and drinks @ Blackbeards Brewery – was okay. Visited Fort Canby – purchased Discovery Pass for $30.
217 – KOA. Moved reservation for Pheasant Ridge to September (they were not happy) due to heat (112) – postponed visit with our friends near Portland till September. The place is huge and very busy. We once again got a 30-amp site in the back. Cable, Dish and cell service were fine. Bathhouse was overused and needed better cleaning. They were having brownouts – pedestal was showing 100 to 100 volts the day we arrived (99) – ran genny for 3-4 hours. Next day the fog came in and we had much cooler weather and the pedestal worked as expected. Took Rio to Fort Stevens beach – he enjoyed the cooler weather and cold weather. Rode out bikes around Fort Stevens for a while – it was fun. Went to Astoria for drinks @ Fort George Brewery then dinner @ Curry & Coco Thai Eatery (had Cuban pictures and music). Next time, we want to stay @ Fort Stevens SP.
216 – Deerwood RV Park. Returned to this campground. Beautiful landscaping. Nice bathhouse. Dish and cell service was good. Became very hot – 105 – left a day early due to heat (only have front AC). Cameron came over for BBQ on Friday night. Took Cameron and Meghan to lunch @ the Lion and the Owl restaurant – somewhat organic restaurant for food and drink. Took Rio, Lila and Felix to their apartment to keep them cool during lunch.
215 – Friendly RV. Reliable overnight stop. PT site – did not disconnect. Cell service was okay. Used cable.
214 – Hat Creek Resort and RV Park. The sites seemed to be randomly positioned. FHU, but 30-amps. Full sun PT site. Cell service was very spotty. The CG really has potential – might stay again – but would try the KOA near the southern entrance. Visited north and western entrances for Lassen National Park. Would like to visit the southern entrance where the thermal lakes are located. Helped a couple with their flat tire. Got the boat registration renewed in Susanville – town seems to be doing okay, but parts seemed to have problems.
