by 389 – Reno house. Had a great time with Suz’s parents along with our two sons and new daughter in law. Went to local escape room again. Found new HUB Coffee place near Arrowpark. Visited Perryn again. Took the youngins to Von Bismarck for dinner. Took Suz’s parents to river area for a nice walk. Took Graham to Sand Harbor for a new lake walk on the raised walkway.
Vietnam and Thailand. Had a great time with G Adventures for two tours.
388 – Danville. Visited Suz’s parents for a couple of days. Re-visited Passport Health in Oakland. Took Suz’s parents and met our two sons in Jack London Square for lunch for thai food. Went shopping in Walnut Creek in preparation of se asia trip – parking ticket. Our two boys took us to Sfo to catch our flights after visiting Graham’s apartment in SF.
387 – Springs at Borrego. Back again for one night. Dropped off RV in Borrego RV Storage.
386 – Sans End. Back again. Went into town for dinner again at Da Boyz.
385 – Reef. Back again with our PR group. Had a great time. Visited some of the same spots we visited in previous years – much more comfortable visiting places by ourselves. Left early due to our se asia trip.
384 – Back again to meet up with group near Ajo.
383 – Lazydays KOA. Very nice campground. Visited Seis Kitchen again. Also got tres leche cake next door at Dolce Postello.
382 – KOA. A long I 10. Convenient, but rather noisy campground. Visited Chiricahua National Monument – beautiful place. Visited a couple wineries with live music in the area. Visited a wine and art festival in town.
381 – cedar cove rv park. Nice campground, but the security seemed higher than normal – in a neighborhood. A few errands. Visited Passport Health for vaccination discussion for vietnam and thailand.
380 – KOA Journey. PT site. FHUs. Bath house nice – good temps and water pressure. SL and dish reception good. Visited Passport Health for vaccinations and prescriptions for our Asia trip.
379 – Santa Fe Skies rv park. Back again. Site 106. PT site. FHUs. Nice bath house. SL and Dish good reception. Very good dinner at Pasquals with Susan and Sam – enjoyed the walk around town and the art galleries. Visited Balloon Fiesta friday afternoon. Went to Cottonwood mall park n ride – would have been better had we gone to Coronado instead given bus drop-off location at Fiesta. Food was expensive. Will go later in the day if we visit again. Dusk and evening animal balloon glow was awesome. The drone show was really good as well. Visited balloon fiesta again saturday morning – 4 am shuttle to venue. Dawn patrol, drone show, and mass ascension was incredible. We also experienced the annualar ring of fire eclipse – had a great time. Took Susan and Sam to Sazon for an incredible dinner. Went to breakfast at Dolina Bakery and Cafe – had hungarian style breakfast. Visited the art market near the old town train station. Dinner at our RV for last night with Susan, Sam and Pearl – had a great time visiting.
378 – Angel Fire rv park. Long drive from Durango. Should have gotten less gas in Chamo given low prices in north Taos. Challenging drive from Taos given the construction over the hill. Really nice campground. Big PT site. FHUs. Good SL and Dish reception. Very nice bath house and club house. Hot tub near rear bath house. Town of Angel Fire was really small with not may good restaurants. Visited Vietnam war memorial nearby. Would like to visit town of Red River in the north valley. Town of Taos was nice, but it was spread out over a long distance – lots of construction and traffic. Okay dinner at La Cueva. There were several very nice art galleries. Visited the gorge near the rest stop on the west side of town. Had a great visit at the Pueblo – authentic and educational – had a good guide. Really good navajo fry bread. Would like to visit the ski resort next time.
377 – Oasis rv park. Dinner at Culver brewing company with Susan and Sam. We dog sat with Pearl whilst Susan and Sam went on the trail to Silverton. Took Pearl to Purgatory – great lunch at James Ranch Grill. Great bakery at Bread. Met Susan, Sam and Pearl for visit to Pagosa Springs. Dipped our toes in the river – really good coffee and baked goods at Root House. We visited the area near wolfe creek – falls, overlook and radio tower. Good dinner at City Hall cafe and grill. We took the train to Silverton and had a good time – unfortunately, handlebars and the funnel cake places were closed for the season – but had good lunch at Golden Bock brewery. Took ebikes on the long bike trail along the river – John’s ebike had problems with power – battery and motor error messages. Had drinks at the Diamond Belle Saloon then great dinner at Roxys.
376 – Sundance rv park. PT site. Dish was okay, but not able to use SL. Met up with Susan, Sam and Pearl. Dinner at Thai Cortez and Sushi. Several small plate dinners and wine at the RVs. Visited Mesa Verde NP – Really good tour of the main cliff dwellings. Visited Canyons of the Ancients national monument as well as parts of the Hovenweep national monument. Drove to Utah to visit Valley of the Gods – great place – need to make time for Monuments next visit. Great navajo fry bread at Twin Rocks cafe in Bluff Utah.
375 – Molas Lake campground. Beautiful campground. Dry camping. Elevation of 10,500′. Discovered that generator does not work at this elevation. Limited use of SL and Dish due to power. Visited Silverton for a day. Went back to Ouray to visit Box Canyon – great place to visit. Drinks and food at Ouray Brewery – great views. Enjoyed the overlooks and the scenic areas around Red Mountain.
374 – Silverton lakes rv resort. Nice campground, but somewhat basic. PT site. FHUs, but 30-amps. Okay bath house. Okay SL and Dish reception. SB drive along hwy 550 million dollar highway. Visited Ouray to use the rain check for the hot springs. Went to Ridgeway for the tacos. The best restaurant was closed for the season. Had drinks at the Handelbars Saloon and Cafe. Visited the Old Hundred Gold Mine tour – great tour guide. Rode our bikes in town. Took the jeep on the lower Alpine Loop. John visited the trail above Mineral Creek campground.
373 – Ouray KOA. Back again. Back-in site 62. Asked to move to satellite friendly site. Bath house was nice. Verizon, dish and starlink reception good – although dish signal struggled on some channels. Beautiful drive, especially I 70 east. Drive into Ouray was pretty. Visited Ouray to walk around. Had coffee at Mouse’s Chocolate and Coffee. Celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary at the Telluride Blues and Brews music festival – rained on and off the first day; sunny day the second day; sun and clouds the third day. Visited Ridgway where we had a very good breakfast at Provisions at the barber shop morning of our anniversary. Most of the music was good, but we did not know any of the artists except Bonnie Raitt. The venue was gorgeous of course. Lesson learned in that I should not have purchased a beer session each day. Food vendors were pretty good. We ate a good lunch with good pastries at Butcher and the Baker. Parking was really challenging in Telluride. Visited Ouray for the mineral springs at the city owned pools – great dinner at Gnar’s in Ridgway – great fusion tacos. We would really like to take one of the jeep tours in the hills around town – next time.
372 – Castle Gate Rv park. Upgraded to PT site. Good cell service. Did not setup dish or starlink – cable connection was good. Walked to town for breakfast at Balance Rock eatery and pub – good meal. Town had a lot of old town character. The area had a lot of train and mining history – would liked to have spent more time in the area.
371 – KOA East. Back-in site on the upper section. Large site. Nice bath house. Good cell service. Dish has low signal. Starlink signal was good. Town was nice, but did not look around. Visited Garden Hot Springs – very nice facilities. Water temps ranged from 102 to 112 degrees. Took RV to Burt’s Tire and Service for Vista oil change and brake inspection – oil change was expensive but did not want to spend time and really wanted brake inspection.
370 – Hi Valley rv park. PT site. good cell service. Large sites – a few sites had grass and trees between sites. Visited Suz’s cousins Vicki and Cari and their families. RV brakes seemed to make noises – will follow up.
369 – Ponderosa State Park. Our loop was under construction, so we moved to site 100 in chokeberry loop. Long site with lots of green space behind and both sides of the RV – barely able to squeeze into the site. Verizon worked well. Starlink was okay. Could not get satellite 119 for Dish. Lots of pine cones falling on top of the RV. Coffee at Mountain Java and Stacey’s Cakes. Drove around the lake. Rode e-bikes to the end of the peninsula – John pulled a muscle trying to get back to Suzanne to retrieve the RV keys – Suz’s chain fell off and jammed against the frame. Took her e-bike to McCall Sports where they aligned the de-railer. On the way thru John Day, John sped up to 35 before the sign – the town speed limit was 25 – fortunately, the state trooper gave him just a warning – really really really fortunate.
368 – Fish House rv park. Site 7. Really nice rv park. Lots of grass and space. Long site. Surprisingly, verizon and dish both worked well. Could not get Starlink to work due to trees on the west side of the site. Bath house was nice. Visited John Day Fossil NM – 2 of 3 sections – painted hills and sheep rock. Visited town of Mitchell that was celebrating Painted Hills Festival and marathon. Dinner and drinks at Tiger Town Brewing Company.
367 – Roamers rv park. Back again. Dish and verizon worked well. Got Starlink to work. Decided to go to Tualatin to re-group – cancelled the campground in Blue River due to the nearby fires and smoke. Went to villa sophia then took thai food to Deb and Mark’s house. Met again for dinner in Sherwood at Mark and Deb’s fav mexican restaurant. Drove to Hood River for lunch with David and Renee – then short visits at horsetail and multnomah falls. Went to luc lac vietnamese restaurant in portand for dinner.
Cluster for jeep arrived while we were in Sisters, but odometer was incorrectly programmed – dealership found a local place that could reprogram the odometer; cluster returned and we were able to pickup the jeep two days before leaving for central Oregon – woohoo. Bought Starlink at bestbuy. Bought new bed at mattress firm for the rv. Bought new tires at discount tires for the jeep.
366 – Sisters/Bend Garden rv park. Back again. pt site 17. verizon and dish good. really nice bath house. really smokey – index was in the high 300s / low 400s. Stopped in Sisters to evaluate situation. Office was very understanding on our uncertainty of the environment. Decided to stay for 2-nights initially. Visited Bend Fly Shop in bend to discuss the fly fishing trip. We met Casey in Madras for fly fishing on the lower Deschutes River – had a good time – Suz hooked 2-fish, Graham and I each landed 2-redband trout. Graham had to leave early to pickup the Mt Hood to Coast relay team leader; so, Suzanne and I met Ouzel for another great rafting trip down the lower Deschutes River starting in Maupin – Carlos and Grant were our guides. Took Myles and Kate to lunch at Spork restaurant in Bend.
365 – Premium RV Park. Double wide pt site – 150 – patio and private car space – site had better shade than last campground. Dish and verizon reception good. Bath house was really nice. Campground was located just east of downtown Salem. Really hot the first week, but really got hot the days leading up to the wedding – 110 degrees on day we drove to Salem. Drove to Yamhill Winery to pickup wine as well as get alcohol for the rehearsal dinner. Met Cameron and Meghan for dinner at H Wallace in Salem. We went to an Escape Room in Salem, then the four of us went to lunch at the tap root nearby. Visited Silverton and Mt Angel for coffee – found that it was too hot to go on hike and see the waterfalls at the Silverton State Park. The day after the wedding, Mark and Deb hosted a Four Phase reunion party at their house – it was a lot of fun. Spent a lot of time finishing up 2023 and 2024 reservations.
Great rehearsal dinner at the Daniels house – bartender got covid – had to find another bartender. Wonderful wedding and reception at Deepwood Museum and Garden. Cameron was handsome and Meghan was beautiful – so did Graham. Visited with the Daniels at the suite they rented for the ladies to get ready for the wedding. Stayed at the Grand Hotel in Salem for the rehearsal and wedding – met up with Gram and Gramps, Carol and Roy, David and Renee, Fred and Cindy – really nice seeing everyone before the wedding. Myles and Kate were at the rehearsal and wedding. Friends included Bill and Liz; Mark, Deb and Rose; Mike and Marsha; Jim and Catherine.
364 – Back again visiting Olde Stone RV Park. Site 213 – nice site – but very little shade in the afternoon. Nice bath house at pool but only one shower each. Both Verizon and Dish good. Checked in early, due to Jeep appointment @ 1:15 in Newberg. Fairly warm both weeks of our visit. Suzanne participated in water aerobics a couple of times per week – we also participated in a monthly Bunko tournament in the clubhouse. Visited our friends in Salem @ Amadeus. Went to Carlton for a few hours – Carlton Coffee Co & bakery @ Carlton Bakery. Had a good time line dancing @ the Grange. Went back to Carlton for dinner and good live music @ The Horse Radish. Our Sherwood friends came over to the RV for a great afternoon bbq. McMinnville a few times. Coffee and scone @ Union Block Coffee. Visited downtown 2x for farmer’s market. Went shopping in Woodburn. Lunch @ Araceli’s Cocina in Sherwoodl. Dinner with our Sherwood friends @ La Rambla. Lunch with our Lake Oswego friends @ Oswego Grill – Bought tequila for the rehearsal dinner – coffee @ La Provence nearby. Dinner with our son and fiance in Salem @ H Wallace (unusually bad service and average food). Visited the winery Yamhill Valley for wine tasting and to buy wine for the rehearsal dinner. Spent a lot of the time in planning places in 2023 and 2024 (campgrounds and Asia trip). Two sets of mail and many Amazon packages shipped to our friends in Sherwood.
Took Jeep to Newberg to deal with recalls and the broken Instrument Cluster. Had to wait for 5-hours for a rental car, but it is only $40 per day. Waiting for new IC due to backlog (no ETA) – hoping the IC can be repaired locally. Went to Starbucks and had early dinner @ La Sierra Mexican. Paid Vista CA DMV fees for 2024.
363 – Back again at KOA. Across the street from State Park. Nice wooded PT site. FHUs, but 30-amp site. A big step down from RV. Lots of traffic in our row. Cable was available. Dish was not possible due to trees. Verizon was very spotty – campground wifi was okay at times. Bathhouse was average. Saw an Elk herd in Warrenton on one of our drives around. Visited one of the Lewis & Clark National Monument parks nearby. Went to Seaside to walk around the boardwalk and beach area. Went to WineKraft down on pier 11 – good wine – really good singers. Heard about Duffy’s Irish Pub in Washington, went out there on our last day – place was like an old antique store, but the food was very large and very good – mix of Irish and Cajun. Went to Fort George for drinks, but the live music was not very good.
362 – Fort Stevens State Park. D Loop, site 113. 50-amp and water. Dump station available. Majority of sites are full shade. Site had a little sun at certain times of the day. Dish not possible. No cell service at site, had to go to the ranger station. Step off RV was a little steep – lots of roots in site. Bath house in loop E was okay, much better than loop G. Had to wait an hour or so for the site to become available. Lots of children riding bikes and playing in our loop. Rode bikes around the state park – hit a bump and my e-bike took a tumble – thankfully it still works! Saw an Elk inside the park. Rode our bikes over the hill into Astoria whilst the Jeep was being checked out. Nice breakfast @ Blue Scorcher Cafe & Bakery. Beer @ Reach Break brewery. Late lunch @ Bowpicker for fish n chips. Good dinner @ Nisa’s Thai Kitchen in Hammond – food was very good but service was wonky.
Took Jeep into auto repair, PNW Auto in Astoria, to have the starter inspected – fortunately it was – but the dashboard was completely dead. Will need to have Jeep in Newberg check it out – suspect it is either the Instrument Cluster or the TIPM.
361 – Kelly Brighton Marina. Site 13. 30-amps and water. Beautiful water front pull-in site facing the north estuary between Garibaldi and Wheeler. The marina charges to use their docks for crabbing – given the crabbing was not good this week, did not use their docks after the first day. Crabbed in Garibaldi at the city marina – caught a fair amount of crabs, but no keepers. A family from our campground gave me a trap which attaches to a fishing pole (they caught their limit of crabs). A family next to us, gave us a cooked crab after their boat trip. Went to Cape Mears and Netarts – really liked the small group of houses near the wild life preserve. Drove down to Tillamook twice to visit the creamery and cheese place (took self guided tour, got samples and bought a flight of ice cream). Also visited Blue Heron Cheese place. Good coffee @ The Roost in Wheeler. Walked the beach in Manzanita. Took the bikes to Manzanita another day and rode over to the state park across the bay. Also visited the town of Newhalem. Pies @ Sisters and Petes Coffee & Treats in Manzanita. Coffee @ Five Rivers Roasters in Tillamook.
On Friday morning, we had planned on my crabbing in Garibaldi and Suz shopping, then going to Cannon Beach in the afternoon to avoid the marine layer. Could not get the Jeep started after Suz returned to the pier. A lady tried to jump start us – no luck. Called AAA and jumping did not work either. George crawled under the jeep and banged on the starter and the wiggled the starter wire until the engine turned over (check engine light turned on as we drove back). Able to get the jeep back to the campground, but the jeep would not start after we parked it. Got car appointments in Astoria and jeep dealership in Newburg. Spent a few hours researching forums on jeep problems with aux battery. Removed F42 fuse (ESS) and the engine started immediately – spent most of Saturday starting the engine. Have not yet disconnected the black cable going to the aux battery. Will have to decide on whether to replace the aux battery or to disconnect the positive cable as well. Will keep the Astoria appointment to verify that the starter and or starter cable is still functional. Will keep the appointment @ Jeep in Newburg for the recall only.
360 – Sawyer’s Landing Marina & Rv. Site 23. 30-amps and water. Verizon was okay but dish was good. Inner bay view. Sites were pretty tight, especially where we were located – no room between RV and the road. Pretty view – not much wind nor marine layer. Caught first dungeness crab and red rock crabs off the dock at the campground. Neighbors who fished all day, gave us some frozen halibut. Nice ride to the town of Toledo up river – would have like to have go to their logging festival but got too busy. Got great oysters @ Oregon Oyster Farm up river from campground. Good dinners @ Chowder Bowl and Zuritas and good coffee and scones @ Coasties Roasties in the Nyes District. Visited the historic waterfront area on Newport. Went to the Marina, took a hike and went fishing and crabbing on the pier near the bridge. Great trips to visit Heceta preserve and Cape Perpetua National Preserve area to see light houses and natural rocks and incredible hikes and views in the area – saw our first gray whales of the season. Drove down to Florence twice – really nice river front and historic downtown by the bridge – dinners @ Nosh Eatery and Mari’s Kitchen (2nd visit for live music @ community block party), Rivers Roasters for coffee, great clam chowder @ Novelli’s floating boat. Visited Yachats (Beach Street Kitchen). Drove up to Depot Bay where we saw quite a few gray whales in the harbor and park area – dinner @ Bay View Thai (good food but restaurant seemed a little run down) – really good clam chowder @ Gracies Sea Hag restaurant). Went further north to visit Lincoln City where we can went to a outlet mall for clothes (bought a great wind breaker @ Northface). Nice dump station near north side of the bridge.
When visiting one of the outlooks near Yachats, the Jeep stalled leaving the parking lot – took to O’Reillys in Newport – replaced the clamp for the positive post on the battery – everything passed except the power fluctuator (but that test occurred before clamp was replaced). The aux battery indicator is constant and wants us to get a service call scheduled.
359 – Back again visiting our friends Bill, Liz, Eva and Gus in Sutherlin. Nice drive back to central Oregon. We had FHUs this visit including 50-amps. Helped Bill with his pole barn throughout the week – Suz went on several hikes in the area and bike ride in Roseberg. Really hot the first 5 or so days. Tried to stay cool during the morning and late afternoon. We brought crabs we purchased off the boat in Winchester Bay. Really nice hike at Wolf Creek Falls. Went rafting with Ouzel rafting out of Bend on the upper Umpqua River – had a great time with Sean and team – early dinner at 138 Grill. Dinner at Tacovore. Took Bill, Liz and Gus to their favorite winery at Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards – live music, food and wines – they are wine club members. Drove back to Glide and fly fished on the North Umpqua river around mile marker 23 – stopped by Idleyld Trading Post for flies and advice on where to fish – got coffee at the Atom coffee and cafe in Glide – was a little smokey at times due to controlled burns in the area.
Drove up to Eugene to get fitted for wedding tux. Oil change and tire rotation for Jeep – 82k miles.
358 – Winchester Bay RV. Site 99 – pull in site facing the marina. FHUs. Nice bath house and laundry rooms. Good cell and dish reception. Recommended by friends Tom & Ann. Sunny on the drive on the drive the campground – beautiful river and bay. Fairly windy and cooler visit – partly sunny throughout the week. Visited Coos Bay (coffee @ So It Goes and walked the water front) and Charleston (candy store @ Cranberry Sweets & more). Visited Cape Arago for views and beaches – saw a sea lion in the shallow area kinda of posing. Fixed Suz’s back tire – somehow a large hole on interior part of the tube – maintenance of both bikes to get rid of rust and dirt. Drove bikes around the marina and along the coast near the dunes. Visited Bandon – really like the town – bought crab trap and fishing/crab license @ Bandon Bait Shop. Lunch @ Tony’s Seafood. Rode bikes along the coastline. Coffee @ So It Goes and Farmers Market in Coos Bay. Fished and crabbed on the dock – caught four or so females but had to put them back. Rented a side-by-side @ Riding Dirty in Winchester Bay – rode on the dunes for two hours. Bought crabs off the boat in the Marina – $10 per large crab. Listened to great music @ Blue Box on the Marina – had ice cream @ BJs. Need to visit Chocolate Mist in Bandon and Face Rock Creamery for cheese in Coos Bay next visit.
357 – Emigrant Lake lake county park – sites 29 and 32. Bath house was better than most. FHUs. Nice views of the lake (more water than last visit). Good cell and dish connections. Drive to Ashland was generally good, but was the road was winding and narrow at places in the beginning. Stopped in Cave Junction where we visited Taylors Sausage Mfg Center for some great meat, sausage and jerky. Could not make the cave monument work this time. Went into downtown Ashland several times – went shopping for Gram and Meg. Rode our bikes into Ashland to visit the Weisinger Family Winery, coffee and Brazilian bagels @ Vida Baking Company (great artisian bread too). Coffee @ Handlebar Coffee and got a really stale scone @ Village Bakery (breads supposed to be better quality). Met the couple from Brookings at Dancin Winery – met up for drinks the next day @ Artisan Bakery Cafe (got free beignets while waiting for the couple) – had drinks @ The Point Pub & Grill. Went back to Dancin Winery for wine and food. Visited Dunbar Farms for live music, wine & dinner. Soup & bread @ Martinos Upstairs. Dinner @ Skout Taphouse after nice walk in the park.
Attended the 2-day Rogue Music Fest in Central Point – good country music but was hot and chairs really uncomfortable in the parking lot – took taxi to the event on the 2nd day. Suz drove up to Salem for Meg’s 2nd bridal shower. Next day, we drove to Bend to attend nephew Myle’s Oregon State graduation – Cam & Meg came to washington grill for lunch to celebrate Father’s Day with Gramps and birthday with Gram. Rained with some snow on the road to Bend. Was a little chilly at times during graduation ceremony. Attended 3 Shakespeare plays: Twelth Night, Three Muskateers and Romeo & Juliet – enjoyed the plays but was a little hard to understand the dialog – rained 2nd night in the open venue.
356 – KOA Holiday. Site C11 Pull-in site. FHU. Good dish, but cell service was hot and cold – wifi was spotty. Bath house is okay. Really enjoyed Jedediah State Park and the redwood trees. Nice bike ride around town, the marina and shoreline. Walked to the light house which is only open during low tide. Visited the Rumiano Cheese outlet where we found some really good cheese. Visited SeaQuake brewing.
355 – Harris Beach State Park. Site C13. 50-amps and water. Dump station available. Nice bath house. Cell service was good, but dish worked only briefly – other site were more open. Beautiful park and beach was great. The town of Brookings was not as nice as we remembered. Good dinner @ Black Truffle Bistro. Felix did okay whilst we were gone for three days. Suz got her hair cut for the wedding. Drove up to Sherwood so that Suz could attend a bridal shower for Meg. Suz had a good time with Deb, Yvonne and Renee in Lake Oswego. Stayed in the inlaw quarters above the garage @ Mark & Deb’s house. Great dinner with Cam & Meg with Mark’s new pizza oven. Picked up Cam for good lunch @ Pura Vida in McMinnville and whiskey tasting @ Branch Point Distillery nearby. We took Mark & Deb to dinner @ Trellis in nearby Dunning. Lunch @ Chaiyo Food truck in Eugene for NB trip. Great coffee & breakfast @ Lux Sucre south of Wilsonville on SB trip. Got drinks in Coos Bay – the local coffee place had closed early. Drove thru Bandon on way back to Brookings. Stopped at many view points along the coast NB towards Gold Beach. Had a great time @ Jerry’s Rogue River boats for a trip up the Rogue River to Agness – great river trip (53-miles) and a great BBQ lunch at the local resort. Really need to go back to the RV Resort in Agness next time we are in the area – great rafting and fishing along the river.
