etienettebluet | Entries tagged with aliner

Monday we were up at 9 am and on the road at noon (after showers at Flying J). We drove through rain storms throughout the day so we stopped again at Walmart, this time in North Platte. Day list: antelope, barn swallow, prairie dogs, hawk, deer, red-wing blackbird, geese and a bat.

Tuesday we were up at 9 am and on the road a 10:00 am. I nearly ran us out of gas again at Pleasant Dale but fortunately was able to pull on into a station in Emerald. The RAVs empty is considerably below the E and I lucked out. We pulled into Lincoln at 4 pm and stopped for ice cream before continuing home... arriving at 5 pm. Daylist: mourning dove, sparrow, hawk, deer, robin, flicker, pelicans and turkey. 4,170.8 miles We both agree, it was a very good trip.

Ian from next door had just begun mowing as we pulled in and was done before we finished unloading.

Saturday we were up at 9 am and on the road at noon (again the morning disappeared on us). While I was driving I ran us out of gas; fortunately JUST past an interchange with a Conoco station. I was able to walk the mile back for gas; two miles if you also count the off ramp and drive back in to the station that I didn't have to walk. A nice local gentleman and his dog, Bubba, picked me up on the off ramp and drove me on into the station, then back out with the gallon of gas. That got us back on the road in pretty short order and we drove on through to Bozeman at 9:30 pm where we found another Walmart for the night. Day list: red-winged blackbird, Bald eagle, antelope, crow, magpie, barn swallow, Teal and other ducks.

Sunday we were up at 9 am and on the road at 11:30am. We're beginning to be eager to get home; so much so I didn't even record where we stopped for the night in Wyoming (probably Casper Walmart). Day list robin, crow, sparrow, magpie, prairie dogs, meadowlark, antelope, ducks, deer and mourning doves.

Thursday we were up at 8 am and on the road at 8:45 am to catch the Black Ball Ferry back to Port Angeles in Washington State at 10:30 am. We're headed home. We don't want to push mileage quite so hard as we did heading west. Maybe set up camp a little earlier in the evening, have a campfire after supper. Stopped at Kanaska State Park at 7:15 pm. Day list: sparrow, Swallowtai butterfly, harbor sea, seagulls, Canadian geese, robin Stellar's jay and crow.

Friday we were up at 9 am and on the road at noon (where did our morning go). We hit a rain/hail storm in the pass coming through the mountains. Upon reaching Spokane, MT we were looking for someplace interesting to eat and found the Spokane Falls Skyride in the Riverfront Park. It rained again during supper so we set up for the night at Walmart in Post Falls about 10 pm. Day list: raven, robin, red-winged blackbird, ducks, crow and seagulls.

Wednesday we were up at 9 am and on the road at 11 am leaving Al in camp. The destination for this excursion was Butchart Gardens where Leofwyna had been in early spring 25 years ago and wanted to come back for a better flowering season. It did not disappoint... glorious place. Day list: raven, robin, geese, Swallowtail butterflies, dragonflies and bee-ee-eez-zz-zz-z.

Tuesday we were up at 9 am and on the road at 10 am. We reached Port Angeles at 1:30 and decided to deal with laundry before catching the ferry to Vancouver Island at 5:20 pm. We had reservations for camp at Goldstream Provincial Park, arriving there at 8:30 pm. Reading in poor light during supper I gave myself a terrible headache. Leofwyna medicated me and tucked me in for the night by eleven and I was relieved it was thoroughly gone by morning. Day list: seagulls, heron, robin and barn swallows.

Monday, Memorial Day, up at 8 am and on the road at 9:30 am. In all our planning we'd thought Memorial Day was next weekend when we'd be past sightseeing and headed home. Traffic was heavy in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, and being unable to leave Al parked for the day, we were only able to stop at three of the four waterfalls. A flyer Leofwyna had picked up lead us to Fabric Depot where I went over the top choosing quilt fabrics... many wonderful print lines I've never seen before and many hundreds of bolts! Again with local restrictions so we bought into Potlatch State Park ($26). Day list: crows, heron, robin, yellow finch and seagulls.

Sunday we were up at 9 am and on th road at 10 am. We stopped a Cannon Beach so Leofwyna could fly her kite. We'd hoped to see Puffins at Haystack Rock but it was too distant. Since local restrictions prevented using Walmart and we'd had so many 'free' nights, we invested in an RV camp in Aurora, OR... with showers. Day list: seagulls, crow, cormorants, deer, robins, eagle, barn swallows, Stellar's jay and heron.

Saturday we were up at 8:30 am and on the road at 9:30 am leaving Al 'in camp'. Leofwyna announced the day was dedicated to me and my interests. Our first stop was Driftwood Beach. She took me to a quilt shop, a bead shop, a Goodwill and South Jetty Beach in Florence. We finished up at Bob Creek Beach. All these beaches but no more sea glass was found, only pebbles, bits of shell, even parts of sand dollar. Day list: crow, grackle, robin, geese, buzzard, cormorant, barn swallow, pelicans and seagulls.

Friday up at 9:30am and on the road at 11:30 am. We had a 'dinner show' at breakfast with chipmunks trying to steal Leofwyna's oatmeal. If they had succeeded and been caught at it by a ranger it would have caused us to be fined $5,000. Although we were pushing mileage all day to get to Depot Bay to have dinner at the Sea Hag's Friday buffet (turned out there's no longer any buffet done there). We did stop to stretch our legs at Crescent City pier/harbor looking for river otter we'd been told might be there (only sealion was found). We set up for the night at Walmart in Newport, Oregon. Day list: chipmunks, Stellar's jay, centipede, barn swallow, robin, elk, sealions, cormorants, seals, harbor seal, opposum, deer, crow, Grey whales, gannet and egret.

Thursday we were up at 8:30 am and on the road at 9:40 am. We arrived at Redwood National Park at 10:15 am. We dropped Al on site #20 and went exploring. Redwood Creek Beach (no glass, no whales, high waves, lots of 'Carl'), Klamath Beachoverook (pretty little cemetary), Requa Road overlook (There be whales here!), and back in camp Rasa and Sebatian played Mexican Train Dominoes with us after supper. Day list: crow, elk, red-wing blackbird, yellow finch, robin, barn swallows, ground squirrel, seagulls, cormorants, Stellar's jay, sealions, Grey whales, raven, banana slug and crab.

Wednesday, up at 8 am and on the road by 8:30. We stopped in Medacino (where Murder She Wrote was taped) for gas and Leofwyna was talking with a gentleman about the camper. Lots of people were approaching to ask about it throughout the trip. This man was in a bakery truck and gave us a loaf of French bread. In the process of exploring this little town we found a jelly store and bought lemon butter and raspberry jam so lunch was bread and jelly sandwiches. One stop to stretch our legs was at a lovely Redwood grove maintained by a lumber company; good for them! At supper in Eureka we were warned off the Walmart there as law enforcement was having problems with homeless people in an adjoining property. Clam Beach ($13) half an hour up the road was suggested instead and proved quite satisfactory. Day list: crow, magpie, ~~condor~~ vulture, flicker, Kingfisher, deer, grey squirrel, mourning dove, Stellar's jay, oriol, barn swallows and egret.

Tuesday, up at 8:40 am. We had attempted to do the Whale Watch at 10am but missed the boat by 100'. Treated ourselves to croissants on Monterey's Fishermans' Wharf instead. We headed to the Gilmore Garlic Farm Truck Plaza the 3rd time for showers, and a shoulder massage. Day list: seagulls, crows, cormorrant, ground squirrel and deer. After driving our of our way 30 miles to Lake Sonoma campground found it was reservation only and no one on duty at the gate. Found a parking area with a portajohn a couple miles back down the road and stopped there for the night. Fortunately no one came across us before we packed it up the next morning.

Sunday we determined to do laundry, change the oil and empty the RAV and camper to sort and repack. We also found a Goodwill for a nice break to the day, although a very unpleasant man was harassing the clerk while we were trying to check out.

Monday we were up at 8:30 am and on the road at 10:15. Construction on Laurel Street tied us up over an hour, back and forth! Once we were on the road though distractions were appreciated. Monterey State Beach (sea glass), Carmel River State Beach, Carmel Heights overlook (whales), Rocky Creek and Bisby Bridges (1932), Carmel-on-the-sea (ring) and Monteray Fishermans Wharf. Day list: Hutton veriol, seagull, pelican, ~~condor~~ vulture, wren, Stellar's jay, comarrant, sea otter and harbor seal.ali

Saturday, Jane and Angelo caught us just as we were ready to pull out, inviting us to breakfast. Crepes-oh-la-la and a street art fair (found Golden Gate ornament) and we didn't get on the road until 1:30 pm. By this time we're thinking of eating again and head down to the Wharf to try the Lobster Rolls Angelo had mentioned. Terrible traffic turned this into a three hour endevor. They were good though. We stopped for an early night at Salinas Walmart. Day list: red-wing blackbird, raven, and seagulls.

Friday we left Al parked and headed into town on our own. Angelo and Jane had busy schedules this day so we didn't expect to see them again. We found a lovely bakery, A Sweet Affair, for brunch and ended up using a quiet table to write postcards awhile. By the time we headed over the Bay Bridge we found we were too late again for Leofwyna's aquarium place. Instead we took a brief rickshaw ride by the Wharf, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, explored a sailboat harbor, crossed back over the Golden Gate, and checked out the Golden Gate National Rec Area. The day list is seagulls (2 species), crow, grey 'sparrow' with rosy throat, red-wing blackbird, white-bellied grey 'wren' and hummingbird.

Thursday we got up to the alarm at 6am, loaded up and ready to leave by 7am except unable to hook up with the camper against the fence where it ended up last night. After thinking carefully about it last night and this morning I insisted we not try by ourselves. Had to wait until the Ranger arrived at 8 to help since the maintenance man #1 was not inclined to do anything at all. With the Ranger there mantenance man #2 came along to be of assistance; he admits to looking out the window and seeing we were having problems, went back to bed. With Ranger Rick's able assistance we got turned around and hooked up. We stayed polite for the Ranger's sake but was frank about not coming back. One good thing about this site though was a pair of Patridges that was very entertaining while we waited. On the road at 8:40 am. We spent the day in San Francisco with Jane (she drives now) crossing the Bay Bridge, visiting Coit Tower, took a look at Lombard Street, went to the Ferry Building for lunch where Angelo joined us. We went to the Wharf where we spent time at the Meusee d' Mechanique; an amazing collection of entertainment devices. We were too late for the aquarium place on Leofwyna's list so we took supper at Nick's Lighthouse. Jane took us back to their place by way of a scenic route above the city and harbor to see 'Carl' the fog come in over the Bay Bridge. We finished the day in their hot tub and set up the camper on the street a few blocks from their apartment near the BART line. We were exhausted and slept just fine, thank you. The day list didn't suffer.. partridge, mourning dove, blue/green bird, deer, magpie, blue/buff jay, hawk, seagull and harbor seal.

Wednesday we were up at 9:30 am and on the road by 11:30 am. We stopped to do laundry and get an oil change mid-afternoon. It was nearing dusk when we headed off the main road for Henry Coe State Park where we had reservations for three nights. The road into the hills was long, twisty and became narrower and steeper the farther we went. We finally pulled into camp after midnight. The process of finding our assigned spot... a total impossible space... finding irratable campers down a dead-end and having to unhook from the RAV to get turned around... deciding to settle in a 'parking' spot up top instead and running up against a fence post, having to unhook from the RAV to get off the fence and nearly running over Mickey in the process. Needless to say we decided we weren't coming back for more. Day list was grey squirrel, crow, ground squirrel, mourning dove, bunny, prairie dogs, egret, heron, deer and hawk.

Tuesday we were up at 9 am, left Al in camp and headed into Yosemite Park. Clark Range, Merced River, Nevada Falls (594'), Vernal Falls (317'), Glacier Point, Half Dome, El Capitan, Bridal Veil Falls... it's all gloriously impressive and does not disappoint. Back at camp Leofwyna and the RAV had a minor disagreement with a small tree forcing the back left fender ascew. The day list is grey squirrel, ground squirrel, lizards, crows, robin, Stellar's jay, red-wing blackbird and deer.

Monday up at 9 am, on the road at 10 am. Mickey had folded up camp herself while I was 'resting'. Surprise! At the visitor center I found the perfect (late) birthday present for her, a National Park passport. Since the road THROUGH the park was contraindicated we left the park without seeing any condors to Leofwyna's great disappointment. The day list, bunnies, ground squirrels, crow, Steller's jay, scrub jay, deer, fox squirrels, grouse, golden eagle, and Hutton viriol. Had two nights reserved at Yosemite National Park, Wawana campground C52

Sunday up at 8:30 am and on the road at 10:15 am. There's a definite early (for us) pattern going on here! Stopped at the Ventura Beach and found several pieces of sea glass; one of my California goals. Another stop to stretch our legs was at the San Luis Obispo Mission. We pulled into Pinnacles National Park about 10:30 pm. Our day list today, bees, ground squirrel, hawk, raccoon, sooty shearwaters, magpie, bunny, and bat.