Things to do if you see a Mountain Lion

I can't believe I forgot to write about the Mountain Lions at the Oregon Caves. No, we didn't see any. But we did see lots of reassuring signs. Signs (computer printouts, obviously printed out recently on clean, white paper), attached to many trees and poles and buildings. These signs said something like If You See a Mountain Lion Report it to the Ranger Immediately.

Hmmm... That got me thinking about what I would actually do if I saw a mountain lion up close. My thoughts were something like this:

I would run like hell.
I would climb a tree.
I would scream.
I would probably have a heart attack.
I would look for a big stick or rocks.
I would scream until the ranger found me.
I would yell at the ranger for not having Mountain Lion Signs that actually gave advice on how to protect yourself if you saw a mountain lion.

After we got back I found the following link to advice on what you are supposed to do if you see a Mountain Lion - http://www.nps.gov/bibe/naturescience/dont_be_prey.htm

Oregon Caves National Monument

Sunday 9/24/06 - 2nd Day of Vacation

After a leisurely breakfast we unplugged and headed towards the Oregon Caves. We had received varying advice on taking the RV with attached trailer up to the caves. Our plan was to drop the trailer or the RV and trailer somewhere in Cave Junction. We stopped at the Caves Information Center in town. After talking to a ranger we decided to the leave the RV and trailer in the parking lot. It was another gorgeous day so a motorcycle ride sounded good.

The road from Cave Junction to the Caves is only 20 miles; but the last 8 or 9 were very curvy. It was fun on the bike - but we were glad we'd left the motorhome behind. The view from the parking lot is amazing. Too bad I didn't take a picture. We arrived just in time to take the next tour of the cave.

The 90 minute tour was great. There were lots of steps, and a few tight spots with low ceilings. About 1/2 way through the tour I felt kind of weird being 200 feet below ground. Especially when the people behind us started talking about earthquakes! It's hard to take pictures in the cave. Some areas you can't use flash. Plus our tour was pretty large and it was hard to get in the right position to take good shots. But still... it was worth it to see the amazing granite caves.

If you do the tour be sure to dress warm. The temperature in the cave year-round is 43 degrees. I recommend you go on a weekday... I'm sure it won't be as crowded.

After the tour Dave and I hiked up the ridge (Cliff Nature Trail). The views were incredible. Dave took pictures of Earl and his wife and then Earl took pictures of us. Thanks, Earl! Our adventures made us pretty hungry. We decided to have lunch in the Chateau Cafe. It's an old-fashion diner type cafe. The food was good and the ambience incredible.

The bike ride down was nice and a lot faster than it would have been in the Tioga. Dave had the bike loaded up and we were on the road by 3:00. The drive to Prospect was beautiful. Rode along the Rogue River most of the way. We started a new book on CD "Water for Elephants". It's very interesting.

Arrived in Prospect about 5:00. We stayed at the Prospect RV Park. It's very nice and clean. Large sites and friendly host. We really enjoyed the golf cart park tour and being able to pick our pull-thru site. No cell service, though (Sprint or Cingular).

Had leftover tacos for dinner. Tasty and easy. We read for awhile before watching the rest of "The Doors".

Oregon Caves National Monument http://www.nps.gov/orca/

Prospect RV Park http://www.prospectrvpark.com/

Cave Junction, OR 9/24/06

After breakfast and checking the trailer load (see previous entry) we drove South to Cave Junction. It was a beautiful fall day and a nice, easy drive. We stopped at a county park along I-5 and made sandwiches for lunch. I love travelling in the RV.

We decided not to make reservations this trip. It's nice to see the park and surroundings before committing to spending the night. Plus we never know when we might want to move along. We'd done a little research online and we had our handy dandy Woodalls directory.

Anyway, we drove by one park (too empty, no trees) and then ended up at the Mountain Man RV Park a couple miles south of Cave Junction. It's a small, clean park with a mix of seasonal and overnight guests. There were no pull-throughs available so we got a back-in site. No problem with the trailer. There was a river behind our site and I found a couple of small rocks. We met several friendly and helpful people. Even got to play fetch with one of the dogs. We would definitely stay here again.
Dave spent time playing with his new cell phone and his new portable iPod speakers. Then we played a game of cribbage and 3 games of Trouble. Next on the entertainment agenda was watching 'The Doors'. We watched it on the laptop with the iPod speakers. It worked great. The laptop screen is bigger than our TV; plus we're able to sit close to it in the dinette. And the speakers meant we didn't need the volume up very high. Big improvement over the TV.

Camping in the Driveway, Parents leave town, etc...

I like driveway camping. It reminds me of camping in the backyard when we were kids. That was always so much fun. Especially when we played flashlight tag, late at night, when we were supposed to be sleeping. Sorry, Mom!

This first night, bonus night, of our vacation was supposed to be spent at home getting ready. Then we found out that Dave's parents were leaving for the winter during our vacation. So we decided to leave Friday night and stay at the bro-in-laws so we could say our goodbyes. It worked out great. We would have been driving through Vancouver on our way south anyway. It actually made our Saturday drive a lot shorter.

We arrived in Vancouver around 9:00. Had time to visit for awhile before retreating to the motorhome to sleep. We weren't exactly level... so we opted to sleep on the couch. We have several fleece lap blankets on the motorhome. Also a couple of stadium blankets. We used those instead of unmaking the cabover bed (too much work). Woke up cold Saturday morning. Turned on the furnace but no heat. Checked the fridge - it wasn't working. Duh! The propane was off. Oops. At least the food seemed OK.

Dave backed us out of the driveway. After several attempts the trailer went in the direction he wanted and we were off to meet the parents at Ihops. Then one of the bicycles decided to ride along the trailer instead of inside of it. Wow... can't believe we made the 2.5 hour freeway drive with the load intact. After resecuring the bike on the trailer we continued on to the restaurant. This time I rode in back of the RV so I could keep checking the trailer.

We had a good breakfast and great visit in a very crowded restaurant. Then we said our "See ya laters". It's tough when the parents leave for the winter... mine had left earlier in the week. Hard not to worry but I know they really enjoy the warm AZ weather, the fresh grapefruits and lemons, and the relaxed retirement lifestyle. Oh well. We are on vacation!

Dave spent some time checking and readjusting the trailer before we hit the highway. It's a beautiful fall day and we on our way to Cave Junction, OR.

Oregon Fall Vacation

That's right. We recently got back from our fall vacation. Spent a week camping in Oregon. Still love our RV. It's so nice to travel around with our own little 'cabin'. Anyway, I'll start posting on this trip soon. In the meantime... following are the locations and activities you can look forward to reading about.

Camping in the Bro-in-laws driveway.
Cave Junction; National Cave Monument, 90 minute Cave Tour, Mountain Lions.
Prospect; Avenue of the Boulders and waterfall hikes
Crater Lake, Bears
John Day Painted Hills
Digging Fossils in Fossil
John Day Fossil Beds
Root Beer Float in the best, funnest, Ice Cream Shop ever.
Boardman, bike ride, flat tires.

This was one of my favorite types of vacations. In addition to gorgeous scenery, we had time to read, play games, ride bikes, ride the motorcycle, and explore new areas and hobbies. We met lots of friendly Oregonians. Details to follow.

Mossyrock Park

We camped at Mossyrock Park on Labor Day Weekend. It was pretty crowded, of course. But what a beautiful park.

Somehow we had accidently reserved a non-power site. Boy, did we regret that. It was a hot weekend. Sure would have been nice to have the AC. We did have a great view of the lake. Another of our site's amenities was the 'BMX' track right behind our site. It was very entertaining watching little kids go round and round. Our site was plenty big enough for a large tent (the pup tent looked lonely).

Part of the 'BMX' Track.

Max showed us tricks.

We rode our bikes over to the Mossyrock Dam. It was a nice ride with very little traffic. We took the road on the way over and found a trail on the way back.

The swimming beach.

Another great weekend visiting with family, enjoying amazing views, and exploring new areas on our bikes. We are so lucky!

Why Can't I Camp Here?

No Camping

And it looked like such a nice spot. Tons of electricity available.

Thousand Trails in Chehalis

Both of our parents are members of Thousand Trails. Dave and I have stayed at a couple of the parks (Las Vegas and Verde Valley). But last weekend was the first time we stayed in one in our own motorhome. We joined my parents as guests.

It was a nice park (preserve) - most of the spaces seemed large. Our site was great.

We had fun playing pool.

My Mom and I puzzled in the Adult Lodge. It was a warm weekend and to be honest we think they might be having a sewer problem. There were some serious bad smells in a few areas. Other than that hopefully temporary problem the park seemed clean and well-maintained.

One major drawback - most of the sites are up a steep hill. Our bike ride was a lot of work (on the way back to camp). I know... exercise is supposed to tough.

Thousand Trails seems great for families (with kids that like swimming pools) and retirees with time to use it. My parents stay at Thousand Trails a lot and love it. I don't think Dave and I would get much usage out of a membership though. We like to go and explore different places and probably wouldn't use all the amenities offered.

RV Envy

Been awhile since my last post. Lots of overtime and a family wedding in Houston have kept us out of the motorhome. Everytime I walk by our RV I feel sad. It's time to pack up and drive somewhere. Hopefully we'll have time to go in the next couple of weeks.

I keep seeing RV's on the road and wishing it was me in the passenger seat! We saw RV parks in Houston and Galveston. They looked nice from the road.

Wouldn't it be nice to take a long cross country trip someday? We could stay at the RV park I saw near NASA. Or one of the 2 parks we drove by in Galveston. We could finally visit Glacier National Park and explore Colorado. Maybe even Yosemite and the Napa Valley. Someday...

Group Camping at Rainbow Falls State Park

Last weekend was our annual family campout. For the first time ever we managed to secure a group camp site. It was so nice to have our own place. We were able to string lots of tables together for our dinner. The fire pit was huge... plenty of room for us to gather around.

And the group camp was even cheaper than normal camping. $2.00 per person per night plus the $25.00 booking fee. What a deal. No extra vehicle charges!

This group site has no hookups. That was fine for most of us. My Aunt and Uncle had some problems because their trailer batteries were dead.

Another issue: My parents weren't able to get their satellite to work because there were so many trees. Speaking of trees - they did stay upright at this family campout (see my post "When the Tree Fell" from April 19th).

The last major problem of the weekend - my niece's phone was in analog roam. You can't text message in analog roam. So so sad.

Anyway, despite all the minor inconveniences of camping we had a great time. Played a few games (Monopoly, Trouble, and Dominoes). Some people swam in the river. Dave and I went for a couple of bike rides. Mostly though, there was a lot of sitting and visiting around the fire.

Scene from our bike ride.

This calf lives right behind the group camp and was very friendly.

Saturday night was the Navajo Taco feast. Great fry bread with chili and cheese and onions and lettuce and tomatoes and sour cream and stuff. Then we had strawberries, angel food cake, and whipping cream for dessert. Followed a couple of hours later with smores.

My great-nephew got tired of having his picture taken.

Family Campout Trivia:

23 people stayed one or both nights
4 others came for a few hours on Saturday
1 Class C
1 Class A with slides
1 Tent trailer
1 Trailer
6 tents
20-30 picnic tables

Current Project - Snapping the Sheets

Our Class C has the cabover bed. That's where Dave and I sleep. It's fairly comfortable and very convenient to have our bed out of the way.

The worst thing about the cabover is making the bed. There's no room to maneuver. Plus, even if you can get the sheets and blankets tucked in they come untucked with alarming frequency. Every morning it's a hassle to get the top sheet and blanket retucked.

I searched online and found a possible solution. Put snaps at the bottom of the sheet and bedding and snap them to the frame. I've got the snaps on the sheet (added reinforcement patch) and now need to install the snaps on the frame. If this works I will be very happy, and will continue with the blanket and comforter. If it doesn't work I'll try velcro. Check back in for an update.

Holiday Weekend Camping

Usually we avoid camping on the long weekends. Our holiday plan was to go to Eastern Washington and visit family. We were taking 3 passengers - leaving Saturday morning and returning on Monday. Plans changed, however, and we ended up at Dosewallips State Park. I know, it's the opposite direction of our intended destination.

We lucked into a spot with power and some privacy. Although there did seem to be a shortcut right at the edge of our site.

It was nice to camp with company. Dave's brother and nephew joined us on Saturday. Sunday, Dave's sister joined us. Our nephew camped in a tent with friends (on the other side of the campground). So there were 4 of us sleeping in the RV Sunday night. Seemed to have plenty of room and luckily nobody snores loud.

It was a good weekend. A little crazy with kids riding bikes around the campground (there must have been a sale on training wheels somewhere). Anyway, we stuck with our original plan of heading out on Saturday and returning Monday. So holiday traffic wasn't too bad.

Sunday morning Dave and I did a short bike ride. The roads didn't seem too friendly so we headed back to the campground and took a short hike. It was great to be out in the woods and away from the noisy campground for awhile.

Dilemma: We just came from the campground and we were not done walking.

So we headed off to Maple Valley

It was a steep climb - the benches came in handy.

Then we turned around and checked out Trails End.

Some people drove up to Lake Cushman and went swimming.

Later Sunday some of the group went clamming and oyster harvesting on the canal. I was fortunate enough to avoid both of those activities. I did have to see some of the shellfish. Gross. Food should come from a grocery store. Neatly packaged and clean. Preferably pre-cooked.

Speaking of cooking - there was a fair amount of that going on this weekend. We usually bring easy meals. But this weekend we had to pull out the portable stove while my bro-in-law set up his propane grill. Geez. I had forgotten that camping can take so much work! I thought it was all about the relaxing and exploring.

Our next trip is the family campout. We'll be staying in a group site. Can't wait.

Kalaloch - Olympic National Park

Last weekend we camped at Kalaloch. Our site (A27) was fantastic. No power, water, cable, or cell service. Just a nice private site with an amazing ocean view. How'd we get so lucky? It's because we made reservations back on February 5th.

Friday night we arrived in time for a walk on the beach. Lots of driftwood, and some rocks to explore. Then we unpacked the java logs. It was wonderful to experience the ocean sounds and the sunset from the comfort of our campfire. Saturday Dave took the bike off the trailer and we rode towards La Push. It was a beautiful day. This stretch of Highway 101 is very peaceful. We planned to hike out to Second Beach or Third Beach but there was no parking. Plus we were hungry. So we went into Forks (it was already 86 degrees) and had lunch.

We stopped at Beach No. 4 on our way back to camp. It was great... just a short walk from the parking lot. There were fishermen fishing, kids sand castling, and seals surfing. Dave even spotted an Eagle in a tree. Then I saw a 2nd one. Dave explored the tide pools while I looked for rocks.

Next we went to the Kalaloch Store/Lodge. Stocked up on ice and marshmallows. After dinner we had another fire and watched the sunset. Then I beat Dave at 2 games of cribbage.

Sunday morning we walked over to the Lodge and had breakfast while enjoying the view. Then it was one last walk on the beach before heading home.

View from Kalaloch Lodge.

http://www.visitkalaloch.com/
http://www.nps.gov/olym/pphtml/camping.html

The Worst RV Trip Ever

I know, you think I'm exaggerating. But really, this was just awful. To make it worse we were in a borrowed RV. The borrowed RV my parents were moving into immediately after our vacation. That's right, they had sold their house, were packing up, and heading south. Before that they wanted to let Dave and I use their motorhome. And we agreed. Oops.

So anyway... our vacation started nice and easy. My Dad had showed us how all the systems work. The RV was packed and we headed over the mountains to sunshine (aka Eastern Washington). We were so excited. Many camping trips had been spent across the mountains... and always we'd dreamed of being in an RV with A/C. Finally, our time had come.

Everything was going good for the first 2 hours... until part way up Snoqualmie Pass. Shortly after North Bend the transmission started slipping. Scary. I wasn't as worried as Dave was. I mean after all... I knew we did nothing to the tranny. But Dave. Dave was worried. About getting stuck. About explaining it to his Father-in-law. About the towing fees. Fortunately for me, Dave kept his worries to himself. So I was able to enjoy my vacation mood for a little longer.
Then the loud noise kicked in. Then the thermostat started climbing. MMMM. Could be a problem. We pulled over and let the motorhome rest for awhile. Lots of other RV's were resting also. Maybe everyone was having the same problems? I tried to call the parents to see if this was the way the RV always acted on mountain passes. Unfortunately, there was no cell reception. After a long rest we proceeded on our way up and over the pass. With just a little more slippage.

Everything was fine for awhile. I was convinced we were in the clear. Dave was worried about the trip back over the mountains. Then we approached the next long hill near Vantage. Dave and I exchanged worried looks and crossed our fingers. Sure enough the slippage started. Then the loud noise. Followed shortly by rising engine temperatures. We stopped at a rest area at the top of the hill. A friendly RVer said most motorhomes did this. Best thing is to go slow in the slow lane (we had been) and don't stop when the engine is hot (oops). He said it would cool off fast going downhill. OK. We still decided it would be best to camp at Vantage and talk to the parents before proceeding.

Parents said they had had some problems before. That on long, steep, inclines we should get in the slow lane and go real slow. That's what we had been doing. The parents convinced us to continue our vacation and we did. Rented a superfast jetski at Vantage and went superfast.

We moved camp and the next 2 days went fine. I enjoyed myself. Dave worried silently about getting back over the mountains.

Then we moved camp to one of the nicer places we had planned to camp at. I think it was Oasis RV Park in Ephrata. It seemed like a cool little town and we were looking forward to exploring. Dave hooked us up to city water and went to check out the game room. I started to prepare lunch. I heard a loud noise at the back of the motorhome and thought Dave was teasing me by banging on the outside of the coach. Then I thought I heard water running. I opened up the door to the rear bedroom and water was gushing out from under the bed. Wow.

I went racing outside and water was pouring out the back of the RV... around the bumper. I shut the water off and waited, stunned, for a minute until Dave got back. As you might have guessed, Dave had connected the hose to the fresh water tank. Once the tank filled up, and water kept coming in, the tank popped. Most of the water was draining out the back. Meanwhile the blood was draining out of our faces and we were horrified. We broke my parents new home! Actually, new is overstating it. The motorhome was a few years old.

Of course we didn't have enough towels to sop up the inside water. We did the best we could with blankets and stuff. Dave unhooked us, we checked out, and headed back over the mountains. Slowly, of course, up the hills. Our hope was to get home in time to locate an RV repair facility that could fix the water tank before our 'vacation' was up. This was Tuesday - so we hoped to get it fixed by Saturday or Monday at the latest so my parents could move into their RV. The tranny still slipped, the RV heated up, but we made it.

Finally we got home and Dave started backing up the RV. He was too close to the jeep and I was yelling at him and waving wildly but he couldn't hear or see me. Dave hit the jeep (rubbed the side of it). Lifted the jeep up on the 2 right wheels.Then he stopped. I was yelling at him something like "You hit the jeep, You hit the jeep"! He said "No I didn't, I would have felt it". I said "Look at the jeep!" And so he did. It was still up on the 2 wheels. He said a few bad words and moved the motorhome forward. The jeep settled down.

We reparked the motorhome and were more than ready to go in the house. Except we couldn't find the house keys. Anywhere. Called information, contacted a locksmith, called the parents to tell them about the water tank, and the scratch on the motorhome.

We spent the rest of our vacation getting the RV fixed, locating parts, rubbing out the scratches on the RV and the jeep. My parents had to leave a couple of days later than planned but they were really nice about the whole thing. They felt bad we had such a horrible vacation. We learned a few very good lessons.

1. Never borrow a motorhome.
2. Water can be very dangerous.
3. RV watertanks are not very tough.
4. RV watertanks are a hassle to replace.
5. That loud noise you hear on steep inclines when the RV starts to overheat is a good thing. It's the after-market auxillary fan kicking in!
6. Be careful backing up.
7. Never borrow a motorhome.
8. Parents are amazing people.

Stocking the RV

After we bought the motorhome, while still deep in buyers' remorse, Dave and I agreed to spend as little as possible on RV contents (kitchen items, bedding, towels, etc...). After all, their were a number of necessary purchases still to make. These included the motorcycle trailer, tie-downs, and hitch locks. We also needed (wanted) a bunk ladder, leveling blocks or ramps, and a vcr/dvd player.

So, while Dave was looking through RV catalogs and camping stores I was shopping in the house. You know, sorting through the pots & pans, the tupperware, the silverware drawer, the linen closet, the camping boxes. Measuring TV's to see which would fit (the 13 inch TV was just right dang it). I think Dave was having more fun.

Then, one day after work, I decided to stop by the Dollar Store. This was my very first trip to the Dollar Store. I was amazed. So much stuff and everything was a dollar! I got a dishpan, pancake flippers, cleaning supplies, scissors, broom and dustpan, foil, saran wrap, etc... When I got home and showed Dave everything he wanted to know how much I'd spent. I told him $13.00. He couldn't believe it. So after dinner we went back up to the store and got even more stuff (like speaker wire, duct tape, etc...) I think we spent about $8.00. Amazing.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun stocking the RV. Eventually I made new curtains and bought new dishes (corell). We never did have to buy new bath towels. Turns out we had a plethora of towels and frying pans in the house. Who knew?

For the first few trips our most important items were the notepad and pen. We were constantly updating the shopping list. And the to-do list. Also the dream list. Actually, we're still working on that dream list.

To Bring the Motorcycle or Not?

If you read my earlier post about buying our RV you know that being able to trailer the bike was a big deal. Turns out we don't bring the bike that much. Depends on the type of trip we have planned, the weather forecast, and the hassle vs. benefit factor.

Our first and only long trip so far was a 2 week trip to Yellowstone. The bike really came in handy. Nice to be able to park and use the bike to explore or grocery shop (our bike has big saddlebags). Did you know Bison approaching you on the road look much bigger from a motorcycle than they do if you're sitting in an RV? We had no way to turn around... so Dave told me to hold on. I said wait a minute and grabbed my camera so I could shoot as we went by. Figured at least there'd be evidence left.
That trip we also found out how quick the weather can change. We went into the 'museums' in Cody during sunshine and came out to 1/2 inch of snow. That was a fun, luckily short, ride back to camp.

That trip we learned that it isn't fun to back up with the trailer connected. Like most trailers it likes to back one way only. So we bought a wheel hitch thing for the trailer so we can unhook and roll it around easily. We also learned it's hard to back the bike off the trailer when the trailer is unhooked from the motorhome. Even if I'm standing on the hitch of the trailer trying to counter balance the bike. I'm sure we've created some interesting entertainment for our camping neighbors.

The bike was really nice to have when we took a week vacation to Eastern Oregon (Wallawa Lake State Park). Nice to tour through Hells Canyon and then go into Joseph for a shopping trip.
Usually on weekend trips we leave the bike at home. Unless, that is, we think we might use it. In a few weeks we'll be heading to Klaloch. If the weather forecast is even close to good the bike is going. I can't wait to explore the beaches.

Kanaskat-Palmer State Park

It was another great camping weekend. Friday night we drove up to Kanaskat-Palmer State Park. Arrived at the park around 8:00. Our site is fabulous... a pull-through that is very private. Electric only so we had to fill the fresh water tank on our way in. It poured down rain Friday so all the tenters had elaborate tarp systems set up.

The movie tonight was Lords of War. It was pretty interesting actually. Not as violent as I expected so I was able to watch the whole thing. Last week was busy... so we called it an early night. We were sound asleep when a loud siren went off around 10:00. Didn't know what it was but we thought it might be a flood or mudflow warning. We tried to get TV reception (got sound only). Didn't hear any warnings so we figured it was safe to go back to sleep. The next day we found out it's actually the call signal for the Volunteer Fire Dept. We've stayed here twice before and have never heard the siren. Believe me, it's loud.

Saturday was a beautiful day. After breakfast (egg, cheese and bacon bits on whole wheat bagels) we walked down to the river. It was much higher than we've seen before. The rocks I normally play in were underwater. We walked down aways but still no rocks to play with. The fishermen seemed to enjoy the calmer parts of the river.
We walked back along the park road and saw this guy. He couldn't figure out why we wanted to take his picture... but finally he agreed to pose. After our walk it was time for a cup of coffee outside. Then we went for bike ride. Went up highway 410 a bit then took a side road. It was a nice ride... very little traffic and pretty views. We decided to take this trail once we got back in the park. Sadly, just a little ways in there were trees and branches across the trail. So we had to return to the road.Later we had a fire. The river sounds great from our site. The occasional passing train adds to the ambience. This state park is near Enumclaw. It's on the Green River and is popular for camping, fishing, and kayaking. There are a couple of other parks to visit in the area. About 4 miles away is Nolte State park. It's a day use park with a lake and swimming area. Flaming Geyser State Park is also close. Day-use only but it's fun to see the geyser.

http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Kanaskat%2DPalmer&pageno=1

How We Chose Our RV

Dave and I had wanted some type of camper for years. Frequently, when we were out and about, we'd stop at used lots to look at RV's. We went to RV shows at the Tacoma Dome. A few times we almost even bought one (I call this game 'Tease the Salesman'). We didn't do it on purpose. Usually we just came to our senses before the paperwork was brought out.

Sometimes we'd look at Truck Campers. There are some mighty nice ones out there. But we figured out we'd have to dump a lot of money in our truck or maybe even buy a new truck. Plus, we really wanted a little more room. So we finally checked truck campers off our list.

Trailers were never on our list. Dave absolutely did not want a trailer. Unless it was a 5th wheel. 5th wheels were definitely on our list. Lots of room in the 5th wheels. But we had the same issue with our truck. It's brakes and transmission would need upgrades. Plus, with a 5th wheel, we couldn't take the motorcycle on trips. You know how cranky motorcycles get when they have to stay at home. So we crossed 5th Wheels off the list.

We decided that a small, newer, used, Class C would be the perfect unit. Small enough to get in and out of regular campsites. Strong enough to pull the motorcycle. Room enough for company. We even knew what model we wanted. The 'Party' model. These have the kitchen in the back, a sleeper couch, a dinette, and a bed above the cab. Sadly, these can be difficult to find.

So, frustrated, we usually stopped our shopping for awhile. The stuff we could afford didn't really work for us. The stuff that worked for us we couldn't really afford. Then the next year, invariably, we'd put the truck campers and 5th wheels back on our imaginary list.

Then, one very special day, on the way back from Seattle, we stopped at an RV lot. There, with it's door open, calling our names, was a used 23' Class C. It was perfect! Well, except for the blue interior. Luckily that could be changed someday. We made an offer based on it passing an independant mechanical check.

So that's the story of how we found our motorhome. And here's a picture of it on our very first camping trip.

Manchester State Park, Washington

Friday night we got home from work, packed the RV, nuked leftovers, then left for the park. It's nice to drive across the Narrows Bridge and see the progress on the 2nd bridge. It's going up incredibly fast. It will be strange to have 2 Narrows Bridges. All my life it's been The Bridge.

Anyway, we were camped by 7:45. It drizzled on the way over so we decided to skip a fire. Dave plugged us in and we got caught up on magazine reading. A nice thing about this campground is the occasional sound of barking seals. Funny to hear it in the middle of the woods though. Then we started to watch Hostage.

Saturday morning we ate cereal and finished watching Hostage. Good Bruce Willis movie.

Then we walked through the campground down to the water. We saw the old torpedo warehouse and the gun battery. The trail meanders around the point and beside the water. Along the way we climbed down to the beach and admired the views. A seal barked at us. Then we turned into the woods, climbed stairs and startled a deer at the top. We entered a clearing and saw lots of flowers.It was a great walk.

The sun was starting to peek out so we decided to have a Java Log fire. Our site is large and private. It was so relaxing to journal and read by the fire.Late in the afternoon we took another walk. Then Dave started another fire. I made chili (from a can) for dinner and we ate outside.

This was the perfect camping weekend. Close to home but in a different world. We even left the laptop at home.