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.