November 27, 2009 at 6am we began our journey to Red Bluff, California, yes I said Red Bluff!

The drive to Red Bluff was great, no rain, no wind, lots or big rigs but no problems!

We arrived at 11:00am, having made 1 potty break and taken our time. The facilities were beautiful, the sites are good size, the staff is super friendly and helpful, they even escort you to your site with their fancy golf carts!

The only drawback is that Durango did not build a sound wall and they are directly alongside  Hwy 5 and even with the water fountains in our backyard, there was highway noise 24 hours a day.

Now I hear through the grapevine that the same owners are going to build a resort in Hopland, about an hour north of us, if that’s a fact, you can bet that I will stay there often! As long as its not right on Hwy 101!

Our adventure in pictures! Enjoy!

The entrance to Durango

Site #91 our home for the weekend!

Chloe on site watch, she's not suppose to be sitting on the end tables, but technically I guess she's sitting on the pillow! lol

Be sure to bring an extension cord, the pads are long!

Sites have long level pads with a nice grass area on both sides and full hook ups, its nice that you can hook up on either side of your site.

Walking the Chihuahua's along the path at Durango, along the Sacramento River..

On Saturday we decided to take a little trip to the Lassen National Forest. It was a VERY windy day, thank goodness we weren’t traveling, actually had it been a travel day I believe we would have chose to call in sick and stay an extra day!

We're on our way, traveling Hwy 48, the mountains look pretty small at this point, and so far away!

We're getting closer and the mountains are getting bigger. You can see the wind blowing the snow off the peaks, it was beautiful!

Entering the Lassen National Forest and we've got snow!

The snow was gorgeous, we haven't been to the snow in a few years, so you forget just how beautiful it is, now I love to visit the snow, but I would never live in it, to much plowing!

Entering the Lassen Volcanic National Park

Entrance to the Visitors Center

The Visitors Center at the peaks of Mount Lassen, what a gorgeous day! The Chihuahua's first time in the snow, Chloe didn't mind it at all, Cocopuff not so much, guess he needed his snow shoes!

The view behind the Visitors Center!

The drive out of the park.. it was about 34 degrees, brrrrr, that's cold weather for a California Girl..:-)

This shows you just how windy it was up there, leaves, limbs, pinecones and everything was flying around! I of course made Tim stop so I could gather a few pinecones for Christmas!

Sunset that evening at Durango, the color of the sky was beautiful!

Saturday evening we met up with some nice RVers that we met through RV.net. What a great group of people, thanks everyone for making us feel so welcome, us being the new kids on the block, Kellie the pecan pumpkin pie was amazing, in fact I might need that recipe from you! We’re looking forward to camping with all of you in the future! Thanks again!

Loaded up and ready to pull out on Sunday!

Goodbye Durango!

Well, it seems like only yesterday we pulled the rig into our winter home site… oh yes, it was only yesterday!

After a very very busy summer and a rather exciting haul to Texas, I find myself falling behind in everything from silly forwards clogging the inbox to posting here. I apologize to those who emailed me with “Where are you?” and “Did you give up RVing?” emails. It’s just been a rather busy year. Quite frankly, I’m surprised we are already headed for December and 2010!

So I promise to post more in the weeks ahead. After all, you need to know about our crazy search for RV tires, our disappointment in Camping World (the one in Roanoke), tropical storm Ida and all the latest campground news!

I also will try to get caught up on campground reviews and posting photos. And for those who wanted more “inside” information on workamping – I’ll be sure to post more pieces regarding the lifestyle.

Meanwhile, I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving holiday!

What a beautiful weekend we had, we had sand dunes in our back yard and cows roaming in our front yard and plenty of space in between us and our neighbors!

We had such a great weekend, we just might do it all over again next weekend!

Our campsite at Lawsons Landing

Our front yard along with the daily visitors

Our backyard at Lawsons Landing

The view of Dillion Beach just over our backyard sand dunes

Chloe on the beach sporting her new coat!

Cocopuff on the dunes sporting his new coat!

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Last week I was driving in the mountains of Virginia, on the way to visit relatives in my hometown near the West Virginia line. About halfway between Lexington and Warm Springs, on two-lane Rt. 32 West, you come upon Goshen Pass scenic overlook. The large pull-off there has a waist-high stone wall to keep cars and people from falling into the gorge 60 to 80 feet below, at the bottom of which runs the Maury River. This time of year the river is low — no cascading white water that thrills the eye in the early spring — however, the views are just as beautiful. As with any tourist, the autumn color display attracts me — but when it comes to photography, not so much. It’s hard to do fall foliage images without resorting to visual cliché, so I had my eye out for compositions that would respect the natural beauty of the area, but also have another level — in this case something a bit humorous, perhaps. Standing by that wide rock wall, all I had to do was glance down to find my subject. Of the seven graffiti samples pictured here, my favorite is “SAUSAGE,” with the little smiling stick figure sausage man. (Click images for larger views.)

Copyright © 2009 Jim Sizemore.

If you’re interested in taking the same drive, here’s a bit more information about Goshen Pass and nearby attractions, adapted from the “Virginia is for Lovers” website.

Enjoy the natural beauty this area of the state has to offer by following scenic Route 39 up steep mountains and along deep gorges. Begin in Lexington, Virginia, I-81 exit 188, home to historic sites and universities (Virginia Military Institute, Washington and Lee). Start out on Route 11 N and then drive west on Route 39 and head out of town. You will come upon the Virginia Horse Center, a modern facility that operates year-round and hosts horse shows, auctions, festivals and educational clinics.

Proclaimed to be “the loveliest spot in Virginia” you will pass through Goshen Pass, the narrow passage carved out by the Maury River with its steep rocky sides where you’ll see mountain laurel, rhododendron, rocky cliffs and rushing whitewater. Here you’ll find easy access to a roadside pull off from where you might spot someone fishing or enjoying a kayak ride. These are perfect spots for a picnic followed by a refreshing walk along the Maury River’s rippling waters. Restrooms are available here too.

As you continue, you’ll enter the George Washington National Forest, you will soon enter the town of Warm Springs, location of the famous Homestead resort and spa. The Town of Warm Springs got its name from the natural mineral springs that maintain a 98-degree temperature year round. In fact, you might just want to try a dip in the pools.

Taking a side trip off Route 39 in Warm Springs, travel south on State Highway 600 to Lake Moomaw which offers boating, water skiing and swimming, in addition to fishing. Several nearby developed campgrounds offer a good place to stay while you enjoy the outdoors.

The canopy has been rolled up for the last time, the bug lantern has been put away and all the firewood has been burned. The pools have been emptied, the restaurant is now closed and the volleyball nets have been taken down.

Most people I know really enjoy fall, cooler days and crisp nights, the beautiful fall colors and relief from the summer heat. I however am a summer person and don’t get excited about fall swallowing up summer. Fall is a prelude to a long and dreaded Northern Midwest Winter and brings for me the saddest day of the year, the day our camper is put into storage for winter. That’s right dear reader; we sadly put our camper into storage for the winter and camping season officially ended last Sunday.

Paula, our second oldest son Austin and I headed out to the camper last Sunday to clean out the camper of everything and winterize it and get it moved into storage at the resort. There was LOTS to be done and the three of us spent almost all day working on it. Clothes removed, dishes removed, bedding removed, odds & ends removed, battery removed, propane tanks, water drained, anti freeze into holding tanks, the list goes on and on. The more we moved things out, the sadder I seem to become. I started reflecting on all of the fun we had this camping season and then like he knew I was thinking of him, my buddy bitch eyes drove up in his truck.

Bitch eyes was there checking on his camper in storage and decided to drive by and see if mine was still there. He stopped and chatted with us all for a while and made my day a little brighter. Thanks for that bitch eyes!

We did a lot of laughing about the fun we had last summer. Golf cart parades, conversations around the campfire, throwing my second youngest son into the lake, putting dead catfish under blind Tommy’s camper, and all the other crazy fun we had. We are all looking forward to next year ALREADY!!

I have one request of my readers today. I ask that sometime during your busy lives today, you take just a few seconds to bow your head in silence and pray for an early spring. Bitch eyes and I are counting on ya!

Thanks!

 A drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway during the “peak” of Leaf Season revealed a faded landscade.  Not many stunning colors. 

If you drive it, remember Virginia overuses the term “scenic overlook”. Most of the time it is just a parking lot overlooking a wooded area. So try to look ahead before you bend your rig in there. And there were several RVs on the road… surprisingly, all headed South!

We just made reservations at the DURANGO RV RESORT in Red Bluff, CA now this is a definite resort!! It’s beautiful, we can’t wait to stay there in November. We chose one of the water feature sites, we thought it would be nice to hear the running water in our “backyard”.

October 9-12, 2009

We pulled into Site 17 at sunset and we had a nice big pull through site. This was a small charming RV park with a private beach on the Russian River I would say that the only downside was that the park is right next to the Alexander Valley Road which is one of the main roads into the valley of grape vineyards and a popular route for buses and cars to get to the River Rock Casino. Rain was on its way so were plenty of full and empty grape trucks bumping down the road all day long. Check out our full campground review.

Besides the road noise we had a great, restful extended weekend!

Site 17

Tim's outdoor kitchen

Coffee time

The Russian River

Chloe on guard duty!

The area we are currently staying is big on Halloween! The campground is booked every weekend and has numerous Halloween activities from carving pumpkins to haunted hayrides. The children can trick-or-treat and families can enter weekly campsite-decorating contests.

Of course, when you are a full-time RVer, your storage space is limited. Fortunately, when it comes to being creative, we have plenty of space!

Initially we discussed doing scarecrow “people” around our campfire… lounging in the chairs, roasting fake marshmallows over a fake fire… But after some brainstorming, we decided to base our theme on a children’s Halloween party. We decided to keep it simple, festive and child-friendly.

We decorated our picnic table with costumed “children” having a Halloween party. The table includes plates, cups, candy (emptied and resealed wrappers, of course!), plastic toys (spiders, bats, pumpkins) and orange Halloween lights. The table has been webbed-over by a few busy spiders.

The “children” include a skeleton, scarecrow, pumpkinhead, lady bug and, of course, Frankenstein. Our little creations were easy to make – we created their bodies out of recycled water bottles, two-liter soda bottles and one-gallon tea containers. All their costumes were purchased from the local thrift store for less than ten dollars. No item was over $1!

When the party is over – the children go in the recycle bin and their clothes get washed and donated back to the local thrift store.

No party is complete without a buffet table and decorations! So we decorate the tree above the Halloween party and a table behind it. Spider webbing, ghosts and an inflatable spider were quick, inexpensive decorations to draw attention to our main display.

The “boo-ffet” table was decorated with a Halloween tree. If you just want one decoration or a centerpiece for a Halloween party – a Halloween tree is easy to do. We purchased a trick-or-treat bucket (a pumpkin) at a Dollar Tree store. We filled the bucket with rocks and then arranged dead tree branches in it.  We decorated the tree with ghosts, spiders, bugs, skulls and Halloween-colored ribbons. After our tree was finished, we webbed it. For a creepy effect, we used a hot glue gun around our “ornaments” and left the glue drip around the tree and webbing. We then added our other table decorations (garland, white lights – from Christmas!) and webbing.

So even if your space is limited, use your imagination to take part in the Halloween fun at your local campground!

October 3, 2009

It was 3:00pm when we arrived at Casini and all of the other campers had already arrived and been set up for a day, so our site was definitely cramped. We backed our trailer into our site and set up camp, we had so little space between our RV and our neighbors that we could not even retract our awning until they pulled out the next morning. We brought our camera and forgot to take pictures.. oops

Check out our full campground review.

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Although we are currently along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, we are still surrounded by a mass of green trees. A recent drive showed some Fall color, but not much. Locals say it will peak soon and hopefully another trip down the Parkway will reveal a more dramatic display. AND, maybe, just maybe next time the sun will be shining!

Meanwhile, we continue to pack for our next adventure… stay tuned for details!

Written Sunday, August 30, 2009

My friend Randy stopped by today and brought me a jar of salsa he made from fresh ingredients grown in his very own garden.

Some of you will remember Randy as the “fingers caught in the canopy guy.” For those of you that haven’t had the pleasure of hearing about Randy, you can read more about him here.

Made with fresh tomatoes, onions, green, red and jalapeno peppers along with whatever else is in there, made not only an awesome tasting salsa but a salsa quite appealing to the eye as well.

If you are a salsa lover as I am, be jealous. Be VERY VERY jealous as this was deliciously salsarific!

Thanks Randy!

OLE!

Written Wednesday, August 26, 2009

It’s straight up midnight and I find myself sitting on the edge of my bed in the camper getting ready to slip into a coma go to sleep when I began to hear the little pitter patter of rain drops dancing across the roof. “I’m going to sleep good tonight” I thought to myself. “I always sleep well when it rains”. I got all nice and cozy in my blankets and listened to the rain fall as my eyes grew heavier and heavier and eventually fell into a deep slumber. A deep slumber is an understatement really. I sleep HARD! I’m not talking about your normal run of the mill hard sleeper here dear reader. I’m talking about an 8 hour coma!

While in my coma, the little pitter patter of rain drops unknowingly stopped and gave way to lighting. LOTS of lightning! I woke up at 4:30am to drain the dragon use the bathroom and there was such a large amount of lightning that it appeared to be daylight outside. No lights were needed for me to walk from my bedroom in the front of the camper to the bathroom in the rear of the camper because it was so well lit from all the lightning. I didn’t even need to turn a light on to make sure I was hitting my “target”.

After shedding a couple pounds of unneeded liquids, I returned to my bed and slipped back into my coma. Thirty minutes later I was awoke from my coma by a loud #$%^&$%^&&$ that scared me half to death. I about jumped out of my skin when I heard it. While checking my boxer briefs for any deposits, I heard my son Nick exclaim “holy SHIT! What the HELL was that?” “I think it was lightning striking the lake” I answered. “That’s what I thought too. It scared the crap out of me” Nick replied. “It scared me too” I said and we both went back to sleep.

At 7:15am, it was time to get out of bed and wake up the boys for school and work. I brewed some coffee and went outside to drink it. I heard Billy messing around outside so I went over to wish him a good morning. We said our good mornings and Billy asked if I had heard that lighting early this morning. I let him know I heard it and thought it had hit the lake. He thought the same thing and about that time the boys came around the corner ready to go to school and work. We all hopped into the car and started driving towards the front gate of the resort. We passed Billy’s camper and got next to Blind Tommy’s camper and knew the lightning didn’t hit the lake but had hit an oak tree right across the street from Blind Tommy and Katy. There were pieces of wood scattered EVERYWHERE. It looked like a bomb went off at a toothpick factory! When I looked back across the street at Tommy’s, their yard was covered in splintered wood and their van was gone.

I took the boys to school and Nick to work and returned to the resort. Later that afternoon, Tommy and Katy returned to the resort. Tommy said it was so loud and scared them so bad they got into their van and went home. Wood flew so much and so hard that it sounded like it was raining firewood and they camp in a pop-up camper. YIKES!!

Thankfully nobody was hurt and I now know why they say not to stand under a tree in a lightning storm.

Written Monday, August 17, 2009

The residents of snob hill are lucky enough to have their very own mayor. Mayor Gordon is the snob of all snobs atop snob hill and even has a “right hand man” or vice mayor if you will. I suppose the vice mayor would take over for Mayor Gordon in an absence or in case of a sudden death? It’s unclear to us pond people as to how Mayor Gordon actually became the mayor of snob hill. Was this a self proclamation that everyone on snob hill just went along with? Was there an actual democratic election on snob hill and Mayor Gordon was the victor and was allowed to choose his vice mayor? Maybe he really isn’t the mayor at all and was just given this title as a nickname by us pond people? I suppose the world will never really know.

I could tell you most all the reasons that Mayor Gordon is called the mayor but this post would end up being too long so I will give just a few examples. Every three weeks, ALL members MUST move their RV from whatever site they are occupying and move it at least ten sites away. This is to ensure that every member gets a fair opportunity at all the sites available at the resort. Mayor Gordon, the vice mayor and a couple of other “select” snobs that are friends with Mayor Gordon seem to be immune from this rule. We pond people call that special treatment so the resort employees must acknowledge his mayor title. If we don’t move our RV’s, we hear about it and are requested to move. If a pond person asks why some people are immune from this rule, you always get a different bullshit answer different from the last every time.

Mayor Gordon has a lot of clout not only with snob hillers but also with the resort itself. If Mayor Gordon doesn’t like you, you will know it. Mayor Gordon will bitch about your every move to the resort employees until you either don’t want to camp there anymore or they ask you to leave and not return. If he doesn’t like your golf cart for whatever reason, you will inevitably be asked to take it off the resort property. I have seen it with my very own eyes. I could seriously go on another ten pages but will spare you the reading.

Last night some of us pond people gathered at Billy’s camper next door to me to sit around the campfire and chit chat. I was tired last night and went to bed early for a change. The next morning I woke up, made some coffee and headed back to Billy’s as I do every morning. Billy and Tommy were having some coffee and chit chatting when I arrived. When they saw me, they started grinning from ear to ear and Billy spoke up and said “morning mayor”. Tommy piped in and said “yeah, morning mayor”. “Mayor” I said. “What the hell are you guys talking about” I asked. “We took a little vote last night after you went to bed and because of your little stunt this weekend,we elected you mayor of the pond people” Billy informed me. “We liked the way you got us all together with the greatest of ease, you obviously have a lot of clout with us pond people and we need a mayor like they have on snob hill” Billy stated. “Who better to represent us than you” Billy asked. I started shaking my head and laughing out loud while taking a seat in my favorite camp chair. “You guys crack me up” I said. After I stopped laughing, I reluctantly accepted the position. Billy and Tommy let all of the pond people know that they now have an official mayor. Nobody seemed to mind me being mayor as far as I know anyway. I appointed Billy as my vice mayor in case I need to be absent or in the case of my (god forbid) sudden death.

I must admit, it feels pretty cool to have people wave and call me mayor when I’m walking my dogs or at the pool. I think Paula secretly likes to be called “Mrs. Mayor” as well. Word of the pond people having a mayor has already reached snob hill and Mayor Gordon has gone out of his way to chit chat with me. Who knows, maybe Mayor Gordon and I can take a nice long golf cart ride sometime and work out some of our issues?

The pond people have spoken!

I’ve come to the realization that I don’t do campgrounds. I much prefer camping out in the wilderness with no one for miles around and only a stream for running water, than being shoved next to loud strangers to sleep on a patch of mud with a smelly communal bathhouse to really make you feel like you’re “roughing it.”

Here is my personal list of pros and cons for staying overnight at a campground:

Pro: Easy. Just back the car right up and unload everything right into your tent.

Con: Easy. Anyone with access to a sleeping bag can sleep there. Loud radios are easy to pack when your car comes equipped with one.

Pro: Extras. Bathroom, showers, clean water, playgrounds… they have it all.

Con: Extras. You can even get sites with electric hook up so you can run your microwave, TV, and refrigerator…when you’re camping. Getting in touch with nature? Nah. Change the channel.

Pro: mmm, I’m out of Pros.

Con: LOUD people. I get out into the woods to escape from our modern society, not be crammed closer to it. If I slept out in my backyard in the city, I would have had a quieter night.

Con: Too much light. I tried to enjoy the stars, but the light from the bathroom was too bright.

Con: Cost. Why pay $20 to set up my tent ten feet away from my car? I can do that for free in my backyard. I know many areas that I can car camp at that are totally free. Just find the right trailhead and set up camp.

That’s all for now. What do you think? Are you a campground camper, or a backwoods camper?

Written Saturday, August 16, 2009

There are five main areas for campers to setup camp at the resort we belong to.

1. Cabins are available for rent by the night, or by the week. Most people that camp in the cabins are people traveling from one place to another and stop there for a little fun on their journey or people that very rarely camp and have no camping equipment of their own. People that camp in the cabins are called “Cabin People” by members.
2. All the way in the back of the resort or “The Back 40” as it’s called by members. There is no running water or electricity in the back 40, just a lot of trees with a few open areas for tents to be pitched. People that camp here are called “Tent People” by members.
3. Down the hill and around the corner is a nice area for RV’s. Nice until it rains anyway. Any small rain that comes along turns the area into a swamp with standing water all over the place. When we get a large rain, well you can just imagine. This area of the resort is called “The Swamp” and people that camp here are called “Swamp People” by members.
4. Around the lake is setup for RV camping as well. The lake is a man made lake in the shape of a very large “U”. People that camp around the lake are called “Pond People” by members.
5. Last but not least is on top of the hill or “Snob Hill” as it’s called by members. Snob hill is setup for RV camping as well and people that camp on snob hill are called “snobs” by members.

I am PROUD to be pond people! I prefer to pull my RV in by the lake so that I can fish whenever I want and I like the view of the lake every morning when I wake up and when I’m sitting around the campfire in the evening. The people around the lake are good hard working people and I have made many pond people friends.

People that camp on snob hill really only associate with other people on snob hill. It’s called snob hill for a reason. It’s NOT uncommon to take a bike ride up there or walk your dog up there and get the cold shoulder from most everyone up there. I have waved at people up there on MANY occasions only to have them turn their heads like I wasn’t even there. I’m certainly not alone as they do that to pretty much everyone that is not a snob hiller. Many of the campers you find up there are in the $100,000 on up price range and let’s just say their cars look really good sitting in front of those RV’s as well. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t have ANYTHING against people that have a lot of money. If you worked hard in school, made good choices in your life and now are reaping the rewards then GREAT, however treating other people like you are above them or better than they are because you have a lot of money I DO NOT care for. Does anyone for that matter?

About the only other problem that pond and swamp people have with snob hillers is that they complain. They complain A LOT! They complain so much and about such STUPID things that it’s downright funny to us pond people. You name it, they complain about it. Kids, golf carts, dogs, scooters…….you name it, and they complain about it. My buddy “Blind Tommy” summed things up nicely one night around the campfire when he said “This is NOT a retirement village, this is a campground”. “If you want things to be like a retirement home, move into one.” “There WILL be all different ages of people here that have fun in different ways”.  WELL SAID TOMMY!

As you may already know from a post last week, the resort held their annual hog roast yesterday. The hog roast weekend is one of the busiest weekends of the year. Free food seems to attract people I have noticed. Resort members that may only camp once or twice a year always show up for the hog roast as I would expect. Because of the awesome weather and free food, this weekend ended up being the busiest of the year. Almost the ENTIRE resort was filled to capacity. When snob hill was full, some of them had to come down with us pond and swamp people. When we saw them pulling in, we knew this was going to be a bad thing.

A large group of us pond people were sitting at my buddy Billy’s site after having our dinner and listening to the band for a while when Michelle the park ranger drove up in an official resort Ford pickup truck. Us pond people LOVE Michelle! She is funny, great to chat with, nice as can be and would be pond people if she was a camper. She stopped the truck, pointed at me and asked me to come over to the truck. Everyone started laughing and saying “Uh oh, someone’s in trouble” like we were in high school again. As I made my way to the truck in the road, Michelle looked really serious and I really thought I was in trouble for something. When I got to the truck, Michelle smiled and said “you’re not going to believe this one”. She explained that someone complained about our dog Brody barking too much. My dog of course barks from time to time but not any more than any other dog so I was pretty surprised to be hearing this. Michelle knew this also since she drives by our camper several times a day and see’s Brody out in the yard. Michelle said the only reason she even said anything to me is because she HAD too because it was a complaint but NOT to worry about it or do anything differently for that matter. She mentioned that this lady had been calling almost all day complaining about golf carts, dogs other than mine and kids. KNOWING that Michelle is NOT supposed to clue me in on whom the complainer is, I asked anyway. After a little coursing and sweet talking her, she finally divulged who it was after I promised NOT to say anything to her. The complainer was as you may have already guessed, a man and woman that couldn’t get a spot on snob hill so they took a spot with us pond people.

I walked back to all my friends and started telling them what Michelle had said. They all just laughed about it but knew that if they were complaining about the golf carts, they were probably complaining about them as most of my friends have golf carts and nobody on snob hill does. Now we were all sitting there pissed off and wanted to walk over there and give them a piece of our minds but we couldn’t. I had promised Michelle that I would not say anything to them. We couldn’t however just let this go so I came up with an alternate plan for revenge that would not get Michelle into any trouble for spilling the beans to me.

I came up with a golf cart parade around the resort! Let’s give the bitcher’s something to really bitch about I told everyone! I gathered up as many pond people with golf carts as I could find. I don’t have a golf cart so I rode my electric scooter or my “Harley” as I like to call it and Billy rode his scooter. Billy and I led the parade on our scooters with 12 golf carts following us. We first paraded in front of the people calling and bitching about my dog and the golf carts. We all honked, waved and yelled as we drove by. Then we headed up to snob hill and did the same. We made as much noise as we could as we paraded around snob hill like we owned the place. When we drove through the swamp, people were clapping and cheering at us as we paraded by them. They knew what we were up too. It was so much fun that we took the same trip around once again and were even louder this time around. The swamp people not only clapped and cheered as we paraded by but this time some of them jumped into their vehicles and honked back at us as we honked and yelled.

We must have made our point rather clearly because Michelle told us all this morning that not ONE SINGLE person called and complained. I think we scared them. LOL

The pond people got their revenge! 

Every day there is a mention in the news about the H1N1 virus (Swine Flu). It has spread throughout the entire US and the number of cases is on the rise. Apparently the virus can linger on surfaces for five to seven days.

The past few weeks I’ve been seeing people allowing their children to run in-and-out of public restrooms bare-footed, snotty-nosed children touching everything in sight, adults sneezing into their hands and then open doors and a handful of unsanitary scenes.

Campgrounds, RV parks and resorts are not immune to the spread of disease. Here are some things you can do to protect your family from disease while staying at your favorite campgrounds.

First of all, don’t go camping if you or a family member is sick. Sleeping on the ground in a tent will not make them feel better. Or crowding them in a RV with others will only put the entire family at risk for sickness.

Use hand sanitizer!  Make sure you have a small bottle for each person. The best kind to have is the ones that require no water. Each time a family member handles public items (door knobs, trash can lids…), make sure he or she wipes their hands with sanitizer or a wipe.

Use facial tissue! When you are finished, make sure you put it in the trash. Don’t leave it lay on counters or throw it on the floor. Make sure it goes into the trash receptacle.  If it is your trash receptacle – remember to empty it regularly and spray the receptacle with Lysol or clean it with some disinfectant.

If you are a RVer try not to rely on public restrooms.  Some RVers don’t like using their own bathroom because of the size, the extra work required in dumping the tank or they don’t want to pay for sewer hook-ups. If this is the case, then make sure you are wearing shoes (surprisingly, most public restroom floors are not sanitary) and have your own handi-wipes in your purse, pocket or shower bag and use them. Do not rely on the campground’s restrooms to have filled soap containers or even hot water. I am surprised when I do come across a fully-stocked restroom these days.

And if you are using a campground’s restroom and shower facilities, don’t harass the folks cleaning it! If the building is closed for cleaning, ask them where other facilities are located. You wouldn’t believe what workampers and housekeepers put up with. Some Campers get rather rude when the restrooms are closed for cleaning. Yes, it may be a temporary inconvenience, but a person cleaning them is a good thing!

Another thing to watch the sanitation practices in the campground’s café, snack bar or restaurant. If your cashier seems sickly or is propped up on the counter picking their nose… If you see the cook walk out of the restroom wearing his or her apron…. Well, you’re better off eating in your camper or throwing some burgers on the grill. Keep your eyes posted for potential problems. And if you can, call them out on it. Alert the campground manager that you saw the cook going into the restroom wearing an apron or the cashier pick his nose and handle food, etc… It could save someone’s life!

Teach your children to use sanitizer, handi-wipes and facial tissue. Make sure they understand how important it is to prevent the spread of germs – especially in areas like restrooms, playgrounds, water parks and arcades.

A few days ago I was in a public restroom and a small child came up to me stating the sinks didn’t work. I had to show the little one that they weren’t “smart” sinks, they didn’t know we were there wanting to wash our hands. We often forget that children have learned to wave their hands and water or paper towels suddenly appear. They don’t know that not all public restrooms have “smart” technology. So make sure you accompany your children into the restroom to help them wash up properly.

These are just a few ways to protect your family while camping.  With reports increasing on those who will become infected (and die) from the H1N1 virus, we all have to use a little more common sense to stop the spread.

Campgrounds are fun and germ-y!

I just bought Halloween cards (and a bag of candy, which is almost gone!) and have been in the mood for Fall to officially begin. Since we are currently along the Blue Ridge Parkway it will be a treat to see the leaves change color.

Imagine my surprise when I woke up the other morning to find not only the campground covered in a fog, but also a blanket of cobwebs. Most of which had weaved their magic around our ladder and under the slides.

Mother Nature didn’t let them hang around for long – as the fog lifted, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves and the webs. Although I have a feeling they’ll be back again before we move on.

We have been visiting the Norther California Redwoods Coastal area for more than 5 years now. I compiled a list of notes from trips that I hope might be helpful to someone else. It does rain often, but I love the Redwoods even in the rain. I will continue to post more about traveling these areas. There aren’t any complete guidebooks that I have found that really cover this area well. I do own quite a few on the area, but most seem to be missing different important pieces. If you have questions about this area, please send me a message and I will be happy to help.

Campgrounds –

Eel Lake Campground Oregon

Great spots. Privately managed @ $20 a night – a little too expensive

Prairie Creek Redwoods Campground

Showers, great spots – especially second loop, wet near river – but good summer  access. $20 a night – can reserve ahead

Burlington Campground next to visitor center at Redwoods – Avenue of the Giants

Ok spots. Showers, $20 a night. – The visitor center is a nice place to stop to learn a little more about the area. I really liked the exhibit of animals.

Patrick’s Point Campground

Ok sites. Located in second growth/logged forest.

Brookings Campground (Oregon)

Great sites with ocean view. Showers, laundry, hook-ups

Lighthouse Point – Nice open sites. Windy, but fairly protected. Great fire pits. One site tucked back in trees.

Highlights –

Elk Prairie – Elk viewing

Ferndale – Victorian Homes

Garberville – always a favorite

Myers Flat – Drive through tree, winery

Lost Coast Drive – love it everytime! There is a nice little retro campground tucked back along this drive. I’ll try to track down the name of it. It sits right along the river.

USAL Beach – if you can find it ~ great spots to camp, magical surf with seals that watch you from just a few feet out.

Shelter Cove – great little spot

Arcata – amazing – we always try to stop at the coop.

Gold Bluffs Beach

Bulldozers’ growls mix with sounds of salmon slapping Lake Sammamish’s waters… From VOA. Full story

This site may contain information about: pacific water. The blog is also related to: water ice.

Bulldozers’ growls mix with sounds of salmon slapping Lake Sammamish’s waters… From VOA. Full story

This site may contain information about: city data. The blog is also related to: city tavern.

We made a short but enjoyable stop in Oregon where we visited relatives near Albany, and both Hoyt and I had dental work done. 

We visited Thompson’s Flouring Mills which had a  tour led by an experienced and knowledgeable  guide.

There were all kinds of old equipment and samples of product packaging.  We all thought it well worth a visit.

For most of the summer we parked in the back yard of our younger son Chad. When we sold our house in West Seattle Chad bought a place in Des Moines, WA  south of Seattle Tacoma International Airport and just a few blocks from Highline Community College. 

We thought at first we wouldn’t be able to get up the driveway because it is so steep.  We made it but with only an inch between the hitch and the pavement.  Than there was a tight squeeze past the chimney and gate posts to park, but Hoyt is an expert at backing our 40 ft Diplomat. 

One of the projects we helped Chad with was replacing the gate to the back yard…     It turned out great!

The guys used a metal frame kit which made it simple to level and it opens and shuts easily. They also did some fence repair and replaced a bar sink with a regular kitchen sink in the basement. 

Chad had some trees cut down and we moved quite a bit of wood he had split to get it where he decided it needed to be.  There were still some stumps that needed to be removed.  One needed the van to pull it out.

The stump needed to come out so a shed could be built…. All six of us did the painting on the shed.

Our daughter Cindy spent several weeks at Chad’s and her daughter Lindsey and partner came for a few days.  The garden produced some good eating.

Cindy helped out with the projects around the place and also bought an old yellow school bus to use in the work she does with RAVS (Rural Area Veterinary Service).  She did a great job repainting it with tractor paint.  I did a little painting on it also but was mostly busy with sorting things for the shed.

I  did  some water aerobics and rode my bicycle a little.   I also  did some quilting for a battered women’s shelter, and  a cancer program and joined the church women at a couple of their monthly sewing meetings.

We enjoyed spending time with friends and relatives, including our 15 year old granddaughter Kim who stayed with us most of the summer.   Kim and I went to the intergenerational Vacation Bible School at Tibbetts United Methodist Church in West Seattle.  Tibbetts is celebrating their 100th anniversary this year.  We joined in 1961.

One of the things we did just for fun was go to Omak, WA where my younger sister Shirley lives.

We  got to have some sister time since my older sister Bev went over also.  A highlight was floating the River.

                   Shirley       Bernice       Beverly                        We had so much fun we did it twice!

Because we happened to be staying at the Omak Stampede Campground at the right time we were able to watch the horses and riders practice for the Suicide race for the coming Stampede.  There were both experienced and inexperienced horses and riders.  It was interesting to watch some of the riders introduce their horses to the hill before riding down.

             We were there to tour the new stands and found the best view of the Suicide Race Hill  …

                    My niece’s husband Tom (in the red) and his group played for the celebration.

Our older son Chris (Kim’s Dad) and his wife Denise are buying a house in Kent, WA and we were able to see it before we left the area.  They will have a lot more space than they had in their apartment  in West Seattle.

Because we were so busy with projects, including emptying our storage unit and moving things from Chad’s basement to the new shed, and were to tired to cook (a good excuse) we ate out a lot.  

Towards the end of August we left for Eastern Washington to attend Bernice’s 50th High School reunion.  We camped at the Omak Stampede Campground again and spent time with sister Shirley and Aunt Elizabeth who both live in Omak.  Bernice graduated from Okanogan High School in 1959.  There was a good turn out and it was fun seeing friends again.  Some came who hadn’t been to a reunion for years.

Hoyt took this picture where we all are gazing skyward.  The photographer was on top of the 2 story Hotel and it turned out real nice as we can  see everyone’s face.   Below Bernice 5′ and Dale 6′7"… he makes me feel short.

                                                  The SHORT and the TALL  of our class

Heading for Glacier National Park to meet our full timing friends Ron and Anita we were forced to make a stop in Spokane to have our motor home radiator repaired.  We just found out today that a new one will have to be built.  Not the best way to start the new month of September, but we are parked at Washington Auto Carriage who took the radiator out. They have kindly plugged us into 30amps which is good because the temperature is in the 90’s.  Our Monaco Diplomat is at the far left in the picture below.

From Portland, we headed back to the coast for a night in Cannon Beach, which is primarily a vacation spot and popular place to have a second home.  From there we headed south along the coast, stopping to camp at Devil’s Lake State Park in Lincoln City.  We camped again and played in the dunes at Jesse M. Honeyman State Park near Florence.  Then we continued south to Bandon before turning east to make our way back to Ashland.

Happy Birthday: We rented a cottage in Cannon Beach for Paula's birthday and the boys helped me make a real birthday cake for the occasion (Rusty doesn't have an oven).

Haystack Rock is in the background as Paula and the boys play at Cannon Beach.

Taking it all in: Paula thinks deep thoughts as she enjoys the peaceful beauty of Cannon Beach.

Jake models in front of our cozy little Cannon Beach cottage operated by Hidden Beach Villas.

"Moo!" We stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook for a self-guided tour and some free samples.

That's a lot of cheese: the cheese is stored and aged in 40 pound blocks before it's cut up and packaged (that's what's going on here).

Jake helps me drive the boat we rented on Devil's Lake.

Nate is more focused on fishing, but unfortunately, we got skunked!

The world's best play structure: locals on Devil's Lake rallied to build a massive wooden play structure that rivals any I've ever seen. The boys (i.e., the experts) give it top marks.

Bear with me... here come a few shots that caught my eye as we drove down the coast of Oregon (I highly recommend it).

I love the variety in the scenery...

And the bridges definitely add character.

Do not attempt without cold beer: Paula prepares herself to climb the sand dunes at Jesse M. Honeyman State Park.

Some of the dunes are daunting... but they don't slow Nate down.

"It's like ice cream" - Jake's description after eating freshly shelled (by him) Dungeness crab.

I wish I had the video upgrade: You could have seen Nate and Jake sprinting down the face of the sand dune.

Ready to go again: Nate refused to tire or stop after many trips down the hill. I made a few trips myself, and it's good exercise coming back up

We rented a peddle boat at Honeyman State Park - the water was quite refreshing after we hit the dunes again.

Crabbing! We rented a crab ring to fish for Dungeness crab off the dock in Bandon. Here the boys are emptying our ring of crabs too small to keep. (It was a good lesson in patience - if the boys brought up the ring too soon, there'd be no crab. But if they waited, there were always a few even if they weren't "keepers.")

No fear: Jake had no fear or hestitation when picking up the crabs despite their healthy sized and mean looking claws.

You want some of this?! A close up of an angry crab after we brought him up in our ring. (Even though he wasn't happy, the boys loved it!)