How time flies when you're having fun!
Time to catch up on our travels. We did finally manage to squeeze everything into Rikki; even a comfy bed for the princess (yet another use for a dog crate if you break it down and put the lid inside the base). And, after a rather short sleep, we hit the road early Monday morning. Both truck and trailer were performing well so off we went, heading south to Victoria to begin our 2015 road trip from Victoria, BC to San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico. We've had several requests from regular RVers as well as sailors who have taken to the road as a way to get down to their boats, for some information on our route and stops along the way. The notes hereafter will provide an over-view of our daily journey with a few comments about places we've stayed.
Monday, Sept. 14th
Arrived Victoria 0900 hrs for the 1030 Coho Ferry. Given our experience last year, we weren't looking forward to meeting this years version of 'Lurch the Border Guard' and we were greatly relieved when our officer for the day turned out to be friendly, polite and a genuinely nice guy. Phew! The ferry trip itself was uneventful and, after exiting the ferry in Port Angeles, we sailed through the last check point with similar ease.
Our first stop was to a company we'd discovered called Port Angeles Package Receiving. This place provides a great service. We were able to order boat things from the US and have them shipped directly to Port Angeles, where they were stored until we could pick them up. Their location is only a few blocks from the Coho Ferry Dock and if you check out the road map first (like we didn't) you'll learn that their address (on E. 1st.) is a one-way street. Just drive straight ahead when you leave the ferry parking lot, head up to E. 1st St. and turn left. You'll find it easily. Their website is www.ShipIt2PA.com and it's worth a look. Next stop - Bainbridge Island to pick up our new anchor ...and then we were free to continue on our way.
We spent our first night at the Little Creek Casino Resort and Campground in, you guessed it, Little Creek, WA. This is a great spot for an over-nighter. The pads are flat cement with grass on both sides and full services. The facilities are clean and well maintained. It's a typical casino rv park without much vegetation... but the sites are just fine and most are pull-thru which is very nice when you're in travelling mode. There are several restaurants in the Casino complex and there's also a pool and hot tub which RV guests are welcome to use. There is some traffic noise as it's quite near the highway, but it's not that bad, particularly for a one or two night stay. This site is on the Passport America list and it cost us $17.50.
Tuesday, Sept. 15th
Up early and on the road, we headed to Hayden Island in Vancouver, WA where we had pick ups to make at West Marine and NW Inflatables. With the last of our cargo on board, and having concluded that northern California was still burning fiercely, along with some parts of Oregon, we decided to head east following the same route we took last year. Off we headed, driving along the southern edge of the Columbia River, a comfortable drive and a lot more pleasant than the I 5.
You may recall a story last year about running out of gas along a long and lonely stretch of road? And the guy who drove out to us with a jerry can of gas...enough to get us back to the nearest gas station? Well, that was a small dot on the map called Arlington. Quite coincidentally, that is where we had chosen to spend Tuesday night; at the Port of Arlington Marina & RV Park. We didn't realize this was one and the same place until we arrived, but it kind of felt like visiting an old friend and we were pleased to be stopping for the night anyway as it was almost dark. The RV park turned out to be full but for a whole $9 we were welcome to dry camp in their overflow lot (the parking lot of the adjacent boat launch) and so we did.... even sat out under the stars and enjoyed a night-cap before hitting the pillows. To be truthful the highway and train noise in the area is pretty loud, but when you're enjoying an, almost free, over nighter in your cosy little Casita... and you're road weary as well..... the noise just doesn't seem to matter. We had a good night and enjoyed the stay.
An aside re: Life Happens... This is the point where our journey gets a little complicated. Three things happened. The first is that Miss Sophie wasn't as comfortable as normal and we had begun to suspect the return of her bleeding ulcer (caused by heavy meds after her amputation). She'd been on anti-biotics again for a weak kidney infection and it looked like her ulcer was acting up. That wasn't the problem. The problem was we were running out of the prescription meds we were using to treat her. There weren't exactly a lot of vets around and, when you have a special creature like the princess... well it's a very long story to try and explain to a stranger. I'm sure you understand what I'm saying here. It's also very expensive. While we were communicating with our vets at home to come up with a solution for Sophie, I received a message advising me that the little spot on my lip did indeed need to be excised and it should be done sooner rather than later. Hmmm. I'd kind of been ignoring that whole thing because it did seem quite minute and unlikely... and it's very important to get this cargo to Mexico if we are to salvage our cruising season... much over-due I might add. And lastly, Rikki (the truck) was rapidly approaching his need for his first (8000 km) service and not every Dodge dealership had a good reputation for service. So here's what happened....
Wednesday, Sept. 16th
Luckily we hadn't driven so far east there was no way back. We turned ourselves around and headed west, not quite as far as Portland, but to the connection with a highway heading south. When faced with a choice of airports between Salt Lake City and Reno... well, we chose Reno. We know the area, there are lots of RV places, and we're just not all that hepped up about Utah. Our journey south took us through beautiful, scenic, rural farm and ranch lands. It also took us up into forests of pine and back down into fertile valleys. It was very picturesque and we will come back here one day and slow down to explore the many historical sites.
I should take a minute here and acknowledge that, as you already know, these past couple of years have been rather... well... 'busy'. I believe we have become rather proficient at changing directions when needed to meet the challenges. Phrases like "keep your eye on the prize" and "don't sweat the small stuff" and "live every day"... these are all very meaningful for us and help us keep going.... Some days are a little more trying than others, but our light is still burning brightly... so here's how it's unfolding.
We drove south and stopped in Bend, Oregon at the Riverside Veterinarian. Friendly staff and an accommodating Vet allowed us to wait for a FAX from home and they then prepared Sophie's meds for us. Back on the road, we headed south to La Pine, Oregon and stopped for the night at the Riverview RV Park; a great little place with a friendly manager, grassy sites with gravel pads, friendly neighbours, clean washrooms and showers, even a laundry. This is an older park but very well maintained. Sophie was so impressed with the grass lawns and walking trails she was quite prepared to move in and stay. But, game as usual, she was up and ready to roll when it was time. We actually stayed an extra day here as, when we woke up it was pouring rain and no kind of weather to be driving in. We also needed some planning time and good thing we stayed as it took most of the day to sort out our next destination, airplane tickets, and a rental car... all necessary for my return to BC. Our plan morphed into the scenario where I would return to BC for a few days and Kathy and Sophie would maintain the status quo on the road, starting with taking Rikki in for his 8000 km service at the Carson City Dodge Chrysler.
Friday, Sept. 18th
On the road early, we continued south towards Reno and our destination of choice the Sparks Marina RV Park in Sparks, Nevada. This is another of those cement pads all lined up RV parks. It has a small pool, tidy grounds, and security. Turns out there's a nice park for walking at the marina next door... and, it's 11 minutes from the Reno airport.
Saturday, Sept. 19th
Kathy dropped me at the airport at 0730 and I carried on with my journey home by air. She grabbed some groceries and headed back to the trailer. My journey home was uneventful in some ways and memorable in others. I'm not used to travelling on my own having been blessed with wonderful travelling companions over the years... and, all these new fangled electronic gadgets that rule our lives now... well, let's just say I haven't kept up with the times as much as I should have. I'm not very comfortable wandering into an airport with all my info on my laptop... a new to me laptop, requiring turning on and connecting up before I can even begin to find the info to tell the counter staff. Fortunately for me, it was so early there were no line ups and a very nice young woman called me forward, took my passport, and voila! knew everything about me including my travel plans. Phew! It was that easy. I'm sure she thought I'd only been let out for the day, and had wandered away from my handler... but I escaped before she could call security..and moseyed on my way :-) My first leg was from Reno to Seattle and on that journey I had the pleasure of sitting next to a very nice woman. She was travelling from Reno to somewhere outside Seattle to see her elderly mom... We talked, we laughed, and we told stories... we touched on the preciousness of moms and we talked about life... and end of life. We shed some tears and we moved on. It was a great connection and, what seemed like 5 minutes after leaving Reno, we arrived in Seattle and bade each other farewell and good luck.
My next leg, from Seattle to Victoria, was short and pleasant. I had the only empty seat on the plane right beside me! Budget Car Rentals, in the Victoria Airport, were very accommodating as well and, although I had thought I'd have to wait until 1700 for a car, they found one for me after only about 20 minutes. I won't bore you with the details of this fancy little Ford Focus.. except to say that pushing buttons blindly while you drive isn't perhaps the wisest course of action... Blasting oneself with full force maximum air conditioning, whilst trying to change radio channels... and driving... well, quite distracting I must admit.
OK, so here's where we're at. I'm safely ensconced back at home and will have my little 'situation' dealt with tomorrow. Kathy's in Reno drafting out her driving plan for the next few days... Our plan is for Kathy to continue 'moving the cargo' south, planning routes that pass by airports... And, I will meet up with her as soon as I possibly can...hopefully by weeks end.
So, for now... that's our news. Hope all is well with all of you.... enjoy the cool when you can. Adios for now... CJ
