Mount Shasta - in her glory
It’s 2:30 am, the ‘wide open range’ winds are buffeting wee Lucy, we’re snug as ‘bugs in rugs,’ and we’re three days out from our destination. As I’m awake, I now have the time to check in and let you know how we’re doing.
I can’t believe how fast four days have whizzed by. We left home on Monday the 17th, headed south to Victoria and spent a wet night at the Fort Victoria RV Park (a little rustic, but friendly staff and nice and close to the Coho ferry terminal in downtown Victoria). Up early Tuesday morning and first in line at the terminal gates by 0820. The last time we were here we were treated quite poorly by the Customs officer but this time the two officers who vetted us were very nice. We were asked few questions and sent to buy our tickets. What a wonderful difference. The ‘cruise’ to Port Angeles was uneventful and/but gave us our first glance at how things might go with respect to mask wearing. Most folks were conscientious about wearing masks; a few weren’t. Arriving in PA was equally smooth. This time the officer greeted us with a big smile and a comment that we had to be the smallest trailer he’d ever seen coming off the Coho. Then he sent us on our way after confirming Maddie’s dog food didn’t contain any beef or lamb. That was it. I put away my 7 page, detailed, alphabetically ordered, inventory of each and every blue bin crammed into the truck (and the three most likely to be inspected that were stacked in the trailer) and we were off; high-tailing it to our next destination.
The next two days were wet, foggy and long. When we left home we were delighted the snow and freezing temperatures had abated, at least temporarily. “We can handle a few days of rain” we chortled as we headed down the road, “no problem”. Well, it wasn’t really - a problem - but the rain, fog, and majorly large trucks sharing the road sure did make for challenging driving. It took the two of us; me on the wheel and Kathy managing the navigational technology to successfully wind our way through and around and through again… the twists and turns of several converging highways. Luckily we succeeded and popped out onto I 5 right where we were supposed to but, I can tell you, there were some fast moving, spray filled, moments of slight terror before we did. Once on I 5 things settled down to the usual heavy traffic, most drivers behaving (a few idiots) and us. After a quick stop in Sequim for groceries and a cell phone plan we headed to our first US stop, the Little Creek Casino RV Park in Shelton, WA. We’ve stayed here several times. It’s clean, paved, tidy and has good facilities. It’s also a Passport America site and therefore not expensive ($23).
Still raining the next morning, we headed on to our Wednesday destination (Seven Feathers Casino RV Park) in Canyonville, OR. This was another long day of driving and the wet and challenging driving conditions continued for the first half. As predicted, the weather began to dry up and, by the time we arrived at Seven Feathers, the rain had stopped and the temperature had risen several degrees 😀. We began to cheer up and celebrated with a quick dip in their wonderful hot tub - which we had completely to ourselves. This RV Park is beautiful and well run. We’ve stopped here every time in the past and, while it’s a bit more pricey ($56) it’s worth the price.
The Rolling Hills Casino RV Park ($36) was our stop for this night. The management (record keeping and administration of RV reservations) was not at its best but after some discussion the details were sorted out and (we think) our Visa records will confirm we only paid for two sites and not three. We were able to catch the last rays of the setting sun before a late dinner of take out pizza and an early night.
I’ll be glad to get to Rio Bend (our home for several weeks) so I can sort out the blasted blue bins. Packing for a two and a half month adventure and trying to save a little money by carrying what supplies I could…well, I ended up packing and stowing half a dozen blue bins. They’re heavy and the three in the trailer have to be moved out at each stop and returned before we leave. I’d intended to sort everything out and repack once we’d cleared customs but I didn’t factor in the reality of ‘stop and go’ nights. Securing long enough sites that mean we don’t have to unhook and can leave quickly each morning, also means I can’t drop the tailgate of the truck. Without opening the truck fully I can’t unpack and repack bins and other equipment. And so we go… as we left… carrying several heavy blue bins waiting to be emptied in some cases and sorted and repacked in others. I really must learn to pack for the moment rather than as if we’re heading to sea again and need to carry it all from the start. Sigh.
Enough said. We are fine, warmer and dryer than when we left, and doing well. Our travelling companions are also in good shape. Safe to say we are all looking forward to making our final destination of Rio Bend RV Park in El Centro; EDA (estimated day of arrival) Sunday, Jan. 23. Today we head to Coalinga, CA. and tomorrow Mojave. We are looking forward to more enjoyable drives as we hurry south to the sun and sand. Will check in again when we arrive.
We are doing fine and we wish all of you peaceful and healthy days. Stay well & stay safe. Adios for now. CJ
