We arrived at the Cummins Service Center in Sumner, WA, just south of Seattle, early on Sunday, May 6th. We were having a small leak checked out the following day. We wanted to make sure everything was good before heading to Alaska. Since we arrived early we parked the motorhome at Cummins and then headed out for a scenic drive up to Mount Rainier National Park. Mount Rainier has an altitude of 14,410 feet and is considered the monarch of…
I’m going to apologize up front for this long blog. I am so far behind! We are currently in Anacortes, WA. Since my last post we have toured the Olympic Peninsula, spent a week in the Seattle area, checked out the Bavarian-style village of Leavenworth, flew back East for a few weeks, visited Vancouver, Whistler and Vancouver Island. Like I said, I’m REALLY behind on my blog. Below is a post covering our visit to the Olympic Peninsula. I hope…
We recently enjoyed a week in Troutdale, Oregon. Troutdale is the western gateway to the Historic Columbia River Highway, a 75-mile long scenic highway between Troutdale and The Dalles, Oregon. The road was built between 1913 and 1922 and is noted as being the first planned scenic roadway in the United States. The road, designed by engineer Samuel C. Lancaster, was modeled after the great scenic roads of Europe. Lawyer and entrepreneur Sam Hill worked with Samuel to promote the…
Remember the saying, “April showers bring May flowers?” Well, assuming it is true then the Oregon coast should be covered in wildflowers very soon. We planned on a 4 night stay in Newport, Oregon but extended it to 5 after the weather forecast was gloomy for our original dates. Having the flexibility to change trip plans on the fly is definitely an advantage of RVing. If you like beer, check out Rogue Brewery in Newport. I have never liked beer…
After another night of relentless rain in Trinidad, CA we packed up and made our way to Bandon, OR. The drive to Bandon was very interesting. Besides rain we were subjected to high winds and road construction, due to the road having washed away last month. At one point, as we went over a bridge, it felt like the RV was pushed sideways by the wind. It was a little unnerving. When we stopped at an overlook near Gold Beach…
We left Point Reyes, CA on a rainy morning and headed north up Hwy 101 to Trinidad, CA. Hwy 101 is very scenic in Northern California. At one point beautiful Redwoods surrounded us. We stopped by a cute roadside store and learned that it was not only Redwood country, but Big Foot country too! It was late afternoon when we finally arrived in Trinidad. We had a brief reprieve from the rain so after dropping the RV off at our…
After spending a week in Napa we made our way to Olema, CA. Olema is a tiny village just outside of Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS), about an hour north of San Francisco. This 71,000 acre National Park encompasses a landscape of beaches, cliffs, prairies, marshes, and farms. It is a wildlife sanctuary for Tule Elk, marine life and all sorts of birds. It is a beautiful area, when the weather cooperates. It rained much of the time we were…
Aside from visiting wineries, which is the thing to do when you are in Napa Valley, we visited the Culinary Institute of America campuses and took a day trip to San Francisco. Because of so much rain this year Napa Valley was unusually green and lush. Regusci’s winery allowed Charlie to fly his drone. He captured a good picture of the vineyard and winery. I love to cook and going to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) Greystone for…
Wow! Yosemite truly is an awe-inspiring National Park. We spent 4 nights at the Yosemite Falls Lodge, in the valley of Yosemite. Shortly after passing through the Big Oak Flat park entrance you are blessed with beautiful landscapes. The Waterfalls were flowing quite well due to a winter full of moisture and slightly warming Spring temperatures. Below is a picture of Yosemite Upper and Lower Falls as seen from the Sentinel Meadow. The cars in the foreground give some good…
We spent the last few days just north of Monterey, at the Marina Dunes RV Park. The park is small and next to Hwy 101, so we had a bit of road noise, but the location was great. It was across the street from a beautiful beach and only 10 minutes from Monterey and Carmel. We enjoyed walking across the street, sitting on the beach and catching a beautiful sunset. The Monterey Aquarium had been on my bucket list for…