Dec 2009 California

Hi! Everyone, it sure is hard to believe Christmas is just a few days away and the end of year is near. It has been a year to remember by all.

We’ve been a little laid back the past month or so. We traveled through rain, sleet and a few inches of snow as we traveled through some of the mountains, here in CA.

We took a few day trips, we visited the San Diego Zoo and saw a three day old giraffe, the baby Panda was not out to the public yet, but you could watch him on camera. We visited Imperial Beach. The surf was impressive (rough), the surfers were having a great time. We stayed at Pio Pico in Jahmul, there were several coyotes in the park and we were serenaded nightly by them. Our day on the USS Midway was very interesting www.midway.org. Along the waterfront there are statues of Bob Hope and several servicemen listening to him, you can listen to him entertaining the troops. There is a huge statue of the famous Welcome Home sailor and his girl the nurse.

Next stop Desert Hot Springs, the water from the springs is so hot they have to cool it off before adding it to the pool. They have 3 hot tubs each with a different temperature. From here we visited Joshua Tree National Park. . We listened to Christmas Carole’s as we toured the park, but it was not the same as hearing the Christmas Story, watching Dr. Sinclair and listening to the voices of the choir’s singing the Carole’s at Disney. It made us really miss everyone and the Candlelight Procession. We also miss Diane’s great Christmas cookies, Bob especially misses the rum balls. Say hi! To Jas and Denise (we’re not sure who else is still there). We also visited the Oasis of Murals in 29 Palms, a historic outdoor art gallery displaying the heritage of the desert oasis. There were 24 murals and 1 sculpture.

On the 22^nd we will leave for Valencia and meet up with the Escapees for the Rose Parade. We will be there till the 2^nd of Jan. and the last stop in CA. for us.

Our next update will be next year (seems so far away). Keep in touch we love hearing from you all. See new pictures below. Lilly and Blazer say Hi.

WE WANT TO WISH EVERYONE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HEALTHY HAPPY NEW YEAR. ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS.

San Diego Dec 2009

3 day old giraffe

Bob Hope entertaining the troops

Welcome home

Snow & Sleet storm CA Dec 2009

Towing through the mountains of CA. A sudden storm.

Disneyland CA DEC 2009

Original Street Cars in San Francisco Nov 09

San Francisco CA 11 2009

Turning the cable cars.

Steep hill

The Painted Ladies

The BRIDGE

Alcatraz Nov 2009

Jelly Belly Factory Nov 2009

Murals made out of jelly beans

Charles Schultz Museum Nov 2009

Redwood National Park-Nov 2009

Oct-Nov WA to CA

Hi! Everyone, It’s been a while. Hope you are all doing well. We are just highlighting the things we did since our last update and trying to keep it short without a lot of detail.

Our last adventure in WA. was a ferry boat ride from Port Angeles to the beautiful city of Victoria BC. Everything was fairly close to the docks.. Some of the things we toured are The Parliament Building, The Fairmont Empress Hotel and Chinatown. In the basement of the hotel is The Miniature World (The Greatest Little Show on Earth) and that it was. Check it out www.miniatureworld.com . While in Port Angeles we did see advertising about “Twilight” but never paid any attention to it. We didn’t realize how big “Twilight “ is.

Heading to Oregon along the coast sure was beautiful, a lot different from the Jersey shore. We visited Lincoln City where there was a kite festival going on, some of the kites were huge. We also visited Yaquima Bay State Park and Yuguima Head’s Lighthouse. We stayed at Southerland OR. , in the Escapees Park called Timber Valley, and due to bad weather we did not see Crater Lake.

Our next stop was Klamath River RV Park and visited the Redwood National Forest. We thought we saw big trees in WA, but nothing as impressive as these trees. We visited The Trees of Mystery and rode a gondola thru the Redwoods. We drove to a drive thru tree which is about 735 yrs old, the opening is 7’4” wide, 9’6” high and 15’ in diameter at eye level, and guess what! We didn’t fit. We also visited Crescent City, which was named as one of America’s top 20 Prettiest small towns by the Forbes Travel Magazine. It was cute, they have over 32 murals through out the town (we didn’t find them all) and in the harbor they had the many sea lions and boy were they noisy.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE HAPPY CALIFORNIA COWS.

Next stop was Cloverdale CA. at the Russian River RV Park. There were 130 Wineries within a 30 mile radius of the park and with many, many vineyards along the roads. We toured the Charles Schultz Museum in Santa Rosa, and Snoopy’s Home Ice Arena.

In Isleton CA. we stayed at the Lighthouse RV Park on the CA. Delta. We toured the Jelly Belly Bean Co. (left with a sugar high), the Budweiser Plant(more samples) and Olive Oil tasting at Sepay Olive Oil Co. (interesting). Our last tour here was the Western Train Museum, mostly electric trains and trolley’s including one from the Lehigh Valley Transit Co. which is our hometown and we do remember the trolley running on Broad St. to Allentown, Pa.

A week later we were in Pleasanton CA. at the Alameda County Park (a great park). We spent 4 days touring San Francisco from here. We did not drive into San Francisco, we took the BART System in every day, it was a great way to see San Francisco. The Cable cars were fun and the best way to do all the hills. We used the Hop on Hop off double decker tour bus, it was a 2 day pass and on and off as much as you wanted. We rode the first day several times to check out what we really wanted to see. There were 21 stops in all. We stopped at Chinatown, Lombard St., Fisherman’s Wharf, The Botanical Gardens and the church that Marilyn Monroe and Joe Dimagio had there wedding photo taken. They could not get married in the church due to rules of the church. Plus we did a few other stops. Sure is a busy place, we were glad we didn’t have to drive. We took a cruise out to Alcatraz. Small world, a young lady had a Lehigh University sweatshirt on, we asked if she was a student, no but her brother is. The University’s property runs along our oldest sons property. This was a very interesting tour , it was a self guided audio tour.Almost forgot the Wells Fargo Museum, it was very interesting. Check it out www.wellsfargohistory.com.

Yosemite National Park was next, we stayed in Yosemite Lakes, which is about 5 miles from the entrance. What a great visitor center, beautiful scenery, waterfalls and mountains .This is one of the most spectacular National Parks we visited. We had a few tunnels to go thru with the RV when we left, and because of the low height, we had to go down the middle.

Next stop was Manifee CA. about 50 miles from Los Angeles. We stayed in Wilderness Lakes Resort. This was a nice chill out stop although we did go to the Mission in San Juan Capistrano, which was another self guided audio tour. The gardens were beautiful. Of course we had to visit Disneyland. It sure is different from Walt Disney World but it was fun, and our passes got us in for free.

We are now in Aguanga CA. at the Escapees Jojoba Hills SKP Resort. What a beautiful park We might have found our nitch, who knows. We will be spending Thanksgiving here. This park is really something to see, the nicest RV Park we ever stayed in, in over 40 years of rving. We did upate our map so you can follow along our journey.

Blazer says hi! He is still very busy. Lilly has more bad days than good days but she is hanging in. Keep in touch. We are getting anxious about the Rose Parade.

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

Photo's of Levanworth WA

While touring WA we found this neat Bavarian Village. There are many many beautiful flowers and murals on many of the buildings. See the text in the archives for WA 8-2009-92009.

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Touring WA-Seattle & Olympice Pensulia

Hi! We are still in the state of Washington and will be for about another 2 weeks. When we left Randle we headed for Hoodsport and stayed at a nice Coast to Coast Park. We went into Olympia WA a few times, one to get our flu shot and another to the Shipwreck Bead Co. What a great bead store. They also do catalogs sales, you can see their add in most bead books. Bob was hungry for Red Lobster and Olive Garden so we visited them also, on different days. We visited a small town called Union along the Hood Canal, that reminded us of the New England states. We took the ferry from Bremerton to Seattle, it was about a 45 min. ride. In Seattle we visited the Pike Place Market, what a place, it is open 7 days a week and everyday is a busy one. It is the home of the flying fish, we have seen on TV many times. They do a great job entertaining everyone especially when someone buys a fish it goes flying through the air to the counter where it is cleaned and packaged. They also sell fresh flowers , by the stem or huge beautiful bouquets for $10. The market is lined up on one side of nothing but flowers. There are many other crafts, food and vegetables for sale. It is something to see. We went to the space needle, wanted to have lunch at the restaurant but they were completely booked. The sight from the top of the needle was fabulous. While in line for the Space Needle Linda was interviewed by the crew from the Dr. Oz show, they taped her asking the Dr. a question, she will be notified if it will be aired.

Another day we visited the Olympic National Park, it was established in 1938. They were many great photo ops. We hiked the Staircase Rapids Loop Trail. The trail runs 2 miles along the North Fork Skokomish River. A micro hydroelectric power plant was installed in 1981 ,it flows through 640’ of 12” penstock to turn the Pelton wheel and drive the generator. It can produce up to 7.5 KW of electricity to supply the entire staircase area. One of the largest fallen red cedar is about 800 yrs old, it is 43’ in circumference and 14’ in diameter. It is a beautiful hike. It was a little bit of a challenging trail, but we made it. We also toured another fish hatchery. In the picture see the bucket of eggs taken from the salmon.

We are now in Chimacum, WA. We are at a very nice Escapees Park. We met up wth our friends Penni and Dave . We also met up with them in Alaska. We took the ferry from Bainbridge Island to Seattle. They were in Seattle before but not to the market. We also had dinner at the Crab Pot. We had their special Dungeness Crab, shrimp, clams, mussels, potatoes and corn on the cob. This was all dumped onto paper on the table and you just dug in. They left 2 days ago but we will meet up with them again at the Rose Parade over the holiday.

We visited Port Towsend, a cute town with a marina, nice RV Park many little shops and restaurants, along the Puget Sound. We toured Fort Worden that was built along with Fort Casey and Fort Flagler during 1897 & 1911. They were built to guard the sound cities. They were called the “death triangle” for it would be death for the invading enemies. No attack was ever made nor was a shot ever fired in anger. This was a self -contained community with everything a regular town needed. The Fort was active until 1953, when it became a juvenile Diagnostic and Treatment Center from 1954 to 1971. In 1972 it became a State Park and Conference Center. It is now maintained by the Washington State Park and is used for public education etc.

In the park is the Point Wilson Lighthouse which was established in 1879. The first white beam was seen on Dec. 15 in 1879. The original light was on top of the light keepers house and moved to the present tower in 1913 .The white light with red , flashes ever 20 seconds and comes from a 1000 watt bulb. It shines through a rotating Fresnel lens. The lens is worth about 1 million dollars; the light has a range of 16 miles. You can tour the lighthouse on Sat. only, and only a few people at a time are allowed in the lighthouse. The lighthouse was manned until the early 1960’s It is now automated and maintained by the Coast Guard. There are 59 steps to the top, but what a beautiful view.

There was a Kayak Festival on the beach while we toured the lighthouse. We never knew there were so many different Kayaks. Everyone was having a great time in the water and also vendors selling them. There is also a Fort Flaglar, which is on the same order as Fort Worden and is used in the same way that Fort Worden is being used.

We also took a tour of the Commanding Officers Quarters. This was completed in 1904 and overlooks the Admiralty Inlet and Point Wilson and is located at the end of “Officers Row”. It provided housing for 33 commanding officers and their families. It has now been restored and furnished with furnishings from the 1904 to 1910 era. There are 2 great RV parks, an upper forest campground and a beach campground. While we were touring the fort a car club from Tacoma came in and set up on the parade grounds. It was the Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile clubs. In all about 50 cars showed up. .See slide show below, if slide show doesn't appear click on view all at bottom.

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Washington 8-2009 to 9-2009

Hi! Everyone we hope you all had a great summer.We are starting our 5^th year of full timing, and starting on our next adventures. After spending a week in Oroville WA. Where we just chilled out we headed to Wenatchee WA.

In Wenatchee we stayed at the Wenatchee County Park, it was a good thing we rested last week and you will see why. This is a super park, with all paved sites and wide roads, even wifi. Our first side trip was to Leavenworth,WA. What a cute place. It is a small village in the eastern foothills of the Cascade Range. The Bavarian architecture is noticeable everywhere, even McDonalds. The Murals on all the walls are beautiful, many great restaurants and gift shops. They attract over 1.3 million tourist a year. In 2003 they captured the title of “Ultimate Holiday Town USA” on the A&E Network. It must be beautiful at Christmas time. Plan on visiting here if your ever in the area.

Our next trip was the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum. This is a must see also. There are over 5,ooo nutcrackers dating back to the 14^th century from over 40 countries that are all enclosed in large glass cases. NO PHOTOS allowed, we were politely told. The nutcrackers are made from wood, metal, porcelain, ivory and man made materials. Name any subject, and they have a nutcracker for it. We though nutcrackers were wooden toy soilders used at Christmas time, goes to show what we know. They also have nutting stones which date back 4,000 yrs, and nut bowls and picks. They also have a 14 min. video on the history of the nutcracker. There are several life size nutcrackers you can take photo’s of . The saying “from soup to nuts” comes from early 1900’s, referring that meals started with “soup” and ended with “nuts”. Margie B. you would love this museum. Check it out at www.nutcrackermuseum.com.

We were lucky enough to have our own personnel tour of the Stimilt Apple Processing Company. This was really fascinating; you don’t realize all that goes into processing the apple before we get to eat them. They are washed several times in the process. They are sorted by size, color and condition of the apples, the ones that don’t make the grade go into apple juice and the rest the cattle get to enjoy, nothing goes to waste. They enploy 500 people year round. The most interesting was how the apples where put to sleep, they are put into cold storage at 32 degrees, the oxygen is removed from the apples. When the time comes that they are needed , the apples are awakened by putting the oxygen back into the apples and they are just as crisp, juicy and fresh as when they were picked. The packaging is something to see, they are packed any way you can imagine, for store use, gift boxes and bags.

We also visited the Rocky Reach Hydroelectric Project. They have a fish viewing room and a video called “Experience Chelan County” which takes you on a trip up the Columbia River. They have an interpretive museum and many exhibits. You stroll thru 18 acres of award winning landscapes. Some of the attraction there are the Fish Ladder Island, a teardrop flower bed with 5,ooo brilliant flowers , including a bed depicting the US flag and many more flower beds. The Dahlia’s were huge and the colors very bright. Check it out at www.chelanpud.org.

Next side trip was the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery. You can follow the spring Chinook Salmon through it’s life cycle here. The hatchery plays a huge role in the survival of this Icicle Creek salmon run. It has been in operation since 1940 and raises and releases 1.6 million juvenile spring Chinook salmon annually into the Icicle Creek. They remove the eggs from the female(up to 4,000 per female) and the milt(sperm) from the male. Eggs and sperm are combined in a bucket where fertilization occurs and life begins for the salmon. The incubating eggs are taken to the nursery and cared for at the hatchery. Check it out at www.fws.gov/leavenworth.

The Ohme Gardens in Wenatchee are well worth the visit also. It is on a bluff with a view of the snow capped Cascade Mountains and the Wenatchee Valley. In 1928 George Ohme and his bride Ruth began planting the orchard on 40 acres. There are evergreens, native stones form the paths, desert sage is a major ground cover and massive natural rock formations help form the pools. All the work was done by hand, starting by hauling water in5 gallon milk cans from the valley below, it now has an irrigation system. The Ohmes worked on the garden for 42 yrs., until Mr. Ohme died at the age of 80. Their grandson took care of the garden till 1991, when the Chelan County took ownership. Check out at www.ohmegardens.com.

If you like fruit this is the place to visit. Cherries. peaches, nectarines. apple and pears you name it you can find it here and it is DELICIOUS. There is one stand after another, if one doesn’t have what you want the next one will, including jellies, marinades, pastries and dips. Right now the trees are heavy with any kind of apple and pears you can name, they are just waiting to be picked so we can enjoy them.

Did you ever get a gift at Christmas with Aplets and Cotlets candy packages in them? Next we toured the Liberty Orchard Company in Cashmere WA. where the applets and cotlets candies are made.. They make other flavors also but these two are the favorite. A small company, everything done by hand, and there were many samples. Great places to put on your list of must sees. You can’t leave without buying after the free sample tasting. Check it out at www.libertyorchards.com.

Guess what! we are finally at our last side trip, before leaving this area. We told you we had a busy week. Our last stop was the Mission Creek Apple Cider Mill. Not your ordinary apple cider here. They have very unique flavors. There were many fruity flavors, raspberry ,strawberry for example and Lavender which was our favorite. They had tasting just like wine tasting. Of course we bought the lavender it was DELICIOUS.

There are 56 wineries in North Central WA, and probably that many across the border in BC. Most of the wineries have a tasting room. It reminded us of the NY wine country.

We are now in Randle WA. We are at a great Coast To Coast park that has an indoor pool and hot tub and sauna. They also have several golf courses. You can start play right from the RV Park. The trip to here through the Cascades and White Pass was beautiful. We are between Mt. Rainier Nat. Pk. and Mt. St. Helens Nat. Volcanic Monument. Mt Rainier has very dense forests and above the tree line many glaciers. It is a beautiful National Park. The snow capped mountain above the deep green giant trees is a must visit if in the area. When at national parks we try to at least visit the lodges and have either lunch or dinner. This lodge is nothing special when compared to some of the other lodges we visited, like at Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon. Lunch was just Ok. We could write all day about the beauty of MT Rainier but instead go to their web site and have a look for yourself. www.nps.gov/mora Next we visited Mt ST Helens. This was an awesome ride. You just can’t imagine the destruction from the 1980 eruption. The eruption covered 230 square miles in less then 10 minutes. The blast which went sideways and killed trees up to 17 miles away. We could see 2 steam vents. Again go to their web site to learn more as we could go on and on. www.fs.fed.us/gpn/mshvm

The dogs are doing good. Lilly is having a hard time on the stair. We did get a new medication for her hips, which seems to be helping. Her hearing is completely gone and we believe her eyesight is giving her problems when she looks at the steps. Once she makes up her mind to go up or down she has a lot less problems since on the new meds. She is 15 . An old age for a Lab. She is a sweetheart and never complains. Blazer is Blazer, very very busy.

Osoyoos ST PK-Oroville WA

$21. No hook ups. About 6 miles from the border. There is also a $5. charge to dump even if camping there. They have a water fill. Nice wide open sites with little or no shade.

Gold Trail Clinton BC

$15. with Passport America. There are just a few pull thur sites. There is a on site Bar B Q. We didn't use so can't comment on it. Just a plain park with a great rate. We didn't have to unhook. We where just passing thru.

Sintich Trailer & RV PK-Prince George BC

$30. with Good Sam. A very nice trailer park that has rv sites. We had cable and wifi at our site that worked well. Very well kept park. They had a rv wash.

Glacier View-Smitters BC

$25. cash. I believe it was $30 to charge. We had a pull thur which was great as we didn't need to unhitch since we where using as a stop over for the night. Great view of the glacier across the road.

Mountain Shadow-Iskut BC

$30 a night along the Cassiar highway in Iskut BC. This is gem in the wilderness. The grass between sites and around the park was like a well groomed golf course. Great views. Wide entry road down a steep hill about third mile long. They do have a sign telling if there are sites or not at the entry. This road is not a problem at all. Very smooth fine gravel road and level sites. Very relaxing park. They have wifi which was week at our site, but we were at the bottom edge of the park.

Big Creek Yukon Goverment Park

$12 a night.and free firewood. About 30 miles west of Whitehorse and 20 miles from the junction of the Cassair Highway along the Alaska Highway. This is a great little campground. They did have a water pump, but no dump. We had a long pull thru site along the creek.