A deadline, even self-imposed, is a deadline and we made it!!  We have consolidated our lives into a rolling rectangle and have left Kyle and Rachel with the remaining undone household chores but a stocked pantry! 

It was nice to be “bon voyaged” by so many either in person or digitally.  Our grandson, Kyren, begged a ride in what he calls the bus.  Brett followed in our Subaru with Johanna rounding out the caravan to the truck scales on I-5 in Federal Way.  We weighed the RV to check load distribution and then worked at hitching the tow vehicle in place.  (Only the first time hooking up after the initial set-up of our Road Master All Terrain Falcon package from Tork Lift so it tested the memory banks a bit.)

Kisses, hugs and waves then we put Auburn and family in our rear view mirrors for an extended period of time. 

Glorious sunshine and an 80^o temperature made it a perfect day for travel.  We almost delayed departure because Chris had been concerned with weekend I-5 lane closure backups, but the only slight snag in traffic flow was around an accident with a car fire near Tacoma.  From there it was smooth sailing all the way to Long Beach, WA.

We arrived at Pacific Holiday Resort and were waved through to site 46.  Parking pads are very close, but since the season is on the down-swing, they have positioned motorhomes with an empty site between.  We have a pull through with car parking in front, small grass strip, a picnic table, and full 30 amp/water/ sewer hookup.

Georgia got her first taste of the ocean, and I do mean taste!  She romped and drank and played like a pup.  It is a far cry from her kiddie pool on our patio back home, but she flopped down to cool off just the same.

We toasted and re-toasted ourselves, ate dinner and watched a DVD of Sweet Home Alabama.  Good thing we have seen it many times before because we gabbed through most of it and then climbed into bed for the night. 

We enjoyed bacon, eggs, hash browns and juice for breakfast on this bright sunny morning with more 80^o temperatures.  Explored this pleasant resort and checked in.  RPI prices $10 a night plus taxes.   

Bologna sandwiches, chips, pickle spears and Mike’s lemonade for lunch.

Tried to connect Verizon MiFi but couldn’t get a stable connection.  Frustration is setting in…no TV and no internet!  Feel like I am in the dark ages.  Thank goodness for cell service which is excellent in this location. 

Used indoor grill purchased a couple of years ago at the Washington State Fair and successfully served steak and mushrooms with deviled egg potato salad for dinner.

Weather clouded up just as one would  expect for an ocean excursion.  Walked the beach with a very frustrated Georgia since no ball was taken for fetching. 

Finished the evening with a DVD of Captain Ron.

Rain in the early morning hours made happy little pings on the roof but it didn’t last long or make things a wet mess. 

Breakfast was simply instant oatmeal, powder sugar mini donuts, coffee and orange juice. A little sugar buzz to get us going! The weather is typical ocean overcast but not much wind and mild temperatures. 

I did some housekeeping and continued to attempt internet connectivity to no avail while Chris walked Georgia on the beach and did his usual gabbing with the other campers. 

We left Georgia behind to snooze comfortably in her dog bed and went into Long Beach to play tourist.  First stop – the Cranberry Museum.  Interesting, informative and naturally ended with a gift shop where we purchased some cranberry preserves (Megan…this could be next on your canning docket), some wine and taffy. 

Up next was a visit to the Marsh Museum (Vickie…glad you left this name legacy behind.  It was a curiosity shop tourist trap).  Third worthwhile stop was the Kite Museum. 

Since it was approaching dinner hour we chose the Lost Roo for our dining experience.  It came recommended favorably by Al Price and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Chris washed his lamb burger down with Mac and Jack and I had a wonderful pear vodka/melon liquor concoction with my crab melt. 

I did some journal entry word processing with the hope of getting internet soon.  Neighbors Chris had met out dog walking joined us for an outside chat until bed time. 

Rejoice!!  I was finally able to get Verizon MiFi to give me a strong internet connection.  After an email to a dear friend, I cooked breakfast eggs, bacon, hash browns to accompany juice – a rerun but worth the artery clog!  Thin overcast to the morning skies but a calm and temperate day. 

I feel like I am part of the world again…the internet is at my fingertips.  Posted the entries to the website by easily cutting and pasting from my Word document.  That seems to be the best system since I am still trying to get a feel for how this web software can be manipulated to position pictures and text where I want them without using up too much data time.  Haven't grasped how to resize pictures so heads and tails (Georgia's) aren't cut off. 

After lunch, I sorted paperwork, reviewed maps and made slight adjustments to our travel schedule calendar so we weren't traveling on weekend days.  Phoned in reservations for our next two campgrounds.  Easy as pie with RPI.  I'm loving this camping membership.  Chris washed the windshield and discovered that the squeegie that looked so wonderful was flat which did not jive well with the rounded windows.  Resorted to the shamie and we are bug free until travel day tomorrow.  We finished off our workday with the installation of the entry step carpets. 

Dicovered what most of you probably already had figured out...clicking any posted photo will open it to its intended view!  I knew it had to be simple since this tool is called SimpleSite.  For my first personal web page this fits my needs for sharing experiences with friends and family.  Sure better than postcards. 

Today is a travel day.  Left Long Beach, WA and crossed the bridge into Oregon.  Curving climb along 101S ended up taking us 4 hours to travel the 158 miles to Chinook Bend Resort just beyond Lincoln City, OR.  Glad we followed the resort web directions istead of AAA or GPS which both missed it by about 20 miles.

After checking in at the Red Barn, we were guided to a spot on a grass field with W/E only.  This is a picturesque and peaceful property that allows us to use RPI ($10 per night with a $2 nightly resort fee).  We walked to the boat launch and took in the lazy river view. 

Dinner was followed by the DVD of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days – an oft-watched favorite.

Chris and Georgia walked the trails before breakfast.  We sat on the river patio deck watching fisherfolk and three blue heron and an egret looking for handouts.  Sunshine warmed the slight breezes and there was a little leaf color reflected in the water.

Georgia relaxed through a brushing session to detangle and shed.  Little red winged blackbirds seemed thrilled with the nesting material that blew their way. 

Seems like we are part of a migrating flock.  People we meet are all heading south and two of our neighbors will be staying at the same resort we will next visit. 

Georgia is one happy camper at this resort because of their relaxed leash rules, open grassed spaces and groomed trails among fields and along the river.  She is a little pouty that we won’t let her into the river, but it is fairly fast-flowing, mixed salt water and we’ve been told harbor seals make their way up this far and are dangerous to dogs. 

This was a day to sit in the sun and read/relax.  Tonight’s DVD: Appaloosa.

Early morning river fog, but clear and sunny by 8:30.  We took the camera on this morning’s dog walk, then left her behind as we drove south toward Newport. 

Made a quick Walmart stop for bread and beverages. 

The outside water hookup bay of the motorhome has a shower sprayer and proved a nice warm dog washing station.

Visited with some fellow Allegro owners, Herb and Laura, who are long-time full-timers and beaming with delight at their chosen lifestyle.  Great inspiration indeed!

Tonight’s DVD was The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance but alas the sandman shot Chris before the movie progressed very far and we called it a night.

Chris saw a seal in the river and visited an old horse that is pastured with two llamas along the entrance road.  It’s a breezy day with patches of sun.  I successfully made a reservation for Gold Beach where we hope to take a boat tour of the Rogue River. We spent the afternoon re-watching/finishing last night’s movie and some time studying maps and guides for upcoming adventures

Travel day to Florence, Oregon, where we will stay for three days at the South Jetty RV Resort (part of the Thousand Trails group).  We knew quite a number of our fellow campers from Chinook Bend were headed to this same location so it was no surprise to see familiar motorhomes/trailers when we arrived but fairly interesting that most of us ended up in a “camping cul-de-sac”.

We saw our Chinook Bend back door neighbor Pat when we were unhooking the car to reconnoiter for a site.  We headed toward the dog park to hunt for the spot not knowing that she had already parked in that area, too.  Herb and Laura were around the corner to welcome everyone to the unplanned block party.  Before we ever arrived, Herb had discovered that site 150 needed some sewer attention, so it was fixed shortly after we dubbed it as our own.  Laura came to my rescue and drove Chris back to the RV since I still have to learn to drive the manual transmission equipped Subaru!  Alan and Kathy were in a pickle when they backed in their trailer only to discover that their hydraulic system was in need of a mechanical fix.  After getting comfortable in a nicely wooded spot, the group (along with Sandy and Jim who were friends of Herb and Laura) gabbed for a bit before going our separate ways to see if we truly could get antenna TV reception as Laura announced she had. 

TV did indeed work just fine so we watched the news, ate dinner and enjoyed a show or two.  The most quiet night ever among the pines…blissful slumber.

Drove north to see the Sea Lion Caves.  The caves were empty but we watched the sea lions who were frolicking in the waves and chatted with the attendant who was from Renton, WA.  Georgia enjoyed our hike to Heceta Lighthouse in the rain.  Luckily, the fog wasn’t low enough to spoil the spectacle.  Our drive back to the motorhome included a side trip through Old Town Florence.  Herb gave Chris a brochure they had gotten for us at the Chamber of Commerce which is a routine stop on each leg of their travels and a new habit we will adopt.

Bacon and potato chowder proved so filling that a late snack of cheese, meat, crackers and wine ended up being dinner while we caught some series premiers on TV.

Shared a delightful conversation with Pat who is busy photographing her way to Mesa where she will work camp until spring.  Our excursion today was south to the Umpqua River Lighthouse.  Then we toured the very informative and beautifully designed Umpqua Discovery Center.  It housed expansive murals and pioneer artifacts and certainly earned thumbs up from us. ($8 fee)

Watched the new season opener of Survivor and relished the fact that we have scenery to rival theirs, a full pantry and don’t want to vote anyone off our rolling island (yet!).

What a steering wheel-gripping trip for Chris as we traveled between Florence, OR, and Gold Beach, OR.  Some rough road, tight curves, powerful gusty winds and a high bridge where I told him I would look down and he could just look ahead! (Chris doesn’t appreciate views from “above”.)

The coast scenery was captivating with waves crushing jutting rocks before they curled shoreward.

We are now nestled into a circular mom and pop park with just 20 sites called Secret Camp.  Site 7 is ours complete with trees, wide expanse beyond our slides, a fire ring and new picnic table.  While we are enjoying the free WIFI, Georgia loves the rustic trails down to a creek where she quickly discovered a swimming hole.  She enjoys being able to bound about with a new dog friend in this non-crowded campground with lax leash laws.

I always embraced technology, but oh how I appreciate the digital age now that we are traveling.  Nothing better than keeping up with friends, long standing and newly acquired, the digital way.  We look forward to more FB posts from Pat who captured some lighthouse and sea lions.

We have put it off long enough: today is laundry day! Drove south to Brookings to see what they had to offer, but ended up coming back to a nice little laundry facility in Gold Beach!  While I read and attended to the clothes, Chris took Georgia down the jetty for a splash and swim session.  They miraculously timed their return to coincide with the folding of the last couple of pair of jeans, but I was rewarded for my efforts with a seafood dinner across the river.

We left Georgia in the care of another camper while we went on a 64-mile round trip up the Rogue River on a jet boat.  Spectacular scenery through some canyons and sightings of harbor seals, heron, egret, osprey, Canada geese, a raccoon and three river otters who put on quite a land/water show.  We wound our way upriver through fishing boats and stopped to see a fellow land a substantial Coho.  Our guide was an expert boatman who not only navigated the rapids and shallows well, but also gave us the thrill of numerous 360⁰ spins along the way.  We dined upstream on a delicious buffet with southern fried chicken, brats, smoked turkey, corn on the cob, baked beans and an assortment of salads and desserts. 

When we docked we purchased a great photo taken from the bridge overhead as we had departed, and I could not pass up a package of fragrant and juicy Huckleberry Gummy Grizzlies!! 

Did a bit grocery shopping and found a liquor store before we headed back to retrieve a joyful dog who was worn out from swimming, fetching and visiting other campsites with her sitter.  She has now taken her ball and retreated to the bedroom corner to sleep and make sure she is not abandoned again!

Missed a call from Brett, but connected later for some conversation with grandson, Kyren, who was just sure I could "see" his fast car as we talked, and I didn't burst his bubble!

Our traveling friend, Pat.

The editing tool I am using is telling me the page is getting too big and will load slowly, but I am trying to extend the pages so that I can maximize my use of the allotted pages for the subscription.  I will have to play around with organization and tabs a little to see how to make it work better. 

This morning's trip into town for gas and to exchange a shirt (seems I have been eating elegantly and drinking divinely enough this trip to warrant a size upgrade) turned into a chance to meet up with Pat again.  Saw a posting of her latest lighthouse photos on FB and she mentioned she was in Gold Beach.  We asked the clerk at the gift shop to determine Pat's whereabouts by her description and sure enough we were able to drive to her site on the ocean. 

Chris washed windows, I cleaned floors, and then Georgia got a swim session in early enough so she would dry before curling up in her cozy bed for the night. 

We crossed the state line into California and found our next “yard” in our new neighborhood at Klamath River RV Resort. This park doesn’t have TV service and MIFI doesn’t seem to be working too well.  We sat outside until it got chilly.  We ate and tried to figure out the scoring system for cribbage. It has been many years since we have played and we didn’t want to work hard enough to get started so we watched the DVD of Pure Country as it rained.  We wisely had not opted for the $2 nightly charge for a river view!  Chuckled at those who did because fog and rain thwarted any extra scenery they may have had through their windshield that we could take a few steps to see for free. 

Received a text from Pat and we set up a rendezvous at Trees of Mystery.  Early fog quickly relented to piercing sun rays.  We walked up to the Sky Ride that has been added since our visit to this tourist venue 9 years ago with the boys on our way to one of Kyle’s soccer tournaments.  Chris battled his fear of heights and gamely boarded the aerial ride to the top for some spectacular views through the towering redwoods out to the expansive Pacific.  A taste of fudge at the gift shop aroused our tummies so we found a bar and grille which turned out to be near the Klamath drive-through Tree Tour.  Pat came back to our campsite to visit before returning to her own further north.  Dinner was followed by the DVD of Support Your Local Sheriff.  We savored the homemade chocolate liquor bottled by our friend Megan.