Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Honeyman State Park (at Oregon's coastal dunes)

It's hard to believe a full week has gone by since my last post.  Been doing a lot!
Yesterday, we toured Cape Perpetual, OR where the Thor's Well coastal cauldron breathes ocean water and the grey whales cavort. Everyone was up close, save the napping Grandpa Don.

The day before we were at Beverly Beach where we went deep sea fishing for rockfish and Dunginis (sp?) at Depoe Bay. The four of us caught our limit. Big D stayed ashore with Apollo.

Saturday we took the Bremerton ferry from Gig Harbor into Seattle to see Pike Place Market, Fountain Park skatepark, and the Experience Music Project pop culture museum. I visited some great friends while Eli & Luke stayed with their cousins in Tacoma.

 Mount St. Helen's was Friday. Incredible! So i bought a keychain.

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Thursday was Mt. Hood, with a hike to Mirror lake, a half mile Alpine slide. Also my first ever and likely last bungee jump.

Checking out the salmon run at the Bonneville Dam fish ladder, right near the awesome Multnomah Falls on the Columbia River.

Imagine a picture of awesome Multnomah Falls right here!

(Photo capability is improving but not quite there yet.)

Alpine slide

Skateboard park in Seattle.

This post is going so good I'll cash in my chips and hopefully get it in the record. Today is ATV riding and maybe sandboarding on the dunes. More later!

DD

2016.08.24 - Ainsworth State Park OR

Eli and Luke successfully flew in from Dulles to Portland last night. Lots of free stuff on board for them in the 'unaccompanied minor' category.  Other than eastern time zone phone alarms going off in the middle of the night, everyone fit and slept well in the camper.

Here are the boys.  12 year old Luke on my left and 15 year old Eli in the Adidas shirt on my right.  Going to Multnomah Falls and Oneida Falls along the Columbia River Gorge today (previewed both yesterday) .

Eli will help me get my photos more available and me schooled in how to load them to the blog. Until then, wait for more Oregon pics.  Below is the video I posted before that might now work as a video.  (Might not too.) Good morning all!!

DDP

August 21 - Coeur d'Alene

Late night chat with a friend on how to make blogs interesting. We agreed that this would do it:
"As I scan the camper interior, I pick up the pistol from the table, like so many nights before. Then I put it back down, just like before, and move to the next town."
Ha! Kidding!
Today, I will get some Bear Spray (not to be confused with Hair Spray) my sister insists upon for my personal protection. Not the Heckler & Koch my stepson suggests. The boys arrive in 2 days, so filling the larder in advance. I leave for Ainsworth State Park tomorrow, on the Columbia River near Portland. Both nervous and excited about making a memorable trip for the 12 and 15 year old guys. But the awesome country around here will do most of the heavy lifting on that count.
I'll post some Coeur d'Alene pics later today.
Later!
DDP

August 20th kind of

So nobody told me it's hard to do a blog when you've been drinking. anyway, here tis. these are from Yellowstone. Old faithful was incredible, particularly when the viewers in the crescent shaped viewing area did the 'wave'. Might have misjudged, but a number of foreigners seemed rather confused. I'm in Coeur d'Alene, having a good time in RV land. More sobering pictures to follow tomorrow! Life is good!

Yellowstone - Aug 15

Very long driving day yesterday, but eventful. Left the Badlands around 9:00 am yesterday; arrived at Grizzly/White River RV Park at the western entrance to Yellowstone at 1:30 am this morning.  Caffeine and a nap along the way.  A gibbous moon lit the road and good tunes lit the airwaves.  Way long journey but pleasant.  Thought about zircon encrusted tweezers and dental floss moving through Montana.

Getting a handle on photos.  This is from the Badlands where I started:

Lots of Virginia people out here. Met folks from VaTech, UVA and W&M.

On yesterday's trip I visited Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial along the way. Seeing Mt. Rushmore for real was incredible.  Don't know who those 4 guys are but they must be important!  The view of Crazy Horse was too far away without a bus tour that I declined.

Temperatures have been dropping like a rock.  It was 96 degrees in Kansas City, 81 degrees in the Badlands, and 41 when I came here this morning.  Found the camper heater works. A high of 81 expected.  Checking in this morning, i got the evil eye from staff for arriving at 0 dark 30.  Woke up wiped out. Burnt some sausage for breakfast and plan on chilling this morning.  Old Faithful later today. Pics later.

Day 6 - August 11,2016

The second day in Lawrence Kansas, just west of KC. Leaving tomorrow for Sioux City Iowa.  Hadn't noticed the RV Park name when I booked, but this is a "Jellystone" RV Park, complete with a roving Yogi on the back of a golf cart. No sign of Booboo though.  I am likely the only pedophile-looking unaccompanied old guy here. And the tiny pool is full of little splashing screamers.

Had a good time in Kansas City last night.  Almost went to see the Royals play the White Sox (Royals neck and neck with the Sox) but it was 96 degrees with humidity from hell.  So instead had authentic KC BBQ from Albert Brook's (same feel as the Roanoke Wiener Stand) and saw a blues band play at 'Knuckleheads' (same feel as the Coffee Pot but way big).

Fixed a loose water pipe under the trailer kitchen sink yesterday (a big deal), and will have someone look at my errant refrigerator (now a real 'ice box' but not a huge deal) in Paola Kansas tomorrow.

All in all, everything is going nicely in the blistering heat of Kansas.  When I figure out how to post a pic, I'll add one. More later.
DDP

3 days away!!! Time seems to have flown.  Fantastic retirement party given by SFCS Inc.  Many kind words, many good friends! Absolutely overwhelming. Super gift of tickets to all three days of the "Desert Trip" concert in Indio California on October 7, 8 and 9, 2016.  First night (in separate venues): Stones & Dylan; Second Night: McCartney & Neil Young; Third Night: Roger Waters & The Who.  I already had 3 nights booked in an RV park in Indio, but couldn't score tickets. So a huge thanks to SFCS for 33 rewarding years and concert tickets to boot!

Below is my route westward to Oregon.  Hope it's legible. I'm flying two grandkids from Dulles to Portland on August 23rd.  We'll hang together for 11 days before they return to Williamsburg for the school year.  Tight quarters for sure.  I'm packing a 'time-out' tent in case they get a little too much Grandpa Don (who I am, BTW - aka G Don).

Stay tuned for more lame prose! Take care.  DDP