First Days in Florence

We have been in Florence for a few days and have settled in and all systems are working perfectly.  We arrived last Thursday after spending a few days in Palmdale CA with Jeff, Vicki, Garret and Justin. We also met up with Bob and Leah Garrettson. who will also be at Desert Gardens.  I cannot say enough about the weather.  It has been warm days and cool nights and we are loving it.  It's hard to believe that it is November and we should be thinking about Christmas. We have checked out Florence, Coolidge and Casa Grande, each town a little bigger than the last.  Clearly, Casa Grande has more to offer in regards to shopping but Safeway and Walmart are close by.  We attended a community Pizza Party the first night we were here and met a few people.  They truly are from all over the country.  There are lots of activities.  Gary wants to check out the card games. pool tables, horse shoe pits and the woodworking shop.  There are walking trails and of course the pool and fitness room.  Also, there is a small library and crafts room.  We should be able to find something to keep us busy. Right now, just spending most of the day outside has been a real treat.

Common Area

Desert Trail

Our Site

Sunset

The dream that we have had for a long time is finally becoming a reality.  After years of thinking about it, months of planning and days of packing, we have set off on our "snowbird adventure".  We are heading to Florence AZ for a few months of sun and new experiences.  We left yesterday and made our first stop in Gold Hill OR.  It was a pretty uneventful day and only hope we have more of the same mechanically speaking. Woke up to rain on the roof  - not a new experience.  Heading over the Siskyous today and towards more sunny climes.

Fort Stevens and Astoria

Another busy day on our Oregon camping adventure.  Started off with a pancake breakfast and then went exploring  Fort Stevens.  There has been a lot of restoration done at the gun batteries.  We checked those out and did a little Geocacheing. We found one but the tall wet grass and mosquitos stopped us from looking for any more. Had a little beach time and checked out the Peter Iredale wreck. After lunch we hung around the campground and had some playground time and went swimming.  Had dinner in Astoria.  Tyler has discovered Clam Chowder and the concept of a cup of soup as an appetizer.  Sorry Mommy and Daddy.  After dinner we went to the Astoria Column and climbed the 164 steps to the top.  I chose not to do the climb when we were here in 1987 and I was 25 years younger, but I forged ahead and made it to the top.  Of course Tyler and Anna practically ran up the steps.  There was a fantastic view from the top.  Tyler and Anna wanted to do it again but will save that for when Sara and Todd are with us.  We wouldn't want them to miss the view.  Ended the day with another game of Monoply which Tyler won and of course I lost.   All in all, it has been a great few days and we have had a lot of fun.  Looking forward to the next adventure.

At the Beach

Top of the Astoria Column

Taken by Tyler with the Telephoto lens.

Taken by Tyler

Taken by Anna

Seaside Oregon

Today is our second day of camping and since it was raining a little, we decided to go explore Seaside. Took a ride on the carousel, played a little miniature golf and rode the Tilt-a-Whirl. Anna loved this ride but both Gary and I were less enthusiastic and Tyler absolutely refused.  Had lunch at a little Cafe where Tyler had his first grown-up bowl of clam chowder which he polished of with no problem.  Played a few arcade games and then headed back to the campground.  Tyler and Anna had a little playground time and then got some souvenirs.  We also checked out the pool and capped off the day with a campfire and marshmallow roast.  Of course we had to get in a game of Monoply Junior which Anna won easily and two games of UNO which I won.  Finally!  It was a busy day. 

At the Taffy Shop.  Tyler and Anna both won a bag of popcorn

Camping with the Grandkids June 17, 2012

Anna, Tyler, Gary and I arrived at the KOA just outside of Ft Stevens Oregon to spend a few days camping and exploring the area.  Arrived about 4:30 this afternood after an uneventful trip from Olympia.  While Gary set everything up, Tyler, Anna and I did a little mini-golf. Grandpa joined us later after all the chores were done.

After a dinner of hot dogs, baked beans and macaroni and cheese- flashback to the '70's- we played a few rousing games of Uno and one of monoply. The score so far for wins is Anna-one,  Tyler -two and Grandpa two wins.  Grandma -Zip. I plan  a major comeback tomorrow.

Potholes State Park

We are here in Potholes State Park just outside of Othello WA enjoying our last day of this trip.  It is a beautiful day here.  There is one little glitch.  The park has not had any water since about 9:00 this morning.  It seems that the pump has no electricity.  Hopefully this will be resolved today.  It is 2:00 now.

Larry Paske arrived about a hour ago.  He and a friend came here to fish all week.  Gary is now enjoying some much needed (I assume) male bonding time. 

This has been a relaxing way to spend the last days of our trip.  I can't believe all that we have seen and all we have done over the past seven weeks.  It has gone by so fast and we have enjoyed every bit of it.
We both agreed that this has been a great trip and we are  pleased with how everything has worked in the RV.  So back to Olympia tomorrow and to  planning our next adventure.  Until next time. . . . .

Baker City Oregon

Arrived at Baker City Oregon about 1:00 PDT.  We wanted to explore some of the area as this was the major route for the Oregon Trail.  We visited the Oregon Trail Intrepretive Center. This was a very interesting museum with life size dioramas and interesting displays.  It took the Immigrants 6 months and most walked the 2000 miles to get to Oregon City and trail's end.  It's hard to imagine the rigors of that trip when we can now cross the same space in just a few days by car.  We would like to return when we have a little more time and walk some of the trails. As it was, we spent over 2 hours there.  You can actually see the ruts the wagons left over 150 years ago.  We highly recommend it for anyone coming through Baker City on I 84.  We spent so much time there that we didn't see any of the other museums in town so this definitely rates another return trip.  We are heading up to Potholes Lake State Park for our last 2 days and then home on Saturday.

Looking across the valley on the Oregon Trail

Elkhorn Mountains

Trail Marker placed in 1943

Mountain Home ID

Leaving Wyoming

Wasatch Mt heading west

Mt Home RV Park

We left Rock Springs early this morning to avoid the high winds.  It blew hard and rained most of the night.  The winds were only about 15mph this morning.  It was much better than yesterday.  Stopped for breakfast at Evanston.  I think Wyoming wins the contest for wind over Lancaster CA.  At least in Lancaster we were sitting still.  After leaving Wyoming the drive got much better.  Stopped for the night in Mountain Home Idaho at a lovely RV Park.  On to Baker City Oregon tomorrow.  I can't believe that our first great adventure is almost over.

We left Denver today after spending a week there visiting with family and friends.  While there we recarpeted Mom's back porch and stairs.  She was very pleased.  We also went to Boulder and had lunch with Hayley and then explored the Pearl Street Mall and McGuckin's Hardware.  Yesterday we took Mom and Kathie to the mountains around Ward.  It was a beautiful day for a drive.  On the way back we saw about 10 Bighorn sheep grazing along the side of the road.  Have never been that close before. 

We left Denver this morning and headed west across Wyoming.  Big Mistake.  Had 25-35mph head winds and side winds all the way to Rock Springs.  And it is still blowing.  Don't remember it being this windy across Montana.  Besides, Montana is prettier than Wyoming.  May not come this way again.  Hope to make it to Twin Falls tomorrow but will see how it goes and how the wind blows.  For now, we are resting up in Rock Springs and listening to the wind.

Arriving in Denver

Multitasking over Raton Pass

We have arrived in Denver and will stay and visit friends and family for a week.  The trip was uneventful and we enjoyed watching the scenery change from the deserts of New Mexico to the mountains of Colorado.  We have finally solved the Antenna/Satellite dilemma.  Turns out there is a switch that needs to be on and then you need to do a channel search.  So we can now switch from our satellite stations to the local channels.  As predicted it was a fairly simple solution, just needed figuring out.  Mission accomplished.

Taos NM

We spent the  day exploring Taos NM.  Our first stop was the Taos Pueblo.  Navajo have occupied this pueblo for at least 1000 years.  We took in the sights and a little lunch in Taos.  And on the way back, we stopped at two old Mission sights. The first was the San Juan de Gracias church built in 1760 and the last was the Santuario de Chimayo church.  So we got a lot of local history, a very good lunch and another beautiful day.

Taos Pueblo church

San Jose de Gracia church in Las Trampas

Santuario de Chimayo church in Chimayo