I think you could almost say "ditto" from yesterday about today. Except we worked on the bays on the passenger side of Auntie Violet. We combined some maps and books into one container and actually ended up with some empty space. We have quite a few construction books that we used at Mennonite Disaster Service sites along with our tool belts that we will be taking over to the church for the new tool trailer that the Washington State MDS unit is putting together. (I only wish that we were still physically strong enough to tackle volunteering for MDS. I guess that is a chapter in our life story that is pretty much finished...)
The man who actually farms our ranch stopped by tonight with some sausage and some apples for us -- looks like we've got some good eating ahead of us! We've been extremely fortunate to have Jeff and his family living on the home place. He and his boys are good farmers.
We had hoped we would be heading out tomorrow, but in the usual nature of jello, that plan has changed. Forry wants to take the Suzuki into Moses Lake tomorrow to get the oil changed and have his Schaeffer Oil used. He also wants to pick up enough Schaeffer Oil for another oil change for Auntie Violet.
We have been watching the election results on television tonight with great concern. It was a great relief when the electoral votes finally added up to enough to re-elect our president. If only now we can start converting those blue and red states into purple ones where we all start working together!
Showing posts with label Washington State. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Washington State. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
North Cascades Highway
September 4, 2012
(Once again, I'm not getting internet at the ranch, so am sending it on our way to Spokane.)
We came home from Mount Vernon over Highway 20, the North Cascades Highway. This highway closes down in the wintertime as it goes through some of the most scenic mountains in Washington State. It's been several years since we had driven this way and it was a gorgeous day to do it. After some last hugs from the grandkids and their mother, we left around eleven o'clock.
It's still cold up in the Cascade Mountains and the snow remains on some of the north facing slopes! Most likely some of it will still be there when this winter's snow starts to fall on top of it...
Our drive took us through the beautiful Methow River Valley on the eastern side of the state. This is orchard country. You could see all of the apples beginning to turn red, getting ready for harvest.
It was easy to see it was getting towards harvest time, as trucks were busy transporting the big boxes out to the orchards.
We made a stop in Brewster for gas and a bite to eat, finally getting back to the ranch just as it had gotten dark.
(Once again, I'm not getting internet at the ranch, so am sending it on our way to Spokane.)
We came home from Mount Vernon over Highway 20, the North Cascades Highway. This highway closes down in the wintertime as it goes through some of the most scenic mountains in Washington State. It's been several years since we had driven this way and it was a gorgeous day to do it. After some last hugs from the grandkids and their mother, we left around eleven o'clock.
It's still cold up in the Cascade Mountains and the snow remains on some of the north facing slopes! Most likely some of it will still be there when this winter's snow starts to fall on top of it...
Our drive took us through the beautiful Methow River Valley on the eastern side of the state. This is orchard country. You could see all of the apples beginning to turn red, getting ready for harvest.
It was easy to see it was getting towards harvest time, as trucks were busy transporting the big boxes out to the orchards.
We made a stop in Brewster for gas and a bite to eat, finally getting back to the ranch just as it had gotten dark.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
We Made It -- Washington State!
It took driving through three states to do it, but we've finally made it back to Washington State. Okay, it's not as bad as it sounds -- the panhandle of Idaho can't be more than a hundred miles across!
It was mostly mountain driving today, the foothills of the Rockies along the Clark Fork River --
There's some pretty rugged rocks along Interstate 90 --
And some with gorgeous colors --
I lost count of how many times we crossed the Clark Fork as it winds its way along. I'm sure we crossed it more than a dozen times!
We finally saw the last of Montana. I was so glad to see the Welcome to Idaho sign. And even happier to see the little sign that said we were now in the Pacific Time Zone!
Would you believe I MISSED the Welcome to Washington sign?! We were so busy pointing out landmarks to each other, I forgot to pick up the camera in time... ;-(
With the gain of an hour with the time zone, we were able to pull into Ponderosa Falls RV Park a little after three thirty. With our KM membership, we only had to pay the $2 per day electricity charge for our two week stay.
Those two weeks will be busy. I have been able to make all of our appointments for doctor visits, eye exams, dental visits, haircuts and massages! It seemed to be good timing for everything as there were either openings or cancellations that would fit us in everywhere. Now we just need to get a clear date for our AHEC gathering!
It was mostly mountain driving today, the foothills of the Rockies along the Clark Fork River --
There's some pretty rugged rocks along Interstate 90 --
And some with gorgeous colors --
I lost count of how many times we crossed the Clark Fork as it winds its way along. I'm sure we crossed it more than a dozen times!
We finally saw the last of Montana. I was so glad to see the Welcome to Idaho sign. And even happier to see the little sign that said we were now in the Pacific Time Zone!
Would you believe I MISSED the Welcome to Washington sign?! We were so busy pointing out landmarks to each other, I forgot to pick up the camera in time... ;-(
With the gain of an hour with the time zone, we were able to pull into Ponderosa Falls RV Park a little after three thirty. With our KM membership, we only had to pay the $2 per day electricity charge for our two week stay.
Those two weeks will be busy. I have been able to make all of our appointments for doctor visits, eye exams, dental visits, haircuts and massages! It seemed to be good timing for everything as there were either openings or cancellations that would fit us in everywhere. Now we just need to get a clear date for our AHEC gathering!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
What a Difference a Day Makes!
Yesterday it was sprinkling as we hooked up to head west and we drove in rain almost all the way through western North Dakota and into eastern Montana. It was chilly enough that I actually put a sweatshirt on for the first time since last November.
The western part of North Dakota near Teddy Roosevelt National Park has some of my most favorite Western scenery. We have camped in this part of the country before and enjoyed it immensely.
Several years ago I flew out to North Dakota for a Friday meeting to work with their rural providers to assist them with formation of a state rural health association. In those days, you often got a much better airfare if you stayed over Saturday night. The ND group loaned me a car and I spent Saturday exploring Teddy Roosevelt's North Dakota haunts -- and in the process fell in love with the ND badlands. I think they are more dramatic and colorful than the Badlands National Park in South Dakota!
We only skirted the edges of the badlands yesterday, but you could still see the incredible bands of color, especially the reds...
Even through all of the downpour, the hills are gorgeous!
This was the scene this morning. Mainly blue skies with scattered clouds that soon left. The Miles City, Montana KOA is located in the midst of what they describe as "mature" cottonwood trees. It's very pretty. Some of the trees are very old and have huge trunks -- if they could only talk!
We did drive around a bit this afternoon (after sleeping in VERY late this morning!) and went to take a good look at the Yellowstone River which flows along the edge of town.
It's a fairly large river, but according to the locals it is very low as evidenced by all of the exposed beaches and sandbars.
The Tongue River runs along the edge of the KOA kampground. We followed it down to where it flowed into the Yellowstone --
It got quite warm today, into the nineties (no sweatshirt today!). They were lots of rigs and boat trailers parked along the Yellowstone's sandbars and we saw a lot of people wading and swimming.
If we weren't getting anxious to get back to Washington State, we would certainly be lingering longer in this part of the world.
The western part of North Dakota near Teddy Roosevelt National Park has some of my most favorite Western scenery. We have camped in this part of the country before and enjoyed it immensely.
We only skirted the edges of the badlands yesterday, but you could still see the incredible bands of color, especially the reds...
Even through all of the downpour, the hills are gorgeous!
This was the scene this morning. Mainly blue skies with scattered clouds that soon left. The Miles City, Montana KOA is located in the midst of what they describe as "mature" cottonwood trees. It's very pretty. Some of the trees are very old and have huge trunks -- if they could only talk!
We did drive around a bit this afternoon (after sleeping in VERY late this morning!) and went to take a good look at the Yellowstone River which flows along the edge of town.
It's a fairly large river, but according to the locals it is very low as evidenced by all of the exposed beaches and sandbars.
The Tongue River runs along the edge of the KOA kampground. We followed it down to where it flowed into the Yellowstone --
It got quite warm today, into the nineties (no sweatshirt today!). They were lots of rigs and boat trailers parked along the Yellowstone's sandbars and we saw a lot of people wading and swimming.
If we weren't getting anxious to get back to Washington State, we would certainly be lingering longer in this part of the world.
Friday, July 13, 2012
A Recovery Day
I was thinking today about the first trip we took across the US in our RV almost six years ago. We were supposed to report to our Mennonite Disaster Service work site in Louisiana the first of October. Because our church hosts the Washington State MCC sale, the Mennonite Country Auction, the first weekend in October, we made arrangements with MDS to leave right after the sale.
We drove pretty much straight through from Washington State, stopping at rest areas for four to five hours of sleep and an occasional hour's nap, then continuing on. I think we made it to the Diamond, Louisiana work site in just three days. I cannot even imagine trying to do that now!
Nowadays, a three hour drive is about all we like to do. That means we leave late enough in the morning to avoid the morning rush hour traffic and make it to our new site before the evening rush hour. It means we get set-up when it's still daylight and have a bit of time to relax before supper.
Then we usually use the next day as a recovery day, staying at home in Auntie Violet and just taking life easy. (Which for Forry means a couple of naps in his recliner and plenty of time with his Sudoku...) I may or may not catch up on the laundry, but I usually spend most of the day reading or knitting. If we're planning to go sight-seeing in an area, we usually plan that for the next day.
Neither Forry nor I are morning people, so this kind of schedule suits our retired life-style. Because we have been on the East Coast with the three hour time difference, we often end up watching Mariner's home Seattle Safeco Field baseball games starting at 10 PM at night. Depending how long the games last -- and whether they go to extra innings -- we may not get to bed before midnight or later.
Today was one of those recovery days.
We drove pretty much straight through from Washington State, stopping at rest areas for four to five hours of sleep and an occasional hour's nap, then continuing on. I think we made it to the Diamond, Louisiana work site in just three days. I cannot even imagine trying to do that now!
Nowadays, a three hour drive is about all we like to do. That means we leave late enough in the morning to avoid the morning rush hour traffic and make it to our new site before the evening rush hour. It means we get set-up when it's still daylight and have a bit of time to relax before supper.
Then we usually use the next day as a recovery day, staying at home in Auntie Violet and just taking life easy. (Which for Forry means a couple of naps in his recliner and plenty of time with his Sudoku...) I may or may not catch up on the laundry, but I usually spend most of the day reading or knitting. If we're planning to go sight-seeing in an area, we usually plan that for the next day.
Neither Forry nor I are morning people, so this kind of schedule suits our retired life-style. Because we have been on the East Coast with the three hour time difference, we often end up watching Mariner's home Seattle Safeco Field baseball games starting at 10 PM at night. Depending how long the games last -- and whether they go to extra innings -- we may not get to bed before midnight or later.
Today was one of those recovery days.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Just Thinking...
What a difference a day makes! Last evening when we were walking around the campground, it was incredibly noisy and busy. There were golf carts going in every direction and kids on bicycles racing up and down. There were lots of parties and the "good ol' boys" were having a great time.
This evening it is very quiet and still. Many of the rigs who came in for the long weekend with young families packed up and left early this afternoon. A good share of the more permanent RVs are dark tonight and there are no longer cars parked by them, so I am assuming they have gone back to their regular homes as well.
We have started thinking about our next couple of stops. We normally aren't too much for planning or making reservations a long way ahead. We will often call the day before, or even the day of, a stop to see if there is a space for us. But, it doesn't seem to work as well to do that here on the East Coast. We've also been trying to plan things so that we can add all of the New England state stickers to our map. Our goal is to have been in all of the 48 continental US states by the time we return to Washington State later this summer.
We've made reservations to spend a few days at the Harper's Ferry KOA in West Virginia, then move on to eastern Pennsylvania for a week's stay. We were attracted Homestead Campground in Green Lane, Pennsylvania because of the campground's information that you could take a train from near-by into historic Philadelphia. Sounds like it costs $1 to park at the train station all day and another dollar for Seniors to ride the train. I like the sounds of that.
Back in another life, I was fortunate to have had a Fellowship with the Public Health Service in Washington DC that enabled me to spend a month in the city. Forry was able to spend a portion of the time with me and we did a great deal of exploring on the weekends. We were also in DC several times during my years with the National Rural Health Association, so we are not really feeling like we want to spend any of our time there.
We do want to explore the New England states. We have good friends who have retired to a farm in Maine that we are anxious to see. I am also very much looking forward to seeing Niagara Falls. It does seem that even if we spend a week or more in a state, we barely get a taste of it. There are so many things to see in this wonderful country of ours!
This evening it is very quiet and still. Many of the rigs who came in for the long weekend with young families packed up and left early this afternoon. A good share of the more permanent RVs are dark tonight and there are no longer cars parked by them, so I am assuming they have gone back to their regular homes as well.
We have started thinking about our next couple of stops. We normally aren't too much for planning or making reservations a long way ahead. We will often call the day before, or even the day of, a stop to see if there is a space for us. But, it doesn't seem to work as well to do that here on the East Coast. We've also been trying to plan things so that we can add all of the New England state stickers to our map. Our goal is to have been in all of the 48 continental US states by the time we return to Washington State later this summer.
We've made reservations to spend a few days at the Harper's Ferry KOA in West Virginia, then move on to eastern Pennsylvania for a week's stay. We were attracted Homestead Campground in Green Lane, Pennsylvania because of the campground's information that you could take a train from near-by into historic Philadelphia. Sounds like it costs $1 to park at the train station all day and another dollar for Seniors to ride the train. I like the sounds of that.
Back in another life, I was fortunate to have had a Fellowship with the Public Health Service in Washington DC that enabled me to spend a month in the city. Forry was able to spend a portion of the time with me and we did a great deal of exploring on the weekends. We were also in DC several times during my years with the National Rural Health Association, so we are not really feeling like we want to spend any of our time there.
We do want to explore the New England states. We have good friends who have retired to a farm in Maine that we are anxious to see. I am also very much looking forward to seeing Niagara Falls. It does seem that even if we spend a week or more in a state, we barely get a taste of it. There are so many things to see in this wonderful country of ours!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Just Ridin' Around the Park
As we ride around this Florida RV park, it's interesting to contrast it with the RV parks we have stayed at in Arizona the last couple of winters. The flowers here are more like what we might see in the summertime at home in the Northwest, lots of geraniums and impatiens.
There are lots of palm trees in parks in both states, but the juxtaposition with pine trees is unique to Florida. There are many Park Models here as well, but they seem to be older, smaller models.
Many of the plants we see are ones -- in much smaller versions -- that we might see potted in florist shops at home. This park model has poinsettias, crotons and mother-in-law tongues planted in the flower beds.
I had only seen crotons like this in pots and like a lot of nursery plants, shorter and more compact --
What you don't see here are cacti. It's more of tropical atmosphere rather then desert. There are lots of pots of colorful geraniums around the park --
I don't think they water the grass in any of the parks we've been in in Florida. Like most of the parks we've been in, this one has been here a while and the spaces are pretty tight.
Forry is settling in to watch the Super Bowl tonight. I'm usually interested in the commercials, but there have been so many "sneak" previews of them this year that I feel like I've already seen most of them. (At 3 1/2 million dollars an ad, I guess you want to make sure they get seen more then just the once during the game...)
We've been trying to eat a bit more healthily this year, but today I broke down and made a pan of walnut chocolate caramel brownies. I salved my conscience by telling Forry they were supper...! ;-)
My heart has been saddened this week by news of the death of a 90 year old family friend. One of the disadvantages of this life style is being so far away from friends and family in Washington State. I would love to be able to say "good-bye" to John this Tuesday; join in remembering this remarkable rancher's life; and give a big hug to Polly. RIP JJH
There are lots of palm trees in parks in both states, but the juxtaposition with pine trees is unique to Florida. There are many Park Models here as well, but they seem to be older, smaller models.
Many of the plants we see are ones -- in much smaller versions -- that we might see potted in florist shops at home. This park model has poinsettias, crotons and mother-in-law tongues planted in the flower beds.
I had only seen crotons like this in pots and like a lot of nursery plants, shorter and more compact --
What you don't see here are cacti. It's more of tropical atmosphere rather then desert. There are lots of pots of colorful geraniums around the park --
I don't think they water the grass in any of the parks we've been in in Florida. Like most of the parks we've been in, this one has been here a while and the spaces are pretty tight.
Forry is settling in to watch the Super Bowl tonight. I'm usually interested in the commercials, but there have been so many "sneak" previews of them this year that I feel like I've already seen most of them. (At 3 1/2 million dollars an ad, I guess you want to make sure they get seen more then just the once during the game...)
We've been trying to eat a bit more healthily this year, but today I broke down and made a pan of walnut chocolate caramel brownies. I salved my conscience by telling Forry they were supper...! ;-)
My heart has been saddened this week by news of the death of a 90 year old family friend. One of the disadvantages of this life style is being so far away from friends and family in Washington State. I would love to be able to say "good-bye" to John this Tuesday; join in remembering this remarkable rancher's life; and give a big hug to Polly. RIP JJH
Friday, January 13, 2012
Finally, THE KEYS!
It seems like we've been heading in this direction for a l-o-n-g time and now, we are finally in the Florida Keys! We're a long, long way from Washington State.
We basically drove down Highway 1, which goes all the way from Homestead to Key West, the end of the island chain that makes up the Keys. The mainland portion of the highway skirts Everglades National Park and is very swampy --
As you get further down the Keys, the highway is a two-lane road with a blue concrete barrier down the center line. (I have a feeling that there used to be head-on crashes from impatient drivers...) The Atlantic Ocean was on our left and the Gulf of Mexico was on the right -- as we crossed the many bridges we could see them both at the same time.
The battery on my camera went dead, so I didn't get any more pictures until we got to Sugarloaf Key where the KOA is located. Believe it or not, these are residents of the RV Resort --
I think we spotted three roosters and the one lone hen strutting in and out among the RVs --
It was getting towards dusk when we went for a walk around the park. This Brown Pelican flew into the mangroves to roost --
I almost missed getting a shot of this one, beginning to show breeding colors on the head.
This is the swimming area at the park --
And here's one more Brown Pelican (the American White Pelican is not on this coast) sitting on the bridge --
We basically drove down Highway 1, which goes all the way from Homestead to Key West, the end of the island chain that makes up the Keys. The mainland portion of the highway skirts Everglades National Park and is very swampy --
As you get further down the Keys, the highway is a two-lane road with a blue concrete barrier down the center line. (I have a feeling that there used to be head-on crashes from impatient drivers...) The Atlantic Ocean was on our left and the Gulf of Mexico was on the right -- as we crossed the many bridges we could see them both at the same time.
The battery on my camera went dead, so I didn't get any more pictures until we got to Sugarloaf Key where the KOA is located. Believe it or not, these are residents of the RV Resort --
I think we spotted three roosters and the one lone hen strutting in and out among the RVs --
It was getting towards dusk when we went for a walk around the park. This Brown Pelican flew into the mangroves to roost --
I almost missed getting a shot of this one, beginning to show breeding colors on the head.
This is the swimming area at the park --
And here's one more Brown Pelican (the American White Pelican is not on this coast) sitting on the bridge --
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Time For an Ark?
Forry and I lived the majority of our lives in the dry desert side of eastern Washington State. Our average annual rainfall at our ranch is 7-9 inches per year. We've had an education as we've traveled the last few years about what it is like to be in areas that might have that much rain in less then a week. Last night we had lightening and thunder all the way around us for several hours -- the sky was lit up in every direction. It rained all night and has continued to rain all day today.
This is the gravel road just outside Auntie Violet --
The New York news broadcast tonight talked about the weather system "churning around" the Ohio River Valley. I guess that is what we are experiencing, although our friend Tom said it has been raining for 36 hours where they are in Tennessee. We had planned to visit the Hocking Hills area today, but didn't exactly want to do it in the heavy rain. Hopefully, it will be nicer tomorrow.
Ohio was also in the news all day today with the stories about the wild animal hunt near Zanesville. A man who had many wild lions, tigers, bears, giraffes on his farm opened all the gates and fences, then shot himself. Because the animals were roaming all over, the sheriff and his deputies spent the night shooting to kill. Schools were closed and everyone was urged to stay inside. By tonight, it sounds like all the animals are dead or captured (mostly killed). Evidently Ohio has no laws about who can own wild animals...
This is the gravel road just outside Auntie Violet --
The New York news broadcast tonight talked about the weather system "churning around" the Ohio River Valley. I guess that is what we are experiencing, although our friend Tom said it has been raining for 36 hours where they are in Tennessee. We had planned to visit the Hocking Hills area today, but didn't exactly want to do it in the heavy rain. Hopefully, it will be nicer tomorrow.
Ohio was also in the news all day today with the stories about the wild animal hunt near Zanesville. A man who had many wild lions, tigers, bears, giraffes on his farm opened all the gates and fences, then shot himself. Because the animals were roaming all over, the sheriff and his deputies spent the night shooting to kill. Schools were closed and everyone was urged to stay inside. By tonight, it sounds like all the animals are dead or captured (mostly killed). Evidently Ohio has no laws about who can own wild animals...
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