Memorial Day

Memorial Day has always been a day we visited cemeteries and placed flowers in remembrance on headstones of those we loved.  Isn’t this something everyone does?   We usually try to make a trip to the cemeteries we visit before Memorial Day to avoid the biggest part of the traffic jams.  Those little one lane roads are packed bumper to bumper all weekend long.   

Terry and I purchased flags for the graves of my father and three uncles who served during WWII.  We also purchased flowers for my aunt and my mother.  We sure miss them all!  

Lee and Sabrina had been bragging about a new pizza place they had visited in Longview.  They wanted us to go.  Now normally I’ll take pictures of fabulous looking food before we eat it.  This time I forgot about it until after we had finished eating.  So, all I have for a picture is the mess we left at the table.

Last year when we were in the area we took Sabrina over to Powell’s New and Used Bookstore in Portland.  She was so impressed with the size of this place that she wanted to take Lee back.  I was excited at the thought of another trip to Powell’s.  However, it didn’t turn out as I figured.  Sabrina drove and our visit was ONLY about a half an hour!!

Powell’s Bookstore isn't just a bookstore.  It is HUGE and I do mean huge!!  It has 68,000 square feet filled with books on shelves that are so high you need a ladder to climb to the top.    Powell’s is the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world!  I couldn’t believe we were only there a half an hour!!  I didn’t throw a temper tantrum that I had to leave.  Well, maybe I threw a little one.

We also took a little drive out to County Line Park just to make sure it wasn’t overflowing and there would be room for us.  We’ve drug several of you with us when you’ve visited this area.  The park sits right on the Columbia River.  The large ships use this river to travel from the Pacific Ocean to the ports in Longview, Vancouver and Portland.

The park is rarely full even though the rate is just $10 a night.  There aren't activities to pull families so normally you don't even have kids except on the weekend with their parents while they fish.  Other than that, it's a pretty quite place.  We like it.

The Portland Rose Festival festivities will soon get underway.  It’s a perfect time to be at this park.  The Coast Guard, U.S. and Canadian Navy ships travel into Portland for the event.  If you’re at this park, you’ll have a front row seat as they travel through. 

This large freighter was just passing through while we visited.  On June 8th it will be non-stop traffic as the Navy passes in front of the park!  You can monitor their exact location by following the ships on the internet via the “real-time” marine website.  

Where to live when you retire!!!

No NURSING HOME FOR us!!!

We'll be checking into a Holiday Inn!

With the average cost for a nursing home care costing $188.00 per  day, there is a better way when we get old and too feeble.

I've already checked on reservations at the Holiday Inn.

For a combined long term stay discount and senior discount, it's 59.23 per night.

Breakfast is included, and some have happy hours in the afternoon.

That leaves  $128.77 a day for lunch and dinner in any restaurant we want, or room service, laundry, gratuities and special TV movies.

Plus, they provide a spa, swimming pool, a workout room, a lounge and washer-dryer, etc.

 

Most have free toothpaste and razors, and all have free shampoo and soap.

$5 worth of tips a day you'll have the entire staff scrambling to help you.

They treat you like a customer, not a patient.

There's a city bus stop out front, and seniors ride free.

The handicap bus will also pick you up (if you fake a decent limp).

 

To meet other nice people, call a church bus on Sundays.

For a change of scenery, take the airport shuttle bus and eat at one of the nice restaurants there.

While you're at the airport, fly somewhere.  Otherwise, the cash keeps building up.

It takes months to get into decent nursing homes. Holiday Inn will take your reservation today.

And, you're not stuck in one place forever -- you can move from Inn to Inn, or even from city to city.

Want to see  Hawaii ?  They have Holiday Inn there too.

TV broken?  Light bulbs need changing?  Need a mattress replaced?  No problem.. They fix everything,  and apologize for the inconvenience.

The Inn has a night security person and daily room service. The maid checks to see if you are ok.  If not, they'll call an ambulance . . . or the undertaker.

 

If you fall and break a hip, Medicare will pay for the hip, and Holiday Inn will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life.   

And no worries about visits from family. They will always be glad to find you, and probably check in for a few days mini-vacation.

 

The grandkids can use the pool.

       

What more could we ask for?

So, when I reach that golden age, I'll face it with a grin.

We'll be checking into a Holiday Inn!

 (Another cutie from Hyder I had to pass on.  They didn't use on their blog so I did!  Hopefully, you'll get a chuckle out of it.  I did.  And, you always know when I post one of these that I've just been way too busy to write my own blog.  Perhaps, I'll get with tonight.  If not, perhaps, tomorrow.  Tomorrow is moving day though so ... maybe not tomorrow.)

Seattle’s Public Market Center

We love this place.  Many towns have markets similar to this but it’s just not the same.  This place sits overlooking the Seattle harbor.  The many vendors sell just about everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to fresh “wild” salmon.  There are flowers and t-shirts and many one-of-a-kind crafts to catch the tourist’s eye and their pocket book.

 

There are also many different restaurants offering a fantastic view.  Order a meal, pick a seat and enjoy watching the ferries and other sea-going traffic in the harbor.  Having three floors of unique shops this place is definitely fun to visit.

Some restaurants offer booths overlooking the waterfront.  This seating area was for anyone who just wanted to sit down and rest.

Parking in Seattle can be expensive.  If you’re lucky enough to find a meter, you are very lucky.  If not, you have no alternative other than to find a close parking lot.  One lot advertised parking for $4 an hour.  We didn’t find that one right off.  We only discovered it after we had parked.  The one we found charged us $12 for the hour.  Actually it was $10 plus about $2 of some sort of tax.  Oh well, the parking lot was just across the street from where we wanted to go and it was convenient.  Well, the $4 lot was only a block away so it was pretty convenient too.

We walked through the market place and were even offered a few samples of smoked salmon.  Wild salmon is much more popular in this part of the country than in other parts.  We normally stay away from purchasing farmed salmon.  Wild salmon is definitely a better choice in our opinion.  However, we didn’t purchase any.  It was very tempting.  The salmon meat was fresh and pink and without the added red dye tint of many farmed fish. We just looked.  I wanted some but that’s as far is it got.

After leaving downtown Seattle, we took Hwy 99 south instead of the freeway.  We wanted to check out the Burien Elks.  Other than the Elks lodge in Bremerton, Burien was the only other one that offered RV parking close to the center of Seattle.  However, they have a total of seven sites and those were full when we visited.  We figured we wouldn’t try to stay there.  

We did see a couple interesting RVs when we got off on the wrong road.  We didn’t want to stay there either.

It was a great little trip and we’re looking forward to our next adventure.  One thing for sure is that this little outing made me antsy to do another one.

Bremerton to Seattle -- Washington State Ferry

Passing another ferry on our way to Seattle.

One thing Washington offers that you won’t find everywhere else is a state ferry system.  There are some states that have ferries across large bodies of water but not too many.  They have to have large bodies of water first.  In Washington it is a major transportation vehicle as many workers commute by ferry.

The Bremerton – Seattle ferry that we were on is a 45 minute ride across the sound.  The ferry leaves from the center of town in Bremerton and arrives at the center of town in Seattle.  Tickets are sold for one individual ride or monthly passes are available.  Many travel as pedestrians while others drive their vehicles, take their bikes and even their RVs.  The fares vary depending on the discount used and the route taken.  Our cost with vehicle on this route was just under $14.00.  Had we decided to take the motorhome across it would have been about $60.

Departing from the Bremerton terminal with the Naval Shipyards in view.

There are many ferry routes across the Puget Sound.  The one from Bremerton is one of the longest rides at 45 minutes and food service is even offered. Other rides range from a short 15 minutes to about 30 minutes depending on where you are going.  The view of the Seattle harbor upon arrival is fantastic.

Closing in on Seattle  -- view from the ferry.

Farther north are the San Juan Islands. Not so many people actually commute for work here as for pleasure.  It’s a little different.  During the right time of year, you can even watch the whales migrate in this water.  The ferries offer service to several different destinations in the islands.  Some folks stay on the ferry without even getting off and use it just for a day trip.

One of the two passenger ferry decks.  The other deck offered comfortable booths to enjoy the scenic view.

The ferry from Port Townsend to Coupeville on Whidbey Island will take you across the northern end where the Straits of Juan de Fuca turn south into the Puget Sound.  The ride is a short one.  The fee for vehicle and passenger is $11.70.  The passenger is only $2.75.  If disabled or over 65, the passenger pays half the rate.  A motorhome under 40’ pays $46.80.  Just to the left of the ferry dock is Ft. Casey State Park and an RV park that sits at the edge of the water --- Gorgeous!

The arriving ferry at the Bremerton ferry terminal.

From this location on the southern end of Whidbey Island you can drive across the island to Anacortes where the ferries leave for the San Juan Islands.  Or, you can take the little bridge across to the mainland which is just south of the Canadian border.

This was our GPS as the ferry was arriving in Seattle.  According to it we were swimming under water in our vehicle.  We were glad that wasn’t true.

Obviously, we love the Washington State Ferry system.  It’s easy, it’s inexpensive and it’s fun.  When we return to this area, I always wonder why we ever leave in the fall to go someplace else.  Then, I remember …. it’s the rains that keep Washington so beautiful.  When we lived here we took the beauty for granted because it had always been there.  It’s amazing how we see things with different eyes at different times in our lives.

 

Next ----  Seattle Public Market Place

RV Gems and Bremerton Naval Shipyard

 

Sometimes it’s fun to do a little scouting.  We were ready to do some of this.  

Even though the weatherman was forecasting showers, we figured it was still better to be outside than inside.  Thus, we headed a little north.

 Actually, Monday was a really nice day.  We had a few showers in the morning but the rest of the day was quite nice.  There were intermittent showers, of course, but they were very intermittent and the day stayed fairly dry.  By afternoon we were shedding our jackets and soaking up a little sunshine under a very blue sky.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge

We were actually just figuring we’d check out a few RV parks and a couple of Elk Lodges on our way to Seattle’s Public Market via Bremerton and the Washington State Ferry System.  Many times we never really go back to stay at the RV parks we check out because by the time we check them out, we feel we’ve already been there.  I’m sure you know how that goes.  This time we did find a few little gems and we’re sure we’ll be back.

Some of the roads in Bremerton made us think of hilly Seattle.  Wow!  I wouldn’t recommend taking a side road there if you don't know where you're going.  In the wrong area the town is very hilly.  We saw one particular hill that looked like it had to be a 25% grade.  Am I exaggerating?  I don’t know.  I’ve never seen a 25% grade but I do know we felt we wouldn’t be able to go down some streets without high centering at the turnoff in a motorhome or really hooked up to any kind of RV.  Some looked almost straight down.  However, if you stay where you should and off those roads, there wouldn’t be a problem at all.

Bremerton Elks

We made a stop at the Tacoma Elks and then  at the Bremerton Elks.  They both are in great locations for touring this area.  The Elks in Bremerton is one of the best as far as location goes.  I hate to share that with anyone though because we don't want to fight someone for a site there.  The lodge overlooks the Puget Sound --- gorgeous!  We also stopped at Ft. Murray Beach ... gorgeous!


My grandparents moved to Bremerton from Pond Creek, OK.  My mother was born shortly after their move.  They owned the land that part of the center of Bremerton now sits on.  

My grandfather always felt he missed his path to richness by selling out before the Navy  came and turned most of the waterfront into a Navy Base.   From there they moved on to a farm overlooking the gorgeous Straits of Juan de Fuca between Port Angeles and Sequim, WA.  I guess he missed it there too.  Or, maybe the rest of the family did.  Two gorgeous B&B’s (George Washington Inn and Eden by the Sea) now share the property.

The USS Kitty Hawk was docked at the shipyards in Bremerton.  It was huge … just huge.  There were several other aircraft carriers there but the USS Kitty Hawk was the one that caught our attention.  There’s a lot to see in this little area and museums we’d like to visit.  We plan on coming back.  However, it wasn’t on the schedule for the day and the day was fleeting.  You know how we insist on sticking to schedules.   The ferries keep schedules though and we needed to check on departure time for our trip on the ferry to Seattle the next day and find a hotel for the night.

… to be continued.

Perfect Weather in the Pacific NW

We had some gorgeous weather last week.   Matter of fact, the weather was near perfect.  The skies were a beautiful blue, there was little wind and the temperature was in the mid-70’s.   We didn’t need to turn on our air conditioner or our heater.  That’s what we like --  perfect.  Summer weather is finally here.  Well, at least it is for a few days.

We took a little drive down Hwy 14 towards Camas and Washougal.  Those are two cute little bedroom communities of the Portland-Vancouver area.  They sit on the Gorge and are right along the Columbia River.

Pendleton has a huge factory store in Washougal.  The big draw for us was the wool blankets.  They carry seconds at great prices.  We inspected a few and could find no flaws.   We have one and maybe we’ll get another one when we don’t have a dog.

We also stopped by our little cabin again (aka the Willy Pad).  We still need to get up there and do some work on it.  We just looked around and amazed ourselves at all that needed to be done.  Winter debris needs to be cleaned up and trees removed. We are going to put in an order to have trees removed.   However, cleaning up the property will probably be put off until we actually move the motorhome there in June.  We checked our supply of wet cob and we still have some.  This is what we feed the deer.  All the little “Bambis” should start coming around about that time too.  They don't eat the wet cob but Mama Deer does.

Memorial Day is just around the corner.  That’s the time the occupants start changing in the RV parks.  Instead of the parks being filled with snowbirds, they start filling up with families and lots and lots of kids.  Are you ready for it?

Mt. St. Helens Eruption–31 Years Later

Thursday was a gorgeous clear day. We were off to visit Mt. St. Helens and view the dome from the Johnston Observatory.  This location is the closest viewpoint to where the eruption first started 31 years ago. We remember that day well.   May 18, 1980 was a gorgeous clear Sunday.  As we watched the huge mushroom cloud escape into the sky, we had no idea at that time at the devastation that was taking place and the lives that were lost. 

Making our way to the Observatory, we had many beautiful views of the mountain. The Observatory had just been opened a few days before for the season.  Snow was still piled up but the roads were clear.

Numerous earthquakes and mountains of ash  occurred prior to the Big One!  We know.  We experienced much of it as we lived about 35 air miles from Mt. St. Helens.  We also dealt with ash clean-up time and time again that year.

The picture above the viewpoint gives an idea of just how close you can come to the actual dome itself at the Observatory.

The Visitor’s Center is full of information related to the eruption in 1980.  They also have a short movie.  We watched the movie but since we had lived in the area at the time, we felt so much was missing.  The actual devastation to the area and footage of the raging rivers would have really shown the damage done to the area.

We didn’t measure the snow but we certainly had an idea of how deep it was.  Obviously, we had no intention of getting stuck in it.  We stayed on the roadways.

Cousins, Larry and Judy, went with us.  This was one of the views of the mountain that we stopped at on the way back down to the Learning Center.

Notice the plume of steam rising from inside of the dome.  This plume was spotted going back down Spirit Lake Highway.  For several months before and after the eruption, there were many plumes of steam and puffs of ash which spewed the area.  You didn’t want to drive for fear of ruining your engines and you certainly didn’t want to breath it.  The ash would turn day into night.

Toutle River flows through the area.  Much of the original river is buried.  Parts of it were covered with nearly 650 feet of ash. During the eruption many houses and trees were carried down this river.  The debris and the force of the blast knocked out anything in its way including humungous trees, bridges and even parts of the I-5 freeway.

The Learning Center is on Highway 504 about 19 miles before arriving at the dome observatory.  The guide told us it took about 10 seconds for ash from the original explosion to make it that far.  

We made use of their picnic tables with our peanut butter sandwiches and oranges and were thankful it was a clear day and the mountain wasn’t acting up.

The Learning Center store had lots of items for sale, of course.  Some of the items are made from the Mt. St. Helens Ash.  Terry, Judy and I ended up buying warm jackets.  They were closing out their winter supply and we got quite a deal!

Normally herds of Elk can be seen from this viewing point behind the Learning Center. However, the Elk had moved to the middle island when we were there so no photos to take.  One of the guides told us that about 150 Elk live in the area and are usually visible from their viewing areas.  The problem is that they roam down by the river too.  You have to have a pretty powerful pair of binoculars to see them.

 

Since we couldn’t get a picture with real Elk, Judy took a picture of us by the statue of the Elk.  Remember we are Elks and we just paid our dues and have current cards to prove it!