Hi all, fun visit at the Washington coast right at the mouth of the mighty Columbia.

Day 32 (Oct. 16)

Coffee and breakfast then over to visit with Ed and Carol for a while. Then Millie and I headed to Oysterville, WA. 

Quaint old village with historic homes and quite a few newer homes at the end of the Long Beach peninsula. Cool and rainy with a bit of a wind, and that did not stop us from having a good time. Sampled some local clam chowder. Our third one since we got to the coast and each have been great and different. 

Took a walk on the beach at Long Beach, WA.

Wandered back “home” and visited a couple of thrift stores and a distillery on the way. 

Leftovers for supper and visit with Ed and Carol till time to walk the boys and head for bed. Been a great day and no plans for tomorrow.

 

Day 33

Relaxed morning with usual fare. Helped out around Ed and Carol’s, getting a few punch list items on their new living quarters completed. Was fun to do some little projects, that needed doing, completed. Visited with Laine, Chris and family for a while and finally finished the day taking Ed and Carol out for supper. 

Ed had the burger, for supper and lunch tomorrow!

Another great seafood meal, Millie and I had the Halibut & Fries basket. Then it was “movie night” at Ed and Carol’s. Old 8mm family movies, most around 60 years old. Boy, did that stir up memories. Early to bed as we will be early to rise for a long travel day to Florence, OR.

 

Day 34

Up and ready to go early, for us. On the road by 9:30AM for what ended up being a 7+ hour travel day. Of course we had a few stops as the entire day was US 101 along the Oregon coast. Not the fastest way to go 196 miles. OK, we stopped in Tillamook to check out the cheese and in Lincoln City to enjoy some time on the beach and one more stop near Yachats for a walk with the Boyz and to just stop for a bit. 

Birds of a Feather.......must be visiting his cousin!

Rugged Oregon coast

Highway 101

Oregon Dunes

Set up camp at the Port of Siuslaw Campground in Florence, Oregon. Adult beverage, tasty supper and a little TV before bed. Gonna hit the beach tomorrow before the rain comes.

Make your time today productive and be kind.

Tom and Millie

 Hi all, time for an update and some photos.

Day 28 (Oct 12)

Last day with this part of my family. 

Later start and picked up Cousin Pat for dinner out at McMinimins Edgefield. Great food and fun place to explore. 

A can’t miss when you are in Troutdale, Oregon or even close. Pickup a few things at Walmart and then back to Pat’s. Desert and conversation. 

Hard to say goodby. Home to the RV and starting to get ready to travel.

Day 29

Headed out to the coast this morning. Started about 10:30 AM and found traffic to be light.

Pleasant trip and had no problem finding Cousin Ed’s and getting parked. Visited for a while and settled in for the night. Tired and ready to sleep.

 

Day 30

Millie got to go with Carol for thrift store shopping and Quilt store visit. I spent some time with Cousin Ed and we even napped together. Mid afternoon we headed to Seaside, Oregon to visit another cousin at her store, Sunrose Gallery, and got the grand tour viewing some amazing artist’s work. 

Then over to Dooger’s for seafood. Meals were best we have ever had and the company was the best. Thanks Ray and Cathy for joining us. Walked down to the beach to watch the waves come in and the sunset.

Too early for sunset so we headed to Sunset Beach to view, but, the clouds closed in and no sun.

Back “home” and a short visit with Ed and Carol. Started planning ahead for our travels and stops we hope to make. Bed late and slept well.

 

Day 31

Up and got reservations made for our continued journey through Oregon. Today we got a personal tour of Cape Disappointment.

Carol, her daughter Laine (the driver), Millie and I had wonderful time, weather and lunch. Home for a nap and then out to supper with Ed and Carol. Excellent seafood and I suspect Millie and I need to move on and work off some of the recent calories. Back to Ed and Carol’s place to visit and see some of the ancestry info Carol has accumulated. 

A photo of my Father 75+ years ago.

Then time for walking the Boyz and working on blog. Bed time soon.

Keep making your days great and enjoy some company along the way.

Tom and Millie

 Hi all, not so much to write about as spending time with family after the recent losses, is private time. We will be getting back on the road soon and on to new adventures.

Day 26

Slept in a bit and relaxed with coffee and breakfast. Out to pick up my Cousin and headed “up the mountain”. Ended up at Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood, in the clouds with snow. Walked around the lodge for a while then decided to find some lunch on the way back to her house. Stopped along the way and got some photos of the snow and clouds. 

Ready to watch the skiers.

Great lunch at the Tollgate Inn and back at my Cousin’s house. Visited and reminisced about family gone and good times as kids. My Cousin’s daughter and son in law came by with their new puppy just as we were headed out the door so we did not get much time to visit. Picked up a few groceries on the way “home”, watched some Netflix and off to bed.

 Day 27

Quiet day, after usual morning spent the rest of the day with family. Millie had made bread dough and we took it along to cook for fresh Sourdough bread and soup for lunch. She has gotten really good at this “traveling” bread. Quick visit to another cousin, then relaxing and visiting till time to go “home”.

Make your day great and call someone you love and tell them!

Tom and Millie

 Hi all, Lovely weather in the Pacific Northwest, got here with sunshine and comfortable temps. Of course today it is rain with sunbreaks, common PNW weather talk.

Day 24

Travel day, only about 150 miles. Beautiful views of Mt Hood, but I spent most of my time watching traffic. 

We had been getting used to wide open, low population areas and it will be a while till we get back to that. Got into our site, was put into the wrong one, and management worked it out so we won’t have to move. That is certainly appreciated. 

Took advantage of the onsite laundry facility and enjoyed some leftover scalloped potatoes from the other night. Had a great visit with old college friends that live nearby and we hadn’t seen for about 45 years. Had made the connection through Facebook, see it still has some redeeming qualities. Visited till nearly 11PM with possible plans to get together again, depending on any family commitments. Off to bed and looking forward to a big day with my Cousin Patsy.

Day 25 (Oct.9)

Nice morning, walk the Boyz, relax with coffee and breakfast. Hang around the campground getting a few things taken care of. After lunch we went to my Cousin’s place for and afternoon and evening of catching up, remembering family now gone, sipping some fine wine and a pizza. So good to share and remember loved ones. Made plans for tomorrow then back “home” in time for bed and some well deserved sleep.

Make your day great and please be kind.

Tom and Millie

 Hi all, nice cool day in the Bend, OR area. Good day, here's what we did.

Day 23

Got moving a bit earlier today. Plan was to get to my Cousin’s place by 10. Left the Boyz at home and made it there for some great conversation and a spectacular chicken chilli. Talked some about RV’s and camping. Their house has  a spectacular view of the Cascade Range, so relaxing to just look out the windows. 

Thanks Roger and Mary, maybe next summer we can all get together with our family in Minnesota. 

Afterwards Millie and I went to Sisters, OR to visit the Quilt shop there. We also shopped at an outdoor clothing store, a thrift store and did some window shopping along Main St. On the way back to our “home” we stopped at  Crater Lake Distillery for some samples and even picked up a couple of small bottles. 

Upon arriving “home” the Boyz were so excited to see us. So, we walked them over to the dog park here at the RV park. They actually ran and appeared to have some fun. Supper and some time with the TV and off to bed for a good rest before we pack up and leave tomorrow.

Make your day great.

Tom and Millie

 Hi all

Figured I should update as often as possible rather than the once a week or less. Short blogs are easier for me to read, as likely many other people. Enjoy!

Day22  (Oct 6)

Easy 100 miles to Bend. Oregon high desert is a nice drive and the road continued to be some of the best we have had. Once we got to Bend that changed. Construction and traffic was horrendous. Narrow roads with most people thinking the speed limit was something to double. Oh well, we negotiated it all just fine, although a bit on edge when completing out journey. Arrived at the RV park and got set up, walked the Boyz and contacted my cousin for plans tomorrow. 

We took a look at future travel and now planning to go to the coast. 

Millie got all domestic and made scalloped potatoes and worked on a bunch of sewing projects. Great supper, with an adult beverage, and plenty of leftovers for easy future meals. A movie on TV and off to a good nights sleep.

Our morning view across the reservoir. If there had been water there it may not have been as colorful.

Make your day great and be kind.

Tom and Millie 

 Hi all, back to internet so I can bring you along on our journey again.

Day 17 (Sept 30)

Coffee, breakfast and pull together laundry. Head to town and get clothes washed, propane and a few groceries. Arco, Idaho claim to fame is “The First City to be Powered by Atomic Energy”. Only one beef with that statement…………City? It’s a small town in the middle of nowhere that was a good place to build an atomic reactor. OK, they have 3 gas stations, a couple of places to get a sandwich a grocery store and a park. I have to admit we were not looking for much more and even missed the museum, so I will check the internet to see if and when they are open. Good be a worthwhile stop. Got our stuff done, minus the propane. Back home for a couple of walks with the Boyz and a quiet evening to close out the last day of September.

Day 18

First day of October! Morning coffee as usual then I walked about a1/4 mile down the road to get a good cell signal. Updated my phone, sent texts, made a couple of calls and had a good long conversation with one of our daughters. Did some cleaning today as the dust is everywhere. My cousin, Rob and his wife Chris came to join us for the weekend. Did the park drive and even climbed a big cinder cone. Good view of the lava fields all around. 

Made tacos and had a fire after sunset. Great afternoon and evening of conversation and catching up. Got chilly sitting around the fire and called it a day.

Day 19

Coffee as usual, walking the Boyz and visiting with a couple of other campers. Fellow from Connecticut and his horse with 2 goats. Somewhat unusual travel pets and we can add them to the folks we came across a few years ago with the duck. 

Rob and Chris came for breakfast and after cleanup we headed into the park. Did the caves portion (actually just lava tubes) and had a good walk along with some rock scrambles. 

Plenty of exercise so back to camp and rehydrate sitting out enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze. Rob and Chris treated us with grilled teriyaki salmon for supper. Not often we get to eat that well when camping. Cleanup and conversation around the campfire until the propane ran out, then watched the stars, satellites, airplanes and even a few meteorites. Finally got chilly and called it an early evening. Such a great day and I think we were all a bit tired.

Day 20

 Moving day! Rob and Chris had to head for home (somebody still isn’t retired) so we decided to move on also. Still spent time having coffee and conversation before packing up. Millie had gotten a text from our youngest that she had some exciting news. Well, our imaginations ran wild and the consensus (a. a new puppy, b. a marriage proposal or had eloped, c. a cousin for Jo). Rob, Chris and I encouraged Millie to walk over to the cell service site and find out. She came back and said both of us had to be on a video call to find out. Well, of course we had to get in the truck and head to cell service.

Our first pick was correct. So our family is now a six dog family. We have our 2 little Boyz and each of the kids have 2. Will be wild at the lake next summer. Finished the drive across Idaho to Oregon and stopped at a Great State Park along the Snake River. So good we actually decided to stay 2 days. Having power and water seems like such a luxury. Of course we just put water in the tank, but using the Microwave to make nachos was almost decadent.  A bit of Netflix, some catch up on email and off to bed.

Day 21 (Oct 4)

Coffee, breakfast and some trailer cleaning for the morning. Decided to take a drive to get fuel and propane while we were not connected to the Li’l Fox. Millie visited a thrift store, we got our fuel and just toured the little town of Weiser, ID. 

On the way home we stopped and picked a couple of onions out of a field. Unfortunately we don’t know the variety other than yellow. It appears they raise a lot of onions around here. Back home for supper, relaxing, a bit of Netflix and off to bed.

Day 22

Travel day! Made it to Central Oregon just outside of Riley. A BLM campground on the Chickahominy Reservoir. 

It was a windy drive and still windy when we set up camp. After distressing from the drive and supper, the wind was way down and going to be a quiet night. Cloudy and virtually no ambient light so it will be dark tonight. Maybe watch a bit of Netflix and off to bed. We do have cell service which surprised me. Thought being so far into the boonies would be off grid again. Short day tomorrow, only about 100 miles to Bend, OR. Means we can laze about in the morning and enjoy coffee on what I hope to be a beautiful day.

Make your day great, be kind and smell the flowers.

Tom and Millie