23-28JUL22 - Kittitas, WA & Various (enroute canada - eh?)

Saturday morning, 23JUL, spent finally packing RV for after lunch departure.  Getting new cargo rack on back of toad was a learning experience.  Then on the road to Dan’s cousin Steve & wife Bonnie Kiesel in Kittitas, WA.  Last visit with them was almost two years ago; evening was a delicious dinner & reminiscing.

The Ryan RV Express: 28SEP-06OCT20 - Various: WA, OR, ID, UT, NM, TX, LA (with a visit to the kiesels:)

Sunday hot, hot, day; Corrie & Bonnie saddle up the horses in AM got non-strenuous moseying; meanwhile Dan running errands.  While driving around Dan re-discovers “Dick & Jane’s Spot” in Ellensburg, WA, last visited 15 years ago!  Dinner that night at the Hot Rod Café in Kittitas.

The Ryan RV Express: 07-11SEP07 - Kittitas, WA (aloha)

Dick : Jane : Spot (reflectorart.com)

Monday AM on the road after Steve cooks breakfast.  After six hours on I-90 we stop at 50,000 Silver Dollar Haugan, MT, (as it is a Ryan family tradition to stop here anytime driving by).  We snag free campsite w/electric (last visited three years ago); 280 miles driven.

The Ryan RV Express: 01-05SEP19 - Sultan, WA, & Misc (haugan, mt; bozeman, mt; miles city, mt; & minot, nd)

Lincoln Silver Dollar (50000silverdollar.com)

Tuesday back on I-90 for 360 mile drive to KOA at Big Timber/Greycliff, MT; another older KOA in need of refurbishing, & too close to interstate.  In fact office has sign apologizing for noise & offering free earplugs; pool was refreshing😊  While enroute we stop at Exxon in Whitehall, MT for diesel.  Station has expanded big time for semis across the street from original/existing Exxon convenience store. Maybe good for semis but terrible arrangement RV’ers.  Pumps only take fuel cards from truck operators & not credit or debit cards?  So your choices are 1) run across busy state highway, or 2) drive RV & toad across same highway into small station & hope a diesel pump is open!

Wednesday back on I-90 driving east before switching to I-94E to Glendive, MT, 300 miles.  Enroute stopped at super wally store in Miles City (last super wally in eastern MT before getting to North Dakota).  Once again we are reminded that there are very few RV parks in eastern MT; but luckily Dan finds small newer park in Glendive, MT on the internet.  Seven sites all with full hook-ups (even cable hook-up with 12 channels) – no restrooms or laundromat – still two thumbs-up!

Thursday AM, 28JUL, continuing eastward to Corrie’s sister-in-law’s in Sprucewood, Manitoba, Canada, via Willison, Minot & Rugby, ND, before heading straight north.  As we have discussed before our present RV has only a 25 gallon fuel tank, meaning one or two fuel stops each day☹    Which means little time to research each evening where the cheap diesel is?  But we always find something ten to twenty cents cheaper before the next day’s drive (and did find $4.89 (vs $5.29) diesel outside Minot😊

The “fracking” oil activity around Williston very quiet (almost no semi’s on roads).  The Canadian government’s ArriveCAN online system is BS!  Site is terrible; & you must enter data no more than 74 hours in advance, telling them time & place of crossing the border.  Then print out QRC proof (or take picture if your RV doesn’t have printer).  Then when we get to border, agent didn’t even check!  Finally after 420 miles, we arrive at Elaine’s and great meal after parking RV in the workshop building.  Our last visit here was 2019.

The Ryan RV Express: 06-13SEP19 - Sprucewoods, MB

02-22JUL22 - Sultan, WA (camping near mt rainier)

Not much done at start of month, but Thursday AM, 07JUL, up & scrambling to finish getting RV ready for today’s departure, but finally down to local gas station for diesel & on our way.  Purpose of trip is to meet up with daughter Rebecca & grandsons Jaxson & Mason for weekend camping southeast of Mt Rainier National Park.  Son-in-law Raymond has national guard duty.  Everyone’s schedule for camping don’t match perfectly so Rebecca & boys show-up Friday evening & because of medical appointments, we will leave Sunday; Oh Well!

Rebecca wanted to tent camp in the National Forest, but we opted for older/tired RV park in Randle, WA (Rebecca eventually decided to pitch their tent right behind our RV in the RV park).  Beautiful drive on state roads 123 & 410 over Cayuse Pass.  Not sure anyone will remember but we have been on this side of Rainier National Park twice before (see BLOG links below).  In 2010 we were here by ourselves & camped in Parkland while visiting the Ohanapecosh, Paradise, & Longmire Visitor centers.  Second visit was much shorter in 2011 when our daughter Rebecca & our son Joseph visited us.

The Ryan RV Express: 15-17JUN10 - Ashford, WA (mt rainier national park)

The Ryan RV Express: 09-15JUL11 - Various, WA (vacation time w/the kids)

Friday AM we first went to the Ohanapecosh Visit Center to get national park info for Rebecca’s arrival (hopefully early this evening).  Then we went to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Ranger Station in Randle, WA & no one was there.  Interestedly because of covid the Ranger Station only has walk-up window service.  Next stop was the 2022 Lavender Celebration run by a local Cowlitz Falls Lavender Company outside of Randle.  Then a so/so lunch at Blue Stone Café before heading back to RV.

Mount Rainier National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

Gifford Pinchot National Forest - Home (usda.gov)

Events | Cowlitz Falls (cowlitzfallslavender.com)

Sometime after dinner Rebecca & boys show-up.  Rest of evening spent unpacking her car, setting up their tent, and letting boys burn off some energy after 2-1/2 hours in the car.

Saturday AM off to the Windy Bluff Observation area in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest to view the area damaged by 1980 Mt Helens Blast.  Beautiful drive on Forest Roads 25 & 99,  then Dan, Rebecca & boys hike up to the observation point; and have a great NW view of St Helens & Spirit Lake (lake still has large amount of logs from the blast).

Back to Randle for great burger lunch at Huff & Puff; then back to campground for well deserved rest.  Check out campground pool (small pool, too many people, no supervision - can you say chaos?)  Then small dinner, followed by family fire & smores; and finally to bed!

Sunday AM Dan, Rebecca & boys head out; while Corrie takes a break to rest & get RV ready for this afternoon departure.  First stop is Mount Rainier National Park, Ohanapecosh Visitor Center, so Rebecca can renew her free annual national park pass based on husband Raymond’s National Guard service.  We were going park here and hike one of the easier trials; first still no parking for day use and park passes sold at the entrance gates not visitor centers.  Ranger recommends going up main rode couple of miles to the Stevens Canyon entrance gate to get pass & use the “day use” parking there.  Great advise!

After getting Rebecca’s new pass we hiked the Silver Falls trial; great hike & excellent views.  As we returned to car we saw seven or so young men with high performance kayaks.  We guess they were going to shoot the falls, but it was obvious that were taking their time to walk the falls & scoping out the rushing water; we decided not to wait.

At the car it was obvious that further hiking was low on the what to do next list.  So we decided to drive up to Cayuse Pass so the boys could play in the snow.  As we were deciding what next, Dan mention that Chinook Pass was close by & 800 feet higher & and the boys were all for higher!  Good decision because remaining snow field much bigger and GREAT views of Mt Rainier in full sun & almost no clouds.  Then back to the RV/tent, to break camp and three hour drive home.

Other than that, not much done during the rest of July but getting RV ready for another outing at end of month.  But on Thursday, 14JUL, we had a lite dinner & visit at neighbors Hans & Martha Dankers who we really haven’t seen since covid started.  On 16JUL we drove to a soccer tournament that grandson Mason was playing in.  Saturday, 23JUL, back on the road again in the RV😊