12-31AUG22 - Sultan, WA

Friday (12AUG) wake-up to find that RV park power restored sometime last night while we slept; break camp & jump on I-90W for six hour plus drive back to house in Sultan.  Midafternoon get to house to find the grass twelve inches tall; & Corrie’s garden needing serious attention.  Plus some pool hoses have leaked & pool level dropped to half full.  Disconnect Toad, park RV & open house.  Corrie starts dealing with garden & Dan starts mowing yard in sections because mowers definitely straining.  Dinner is take-out from new Thai restaurant in Sultan.  One nice thing is the marionberry vine still has lots of berries that we immediately pick & freeze asap.

The next week is mostly spent on “cleaning-up” the yard, flower beds; and garden from being neglected for a month while we were on our RV trip.  And we also prepped the RV for a four day soccer tournament in Puyallup that the grandsons (Jaxson & Mason) are in.  On 16AUG we had a surprise visit from Dan’s cousin Rob Harris & wife Patti.  We almost missed them because they drove up & lightly” knocked on front door; Dan was in TV room & didn’t hear them.  So they started to drive away, but decided to stop in driveway, call Dan & find out if he would be home soon?  Dan couldn’t understand the question & was surprised to learn they were in driveway & wanted to visit.  We haven’t seen them since before covid.  It was a great time catching-up & reminiscing.

Friday, 19AUG, on the road early to Puyallup, WA, for grandsons’ soccer tournament; tournament is four days but we will miss today’s games because they were early AM.  Make it to RV park around lunch; park is half trailer park & half RV; average but it has pool.  Rebecca meets us there with Jaxson & Mason; Rebecca heads back to her house & we will see her & husband Raymond & tomorrow at first game of the day.

Dan & grandsons go to pool before dinner.  After dinner off to Mike N Terry’s Outdoor Fun Park for putt/putt golf.  Course definitely showing wear & tear, but still fun🙃  Unfortunately the go karts & paint ball sections of the park were closed.

Mike N Terry's Outdoor Fun Park – Mike N Terry's Outdoor Fun Park (mikenterrys.com)/

Saturday & Sunday each boy had one game per day, often in the record sun/high heat.  Then it was back to RV park & pool; while the parents headed home to east Bremerton.  Sunday they were eliminated from play-offs on Monday (yeah).  So all the Pitre family went home & we went out to Mama Stortini’s for excellent Italian😊!  Highly recommend you order all your choices from happy hour menu; half size items & reduced prices.  Then back to RV to crash.  Monday morning back to home, Sultan, WA.

Mama Stortini's Restaurant & Bar - Federal Way, Kent & Puyallup (mamastortinis.com)

Tuesday, 23AUG, Dan continues mowing, while Corrie gardens; Dan finally replaces bad outdoor LED lights for two shop doors; problem with LED lights is that if the fixture doesn’t use LED bulbs, then the entire fixture has to be replaced if LEDs fail☹   If you are extremely lucky the fixture is still for sale; but in this case we had to replace the entire fixture.

Sunday, 28AUG, sun returns; before lunch we drive to Edmonds ferry terminal to pick-up grandboys (Jaxson & Mason) to spend the next week with us.  We really haven’t had them stay with us much this summer, like past years.  First thing was into the pool (first real use this year); then al fresco BBQ dining.

Monday AM Dan takes the grandboys with him to the Sultan Food Bank until lunch time.  They even volunteered to take onions out of a 50 lb sack & bag them into smaller bags.

Tuesday AM we take Jaxson & Mason to Monroe Evergreen State Fair; first fair since covid shutdown.  Last one we went to was four years ago.  We know the “effects” of covid/supply chain issues are still being felt, but nothing justifies the smaller scale of the event (ie noticeably less exhibits/concessions) and higher prices (plus the inconvenience of cash only!!!).  At their age the boys are not interested in the kiddie rides anymore; but not brave enough for the big kids rides?  There were two “fun houses” in different areas of the fair; & Jaxson & Mason would run through them again & again.  Thankfully in the 90 degree heat they only lasted three hours.

The Ryan RV Express: 01-31AUG18 - Sultan, WA (many trips on wa state ferries)

Wednesday (last day of August) another hot day; not much done; Corrie runs errands & has dental; Dan starts another round of mowing;.  The boys spend most of the day in the pool & insist on “night swimming”!  Night swimming to them is after sunset with no cloths🙃

07-11AUG22 - Various ND, MT, ID (and short visit with friends)

Sunday AM (07AUG) happy, happy, birthday to Dan!  Unexpectedly wake up later than planned & therefore on the road at least one hour “late”.  We drive straight south from Winnipeg to hit US border crossing on I-19.  No problems until “they” learn we are bringing back fruit that was bought in USA?  So we are pulled to the side for agriculture inspection.  Ag Inspector very pleasant & no big deal.

After many years of crossing the US/Canada border finally learn following from Ag Inspector for both Canada & USA crossings – no chicken what-so-ever, no eggs, no raw meats unless in sealed labeled store package, no fresh fruits or veggies, open cheese in packaging is ok but don’t completely remove manufacturer package.  And inspector also informed us that we should pre-check the web for the specific state and or province you are entering because there maybe local prohibitions based on specific crop(s) that grow in that area.

Weather and drive was pretty good but minor issues occurred that increased the frustration level.  First Dan missed the state highway we wanted to take to avoid having to drive on US2.  So we ended up on US2 from Fargo to Minot, ND.  Then we pulled into a Cenex for diesel at cash price and got charged the credit price because this we used the premium diesel pump not “regular”.  We argued that sign did not say there was three different diesels & our pump only had the premium, so how were we supposed to know?  Next frustration was the DEF alarm sounding!:(  Luckily first gas station we stop at has reasonable price for DEF.  Spend the night in Minot at Roughrider RV park where we stayed maybe 2019 (very nice park).

Monday AM back on road westward; decide to drive all the way to Miles City, MT, to put us closer to some friends we want to visit in Bozeman.  Constant side wind knocks our MPG from 12 to 11.  Pull into Miles City KOA (very nice & friendly).  They recommend Blackiron Grill for Dan’s belated birthday dinner.  Excellent! Especially the Cowboy Candy.

Black Iron Grill - Restaurant in Miles City, MT (milescityrestaurant.com)

Tuesday back to I94 E and I90E to Bozeman to see a CG Academy Classmate of Dan’s (Brian Troth & wife Susan) who last saw in 2015 (see below internet link).  The RV park we chose had line of hi-end Newmar RVs waiting at gate for “small” gathering they had reserved for.  We got last spot with electricity only, no water; temps in high 90s, so any port in a storm.  To escape the heat we went out for dinner to Dave’s Sushi off Main - highly recommended.  Place was packed; & although not playing at a suitable loud volume, Dan could tell they were playing his favorite punk rock from the 70s!  One Twin Fin roll, one Xmas Showers Roll, & keffer lime ice cream for dessert; then back to RV & AC.  Unfortunately RV park is right on very active highway, traffic noise so loud we left AC on all night & did not open any windows even when the night air cooled.

The Ryan RV Express: 23-31AUG15 - Sultan, WA (via glendive, mt; bozeman, mt & post falls, id)

Dave's Sushi (daves-sushi.com)

Wednesday morning finally connect with Brian Troth late & head to his ranch/farm on Gooch RD.  After setting up camp behind the barn, many hours were spent reminiscing (aka lying) between Brian & Dan.  While Corrie helped Susan in the garden.  The Troth’s graciously provided lunch & delicious dinner to add to an already great day.

Thursday, 11AUG, early AM breakfast with the Troth’s & back on to I-90E for last leg home to Sultan, WA; we decide to break it into two six-hour drives.  Today we get to Coeur d’Alene, ID; nice RV park that was a KOA now being renovate/spruced up by new owners.  On reservation phone they said no sewage (something we have run into twice before on this trip).  Dan assumed we could dump somewhere in park; no!!  Turns out recent heavy rains/flooding have destroyed entire septic field, so no dumping or public restrooms.

After our arrival, a 32 foot Class C (Coachmen Freelander 32BH) camped next to us.  Out poured five bearded young men; five young ladies & three babies – not sure but judging by their dress & women’s head wear – maybe amish or mennonite).  Plus one young man clearly not part of the group appears to be the driver of RV.

We turn on TV to find out severe thunderstorms/weather headed our way☹  RV park loses power but thanks to our solar panels, magnum inverter, & house batteries, we can run everything (except AC) w/o turning generator on.  Hopefully nothing else occurs tonight & we can finish our drive home tomorrow.

29JUL-06AUG22 - Sprucewoods & Winnepeg, MB (💕wedding bells🔔)

Friday, 29JUL, not doing much of anything, still recovering from the drive here to Sprucewood, MB.  In AM Corrie went into Brandon with sister-in-law, Elaine, for errands; that evening Elaine’s daughter Kim stopped by for a visit.

Saturday AM Corrie’s youngest brother Rob stops by for short visit (his son Matt is the one getting married, & the wedding is the reason for our visit).  Then Dan takes Toad & heads over to Kim’s to use her husband Brian’s shop to work on towing baseplate on Toad.  With Brian’s help get four years worth of grease & road dirt cleaned off the two towing connection pins.  Then after lunch Dan heads to stores in Brandon to get few parts needed for RV sewage system.

Sunday Corrie visits with some of her relatives in Brandon most of day – Brother Rob & wife Yvonne, nephew Scott & daughter Danikka.  Monday (first day of August) wake up to rain; Corrie runs AM errands in Brandon & meets HS friend Marlene for lunch & reminiscing.

Wednesday we meet up with Ester (another of Corrie’s HS friends) & husband Rob, and Marlene for lunch.  Last time we all saw each other was back in SEP2019 for dinner.  This time the guys (Dan & Rob) were at one place, while the ladies were at another.  Then we all came together after lunch.

Back to Elaine’s to start prep’ing RV for departure.  Buy some “fort” cheese at Sobeys.  According to WIKI, fort cheese is  --  Fromage fort (literally "strong cheese") and is a French cheese spread traditionally made by blending together pieces of different leftover cheeses, white wine (or other spirits), garlic, and various herbs.  Other ingredients include pepper, and leek broth.  Aging is optional.  The Sobey’s fort cheese was just plain cheddar cheese; apparently since fromage fort is from France, the real thing is only sold in Quebec?

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

Thursday (Coast Guard Day) we hook-up Toad & head due east to Winnipeg; Why?  The wedding we are in Canada for, is in Winnipeg.  Originally we had reservations at hotel there, under the assumption that the after wedding functions were at hotel.  Turns out wedding is across town & all functions (before & after) are at the wedding venue.  There will be limited shuttle busses from the hotel, but many attendees are staying at different hotels thru-out the city.  Dan discovered a very large RV park ten minutes away from wedding; & we changed our accommodations to the RV park.  Now dogs won’t be locked up in hotel room for half a day, we won’t have to depend on shuttle bus, and we save money😊

The drive to Winnipeg was with gusty winds from the south, making staying in your lane a bit of a challenge & knocking our mileage from 12 mpg to 11 mpg, even though driving 5 mph slower than normal.  As we entered Winnipeg we tried to go to the cheapest diesel Dan had found on the internet; lets just say this was a mistake!!!  We have maneuvered our much bigger RV & bigger Toad thru many a major city with nowhere near the problems & close calls as Winnipeg.  Eventually we gave up & punched the RV park address into GPS and stopped at first gas station seen.  The diesel pump took our credit card but wanted PIN number (we have no PIN on credit cards, we have PINs for our debit cards).  Finally solved that problem and made it to RV park😊

Friday house cleaning & maintenance on RV; then head to wedding venue to help Matthew Reismeyer (the Groom) & friends set up.  Corrie’s youngest brother Rob & Yvonne (father & mother of the groom) show-up to assist.  We take off with Yvonne in the Toad to do some last minute shopping before calling it a day and heading back to RV.

Saturday (wedding day), not much done all day until time to depart for the wedding & reception at Ron Paul Garden Center (where Matt previously worked).  The “prelimin’s” for the wedding were in the front yard of the garden center owner; with the actual outdoor wedding in another portion of the backyard of their house.  Reception was in a storage building of the garden center, that we had help decorate yesterday.  Beautiful wedding & great reception (even though we party-pooped & left “early)!