22-31OCT23 - Sultan, WA🎃

Sunday, 22OCT, was not a day of rest🙃  Very early start after fueling up with Oregon cheap diesel.  Next and last cheap diesel will be in Wapato, WA, at Wolf Den fuel & smoke shop.  Then finally home; unpack only the essentials, before ordering take out dinner.  Grass is over a foot tall and wet, but heavy rain is forecasted for next five days; so Dan does his best with small Craftsman push mower.  Meanwhile the Pitres were out fishing.

Monday Corrie runs errands; Dan uses ride’m mower for part of front yard; we move tractor out of shop/RV garage and moves RV in.  Tuesday spent mostly doing chores & errands.  Dan makes appointments to service the truck, and have repairs made to four items we discovered on RV during recent trip.  Appears RV facilities are still dealing with labor shortages from covid and appointments are booked months out☹

Wednesday (Corrie’s b-day'🎈); Corrie spends most of day running errands & medical; Dan continues putting RV away and pumping sewage.  Then off to Main & Lewis Restaurant for so/so b-day dinner.  Thursday AM Dan takes truck into chevy dealer for routine maintenance; of course they recommended something else (replace rear brake discs and rotors).  Not too long ago Dan would have said no thanks and done it himself.  Now at this age, time is more important than money; and Dan says go ahead.  Corrie takes Rocket in for routine vet visit.  That afternoon Dan mows some more while the sun is out.  Friday, 27OCT, Corrie has girl’s day out with Jan Formisano; Dan runs errands; extremely cold night.  

Saturday late AM we head to grandsons Jaxson’s soccer game in Bothell.  We will meet daughter Rebecca there.  Meanwhile son-in-law Raymond will be with grandson Mason’s soccer game in Bremerton.

After game we all head to their house in Silverdale.  Then get in one car and head to Red Lobster for belated b-day dinner for Oma Corrie.  Then back to their house for b-day cake and few games of cribbage.

Sunday, 29OCT, slow start and donuts for breakfast; then off to Trident Sub Base in Bangor to do some fishing on military rec area ponds.  Cold but beautiful weather; everyone fishes but Dan who was happy to just sit in the sun and watch.  All fish caught were released.  Then back to their house to pack truck and head home.  Only one WA Ferry running on Kingston/Edmonds, so we drive around Puget Sound thru Tacoma and home.

Monday and Tuesday (Halloween🎃) great fall weather; not much done other than a little more mowing by Dan.

15-21OCT23 - Various (LA, TX, NM, UT, ID, OR

Sunday AM, 15OCT, slightly late start from Joe & Behtany’s house since everyone was a little slow moving from yesterday’s b-day event for g-daughter Coraline.  We decide not to do full day of driving, and headed back to Coushatta Casino in Kinder, LA, which we left Sunday, 08OCT.  After drive, it is dinner in casino and few minutes gambling, before calling it a day.

Monday AM we really begin the long drive back to the Pacific NW.  We decide not to take our “normal” route via I-10 west to LA/LB, then I-5 north to Seattle area.  To shorten drive by 400 miles we will take Texas roads along the Oklahoma border to I-40 west into New Mexico.  Then angle northwest thru New Mexico, Utah, Idaho and Oregon.  First stop was at Hidden Grove, TX, at Hidden Grove RV.  Only hiccup during drive was hazardous balsamic vinegar spill from improperly stowed bottle, that needed clean-up after arrival at Honey Grove, TX.

Tuesday back to the Big Texan RV Ranch in Amarillo where we stayed 02OCT.

Wednesday all driving on I-40E to Sky City Casino RV in Acoma, NM.  Making great time until interstate reduced to one lane 24 miles from exit (thirty minute delay).  Casino very small; dinner at mickey d’s before short time playing games of chance.

Very friendly staff; note - the casino and surrounding lands make up the Acoma Pueblo; part of that Pueblo is Sky City – as their website states:

“Sky City Cultural Center and Haak'u Museum rich in cultural architecture, serves as the reception center and museum for visitors to the Pueblo of Acoma. It is the gateway to Acoma “Sky City”. Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico is more than just a tourist destination. Its part of New Mexico's cultural heritage, as the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in North America and the 28th Historic Site designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Acoma history is also the story of the Southwest, from its initial role as the home to the Anasazi people, to the thirteenth century founding of the Pueblo, which is still alive and well as a community and touchstone for Native Americans in the area and nationwide.”

Home (acomaskycity.org)

Next time we will need to allow enough time to tour Sky City and the other parts of the Pueblo.

Thursday, 19OCT, back on the road and retracing our drive down from Washington in reverse as we head home.  We were going to stay in Moab at same RV park as drive down, but no room at any of the Moab RV Parks.  Dan asked why because weekday and school in session; answer was – fall and spring are high season because weather is still good and not HOT like summer!  So we drive on to Green River, UT, to spend the night.

Friday back to driving back to Pacific NW hoping to get out of Utah today.  At the start of the drive we are retracing out route on US6 & US191 to the Salt Lake City (SLC) area; but this time we decide not to go around the “backside” of SLC and chance the traffic on I-15 North from Provo to North Ogden.   Maybe not the right decision?  Ran into traffic delay of 45 minutes; tried using phone app with some luck; finally into Idaho and camping at Eden, ID.

Saturday long day of good driving gets us back to the Wild Horse Casino in Pendleton, OR; small meal at casino food court and little gaming.  Corrie had five dollars on her Player Card at end of our “evening”; so she found a new slot machine and played all her bonus money and won big!  So for the entire trip and all casinos visited we are ahead; tomorrow Sultan, WA, and home.

07-14OCT23 - Houma, LA via Kinder (grand daughter coraline is 4 yrs old🎂🎁)

Saturday, 07OCT, on the road to get out of Texas and hopefully into Louisiana.  Seven hours on the road to a RV spot at Coushatta Casino in Kinder, LA, last visited maybe in March 2013.  RV park still reasonably priced but restrooms really need major reno’s.  Dinner and some games of chance at the casino, where Corrie did very well😊

The Ryan RV Express: 06-11MAR13 - Kerrville, TX (via kinder, la, & livingston, tx)

Sunday AM late morning into our old home town of Houma, LA.  First stop is a second house that son Joe & wife Bethany own and are remodeling.  Unfortunately driveway too short and steep for our RV; off to the Houma civic center parking lot where we have “camped” many times since owning RVs.  Corrie runs errands, and then we are off to Joe & Bethany primary house for dinner with Bethany, granddaughter Coraline, step grandson Noah (Joe working offshore until tomorrow).  Back to the RV.

Monday, 09OCT, not much done most of the day; Corrie runs errands & Dan does minor maintenance on RV.  Afternoon off to see Bethany after work.  Dinner was from Mr Po-Boy (over two decades ago, a small hole-in-the-wall on east side of Houma, now two locations in brand new buildings on both sides of Houma).  Muffaletta for Dan, roast beef po-boy dressed for others; then back to RV.

Home (mrpoboyrest.com)

Tuesday Joe gets home around lunch from offshore job.  So mid-afternoon we move RV from Houma Civic Center to Bethany and his driveway.  After things settle Joe helps Dan with some minor RV repairs; and that evening is family take out dinner from Rotolos.

Wednesday (granddaughter Coraline’s 4th b-day) off/on rain with gusting winds makes things very cold; Joe helps (really does all the work) on modifying our Toad.  Corrie runs errands and then makes potato soup and fried rice for everyone.

Thursday Dan met up with CG Academy classmate Ron Borison for reminiscing and lunch.  They last did this four years ago when we were here for grand daughter Coraline’s birth.  After couple of hours telling sea stories (aka lying); lunch at Abear’s (small, local, hidden café with excellent simple cajun food).

ABEAR'S CAFE - Cajun Restaurant in Houma (business.site)

During the day son Joe was bayou fishing with some of the in laws and came home with couple of bull reds and dozens of trout.  Apparently tomorrow there will be a big family fish fry hosted by the Chiasson in-laws?

The Ryan RV Express: 29OCT-05NOV19 - Houma, LA

Friday, AM Joe & Dan work on Fiesta.  Then take off on three hour drive to pick up used car Joe bought for step-daughter.  Then back to the house and the off to the in laws (Tee & June) for fish fry of the fish caught yesterday.  Excellent food and time with many of the Chiasson in-laws.

Saturday, 14OCT, started out with final preps for Coraline’s postponed family b-day party at 1PM (mostly Chiasson family and close friends).  As always in the land of cajuns, too much food (all of it excellent!  BBQ hotogs, boudan, and chicken along with baked fresh fish, and many, many appetizers; great family day.

Rest of day spent trying to recover and prep RV for tomorrow’s departure.  It appears that grandson’s (Jaxson and Mason) are learning to fish from dad (Raymond) recently?