The Ryan RV Express: 01-30SEP25 - Sultan, WA (house/yard work & start of new RV adventure 🚐)

Monday early AM (labor day) off to grandson Mason soccer team’s third game of the Labor Day Cup tournament. They win the game and are now in the final at 4PM🙃 So back home until then. After some R&R back to Starfire Soccer Complex for the final.

Mason’s team wins 3 to 2😊 Other team had two phenomenal forwards that our defense made couple of big errors allowing goals. But the other team played rougher than they needed and was assessed two well deserved penalties; that we scored off of using set plays.

Rest of week Corrie has girl’s day out with Jan Formisano; first day of school for grandboys; outside chores; mowing; and routine medical appointments. Plus hours and hours tending to the flowers and harvesting last of the summer crops.

Saturday AM, 06SEP, Dan heads to Jaxson’s soccer game in West Seattle. (NOTE - for very old friends with good memories, Dan’s first house (see Below pic, NOTE - still no lawn:) was in West Seattle one-half mile from site of the soccer game; bought for $32K in 1978, now estimated on Zillow $560K.) After game, Dan fights weekend traffic out of Seattle, one hour drive takes two.

Sunday cool day with light rain. Dan takes opportunity to go to our ancient barn (built early 60s) to clean out five years inattention. Starts with two outside stalls, then shifted to work bench area. Tons of cobwebs and dust removed (thank goodness for portable, battery powered shop-vac). In process attacked by two killer rats! More cleaning to follow.

Monday, 08SEP, lunch time, contractor shows up to clean moss off roof and then clean solar array (which hasn’t been done since it was built). After contractor leaves Dan breaks out our gas powered pressure washer and cleans outside of roof gutters and then cleans the small deck (16ft buy 16ft).

Wednesday starting oiling small deck. Then back to barn, all accumulated plastic sheeting/tarps damaged by rats/mice disposed of (2 more killer rates encountered). Back to house and pressure washing large deck. Thursday Corrie runs errands and does yard work, Dan starts “oiling” small deck with Thompson Water Seal.

Sunday, 14SEP, overcast and drizzle Dan works in barn most of the day. And goes to Mason’s soccer game in Seattle (which was on Saturday. Oh Yeah - Jaxson is now training to be soccer referee! Monday sun returns and Dan gets back to oiling small deck.

Tuesday AM Dan runs RV to local RV dealer for new backup camera; then home to continue oiling small deck. RV ready at 330Pm so Dan stops work and we go to pick up RV. New rear camera system is great! Old camera and monitor still in RV and works. But it was terrible and now can be ignored.

Rest of week doing errands/chores - flu/covid shots; finish oiling small deck; mowing; cleaning barn (encountering two more killer rats); getting Rocket groomed.

Saturday, 20SEP, catch morning ferry to Kingston and on to Pitre’s for early celebration of grandson Mason’s twelfth birthday. After unloading truck it was off to two different grandboy’s soccer games -- Dan, Raymond north of Seattle in Shoreline for Mason’s game -- and Corrie, Rebecca stay local for Jaxson’s game. Unfortunately because of traffic Dan, Raymond and Mason take almost three hours to return house. Then immediately off to Olive Garden for Mason’s early b-day dinner. Then Pitre to home for some cribbage and then to bed.

Sunday (last day of summer) early AM we catch ferry and drive home, just to relax, recover and do nothing. Monday & Tuesday lots of little chores done and start prep’ing for lengthy RV trip come at end of week.

Wednesday (24SEP, grandson Mason’s actual b-day) Dan moves RV out of garage. Gets it fueled and then parks it by house to prepare for planned trip. Every item removed, and items for the prior trips with grandboys removed and not re-stowed.

Thursday AM Dan is off to bi-monthly lunch with CG Academy classmates who live in driving distance of Seattle (on occasion attendees drive in from Portland, OR). Last one was 24JUL.

Friday major effort by us to get RV ready for Saturday departure. Not sure we have done enough to get out tomorrow. Dan was making one more mowing of the yard when ride’m mower ran out of gas and battery died☹ Probably at worse part of driveway (farthest from house and mower facing downhill😕 Dan hooked the Fiesta up to rear of mower. Corrie drove him and mower Dan riding on hood of mower to steer since it was going backwards. Jump start and back in business.

Saturday, 27SEP, all of morning and until 3PM used to get RV and Toad ready for our long drive to Houma, LA. Purpose of trip is spend significant time in our old home town of Houma,LA. Primarily to see son Joe, wife Bethany, and granddaughter Coraline. As well as cajun in-laws; old friends and be there for Coraline’s sixth b-day and holidays (maybe even xmas).

Took longer than expected with a few hiccups. First stop is at Dan cousin Steve Kiesel and wife Bonnie’s (haven’t seen them since JUL2022. Great visit and a surprise was that their daughter Joleen was also there. Decompress from drive, Lasagna for dinner and reminiscing and early to bed.

The Ryan RV Express: 23-28JUL22 - Kittitas, WA & Various (enroute canada - eh?)

Sunday, AM on the interstate to Yakima and cheap diesel at Wolf Den. South into Oregon and decide to drive on to Caldwell, ID, to finally call it a day (388 miles in seven half hours).

Monday less hours driving 290 miles to Tremonton, UT.

Tuesday (end of the month) on road heading toward Moab Utah. Leave I-15 and take the road that bypasses east and north of SLC (better than fighting always heavy traffic in I-15). Make great time to Heber City. Unfortunately major one lane construction blockages on US 191 all the way to Price, UT (GPS still doesn’t “know” where it is in this part of Utah, just like last we were here? see below email link). So frazzled by now, just get to Green River, UT, and call it a day. What was planned as a six hour trip to Moab. ends up being seven hours, stopping short of Moab by one hour🙃