01-05NOV10 - Various OR, CA & AZ

We finally departed Monroe on Sunday morning, Halloween Day, & headed south on I-5, hopefully to sunnier & warmer weather. We enjoyed nice weather & the fall colors of the trees as we traveled from the Seattle area into Oregon. Dan had researched cheap diesel prices on the internet & it appeared that Oregon prices were much cheaper than Washington. Put we discovered the price listed on the website is for those drivers that have PUC tags; & since we didn’t, we had to pay much more. At the end of the day we stayed at the River Bend Resort in Harrisburg, OR, which was holding a Halloween wedding (everyone was dressed in black as witches, vampires, etc).

Monday, 01NOV, was a beautiful but long drive down I-5 south to Redding, CA. The drive was almost seven hours of up & down, plus mountain curves, before arriving at the RV park. Almost from the minute we crossed into California we had great views of Mt Shasta, followed by Mt Lassen in the east upon our arrival in Redding. We decided to stay at same RV park as our drive north on 18APR of this year.
Tuesday was another glorious, sunny day, in fact we had to run the generator for the roof top A/C to keep the RV cool during the drive. We finally were out of the hills/mountains & the drive was straight & level south on I-5. But it appears the state has changed the speed limit for RVs; the speed is 70 for cars, but for semis & ANYONE towing the speed limit is 55!!! So you end up with some people towing at 50 to insure they don’t get ticketed & then you have cars going 75 or 80+; in our opinion this is not a safe situation! We pulled into Patterson, CA, at same the RV park as 17APR. We quickly changed into shorts & sandals to enjoy the 80 degree weather. We decided to treat ourselves to dinner at that famous French restaurant Jacque dans la Boite.

Wednesday we decided to drive to Edwards AFB to stay for two nights & take a break from the driving. Enroute we stopped at Murray Family Farms a large roadside produce stand; although they were shutting down for the season we could see they a little something for everybody - corn maze, ant farm, petting zoo, etc. After setting up camp we headed to the Commissary & BX. While shopping we discovered Lee Esther’s food truck in the parking lot featuring some very good & interesting creole/cajun food. The military RV Camp is not the best, but it is only $15 a night.
http://www.murrayfamilyfarms.com/

According to Wikipedia – “Almost every United States military aircraft since the 1950s has been at least partially tested at Edwards, and it has been the site of many aviation breakthroughs as a result. The base is strategically situated next to Rogers Dry Lake, an endorheic desert salt pan; its hard dry lake surface provides a natural extension to Edwards' runways. This large landing area, combined with excellent year-round weather, makes the base a perfect site for flight testing. The lake is a National Historic Landmark. Notable occurrences at Edwards include Chuck Yeager's famous flight where he broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1, test flights of the North American X-15, the first landings of the Space Shuttle, & the 1986 around-the-world flight of the Rutan Voyager. The base is also one of the largest purchasers of renewable energy in the nation, deriving 60 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, and is a lead partner in the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership.” Plus it is home to worlds largest Anechoic chamber.

http://www.edwards.af.mil/

Next day we slept in, & then Corrie took off to do laundry. We then drove around a small portion of this almost 500 square mile base. In the afternoon Dan headed to the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum (3 locations, including Blackbird Airpark in Palmdale). Apparently this museum has not been accessible to the public after 11SEP because it is located on base? Dan is not sure why this is so, because other museums on other bases are still accessible to the public. The museum covers among other things the formation of the ancient lakebeds, early settlers, WWII, breaking the sound barrier, etc. In the museum Dan saw a display about Pancho Barnes & her Happy Bottom Riding Club. Then Dan remembered reading about her & how all the test pilots (like Chuck Yeager) hung out there in that famous best seller “The Right Stuff” (highly recommended reading). Dan wanted to take off right away to find the Riding Club; but he soon learned that sadly Pancho got into a dispute with Air Force officials & her establishment mysteriously burned down decades ago. Checkout Chuck Yeager’s website below to learn more about one of the first female pilots in the world, former holder of air speed records, & a true American pioneer.
Trivia – what does a 50 caliber bullet have to do with the X1?

http://www.afftcmuseum.org/

http://www.chuckyeager.com/specialfeatures/Pancho.htm

Friday, 05NOV, we got an early start for Quartzsite, AZ. The Flying J truck stop across border in Arizona had cheap diesel & this resulted in backed up lines of RVs & semis. But after waiting 25 minutes we finally refilled our tanks. We finally make it to Quartzsite, a town of only 3500 full time residents but it hosts 1.5 million RVers annually! Many RVers dry camp out in surrounding desert for little to no expenses. It is obvious that the onslot of RVers has not started; & we are not sure what they all do when they are here, since the town appears to have limited activities. It appears that the main attraction is 15 major flea markets & swap meets?

After setting up camp headed into town to check out some eccentric sites. First stop was the monument to Hi Jolly (aka Haiji Ali, aka Philip Tedro). He was one of the last camel drivers when the US Army tested the feasibility of using camels in the deserts of the southwestern USA around 1857. He was born a Greek/Syrian, who made the Hajji to Mecca becoming Haiji Ali, & arriving in America his name became mispronounced into Hi Jolly. Next stop was Reader’s Oasis Books. Why a book store? Because it is the home of the nearly naked book seller - Paul Winer. Interesting thing is that Corrie couldn’t keep her eyes focused on his eyes, whereas Dan had no problem doing so? Last stop was Celia’s Rainbow Garden, which is in memory of a young girl who died at a very young age & one of her last wishes was to create a place of lasting beauty. The result is numerous different memorials created out of various materials in not only memory of Celia, but other town’s people who have passed away & whose loved ones have created their own unique memorials.

Trivia - what is the difference between Quartzsite & Quartzite?

http://www.helleniccomserve.com/philiptedro.html

http://www.celiasrainbowgardens.com/

01-31OCT10 - Monroe, WA (more twiddling)

On Friday night, 01OCT, we headed to the “Edmonds Center for the Arts” to hear the Cowboy Junkies in concert. The center was the theater of the old 1939 art deco high school and only seats 320, so there isn’t a bad seat in the house. The Junkies music isn’t rock & roll, but a hard to classify blend of blues, jazz, rock & country. You can hear samples of their music on their website. Dan attended numerous concerts in the past & this was the first one he remembers where there was no security, you weren’t searched, & alcohol was available for purchase in the lobby (& you could actually carry your drink to your seat). It was a great show, in a great setting!

http://www.edmondscenterforthearts.org/index

http://latentrecordings.com/cowboyjunkies/

The next day, 02OCT, it was off to Everett for the “Sustainable Life Expo” at the PUD center; followed by the Sausage Festival in support of Immaculate Conception & Our Lady of Perpetual Help School. The Expo was sponsored by the Public Utility District (ie the power company) & featured many vendors displaying their energy saving devices, as well as presentations & talks. The sausage festival was a disappointment because it wasn’t about sausages at all, it was just a small neighborhood fair with a German theme. The only sausage available for purchase was your standard bratwurst. Everything else was standard carnival junk food with the German word DER in front of it (eg Der Taco, Der Elephant Ear).

Meanwhile on Friday, 08OCT, Dan was bringing the RV back from the mechanic shop, when some idiot tried to pass him on the right & dive back into the left lane during rush hour on US 2. Unfortunately he misjudged the space available & his left rear corner clipped our right front corner. Amazingly our fiberglass RV received almost no damage, while his luxury crossover didn’t do so well. Dan got out of the RV and was accused of causing the accident! They traded insurance info & waited for the police. When the police arrived the man wanted the cop to ticket Dan! The officer said they no longer write reports on minor accidents & that if he did, the other guy was 100% at fault!
12OCT turned out to be a sunny day so we headed into Seattle to explore Broadway on Capitol Hill. Broadway used to be a “high end” shopping area for the well-to-do that lived on Capitol Hill (like Dan’s paternal grandparents). First stop was lunch at Julia’s. For over half a century this restaurant was previously Ernie Steele’s Restaurant & Checkerboard Room. Many consider it Seattle’s first sports bar, but now it is a restaurant that is a “gay” cabaret at night. Ernie was a famous UW football player who played in the NFL for a few years. One year as he was driving from Seattle to Philly for the next NFL season; he made it to Montana, stopped, turned around, & returned to Seattle to run his restaurant full time. On more than one occasion Dan & cousins would be sitting in the restaurant eating a burger & fries, while the Dads & Granddad Fred were in the Checkerboard Room enjoying their favorite beverage. The food may be better now, but the “atmosphere” has certainly gone down hill!

Trivia – in 1943 Ernie played the entire NFL season for the Eagles & the entire very same NFL season for the Steelers; how did he do it?

Then it was off to the Lake Washington Arboretum, part of University of Washington Botanic Gardens. This is a beautiful arboretum/park that is free & has many displays & trails to enjoy. It is also home to world class Japanese Tea Garden that does charge admission. It has been many years since we visited the Tea Garden, & need to put it on our “to do” list.

http://depts.washington.edu/uwbg/index.php

For the last two weeks of OCT Dan was in New Orleans, while Corrie (& Gumbo) remained in Monroe. This happened because Dan accepted a consulting job dealing with the aftermath of the Gulf of Mexico spill. The idea is that Dan will work two or three weeks in New Orleans, & then have two or three weeks off. Hopefully by early DEC we will have the RV back in Houma & Dan can “commute” to New Orleans; & hopefully his portion of the response will be done by JAN/FEB at the latest.

One benefit of this was that Dan had dinner with daughter Rebecca & husband, Raymond, & son Joseph. Also at the dinner was a three month old baby boy named Kaydan. Turns out Rebecca & Raymond have volunteered to be foster parents, & Kaydan had been “delivered” to them the day before! Needless to say Rebecca & Raymond were extremely nervous about becoming instant parents. Thankfully Kaydan was very well behaved the whole evening & we had a good time. Meanwhile back in Monroe Corrie got to deal with finally getting the electric transformer installed on the property & then filling in the remaining ditch with a tractor.

On 29OCT Dan finally returned from New Orleans. The following day, Saturday, was spent buttoning up the property for our extended absence. This consisted of running fuel stabilizer through the tractor, lawn mower & generator; after that the batteries were disconnected. After locking everything in the barn, we made one last walk around the property & locked the gate behind us. Tomorrow, Halloween Day, we hit the road for the sunny & warmer climate of Phoenix, AZ; & we can’t wait!!!

06-30SEP10 - Monroe, WA (thumb twiddling)

Monday morning, 06SEP, it was back to “our” all most permanent RV spot at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, resigned to the fact that nothing will happen on the building of our house this summer or fall. Our only accomplishment after four months, other than a lot of thumb twiddling, was to get a 450 foot ditch dug from the road to where we want to install the “temporary” power needed for the building of a house.

Now-a-days the power company wants all power lines buried on your property, while being run through a 2 inch PVC conduit. So it was off to the nearest home center to buy 45 10-foot sections of 2-inch gray PVC pipe. While transporting the 45 sections of PVC, Dan lost the load on the busiest road in Monroe (US 2); even though he had it tied down with four different ratcheting cargo straps. Turns out there is a reason contractors transport pipe in pyramid shapes, or place boards between each row of pipe! Luckily no one was injured, & no cars were damaged. Many drivers immediately jumped out of their cars & began throwing the pipe onto the sidewalk. Dan thought they were being helpful, but they didn’t want their commute made any longer than necessary. Soon he was all by himself with the Toad parked on the sidewalk, reloading the pipe.

The next day we spent all day laying & joining pipe in a four foot by two foot trench, & then running a 1/4 inch polypropylene line through it. Fortunately our worked passed the PUD inspection. Now we wait for the power company to connect us to the grid, run 550 feet of primary power line, & bury a transformer on our property.













Sunday, 12SEP, we traveled into Lynnwood where we had a nice brunch with Dan’s brother, Shawn, & Cindi. They are both doing very well, & Cindi now has her own Harley so they can go biking together. In fact they had just completed a several day trip to Montana. (See the below BLOG for our last visit with them.)

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2009/08/23-25aug09-monroe-wa.html

A week later we visited & had dinner with Dan’s cousin Bob Harris, son of Aunt Madeline who we had recently visited on 20AUG, & wife Patty. They had just recently finished a large garage & shop building on their property. So we spent hours trading Snohomish County permitting & inspection horror stories; as well as being treated to a delicious home cooked meal!

This has not been the best summer for Seattle & the forecast for 22SEP was for warm & sunny day; so we decided to head into Seattle. First stop was Pike Place Market for some chowder at (are you ready for this original name?) Pike Place Chowder. Turns out their New England chowder has won several awards including contests in New England! We had a sampler of four chowders, all very excellent; & a crab roll (over priced, mostly roll & lettuce). Then we spent several hours walking about the Market; as always a very enjoyable time as long as the crowds aren’t overwhelming like during the tourist season.

http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/

Dan noticed many “Asian” tourists heading down a street called Lower Post Alley w/their cameras. Dan followed them & discovered the world famous “wall of gum” where people stick their used gum on a brick wall. There is even a gumball dispensing machine if you don’t have a wad of gum in your mouth to contribute. Supposedly one of the “germiest” tourist attractions in the world!

From the Market we headed to the Olympic Sculpture Park. The park is a free outdoor art display sponsored by the Seattle Art Museum. The land is a brownfield project where an old oil terminal was situated between Puget Sound, railroad tracks & several major roads. The park is in an unique “Z” arrangement & partially elevated, so that it does not interfere with the railroads or traffic & still connects to the waterfront.

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/osp/

The last day of September was a glorious sunny day so we once again headed into Seattle for lunch at “The Attic”, an alehouse & eatery. Why The Attic for lunch? Because as their motto says – 50+ years; your grandparents drank here, why not you? Dan’s grandparents didn’t drink there, but his dad & most of his dad’s sisters & brothers drank there! So you could say it is part of Dan's heritage!

http://atticalehouse.com/

After a nice lunch & walkabout around the neighborhood, we drove along Lake Washington Blvd, south toward Seward Park. Lake Washington Boulevard is a scenic, approximately 8-mile road, that hugs Lake Washington for much of the drive. There are views of the lake, small sections of rainforest, meadows, and views of the Cascade mountains. This is an extremely beautiful drive along the western shore of Lake Washington that can be extremely frustrating on nice days during the summer or weekends; but since school was in session & it was a weekday, it was very enjoyable.

We finished the day by visiting the newest Seattle area Uwajimaya store located in Renton. As we stated in our BLOG of 11-26AUG08 - Uwajimaya started in the International District of Seattle selling Japanese and Chinese products and groceries to the large Japanese and Chinese population. They have since expanded to include items from Korea, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, etc. We find shopping at Uwajimaya is like being in Asia without taking a twelve hour flight.
http://www.uwajimaya.com/