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)!

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😊