Back to the Fort

Check out the new wheels!

When we returned from our last trip, I noted that the truck had felt slightly different when driving at lower speeds. My mind always jumps directly to the worst-case scenario; in this case, my scenario was "our transmission was going out."  We made an appointment with our auto repair folks and I explained my feelings when driving. I thought it felt like I was driving a manual transmission, and not giving it enough gas when accelerating. There was definitely something making the vehicle shudder and the most expensive thing I could think of was the transmission.

I delivered the truck to Lake City Auto and they sent their transmission specialist out to give it a test. Within a half hour, I had my answer. The drive lines were out of balance and the U-joints were failing. 16 years of carrying the camper had taken its toll.  We needed it repaired, so I tossed my credit card on the counter and said "Git er done!" I talk like that when I am talking to mechanics. 

To do this I had to remove the camper from the truck and they would have to keep the truck for three days. As unexpected as the repair was, it gave me time to do some much-needed cleaning and caulking on the camper. For two days I worked my butt off waxing, polishing, and renewing the caulk on the big white box.

I picked up the truck and it drove great! No shuttering when accelerating.  I kept the camper off the truck and at our friends the Anderson's farm, while I worked on it. As I drove back and forth to the farm I was on newly paved roads and I noticed a bit of bumping as I drove. Normally I would think it was the old roads of Idaho, but like I said they were fresh surfaces. Bumping along, I figured that the truck tires needed to be balanced so I took the truck to Les Schaub the next day.

At Schaub's, they took the truck into the bay and within 10 minutes the tire tech called me over and showed me one of my tires and wheels on the balancer and it looked awful. The wheel had a very apparent wobble. The tech told me that all the wheels were just like that and they could not get them balanced. Short story, we needed new wheels. Once again I had to remind myself that all the running gear on the truck has been carrying heavy loads for 16 years, and the camper is rarely off. It makes sense, so I once again opened my wallet and tossed the old credit card on the counter.

It always hurts to make repairs to the truck and camper. Linda and I have talked about this many times. We came to the conclusion long ago that we love our house on wheels, we use it more than most people use theirs, therefore we will always make the needed repairs. In fact, we have a savings account set aside for repairs.

Finally, after a week and a half and several dips into the Repair account, we now have a truck and camper that runs like a dream. No bumping or wobbling. We are once again ready to hit the road!

Looking back. It's a long line!

We slid out onto the highway at about 10:45 AM and pointed the nose of the truck west with our sights set on Cle Elum, WA, on our way to Fort Worden to meet up with Don and Caroline Samuelson. We were looking to boondock at one of our favorite spots that we use when we drive to the Seattle area.

All was well and we were cruising along when suddenly the traffic slowed to a snail's crawl. We had just passed the rest area by Sprague Lake when the traffic started backing up.

There was nothing we could do except crawl along at maybe ten miles an hour for twelve miles. At the end of the jam, a lone semi-truck filled with onions sat at the side of the road, totally burned up. We never heard or read anything about what happened.

Forward doesn't look good either. 

We pulled into our boondocking spot in Cle Elum and settled in for the night.  We ate dinner and took a walk. Then it was off to sleep.

Community gardens in Cle Elum.

In the morning we did our thing and got ready quickly and efficiently. Our fuel tank was full because we took time to fill up before we stopped for the overnight stay.  As we drove out of town, we stopped at Safeway for our traditional shared road breakfast, a deli burrito and a donut.

We hit the road for day two of our adventure. We did a quick stop at the North Bend Outlet Mall so Linda could do a bit of looking around before we took I-90 to Hwy 18, 18 to I-5, then on to Hwy 16 (Gig Habor), Hwy 3 (Bremerton), Hwy 104  (Shine), and then on into Ft. Worden State Park.  Did you get all that?

Point Wilson Lighthouse.

I will explain that part of the trip was filled with a large amount of construction, huge amounts of traffic, and speedy rude drivers. We made it to our campsite just a little later than we had planned and were happy to be finished.

Don and Caroline were all set up in their camp spot. we pulled in across the road from them and got set up.

Otters checking out the Coho.

Caroline loaded us into their car and took us down to the lighthouse where she wanted to fish. There were no locals fishing and she didn't catch anything. We did see seals and Linda was approached by a sea otter. The little critter almost walked on Linda's shoes before he scampered off.  As we left the beach a couple local fishermen came down. Caroline chatted and the info they gave pointed to poor fishing.

We spent the evening talking and enjoying being with Don and Caroline.

The next day was a bit of a blur, but the highlight was Caroline catching a Coho from shore. She had been researching fishing in this area and sure enough she hit one! I spent most of the day feeling under the weather. 

One of the bunkers which housed
the coastal artillery.

Finally, it was 6 PM and we turned on the Presidential debate. All of us were nervous and hoped the best for VP Kamala Harris. She didn't let us down. Now we need to get her elected as President!

The next few days were filled with debate talk and fishing. Cohos were starting to run so we fished early afternoons to try and catch one. Of the four days of fishing only one fish was landed by Caroline. Overall, we were early, and only one day displayed fish moving and catchable. We fished hard anyway.

On Friday we quietly got ready and hit the road. We set our sights on Wanapum State Park Campground and exited Ft. Worden early, trying to miss Tacoma traffic. Our route back to the east side turned out to be easier than we anticipated and we pulled into the campground very early. Our site was empty so we settled in and enjoyed the sunshine. 

On Saturday we drove home with no problems. WSU was in the Apple Cup against Washington and we were able to watch the game. Cougs won, which was good. We were happy to be back home and as usual, we started cleaning the camper and getting ready for our next adventure.

Beautiful evening with a view.

Northern Meeting of Southern Friends

Our Site at Lake Wenatchee.

Melaque, Mexico is a small farming/fishing community south of PV and north of Manzanillo. This town has been our winter retreat for 25 years. We started spending 2 weeks over Christmas vacation. The stays were extended to over three months after our retirement. Many posts to this blog took place in this quaint little hideaway.

Traveling south also allowed us to meet many people we now consider friends. We are part of their lives while in Melaque, but when winter passes we go our separate ways until the next migration south. 

Lake Wenatchee views.

Over the past spring one of our friends put together a gathering for all the folks connected by this winter community.  Annie and Mac invited anyone who wanted to join the gathering, to meet at their farm in Ferndale WA, for three days of food and fun. All they had to do was show up with their tent or RV and they were welcome to join the fun and get reacquainted with all their winter friends.

To join the group Linda and I loaded up the camper and made our way west on I-90 to George, WA where we then took Highway 28 northwest through Wenatchee, Leavenworth, and on to Lake Wenatchee State Park where we stayed the night. The drive was good and we only had traffic coming into Leavenworth which made our day very nice.

Once we were all set up for the evening, we walked some trails and enjoyed a nice dinner. We were tired so we went to bed just after sundown.

Our drive the next day took us over Stevens Pass on Highway 2 dropping down to follow the  Skykonish River. The smaller highway was narrow and very curvy. We took our time and only had one seat-grabbing moment. We connected with I5 North at Everett and proceeded to our destination in Ferndale.

When we arrived at the farm, Mac pointed us around the back of the old barn and we found a spot to level the camper and settle in for our visit.

Over the next few days, the group of Melaque friends grew. At one point I estimated our group of people who got to know one another via Melaque to be about 35. With friends and families the total was over fifty guests.

Everyone mingled around the farm setting and found out what was happening in each other's lives beyond Mexico.  Food was in abundance and the entire group explored culinary delights at each meal. Annmarie and Mack were wonderful hosts. None of this would have happened without their hard work.

The Melaque Mob!

Wednesday morning Linda and I quietly packed up, said goodbyes and headed down the road.  We had a couple state parks in mind for our night stay, but no reservations. The drive was all freeway. We hit some traffic slowdowns but in most respects, it was an easy drive. At 2:30 PM we drove into Wanapum Dam State Park where we spent the final night of our adventure.

Annie and Mac's home.

The next morning we got up and drove the rest of the way home. We did have a minor problem at one of the final rest areas we stopped at. Our passenger side window rolled down but refused to roll back up into the closed position. Linda was forced to ride with the window open which was a bit noisy, but she was comfortable with the wind blowing on her the final miles home.

PS  As Linda and I greeted the numerous Melaque friends, the folks with RVs were very interested in our truck and camper.  They inquired about our travels and asked how many times we used the camper.  I looked back in the blog and found that I have documented taking 335 trips in our rig. A trip can be overnight, or multiple nights. These numbers come from the posts I make in the blog only. They don't represent the number of nights we have stayed in the camper. I thought this was a fun little fact to share.

Wanapum Dam State Park.

Back In The Camper

A sure sign that you will have a good time when you hit the road to go camping is how much food you have packed into the refrigerator and cupboards. We were busting the seams at the start of this adventure, and all was well. Our four-night adventure connected us with the Andersons once again. This time we were heading up the St. Joe River to one of our favorite Forest Service Campgrounds, Huckleberry.

The drive up to this area took us East on US-90 over 4th of July Pass and then south through the chain lakes area winding along to just outside of St. Maries. We then turned and started following the St. Joe River up to our campsite. 

We set up our camper and enjoyed the sun while waiting for Rayelle, Mike, Julia, and her boyfriend, Joel, to arrive. 

We chatted and had snacks once Mike and Rayelle arrived (Julia and Joel were coming on Friday). I noticed robins scouring the grounds around camp picking up worms and bugs. They would run under our truck and disappear so I followed them and discovered a nest. In the nest were four hungry baby robins. We watched the parents gather insects the entire time we were camped. Those adult birds were busy all day making trip after trip to feed the growing babies. They never stopped collecting. It was amazing to watch.

Linda and I played shuttle driver on Friday and Saturday for the thrill seekers who floated several miles of the river on innertubes.

On the trail from Anderson's campsite to the river, Mike spotted a Yellow Jacket nest hanging above the trail. The nest was in the perfect spot attached to a branch just above your head as you descended to the beach level. It was not noticeable because to get to the beach you had to walk down a small step or two. Your attention was on the ground because of the incline and thus we didn't see the danger the first several times we walked the trail.

As usual, we had a really fun time. We talked and laughed a lot. We played cards and made s'mores over a campfire. We read, cooled off in the river, ate yummy food, and enjoyed some happy hours (it's always 5 o'clock somewhere). Thanks, Andersons, for another fun adventure.

The Final Days

This little guy came out to visit
from behind the couch.

Our days on the island were passing quickly. Friday was upon us and with it came the rain. We spent most of the morning watching the rain pour down. The rain started to disappear in the afternoon allowing the bright sun to break through.

We all walked the four blocks toward town to a park where they have a weekly Saturday art fair. We all checked out the booths, hid from the rain, and bought some various items. Linda bought a very cool handbag/carry-on that I really liked. It has sea turtles on it and looks very Hawaiian. Later that afternoon we drove into Hanalei for dinner at Kalypso Island Bar and Grill and did some final shopping.

Smile!

It was time for our adventure to be over. Everyone packed and we played our final game of cards. We would have to depart from Tiki Tower by 10 AM the next morning.

At exactly 10 the next morning we were heading south to catch our flight in Lihue. The problem was that we were not scheduled to board our flight until 8 PM that evening. Mike drove and the rest of us made suggestions as to how to burn time waiting for our flight. We ended up stopping at every little town and shopping. It was fun and gave us a good look at the many little towns along the route back to drop off the rental car and catch our flight.

It's all about the refreshments, you know!

Things went well after we returned the car. Our flight was on time and we all got seated for the 5 hour and 55-minute red-eye flight back to Seattle. Trying to get comfortable and sleep was a challenge, what can you do? At the airport in Seattle, we had breakfast and then caught the final flight home. It all went smoothly and we were at our house by about 9:45 AM. We were tired, but it was such a nice vacation that it was worth the exhaustion.

We were so honored to have been invited on this adventure. We hope the Andersons, especially Julia whose trip this was, enjoyed the experience as much as we did. We truly had a great time. Thanks, Mike Rayelle, and Julia, for the adventure and your friendship. We love you all.

[If you want to compare this adventure to our first visit to this beautiful island explore here!]

Watching surfers and swimmers.

Time for the last leg of our journey.