Vacation in theNorthwest

Lori, Walt and I are packed and as soon as Lori gets home, we are off to Burlington and then onto Blaine for a slow paced and relaxing week long vacation. The plan is to stay at the Burlington KOA tonight, sat and sun, then after a stop at camping world to install a couple vent covers, we are off to Blaine and the K & M campground there.

One plan was to get a certificate of health for Walt, so he could go to Canada on some day trips. We took him to the vet and they found an infection in his eye, did a complete physical and sent him home with meds. A whoping $300.00 later, he is in good health and can go with us. Had I known he was going to cost that much, he could have slept in the trailer while we enjoyed Canada!

Speaking of Walt, the vet put him on some joint pain meds to make him get around better. Liked him better when he layed around and was cudly...now he is full of you know what and is all over the place. Today, I put him in the truck as I always do when I hitch up as he was running around all psycho. He refused to get out, is ready to go camping and has been in the back seat for over an hour...Anyway, more from the road!

Oh, One last thing before we head out. A couple weeks ago, Lori got a new GPS for her car. Last night she informs me we will be using her GPS as it is much better and is more updated...Who'd ever thunk...GPS envy!!!

Well, we hit the road at about 2:20 pm, a personal best for us. We hoped to get through traffic and be set up no later than 7pm. Well, that didnt happen. As we hit Ft Lewis, traffic slowed to a crawl and stayed that way. We decided to stop at Applebys in Tacoma hoping the traffic would lighten up. We feasted on the two for twenty special which I had the buffalo wings and ribletts. This would later become a serious issue with me. I rarely eat stuff with all this sauce...I was hungry and it looked good. We made it back on the freeway and I can point out every piece of roadway through Tacoma as I had plenty of time to study it. We got back up to about 45 mph in Federal Way and then more slow downs as we inched our way through Seattle and north.

As we cleared North Seattle my worst fears began to materialize...I needed to use the restroom and there was no way to even get off the freeway(remember the ribs and buffalo wings?) Things went south very fast if you know what I mean? I wont bother you with the details but thank god I finally spotted a rest area.

At a whopping 8:40, we are in camp and set up. I am exhausted from the trip and soon we had the satellite set up and TV was on. This KOA is packed tonight and there are people everywhere, but it is quiet. All are minding themselves.

Saturday morning was too early and we vegged all morning. After breakfast, we headed for the pool and hot tub. After Hiding in the shower room till I made sure Greenpeace was no where around, I went for it and hit the pool. It was a very nice and warm pool as was the hot tub. Ahhh, we are finally on vacation.

We headed to La Conner for lunch. After walking around a bit, we found a nice cafe that is on the dock over looking the waterway. We dined on fish and chips as the boats slid by and were even entertained by a seal in the river feasting as we were. After checking out the shops, we loaded up. I wanted to check the Potlatch resort, an RV park in town. Reports were not favorable but after driving through, I felt this park was very suitable for those spending time in La Conner. The sights are narrow, but well maintained and nice level pads.

We then headed for Anacortes. I wanted to look at the Fidalgo Bay RV resort. It is located on a beautiful spit on the water overlooking Fidalgo bay. As we drove in, there is a section to the left and another down a road. This first section was dry, unkempt and not very inviting. Units seemed packed in like sardines. Not my idea of a place to camp. I guess if you were there to fish and not spend alot of time in camp, it would work fine. The other section however was very nice with wide sites and million dollar views. We would definitely spend time here.

We worked our way into Anacortes and what do you know, a Starbucks! Time for a fix and then drove around the back side of the bay which narrows down into Deception Pass which was spectacular. Back at camp, we watched the Seahawk game (cost of new satellite dome down to about $80.00 per viewing hour now) and another tactical mistake...Nachos for dinner! Thank god we have the extra strength Tums with us. Oh ya, she also cooked up some asparages for me...my gut, my a*&#. After dinner, we walked and as we went past the community campfire, some folks who have taken a liking to Walter invited us to stay. We talked till late and had a great time.

This morning we awoke to a brisk but clear morning. Coffee and a walk with Walter was the highlight. We are taking it easy today with Outlet mall shopping and Starbucks. Tommorrow, we pack up and head to Blaine with a stop at Camping World to have some vent covers put on. Sounds like this will be a timely addition as they are calling for rain later this week. More on vacation 2009 later.

After a disappointing trip to the Burlington outlet stores (not too many stores that Lori likes) but she did find some clothes. We headed to Red Robin and had a good lunch. Seems food is the highlights most of the time. We headed back and hung out the rest of the night. Parks has cleared out for now, but they said it promises to be busy on Labor Day.

Monday morning was our appointment at Camping world to have vent covers put on. As we talked to the service rep, she learned of our destination of Beachwood. She told us how no sites are reserved and there are several sections (a though G) to choose from. She strongly advised us to head to section G which we did when we arrived. What a huge resort. The pool area hosts three pools, two outdoor hot tubs and one inside tub. A workout area and lots to keep one busy. we were worn out as when we left Camping world, I decided to go off the beaten path and travel up WA 11 towards Bellingham. What a beautiful but treacherous drive with a trailer. The roads were narrow and up and down as you hugged the coast literally on the edge. we finally made it to the RV park and as we turned into section G, which is secluded from the rest, we really liked the sites. We had a few to choose from and picked an end site. Very nice neighbors and lots to watch and enjoy. The pool area was quite a ways away and it required a trip in the truck when cool outside. A day to rest up and check out Birch bay and then it was off to BC. Next, our trip north...

That night, I went to set the GPS for our trip. I soon learned that there was no Canada map loaded. Appearently, a little known secret is all the Garmin Gps units which end in 00, only have the bottom 48 states. I was off to the parking lot where I could get Wi Fi and a short two hours later, I had the updated maps loaded on the computer, but would not load in the Garmin. I was frustrated and went back to the trailer. The next morning, I called tech support and found out the 'trick' to getting the map loaded.

After a good breakfast, we locked in the GPS and were off (around 11 am) to Whistler. Within minutes we were at the border and when asked where we were headed, the borader agent gave us an alternate route to get through the Vancouver traffic...Ya, right. Was it the first left and off the round about? No, take the second left and the first exit out of the...oh crap, we're lost again. We were on the shoreline and headed in the right directiion, but not even close to the route we needed. I soon was able to get back on track and we headed up the bay towards Whistler. What a beautiful drive. There was construction 75 % of the way as they were trying o get ready for the 2010 Olympics. We saw several venue's and when we arrived at Whistler, all I could say was WOW! The place is huge and people everywhere. We parked and walked around the interior area with all the shops and places to eat. It was fun sitting in a curb side cafe watching all the people. I believe most countries and races were represented here. What a diverse area.

After a great lunch, Lori and I walked up to the lift area and could see alot of mountain bikers coming down the hill. It looked like some sort of competition, but I am not sure.

As the day turned to evening, it was time to head home. Easier said than done. We got caught in traffic and construction heading down the hill, but made it to west Vancouver just in time for ridlock. It was no faster than 10 mph for several miles. When we finally made it to our exit, I swore I would never come back to Vancouver. We made it over the border and by the way, not a question about Walt (good use of $330.00) and we were at a pizza place. We took it to the trailer and settled in for some tv. A long but enjoyable day.

Next, it was back over the border, but on the east side of Vancouver for wine tasting. We mapped out several locations, found a couple, saw a couple that were closed and made it to an old Fort town northeast of Vancouver. We ate lunch at a small coffee shop and I as well as Lori felt this was one of the best Lattes we have had. we walked the town and soon realized it was a major tourist trap with little to hold our interest. We packed up and headed south. As we approached a busy intersection, I could see a car ahead stop abruptly as it turned left. The car stayed there and it appeared it was disabled. As we neared the intersection, I was able to see what happened. A scooter was down as was the rider. The female driver was out of her car and both she and the downed rider were on their cell phones...strange.

As our week neared the end, I felt we had a great time, but I am not used to this type of vacation. I like to spend a couple days here and there, moving to a new spot and seeing more stuff. We enjoyed our time at Beachwood, but I felt somewhat unfullfilled. We have some fine tuning to do on this RV thing.

As the summer is winding down, we reflect on our travels and our accomplishments. I love RV travel, but feel guilty with the bike sitting in the garage and the grass grows taller at our neglected beach property. With our schedules, something has to give...but what would it be?