Wilsonville to Port Angeles and HOME

Morning came as usual--we woke up about 8:00, for us a little early, to a very slight thin overcast--a nice day for driving. We were on the road shortly after 9:30, plenty early we thought as we had a short run today, our last before boarding the MV Coho at Port Angeles to cross the pond to Victoria. Just a quick stop at Les Schwab Tire (At this late date we can't remember what we went back for!) and shortly after 10:00 we were north bound once again on the I-5.

The morning traffic through Portland via the I-205 "bypass" was busy but not too bad and soon we were through Oregon and crossing the Columbia River into Washington state.

Historical note: In the early years The Hudson's Bay Company had a Fort on the north side of the river mouth, Fort Vancouver, now known as simply Vancouver, Washington. This is further west, on the 101 coast highway. We took that route a couple of years ago.

In 1846 the USA won the ongoing international political haggle over the Oregon Territories dispute and now has Washington Oregon and Idaho, which we really think should have gone to us, not the US! A few years later another border dispute between us resulted in "The Pig War" on San Juan Island in 1859. Gun boats and troops were sent but finally cooler heads prevailed and the matter was referred to Kaiser Wilhelm, who the British had looked to as a friend and ally. He drew a line on a map which, though it favoured the Americans and we lost the San Juan Islands, at least ended the dispute. Fortunately in this war the only casualty was a pig and we have remained friends ever since.

As an interesting note, the Brentwood Bay Power Squadron (of which we are members) and the San Juan Island Power Squadron meet every summer to cook and eat a pig. One year the Americans provide the pig, the next year the Canadians are the hosts.

As we proceeded up the I-5 we remembered having seen in past years a sign for "Wolf Haven" and always wished we had time to stop. Having time in hand we kept our eyes out for the sign and made a small detour to check it out. We pulled in at 12:45 to find that they even had a tiny bit of the parking lot reserved for motorhomes and it is permitted to stay overnight. Unfortunately it was a sunny weekend and the place was very busy; the 2 PM tour was full, the 3 PM tour would not start for quite a while yet.

It would have meant driving up Puget Sound at night and Gillian not getting her special night out in Port Angeles so we had a quick look around the gift shop and decided to carry on homeward and return another day. We were very soon back on the I-5 and a couple of exits later we were rolling up the 101 towards P.A.





The beautiful drive up the 101 along the Hood Canal and Puget Sound





































Our celebratory dinner on our last night away is always at Bella Italia in Port Angeles. We found this restaurant several years ago and fell in love with it. It has won many awards over the years, particularly for it's wine cellar. Last year on our way home in the "new" rig we had begun to realise that if we pushed just a little and skipped our lunch stop we could probably make the afternoon ferry and get home a day early. Gillian's response to this suggestion was "Are you trying to do me out of my dinner?"! Needless to say we stopped for lunch and stayed overnight in Port Angeles!

Since there is no RV Park in Port Angeles that will easily accommodate our 32 footer and tow car we pulled into the Walmart which is located between Sequim (pronounced "Squim") and Port Angeles, checked in with the security, un-hooked the car, showered and changed and drove into P.A. where we spent half an hour in an excellent book shop before walking up the street to Bella Italia.

The food was very good, the wine excellent, but somehow this year seemed to fall just a bit short of our expectations. The restaurant was still very busy and we wouldn't have got a table had we not called for a reservation the day before. They hadn't had a change in Chef so we suppose and hope that it was just an off day.

We returned to the rig and after walking the dogs went to bed as we had an early start. In the morning we set off for the ferry lineup, Art in the motorhome and Gillian to follow after the dogs' morning walk. We always drive on separately as it's easier and cheaper. While waiting in line we had a very quick breakfast as the menu choices on the Coho are limited to say the least.

We were loading by 8:00 and sailed pretty much on time, about 8:20. The crossing was pleasant and uneventful, the time passed reading and sipping our coffee and hot chocolate and we arrived in Victoria around 10:00.

Customs again was effortless, the agents friendly and helpful, even sympathising with our long list of necessary repairs and as such, not subject to duty. After questioning Art about what else we had on board and the whereabouts of his wife, he went over to the next lane to confer with his colleague who was at that moment processing Gillian's entry. We were quickly sent on our way, our slight excess on limits ignored, or at least forgiven.

We stopped at the Red Barn on our way home for a breakfast top-up, coffee and a muffin for Gillian and the long missed Red Barn Smokie for Art. We were home by noon and now faced un-packing and dealing with 5 months of mail. First duty was to take the dogs for a walk in their home territory, which they loved of course and were soon sleeping peacefully, though not, as you can see, in their respective beds!





Dealing with 5 months of mail!












Poor Trekker, Tia took his bed!







We have a few things planned prior to our next Mexico journey such as a trip to Europe (NOT in the rig!) in June as well as a few short motorhome trips on the Island. We will post a few items as we become inspired.

Done for another year. Thanks for sharing our travels with us.

Redding to Wilsonville

Thursday morning as soon as Art was up he went to check the computer--it was still doing the file check!!! Luck was on his side however and the process was completed a few minutes later. Art tried it out, it worked, but very slowly, and fortunately all the important files, pictures etc were still available. Whew! Fortunately we were planning on buying a new one when we got home anyway.

He packed it up and after breakfast we were off and running with no more than the usual delays. Crossing the Nevada Desert days ago Art had said to Gillian "when do you think we will hit the first rain"? Eventually we decided it would likely be in southern to mid Oregon. Well . . .

Soon we had the windshield wiper on "intermittent" and not very much later they were working steady.

As we approached the town of Weed, made famous by the "Snoopy" cartoons, we saw the sign showing that the Rest Area was closed. This used to be a great rest area located alongside the Weed Airport where you could watch the small planes coming and going but it was closed last year as well. Hope it's not a permanent thing. We were ready for a break so we took the exit anyway and parked on the side of the road behind a row of semis who's drivers had the same idea.

As we approached the Siskiyou Pass between California and Oregon Art noticed the large highway sign that read: "Winter Conditions Traction Tires or Carry Chains Mandatory". Since the rain was still rain we continued, hoping that we would not be stopped. Backtracking to purchase chains that we would never use would be wasteful of both time and money.

As the elevation increased the "rain" got thicker and soon the wipers were piling up a bit of slush at the sides of the windshield but you couldn't really call it snow. Soon however we reached the summit and began the long descent into Oregon, the exhaust brake and cruise control holding our speed down nicely, our brakes hardly needed.

The further we got into Oregon the better the weather became and soon the rain was a thing of the past. We rolled into CampingWorld in Wilsonville well before dark and before long we were parked and level, slides out and ready for a drink and dinner.


Also overnighting in the lot waiting for their morning appointment was a family from Nova Scotia (The Other Wet Coast); Dad, Mom and 2 daughters on a RV circumnavigation of Canada and the USA. Mom and Dad later joined us for a drink and a chat, comparing notes and stories while the girls stayed home watching videos and or doing their homework.


In the morning Art went to check in with the service department only to find that somehow our appointment had been booked for the following Friday!!! They were very busy but thought they could squeeze us in sometime during the day if we just left the coach with them. Meanwhile the service rep went to ensure that the part for the awning had arrived. It had and close examination showed that it was very easy to install--press, snap, it would be done.



We paid for the part, (WAY too much for what it was--a bit of extruded plastic--$40.00 plus $20.00 shipping!!!!!) took it with us and made our way to Les Schwab Tire. Here we left the coach for the replacement batteries under warranty and to have a tire rotation done while we were there. Off in the car to Denny's to meet our Nova Scotia friends, as arranged earlier, for breakfast.

Then to the Pet shop to find a few goodies for the dogs--this shop is where, on our way south every year, we buy Trekker's grain free food to last him through the winter in Mexico. We had run out so we bought a small bag to get him home. (Trekker has a grain allergy--after a while his hair begins to fall out.)

By this time it was a little too late to head north so we eventually found a very nice campground that was dog friendly and settled in for the remainder of the afternoon and spent the night alongside the river. "Eventually" because she who was driving the Tracker and leading the way first got in the wrong lane and led the coach through a very small parking lot to turn around, then turned into a shopping centre parking lot instead of onto Highway 99 South. Again the motorhome followed, though at least here there was a bit more room to manouver so as to get back on track. As mentioned a moment ago eventually we all safely arrived in our space in the park, Art's tongue not too much worse for the biting of it. At least Gillian knew where to find the grocery store to do a bit of shopping!

Freightliner and Redding

The alarm went off at 6:00AM, Art staggered out of bed over a still sleeping Trekker who was curled up on his own bed at the foot of ours. We still had things to put away; supper dishes, maps etc. as well as disconnect the hoses, electric cable, battery charger, retract the slides and the jacks and move stuff from the car to make room for the dogs.

We got it done in time and Art fired up the diesel engine. The suspension bags still didn't want to fill, even after releasing the park brake. The "jacks down" alarm ding . . . ding . . . ding was still going on but after a bit of jiggling with the ignition key the alarm silenced, the step came in and the air bags started to fill! Now we began to suspect that the faulty ignition switch could be the root of many issues. Fortunately, when we phoned Freightliner yesterday we had asked them to order a new one.


With everything working, including the engine temperature gauge, Art drove off to the appointment leaving Gillian and the dogs to meet him at Freightliner with the car. On the dot of seven he was at the service counter giving the details to Mark, the service manager: intermittent temperature gauge, jacks alarm (ignition switch?) coolant leak, investigate air pressure switch, put the correct mileage back into the engine computer and align the steering wheel--which had been turned to the right since Kingman, after the replacement of the tie rod.


We went off looking for breakfast and settled for a Bagel shop, bought a few groceries then returned to the motor home to put the groceries away and pick up the laundry, we'll do it at the RV park while we wait for our house to come back from the shop.

At Freightliner we got a bit of news--the coolant leak is from the water pump. One hose is cracked but not leaking--all hoses are soft/aged and should be replaced, parts are available from Reno by tomorrow. We can pick up the rig tonight and return it again Wednesday at 7:00 AM!!!!



We returned to the park, did the laundry, caught up on the e-mails and worked on the blog--the wireless works fine in the laundry room. Sorry we couldn't get a picture of Art putting the laundry into the machines, but the camera was still in the car at that time--he says!

Clothes washed and dried it was time to go somewhere for lunch, so we set off for Sundial Park where there is a place to walk the dogs by the river and a nice cafe that we had found last year.


We found Sundial Bridge without difficulty and walked down to the cafe. Closed! Whether this is a sign of the economic times or not we don't know. Back in the car we let the GPS find a restaurant, had a nice lunch, dropped into a bakery we had spotted to find some good bread--very hard to find in the USA--they seem to like the sweet soft mass-produced factory bread here--not to our taste.

We then went back to Freightliner. They were finished with the rig for the day and we could take it back to the park for the night returning in the morning. Not so early fortunately, the parts won't be in until 10:00 or so. Art drove the rig back and got it set up while Gillian took the dogs to an off leash park to run and play. Art took the opportunity to catch a much needed nap!

Shortly after ten next morning we dropped off the coach as arranged and went looking for something to do-- The off leash dog park won the vote so away we went. The weather again was co-operating, very sunny and warm if you stayed in the sun. The dogs had a wonderful time and we met and chatted with several very interesting people and their dogs.


After lunch we went back to the RV park and sat in the sun, Art taking the opportunity to spend a bit more time on the internet while enjoying the sun. At one point he needed to get up for something and set the laptop down on the attached side table. As Art stood up he checked to make sure the computer was balanced but the moment he turned his back the table chair tipped over, the laptop landing on its side on the concrete. A few words were said, but the laptop seemed to still be functioning. Seemed being the operative word.

Later that afternoon after exploring a bit more we returned to Freightliner to see how they were progressing and were advise that it wouldn't be ready until at least 7 or 8 PM! Replacing the radiator hoses was not apparently an easy job--access to the top of the engine is from under the bed! They had to remove all the bed clothes, the mattress and of course all the stuff we had stored under there--things we won't need for a while--like some of our summer clothes and souveniers we were bringing home, then unbolt the steel sheeting and insulation between the bed and the engine. Art felt a bit guilty as he says he should have realised that and we could have had all that stuff out of there ourselves--instead of the mechanic doing it at $125.00 an hour!

So back to the dog park.Trekker and Tia couldn't believe their luck!! Tia finally got tired of running around and came to lie down beside the bench where Art was reading a book. Until of course each time a new dog appeared that had to be investigated and off she went again.

About 6PM as things began to cool off we decided to look for a place to have our dinner. The GPS gave us plenty of nearby options but of course no details about the restaurants. We checked out a couple before finally deciding on one that as we entered suspected it was probably a little more "high end" than we planned but what the heck--it's only money--and we were getting hungry!

We were quickly seated and immediately the cell phone rang--the motorhome was ready. We told the service manager that we had just sat down for dinner and would be there in an hour or so. Meanwhile the waiter had arrived with menus and a wine list and as we perused both we looked around the dining room and were quite taken aback by the lack of decor. Gillian said that it was reminiscent of the waiting room in a funeral home! Very pale off-white walls and ceiling which met in a large radiused curve so there was no clear definition between wall and ceiling. Absolutely no pictures or decorative highlights anywhere! Very strange--almost but not quite spooky. We felt that a few subtle painted outlines of plants or vines would have made a big difference.

The food and service though was excellent. As this is being written many weeks after the event neither Art nor Gillian can remember what we ate, but we remember enjoying it!

At Freightliner all was ready. The replaced ignition switch had stopped the ding . . . ding . . . ding, air bags filled and the new engine temperature gauge was working just fine! The mechanics way back in Poza Rica many months ago had diagnosed a bad gauge but were unable locate one easily. Art had been a bit sceptical about this diagnosis (see thePoza Rica entry in November) and according the Freightliner service manager the gauge itself is rarely the problem. But this time it was and the Mexican mechanics were right. The only thing he hadn't had time to do was re-centre the steering wheel.

Back at the RV Park Art checked the lap top--It advised that some files may be corrupted and should be checked. Art started the checking sequence and soon realised that it was going to take quite a while so letting it run, we had an early night and went to bed so to be ready to continue the homeward leg of our journey in the morning. Tomorrow would hopefully see us in Wilsonville where we had an appointment at Campingworld to have a cracked awning end cap replaced and to have Les Schwab replace the batteries. It would be a long day's drive, but we prayed that the weather would hold up for us.

Hawthorne Nevada to Redding Ca

Art woke up a few minutes before 7AM and in spite of making as much noise as possible without being obvious, at 7:15 had to go in to wake Gillian. We weren't sure how long the drive to Redding would be, but knew it wouldn't be a short trip.

Finally at 8:35, after bring in the slides, retracting the jacks, letting the air pressure build and doing all the air checks we were ready to go, though the temperature gauge had quit again. . . but Gillian was still out with the dogs on their last walk. Art shut off the engine, so as not to gas the campsite, restarting a few minutes later when everyone was in position and ready to go.

Front air gauge showed no pressure! Rear gauge pressure was just fine. There was no low air alarm and we had not heard any great rush of air as would be expected from the loss of 130 psi of air. This was very puzzling. Finally Art found someone who showed him the Heavy Duty Mechanic shop up the street a bit. So off we drove, carefully, though Art suspected it was a gauge fault and not a loss of air problem.

The owner was out on a call and was due back soon, but they didn't usually work on motorhomes. He described the problem with a gentleman in the office who agreed that it was indeed puzzling. He said that while the air pressure gauges were usually fed directly with air, perhaps in motorhomes they might be electrical in nature. While waiting Art dug out a screwdriver and removed the back of the instrument panel console and began prodding the wires the lead to the back of the gauge. Bingo! Full Pressure! A few minutes to re-attach the console (and the control for his ham radio) and we were finally under way at 9:35

We continued our boring run across the uninspiring Nevada scenery, today thankfully, without the wind. At noon we stopped to refuel--our last chance at cheap diesel before California--$2.159 US per US Gallon. Yesterday we had filled at 2.099! Nothing out of the ordinary at this fuel stop though. While Art pumped diesel Gillian made him a sandwich as it had been 4 hours since his breakfast. He bought a coffee in the store and was good to go, happily munching and sipping as he drove.


A bit over an hour later Gillian suggested that it was lunch time so we watched for a place to pull off and soon found a spot beside a Shoe Tree, (click the photo) where we heated up some bean soup that we had carried in the freezer all the way from home! Still good!

Doing the walk around before pulling out Art notice some drops of moisture on the hitch, they looked like they had been blown there by the wind. Closer inspection showed a drop of green fluid hanging from a rad hose clamp. Then it fell and another started to form. There was still lots of antifreeze in the coolant reservoir so there was no urgency but here was an other job for Redding Freightliner. Back on the road Art noticed that the engine temperature gauge was working again! Three days in a row it has started to work only after lunch. We figure it must be a union gauge on the afternoon shift! We will have it checked again in Redding.


Soon after passing through Susanville the scenery changed; Trees, Lakes, Green, Snow. . . (snow just in the shaded areas under the trees and beside the road). The road was good for most part, Trekker appeared a bit less stressed and actually fell asleep for a few moments.

We made good time, turning onto the I-5 at a bit after 5:00PM, the thermometer showing 22 degrees C. Much better! Within a few minutes we arrived at the RV park where we had stayed in October by 5:30--and were given the same space!!! Redding Freightliner awaits at 7:00 AM so we will be up early tomorrow, before dawn!

Utah to Hawthorne Nevada.

We managed to leave not too much later than planned this morning, no major problems, just a little annoyance that we will try to get repaired in Redding--hopefully to be our last Freightliner stop this trip!

The slides came in just fine, jacks went up just fine, but when the "travel" or "Jackrabbit" button was pushed the suspension air bags didn't fill. Not until the spring brake was released and the transmission put into "Drive" did the air dump into the suspension and the rig start to rise. Now we had to wait a few minutes for the air pressure to build back up but while waiting for this we got the car hooked up and we were away by 8:40.

We had 22 miles back to the Utah Arizona border, then another 29 miles through the Northwest corner of Arizona to Nevada and back to Las Vegas. We again traversed the Virgin River Canyon in Arizona; this being the same Virgin River that cut the canyons in Zion National Park in Utah. The Arizona canyon is much smaller but no less spectacular--in places we felt we could reach out and touch the walls as we cruised past at 90 Km/H, a "click" or 2 above the 55MPH speed limit.

Back again in Nevada as we approached Las Vegas Gillian found a short cut that avoided the city and after about 15 minutes--including an inadvertent detour along side the highway instead of on it-- we were on Nevada Route 95 North for the long boring drive to join the I-80 to Reno two hours after our departure from the campground. Sounds like a cheap tour: 3 States in 2 hours!



The scenery wasn't much, but there were a few places of humourous interest, including our gas stop at Amagosa Valley; a crossroads with a couple of stores with an RV Park behind on the left and across the street the bright pink gas station and convenience store, complete with casino and brothel.






We were soon back on the boring drive. The scenery didn't change much from the photo to the right all afternoon. Once in a while there was curve, occasionally a hill. In early afternoon the wind began. We have never driven in such wind for such a long time. It went on and on and on, blowing the rig from side to side. Art even had to eventually slow down to 80 or 90 Km/H from our normal cruising speed of 100 and well below the posted 70 MPH (112Km) limit. The winds of course kicked up a lot of dust, at one point we had to slow to about 60 Km/H. because of the visibility.

About 2 PM we found a wide place to pull off for lunch and a short 40 minute break then were back on the road. A few moments later Art noticed that the temperature gauge was working again! We were more than ready to call it a day at 5:15 when we pulled into an RV Park in the small town of Hawthorne. They said they had had 25 check-ins today, probably because of the wind.

The park is well appointed and we have free wireless, which is why this entry is so timely! We have just finished dinner, the dishes mostly done and Trekker says it's time for a walk. He traveled better today and actually slept for a bit, the Dramamine seems to be helping. At least the wind has died down a bit, though it's still cold; only 9:oo PM and it's already down to 2.3C outside--the furnace has been running almost constantly. We'll just post a few pics on the Zion post and fill in with text and more detail later.

Zion National Park

Mostly pics for for this entry.--The detour to Zion was certainly worth the time and fuel. The weather was clear and sunny but still quite cold at night. This time of year we were able to drive our own car through the park and so of course the dogs came with us. Though not allowed on the trails they were able to get out and stretch their legs and exercise their noses several times. They are getting resigned to our getting out of the car and wandering off without them. We never left them long of course and Art frequently returned to the car to rest his legs and keep the dogs company while Gillian went on to see what was around the next corner.

Starting in April through I think October cars aren't allowed in the park and there are shuttle buses that run all day stopping along the way to let visitors hop on and off as they wish. It is obvious why this is done--the number of visitors in the busy season must be astronomical, there would be no way all the vehicles would even fit on the road let alone drive. Even in March there was a lot of traffic and parking in the various pull outs and parking areas within the park were at a premium.

These pictures may give you some idea but don't do justice to the beauty and majesty of the area.
















The three Patriarchs






















Weeping Rock at the end of the road. Gillian walked up part of the way to photograph the narrow canyon. The squirrel came to see what she was up to.

The small river is the Virgin River, the one that cut the canyon; over a period of several million years I would imagine.

Kingman to Utah

We left Kingman at last at 8:30 Friday morning. We had air pressure for the brakes and the suspension but now the engine temperature gauge that had been repaired yesterday was not working again! We were not going to go back but called them on the phone anyway as we turned off I-40 onto highway 93 towards the Hoover Dam. Their response was that we take the rig to another Freightliner shop and have the service dept. phone for authorization for a warranty repair. Since we were on our way (eventually) to Redding California for them to correct the odometer, that fitted in well with our plans so we pressed on, again without a temp gauge. There were no major mountains in our way so we weren't concerned.

We had last crossed the Hoover Dam two years ago and the construction was taking shape--and what a project! Because the dam is considered a major terrorist target commercial trucks are not permitted to cross and only a few years ago were RVs allowed. This created a huge costly detour for the commercial traffic. A few miles before the dam all vehicles are stopped and searched. There was very little traffic and so we were soon on our way. Funny thing, of the three man team that checked us out, we recognised 2 of the officers from our previous trip. The third looked familiar but we couldn't be sure.


The major construction is to build a new road and bridge route so that traffic will no longer drive over the surface of the dam. The dam and hydroelectric installation is quite impressive in itself, but the new bridge that will take traffic high above is something else.



The main support arch is about half built, a quarter out from each side, held in place by an array of pylons and massive cables. This will be a spectacular crossing when finished and we imagine it will provide a spectacular view as well. Remember, this was in progress two years ago. It will take some time to complete.


The north bound traffic was extremely light, it was still early in the day and weekend traffic hadn't started yet so we drove straight across. South bound was a different story--there was a lot of traffic, made worse by the parade of hundreds of minis, obviously out on a run of some sort.




Before we knew it we were through Las Vagas in spite of a detour and onto the I-15 East. About half way to Utah we stopped at an off ramp for an early lunch about 11:30. Back on the road again Art realised that the temperature gauge was working again! The problem had been loose connection at the gauge wiring, so now that we know here to look, hopefully if it goes out again Art will have half a chance of repairing it at least temporarily.

A little further up I-15 we entered the Virgin River Canyon--a taste of things to come. This the same river that formed a major canyon in Zion National Park, our reason for this detour on our way home.

Gillian was navigating this section so she recommended that we bypass St George and stop in Leeds, from where we would tour the canyons by car. Art thinks it was just her Yorkshire heritage coming through! In any case it was a good call and we found a very pleasant campground in this little village--one gas station, one grocery store and 2 RV parks. We arrived early in the afternoon, 2:PM to us, but really 3PM by Mountain Daylight Time.

We booked in to the Zion West RV Park for 2 nights and Art pushed the buttons to level the rig and extend the slides --oh oh! The dinette slide wouldn't extend completely and the bedroom slide not at all!. Retract the jacks, ask Gillian which kitchen funnel she could live with out and about 2 litres of automatic transmission fluid added to the hydraulic reservoir had everything working as it should. If there is a small leak somewhere it should be easy to spot as the ATF is dyed red! While he carried on and connected the requisite hoses and cables then checked out our internet connection Gillian started a couple of loads of laundry and made a quick run to the grocery store.

For dinner tonight we were going full out; Pork chops, mashed potatoes, green beans, asparagus and a $4.00 (US) bottle of Shiraz. Best four dollar plonk we have ever had.

It has been very cold here over night, just above freezing, so we turned on the heat pump, even though it is located under the bed, thinking the cold would be more likely to interfere with our sleep than the noise. We can't use the propane furnace unless absolutely necessary because the air blowing out of the floor vents terrifies Tia. She will not walk past them. As there is one in the bedroom by her bed. . . .

Tomorrow we will be off in the car to tour Zion National Park.