Beginnings

A reader asked for some information about our rig and why and where we started our full-time experience.  I can tell from her comment that I haven't done a good job describing some of our background.  So, here goes:

Mike and I grew-up and worked in the Tri-Cities (Richland, Pasco, Kennewick), Washington.  It was a great place to grow up and we still have the majority of our family and many friends there (and we miss them, terribly).  It is not a small town; the population between the three cities is around 100,000+ so you have some good shopping and conveniences that come with a medium size city.  But, the area is a bit isolated--you drive quite a distance to get out of the desert or to a large city.   Hunting, fishing, golf and water sports enjoyed in the Columbia River are the primary sources of recreation in the immediate area (when the weather obliges).  It is considered a high desert (yes, Washington has a dry side with no trees) and the weather can be harsh--cold in the winter, extremely hot in the summer, and dust storms in the spring (picture tumbling tumbleweeds), but the fall is wonderful from the beginning of September through the end of October (that is when we plan to visit!).  We were ready for a change during our retirement, and we also knew we wanted to see and experience new parts of the country.  Full-timing in an RV was and is an economical and fun way to satisfy our wanderlust!

Our choice was to sell most everything--house, furniture and some of the toys.  For us, this decision was very freeing.  Nothing to worry about 1,000 of miles away, more disposable income on the road; and to be honest, we aren't sure where we want to end up when we do settle down again.  It works for us, but I know it is not for everyone.

After researching RVs, we decided the one for us was a 5th wheel.  It gave us more livable space than a motorhome, and we already had the truck (2004 Ford F350).  More specifically, we wanted a Doubletree Mobile Suite--it is well insulated, quality finishes (both inside and out), and structurally seemed to be very well built.  We stumbled across a new 32-foot Doubletree Mobile Suite at Russ Dean RV in Pasco, Washington the summer of 2008 and it was listed at a great price.  Most folks want a 36-foot, but really the 32-foot is all we need.  Plus, we did not want to overtax the truck with too much weight. 

So, there you have it.  In future entries, I'll describe how we decided to furnish our RV, organizing, and our favorite technology on the road.

Today, we found a nice trail around Lake Marie (see picture above) not too far from our RV park at Winchester Bay.  Hiking in the woods gave us a reprieve from the windy bay--very calm among the trees. 

We're very happy with our new lifestyle.

Bee Movie

The Myrtlewood Gallery looks to be a small shop from the outside, but when you walk through the door, you are amazed at the volume and variety of "things made of wood".   There are a number of fine art woodworkers selling in the gallery with everything from small wooden spoons to rocking chairs. My favorites included a floor lamp shaped in art deco style, a coffee table shaped as a crab pot with a carved octopus inside, and wall art textured as coral and fish.  There was so much, it was difficult to take it all in.  So much imagination and talent.  http://www.myrtlewoodgallery.com/

A short walk from the Myrtlewood Gallery is the The Bee Hive.  Once inside the store, we quickly learned there are many, many flavors of honey--blackberry honey, kvik thistle honey, Smith River berry honey--to name a few.  You're able to sample them all, and Smith River honey was our favorite.  Behind a discrete door on one wall of the shop, is a bee hive behind glass; the bees enter the glass hive through a small outside pipe.  As you leave the store and walk past the side of the building, you are blasted by the bees racing to and from the pipe.  It was like Highway 101 for bees.  There are "Bee Crossing" warning signs (which we didn't see until we were bombarded with bees).

Again, Reedsport was sunny and warm; yet two miles away Winchester Bay is foggy and windy.  It's beautiful here, but this wind has to stop.  Please.

Rescue At Sea

There is a Coast Guard station located at Winchester Bay.  We often see them around this little town, but today, we got a special treat from the crew.  They were practicing their helicopter rescue right in front of our RV park.  One guy would go in the water and then another would lower down from the helicopter and pick up.  This went on for over an hour.  It was windy; but in spite of the weather, the pilot held that helicopter precisely on target.  Incredible skill. 

Sometimes the most everyday task can be difficult when you're mobile.  I took the big plunge and found a place for a haircut.  Over the last couple of days, I've been scoping out the locals for someone who had a good cut.  I finally asked a cute gal at the bank, and she recommended a salon only three blocks from our RV park!   I got a great cut and some highlights.  Yeah!  I guess it's the little things in life that can make your day.  LOL!

The Fog

The fog hovers all day here, the low clouds look like smoke weaving in and out of the RV units, keeping the temperature down to a cool 60-some degrees.  It feels good to breathe the moist clean air blown off the ocean.  I like the fog, but we've been waiting all week for a sunny day to go down to the beach.  Well, we went anyway for our daily hour walk this morning.  That was some thick fog, let me tell you.  Our hair was wet, the hair on our arms had dew, and I've never had my eyelashes so saturated before--my mascara smeared everywhere.  But, it wasn't cold; it was a warm, humid type of fog.  In a strange way, we enjoyed our walk.  It felt like you had the beach all to yourself--you couldn't see another soul.

Today, we planned spaghetti for dinner with some freshly made bread from the local bakery.  It is an easy bike ride to most everything here including the bakery, the post office, the market, a few restaurants, and gift shop.  We rode our bikes to the bakery and picked up some warm bread and garlic butter (which smelled very good on our ride back through the fog).  The bike path takes you by the marina, over a little wooden bridge and around a few small homes.  It seems very....European.  So, with that last thought I'll say, Au Revoir, until tomorrow!

Just Dune It!

Winchester Bay RV Park is an unbelievable location--to the east is a large marina with charter boats, large yachts, small aluminum fishing boats and to the north is a large bay and the ocean to the west.  Our park (and our spot) is right in the middle of all that beauty. Great views all the way around.  There are miles of walking and bicycle trails, not many hills, all easy riding.  This place has it all for us--very clean, quiet, spectacular views, easy access to walking/hiking/riding.

This is also a mecca for dune buggies and four-wheelers--enormous sand dunes are everywhere.  About twenty-three years ago, we each had three-wheelers and we camped at Florence, Oregon not too far from here (that's me on the right riding down a big one).  Riding up and over those huge hills of sand was a hoot.  I almost wish we had some ATV's now. 

Our camp host, Don, at Premier RV at Lincoln City took a picture of us (and the Gnome) before we left yesterday.   Bye, Lincoln City.