Pacific Northwest and the Produce Market

We have been here at Pacific Beach about a week and I wanted to get at least one post on our time here. The facilities here at Pacific Beach Resort and Conference Center are adequate.  The price is right but the term 'resort' gets overused a lot.

The RV park is fine but the facilities need to be upgraded.  The price is right at $20/night with one free night and we stayed a week.

The view from the campsite is blocked by overgrowth and brush along the fence which was a shame.  However beach access is nearby and we could walk a couple hundred yards down to it from our campsite.

Or we could walk downtown toward the Pacific Beach State Park and access the beach there.  We did that a few times for an evening walk and enjoyed it.

We are in this area because we wanted to see the National Parks and Washington/Oregon coast in the Great Northwest.

One day we took a day trip to Olympic National Forest and saw the historic Lake Quinault Lodge.

It was built in 1926 in 53 days by George Garrison who had worked on a similarly looking lodge in Yellowstone National Park.

Not far down the road was the Worlds Largest Spruce Tree.

You can see how the trunk of the tree dwarfed us.

Next we took a leisurely drive around Lake Quinault and into the Quinault Rain Forest.  It was beautiful with lots of growth and tall trees.

The Quinault Rain Forest gets about 150 inches of rain a year.

We made the drive around the lake was a mix of paved and unpaved roads.  It was fine with our Honda Civic but it signs warn again RVs making the drive.

One place we stopped was the Ranger Station where we took a hike to the Kestner Homestead and the Maple Glade Trail.  It lasted about an hour and one half and was very nice.

Later, we concluded our 70 mile day trip after a stop at the Big Cedar on the West side of Lake Quinault.

It was another mile or so up to the top of the hill to the Big Cedar.  The only trees we have seen that are this big are the redwoods of northern California.

It was an enjoyable day with lots of hiking and interesting things to see in the Rain Forest of Olympic National Park.

Yesterday, a few miles from Pacific Beach, we stopped by a produce stand at Copalis Crossing called, "Voss Acres Produce Market".  It had a nice variety of produce and historical interest.  Check out their web site.

We met the owner Sharon was very friendly.  She told us the house they lived in was moved down the railroad tracks 18 times in the late 1800's while the railroad was being built.  The house was the railroad office with a porch and back kitchen added on over the years.

The vegetables in the market were very inviting and we bought some tomatoes, zucchini and corn.  We talked with Sharon some more and she was funny.  I told here about the blog and wanted to take a picture with her and Pam.

She was agreeable but quickly dived into the drawer for some lipstick.  She would not have her picture taken without it!  Funny!

If you are in the area of Pacific Beach, Washington near the coast we recommend you go see the Olympic National Forest near Quinault and make a special stop at Voss Produce Market in Copalis Crossing!

Random Roadrunner Photos

We are here in Pacific Beach, Washington.  We made the three hour drive from Tacoma and it was an easy travel day on Tuesday after the 4th of July.

Over the last couple of months we have seen some random and interesting things I thought I share with you.

Before we left the Fort Lewis/McChord Field area we saw this Chinook Army helicopter do some training a couple hundred yards away from our campsite.  The crazy thing landed in the water, hovered for a while and took off as fast as it arrived.  It blew a lot of water around and stirred things up.  Needless to say it surprised us and we got front row seats!

A couple of days ago we had some excitement with the awful sound of ripping metal.  It leaves you sick in your stomach when you hear it, even if it is not your rig.

We were in the Roadrunner and watched a 5th wheel depart the campground in front of our campsite. Only he made a turn that was too tight.  Ugh!  He stopped pretty quickly but then misjudged things more and tried to drive straight on and get by the corner of the roof he just snagged with his 5th wheel.

After ripping a bigger hole in the side and knocking off a facia sideboard at the corner, he stopped.  A couple of us went outside and gawked a minute but there was not much we could do.  After he got out and looked at the damage, he back up, drove around and maneuvered by it.

This douglas fir near Mt Rainier is pegged at starting to grow in 1293.  That is a lot of years ago.

It was pretty fascinating to see something that old.

During our day trip to Seattle, we saw a lot of street vendors, including one that was selling these two paintings:

Cute.

Recently, sometimes neighbors we hardly know were very generous.  Dave drove in the campsite next to us and he asked if we liked crab.  I almost said 'no' because my experience has been it usually is a lot of work for little satisfaction.  But I said yes and he gave us two large halves to work with.

Turns out he had been crabbing earlier in the day, caught his limit of 'indigenous' crab, and let us have two large halves.

Like always, it was a little bit of work, but this was delicious!  It may have been the best crab I have ever had!

I have often said there are many ways to do this RV thing.  In Idaho we saw a couple in a campsite next to us who had a unique arrangement. They pulled a little trailer that was the size of a pickup.  It had two side walls that folded out for beds on each side.

It looked like a sturdy chassis and a good size tent for their pop up.  The weather was a little cool, but the hardy couple didn't seem to mind it.  They had a screened in gazebo for all their cooking and lounge chairs.

Back in New Mexico, we took a day trip to Bandelier National Monument near where the recent forest fires have been in Los Alamos.

The weather was nice then and we took advantage of it with a day trip there to see the cliff dwellings.  This reminds me of how much we have seen in the two short months since we were there.

Now we are here

on the Pacific coast in the great Northwest and enjoying a different kind of beauty.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Hope you are having a great summer!

Roadrunner Financials - June 2011

Roadrunner Recap
During the month of June, we spent a good deal of time on the road.  We left our site at Rodeo de Santa Fe after our Habitat for Humanity gig there and were in Spokane WA at the end of the month for a Warner Brother's Reunion with my three brothers and wives.  We also go to see Yellowstone National Park so it was a great month!  Here's our route:

• Rodeo de Santa Fe, Santa Fe NM
• Dead Horse State Park, near Moab UT
• Hill AFB FamCamp, Salt Lake City UT
• Henry's Lake State Park, near West Yellowstone ID
• Jim and Mary's RV Park, Missoula MT
• Fairchild AFB FamCamp, Spokane WA

Here's an interactive map that shows where we traveled.  You can click on the letters and it will tell you the location.

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget
The biggest gains we had during the month on our target numbers was on RV Maintenance and Campgrounds.  We had to replace wiper blades and fuel filters which accounted for the maintenance costs.

Biggest Expenses
 The biggest areas of concern for the month were in TV/Internet and Diesel Fuel.

Large One Time Cost Item
The largest area of overrun was in diesel fuel where we were spent over $700 more than be budgeted.

Monthly Average
Not much to really say about this except that in the first month here of the fiscal year for the Roadrunner (we started full-timing in June 2009) so we only have one month to average.  Off to a $473 overrun is not great...

That's what our spending looked like for the month.  Thanks for taking a peek.  Hopefully they provide help or entertainment of some sort...  If you'd like a free copy of the spreadsheet I use, drop me a note and I will be glad to send it along.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Summer in the Northwest

We left Spokane and made the 6 1/2 drive to the Tacoma area.  We stopped for lunch at a scenic overview spot along the Columbia River.

The day was mixed- some clouds and some sun.   The traffic got a little crowded along I-5 but we made it to the Camp Murray ANG Recreation Area without incident.  It is across I-5 from McChord Field and Fort Lewis.

We didn't expect a whole lot from our campsite, but we were pleasantly surprised to get a spot on the water with a large grassy area under a shade tree.

We checked out nearby Fort Lewis (the historic gate says "Camp Lewis") and played golf there on Friday.

On Saturday, we drove into Seattle and walked around.  It was a another beautiful day!

Near the Market Center we peeked into the original Starbucks.  It was crowded!  Summer was bursting out all over along the water in the city park.

On the way out of town we drove over to the Space Needle.

Yesterday, we took a day trip to Mt Rainier.  We could see it in the distance from Seattle and also out near our campsite, but we wanted to learn more about it.It was about a 90 minute drive and along the way there were some beautiful scenes.

Once in the National Park, we found more beauty.

At the top, we checked the lodge, Vistor's Center and the Guide Center.

This side of the mountain was known as Paradise.  It was beautiful and the snow was still pretty deep!

On the way down the mountain, we went over to Reflection Lake

But the lake was still frozen over and there was no reflection!

It was fairly warm and it may all melt in the next month?

Later, we drove back to our campground and cooked on the grill.  Puget Sound was full of boaters and we watched all the activity.  Later, 4th of July fireworks went off and continued well past 11:00 PM.  It was another great day.

We are thoroughly enjoying our time in the majestic Northwest!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  And as always, thanks for your comments!
Until next time...

Roadrunner Recap: Reunion Day 5

Our reunion ended a couple of days ago, but I want to note our times for posterity.  So the next few blogs will continue with our reunion.  My brothers and their wives and Pam and I joined up in Spokane (and traveled to the surrounding area) June 22-29.
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Day 5 back in Spokane:

Almadean and Jim met and married in Spokane in 1942.  During those years, the Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane was a landmark.  It continues to be.  It has a lot of history.  The hotel is named after Louis Davenport who was commissioned by local businessmen to build it.

Mr Davenport wanted to bring Europe to Spokane and it became his theme.  Architectural influences from Spain, France, England, Italy and Russia can be seen throughout the hotel.

The doors opened in 1914 and was an instant hit.  It grew in prestige and renown until after World War II when visitors and the railroads that brought them changed course.  Automobile travel increased while travel by train to the city steadily decreased.

Over the years many famous people stayed at the hotel including Mary Pickford and Tyrone Power, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.  More recently, Cher, Neil Diamond, Jerry Seinfeld and Sting have stayed at the hotel.

And my brothers and their wives wanted to stay there and experience the best Spokane has to offer!  It is a true treasure and fantastic, historic hotel.

As you might expect the rooms were more than ordinary

After they checked in (we stayed at the Fairchild AFB Famcamp in our own beds) we met by the fountain in the Grand Lobby for a tour of the hotel with our docent Ken.

Our first stop was the Isabella Ballroom, Mr. Davenport's favorite room in the hotel.

Then we stopped at the Marie Antoinette Ballroom

The Elizabethan Room hosted many meetings and events.

Mr. Davenport had his office at one end of the room.  He often would come in and greet the guests.

Our last stop was the Hall of the Doges.  It is Spokane's oldest ballroom and the only flying ballroom in the world.

The entire ballroom was removed intact in 2000 and placed inside the newly constructed east wing of the hotel.

After the tour we had a fantastic dinner by the Grand Ballroom Fireplace.

(view from second floor balcony)

(floor level view)

After dinner, we walked around the downtown area.  The city was just concluding their 'Hoops Fest 2011' tournament where 9000 3-person teams competed.  The city blocked off streets and constructed basketball courts for the games.  We have no idea who won or how many brackets there were.  We saw a few games finishing up.

And we walked by the Bing Crosby Theater

We probably would have taken in a show if the schedule had worked out but the next show was the day everyone was leaving.

We walked around some more and then bid good night to everyone and returned home to the Roadrunner.

It was a fun day in downtown Spokane and a great tour and dinner at the Davenport Hotel.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles and hope everyone has a safe / fun 4th of July!

Until next time...