Beachcombing and Clamming

Here we are at Oceana Leisure Time Park near Ocean City. It's not fancy, but it is close to the ocean.

So, of course, we needed to find the beach. A short trail across the sand dunes opened onto the water.


And, it was a perfect day to beachcomb. The surf was pounding, the wind was whipping, the sky was gray and there was no rain. Nature at it's best.

All along the beach, in the dunes, we found these monuments to man's garbage. We walked the beach for a couple of hours, picking up sand dollars and garbage.

Here's Doug tying a couple of plastic jugs to the mess. We found everything from plastic bottles, rope and bits of nets to a chair cushion.

At noon, we left the park across this narrow bridge. I'm sure glad we aren't any wider than we are.


We drove 13 miles north along the coast enjoying the spectacular scenery.


And, arrived at Pacific Coast Resort, where we are meeting friends. This is a military base but we are allowed to stay since our friends are military. The RV park sits atop a bluff one hundred feet above the ocean.


The road to the beach is quite steep and long. Going down was easy, but coming back up took a little longer.


Later in the evening, we journeyed back to the beack to dig clams. This is the sight that greeting us. Both directions on the beach were hundreds of people and cars.


Doug immediately got into the action, while I held the bag for the clams. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it. We had a blast until it got dark. Then finding the clams got a little tougher. But we did get Doug's limit of 15.


Here comes my might hunter with another razor clam. What a great day!

Ocean City

We left Mount Vernon about noon heading for Ocean City on the coast. First, we picked up Doug's memory card at the Verizon store where it was left the day before. The Cascade Mall has a huge, open parking lot so we figured there would be no problem parking the motorhome. Wrong!! There was a parking lot sale for an auto dealer going on and hundreds of cars taking up most of the parking spots. It made for some interesting driving with a 40 foot coach.

But, we continued to American Distributors to get propane. The sign read $2.49 gal. and we were thrilled that the price is finally coming back down. When I went to the office to pay the bill, the price was only $2.39 gal. The price had come down overnight and they hadn't even had a chance to change the sign yet. Hooray!

As we got closer to the coast, the weather became more and more gray. The drizzle started about Hoquiam and it was raining by the time we arrived at the Oceana Thousand Trails/Leisure Time Park. So Doug got to set up the utilities in the rain.

This is an older park with 52 camping sites and several rentals. But, the manager couldn't be any nicer and the park is clean and well kept. Tomorrow, in the daylight, I will get some pictures of the park and we will walk down to the beach. The park has beach access but it was too wet, cold and windy this evening to look for it.

All in all, another fine day on the road.

Honesty Reigns!

My faith in humanity has been restored. Today, we had to get a replacement for Doug's new cellphone. During the transfer process, Doug laid his 1G mini memory card on the counter and in the confusion of juggling several items, it was left behind. Several hours later, Doug discovered it was missing and immediately called the store. They had already found it and put it in the safe, hoping we would call. Mind you, this wasn't just a Verizon store, but a kiosk in the middle of the mall. Wow, honest people still exist! Kudos to Verizon for hiring decent employees.

We did get to the storage unit finally today. Everything we are taking is now aboard the coach and everything we are leaving is back in storage.

And, we have tv again tonight. Our Directv dish is a 5 LNB dish and is almost impossible to center on 5 satellites. So, we ran into a guy here in the park that services Directv products. As a favor, he sold us (at a bargain) a small, single LNB dish and set it up for us. We made another new friend. What a great life.

We Found Our Jeep

We started out with a trip to the storage unit and that was quickly usurped by a phone call from some friends inviting us to Pacific Beach for clamming on Thursday. Since these are friends that we see only occasionally, we immediately agreed.

Continuing towards the storage, we stopped to visit with some dear friends, Doug & Diane. The visit was too short and we barely got started before we had to leave. Big thanks to Doug & Diane for the use of their laptop to look up the ad for a Grand Cherokee that I had spotted earlier in the day but hadn't written down the information. Back on the road, we called about the car. It was the wrong color and didn't have all of the options we thought we would like. But, the price was right. So, we drove right past the storage place and straight to Woodinville where the car was located.

What a nice car! It's satin gold and immaculate. The owner works at home and drives it infrequently and kept it garaged all of the time. We took it for a test drive and really liked it. We made a counter offer and he accepted it. But, he is waiting for the clean title and we will be at the ocean for a few days. So, he agreed to hold it until next week when we can close the deal. So now we just need a tow bar and we are good to go!

By the time all of this was accomplished, it was almost 6 pm and we were tired. So, instead of the storage unit, we came home. Maybe tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Mick!!!

Happy Birthday to my favorite 30 year old goofball! (The good looking one is Adrianna.) Thirty years ago, I never dreamed of the lifestyle we are enjoying now. Here's to you, Mick. I hope that you don't wait thirty years for your dreams. Live them every day!

Loop to La Conner

Well, we're back in La Conner again. Until we find a jeep that we like and that is in our price range, we are stuck here. Fortunately, we really like the Thousand Trails park system. We are in a different site this time. And, the tires are not as near to a drop off as the picture indicates.

This is the view from our site. It is spacious and open, but very private. And the view of the water is lovely. It was so enticing, we headed for the beach as soon as we got settled.


We climbed over tons of logs like these to get to the water's edge. I got to practice my balance beam techniques and those of you who are aware of my balance shortcomings are probably rolling your eyes in dismay. But, with a little help, we made it to the water. This is all Swinomish reservation and we are not allowed to pick up anything. It was still refreshing and calming (and cold!).



We took turns posing on the cool pieces of driftwood. A beachcomber would have a field day.

That's me! Notice both feet are on the grassy ground.

And, this is the trail we used to get back and forth (or is that forth and back) to the beach. We love challenges!

Not Much New

Not much to report the last couple of days. We've been talking and talking to car dealers and have taken a few rides. We drove through Birch Bay State Park, Lynden and Blaine. And, spent some time just relaxing in the park. The weather is getting cold and we are anxious to move south.

Car Shopping

Today was spent shopping for a Jeep Grand Cherokee. We drove through Blaine but didn't find any car lots and so headed to Bellingham. The Custer Post Office was on the way and I had some stuff to mail, so I took a picture. I didn't even know there was a town called Custer in Washington!

We spent several hours in Bellingham and found a black jeep that will be perfect if we can get the saleman to bargain with us a little bit. His price was pretty unreasonable when we were at the car lot. But when we got home we checked the website and the same car was almost $4000 less online. So, Doug called him back and made an offer. With any luck, we will make a deal.

On our way home, we drove along one end of Birch Bay. The tide was out and it smelled very ripe. But it's alway nice to see something different.

Birch Bay Thousand Trails

We have moved again! We decided to drive north to Blaine to the Birch Bay Thousand Trails/Naco park. At first glance, it seemed to be a small, quiet, older park. We stopped at the main gate where the above store and office is located. We registered and got some good advice on where to park.

So, this is our new site. We have a fifth wheel directly behind us, but no one on the side. This park is only about a third full and very quiet.

Here's the coach from a different angle.

To our surprise, we discovered that the park has a Phase Two. A short walk along a gravel road brought us to a new area for camping. There are almost 200 sites in this part of the park and all are much bigger. Unfortunately for us, this part of the park closes on October 1 and reopens on May 1. They must not get much business in the winter.

You can definitely see that fall has arrived. The colors of the trees are gorgeous. And Doug and Buddy (the dog) are enjoying the crisp air.


And speaking of gorgeous, this park is full of black squirrels. We were told they are from Canada and they don't seem to be afraid of anything!

The Car is Sold!

Wow, what a long, busy day. We didn't slow down long enough for me to take any pictures. But here's the rundown.

First on our list was haircuts for us both, then a trip to the storage unit to pick up the studded tires for the car. We left the car at the storage unit and took the van to a Ford dealer in Issaquah to see if they were interested in buying it back. (They weren't.)

By now, it's starting to rain and our next stop is Bob's. Bob is Doug's stepdad and he needed a couple extra hands to help cover the huge, tarped, garage-like storage area in his driveway. The wind had whipped the top off of it and the old car that was being stored was taking the brunt of the weather. So, we helped get a new 60 x 100 tarp dragged over the roof area. We were all totally drenched by the time we were done. But the car was protected.

We picked up our mail and headed for our favorite store, Winco. But, we checked out a couple of jeeps along the way. No luck. After the groceries, we picked up the car at the storage unit and proceeded to Arlington. The guy buying the car went over it with a fine tooth comb....in the pouring rain.....and finally invited us into his house to sign the paperwork. Money safely in pocket, we turned towards home. It was almost eight o clock when we finally got back to the park and our warm coach.

I sure hope we don't end up with double pneumonia!! We will be glad to leave the Washington rain and find some sunshine.

A Busy Day at Thousand Trails

This is our site on the first day at the park. It is a pull thru with a road behind and a road in front. As you can see, it is pretty narrow and Doug never could find a clear shot at the satellite for tv. So we decided to move to a site behind us. But, before we could move, my phone rang and it was someone in the park that wanted to look at the Marquis! We quickly met him where the car is parked and gave him our sales pitch. He looked it over carefully and noted that the oil was extremely low. (whoops) So Doug ran to the store and put a couple quarts of oil in the car. Our customer gathered up his whole family and took the car for a test drive. After humming and hawing for quite a while, he decided he would take it. But, we would need to deliver it to his house in Arlington after getting the studded tires out of the storage unit.

We agreed and quickly ran back to move the motorhome before some else claimed the spot that we wanted. Just as we closed it up and started the engine, our friend Bill came by to visit.

We finally got the coach moved and ......hmmmm.......it doesn't look too different. But, it is very different. We have much more privacy and the site is much bigger. Doug is still working on the satellite connection though.

We had a great visit with Bill and we went to the store, clubhouse and beach for a walk. The wind was crazy and a tree went down in the park. (Not on us!!!) We also lost power for a couple of hours. Doug kicked on the generator and we were fine. After Bill headed home, we took a ride to Anacortes to get some keys made. The power was back on and we were ready to relax by the time we got home. What a rough life! lol

Moving to La Conner Thousand Trails

Finally, our Thousand Trails/Naco/LeisureTime membership paperwork was processed! We received our number and immediately reserved a spot at the LaConner Thousand Trails Reserve. Around noon, we moved the coach and cars to our new site and began exploring.

This is one end of the clubhouse. Not seen in the pictures are chairs and couches for lounging and surrounding the fireplace area (slightly above) are tables and chairs for internet usage. They have free wifi and a couple of high speed cables. Thanks to our Verizon aircard, we have internet service at our site, in our coach.

The main area of the clubhouse is huge with plenty of space for the many activities they plan.

The spa is well kept and clean. They have adult only hours as well as family hours.

And, there is a convenience store and picnic area where they have ice cream socials and barbeques.

After visiting the clubhouse, we walked toward the beach. Across the lawn are volleyball courts, horseshoes, and shuffleboard. Doug was disappointed that he couldn't go fishing. The park is on Swinomish reservation land and only the indians can fish. But later, we will go beach combing.

We decided we needed a few things for the coach and on our way out of town we saw this sign. So we checked it out.

This was what we found. We didn't need any "live old hens" but we did buy a dozen of the most beautiful jumbo eggs we have seen in a long time for $2.

We finally made it to Camping World in Burlington and of course spent more than we had planned. It's like a candy store for grownups. Doug found a satellite signal meter since we were having problems getting the dish to work. We checked out LaConner a bit on our way home and had a relaxing evening at home. Catch you all tomorrow!!

A Cool, Quiet Day

Thanks to everyone who visited our blog and sent good wishes! This is fun and a good way to journal our journey.

We went for a walk around the park in the morning. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't very cooperative. It was cool and drizzly.

The park was full of blackberry bushes that were totally loaded with berries. We were tempted to pick a bunch but decided that they probably wouldn't get used.

We walked around the entire park. There is a huge field with campsites surrounding it. By this time, it was pouring down rain as you can tell by my outfit. Hey! I'm camping.

Here's another shot of the field.

And here we are again all comfy and cozy.

In spite of the rain, we walked the beach. It was pretty rocky and there was tons of kelp and seaweed. But, we found a few shells and pretty rocks that we carried back to the coach and then put back.

Here is the beach in the other direction.

In the afternoon, we did a little grocery shopping and then relaxed at home.

On Our Way....but not too far

Yesterday we finally left the park where we have been stuck for the past year and a half. We have made some terrific friends and will miss the beautiful lake. But, it's time to move on and see the rest of the USA.

Doug pulled the boat out of the water with the help of Bill B. We have enjoyed his views of politics and the world as well as his helping hand when a project is at hand. The boat was taken to my cousins house to be stored until next spring. (Thanks Aaron!!)



Here are Doug and Buddy ready to hit the road. That smile says it all! I am following in the car because we haven't found the right Jeep at the right price yet to tow behind the coach.

Here is our site at Bayview State Park near Burlington. It is a small park overlooking Padilla Bay and the refineries across the bay. The sites are large with a picnic bench and fire pit.

This is our site from behind. We have a huge grassy area to walk the dog and a path that winds down to the beach.

By early evening, the sky and the bay turned several shades of pink. So pretty (even with the power lines).
And just before the sun set, the sky and bay turned brilliant orange. What a way to start our adventure!
Finally, dinner over a campfire.