Christmas is over and now the New Year! 2010 Here we Come!!

12-29-09 - Ione's birthday is just about over. We had a very good day, went to Pizza, took in two basketball games. The Lynden Boys & Girls team have a Christmas tournament at Lynden Christian. The girls played and beat Bellevue Christian School and then the Boys team beat Seattle Christian. Both teams won by more then 20 points. So that was fun to watch since it was the first games of the season we had watched. But Jessie our grandaughter has a broken pinky finger on her left hand and isn't playing. Hopefully we will maybe see her play one or two games before we have to leave.

Then we had to go to Brett & Pam's house, for birthday cake, ice-cream and Ione opened some presents. It was low key but I think she enjoyed the gifts.

We have been home since the 19th of December. Have had three Christmas parties and now it is time to kick back. We will be leaving for AZ on the 10th of January. The weather has been really cold the last few weeks. At least it hasn't been raining like it did for the first week we were home. But the rain is coming and will be with us the rest of the week.

We can't wait to hit the road and travel down the coast on Hwy 101 this year. We haven't done that road for many years so should be fun if the weather is going to work. Will be driving the Geo Tracker down which is new to us but is a 2002. We traded in our purple 1989 Suzuki Sidekick which had 240,000 miles and we had owned it since 1991. This new car has more bells and whistles. Now we have A/C, power brakes and power steering. So things are looking up and should be a better car to also tow behind the Motor Home. That's it for now.

Lynden Girls Basketball!!

Just an update on girls basketball at Lynden. The girls are off to a good start and have won all their games, so are now 3-0. Jessie hasn't been starting but is the first girl off the bench. She has been playing some good defense and her offense needs to be stepped up a notch. So far she has only made about three points so will have to practice on putting the ball into the hoop.

Well we are home for Christmas should be able to see about four games which will be lots of fun. So are looking forward to the games well we are home.

Will I ever catch up!!

12-14-09 - Time is marching on and we are scheduled to fly back to Lynden on the 18th at 8:40 PM from the Mesa Airport. Don't know where the time goes and aren't looking forward to going home to snow. As I write this just received a email from a friend that lives in Lynden. Well the ground is white and I think they have about two inches of snow. So things are really looking like Christmas up there.

We will be spending time with family and friends for Christmas and then into New Years! Then will be driving back down the coast by car about the 10th of Jan. as we have another car that we left home earlier when driving down and towed the Dune Buggy. So the coast should be a nice chance for us as we haven't done the coast route for years.

Our weather is finially warming up here in Happy Trails which is really great as our weather for the last three weeks has been below normal by about 10-15 degrees. The rest of our week is really busy with a fun pickleball tournament on thursday the 17th. Also have a pickleball meeting on the 16th with a potluck so that should be good.

We will be enjoying our last days here at Happy Trails before hitting the road to the snow country. But I'm a kid at heart and really do like a little snow at Christmas to get you into the mode.

Thanksgiving Again!

11-29-09 - Wow! Sure have great friends here at Happy Trails. We have been invited to another turkey dinner at friends. So we really don't need more turkey but it sure is good so we will be there. Ione is busy putting together a couple of dinners that will go with the dinner. I believe there will be four couples so should be a fun evening.

We have had a cooler day here with even a few clouds. Yesterday was supposed to be the day we got rain but all we got was some really dark clouds and no rain. We were out with the Dune Buggy doing a little shopping yesterday and when Ione saw all the dark clouds wanted to head home ASAP. So we did that with not a drop of rain fell. I believe the last rain that fell here at Happy Trails was about Sept. 15th.

Oh our poor cougs did they ever take a beating by the Washington Huskies in Seattle yesterday. So I don't think we want to talk about it. The Apple Cup sure didn't fell in our favor. That's it for today.

Dune Buggy!

This is our Dune Buggy that was built in 1968 and has lots of memories. We have gone on many camping trips, etc. We just thought that since it has been in our garage for about ten years and we hadn't been using it, lets take it south. So we bought it out of retirement and towed it down to AZ behind our motor home. It has really been fun driving it around Surprise, AZ. I have a wishlist of things that I want to upgrade. we are planning to us it in the winter and during the summer it will be left in Surprise, AZ at a friend's that have room in their garage.

It has been to the shop to have some final tuning and now is really running well and have done some painting on the Chassis. Just doing small things to make to look better and more comfortable. Things are looking up in the Dune Buggy world, this car really brings back memories of days gone by. It has been part of our family for 44 years and counting.

Back at Happy Trails!

11-27-09 - We have been busy beavers since arriving at Happy Trails. The weather has been really been nice and yesterday which was Thanksgiving it was 80's plus. We had a great dinner at the Ballroom with about 448 people total. We had 8 people at each table and a total of 56 tables. Each table sent up two people to bring back a tray of food. For a total of $7 per person each table got a bowl of mashed potatoes, dressing, turkey and gravy. Then each couple per table bought a dish. So we had lots of good food to enjoy.

We have been playing pickleball and tennis. Then we mix in potlucks, get togethers, etc. Never a dull moment when living at Happy trails.

Then we have spend some time working on our lot. We have added a very nice swing for three people with a canopy. Always looking for way to have shade and privacy, this swing has solved these problems. So things are going well and we are really enjoying our stay here.

Traveling South!!

11-26-09 - We left Kennewick, WA from the Toyota Center at 1PM on the 14th of November. Our Lynden Vollyball team played a game on Friday the 13th and didn't come out a winner. The team they lost to was Pullman who ended up being the Champ in 2A so since we played quite well and lost we still held our head high. That put us into the losers bracket on Sat. the 14th at 10:30 am. We played a team that we should have beat but again came up short. So that ended the stay of our Lynden Volleyball team. They had a good run for the year, with a new coach and new players still ended up 15-5 overall which is good.

So we head out and spent our first night at Ontario, OR Wal Mart parking lot. The weather was sunny the whole day to here and had a good night. Waking up in the morning with some fog and cool. Traveled all day on 1-84 through ID and into Ut. Then headed down on 1-15 toward Salt Lake. The weather was just great except we saw snow on all the mountains to our left as we traveled through the Salt Lake area and farther. We ended up stopping at a little town called Nephi which is a farming community. We stayed behind a old Gas Station and woke up in the morning to really cold weather. It was 28 degrees inside our motor home and 22 degrees outside.

We headed down the highway and just below Beaver, UT we turn off on Highway 20 which takes us to Hwy 89. The pass on 20 was dry and some snow at the top but not on the road. So we had clear driving down 89 towards Lake Powell and Page, AZ. Stopped in a little town on Hwy 89 for lunch at Panguitch Flying M Restaurant. The waitress said that they had a low of 9 degrees when she got up. Had a good lunch and were on our way.

Back on highway 89 to go and soon were coming to Lake Powell and stopped and took a few pictures at Glen Canyon Dam. The weather again this day was sunny all the way. So then stop in Page for some gas and are on our way. We travel on down to Flagstaff just as it is getting dark and then miss our Wal Mart parking lot to stay. So we head the rest of the way to Happy Trails which is on 1-17 with all it's hills and curves. We didn't have much traffic so made pretty good time and ended up at Happy Trails about 8:45 PM on the 16th of Nov. We got parked on our lot and were ready for bed. ( to be continued)

Catching up again!!

November 10th, 2009

Time is short as the motor home is just about packed and we will be heading to Kennewick, Wa and watching our granddaughter Jessica play for Lynden in 2A State Tournament. We have stayed home this fall in fact to do volleyball. Our team just completed District play last week and their overall record is 15-3. So for a rebuilding year they are doing OK.

Our weather here in Lynden has been getting colder and colder. Also have had lots of rain and can't take much more. We should be in Happy Trails no later then Nov. 17th. So that will make the old bones feel much weather when things are back in the 80's.

It will be really fun to see all our friends at Happy Trails. Also can't wait to see all the improvement's that have been done in the last five months.

Always Behind!!

Sept 6th - 2009

Well am still trying to catchup. We just returned from LaConner Pickleball Week. The weather was OK and only had one morning with a little rain. Postponed the games for only one hour on Thursday. The tournament ran from August 31st through Sept. 4th. We had a great group of people and Friday for Mixed Doubles had 18 teams.

Ione won a 1st in Ladies doubles with her partner Carol Haworth. Then Ione also won a 2nd place in partner switch. So she did very well. Well this older guy came in 4th in Men's Doubles with my partner Norm Walters. We didn't play that bad but just not good enough to get a 3rd. So all in all it was fun. Had great food and prices on Friday Evening.

We also got in some kayaking and blackberry picking. So that meant blackberry pies, etc. We are now home again and the rains have been coming down today the 6th of Sept.

Raining!!

August 6, 2009 - Well here we are at Silver Lake Bible Camp. We have had a night of thunder & lighting. So things are getting the dust settled. We have been here since August 2th. Have had a busy week feeding 450 high schoolers. So that has been a challenge but things have really run smooth. Have also gotten some projects done, like new posts for 5 lines for hanging wet clothes on, like towels, swim suits, etc. Also did some work on a gate by garbage dumpster.

We had been here at Silver Lake Camp about two weeks ago. Then starting on the 23rd of July we had been down at Keller Ferry on Lake Roosevelt. We had a good time with family and friends. Everyone got involved in water sports, boating and the kids played lots of cards. We have been coming to Keller for about 35 years.

We will be heading back to Lynden on Saturday the 8th. So will have to do some catching up in the yard, etc. Then will have a pickleball get together at Bob Unruh's with good and some pickleball playing.

Just can't seem to catch up!!

July 18, 2009 - Well we are just about ready to hit the road with the motor home for 3 weeks. But I guess we have to get home before we leave again. So back on the trail from the previous blog posting.

After leaving Hwy 12 we finally connected to hwy 24 and made our way to I-15. Spent a night in Sterling, UT at a State Park. Had a good night and back on the road in the morning. Then next stop was Jackpot, Nevada for a night. Stayed in the Casino RV Park for only $17 with full hook-ups. Good little park and will stop again some time.

Next was a stop in Boise, ID just off I-84 for a stop to see our newest niece who belongs to Justin and Carry Hall. It is their first and made my sister a Grandma for the first time. It was a great couple of hours. Then from there it was homeward bound and finally arrived home in Lynden on the 18th of May.

Now since we are home we can leave again. We have been busy while home repainting, etc. our rental house which came vacant about two weeks ago. Our renter had been there six years and needed some TLC. So it now is ready for the new renters who seem very nice and have 9 & 13 year old boys.

We will be leaving in the morning for Silver Lake Bible Camp, on Silver Lake in the town of Medical Lake. We usually spend two weeks each year helping out around camp and our camp Manager Terry always has things to do. So we will arrive there tomorrow night. Will also have our granddaughter Jada who is just about 8 years old with us.

Calve Creek Falls!

This was the Senior Hiking
Club, when we arrived
at the falls.




Calve Creek Falls - 125'
drop from this point.




















5-14-09 - Before we left the Sinclair Gas Station in Escalante the fellow working there said we had to do the hike into Calve Creek Falls, so today is the day we drive about 12 miles up hwy 12 to the trail head parking lot to Calve Creek. So we get going early and arrive at the parking lot about 10 o'clock. The parking lot is full and we wondered where are the people have come from. Will let you know later and we proceed down the trail as this will be about a three mile hike in. The trail is very good and mostly on a sandy base so makes it very nice. The picture taking is great in this area. I just love UT and all their parks.

We make good time up the trail and before you know it we are walking on the trail next to Calve Creek with a beautiful grassy bank and clear cool water. This is one great hike and very enjoyable for a couple of Seniors. Before we know it the falls are coming up as we hear them. Then we see the falls through the trees and lots of people are around. We found out that a Senior hiking group was up here. So that is why all the cars. The falls were beautiful and well worth the hike in and back up. Well it will be soon time to get back to the motor home and head north up hwy 12. See the next posting on where our next stop will be.

Escalante, UT

Pretty nice piece of
petrified wood. This area was full of pieces just
like this one and pictures don't do it justice.

Put this park on your list if you like to see petrified
wood and large pieces.

5-13-09 - Well we left Kodachrome Basin State Park and now are heading for the town of Escalante. But when we leave Kodachrome and head down the road we end up going up and way up like to 7,600' pass and grade isn't a 6 percent grade. I think it was more like 8 or 9 percent and our motor home got down to about 10 miles an hour. We soon arrive at Eascalante which is right in the middle of an area called "Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument". Just before entering town see a sign to Petrified Forest State Park. Check it later and as we drive through town there are a couple of RV Parks which don't look the greatest and are pretty full.

We drive right through town and come to a Sinclair Gas station and stop. Check with the gentleman running the station and he says don't go to Petrified Forest State Park as our motor home is too long. So we parked next to the Sinclair Station in their gravel lot which worked out just great.

So now we are settled next to the gas station and there is a hiking waiting at the Petrified Forest State Park and head that way. Wow! The sign into the Park is located at the top of my posting. We had a great hike and it wasn't the easiest hike we have ever taken. We have never seen so much petrified wood. Some pieces as big as 18" in dia. and some pieces 3' long. It was a very worthwhile hike.

Just about forgot our 49th Anniversary dinner. After that hike into the Petrified Forest we were ready to sit down for some food. We had noticed the Escalante Outfitter Restaurant and Store as we went for the hike. So we checked it out and seemed like a going place. We had outside sitting which is high on Ione's list. So we found a table and enjoyed ourselves and we even entertained by humming friends as they came into feeders around the patio area for their food.

The dinner turned out very nice and a memory in take to remember.

Kodachrome State Park!

5-12-09 - So here we are at Kodachrome Basin State park which was located off Hwy 12 from Cannonbille about a total of 8 miles. The lady at the entrance to the park was very helpfull and give us some good maps to look at. This is another great park so some great hiking. The trails were not that difficult but a very scenic area . We did a three or four mile hike and spend time taking pictures and enjoying the park.

This was a place we will come back to some day as the picture taking was great and really enjoyed a few hours in the park. They also have camping but we didn't check the campground and they also have a small store with the basics if you forgot things.

We are going on down hwy 12 again and see our next posting on where we ended up for the night.

Bryce Canyon National Park!

5-12-09 We arrived at Bryce Canyon about 2:30 in the afternoon and checked out the north campground and after doing some driving around found a great site. Quickly got set-up and head to Sunset parking lot to start our hike.

We went on the Navajo Trail and also the Queen's Garden Trail for a total of about 6 miles. Had great weather with just a little bit of wind. After spending the night we got going fairly early in the morning and stopped for Breakfast before heading out. Only one problem we we still on AZ time and we an hour late and no breakfast so optioned a lunch menu and that worked. After a good lunch were on the road.

I told Ione lets take a right after coming out of Bryce onto Hwy 12. So down the road we go and find the road to be very interesting with great scenery and curvy road. We stop at the little town of Cannonville and head to the info place. There were many interesting things to see and do on Hwy 12. So check our next posting to see where we went

Still heading home from Surprise!!

5-12-09 - Has we headed up hwy 89 and came into the town of Kanab and got some gas. Talked to the lady in the station about things to see as we travel up the road. She mentioned the Moqui Cave which was about four miles up the road on hwy 89.

So we checked out the museum which at one time was a cave bar for about 25 years before a family bought the property and made it into a Museum with lots of interesting things to see. The entry fee was $9 but worth every penny of it. So after spending about an hour at the Cave we once again hit the road and our next stop was Bryce Canyon.

Picnic Shelters near shoreline!!

Taking a break from biking and looked for some shade
in the picnic shelter and turned out great.

More Shoreline Pictures of Lake Powell

Great view -of Lake, showing all the houseboats
moored to buoys in the water. What a great
place for houseboats and they are everywhere.

You can drive to the shore

line with no problem

Wahweap Camp Ground on Lake Powell

May 10th, 2009 - After leaving Surprise, AZ came through Page, AZ and arrived at Lake Powell. Got settled in the camp ground and then did some exporing. I great place to hike, bike and kayaking. This is really a neat place. Spent one day plus here and will be back. The weather was just great.

Way Behind!

June 20,2009 - I promise in the very near future I will update my blog and get it where it belongs. We did arrive back from AZ on May 18th and have been going in circles ever since trying to catch up on things. Back later

Had Visitors!

March 27, 2009 - Had good friends stop by on their way home from Palm Springs to Chilliwick, BC, the Haworth's, Barry & Carol. Also had Ione's Sis Sherry and Doug stop by and we all went out to Joe Zunie's Cafe at Sun City Grand. They have good food and you can set outside with all different water falls, palm trees, and just like in Hawaii. So was a fun afternoon and the weather was just right with a little breeze and about 75 degrees. Retirement isn't really that bad.

I think Barry may be interested in looking at lots here at Happy Trails and who knows maybe sometime they could be buying a place here.

Where is the time going!!

3-26-09 - Just don't know where all the time goes when you are retired. Did spent a couple of days down in Tucson last week Monday & Tuesday. We spent some time with the Smith's, Koster's & Gray's. Did a dinner at the Texas BBQ in Tucson. Had great food and got to see and talk to old friends. Then spent the night with Sherry and Doug at their motor home and the next day tuesday did a hike at Picacho Peak. The trail was really steep and we didn't make the top as it was really hot but was fun.

The last fews days have been spent doing tennis and pickleball. We had a fun tournament here at Happy Trails today and my team of nine players got 3rd place. We played some good pickleball and won 6 of 9 games. Met some new players that were on my team and was a real fun time. Then tonight we had a great dinner/dance get together for pickleball.

Next on our list is having Jessica our granddaughter coming to visit with two Friends here at our lot at Happy Trails on the 4th of April. They will be spending about five days with us and then she will spent about two days with her Grandpa Rich. So should really be a fun time to spend with the girls playing tennis, pool time, hiking, etc.

We will keep up our work on getting better in tennis and pickleball until we leave in May. The weather has been really good except for a wind storm that has been coming through our valley today.

Lynden Girls Win State in Yakima !!

3-15-09 - Lynden Girls Basketball really arose to the occasion and played a great game on the 14th of March. They had to beat the same team that beat them by 20 points in the District Championship the Archbishop Murphy Team. Lynden just kept those girls under control and played a great game. We were the smaller team as they have two girls 6' and taller. Also had a 5'11" and a couple of 5'10' girls. We played smart, hit some 3's and came away with the Championship by a score of 48-41.

Girls Basketball - State Tournament!

Match 11, 2009 - Our girls got off to a running start in the 2A basketball tournament in Yakima, WA. They beat Eatonville by a score of 55-24. So it was a real breather for them after losing their last district game to Archbishop Murphy by a score of 53-33. So now they will be playing Ellensburg who beat them in a tournament in January by about 6 points. They will be playing at 4 PM tomorrow afternoon. Go Lions.

Time got away!!

Not a entry since the 9th of February. We have been moving and just haven't updated our website. We spend two weeks in Palm Springs doing the Palm Desert tournament. I covered some of the medal we won. So as it turned out Ione won a silver and Bronze and I won two Bronze medals.

Then we moved on to Yuma Lakes on the 13th of February and spend two weeks there. We did dentistry in Mexico, visited friends in the area. Then the last 6 days spent the time in Mexico as we had our motor home decals removed(which were in bad shape) and had them repainted. The job really turned out well and we also changed the colors some. So we now have a new old motor home. So to us it is like a new motor home and we are getting lots of favorable reports on the paint job and new colors.

2-28-09 - We arrived back at our lot here at Happy Trails. We had some cleaning up to do to our lots. We had four different renters well we were gone and they left the lot full of tire marks and just gravel, etc. So got it looking pretty good. We have all our stuff set up and looking good. Then in the last day replaced all the Brick Molding around the shed door. The old was in very bad shape and was white. Installed new molding and painted it gray which really looks great.

We have been busy with pickleball and going here and there. Ione has been sick for the last four days but is now feeling much better. The weather has been very nice during the day and gets cool at night.

Rained out!!

2-07-09 - Well the rains came down and things really got wet. It rained for about three hours last night and when we got to the courts they had a sign up that said "Postponed until 8 AM Sunday." So now we have to see if the rains will stay away.

No pickleball today so went shopping. Headed to the COD market and bought some things including a new chair to use on the beach at Keller Ferry. It even has a detached shade thing that goes with the chair when attached. So that will work and then later in the day went to the movie Defiance. It was a true story about three brothers who's mother and father had been killed by the Germans at the beginning of World War II. They saved people that were Jews that the Germans were going to kill. They lived in the forest for three years and hide from the Germans and stayed so many people's lifes. The story was a real miracle and seems that we never ever heard of these three brothers. Great movie.

Then went out to dinner tonight with about 15 pickleball buddies and had some great food at a good price. Have you heard of the Elphant Bar which is a great restaurant with good food here in Palm Springs. Thats it for today.

Two Bronze Medals!!

2-06-09 - Well the games were hot and heavy today. We had a great day of pickleballing even if the winds came up about 1 PM. I played some good matches with my men's doubles partner Martin. We ended up winning thee games and losing two which give us a bronze medal. One of the teams we played earlier in the tournament came back and beat us in a 15 point game, like 15-9 so not sure how they improved so much but they did. They went on and lost in the Gold / Silver match and got the silver. So bronze is OK I guess.

Then Ione played some great games today in singles and won her first game. Then lost to Pat Carrol in 2 OT games, 12-10 and the other 13-11. Then won the next two. Then after a long wait lost to a very good player and got bronze. She felt like she was playing in slow motion in that one. So a bronze was a good show for Ione. So tomorrow is another. We have our mixed doubles.

Ione is playing with a new partner Ralph and they have a large group so will see how that works out. She plays in the 65-69 bracket. Then I will be playing with my old friend Jessie Dawson who will be 79 this year. We call her the energizer bunny. She will be dropping down one bracket to play in my 70-74 bracket. So we will do our best and maybe there will be a medal for us at the end of the day.

Palm Desert Pickleball Tournament

January 29, 2009 - Arrived on the sidewalk near TT Park in Palm Springs. We got a good site in the Park on the 30th. We are situationed in site 86. This is the first time in this site.

We have been doing some practicing for the big Tournament which actually started today the 5th of Feb. at 8 AM. Today was men's singles and ladies doubles. We actually had a total of 173 people entered in this tournament. When the dust all settled today we had a total of two medals, one silver and one bronze. Ione played with Carol Haworth and they did very well after having a bye for the first round. Then they had an easy match with a couple of ladies they didn't know. then they played Sandra Clark and Judy Davis. They are a team that are hard to beat. So they went out and beat them in three games. Then the Clark/Davis team they came back up through the loser's bracket and ended up beating Ione & Carol. They got beat in a two out of three match. Then since now both teams had one lose they had to play a 15 point game. Well things didn't go well and they got beat and ended up with Silver which isn't all bad.

I had some good matches in my singles and won my first game, lost my second and then won two more and then played for bronze which was with Don Walker. I didn't do real well and got beat by a 15-9 score. So that send Don to the Gold/Silver match. Then Don got beat by Peter in the Championship match.

Arrived home about 4:30, after stops at a restaurant for food and Trader Joe's. We also came back to a messy yard as the wind is really blowing. That's it for today. More will be coming tomorrow from Palm Desert Pickleball tournament.

Month of January at Happy Trails!!

1-03 - 1-29-09 We arrived at Happy Trails on the 3rd of January. Then it was time to practice for the up coming Happy Trails Classic. Since leaving 25 inches of snow in Lynden it was hard to get in the swing of playing pickleball. After only one week of practice the games began.

Ione & I had new partners this year so it was sort of hard to really do well. I think Bob Robillard and I won two games and lost two games. So no medals for us and Ione also played with Bob but didn't win any medals. Then when it came time for singles we had some good matches. I played some good games and couldn't get past Therence Dixon and he got gold and I got the silver. Then Ione played some great games in the ladies singles matches and came away with no medals. So the Giengers just came away with one silver medal.

Then the last week before heading to Palm Springs we played some tennis and lots of pickleball. I also went over to Sun City Grand for two wednedays and practiced singles. We usually had about 5 people each week for a two hour practice session. Out time on Lot 651 seemed to really go by fast but very enjoyable.

Our big highlight for January is that our Granddaugther Jessica and two friends will be coming to visit us at Happy Trails. This will be happening on the 5th of April and they will be with us for about four or five days. Should be lots of fun.

Where has the time gone!!

1-29-09 - Well this posting finds us at TT Park at Palm Springs and just arrived last night from Happy Trails. We bucked the wind all the way from Surprise with a strong north wind. We stayed on the street and checked out available sites for this morning. We only had three sites to choice from and took site 86. Spent most of the day getting the site set-up, had some problems with DirecTV. Had RV Satellite stop by, to have some setting redone, the TV is working fine now.

Had a very nice dinner at Martin & Barb's with two other couples. Had a good talk and the weather was just fine. Chuck and Pat are flying back to Seattle tomorrow and the dinner was in their honor.

1st Day on the Pickleball Courts!

1-05-09 - Had a good workout on the pickleball courts today for the first time in three months. Played from about 9 AM until 12:00 noon. Had some good games and there were some pretty good competion. Then this afternoon spend the day working on a water leak on motor home. The fitting on a ice-maker hose was leaking and causing trouble. Tighterned the nut on fitting and there was no more leak. 'Then replaced parts on vent in Bathroom. So now it is just like new and looks much better. Then Ione was arranging things from the shed in the yard and we are just about ready to live here for a few months.

Arrived at Happy Trails - Lot #651 today!!

12-31-08 - Left all the snow of Lynden and stopped at Lisa & Dwayne's house to pickup a rug that Lisa had gotten from Eddie Bauer. Then had a rainy day off and on until we stopped at Scio, OR where our friends Gene & Shirley Pilcher live. They are about 12 east of Albany, OR off I-5.
Had a great dinner that Shirley cooked for us. Then she gave us a very nice breakfast. Put on a total of 378 miles to their house.

1-01-09 - We left Gene & Shirley's, battled lots of rain & wind. Then has we headed down I-5 to the south the weather improved and we went over the passes with the roads mainly dry and some sun. We had more snow at home then we had over the passes. The traffice was really busy, since all these people were coming home from the holidays. After traveling a total of 430 miles our second day came to a stop at Willows Exit where Hwy 162 and I-5 cross. Stayed at a Wal-Mart parking lot and had a good night. When we woke up it was cool and froggy.

1-02-09 - Headed down the road from our Wal-Mart parking lot and still had the really rough road on I-5. The right lane is just the pitts and it is hard to move over too far for the cars. The weather wasn't bad and had just a little rain. Then we headed towards Palmdale and LanCaster to the TT Park at Soledad. Arrived at the park after dark. Total miles for the day was 476 miles our longest day so far.

1-03-09 - Last leg of our trip into Surprise, AZ. We traveled a total of 390 miles. Great total for the trip was 1.674 miles from Lynden to our lot at Happy Trails. We had a good day from Soledad TT Park after getting away from the fog. Had clear sailing with a short stop at Palm Springs to say Hi to our Pickleball friends. Got to Happy Trails just about at dark. So had to wash rig and set-up in the dark. Didn't have too much trouble.