Gorging

Thankfully not the food variety of gorging as we did enough of that our last week in Port Townsend.  We are now gorging on the Gorge, it's scenic beauty, fantastic weather, and our great location here in Corbett, OR, right on  the Historic Columbia River Gorge Highway.  The Crown Pt. RV Park could not be nicer or more accommodating.  Full hookups, free wifi, laundry practically at our doorstep, and the trees don't interfere with our satellite TV.  The half price fee of $15 per night through our Passport America membership is beyond reasonable, especially with no limit on how long we can stay.  Most parks have a one or two night limit or exclude weekends, holidays, and certain seasons.

At Crown Pt. RV park...note satellite is clear of trees!  Important..

Yesterday was total immersion in this historic gateway into some of nature's geologic wonders!  The 22 mile waterfall section of the highway 30 bypass starts here at our Corbett location and takes us to all the dazzling waterfalls and The Vista House at Crown Point which looms over 700' above the Columbia River.  The often photographed and painted Multnomah, Bridal Veil, and Latourell Falls provided yours truly with some much needed physical exercise after the aforementioned indulgences, and needless to say the camera got a workout as well!

The famous bridge and falls of Multnomah

Howard at Bridal Veil

Hazy view from Vista House at Crown Point

Back at river level off I-84 Bonneville Lock and Dam forms a connecting link between the states of Oregon and Washington.  We did a self-guided tour of all 5 levels, from the observatory on top to the fish-viewing ladder down below.  The powerhouse and spillway can now only be toured with a guide.

Spillway at Bonneville Lock and Dam

We crossed over into the state of WA. at the Bridge of the Gods and continued east along the river on Highway 14, through Stevenson and Home Valley,  until we reached the town of Hood River, stopping along the way at a popular wind-surfing area.

Wind-surfers on the Columbia River

On our way back across the river for the return home, Mt. Hood graced us with its cloudy presence!

Mt. Hood erupting clouds

We now plan to be here for a week so there will hopefully be more adventures of interest forthcoming!

Road Mode

Road mode is when I sit here in my comfy passenger seat, gazing out our large windshield at the passing scenery, and write a few words.  Earlier there was Mt. Rainier soon out of Tacoma, then Mount St. Helens a bit further south, slightly flat on top (haha) and usually in a haze, then most recently Mt. Hood directly ahead as we drive through Portland. I'm also connected to the internet via my Verizon 4G Pantech modem and searching for directions to the nearest, cheapest fuel stop.  That turned out to be the Pilot Flying J in Tumwater (earlier), thank you!  So you might deduce we are traveling south on I-5.

A two-week limit forced us kicking and screaming out of our water-front Pt. Hudson Marina location in downtown Port Townsend.  And since we were unable to get a ferry to Whidbey Island on Sunday due to the crowded weekend schedule, we decided to return to the Escapee's park in Chimacum for a couple of days so we could arrange for a visit with long-time friends, Dick and Hazel, whom we first met 14 years ago near Puerto Escondido, on the southwest coast of Mexico, and now reside (when they're not traveling) in Bellingham, WA.

Hazel just had knee replacement surgery and is doing lots of strengthening exercises to prepare for their mid-October, month long trip to Europe, cruising the rivers of Austria, Germany, France and Switzerland.  Due to macular degeneration she is considered legally blind and also had a pacemaker installed a few years back to correct some heart-beat abnormalities....and did I mention both she and Dick are a very young 85, and absolutely refuse to stop.....period!

Ferry for Whidbey Island

Our location at Pt. Hudson Marina

Howard, looking good on the ferry!

 So Tuesday morning, we queued up early for the half hour ferry crossing to Coupeville on Whidbey Island, then drove about an hour and a half north to the delightful town of Bellingham, not far south of the BC border.  We hadn't seen Dick and Hazel in over a year and had a great visit, especially comparing itineraries of both our upcoming cruises.  Our lunch at Anthony's at Squalicum Harbor was both scenic and delicious and offered my first and possibly only Dungeness crab thus far this season.  Rusty's boat has sadly been inoperative so our usual crabbing outings did not materialize, though he did come for a visit one day.

Hazel with Howard outside Anthony's, Bellingham.  The cane is temporary!

 We had to leave a bit early to make the 4:30 ferry returning to Port Townsend.  Once again we joined the long line of passengers only to be told that sadly we would not be leaving as planned without a reservation.  Oh, and by the way, the 5:15 crossing has been cancelled, so you might be able to make the 6:30 ferry.  We did...just barely!  We arrived back in Chimacum by 8 pm, just in time to run by John and Bonnie's for a final hug and farewell.  Yes, of course we'll meet up this winter!

So dear, where shall we stop for the night afternoon?  Wow, we now have blazing 4G internet speeds approaching Portland and our trusty Passport America online guide tells us there is the half-price Crown Pt. RV Park  near Corbett, OR,  along the Historic Columbia River Gorge Highway.  We have found our destination for a few days.

A Family Week

The very best kind...  We've had a whirlwind of fun, food, sight-seeing (mostly dog-sitting for us!), and just plain sitting around, watching the views parade by, and laughing and talking...a lot of laughing with friends Jim and Laura in attendance.  They are staying at the Palace Hotel in the downtown area.  Steph and Gary with granddogs Maci and Riley are parked right across the driveway from us in their motorhome which recently received a complete interior renovation.  This is very conducive for all our shared fantastic meals:  tri-tip, pork chops, turkey burgers, and salmon, shrimp and chicken on the barbie...different nights of course!  Plus a great dinner out at "T's" Restaurant and some super terrific Cabernet provided by Miss Laura, oenophile extraordinaire.

Family fun

Granddogs Maci & Riley

Laura is also a super photographer and Jim is an avid golfer, so there were days photographing at Hurricane Ridge and a couple of golf games in order.  Fort Worden State Park was visited often, not just for the fabulous views and obvious history, but the filming of the 1982 movie An Officer and a Gentleman, then later in 2002 The Ring, took place here.  I am going to try to link this to Laura's Facebook album, as her photos are breathtaking.  Of course, there were many walks into town and at the uptown market Riley was a hit!

Lighthouse at Fort Worden

Riley's a hit at the uptown market!

We were sad to see everyone leave Friday morning.  They have a 2-day drive home to Sacramento and need a day to recuperate before returning to work on Monday.  I must admit that we were exhausted and have spent the last couple of days cleaning up but also enjoying our final time here.  Friday night was a performance by La Loupiote (don't think this link loads very well), a French family traveling the world performing aerial ballets and acrobatics in the mast and lines of their sailboat.  This took place right here in our backyard at the Pt. Hudson Marina!

Acrobatic sailors, La Loupiote

This was followed with a Saturday day and evening of really warm weather, necessitating us to sit out, barbecue once again, drink a little more fine wine, and be mesmerized by yet more views and ship traffic well into the night....well, maybe until 9:30 p.m.  We saw the most unusual,  lighted contraption that looked like a giant golf ball sitting atop an oil drilling platform being pulled out to sea by some super tugs.  The tri-pod had been put away so a photo without camera shake was impossible in the dim light....But, the good news is that I did a quick Google search and found it on internet.  Here are a few photos from earlier:

Trawler flanked by cruise ship with Cascades in background

Cruising Mt. Baker!

A bit surreal..turning the corner by Fort Worden

The Main Attraction

The main attraction of this summer circus of events is our waterfront site here at the Pt. Hudson Marina in Port Townsend, WA.  It provides us with the most spectacular views; an ever-changing marine parade of sailboats, power cruisers, ferries to and from Whidbey Island, naval warships and nuclear subs loading/unloading at the Indian Island Ammunition Depot, and a trio of cruise ships en route to Alaska.

Perfect evening for a sail

Clouds & driftwood provide photo fodder

 We're parked at one of only two "dry" campsites, meaning there are no hookups for water or electric, for a full two weeks at $20 per night.  With this water-front panoramic view we are guaranteed lots of visits from  friends stopping by for a few days or just a few hours, and lots of folks meandering by to stop and chat.

A great evening with John & Bonnie (from Chimacum)

Dalya & Paul come for 4 great days

The second best feature is the old Victorian town of Port Townsend being a short walk away, providing us with great restaurants and shops, plus the Rose Theater where we recently saw Crazy, Stupid, Love with Paul and Dalya.  We walked into town with John and Bonnie for the very best hamburgers and an authentic chocolate soda at the Nifty Fifty's Diner, and of course, we have been known to drive 10 miles or more for an ice cream cone at the Elevated Ice Cream Co.  Now we're just a short walk away!

Nifty Fifty's Diner

Wednesday evening and Saturday morning features the uptown Farmers' Market where we stock up on "just picked" raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, organic veggies and the yummy goods from Pane D'Amore bakery in uptown.  I also came home with a bouquet of flowers.

Pane D'Amore bread & goodies..yum!

Flowers for the mobile casita

Oops..Have to stop for now.  Family and friends from Sacramento have arrived for a week's stay.   Steph and Gary with dogs Maci and Riley are here in their motorhome with friends Jim and Laura staying in a nearby hotel.  Our good times are ongoing!

One final note before we part for a few days....After much deliberation and changing of minds regarding our tall ship cruise in November, the check has been mailed.  With the recent exorbitant repair bills and uncertain market conditions, we had practically talked ourselves into cancelling.  However, we are seldom practical!

A Day in the Life...

A day in the life of us mobile folks involves flexibility as well as mobility.  When Chris and Beth were heading our way and the Park in Chimacum was full, we just pulled up stakes and met them in Port Townsend, maybe 5 miles away.  We would not miss an opportunity to have our great friends close by.

Harry, next door, is a colorful neighbor

The Panys have arrived...yay!

Could not resist Chris with his favorite motto

 A day in the life can involve postponing the dishes if another opportunity presents itself, i.e.; Beth suggests a visit to the Naval Undersea Museum.  So we pile into "insert name of CRV"...Beth and Chris name all inanimate objects, I'm thinking "Emily" but she may be the GPS, and we drive over the canal and through the woods to Keyport, at the tip of the Kitsap Peninsula.

But this is not Hunters Point!

The Trieste, a manned submersible that reached a record 35,800' on the ocean floor

I say damn the torpedoes..

 A day in the life almost always involves very good eating.  After a day of sightseeing we stopped at Pedro's Fiesta Jalisco, undoubtedly one of the best Mexican restaurants we've eaten at outside of Mexico.  Chris and I had the pork birria, a mouth-watering and tender slow-braised pork shank in a red chile sauce. Howard's carne asada and Beth's shrimp and chicken combo also got rave reviews.

But there is more in the food category.

No sniveling here

The best salmon, salad, veggies & wine!

A day in the life really needs to include some exercise and we all, with the exception of Chris who needs no exercise, managed some long walks along the bike trail or down to Fort Townsend State Park.  Howard and I are sticking pretty close to our low carb diet and Beth is doing fantastic on Jenny Craig.  A few pounds have been shed, and a few more to go.  Just a day in the life.....