Returning to Petaluma

Leaving Pismo Beach, we drove to Petaluma where we stayed 5 nights at the Elks Lodge RV parking. We enjoyed a dinner out with family; son Norm, daughter in  law Wendy, and 10 year old granddaughter,
Christina, at Dempsey's Brew Pub, one of our favorite local places.

From Petaluma, we headed to Rocklin (near Sacramento) to spend time with Howard's daughter Stephanie, and son in law Gary.  They just moved into a beautiful new house.  We miss our cushy parking privileges at their old place in Loomis, but it's great to see them being able to buy their own place.

It's also Stephanie's 60th birthday party on April 18th, and Gary has a big BBQ planned with lots of friends and work associates invited and it is a surprise.  She thought that just one other couple was joining us and was
quite surprised as the door bell continued to ring and more people arrived.  While there we stayed at the nearby Loomis RV Park.  The park was old with several permanent residents and also quite expensive.  It was very convenient to Steph and Gary's place but we're going to have to find another location the next time we visit. Maybe one of the Elks Lodges in nearby towns.

We returned to Petaluma on April 24th and have been here ever since, once again staying at the Elks Lodge.  This is such a convenient location for sightseeing in the Bay Area. San Francisco is 30 miles south, Bodego Bay and the beach towns to our west, and the beautiful Napa Valley Wine country to our east.   Tomorrow is Mother's Day and we will drive the car down to Half Moon Bay to be with daughter Terri and her family.  They're fixing brunch at their house.  Fun times!

Around Petaluma....

Petaluma, back to home territory~~

For several months of the year we hang out in Petaluma in Northern California, about 30 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Elks Lodge in Petaluma has become "Ground Zero" for us for several years.  We're near family, medical facilities, and beautiful places to sight-see.

An artsy rendering of our Petaluma Elks Lodge parking

If you are a member of an Elks organization like we are, the lodge in Petaluma offers the best RV parking available in the San Francisco Bay Area. There are 18 sites on asphalt with full-hookups for $25 per night, many suitable for larger RVs, with grassy dog runs and overflow parking.  Their system now offers reservations making it convenient for planning ahead.  

Enjoying the grassy, manicured back yard.  There are tables and chairs for afternoon happy hours The doggies love it too!

This is an opportunity to enjoy the delights of a beautiful old historic city packed full of great restaurants, regional parks and hiking trails, all within an easy drive to San Francisco to the south, Pacific beaches, and the famous Napa valley wine country.

Ahh...The Golden Gate Bridge...we have about 30 miles to go north to Petaluma.

Going down...to the Pt. Reyes Lighthouse

Vineyards offset by coastal hills and clouds at Green String Farm

The Petaluma Visitor Center used to be the old train depot in 1914...

Historic downtown Petaluma

Shollenberger Park has miles of trails and is an easy walk from the Elks.

There is a 2 1/2 mile loop trail around the lake, part of which lies adjacent to the Petaluma River which is navigable and runs in to the San Francisco Bay.

A hike at Helen Putnam Park involves a lot of hill climbing.

Layers of coastal fog and farm land lie to our west as we hike the trails of Helen Putnam.

Another side of Helen Putnam Park, groves of old oak abound.

The Napa Valley for some wine tasting....

Here we're enjoying a beverage and some fine food at Dempsey's Brew Pub with a river view of course.

Another day and the sun performs perfectly with shadows and colors.

The pedestrian bridge across the river takes us to Main Street and all the fun stores.

Tuesday's eastside Farmers Market.  There is also a Wednesday evening market in town and Saturday morning at Walnut Park.

And this lovely bouquet is for you!  Thanks for coming...

Anacortes - Gateway to the San Juans

Anacortes is known locally as the Gateway to the San Juans because it's a hopping off point for ferry traffic and pleasure boats going to the islands and Canada.  For us, Anacortes is a destination in and off itself.  It is one of those places, like Port Townsend, that we visit at least once a year.

We stay at the Cap Sante Marina which also provides dry camping for RVs and great views of the marina and boat traffic.  The marina location is centrally located providing an easy walk into the historic downtown, and access to miles of trails for walking and biking.  Shopping and restaurants are all easily accessible.  We arrived just in time for the annual Art Festival which is a huge event bringing folks from far and wide.  Plus there are weekly Farmers Markets providing entertainment and a great selection of sustainable produce.  In other words, there seems to be a constant flow of activity in this vibrant seaside community.

Just hanging out with the girls!

Howdy

Murals on downtown buildings

At Cap Sante marina overlook...

Mount Baker rising out of the fog...

At the Saturday Farmers Market

We'll be leaving here by ferry returning to Port Townsend for our annual 2 week stay at our waterfront site at Point Hudson Marina. 

Strait talk~~Port Townsend

The Strait of Juan de Fuca extends east from the Pacific Ocean between Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula about 95 miles inland to Puget Sound.  Port Townsend is bordered by the Bay of Port Townsend and Admiralty Inlet, which intersects the Strait.  In other words, we are surrounded by big water and lots of marine activity.

Click on the maps for a more detailed view.


The town is a Victorian seaport and arts community. With its maritime heritage, artist spirit, and a touch of urban chic, Port Townsend is an easily accessible base camp to the Olympic Peninsula and beyond. with its maritime heritage, artist spirit, and a touch of urban chic.

The Point Wilson lighthouse at Fort Worden

We've been coming here every year, same site, since 2009.  We had been staying at the SKP's Evergreen Coho RV park in nearby Chimacum and took a drive one day to check out Port Townsend. We were drawn to the Point Hudson Marina mainly to see the boats and splendid views. The RV park is nothing special.  Most of the full hookup sites are expensive, graveled, and close together.  We decided to check in at the office for more information and were told they had two boondocking sites for $20 each per night (since upped to $25). Our site 361, is about 50 feet from the water and entertains us with a constant flow of boat/ship traffic.  Never a dull moment though lots of lazy ones.

An afternoon parade of schooners (insert Howard drooling)

Jefferson County Courthouse - Uptown

In years past we have done many all day trips to see Seattle, Port Angeles, Sequim, and all the local hangouts.  There is RV parking at Fort Worden State Park and Fort Townsend State Park as well as the Elks Lodge and Jefferson County fairgrounds.

There is a great little local theater that shows currently running movies as well as art and eclectic films, and the best ice cream at Elevated Ice Cream, both located downtown. There are lots of shopping opportunities from second hand shops to chic, expensive ones. There is Doc's restaurant located here at the marina which we enjoy for the convenience and every type of eating pleasure you can imagine in town.

Victorian downtown

During our 10 days we have hung close to home, not feeling any pressure to do a daily tour as in year's past.  We've been catching up on our reading and exercise. And both of us got haircuts (whoopee).  A walk from the marina uptown is a long steep hill that gathers momentum as it reaches it's high point in town then starts back to downtown again. Three or 4 outings like this gets the old legs aching and the knees screaming!

The ferry docks are busy during the summer season with two ferries running about every hour, making for easy travels between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island, about a half hour scenic trip each way.  The downtown streets are packed with tourists arriving by small cruise ship or ferry. We will load the motorhome and car onto the ferry tomorrow for a sail to Whidbey Island and on to Anacortes on Fidalgo Island.

The hot dog spot downtown framed by a great mural

This is what we do most of the time!

We'll see you soon in Anacortes, another great northwestern maritime town.

For us the convenience of staying at the Elks Lodge in Petaluma is pure parking perfection~~~

During part of the spring and summer months we hang out in Petaluma in Northern California, about 30 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Elks Lodge in Petaluma has become "Ground Zero" for us for several years.  We're near family, medical facilities, and beautiful places to sight-see.

An artsy rendering of our Petaluma Elks Lodge parking

If you are a member of an Elks organization like we are, the lodge in Petaluma offers the best RV parking available in the San Francisco Bay Area. There are 18 sites on asphalt with full-hookups for $25 per night, many suitable for larger RVs, with grassy dog runs and overflow parking.  Their system now offers reservations making it convenient for planning ahead.  Janis, the very best RV host, has lived in Petaluma most of her life and will assist in making your stay memorable.

Enjoying our grassy, manicured back yard.  There are tables and chairs for afternoon happy hours The doggies love it too!

This is an opportunity to enjoy the delights of a beautiful old historic city packed full of great restaurants, regional parks and hiking trails, all within an easy drive to San Francisco to the south, Pacific beaches, and the famous Napa valley wine country.

Ahh...The Golden Gate Bridge...we have about 30 miles to go north to Petaluma.

Going down...to the Pt. Reyes Lighthouse

Vineyards offset by coastal hills and clouds at Green String Farm

The Petaluma Visitor Center used to be the old train depot in 1914...

Historic downtown Petaluma

Shollenberger Park has miles of trails and is an easy walk from the Elks.

There is a 2 1/2 mile loop trail around the lake, part of which lies adjacent to the Petaluma River which is navigable and runs in to the San Francisco Bay.

A hike at Helen Putnam Park involves a lot of hill climbing.

Layers of coastal fog and farm land lie to our west as we hike the trails of Helen Putnam.

Another side of Helen Putnam Park, groves of old oak abound.

Napa Valley...where we hope to be next week!

Here we're enjoying a beverage and some fine food at Dempsey's Brew Pub with a river view of course.

Another day and the sun performs perfectly with shadows and colors.

The pedestrian bridge across the river takes us to Main Street and all the fun stores.

Tuesday's eastside Farmers Market.  There is also a Wednesday evening market in town and Saturday morning at Walnut Park.

And this lovely bouquet is for you!  Thanks for coming back...

Yes, there has been a long hiatus but I plan to correct that!  I have been sick but am mostly back to normal now.  It is a long story and at some point I may decide to write about it.  Right now, it is just too raw.

Our plans now have us on the road soon.  We have been near Sacramento where the temps are near 100.  Our daughter has a nasty combination of gall stones and Pancreatitis, a very serious condition to say the least.  Hoping now to have the pancreatitis under control, they plan to remove the gall bladder this coming Saturday.  I'm sorry but having an operation on Saturday doesn't bode well with me!

We plan to spend a couple of days next week in Calistoga and the Napa Valley Wine country making up for our 21st anniversary which was yesterday, the 24th.  We are looking forward to our yearly dinner at the Greystone Culinary Institute.