tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-659034875579697352024-03-13T13:32:10.956-07:00The Journey is the ThingThe Journey is the Thing - Our travels in FMC #708Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.comBlogger216125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-80908658404866487022018-06-27T21:46:00.001-07:002018-06-27T21:46:22.160-07:00Days 2 - 3 - Barstow, CA<div style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(74, 74, 74); color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Day 2 - 3 - Sat & Sun, June 23 - 24</b></div>
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<b>Happy Birthday, Greg!</b></div>
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<b>Camping: </b>Barstow KOA</div>
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<b>Restaurants:</b> Popeye's, Los Domingos</div>
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<b style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Activities: </b><span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> The Incredibles 2, outlet malls</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">We got a pretty early start on Saturday with the plan to make it to Needles, CA so we could do the big grade out of town in the early morning rather than in the heat of the day. Unfortunately, almost halfway between Needles and Barstow, we started having FMC troubles again. It was making a screeching and grinding noise. The heat was ridiculous so we got some ice cream at a rest stop Dairy Queen and decided what to do. The best choice was to go back to Barstow. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">On the way back, I cancelled our reservation for the KOA in Needles and called the KOA in Barstow. We only had one requirement - 50 amp service. That is what we need to run both our air conditioners. When they are both running, the FMC gets cool and comfortable. If only one is running on 30 amp service, then we can't really cool the FMC down comfortably if the temps are over 90. It was 110 so . . . . </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">We have had great luck at KOAs but luck was not with us this time. The KOA told us they had 50 amp service for us but they did not. The FMC was DONE so we had to stay there anyway. We were not happy. (In fact, I didn't take any pictures because I was so annoyed.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">The good thing about the whole deal was that we found a mobile mechanic who came to us. Greg -- after a brief consult with the FMC Brain Trust -- knew that it was the Idler Pulley Bearings that had gone out. The guy found the parts and came and installed them. It wasn't quite that easy -- the first parts were wrong but he ended up driving to Victorville to get the right parts and installing them on a Sunday. His rates were super reasonable too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">If you have the misfortune of breaking down in Barstow, give this guy a call . . . <a href="http://www.kochmobilerepair.com/" target="_blank">Koch's Mobile Auto Repair</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">So, we had a couple of hot days in Barstow. We saw a movie, ate out, and Gage and Liza hit the Outlet Malls. Once the repair was done, we decided to get up super early (3am!) and beat the heat on the way to Needles and hopefully be up the big grade out of Needles before it was over 100F. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-67417706209156608832018-06-27T21:28:00.000-07:002018-06-27T21:28:04.948-07:00Day 1 - Boulder Creek to Paso Robles (or thereabouts)<div style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(74, 74, 74); color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Day 1 - Friday, June 22</b></div>
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<b>Camping: </b>Rest stop on Hwy 41 east of Paso Robles, CA</div>
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<b>Restaurants:</b> Black Bear Diner in Salinas, CA</div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">So, our Day 1 was 4 days late. Our plan was to leave on Monday, June 18th but we didn't leave until Friday, June 22 due to the brake situation on the FMC. Liza and the kids took the opportunity to jaunt up to Carson City/Reno to see her family. (Hi Jody, Matt, Lee, and Igor!!!) This was how our trip was supposed to begin so we didn't want to miss that quality family time. We drove back to Santa Cruz on Thursday in hopes that the FMC would be ready soon! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Friday, mid-morning, we got the word that it was ready. So, Liza hit the store and stocked up on food. We hit the road just in time for Friday rush hour. Still, we were finally on our way! </span></div>
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The kids drove in our Jeep and met us at the Black Bear Diner in Salinas. We hit the road again and drove until we were done. We stopped at the rest stop on Hwy 41, east of Paso Robles. We were tucked in with some of the noisiest trucks we've encountered at rest stops. Rest stop camping isn't the best in the world but it's great for a drive until you are done and get an early start kind of camping. And, uh, free! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-73707185634679121402018-06-27T21:12:00.000-07:002018-06-27T21:12:16.436-07:00Prepping for our Big Summer Trip 2018Greg and I have been planning this summer's trip for a couple of years in a loose, won't-it-be-fun kind of way. We started intense planning in January which included planning routes, making reservations, and firming things up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is where we put the new generator. </td></tr>
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The goals for the trip are to: get to an FMC rally in Chama, NM and get to Santa Fe where we'll be meeting Greg's octogenarian mom and Greg's older sister (and hopefully our two nephews) to enjoy Santa Fe and then caravan back home together, enjoying the desert southwest along the way. This is part of my mother-in-law's bucket list and we are delighted to share in it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new batteries installed in the storage bay. </td></tr>
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Secondary goals were to visit Canyonlands National Park near Moab, UT as well as finally camp in Silverton, CO. We visited Moab a few years ago and did Arches National Park but didn't have time to explore Canyonlands, too.<br />
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Planned Preparations we made:<br />
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<li>purchase 2005 Jeep Wrangler LJ - knowing we wanted to drive on dirt roads a lot on this trip, we finally bit the bullet and bought the car we've been wanting for years. Jeep Wranglers are great tow vehicles -- at least for the way we travel -- because we love having a vehicle when we get somewhere so we can explore and if those explorations can be on dirt roads in the middle of nowhere, so much the better! Our Jeep is a black soft top with an extended cargo area (that's the LJ part). It's also known as a Wrangler Unlimited. We researched what kind of hitch attachment we needed to add to the Jeep to tow it behind the motorhome. Then we installed it ourselves. We had the electrical connections done by <a href="http://www.allrvservice.com/" target="_blank">All RV</a> in Scotts Valley. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New jeep - needs to have the hitch receiver installed</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the middle of the job </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gas can for generator -- it holds 1.5 gallons which is exactly what the gennie needs. Yay! </td></tr>
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<li>phase 1 of the electrical system upgrade in the motorhome - We've been planning to fix up the motorhome's electrical system with a goal to being more comfortable in the heat of the summer for a long time. Summer is when we can travel because of Liza's job as a teacher so we need to be comfortable traveling in the summer heat. Phase 1 gets us started. Greg and I did all the work ourselves which was challenging but fun. Our goal with this upgrade was to be able to run our generator to power our air conditioners. The FMC has two huge air conditioners in bays under our closet. They work great but require a lot of power. We can't use them at all using standard 110 current. We can run them one at a time on 30amp and both of them on 50amp. We found the smallest generator we could that would have enough juice to start and run the AC units! Starting them is the tricky part as AC units draw huge amounts of power to start but then settle into a more manageable power use as they run. Our inverter/charger will also let us run regular household electricity from our newer, more powerful batteries for long periods of time. Phase 2 will be to install smaller, roof-mounted air conditioners. Phase 3 will be to add solar panels to charge the house batteries which will extend the amount of time we can camp without hook-ups. </li>
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<li>new house batteries</li>
<li>new inverter/charger</li>
<li>new generator</li>
<li>new battery isolator</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Greg running wires. We both worked at this. Sometimes it was easier for me because of smaller hands. </td></tr>
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Invertor controller is now handy near the door. Easy to turn it on and off and check the levels. </div>
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The new generator just fits in it's bay. </div>
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We did a lot of wiring. I got good at making huge cables. </div>
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Like these! I'm a pro at it now. </div>
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Lots and lots of wiring. </div>
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Unplanned Preparations we made:<br />
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<li>new refrigerator and roof vent - our existing fridge had serious problems in hot weather. It could not keep up with the cooling demands when the weather was hot. This problem had gotten worse over the years and on our last desert trip, we ended up having to throw away food many times when the fridge just couldn't keep things cold. We are really good at managing the fridge in the heat. Tips include buying bags of ice to put in the fridge compartment to help the fridge stay cold, freezing bottles of water to move into the fridge to help with the cooling, only opening the fridge for short amounts of time, trying not to add a lot of warm food at once (after a grocery store visit, for example). Even with all this, the fridge had been getting worse and worse. We talked to Tim at <a href="http://www.allrvservice.com/" target="_blank">All RV</a> and tested a few things. Bottom line, the fridge just wasn't working. We brought it in to have them replace it. They discovered that our fridge venting was wholly inadequate and sent us home to make a bigger hole in the roof. Tim really thought that would fix the problem and we wouldn't need a new fridge and it might have if we'd done it years ago. The people we bought our coach from had replaced the original fridge with a bigger one but didn't provide enough venting. Even with the bigger hole in the roof, the old fridge wasn't cutting it. So, we got a nice new Norcold Polar 8 LX fridge installed. And then promptly got stuck in the hottest desert in the US -- it's been 110F for the last several days. Oh, joy. (I'll share more about my amazing new fridge in future updates.)</li>
<li>brake shoes/linings and wheel cylinder - Taking the FMC down to get the fridge installed resulted in squishy brakes (or something happened that Greg noticed they were not right). He checked and no brake fluid on one side. So, Tim at <a href="http://www.allrvservice.com/" target="_blank">All RV</a> took a look and we had to track down the brake shoe linings because no one makes the shoes anymore. It took some time and overnight shipping -- although a storm in Chicago messed that up -- but we finally had them and got them installed. </li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wheels off to expose the bad brake area. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such a clean shop. The FMC was tucked up safe and sound!</td></tr>
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And, then we had problems on the road but I'll explain about those as they happened . . . owning a vintage RV is not for everyone but we do get more joy out of it than pain so . . . </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-83821122661593917802018-05-12T13:27:00.000-07:002018-05-12T13:27:32.586-07:00Catching Up! Hello! <br />
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Our last big trip was in 2015 when we did our college tours of the Northwest trip for our daughter, Ruth. The next year, we did a short trip up the Oregon Coast with Greg's Family - mom, sister, her youngest son, that somehow never got blogged but was amazingly fun!<br />
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Last summer, we did a short trip to Southern California -- just Greg, Gage, and I -- to visit colleges for him. This trip was without the FMC so it didn't really count.<br />
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Greg and I have done a couple of short trips without the Gage and Ruth -- who are 18 and almost 20 respectively and probably don't want to be called kids anymore!<br />
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We went to Quartzite which was awesome. We also did two trips to Valencia for FMC rallies. One with our coach and one without.<br />
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The coach has had some major brake work done which is great! On our last trip to Valencia, we found out why you always want to plug in through one of those expensive surge protectors . . . the pole at the park was bad and blew out our converter. <br />
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Good news, the park made it right by giving us a discount on our camping fees. And, we wanted to upgrade to a converter/inverter anyway. Details on that fun project to follow. <br />
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We are preparing for a new summer trip through the southwest in 2018. We'll be keeping you updated along the way. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-54934965697427532522015-08-09T17:28:00.004-07:002015-08-09T17:28:59.361-07:00Day 32 - End of Trip: June Lake, CA<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Camping: </b>Driveway surfing at Liza's parent's place in Mountains</div>
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<b>Restaurants: </b> <a href="http://www.junelakebrewing.com/" target="_blank"> June Lake Brewery</a> & <a href="http://www.junelakebrewing.com/eats.html" target="_blank">Ohana's Food Cart</a>, <a href="http://www.thetigerbarcafe.com/" target="_blank">Tiger Bar</a>, <a href="http://www.whoanelliedeli.com/" target="_blank">Mobil Station</a>, <a href="http://themonoinn.com/" target="_blank">Mono Inn</a>, <a href="http://silverlakeresort.net/" target="_blank">Silver Lake Resort</a> </div>
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<b style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Activities: </b><span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> <a href="http://www.monolake.org/visit/programs" target="_blank">Mono Lake Bird Walk</a>, Gage's running camp, <a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/rangelands/ecology/wildhorseburro/territories/WhiteMountain.shtml" target="_blank">White Mountain Wild Horses</a></span></div>
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June Lake is a beautiful little mountain town in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. It's at 7600 feet so the elevation takes some getting used to. Gage was going to running camp in Mammoth for the week and we were staying at Liza's parents' home in June Lake. What a spot. </div>
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Acclimating is always difficult. You have to make sure to drink lots of water and take pain reliever as needed and eat, even if you don't feel like it. After a couple-three days, you will feel more like yourself. Luckily, we'd been at 5,000 or so feet for a while so we didn't have that much acclimating to do. </div>
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Gage spent the week doing two runs a week in preparation for a 10 mile run later in the week. Mammoth is a bit higher at 8,000+ feet so he was working hard! The kids got to have a lot of fun, too. They visited local hot springs, swam in June Lake, and ate pies while very high in the Sierras. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Liza took this panorama too far, making a straight beach look like a peninsula. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">While he was running, the rest of us were playing. Liza went on a bird walk at Mono Lake, a nearby salt water lake that is a hot bed of birding activity. </span></div>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/19846727681/in/photolist-wdGH29-weMEG2-vhucSr-wc3iJ3-wdGFLy-vhud6H-vhkjYu-wemxBz-wc3gUb-vhkiSS-vWJKbs-vWJQgj-vWJPqS-vhucFe-vWJPFw-weMD2t-536PYr-536Q64-52H8m2-52Ha8P-52H8dk-52MmA7-52Mmyd-52MmuE-afv1m" title="View from boardwalk at Mono Lake Cty Park"><img alt="View from boardwalk at Mono Lake Cty Park" height="427" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/448/19846727681_aa75882e4c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small;">Mono Lake is an ancient inland sea. It is the nesting place of millions of birds, including California Gulls. </span></div>
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Liza and her stepdad, Igor, saw lots of amazing birds but I only included a couple here. The magpie because they are such awesome birds. And, the kestrel on the tufa tower because they were the most memorable bird of the day. There was a family of kestrels near the parking lot and they flew around us all morning putting on quite a show! </div>
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When we weren't watching birds, we drove out and explored the high desert of the eastern Sierras. The best day was a drive out to see the wild horses at Adobe Valley. They aren't exactly mustangs but they are wild. The herd is managed to be around 75 horses. We had just enough time to drive to the place they are usually seen and voila, there they were. </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small;">Road shots by Greg</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small;">You see the horses in the shot, don't you? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: xx-small;">Greg enjoys taking pictures of the road ahead. Liza enjoys capturing this view! </span></div>
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We also went to see Ant-Man and ate out a few times. We hung out with the parents and generally recovered from a long, but very fun, trip. On Thursday, Greg and Ruth drove home early in the morning. Liza picked Gage up from camp on Thursday night and we headed home on Friday morning, waving a sad goodbye to the parents. </div>
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It was good to be home but there are many places on this trip. The trip was awesome. The journey really is the thing. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-59495690920051851602015-08-09T16:51:00.002-07:002015-08-09T17:30:07.409-07:00Day 30 - 31: Carson City, NV<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Camping: </b><a href="http://www.anareservoirrvpark.com/" target="_blank">D</a>riveway surfing at Liza's parent's place in Nevada's capitol<br />
<b>Restaurants: </b> <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/san-marcos-grill-carson-city" target="_blank">San Marcos Grill</a>, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-country-carson-city" target="_blank">Pho Country</a><br />
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Leaving Likely, CA, we headed south to Carson City, NV. Liza's parents have a house there and we were meeting her mom, Lee, to spend a couple of days before heading further south to June Lake. <br />
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It was fun to be in a city again after the quiet trip since Bend. We ran errands, got haircuts, ate out, took showers and did laundry. All the fun civilized things one does in a city. <span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Carson City is a great spot. Both restaurants we went to were awesome. Delish food. Best part, hanging out with Mom.</span></div>
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Our last morning there, Greg and the kids headed off for June Lake and Liza and Lee followed shortly in the 4Runner. We caught up to the FMC in the driveway at June Lake. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-82518491764055709722015-08-09T16:42:00.000-07:002015-08-09T16:42:11.989-07:00Day 31 - Likely, CA<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Camping: </b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/~%20Just%20the%20Facts%20~%20Camping:%20%20Base%20Camp%20RV%20Park,%20Junipers%20Reservoir%20RV%20Park" target="_blank">Likely Place RV and Golf Resort</a></div>
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In our quest to find unlikely (I couldn't resist!) RV parks, we stopped for the night at a most unlikely one: Likely Place RV and Golf Resort. In the middle of nowhere . . . really!, someone had the idea to build a lovely golf course and RV park. </div>
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When I say the middle of nowhere, I'm exaggerating. To get there, you head south out of Susanville until you get to the dot on the map called Likely (Don't blink!). Turn left and drive for awhile until you see signs for the Likely Place RV and Golf Resort. You drive through some ranch land. </div>
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The cows are so used to seeing big motorhomes that they just don't care. Yawn. </div>
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Eventually, you get to the Resort. Golf course, nice campground . . . beautiful. There were a few other people there but we were very private and thoroughly enjoyed the views. </div>
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One of the biggest attractions at the park is the very dark skies. They have a section of the RV park dedicated to setting up telescopes and viewing the night sky. </div>
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We didn't really participate in any activities offered at the Likely RV and Golf Resort. We had dinner and drinks and chilled. </div>
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Kind of like the cows. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-54877301948537962702015-08-09T16:25:00.000-07:002015-08-09T17:33:10.082-07:00Day 27 - 28: Lakeview, OR<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Camping: </b><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/base-camp-rv-park-lakeview" target="_blank">Base Camp RV Park</a>, <a href="http://www.junipersrv.com/" target="_blank">Junipers Reservoir RV Park</a><br />
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Driving between Summer Lake, OR and Lakeview, OR, we had a little trouble on the road. The FMC lost power and we ended up having to do a repair in a gas station on the side of the road. Luckily, the gas station owner was very nice and admired the FMC and offered some tips and tricks. We eventually got it going again and then headed on to Lakeview. We had planned to camp 10 miles outside of Lakeview at a very cool RV park in the middle of a huge cattle ranch. With the FMC having electrical issues, we decided that wasn't a good idea. We found a park right in Lakeview. Greg and I drove out to the cattle ranch and decided that if we could get the FMC fixed, we would definitely stay there for the next night. </div>
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It happened to be Ruth's 17th birthday, too. Wow. We had homemade Pho for dinner which is Ruth's latest favorite food. Then we went into town and had dessert there. No cake for my girl, she had french fries dipped in chocolate shake -- her personal favorite treat! <br />
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In the morning, we took the FMC to a repair shop in town called Max's. He quickly diagnosed the issue and helped us come up with a temporary fix that would safely get us home without worry or hassle. What a great experience (for comparison, see the nightmare that was <a href="http://thejourneyisthething.blogspot.com/2014/06/day-3-wells-nv.html" target="_blank">Wells, NV)</a>. <br />
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We drove out to Junipers RV Park and settled in for the night. The park is absolutely beautiful. We drove through the ranch to get to our site. We could often see cattle in the distance. There were birds everywhere. After we settled in, Greg, Ruth, and I took a drive around the ranch on roads open to guests. There is a huge reservoir there with tons of geese and shorebirds. We saw rabbits and hawks. It was really beautiful. </div>
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In the evening, we had dinner before kicking back to watch this sunset with cold drinks in our hands. </div>
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We will be back. What an amazing place. We couldn't help but wonder how many other unlikely RV parks there must be in the US. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-83899593055322786512015-08-09T16:11:00.004-07:002015-08-09T17:33:44.090-07:00Day 26: Summer Lake, OR<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Camping: </b><a href="http://www.anareservoirrvpark.com/" target="_blank">Ana Reservoir RV Park</a></div>
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I'm not going to lie, leaving Bend was difficult. We'd had such a great time there. We planned a leisurely trip to Carson City, NV, cruising down 395, a section we'd never traveled before. Our first night, we stopped at Summer Lake, OR and stayed at the Ana Reservoir RV Park. It was totally delightful. Great view, almost empty, and very nice people running the place. We did some laundry, relaxed, and had a lovely afternoon and evening. We particularly enjoyed the antics of the sheep in the neighboring farmland. Noisy but amusing critters. <span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">This country is vast, beautiful, and empty of crowds. We saw more sheep than people by a long measure. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-52032927552514669022015-07-13T01:08:00.000-07:002015-07-13T01:08:10.979-07:00Days 21-25: Bend, Oregon<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Camping: </b><a href="http://oregonrestareas.com/cow-canyon-rest-area-us97.html" target="_blank">Cow Canyon Rest Area</a>, <a href="http://crownvillarvresort.com/" target="_blank">Crown Villa Resort, Bend, OR</a></div>
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<b>Restaurants: </b> <a href="http://www.phovietandcafe.com/" target="_blank">Pho Viet Cafe</a>, <a href="http://www.baldysbbq.com/menus/" target="_blank">Baldy's BBQ</a>, <a href="http://www.cruxfermentation.com/" target="_blank">Crux Fermentation Project</a>, <a href="http://www.cibellis.com/locations/" target="_blank">Cibelli's Pizza</a></div>
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Liza keeps a close eye on the weather as we travel using a couple of apps: Weather (built-in to the iPhone) which allows for quick comparisons of temps for places we've been on our trip and places we are planning to go; and <a href="http://darkskyapp.com/" target="_blank">Dark Sky</a>, which gives micro-forecasts for just where you are. All of this is to say that when we left Walla Walla, we knew it was going to be cooler in Bend. We were excited. To get there though, we had a long, hot drive ahead of us. Beautiful though as most of it goes through the Columbia Basin. </div>
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We had lunch at Sonic in Pasco, WA (part of the Tri-Cities area). But, then, the motorhome wouldn't start when we got ready to leave. An hour of fiddling and cleaning connections and unhooking and re-hooking things in 105F heat wasn't as much fun as it sounded. But, finally, the big engine roared to life and we took off in relief. </div>
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We stopped at this WWI memorial which is a life size replica of Stonehenge. Pretty amazing. It was very hot up there and a hot wind was blowing up the river. Delightful. </div>
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We decided to stop for dinner, let the motorhome cool down some, and then push on to Bend. Or as close as we could get to Bend. We took Hwy 97 which goes up and up and then comes out in this beautiful high prairie with views of Mt Hood and Mt Jefferson looming. The sky was amazing. </div>
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We did not make it to Bend, however. We drove until about 10:30pm and called it a night at the Cow Canyon Rest Area. We nestled in next to the big rigs, locked the doors, and slept until morning. Worked great. </div>
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We were so glad to arrive in Bend. We stayed at a really, really nice campground (RV Resort!) in Bend. We had decided to splurge for this part of the trip. Beautiful grounds, spacious sites with paved slaps, storage for your personal items, hot tub, steam rooms, etc. We arrived in mid-morning and after we set up camp, we took a drive to figure out what Bend was all about. We had lunch at a fantastic Pho place and explored downtown and along the river. We found a spot to rent kayaks and SUP (stand-up paddleboards) for the next day and made those arrangements. Bend is a cool town. For dinner, we tried the HIGHLY recommended Crux Fermentation Project. Greg and I did a flight of beers and both found a beer we really liked. His was the X Bock, a wheat bock beer and mine was Impasse, a saison farmhouse ale. YUM! The food was great. The atmosphere too hip for us. We loved it. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Our friends on Instagram pointed out that Greg looks like the Most Interesting Man in the World here. Certainly drinking a more interesting beer!</span><span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px;"> </span></div>
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Greg and the kids rented kayaks and I tried SUP. I don't have as many pictures as I'd like of this adventure because SUP is fun and fairly easy but still took a great deal of care and coordination and taking pictures just wasn't high on my list. :) I did get up on my feet for several minutes but the first time I tried I did a fairly spectacular back flop into the very chilly Deschutes river. It's probably best to try this sport for the first time in water that isn't moving so quickly. I absolutely loved it though! Greg and the kids had great success in the kayaks, of course. A hugely fun adventure that we'll definitely try again sometime! </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I loved SUP! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ruth kayaking with me. The boys left us so no pictures of them! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">After collapsing in a heap for a while, we went to the High Desert Museum which is part museum/part zoo. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Most of the animals at the facility can't be released back into the wild and are living their lives in the museum. We got to see one of their bird handlers show us an adorable Kestrel who came to them when the falconer who was raising her realized something was wrong. She was malnourished and therefore very small for her age. She's healthy now but not a full-size kestrel. So cute though. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Burrowing Owl</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">American Kestrel</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Close-up for our kestrel friend</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Porcupette (baby porcupine) getting ready for bed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Chippity-munk helping himself to some water</span></div>
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Our favorite display was the river otters. They were awesome. Obviously people have fed them as they were blatant beggars. They are so cute and playful. </div>
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Another big day was heading out to Smith Rock State Park north of Bend. It's a great hiking and climbing area. The Crooked River cuts through some remarkable rock formations and there are great trails throughout the park. Rock climbers love this place and you can sit and watch people doing amazing things. Greg and the kids set off to hike. I set up a base camp near the rangers station with my camera, spotting scope, binoculars, and settled in to watch birds. I saw lots of amazing birds including nesting Peregrine Falcons which was very cool. </div>
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Greg and Gage walked down into the canyon and along the river. Ruth decided to hike the trial known as Misery. It climbs 1000 feet in 2/3 of a mile. The views are amazing. I was able to digi-scope her (using my iPhone camera in conjunction with my spotting scope) as she sat at the high point of her hike. Amazing kid! </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Fish-eye lens on iPhone -- just for fun</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ruth at the top of Misery, enjoying the view! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Greg and I walked down to meet her as she returned -- clearly she was doing great. </span></div>
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Greg and I went back to Crux that evening. The kids opted for leftover pizza and chillin' in the FMC. Date Night it was. </div>
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We had an extra day in Bend as Crown Villa was able to give us one more night. We moved sights and had a chill day on Friday. Greg got some work done. Gage and I went into downtown to get him some new running shoes so he'd be ready for running camp in Mammoth. We grocery shopped and got ready for the rest of our trip down Hwy 395 to Carson City, June Lake, and dropping Gage off in Mammoth. </div>
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New territory ahead so we're excited! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-68187543571499898042015-07-10T21:55:00.000-07:002015-07-10T21:55:01.070-07:00Day 18, 19, & 20: Walla Walla, WA<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Camping: </b> <a href="http://www.bluevalleyrv.com/" target="_blank">Blue Valley RV Park</a></div>
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<b>Restaurants: </b> <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-cocina-de-la-abeula-walla-walla" target="_blank">La Cocina de la Abuela,</a> <a href="http://maplecountercafe.com/wpsite/" target="_blank">The Maple Counter Cafe</a>, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/clarettes-restaurant-walla-walla" target="_blank">Clarette's Diner</a><br />
<b>College: </b><a href="https://www.whitman.edu/" target="_blank">Whitman College</a><br />
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So, Walla Walla, WA was unseasonably hot. Hotter than Spokane had been. We'd planned to camp at this cute little spot called <a href="http://www.chillvillewallawalla.com/" target="_blank">Chillville</a>. However, they only offer 30AMP service which means, for us, that we can only run one air conditioner not two. Given the well over 100F temps, we decided to cancel those reservations and stay at Blue Valley RV. It was perfect for us. Lots of power, nice clean bathrooms and laundry, quiet and pleasant. My only wish would have been for SHADE to help keep the motorhome cool. <br />
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Even running the AC constantly, we were not about to cook meals in the FMC so we tried the fine dining that Walla Walla offers and were very pleased. <br />
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The mochas offered at The Maple Counter Cafe</div>
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Wild smoked salmon scramble at The Maple Counter Cafe</div>
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Swedish pancakes at The Maple Counter Cafe -- I've been told I MUST learn to make these!</div>
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Walla Walla sunset at about 10:30pm. Finally cooling down. </div>
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Our campsite in Walla Walla</div>
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We spent the 4th of July in Walla Walla. Greg and Gage went to the park and enjoyed the festival that was put on which included great food carts and vendors. Ruth and I chilled out at the coach -- the heat was really getting to us. </div>
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We beat the heat by seeing movies: Inside Out, Terminator Genisys, Jurassic World, and Spy. Loved all of them especially Inside Out and Spy. </div>
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On Monday, we got to visit Whitman College, the last stop on our whirlwind tour of liberal arts colleges in the northwest. Great school, loved it. Stayed on the list! </div>
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Ruth's name in lights! :) </div>
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What we didn't do in Walla Walla? Wine tasting. It's a huge wine area but it was just too hot to do that. There were some really good museums that we thought about visiting, too. Again, too hot. We'll have to come back again. More to do and see in Walla Walla. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-70314454194434998312015-07-10T21:42:00.001-07:002015-07-10T21:42:46.899-07:00Day 15, 16, & 17, : Spokane, WA<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Camping: </b> Driveway surfing, Spokane, WA</div>
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<br />We were so excited to visit The Cobbs in Spokane. They are lifelong friends of Greg's family. We driveway surfed at Stephanie and John's house which was SO much fun! As we pulled into Spokane, we were told that we would be paying for our entertainment by making Killer Milleritas (yum!). We were happy to oblige. <div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Killer Milleritas - Liza's recipe for margaritas! So yummy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Full moon over Spokane</span></div>
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John and Stephanie have a horse, two miniature donkeys, a dog, several barn cats, several chickens, two ducks, and two geese. I don't think I missed anyone! :) We loved it as you can see below. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Honey says hello!</span></div>
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Bailey, their golden retriever (who had just gotten a summer haircut and looked like a Labrador) was our buddy for the trip. She is the sweetest dog! She also has a friend who likes to hang out at John & Stephanie's. He's a Landseer Newfoundland. Amazingly huge, sweet, playful dog. </div>
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Frank and Jill have a spot out on Coeur D'Alene Lake. We went there for the day and had such fun! It was very hot there so being at the lake was awesome. We swam, paddleboated, took a long boat drive looking at houses, and generally had a GREAT day at the lake. </div>
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Our last day in Spokane, we drove around the city, looked at some of the local colleges, and then got out of the heat and hung out with Frank and Jill in their air conditioning. It was such a great visit. </div>
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As we got ready for bed that last night, Bailey wanted to come with us on the rest of our trip. She was quite at home on my bed in the FMC. </div>
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We are sad to leave Spokane. It's a great place (when it's not 100F) and it's so awesome to have friends-that-are-really-family to visit and spend time with! <i>We miss you guys! </i> </div>
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<b>Next stop: Walla Walla, Washington</b>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-71712963578662226902015-07-10T17:19:00.000-07:002015-07-10T17:19:14.574-07:00Day 14: Winthrop, WA<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Camping: </b> <a href="http://www.pinenearpark.com/" target="_blank">Pine Near RV Park</a>, Winthrop, WA</div>
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<b>Restaurants: </b> <a href="http://www.3fingeredjacks.com/" target="_blank">Three Fingered Jack's Saloon</a>, <a href="http://www.sherissweetshoppe.com/" target="_blank">Sheri's Sweet Shoppe</a></div>
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We drove out of North Cascade National Park and saw some of the prettiest views imaginable. These are some beautiful mountains. We also drove an incredible grade that made us glad we were doing it going east instead of going west! Yikes it was steep. <br />
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We rolled along some beautiful countryside and ended up in the town of Winthrop, WA. It's a cute town that has saved itself by becoming a tourist town. All the original buildings house shops and restaurants. There's a great atmosphere in the town. We had lunch and walked around downtown shopping. Greg and Gage bought new hats! <br />
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We liked it so much that we decided to stay the night. We checked into the very nice Pine Near RV Park and turned on the AC. Great spot. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-20833684332247530512015-07-10T16:05:00.000-07:002015-07-10T16:05:02.016-07:00Day 12-13: North Cascades National Park<div style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Camping: </b> <span style="background-color: transparent;"><a href="http://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/camping.htm" target="_blank">Newhalem Campground, Loop C, Site 108</a></span></div>
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<b>Restaurants: </b> <a href="http://concrete-wa.com/listing/cascade-burgers/" target="_blank">Cascade Burgers</a>, </div>
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A new national park is a good day for the Miller's. North Cascade was a surprise for us. We envisioned it being a "sky island" -- one of those parks that you climb in altitude to get to and that climb lifts you above the heat. Not so. North Cascade is at about 500 ft in elevation and was plenty hot. Thankfully, we had plenty of shade so we didn't miss the air conditioners too much. </div>
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NCNP is a serious temperate rain forest -- like the redwoods that we call home. However, the trees are quite different and the underbrush in the forest is much more dense. Everything in the park is covered with moss and anything not covered in moss is likely to be covered in berries or ferns. </div>
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The river that runs through NCNP is dammed in several locations and there are lots and lots of power poles and lines everywhere in the park. There is lots of hiking and boating in the park. We did a very long drive on our free day there. </div>
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At one high overlook, we saw an interesting phenomenon on the water below us. The wind was pushing on the water, rippling the surface. We watched it grow and grow and all of a sudden, the wind was upon us, too. </div>
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Then the rain started. Big, fat raindrops that felt so good after the heat we'd been in. We stood there and watched the weather move in around us. So beautiful. </div>
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We noticed some folks in a kayak and canoe on the lake below who were probably not enjoying the weather as much as we were. </div>
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After that, we explored the nearby town of Concrete, WA where we found this amazing high school that crosses the road. We also had ice cream and then took off up a beautiful side road to another dammed up lake. </div>
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At one point, we got out and did a nature trail loop through the forest and 600 year old Douglas Firs. It was so beautiful as well as being hot and humid. </div>
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We'd been warned that the glacier run-off made the lakes dangerously cold but Baker Lake was not. It was refreshing and delightful. We skipped rocks and enjoyed cooling off. </div>
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Mt Shuksan<br />
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Rained on the way back.<br />
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Mt. Baker, looking up the aptly named Boulder Creek</div>
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We woke up the next morning to rain. And had to pack up wet chairs and gear! Oh well. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-26350228749321229482015-07-06T07:16:00.001-07:002015-07-06T07:16:39.428-07:00Day 11: Bellingham, WA<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Camping: </b><a href="http://www.parks.wa.gov/536/Larrabee" target="_blank">Larrabee State Park</a></div>
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<b>Restaurants:</b> <a href="http://rocketdonuts.com/" target="_blank">Rocket Donuts</a>, <a href="http://www.blackpearlbellingham.com/" target="_blank">Black Pearl</a></div>
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<b>College:</b> <a href="http://www.wwu.edu/" target="_blank">Western Washington State University</a>, <a href="http://www.wwu.edu/fairhaven/" target="_blank">Fairhaven College @ WWU</a></div>
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We camped in a state park along the coast but in a forest. It felt a lot like home although the trees were not redwoods, of course. Somehow I forgot to get a picture of our campsite. We were just there for an overnight and were tired after driving out of Seattle's traffic. <br />
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Bellingham is a very cute town. In the morning, we drove through town and found a place to park the motorhome on a level, shady spot. Bellingham is rather hilly so that wasn't as easy at it sounds.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The "people" in this art piece represent the people who live on the islands in the bay off the coast of Bellingham. It was a very cool exhibit.</span></div>
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The tour was led by two students and they did a great job of guiding us through the campus and explaining what life is like for WWU students. The entire campus is an outdoor art exhibit and some of the art was amazingly cool and some was whimsical. </div>
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We really enjoyed the tour and the campus. Ruth was feeling good about it except that it has a pretty large student body (not UofO big or U-Dub big but still). At the end of the tour, Ruth and Greg walked over to the Fairhaven campus. Fairhaven is like a college inside a university. They were lucky enough to find a professor working who gave them a tour and talked to Ruth -- kind of a mini-interview. She was so happy -- what a great experience. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Seriously amazing views!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">All the art at WWU is meant to be interactive. Here's Greg, Gage, and Ruth interacting with The Stairs to Nowhere (which is what the kids call it).</span></div>
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After the tour, we had lunch at a great Pho/Asian Fusion place, did some grocery shopping, and headed out to North Cascades National Park. A brand new national park for us . . . exciting. Plus, we are hoping to get up in elevation and out of the heat. Fingers crossed. </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-20939099161661893862015-07-05T17:20:00.003-07:002015-07-05T21:52:27.726-07:00Day 9 - 10: Seattle WA<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Camping: </b> Seattle-Tacoma KOA, Kent, WA</div>
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<b>Restaurants: </b> <a href="http://www.bbqpetes.com/" target="_blank">BBQ Pete's</a>, <a href="http://www.fogonseattle.com/" target="_blank">Fogon's</a>, </div>
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<b>Colleges:</b> <a href="http://www.pugetsound.edu/" target="_blank">University of Puget Sound</a>, <a href="http://www.washington.edu/" target="_blank">University of Washington</a></div>
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Leaving Portland, we headed to Tacoma to tour University of Puget Sound. Another great school that we enjoyed immensely. The campus was beautiful and we could easily imagine the kids being happy there.<br />
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After a nasty drive through Seattle's rush hour, we settled in at the KOA in Kent, Washington. We were hot and tired but still had enough energy to celebrate Greg's birthday by going to a nearby BBQ place with some rather delish bbq and Shiner Bock beer! </div>
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We had our first tour of a large urban school at University of Washington. U-Dub is impressive and beautiful but both kids decided that urban and large was not for them. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ruth decided this statue looked like the personification of the Migraine. :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">If you look closely, this one has birds nest materials behind it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">We LOVED the "Harry Potter" library. You could almost hear the music! </span></div>
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After the tour, we found a great Mexican restaurant and then went down to Pike's Place Market. It was hot and humid and crowded but so much fun. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Oh, and the Mountain was out. Mt Rainer, as seen from U-Dub's campus</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-57342342769286126592015-07-05T17:05:00.000-07:002015-07-05T21:54:22.978-07:00Day 6, 7, & 8: Portland, OR<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Campground: </b><a href="http://www.clackamas.us/parks/barton.html" target="_blank">Barton County Park</a></div>
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<b>Restaurants:</b> <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-bbq-guy-damascus" target="_blank">The BBQ Truck at @ Nature's Country Store</a>, <a href="http://hopworksbeer.com/" target="_blank">Hopworks Urban </a><a href="http://hopworksbeer.com/" target="_blank">Brewery</a>, <a href="http://www.joes-donuts.com/" target="_blank">Joe's Donuts</a>, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/coffee-house-in-the-grove-forest-grove" target="_blank">Coffee House in the Grove</a>, <a href="http://www.foodcartsportland.com/" target="_blank">Food Trucks</a>,<br />
<b>College: </b><a href="http://www.pacificu.edu/" target="_blank">Pacific University</a>, <a href="http://www.lclark.edu/" target="_blank">Lewis & Clark College</a>, <a href="http://www.reed.edu/" target="_blank">Reed College</a>, <a href="https://www.pdx.edu/" target="_blank">Portland State University</a></div>
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There are lots of colleges in the greater Portland area. Thankfully, we were only visiting 3 of them with a driveby one to be sure it wasn't a good fit. </div>
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We camped in a county park about a half-hour outside of Portland. It was along the Clackamas river and just beautiful. We had the place almost to ourselves. Really peaceful. Oh, and bunnies were hopping around. </div>
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Our first trip was to Pacfic University which is in Forest Grove, about 40 minutes west of Portland near the coast. Greg had to take a conference call so the kids and I left him in the car outside a cute little coffee shop while we did the tour. Different schools handle prospective student tours differently. At Pacific, you meet with an admissions counselor before you go on the tour. We enjoyed that meeting -- one on one attention is good! The campus is beautiful. And, Ruth *loved* it. Definitely on the list. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ruth with Boxer, their Chinese dragon-goat-dog mascot</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Gage at the indoor field - huge and perfect for the Northwest's weather</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pacific is a beautiful campus</span></div>
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We headed back to Portland to have lunch with friends from college days, Adlai & Lisa and their son, Henry. It was too short but a great chance to catch up with them a bit. After lunch, we made our way to Lewis & Clark University just outside Portland.<br />
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Lewis & Clark is another great college. We were pretty tired and it was pretty hot so we had to keep reminding ourselves that 90F weather was not the norm in Portland. Also, we found that doing 2 tours in one day was a bit much! </div>
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The last college we visited in Portland was Reed College. Another spectacularly beautiful campus. We got excited about this one. </div>
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After visiting Reed, we drove by the very urban Portland State campus, had lunch at the food trucks and then took a long drive up the Columbia and then wound our way back through beautiful Oregon countryside to our campground. What a day. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Portland is famous for it's food trucks! What a great way to eat! Everyone gets what they want!</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tjcJnbgw9-E/VZm8bEbQORI/AAAAAAAADw0/-wP6nckYt1c/s1600/IMG_2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tjcJnbgw9-E/VZm8bEbQORI/AAAAAAAADw0/-wP6nckYt1c/s320/IMG_2018.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Oregon roadside bathrooms often have fresh flowers. We've seen this before!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Beautiful spot to look down on the Columbia River. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">What an amazing view! </span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-72015969846026127772015-07-05T16:37:00.002-07:002015-07-05T21:22:10.442-07:00Day 4 and 5: Eugene, OR<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Campground: </b>Alice & Steve's backyard</div>
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<b>Restaurants:</b> Saturday Market Food Trucks<br />
<b>College: </b>University of Oregon (private tour)</div>
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After we left Ashland, we drove north towards Eugene. Liza has family there so we were taking a couple of days to visit with family. </div>
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On the way up we stopped at Cottage Grove and visited with Stephan. He and his wife Jane are saving a beautiful little home that had been given over to blackberries and time. It was fantastic to see all they have accomplished and what their plans are for this place. Stephan, a fellow FMC owner, was proud to show off this project. It will, of course, include 50AMP service at the FMC parking spot near the garage! </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Stephan, on right, was proud to show off his new house. </span></div>
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We stayed at with Alice and Steve. Alice is Liza's father's youngest sister. They live in a beautiful restored log cabin between Eugene and Florence. We had a beautiful spot to park and they even let the kids stay in the house in their own rooms for a couple of days. They have spectacular gardens, wild turkeys roaming the grounds, and warm, warm hospitality that will stay with us for a long time. Walking down to get the best cappuccino in the world every morning is a hard habit to break! :)<br />
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Ruth had eliminated University of Oregon from her list but it was Alice's alma mater so we had to go take a visit. Gage loved it though -- they call Oregon TrackTown USA, after all. He took a quick 3 mile run through one of the parks while we walked along the river. It's a beautiful town. </div>
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Alice is a great tour guide and we had lunch at the Saturday Market (a regular event that combines farmers market, craft fair, and food trucks). We also got to visit with Liza's aunt and uncle, Linna and Mike. There was great cousin time too that involved Nerf Gun Wars and a crazy croquet match! Too much fun!</div>
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It was a great time in Eugene. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Gage at UofO's track facilities. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">They really are impressive.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pretty nice campsite, eh? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">View down to the cabin. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-61795173263088191802015-06-19T07:57:00.001-07:002015-07-05T21:21:23.569-07:00Days 2 & 3 - Ashland, Oregon<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>~ Just the Facts ~</b></div>
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<b>Campground: <a href="http://jacksoncountyor.org/parks/Reserve/Emigrant-Lake" target="_blank">Emigrant Lake County Park, The Point RV Park</a></b></div>
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<b>Restaurants:</b> <a href="http://www.casecoffeeroasters.com/" target="_blank">Case Coffee Roasters</a>, <a href="https://louiesofashland.squarespace.com/" target="_blank">Louies of Ashland</a>, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/pucks-doughnuts-ashland" target="_blank">Puck's Donuts</a><br />
<b>College: </b><a href="http://www.sou.edu/" target="_blank">University of Southern Oregon</a></div>
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Ashland is a marvelous town and we were really excited to tour Southern Oregon University. SOU is a private college in the heart of Ashland. We found a place to park the FMC in the shade on a level street and took the 4Runner back to the campus for our tour. </div>
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The tour was great. We got to see lots of buildings on campus including two dorm rooms. Tons of information and both kids allowed as how they could see going here. Awesome! </div>
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After the tour, we went and had a fancy (& delish) lunch at Louie's in downtown. We walked a little, checking out the stores and ambiance. </div>
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Then, we collected the FMC and went to our campground. We stayed at Emigrant Lake County Park. Greg had read on a blog about this campground and booked us the best site. </div>
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Really great. The lake is man-made and has all kinds of boating on it. We saw lots of ospreys, killdeer, gulls, Brewers Blackbirds, and more. Mostly the lake is quiet and if you went out, you'd have the place to yourself! Beautiful! </div>
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We did have to move sites for our second night -- we decided after we'd booked that we wanted another night in Ashland. So we got that done and then decided to take a drive. There are lots of options out of Ashland, but we decided to head over to Crater Lake. We took 62 out of Medford, went to the National Park, and came back on 62 to Klamath Falls where we picked up 66 for a little byway drive back to our campsite. </div>
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Gage is in the picture you just can't see him. Teens! Am I right? </div>
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Pictures don't do it justice. Crater Lake is a must-see spot.<br />
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On our drive home, we found cows. Not the first time and I hope not the last. I love roads with "stop for cows" possibilities. We also saw deer and wild turkeys along the way. </div>
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Tomorrow, we head for Eugene! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-45639283927057936822015-06-18T08:44:00.001-07:002015-07-05T21:18:56.838-07:00Day 1 - Boulder Creek to Weed<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Just the Facts: </b></div>
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<b>Camped:</b> <a href="http://www.friendlyrvpark.com/" target="_blank">Friendly RV Park</a></div>
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<b>Restaurants:</b> In & Out Burger, Redding, CA</div>
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Our first day's drive was HOT! We headed out (only 40 minutes behind schedule) and went straight up the Dread Central Valley. Just a reminder . . . No AC while driving in the FMC. Ruth and I took turns (fought over) driving the kids car which has AC.<br />
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Eventually we got to Redlands and took a break to let the FMC cool down before cruising up to Lake Shasta and beyond. We had dinner at In-n-Out and then pushed on to Weed. We arrived after dark but stayed at the Friendly RV Park. A good start to our 2015 adventure! #noaccidents</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-66526668888673944002015-05-26T06:18:00.000-07:002015-05-26T06:18:22.257-07:00Planning! <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are planning our Summer trip. With about 3 and 1/2 weeks to go before we leave, it's exciting to get it all planned out. Unlike many previous trips, this trip is going to be mapped out more carefully as we are going on a great college tour of the Northwest. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JS0Z2yQZNIs/VWRxolVuXlI/AAAAAAAADHs/uakNTVT18rQ/s1600/2015part1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JS0Z2yQZNIs/VWRxolVuXlI/AAAAAAAADHs/uakNTVT18rQ/s320/2015part1.jpg" width="218" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2015 Summer Trip, Pt 1 (Boulder Creek to Bellingham)</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eXsnqTRnTNU/VWRwOzaqUQI/AAAAAAAADHY/01eTXsQIYmc/s1600/2015part2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eXsnqTRnTNU/VWRwOzaqUQI/AAAAAAAADHY/01eTXsQIYmc/s320/2015part2.jpg" width="256" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2015 Summer Trip, Pt 2 (Bellingham to Boulder Creek)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Google Maps, in its infinite wisdom has limited you to 10 locations on a trip now. So I split our trip into two parts. For the first part, we are cruising up Oregon and will be visiting colleges along the way. We'll also be visiting some of Liza's family in Oregon, having fun in Bend, cruising down a part of Hwy 395 we've never done before, and hanging with Liza's folks in June Lake, CA while Gage is at running camp in Mammoth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next post will be about the upgrades, updates, and changes to our FMC and traveling routine. </span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-47151852325858310692014-08-02T19:30:00.000-07:002014-08-02T19:30:09.469-07:00Days 40 - 41 - Needles, CA and then Home<b style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Dateline: July 25, 2014; Needles, CA and then Home!</span></b><br />
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Early Friday morning, Liza and Greg went back to the hospital in Chinle to get checked out by Dr. Duran and Nurse Karen again. We were given the okay to start our journey home. Greg and the kids packed the motorhome. When we were packing up, we mentioned again how odd it was that we hadn't found Liza's iPhone -- even if it was destroyed, we should have found it. It's a sign of our distraction that we hadn't even thought about the Find Your iPhone app until then. Liza fired up her computer, signed into iCloud, and crossing her fingers that her phone's battery hadn't died, clicked the button to find her iPhone.<br />
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Greg looked at the map on the screen and realized it was where the car had been towed. We called the tow place and got permission to come back out there. When we got there, Liza clicked the button to have the phone play a sound (it still had 9% battery!). Gage and Greg were ready to dig around under the seats in broken glass to find it but instead were looking up at the broken windshield. The iPhone was wedged between the broken glass and the frame of the car. Gage touched it and it fell out in his hand. It only had one slight scratch on the screen. <br />
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<i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A Festivus miracle!</span></i></i></div>
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Liza spent the trip in the back sleeping on her bed, waking only to eat and take more painkillers. Greg drove endless hours to get us home in two days. <br />
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The first night, we stopped in Needles, CA where it was a ridiculous 112F. We ate at the Wagon Wheel restaurant where they kindly planted us under the A/C and served us fantastic food. We stayed that night at the Best Western in Needles. Greg and the kids swam in the very nice pool. Liza took a cool shower and went back to bed! <br />
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The next day, we did the same thing. Greg drove and drove and drove to get us home to Boulder Creek. <br />
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Liza has been checked out by her family doctor and is seeing her chiropractor. She will be fine but is tired and recovering. She's getting better everyday! Gage went up to Mammoth to do his running camp where he realized his ribs were bruised but it didn't stop him from running two times a day and doing the 10 mile run at the end. Ruth had her first Behind-the-Wheel official driving lesson despite her nerves after the accident. Greg's ear is back to normal. <br />
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Life goes on. We were incredibly lucky. This was not a good ending to our epic journey. <br />
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<i>What a long, strange trip it's been! </i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-30429906979179298212014-08-02T18:54:00.002-07:002014-08-02T21:03:00.972-07:00Day 37-39 - Chinle, AZ<b style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Dateline: July 23-24, 2014; Chinle, AZ</span></b><br />
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Saying goodbye to Durango was difficult for more than one reason. Colorado is beautiful and the weather had been blissful. Yes, it was hot but there had been thunderstorms each afternoon that cooled things down and being at 7,000 ft helps cool things down at night. We were heading into the desert and it was going to get hot. <br />
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Because our beloved FMC is a vintage motorhome, the A/C is not reliable while we're driving. Despite Greg's and our friend, Eric's, best efforts, we're lucky to have A/C for more than a couple of days. When we are camping, we can have A/C if we have electric hook-ups (at least 30 amp). We were heading for Canyon de Chelly National Monument and were expecting to have no hookups at all. No A/C. Oh boy. <br />
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Still the desert is beautiful. Our drive was lovely. We stopped at 4 Corners and got some lemonade and Indian Fry Bread (yum!). And, then we turned toward Canyon de Chelly (pronounced Canyon de Shay). We were dazzled by how beautiful the desert was through here. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14790847316" title="IMG_3280 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3280" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5579/14790847316_ae40682752.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14810750581" title="IMG_3282 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3282" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3903/14810750581_35e73b56fe.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14627206098" title="IMG_3283 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3283" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2922/14627206098_f840178d43.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14810747841" title="IMG_3284 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3284" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2925/14810747841_8a22551979.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14833664313" title="IMG_3287 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3287" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2910/14833664313_b76f74fbb4.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14810744721" title="IMG_3290 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3290" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5565/14810744721_a266e41fe7.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14813477912" title="IMG_3294 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3294" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3892/14813477912_3934121faa.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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We arrived at the monument and had our choice of campsites. Greg and Liza had heard about Canyon de Chelly since our honeymoon in 1988. We've always wanted to visit. So, after we set up camp and rested a bit, drinking water, we decided to take a drive before dinner. The fact that Liza's car is air-conditioned was only a bonus. As you can see from the picture below, a thunderstorm was looming and we were happy it would cool things down a little. </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14801487754" title="IMG_0939 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0939" height="375" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5596/14801487754_9c60453759.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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The road is on a mesa and the canyon is below it. Canyon de Chelly has several Anasazi ruins in it such as the types seen in Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde National Parks. We planned to do at least part of the North Rim drive, going out to overlooks to see the ancient buildings in the canyon below us. Since Greg had driven all day, Liza took the wheel and we headed out. </div>
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Warning: </b> As we all know, things can change rapidly in life and the following is one of those moments. While the following is bad, it could have been worse. </span></i></div>
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As most of you know, we didn't make it very far. In a moment of distracted driving that didn't involve texting or eating or anything other than a brief distraction out the window, Liza started to go off the road and over-corrected. Our little SUV with it's short wheel-base spun out and rolled twice. Ouch. Greg and the kids were scraped and bruised but largely okay. Liza was not. She had a head wound and was pretty disoriented. </div>
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Greg and the kids took over and did an amazing job. They found the cellphones and started trying to call 911. Greg came over and started giving first aid to Liza. Luckily, someone saw us go off the road and called his girlfriend. She and her family came to see if we were okay. They were able to get through to 911 (somehow our cellphones couldn't get through) and stayed, helping until the police and firemen got there. We were so grateful for their help! Especially since the thunderstorm struck just after our accident and Greg and the kids were getting drenched. They helped keep us dry and were so kind!</div>
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Eventually, the ambulance got there and the firemen cut the door off the car and we were all transported to the hospital. ER visits are always long and this one was no different. Everyone treated us so respectfully and gave us great care. Greg had a battered ear -- he was telling people he was an MMA fighter. Liza ended up with 22 staples in a scalp laceration (she prefers the term <i>massive head wound</i>, thank you). After CT scans, examinations, treatments, and all, we were driven back to the motorhome (in borrowed scrubs from the ER). Greg drove us to a motel and we checked in for a couple of nights. </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14810788651" title="IMG_0944 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0944" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5562/14810788651_b37723c403.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Liza basically stayed in bed for those two days, recuperating with Nurse Ruth in attendance. Greg and Gage went out to where the car was towed and recovered as as many of our belongings as we could and went out to where the accident happened to see if they could find anything else there. They got most everything except Liza's iPhone. Still, that didn't seem that important in the moment. <br />
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They also drove out to the overlook to see what we didn't get to see.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14627563437" title="IMG_0968 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0968" height="154" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2919/14627563437_cf1f746a43.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Click on picture to see a larger version.</span><br />
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<b>Note: To read about the next day, click the "Newer Post" link below. </b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-980684494509832492014-08-02T18:12:00.002-07:002014-08-02T21:03:11.260-07:00Day 36 - Durango, CO<b style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Dateline: July 22, 2014; Durango, CO</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14800857631" title="IMG_0925 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0925" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2901/14800857631_4337f38bd6.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Liza bought this spoon in Durango on her shopping day. Inspiration is good in the morning. </span></div>
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We had a fun day planned but couldn't resist a lazy morning in camp. The plan was that we'd drive up to to Silverton, shop and have lunch, and then take the Suzuki out on a few 4WD roads that surround the town. We ended up having lunch at Grumpy's -- the food was good and the piano player was fantastic. Shopping in Silverton doesn't take too long but there are some really fun shops in the town. It mostly caters to the train riders who have a couple of hours between arriving and heading back to Durango either on train or bus, depending on their choices and budget. </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617333469" title="IMG_3275 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3275" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3881/14617333469_3786ddedf4.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617441127" title="IMG_3167 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3167" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5557/14617441127_b614325424.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617241380" title="IMG_0937 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0937" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3907/14617241380_17a08e2c18.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Off-roading is a huge activity in the Silverton area. Everyone does it! </span></div>
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We picked up a map and a guide to some of the nearby roads in an adventuring shop in Silverton after lunch and headed out. The day was beautiful and clear. There is a huge <a href="http://www.everytrail.com/guide/off-road-trail-maps-ouray-telluride-amp-silverton-colorado" target="_blank">loop</a> you can make all on 4WD roads, if you have time, which we did not. You need 4WD to go beyond a certain point -- luckily, we have it. You start on paved roads, switch to incrediably nice graded dirt roads, and then get to well-maintained but clearly 4WD roads which means you may have to crawl over some rocks, deal with narrow roads, and you might have to ford a stream or two. Bring it on! </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617440197" title="IMG_0935 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0935" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5578/14617440197_4b15c3f04c.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617343998" title="IMG_3168 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3168" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3840/14617343998_53f19b859e.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Remnants of old mining days were everywhere and our guide book told us some of the rich mining history of the area. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14800854051" title="IMG_3169 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3169" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5566/14800854051_846f3c69d1.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The remains of a mill for processing ore. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617333718" title="IMG_3174 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3174" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3846/14617333718_e150bc80d0.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Animas River. Yes, that's snow.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617233560" title="IMG_3177 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3177" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3921/14617233560_a02902f27b.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">No obvious road to this cabin. What a setting. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14801581304" title="IMG_3179 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3179" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3906/14801581304_d0e3055199.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">An old dam blocking the Animas</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14803654152" title="IMG_3183 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3183" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3882/14803654152_721474cdb7.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">We did not ford the river but it was tempting. We had to stop and watch these guys go through.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617407467" title="IMG_3192 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3192" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3852/14617407467_78916239b6.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Marmot! </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14803928485" title="IMG_3206 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3206" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3896/14803928485_4c43cf0779.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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We went as far as the ghost town Animas Forks. The town is being preserved -- and in many cases -- rebuilt to protect the mining history in Colorado. Compared with the arrested development theory of Bodie, CA, we found it fascinating that they were tearing a part and rebuilding the buildings to protect the history. Different ideas and methods towards a similar goal. </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14780926156" title="IMG_3207 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3207" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3926/14780926156_19d2657455.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617393677" title="IMG_3208 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3208" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2936/14617393677_4e201059e7.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617220039" title="IMG_2101 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2101" height="108" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5596/14617220039_91afd96183.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Click on the picture to see the panorama in more detail. This town was a little spooky! </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14803876085" title="IMG_2102 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2102" height="375" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3915/14803876085_1a5914190c.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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We explored several of the already re-created buildings. You can go inside, at your own risk, and see the rooms. This one was particularly nice with a huge bay window in the front. </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617213699" title="IMG_2103 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2103" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3923/14617213699_0c13d0b3e0.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">If the kids did a rock album, this could be their moody cover picture. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14800803741" title="IMG_3215 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3215" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2895/14800803741_95ae505290.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photobomb!</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617291218" title="IMG_3218 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3218" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5588/14617291218_40fcc930a5.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">See, it really is a ghost town!</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617383118" title="IMG_3219 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3219" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5596/14617383118_c2a95702ba.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617476317" title="IMG_3225 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3225" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3913/14617476317_a0042fe9d1.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">There was a team there actively working on this old building. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617240258" title="IMG_2108 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2108" height="375" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3872/14617240258_73b4310969.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617249909" title="IMG_3233 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3233" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3904/14617249909_13fd5ee0a9.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is Greg's "Really, you're taking <i>another</i> picture of flowers?" face<br />If you want to see some of flowers, click <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/sets/72157645055577288/" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617277708" title="IMG_3242 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3242" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3906/14617277708_a8de26009f.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Seriously cute chipettymonk! </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617243039" title="IMG_3247 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3247" height="398" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3910/14617243039_3ce2583740.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14803900855" title="IMG_3253 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3253" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2922/14803900855_0a1a6b03df.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Another isolated mountain cabin with no obvious way to get there. This is a close up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The picture below shows a wider view of it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617368687" title="IMG_3254 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3254" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3916/14617368687_bcaa172f73.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14801530164" title="IMG_3256 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3256" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2908/14801530164_27c92a6a09.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Momma Marmot</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617176670" title="IMG_3258 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3258" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3881/14617176670_d62e5e076b.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Baby Marmot #1</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14803537552" title="IMG_3259 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3259" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2917/14803537552_56ed959549.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Baby Marmot #2</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14823725223" title="IMG_3260 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3260" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3909/14823725223_dd6efe789a.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Baby Marmot #3</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14803531122" title="IMG_3267 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3267" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2920/14803531122_08617ac6de.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14780887196" title="IMG_3268 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3268" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2924/14780887196_dc4b3c0517.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14803996085" title="IMG_3270 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3270" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2937/14803996085_62497f53d5.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photobombed by a sign!</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617202049" title="IMG_3277 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3277" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3884/14617202049_72537221b5.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lordy, Lordy, Colorado is beautiful!</span><br />
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<b>Note: To read about the next day, click the "Newer Post" link below. </b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65903487557969735.post-28248413845499817502014-08-02T10:57:00.004-07:002014-08-02T21:03:20.739-07:00Day 35 - Durango, CO<b style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Dateline: July 21, 2014; Durango, CO</span></b><br />
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Got up early so Greg could take motorhome to Bill Sitton's place to work on transmission<br />
Liza and kids DID Durango then went out to Bill's in Ignacio.<br />
Came home and had dinner in FMC<br />
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We got up early so Greg could get over to Bill's place in Ignacio and get started on the transmission work there. The kids and I loaded up into my car and set out to explore Durango. We had breakfast at the <a href="http://www.durangodiner.com/" target="_blank">Durango Diner</a>. And, then got Liza's car washed (being towed behind a motorhome through thunderstorms leaves a car grimy). When we were done, we hit the shops in Durango's downtown. We had two goals . . . kill time and get Gage some good running shoes. We accomplished both nicely. <br />
After our huge breakfast, we weren't hungry at lunchtime so we headed out to find some yummy ice cream. We ended up finding a great spot called <a href="http://creambeanberry.com/" target="_blank">Cream Bean Berry</a>. It's an artisan ice cream shop in an old school that's been converted into a very, very cool multi-use space. The ice cream was delish. Gage had a vanilla bean float made with Zuberfizz Vanilla Cream soda which he said was fantastic. I had Balsamic Strawberry ice cream and Ruth had Salted Caramel. What a great spot for us to chill out and plan the rest of the day. <br />
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After ice cream, we drove up to <a href="http://www.fortlewis.edu/" target="_blank">Fort Lewis College</a> which sits on the ridge above Durango. What an amazing setting for a college. We stopped several times to look out at the town of Durango. The view was spectacular. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617372839" title="IMG_3150 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3150" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5589/14617372839_0a14b4f12e.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617370099" title="IMG_3151 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3151" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3889/14617370099_96fd8ed151.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14801660504" title="IMG_3152 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3152" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2934/14801660504_2fda854e10.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14803976805" title="IMG_0919 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0919" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2913/14803976805_8bdcaa7446.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">There is a cool stone building on the rim called <a href="http://www.durangogov.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/16" target="_blank">Lion's Den</a>. We stopped there to enjoy the view. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14780975396" title="IMG_0922 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0922" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5564/14780975396_fcb8bfd592.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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We decided to head out to Ignacio early. Greg was expecting us by 4pm but we were feeling like naps or something but had not motorhome to nap in. We headed out and had a late lunch in Ignacio. It's a tiny Colorado town but we found some yummy burgers at a roadside burger joint, Iron Head Grill. Ignacio is on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation and is home to a really beautiful casino and cultural center and museum. If we'd had more time, we would have gone to the museum. The casino had a nice looking RV park, too. </div>
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Bill lives out in the country outside of town. We followed his very detailed directions to get there. The view from his place is amazing. Greg and Bill were amazingly dirty (which will surprise no one who has ever worked on an FMC). They were nearly done and while the kids and I explored the property, they finished up. We were so grateful to Bill for helping us. FMC people are the best! </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14801649594" title="IMG_3165 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3165" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3917/14801649594_bef0897560.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14800859871" title="IMG_0923 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0923" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2912/14800859871_0f1bf41c3a.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalee/14617347328" title="IMG_0924 by Liza Lee Miller, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0924" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5557/14617347328_8d8d444182.jpg" width="375" /></a>
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Heading off, back to Durango with a park gear again! Success!<br />
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<b>Note: To read about the next day, click the "Newer Post" link below. </b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02776482696203224923noreply@blogger.com0