Airstreaming with Sally & Betty

And just like that, we were back in Oregon.  We have really been blessed by the Weather Gods so far on this trip.  We had rain while relocating from Gig Harbor to Astoria.  When we made our obligatory trip to one of the local breweries, the town was dead and we were not quite sure why so many had strongly recommended Astoria.  Well, there is nothing like sunshine to lift your spirits!  We went home that day and researched things to do in town and were extremely happy to find there is a 6 mile harbor hike/bike trail.  That and the next three days of wonderful weather suited us just fine. We stayed at the Lewis and Clark RV Resort which was extremely well maintained but full of mosquitoes!  Jeff says that the big ones (these were huge) are males and they won't bite you.  I am pretty sure he is making this up.  Nothing ever bites Jeff because all the little rascals gorge themselves on my yummy blood!  Anyway, we noticed a Rutherford Co...

Front Row!!! The border crossing from Canada back into the US was an adventure!  We arrived at port really early and were the first in our line of big rigs for boarding which meant that we had a front row seat for the unloading process.  The lower level deck is just about 5 feet or so above the water line (or so it seemed from inside) and we could see and feel the way the ferry literally bumped its way into a snug mooring.  Then, the crew used some large cables to pull the ferry tight up to the dock. As we actually made the true US border crossing, we had our second near miss of our journey - this time with a stationary object.  I guess Jeff likes a challenge since he chose to turn into the guard station with the tightest turning ratio.  Normally, you want to be very careful to take wide right turns so as not to run over a curb or worse.  This was a left hand turn and it was clear that we were too tight right from the beginning.  I jumped out to g...

Long Beach in Tofino We took a mini vacation from our vacation lifestyle and spent a night in a hotel in Tofino.  Tofino is on the western coast of the island, just about the same latitude as Nanaimo. It took us about 3 hours to get to the other side but the drive was beautiful.  I have always said that I love mountains and water together.  So, a lake or ocean, or in this case Clayoquot Sound, where there are no beaches but the mountains just dive right down into the sea... is my cup of tea. A great back deck for sunset cocktails Once in town, we went immediately to the sea plane tour place and booked ourselves on a 30 min flight-seeing tour of the sound for the next morning.  Jeff then booked himself for the 5:30PM kayaking sunset tour of the sound.  Since I hadn't packed for that, I enjoyed some Chardonnay with an amazing view instead.  I am sure he was cold out there paddling, right?  My wine was cold, which made me happy :) Floa...

We spent a VERY relaxing two+ weeks in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, BC.  We were a little optimistic to think we could get here in a day from Portland. We left on time, but misjudged the amount of time it would take to get across the border into Canada. So, it was almost dark when we rolled in and Jeff actually used a flashlight to make sure everything was hooked up properly. Our view of the Straight of Georgia This campsite is the most beautiful spot so far on our adventure AND the easiest parking job yet.  Jeff backed in perfectly on the very first try and we leveled the trailer by continuing backward 6 inches over our leveling blocks.  This does wonders for our relationship, let me tell you! Bast Campsite Yet! The campground is also very well managed - again right up there at the top so far.  They must employ a small army to maintain the site. Every day golf carts are out in force with people raking the gravel campsites in preparation for the next...

Willamette Valley Vines On our way back from the eclipse, we did our first "free" stay at a winery.  We have joined the Havest Hosts club which is a group of wineries and farms that will allow you to camp for a night for free on their property in exchange for your patronage of their offerings.  Well, we drink and eat anyway, so why not? Full hook-up by a barn Portland was our stay after the wedding and before we headed out to Canada.  We stayed right on the Columbia River and spent our most memorable time traveling up the Columbia Gorge to Hood River, OR.  The drive is amazing and we found and joined a wine club while we were in Hood River. Of course, we did not start the devastating fire in the Columbia Gorge, but we unknowingly drove right past it on our way back to our campsite in Portland.  It was already roaring and very close to the highway.  This fire quickly closed the roads the next day and wreaked havoc on the area for almost a we...